I enjoyed this story very much. There were a lot of little things going on throughout, but it all came back to Savannah learning to trust herself and figuring out her own dreams and future.

The relationship between Savannah and Marcos was sweet and he was good for her and helped her get past her fear. There were points where their relationship felt rushed and others where it felt slow, but overall they supported each other when needed.

The other relationship I really liked was Savannah’s friendship with Emery. While it could be said that they were competing for the same thing, there was no real sense of competition between them and they were so encouraging and supportive of each other. And Emery never gave up on Savannah.

Savannah’s relationship with her family is good, though things with her dad felt a little strained at times. Overall she had a close and supportive family.

The friend group that Savannah develops with Marcos’s friends is really sweet too. Having her boyfriend’s best friends accept her and make her feel included is important. And I loved how Andreas kept her updated when something happened to Marcos.

The most complicated relationship, and I believe the main plot for this book, is Savannah’s friendship with her best friend Cassie. Perhaps it was foreshadowing, but the dynamics between them felt off from the beginning. Savannah constantly caved to Cassie’s desires, even so far as her name was concerned (Savannah uses her middle name because Cassie didn’t like her first name, Kaitlyn or “Katie”).

All in all this was a great read!

Disclaimer: I received a DRC through Net Galley on behalf of the publishers for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This story is just all over the place. Two different plot lines. I didnt really care for it. I was excited for the gymnastics portion of this. But it just fell short for me.

Hello people of the internet!!! On today’s ‘Monday Memos’ we’re going to review a YA contemporary book called ‘Lessons in Falling’ by Diana Gallagher, which was provided for review by Spencer Hill Press. This is a very interesting book about friendship, love race relations, & finding your own voice. Fair warning, this book does contain some racial slurs directed towards the Hispanic community as well as discussion about depression & attempted suicide, so if any of these subjects are triggering to you, this is your warning. So now let’s get to the review. Ready? Ok, let’s go!!!

 

‘Lessons in Falling’ is a young adult contemporary novel that revolves around the life of a young former gymnast named Savannah who has recently given up the sport due to an injury. Although Savannah can continue to compete in gymnastics, she spends most of the book running from the sport due to her overwhelming fear that she will fail. Also, throughout the book Savannah must deal with pressure from her family to continue her gymnastics career, pressure from her best friend Cassie to not continue, as well as fear that she will cause her family financial hardship by not receiving a gymnastics college scholarship like they always planned. Along with this, Savannah has to deal with some unwanted attention/consequences when she begins romance with a Hispanic classmate named Marcos, during a time when racial tensions are high in her school. Lastly, Savannah has to decide if Cassie (the person who she has always put all her faith in) truly has her best interests at heart, or if her best friend is actually stopping her from becoming the person she’s meant to be.

 

First of all I want to say that I really liked this book. It was an interesting story with characters that were well written, & a plot that kept you interested, & even surprised you from time to time. Savannah was a really good protagonist, because you never felt frustrated with her choices (even if you don’t agree with everything she does), & in the end you really feel yourself rooting for her. Marcos was a well written love interest who really complimented Savannah’s character, & who you also found yourself rooting for. The last character I wanted to discuss was Cassie. There are many points in the story that you’ll find yourself hating Cassie because of how she treats Savannah, but you also understand why she does what she does & in the end you find yourself hoping that Cassie can overcome her personal demons. There is so much more I’d like to talk about regarding this book, but I don’t want y’all you be stuck here all day. I would definitely give this book a rating of 5 smiley faces, & suggest that EVERYONE add it to their TBR.

This coming of age story focuses on a gymnast whose injury has caused her to reconsider her dream of going to college on a gymnastics scholarship. At the same time, she's navigating a rough patch with her best friend and wondering if she really knows Cassie or not. Then there's the boy she meets. The fact that Marcos doesn't know her as an accomplished gymnast allows her to explore more of her identity and who she really wants to be.

I reviewed an electronic ARC on NetGalley courtesy of the publisher.

The characters in this story were interesting and there was just enough story line to hold my attention but overall seemed rather slow and a bit typical. It seemed to strive for depth that was never really fulfilled.

This YA novel sounded like it was going to have a lot going on based on the book summary, so I admit that it has taken me awhile to get to actually reading and reviewing it. I was hoping that this would be a pleasant surprise of a book but it wasn't I really didn't care for some of the plot devices and the characters' choices. I am not sure that I would recommend this to many teens to read. I find suicide to be a tricky subject and it is hard to do it justice in a book like this. It can be dealt with too lightly as a plot device when there could certainly have been other methods of having the characters behave a certain way, etc... Overall, it wasn't a bad read, but it wasn't a great one. It was just Okay.

I just wasn't overly impressed with the book. The writing style was just very simple and I didn't like how badly Cassie was portrayed after attempting suicide. Like she's a selfish bitch. It wasn't very nice especially for me as I have attempted twice and it's hard to even ask for something afterwards

Reviews shared on Goodreads, Amazon, B & N and V's Reads; http://wp.me/p3AKEA-2fz

Savannah is a sixteen year-old former gymnastics champion who's still recovering from the knee injury she suffered six months ago. She's had surgery and physical therapy, and can't imagine going back to gymnastics because she can't be perfect.

She lives in a small coastal New York town that's having a social crisis over the large number of immigrant Mexicans and DREAMers who've taken up residence in this locale. Savannah's always been sheltered by her family--her father's a teacher at her high school, an d her best friend, Cassie--who's loud and audacious. Cassie stayed at Savannah's bedside as she recovered from injuries and surgeries, and shes' struggling hard, but Savannah's too caught up in her own misery to really notice, until Cassie attempts suicide.

Then, Savannah starts to question all their interactions, Cassie's newer friendships with kids from the migrant community, and why Savannah can't just get past her paralyzing fears. Part of this is re-envisioning her life, and letting in new people, like Marcos, who help Savannah see that sometimes the relationships we hold dearest aren't the most healthy.

For me, this was an okay read. I liked the parts where Savannah challenged herself to get back on the pommel horse and rehab completely. She had more friends in her life than she'd first let on, and Cassie was a good-ish friend, I thought. She struggled, sure, but her affection and compassion were unquestioned. Savannah seemed way more self-centered than I was comfortable with, and Marcos urged her to be even more so. I wasn't really upset about that, because it is important to find one's own path, but Savannah's actions came off as callous and borderline negligent. I do understand that some friendships are co-dependent and unhealthy, I get that, but the manner of Savannah's reckoning and reconciliation were awkward and unkind. Considering how attentive Cassie had been to her, Savannah's own actions felt mean by comparison.

The subplot of anti-immigrant sentiment and violence was odd, and Savannah's interaction on this front was, uh, nutso? That's probably not a clinical term, but how she behaved was beyond rational and the resolution of that crisis was entirely too convenient. I also had an issue with elements of the timeline. Savannah's family life was weird, and her brother's experience in the military was intimated to be far longer than the actual year that it would have been, if a reader (like me) did the math. There's a little bit of romance, and lotta bit of rehab--both physical and emotional--with Savannah finding her true path back to her old life. This time she has some new pals, a boyfriend and a college plan. It's got heartwarming moments, even if Savannah reads as analytical and cold. I read a review copy provided by NetGalley.

Lessons in Falling

by Diana Gallagher

Lessons in Falling has the expert touch of a gymnast in writer Diana Gallagher. Although the focus of the story is gymnastics, the book is so much more. This is not one of those themed books for young readers aimed at an audience of pre-teen and teenage girls who are, were, or want to be gymnasts. The scope of this book ranges from teenage friendships to romantic relationships. It encompasses issues common to teenagers: college applications and scholarships, driver’s tests, depression, texting, work issues, immigration, parental expectations, extracurricular activities, and discrimination. The plot centers around Savannah, an aspiring gymnast who has suffered an injury, and her longtime friend, Cass. It explores their personalities and relationship during their critical senior year of high school. Teenage years are chaotic for many; Gallagher does not oversimplify or exaggerate the difficulties her characters encounter.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Spencer Hill Press for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Teens and Young Adults

Notes:
Some bad language
Although it did not ruin the book for me, I wished I had not seen a summary prior to reading this book. I kept anticipating a certain event and would rather have been surprised when it occurred.

Publication: February 7, 2017—Spencer Hill Press

Memorable Lines:

She could go on all day like this, using me as the shoreline that her words beat against.

Yesterday, she comforted me. Today, I’m her anchor. At the end of the day, we’re thicker than humidity in July.

As kids we played together, schemed together, nursed bruised knees and silly crushes on boy bands. She was quiet unless she was with me. Together, chances were that we were screaming as we sprinted into the ocean and laughing as we splashed each other. We whispered together under the trees as the neighborhood kids ran around searching for us in Manhunt, never giving up our spot. I rode my bike to her house when Richard was first deployed, blinking tears out of my eyes. She met me at the curb and grabbed my hand. Although her hand was bony, cool, without calluses, it was just as strong as mine. Sometimes I think she hasn’t let go. She keeps her arm around me now, reminding me that I’m her anchor, that she will run to me if she needs to be safe.

After one injury too many, Savannah quit gymnastics, much to the disappointment of her parents.
When Sav's best friend, Cassie, attempts suicide, Sav wonders just how well she knows Cassie.
Sav grows closer to Marcos, the guy that found Cassie, and who believes that Sav can still achieve her gymnastics dreams and that Cassie is no good for her.
Will Sav give up gymnastics for good?
Is Cassie the friend that Sav thinks she is?

As someone that finds gymnasts inspirational and thinks that they're amazing, I was intrigued to read a book with one as the main character.
I really liked Savannah - she was smart, determined and a good person. She had gone through a rough time with all her injuries so I could see why she didn't want to continue with gymnastics and risk another injury.
Apart from Sav, Emery and Marcos were the other characters that stood out for me. They were the kind of people that you would want to be friends with.
I had mixed feelings about Cassie - at times I liked her but at others she annoyed me.
The plot was interesting and made me want to read on, but I wasn't gripped.
I thought that the author handled the topics of racism and friendships well and realistically.
I liked the writing style for the most part, but there were moments when I wasn't sure who Sav was talking to or about (which may have been because of the formatting. I'm not sure).

Overall this was an enjoyable read.

I really enjoy niche books that delve into worlds I am unfamiliar with. I know nothing about the lives of gymnasts so I was interested to get a peek. And it was ok. The plot wasn't the most compelling but it was interesting enough that I stayed in it and enjoyed my time here. A lot of the time I was wishing it would be just a little more intense. I think the characters weren't developed enough, because maybe if I had understood them a little better than their drama would have impacted me harder. Solidly written and plotted though.

On the surface, Lessons In Falling is about learning how to let go of the fear of failure, something that’s relatable at any age. Underneath the surface, this is a book that tries to tackle a lot of issues with mixed results.

I was drawn into this book by the complicated relationship between the main character, Savannah, and her best friend Cassie. From the beginning, we get a sense of just how opposite the two girls are: Savannah is fearful, while Cassie is bold; Savannah works hard in school to earn a scholarship, while Cassie skips class; Savannah wants to resume gymnastics, while Cassie intends to protect her.

I really enjoy stories about the complications when it comes to girl friends. I love seeing well-rounded best friend characters, and Cassie is nothing if not complex. Cassie is sarcastic, withdrawn, and often emotionally manipulative, and it takes Savannah a while to realize that the friendship has become pretty one-sided. The major plot of this book has to do with Savannah coming to terms with the fact that she and Cassie are growing apart, and that the growth is necessary for them both to become who they need to be. This is something I’ve gone through over and over again, so I enjoyed reading about it.

The problem: Cassie’s depression and her suicide attempt converge with how toxic she is as a friend.
I am all for depression rep in books, as someone with depression. On the one hand, the subtle signs Cassie gives off before her suicide attempt really resonated with me. I felt for her. But on the other hand, the suicide attempt itself comes across as a plot device—as a reason for Savannah and Cassie to grow apart. Cassie doesn’t talk about her depression with Savannah, wanting to protect her friend from the darkness, but ultimately Savannah doesn’t feel that she can do anything to help. I get where Savannah comes from, but I felt that it was problematic to set up their friendship this way.

When someone is depressed and suicidal, the last thing they need is a friend who disappears on them. This has happened to me too many times to count: I get depressed, I get dark and negative, and my friends disappear because they can’t handle it. Something Cassie says over and over again is how she just wants Savannah to be her friend, no more and no less. She doesn’t want another therapist, she wants a friend to just hang out and do nothing with her. However, the story posits this as Cassie asking too much of her friend—and this is problematic to me.

Savannah’s world is naturally diverse, in that she lives in a community with a large population of Latinx immigrants who face stereotyping, harassments, and bullying on a regular basis. This felt very realistic to me, but I felt that the racism was also used as a plot device, and not in a satisfying way.

At multiple points, racial slurs are used, not by the main characters themselves, but by unknown entities who graffiti lockers and get into fights. The graffiti slur is pointed to again and again in the text, driving home the point that this high school is filled with racism. At one point, Savannah talks to her father, the AP Calc teacher, about the racism. His response? Well kid, that’s just the way it is. At no point in this book do the racists get what’s coming to them, which, while possibly true to reality, isn’t exactly a good message—nor is it satisfying to read.

Additionally, many of the Latinx side characters fall into stereotypes: they all live in the crappy neighborhood together that’s loud and “dangerous” (although the story never shows any of the actual danger there, it’s just implied). I lived in different Latinx neighborhoods for two years in New York City, where I had exactly zero problems, and I hate seeing these stereotypes perpetuated. While Marcos is well-developed, he and his male friends are always getting into fights—another stereotype. Juliana, Cassie’s friend, is extremely standoffish for most of the book, and another Latina is pretty much a total Fiesty Latina stereotype thrown in as if to color up Savannah’s world.

bottom line:
I feel like the author tried to do a lot here. I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt in that I believe her intentions were to write a naturally diverse story, to address some of the problems she’s aware of in our racist society, and to talk about complex friendships. At the end of the day, though, none of these big issues were really addressed in a meaningful way. The book tries to stretch itself so far that none of these problems are dealt with accurately or fully. Ultimately, the only rewarding part of the story for me was the theme of Savannah conquering her fear of failure.

Thank you very much for allowing me to read this title; I am trying to read as widely as possible ahead of the Carnegie/Greenaway nominations and awards for 2018 and your help is much appreciated.
As a Carnegie/Greenaway judge, I'm not allowed to comment about my opinions on specific titles so I can't offer an individual review on any title as I stated on my profile.

"Lessons in Falling" really only came together for me about halfway through when Savannah became a little more proactive and confident. She really grows throughout the novel and becomes much more relatable, the downside is that during the first half or so she seems to be more or less a pushover which was rather frustrating to read.

Nous avons donc une histoire classique d’une fille qui a été assez brûlée pour ne plus oser s’approcher du feu et qui réapprend à affronter ses peurs.

Mais en plus de cela, elle doit apprendre à se détacher de celle qu’elle a toujours considéré comme une ancre car elle ne réalise pas que Cassie la tire vers le bas plutôt que de l’encourager. Processus long mais qui a été captivant à lire. Même si par moments, j’ai eu envie de secouer Savannah pour qu’elle ouvre les yeux, je n’ai pas pu m’empêcher de me mettre à sa place et de me demander « si j’étais à sa place, est-ce que je réagirais différemment? »

Les scènes où elle m’a exaspérée sont en même temps celles où elle montre qu’elle est une vraie amie, loyale en toutes circonstances, de celles que l’on voudrait tous avoir.

Et puis, pour dédramatiser le tout, l’auteure ajoute une touche de romance qui m’a beaucoup fait sourire, notamment parce que Savannah est plutôt candide et qu’on ne peut pas lui en tenir rigueur.

Savannah is a teenage who was hoping for a gymnastics scholarship at a top college when she blows out her knee during a big competition. Lessons in Falling is the story of a school girl learning to overcome her fears and to challenge herself, experiencing new friendships and love, even if this means going against what her best friend thinks is right for her.

I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews for this one; personally I enjoyed the book. Firstly a lot of people have said they went into this book expecting a book about gymnastics and that’s not what they got. I would agree with this, whilst gymnastics does feature within the plot it’s really not as central to it as some people expected. Now I didn’t pick up this book because of the gymnastics, I was more interested in the relationship aspect so the fact the gymnastics was secondary to Savannah learning to face her fears and stand up for herself didn’t bother me.

Secondly a lot of people have commented on the relationship between Cassie and Savannah, particularly Savannah’s reaction to Cassie following her attempted suicide. I can understand why people had problems with this, especially if attempted suicide is something they’ve had direct experience with. Did this book need a suicide attempt? Possibly not – Looking back at the relationship between Savannah and Cassie throughout the book it’s pretty toxic. Part of me can understand why Cassie would be nervous about Savannah going back to gymnastics after her accident but I would have liked her to be more supportive when she decided that’s what she wanted to do. It seems as though Cassie hates the idea of Savannah having other friends, she wants Savannah to be reliant on her, we see how she’s separated Savannah from friends in the past, and the way she tries to prevent her from making new friends. At the same time Cassie has other friends that she increasingly spends time with while excluding Savannah. It’s a relationship Savannah needs to distance herself from in order to grow, I understand that attempted suicide is the most dramatic way of creating the split but there are probably other ways in which this could have been done which would have had the same outcome. I also understand Savannah’s reaction to it, she tries to help Cassie as best she can, but Cassie isn’t ready to talk about her reasons for attempting suicide. While I completely understand why Cassie wouldn’t be ready to speak about it, I also understand why that might create distance in their friendship, I can also understand why later events, that I won’t go into in the review, push the friendship past the point of no return.

Would I recommend it?

Yes I would. I can understand why some people have issues with some parts of the book, but for me it was an interesting story about how sometimes a relationship you value can become toxic and stop you from reaching your potential. This on a personal level is something that I could identify with, I’ve definitely had friendships where I consistently put in far more than I ever got out, and while nothing so dramatic happened as a catalyst, I knew I had to distance myself from it for my own well-being.

Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher is a perfect story for teens experiencing the stress of sports, friends, school and future expectations. K.S. Gregory, Savannah to her friends, is served several life-changing blows, yet ultimately decides she's a fighter and works hard to re-establish herself as one. Not only will YA readers relate to Savannah's over-protective parents and keen pressure of succeeding in sports beyond high school, Gallagher also includes the issues too-often ignored; depression, bullying, racism, and peer pressure. A excellent purchase for all YA collections.
Readalikes: How it Feels to Fly by Kathryn Holmes

Although there were some things I did not enjoy completely, the story entertains. The characters are kinda weak and the book is not deep. But I think Savannah is an interesting character: I liked how even though she's afraid to do certain things, she still does them (?.

I would have loved that the book went deeper into the psychological aspect of Savannah and Cassie's friendship. Also into the reasons for Cassie's suicide attempt. That was what catch my attention when I read the synopsis and I don't feel that it's explained well in the book :(

I loved Marcos and how he wants to be a better himself. And everything about his past and his immigrant parents. Buuuuut, why does the book have so many absurd stereotypes about latinos? And why does the story have racial segregation (Latino people living in a sort type of ghetto)?


So Lessons in Falling is an enjoyable book. I expected a little more "action" in certain topics and expected the story didn't fit in the mold of the rest of YA books. It's a "meh" book, nothing more.

Hmm... I would say that my initial thoughts on this book are that I found it rather slow and boring. That may just be because of me, and not actually the way it's written, but that's probably why it took me so long to read. But while it didn't grab my attention the way I would have wanted, that wasn't the only (or the biggest) issue. The casual racism and serious stereotyping of races was a major issue for me, and seemed extremely unnecessary. Those comments didn't add anything to the story, and just made it all the more problematic.
Also. The suicide attempt? Okay, right... Cassie attempts suicide, and then Savannah... bails? What the heck is that about? Okay, sure, Cassie was an extremely manipulative friend but I really don't think it's right for the time when Cassie is so vulnerable and in need of a friend for Savannah to just ditch her. I've had my fair share of manipulative friends, but I can honestly say that I wouldn't do that. And just a quick note - ignoring the issues for a second - Savannah was such a dull narrator? I don't know anything about her even though I just read an entire book in her voice and head. Surely... that's an issue?
Anyway, overall, I'd say I only gave 2 stars instead of 1 because they go to the beach a lot and I love the beach. Other than that, quite a few issues in Lessons in Falling which can't really be overlooked.

A little background on Lessons in Falling: Savannah Gregory hurts herself at gymnastics nationals and decides to take it as a sign to quit completely. Her best friend Cassie is all for it and encourages her to never return to the mats. Things start changing for the girls and the pressure is overwhelming. Cassie attempts suicide and is rescued by a boy named Marcos. While Cassie recovers physically and mentally, Sav gets closer to Marcos and she returns to gymnastics.
Let me start with what I liked about this book (aside from the friendship stuff, that’ll be in a minute). The relationship between Marcos and Sav was probably my favorite part (go figure, right?). They’re cute together and they just work. Marcos encourages Savannah to go back to gymnastics but he isn’t pushy about it. Savannah tries to reason with Marcos and get him to stop using his fists so much. That resolution doesn’t come as quickly, but they stick by each other. Once they get around Cassie, of course.
I also liked the story in general. It flowed well, it was written well, and I sincerely enjoyed reading it. Savannah grows in beautiful and incredible ways. Marcos does too. Even Cassie is different at the end than she was in the beginning. Great job Diana!
Now for a quick dislike. The stakes. I didn’t buy it. Sav quits gymnastics because she got hurt and she’s afraid to get hurt again. She’s been hurt a lot and I do get that. But she loves gymnastics. And frankly, I struggled to believe that an injury would be enough to stop her. She does go back, which is great, but it felt like a cheap storyline and I wanted it to go deeper. To be more. I would have loved to blame Cassie more for the gymnastics quit. Or any third party reason. Then it would have been more believable to me.
Now let’s go back to the friendship. Cassie is manipulative and toxic to Sav. Yes she is dealing with mental health issues and that topic is depicted painfully and accurately for the reader. But that does not excuse her behavior and Diana does not write the relationship in a way that allows Sav to forgive Cassie because of her mental health issues. There is an opening at the end that says someday Sav may forgive Cassie, which is great. It shows growth in both girls. But I love that Sav stands up to Cassie and moves beyond the relationship because it was harmful to both of the girls. It was refreshing to see a positive depiction of ending a harmful relationship.
Good on Diana for writing a book that I feel comfortable recommending to people. Go out and read this book because it is definitely worth it!