Review: 3.5 stars!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
Since we read this book together as a buddy book, we decided to review it together! Here are our thoughts on Fall in Forever. :)THE STORY:Becca: Fall into Forever was a cute but slightly predictable NA love story. Ivy is quiet, withdrawn and scarred from a tragic past. Jon is outrunning his own demons in a typical male way… parties and girls. They meet and are inexplicably drawn to one another. I see this as a usual format in NA writing. However, I was pleased that this story didn’t stray into the almost abrasive and raunchy zone that some NA has. This story had some very humorous parts (Ivy on the roof) and was kind of silly which I liked. It also had some very serious parts, Ivy deals with PTSD and I felt that Hyland did an excellent job dealing with this very real issue. I ultimately really liked both Ivy and Jon and was rooting for them! The end was a little cheesy and sappy for my taste, but I was happy with the outcome.Lisa: I definitely have to agree that this was very similar to many other NA books I’ve read recently. And maybe that’s partly because I’ve been on somewhat of a NA binge and I’m reading so many of them that they’re all kind of merging together. I did think it had standout, unique qualities that made it different from other NA stories too though. I also enjoyed the “Ivy on the Roof” parts, which definitely kept me giggling. Since I tend to like my characters flawed, this story really did work well for me. I would agree that the romance aspects were, at times, over-the-top on the cheese-o-meter. After a few eye-rolls I was able to move on and still enjoy the story.THE CHARACTERS:Lisa: Ivy was the perfectly-flawed type of character that I really enjoy reading about. She didn’t have the easiest past, which left her struggling to cope with PTSD that brought on migraines and other anxiety issues. I think the fact that this is such a real issue in teens these days, it really helped to strengthen the story in my eyes. Jon was the stereotypical hot, popular guy at school that worked at the local college radio station, giving him somewhat of a celebrity status amongst his fellow peers. He was tattooed, with gauged ears, messy hair, and didn’t mind getting into a fight for good cause. Your typical at-first-glance bad boy, with a heart of gold.The romance between Ivy and Jon did border on insta-love, which is one of my very biggest pet peeves in books, especially NA’s. At first sight they felt all the sparks and tried to deny their feelings, and so on. It was a bit much and I didn’t know if I would get past it. I’m so relieved that Beth Hyland took a step back and had the romance develop at a much more realistic level, rather than how I assumed it would go after their first meeting. Phew! Insta-love can really ruin a book for me, so I’m relieved it didn’t end up going that way as I had originally expected.Becca: I am in agreement with Lisa on these characters, I feel very much the same. I liked Ivy a lot, she was sweet and kind and just trying to start over and move on with her life. I really connected with her and hoped that she could overcome her fears and her past. Although Jon was kind of a typical tattooed bad boy, I liked him a lot too. I am always good with a strong guy who makes his girl feel safe and loved. Hyland did a good job of making them lovable characters with some unique qualities.OVERALL:Becca: Overall, I liked this book. It was sort of predictable and the characters were similar to others that I have read, but it definitely had some unique parts as well. I agree with Lisa in that I also thought it was heading down an insta-love path and was surprised that it took a turn and didn’t ultimately go that way. It gave Ivy and Jon a chance to build a more serious (and somewhat cheesy) bond. As far as NA goes, I did like this one. Even though it was a little redundant, it definitely had some redeeming qualities. I will always give props to Authors who insert real life issues into their books and Hyland does that very well in this book.Lisa: Simply put, Fall Into Forever was fun, full of the romance (and drama) that we all love, encompassing realistic and relatable characters, with a storyline sure to please. Aside from the sappy, over-the-top parts that I could have done without, I thought this story was really good, and I think most NA romance readers will really enjoy it. A great debut from Hyland. I’m definitely looking forward to what Hyland has in store for us next!