Review: FOUR LEAVES!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 16, 2013
An ARC was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. To view Ashton's full review, visit [...]I rated Falling Behind FOUR LEAVES! When I read that Falling Behind was a Mature Young Adult novel, I was a little curious, because I had never read from this particular sub-genre. Falling In Fall reviewers rarely review young adult romances, so right off the bat, you know it must have something that caught our attention.The "mature" adjective for this novel's genre is absolutely correct. Throughout the time I spent reading this story, I found myself constantly thinking how old I felt. The main characters of this story are between 15 and 16 years of age, but the story contains many scenes where drugs, rape, and physical abuse are either spoken about or present. I know things have changed drastically since I was in high school, but I couldn't help but think that my biggest worry at 15-16 was getting my FIRST KISS! Man, how times have changed.Falling Behind, written by Dee Avila, follows the story of three best friends: Candice, Reese, and Titus. Candice and Reese are your typical 15-16 year old girls. They love boys, fashion, boys, cheerleading, and boys. Both had landed two popular senior guys as boyfriends, but they quickly learn that their relationships are not the healthiest. Both boyfriends have been rumored to be messing with drugs, but the girls only notice their mood swings. Candice and Reese are hiding secrets about their relationships not only from each other but from their families and friends. When Reese notices bruising on Candice, she begs her friend to get help, but Candice promises she is on her way out of the relationship soon. On the other hand, Reese has a boyfriend pushing her further into their sexual relationship than she wants to go, and eventually, pushes her right over that virginal edge while she lays there crying and wishing it was already done. She feels like she has to stay with her boyfriend, because she "gave" him her virginity.Titus is perfect. You will fall head over kitten heels in love with this guy. You can't help but like this character. He has a great and close relationship with his mother. Seriously. They talk about everything together! He is Candice and Reese's Superman. The three have history together, because Titus and Candice dated when they were in fifth grade. When they broke up, Candice introduced him to Reese, and the three became close friends. Titus made it his life's work to watch over and protect the girls. The only problem is the girls haven't confided in him about their relationship problems, and he is too caught up in his affections for Reese and making her boyfriend jealous. So, why has Titus not shared his feelings? Candice made him promise not to.Dee Avila did a fabulous job portraying those teenage years you are glad you never have to experience again. She captured the everyday high school drama without the story becoming too immature and causing the reader to disconnect. This story will evict lots of emotions from a reader. At times I felt giddy like I was a teenager, traumatized by the idea of these young adults having to deal with terrible situations, and saddened by the tragedies. If you enjoy a young adult novels and are looking to transition into new adult, this would be an excellent book for you. Falling Behind is the first in the Falling Series. I am excited to continue reading about these characters in the next installment.<3 Review by Ashton