Amazing coming to age novel about real life situations in a teens life. Enjoyed this book tremendously! Tears and laughter

I received an ecopy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....

I gave this book 3 Stars as an average because there were things I really liked and some things I thought were terrible.

Many have already addressed the racial issue as being stereotypical. I agree, it was but I also agree that it was necessary. I feel that with all the immigration issues today, being so stereotypical may open many people's eyes to hypocritical behavior.

The suicide attempt was just part of the plot. It seemed to be poorly thought out and addressed. It was as if the author needed a clear line of separation and said, oh yeah suicide, that will do it. I believe this could have been replaced with an accident or some type of illness, not something as extreme.

To piggyback off of the suicide attempt... As you know in real life as well as in fiction, tragedies will make or break a relationship. Usually if a relationship already has cracks, a life changing event will shatter the already broken relationship.

That is exactly what happened here. Savannah was unable to spend time with Cassie while she was in the hospital. Because of that, to fill her time, she got back into gymnastics and made new friends. Cassie was a very controlling and manipulative person. It was okay for her to have other friends and interests but Savannah was only supposed to have Cassie. Once Savannah started opening her circle, she also started to open her eyes. It wasn't until push came to shove and she really needed Cassie, did she realize her friend was truly not the person she thought she was.

All in all, I thought this was a coming of age story, for both Cassie and Savannah. The author gives you heartbreak and struggles of young adult life while also making you think. I like authors that keep it real, that know there aren't always happy endings and things don't always end the way you want them to. I do feel like this book went on for too long. Goodreads says the page count is 250 yet I felt like this book was 500 pages. That is not a good thing. There was too much filler between plot points. So since there are a few things worth a 4 and a few things worth a 2, I gave the book 3 Stars overall.

Warning: A lot of confusion lies ahead. You've been warned.

2-4 stars? No rating? Honestly, I don't have a clue on how to rate this book.

Let's start with something easy: the writing style. While it wasn't my favourite, I really didn't hate it. However, as the main character is a teenager there is a lot of texting, and it wasn't clear when it was texting or when it was part of the narrative. It would all be together in one paragraph, no italics, no quotation marks, nothing to differentiate between text messages and the rest of the story, which as you can imaging, was annoying as hell.

I liked the aspect of the gymnastics. At first. Then I got bored. But this might just be me; I got bored and kinda skipped a bit of it. At first I did like it, and the author has actually experienced everything at first hand I believe, so I was genuinely interested on how it all worked.

As for the characters. . . I'm not sure. I know that Cass is a horrible, manipulative friend. But that's the extent of it, and I'll explain more about that in a second.

Ok, so now to the part that has me all conflicted. There are a lot of Latinos characters, which you at this point in history, makes it seem like an statement. However, I have absolutely no idea what that statement is. It could honestly go either way.

The characters go to a school somewhere in New York I believe, where for some reason, there are more Latinos then, you know, gringos. Like, seriously, of the cast of characters I could name right now more than half are Latinos. And I've been to New York, I know that there are are lot of Hispanic people there and pretty much half of the city is in both English and Spanish. But it felt really weird. I also found it weird that there were a lot of Hispanics but I don't remember any Asians or Indians, which again, is weird. And I know that my experience is not everyone's experience, and that just because I know it one way that means it can't be other way. It was just odd.

Then there's the main character. I still don't know how I feel about her. I'm going to most expecially refer to the point(s) where she defends Latinos. That could honestly go either way. On one hand, it makes her seem like she believes she's better than everyone else cause she's so considerate and "gets it." On the other hand, is like: "Yes! She actually gets it! She knows that there are more Latinos other than Mexicans. She doesn't hate. We should build her a freaking shrine," you know. But then again, it was also like: "Oh yeah, she's not ignorant. Does that really make her all that better than anyone else? Did the author do this on purpose JUST to makes us like her? JUST to make an statement? JUST to say something?" I mean, of course she was using her work to say something, but again, I can't decide how to take it.

I definitely need to take some time apart from this book before giving an actual rating. And to sort my thoughts. And to decided whether I, as a Mexican, should be offended or grateful.

I love when YA fiction takes a realistic approach to handling real teen issues and this one does just that. I feel that, when bringing these subjects to light, it can really make conversing about these topics easier to handle because teens don't have to feel so alone. This book wasn't a sad, depressing read - not at all. It was a wonderfully written, with fun characters you love to read along with. Like with real life, these "real life" issues are carefully woven throughout and cover topics such as teen suicide attempts, illegal immigration, and the aftermath that all of these things unleash on the family and friends of those affected. Savannah is not perfect, but she was just like any teen at your local high school. She struggles with what she wants to do with her future and whether or not she's willing to make it happen if it means losing a friend, if this "friend" was ever a true friend to begin with.

If you're looking for a great read then this book is one I definitely recommend. Though it deals with the topics I mentioned, it never comes across as preachy and it truly felt like just another element to the story. Parents, because of what this book deals with I do recommend reading before your younger teens just to make sure you feel they are ready for the subject matter without discussing it with you beforehand, as I'm sure you know - all young teens are different in terms of what they can handle.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

I was fascinated with gymnastics as a kid. I still am. The difference is that I now have a clear and realistic view that I could never be a gymnast. (No matter how hard I'd want to be one.) *sigh*
I went into this book thinking that it would revolve mostly on gymnastics. That wasn't the case though. Which, yeah, had me a little bit disappointed.

First of all, Savannah was not an easy character to like (for me at least). She was overly dramatic and seemed a bit self-centered. The friendship between her and Cassie? I was not sold on it. I kept thinking, "Are you two sure that you're friends?" Fortunately, I didn't feel that way the whole time.
I love the development Savannah's character took. It was realistic and I think we can all agree that we've all been in Savannah's shoes in one form or another. We're all scared of things we cannot control and sometimes we let that fear get in the way of who we really are as a person and who we want to become. As for Cassie, I still don't completely understand her but I think I get where she's coming from. I do think readers would have benefited more with a dual POV.

I also love that there were so many themes in the book. I just wish they were explored deeper and further. It didn't quite have the emotional punch I expected to get from a book such as this.
Lessons in Falling had an interesting plot, complex characters and a slow-burn romance. As far as debut novels go, this one's pretty good. Looking forward to reading more books from the author!

I received an e-arc to read and review.

I really enjoyed Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher, but had a few issues. For one, the topic of suicide wasn't addressed properly in my opinion. I've had friends attempt and commit suicide, and it's a lot more life changing and pervasive to one's life than Gallagher makes it out to be in the novel. It almost makes it out to be that Savannah is the villain in the story, when in fact Cassie is the one holding Savannah back and constantly putting her down. Also, as a former gymnast, the return to gymnastics isn't that realistic. I know for the story's sake it kind of had to be this way, but one can't return from reconstructive knee surgery to competing at level 10 after taking a "retirement" break doing nothing. Savannah would of never been able to return to competition that fast, regardless of how often she practiced or how hard she worked. Overall I enjoyed the novel but found too many holes to give it five stars.

Solely based on the blurb, I'd imagine that Lessons in Falling is a fun marshmallow contemporary set somewhere like Nebraska about a girl struggling to get back into her gymnastics career. Sweet and harmless.

Instead, what I got was the book that I didn't know I would fall in love with. It's fierce and fearless, tackling issues of racism, illegal immigration, poverty, injured athletes, and the complicated world of gymnastics.

If you want a book like the former, I'd gladly point you toward Shawn Johnson's The Flip Side.

But the latter is what stood out to me. The characters are complex, the relationships develop well, and the romance is sweet. I haven't seen a character who had perfect dry humor, wasn't awkward, was sweet, grew over the course of the novel, AND was believable in... I can't even remember the last time I had a character like that. Getting to know Savannah was a lot of fun, and I loved her character.

Lessons in Falling is the book that I didn't know that I needed. It does feel much longer than its 250 pages, but it also accomplishes more in that short span than most books.

About the first quarter of the book is dedicated to covering Savannah's developing relationship with Marcos, her friendship with Cassie, and her struggle with the idea of coming back to gymnastics. One of the minor issues that I had with this novel that started in the beginning was that words and phrases are used repeatedly to describe a certain situation or memory. It felt like Gallagher was trying too hard to get her readers to think of the characters or situation a certain way, but this is a debut novel, and I think it's something that she'll grow out of as she grows to trust her audience more.

The story goes on to include several notable side characters and build up Savannah's network of friends. The developing relationships was quite possibly my favorite part of Lessons in Falling. We get to follow every notable character through his or her own struggles, but we also get to see Savannah reconnect with old friends, come to like someone that she initially disliked, get into a relationship, and attempt to preserve the relationships she has now. I admired Savannah's loyalty to her friends and her understanding in the best and worst of situations. None of the characters were pushovers, but they tried to make room for each other, and I loved that about them. All of this, without the added drama and petties. This book is a gift.

And then Cassie tries to kill herself and throws everything off the tracks.

It was during this suicide attempt moment that I truly began to appreciate Gallagher's writing. Depression and suicide are no small issues that suddenly come about because of nothing, and she doesn't portray them that way. It was only after the fact that I recognized all the warning signs of depression in Cassie, and I was just as surprised by what happened as Savannah was.

Unfortunately, the transition between pre-suicide Savannah and post-suicide Savannah was the most rocky part. It was the only section of the novel where I felt that things were a tiny bit unrealistic. Savannah makes a lot of decisions out of the blue, or with the slightest nudging. I get that many things changed after what happened with Cassie, but it could've been smoothed over.

As mentioned above, Lessons in Falling explores many different themes, but in the end, this is a story about the friendship between Cassie and Savannah. The blurb does a good job of explaining the predicament: Savannah's growing up and getting into Marcos and gymnastics, but Cassie doesn't like either of those things. Even though there were some great crowd-pleasing moments to the ending, what the way that Gallagher handled Cassie and Savannah's relationship was what most impressed me.

Cassie isn't perfect. Savannah isn't perfect. They're growing up, and they're growing apart. They don't tell each other everything anymore. It's not like when they were kids, but they still manage to find a way to make it work. Gallagher recognizes the complexity of the issue, and she ends the story in a pretty satisfactory way.

Overall, I'd say that Lessons in Falling is the story that I needed a year ago when all of my most anticipated picks were falling through. The story was everything I wanted from Elizabeth Eulberg's Take a Bow, and I know I'll be rereading and recommending it. That being said, it's not perfect. There were issues with the writing that need to be buffed out. The pacing was too slow, the story dragged at certain points, and the description was good but overused. It's not as polished as it could be, but all the elements are there. I believe that the author has the potential to grow tremendously in the years to come, and I look forward to what she has to offer.

Great debut novel. 4 stars.

DNF @ 50%

I should have paid closer attention to the book blurb. It subtly clues you in on how problematic this book is. The gist of it: Cassie, Savannah Gregory's best friend attempts suicide. But won't say why. Afterward, Savannah pulls away, Cassie clings on harder, and Savannah realizes that Cassie has been holding her back her entire life, hinting that she breaks the friendship off. After her best friend who clearly needs her right now just tried to kill herself.

How fucked up is that?

It's even more so in the book.

One of my best friends killed himself eight years ago. He showed up to work a few minutes late that morning. I teased him about looking like he was hung over and he teased me back about sucking up to our boss. He went home at lunch and blew his brains out.

We never found out why. I will never fucking get over that. I will never forget the last, shitty words I spoke to him. His best friend was the one to find him, and now, eight years later, he's still struggling with the resulting PTSD.

Suicide is fucking ugly. It's brutal. It destroys your goddamn life.

This book treats Cassie's attempted suicide like a plot device. Dresses it up in pretty colors and tries to make it whimsical and romantic and poetic. She drives to the beach, leaves her car running with a note on the front seat that reads, "'Till human voices wake us and we drown", and then walks into the sea.

In an overt machination on the author's part, she's found by the MC's love interest, setting him up to be the traumatized hero.

Savannah, the MC, visits her supposed best friend in the hospital just once. Her best friend who just tried to kill herself. Her best friend who spent every goddamn minute by Savannah's side when she was in the hospital a few months prior after blowing out her knee.

At one point Savannah has a brief internal struggle thinking about how she could have done something to save Cassie if she had only been a better friend, and then promptly proves exactly how bad a friend she is by still not visiting Cassie in the hospital and instead reconnecting with her other friends and re-starting gymnastics, ensuring that she'll have almost zero time to devote to said best friend who just tried to kill herself.

I'm not going to say too much else about this, because I am still seething right now, and this review will turn ugly if I do. For those sensitive to the treatment of suicide, I recommend you steer far clear of this one.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been on my most anticipated list for awhile now, mostly because the author graduated with her MFA from my alma mater and lives on Long Island. I seem to recall that it was supposed to be published last year, however has been pushed until now.

Gallagher really makes this book real as she mines Long Island the best she can. Is there a more Long Island place name than Ponquogue? While there is a beach and bridge in the Hamptons called Ponquogue, it isn't quite a town or a high school that exists. However, for the purposes of this book, it does. South shore town right by the Hamptons. It was fun to read about locations I had gone to and driving up Nicolls road to go to SBU hospital. She mentions how the tower looms over the trees in the distance, this is a scene I have seen many times in real life and it made the book more real to me.

Savannah suffered a torn ACL/MCL/meniscus during her last gymnastics meet. Even though she has received a clean bill of health from her doctors, she has decided to quit gymnastics even though she previously had a good chance of getting a D1 scholarship. Her best friend since they were 7, Cassie, is acting both controlling and aloof at the same time. It's a toxic friendship and the strength of it is tested even more after Cassie's suicide attempt. Savannah seems to have no other friends since she cut off her gymnastics friends and her entire life was centered around that.

On top of that, Savannah starts falling for a guy from "the wrong part of town" who she is currently tutoring. Marco is constantly getting into fights, standing up to racist assholes who go after the people around him. They call him a vigilante, but if he gets in serious trouble he can kiss the scholarship to Suffolk CCC he's trying to get goodbye.

Savannah has to deal with where gymnastics actually fits into her life, realizing what makes a real friendship, her new feelings for Marco, and also if she will ever pass her drivers test. She's taken it 7 times already.

Beyond the characters in the story is the social commentary. There is racist graffiti against Hispanics popping up in the school, a lot of racist statements made by some of the students, the changing demographic in the school is becoming a contentious topic. There's a scene where the Hispanic day laborers are waiting at 7-11 to get picked up for work while a man sits across from the scene with flags on his chair with a sign that says "hire Americans". I'm a member of a clean-up group in my area and I see similar sentiments coming from many of the members. I know that the 7-11 thing does happen. However, this isn't just a Long Island thing, as is quite obvious if you read the news everyday. I do like how it is handled in the book. Some people speak up, some act physically, and some just pretend it doesn't exist. It's easy to sit back and judge each and every one of these actions, especially because they are non-existent characters. But it's important to really sit back and think what you would do.

The book does feel like it's missing some chapters. Some more buildup was needed for some of the gymnastics parts. Marco as a character needed more development. I felt that the ending was rushed to and rushed in general.

However, it's a good debut by a local author.

Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Spencer Hill Press for the opportunity to read and review Lessons in Falling by Diana Gallagher! A wonderful story of finding what you are capable of and figuring out what you truly want in life AND giving everything you have to accomplish both. Savannah is recovering from a gymnastic injury and trying to figure out how to deal with life without gymnastics. Her life gets fuller and she has to decide on her priorities compared to the people around her. The surrounding characters grew on me and the author's writing made them feel realistic and the struggles of these characters were dimensional, just like real life. I love this book; 5 stars for a must read realistic fiction!

A great YA novel. I've found when they're good, like this one is, I really enjoy reading them as a nice palate cleanser between my usual darker mysteries. It was easy to get into and hard to put down.

Savannah is determined that her most recent gymnastics injury is her last. The pain and physical therapy have made her throw in the towel. To the disappointment of her parents, she wants to be done with gymnastics. Her best friend Cassie encourages this, content to have fun and plan their future without the sport. No more painful injuries, braces, or sore muscles. ...No more adrenaline rush, pride, competing in college, or goals. New plans, new future... with Cassie.

Until Cassie tries to kill herself. She survives, but is closed off and doesn't want to talk about it. She seems to want to pretend it didn't happen, which Savannah isn't satisfied with. She also wants Savannah to stay away from Marco, the sweet classmate she's been getting closer to. Though Cassie is allowed to have other friends, she seems to get jealous when Savannah does. Is she against Marco for real reasons, or simply because she wants Savannah to herself? Savannah has always been content to let Cassie be the leader, but she's starting to think she's been holding her back from figuring out what she really wants.

Cute and inspirational story. I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Spencer Hill Press, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Despite the synopsis, Diana Gallagher’s Lessons in Falling is not really about gymnastics. I would say the bulk of the story is about protagonist Savannah overcoming her fear of failure and taking chances. This extends to gymnastics, yes, but more to her long time friendship with her best friend, Cassie. It’s a book that’s primarily about Savannah trying to move forward after a possibly career-ending injury, and the people who both help and hinder her.

What I liked about this book was the realism of the friendships in it – from Cassie to Savannah’s former teammate Emery, to her love interest Marcos. The characters are rounded and sympathetic – at least those four are.

The problem, though, was that I didn’t feel like there were smooth transitions between Savannah’s interactions with each of them and the plot of the book. There was just a little too much going on here, and the packed in themes of moving forward, how much to expect of a friendship, mental illness, racial tensions, and taking chances felt a bit muddled. I think the themes needed a little bit longer to bake because it just didn’t feel like every word in the book was working towards the same goal.

Still, there’s promise here, especially in the complexity of the race relations and the way that the friendship between Cassie and Savannah is portrayed. I would love to see another novel by this author with a little less going on.

After Savannah blows out her knee during the Regions gymnastics tournament in front of her family, friends and college recruiters, she decides she's done with the sport forever. Done with the pain. Done with her body failing her. She's content to let her best friend Cassie take the lead and plan their senior year and future in NYC.

Then Cassie tries to kill herself.

I loved it. It accurately portrays the guilt, hurt and confusion when a friend tries to harm themselves and it seemed like there were no clues. Then you realized there were clues all along, and you were just making excuses. It also shows the parts of yourself you reveal to different people, and how everyone has a piece of the puzzle but aren't able to connect for the entire picture.

Savannah is a great character. This is a girl who told her gym teacher she had the stigmata after her calluses ripped open in gym class. Hurt physically and mentally after her knee injury and suffering round after round of defeat with the DMV, she proves her resiliency over and over. She might get beat down, she might indulge in self-pity, but then she gets up and tries. When she starts waking up from her dream-life, she begins to see that maybe what she has isn't what she needs, and that maybe no one is as put-together as they seem on the outside.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

This is more of a story of two friends falling apart. While I don't think the suicide attempt by Cassie was misdone, I do feel like it could have been easily replaced by another reason.

I reviewed this book as a 3 star because the pacing is very slow. At times, I wanted to skip entire pages. Having said that, the moments between Cassie and Savannah and the dysfunction that surrounds made this a compelling read.

I think the author did a good job of writing about two friends that looked at friendship and life in very different ways, while incorporating personality traits and needs that clearly show how different two people can be.

If only the pace was a bit better.

3.5 stars.

I thought this was a nice contemporary YA novel. It explored a long-term friendship that, as they neared adulthood, was beginning to show cracks. Savannah was struggling to balance her passion for gymnastics, her new boyfriend, and coping with the attempted suicide of her best friend Cassie. She was worried sick about her friend, and she was distraught because she'd been kept completely in the dark about her friend's depression.

The plot was interesting, and the ending was satisfying, but I wish there had been a bit more depth to the book. It had some heavy topics (Cassie's attempted suicide, Marcos's tendency to find himself in the middle of fights, and the struggle of whether or not to get back into gymnastics after a serious injury that nearly ruined her career), but I feel as though none of them were explored deeply enough to have a strong emotional impact.

It was a promising debut novel, and I would definitely check out future works by this author!

Lessons in Falling is a coming of age tale of that kind of gets you right in the heart.

Savannah is a gymnast but after an injury, she’s really questioning if she wants to continue on. She’s been doing it her whole life so in all honesty its a part of her. I loved that she was a gymnast. You don’t see very many stories with that background. Throughout this book, there are a ton of ups and downs. From her friend Cassie to the new boy in her life Marcos.

This is Diana Gallagher’s debut into the book world. I think she did a fantastic job with the story. I enjoyed it and I think this is a YA that anyone could really fall into. The only thing for me is that I didn’t get that emotional connection with the characters. And that is a huge thing for me.

Overall, I give this Four Boundless Stars

Savannah used to know where she was going. She was going to keep her GPA high and earn a gymnastics scholarship to Ocean State. But that was until she blew out her knee. Months after she had been given her doctor's blessing to resume athletics, she was still adrift and found herself at a crossroads. Filled with so much doubt about herself, she began seeing the cracks in her friendship with her best friend, Cassie.
"Just the same phrase again and again: 'Failed to use proper judgment.'"
The Savannah at the beginning of this book is not the same Savannah at the end of the book. Savannah's world had been tilted off its axis at the onset of this story, and as she righted it, she grew and changed.

I liked so many things about this book. I remember those friends, who I thought would be around forever, and as we grew up, we grew apart. Therefore, I could totally relate to Savannah's situation regarding her relationship with Cassie. Cassie was always the same Cassie, but as Savannah expanded her social circle, her eyes opened a little bit wider and she began to see the things that were always right in front of her. I found this part of the story sort of sad but real. Friendships change and sometimes crumble, and I thought Gallagher did a great job illustrating this reality.
"Gymnastics is the boyfriend you need to get over"
My first thoughts about Cassie were that she was a controlling codependent. However, as the story played out, I became a little more sympathetic towards her. I still didn't forgive all her transgressions, however I was able to better understand why. Still, there were many times where Cassie's behavior shocked me.
"I had to figure out what was right for me, not what Cassie thought was best. All these years, I chose her. But she didn't choose me"
I just could not believe how a friend could be so discouraging. She was there for 10 years while Savannah worked towards her goal, and then she actively discouraged Sav's return to the sport. It was very difficult for me to reconcile this behavior with that of a best friend.
"It's like you wilt when she's in the room."
I was so happy Savannah had a few people on her side. Marcos and Emery were great proponents. They cheered for Savannah and encouraged her to be her best and do her best. I found the relationship between Marcos and Savannah to be so healthy. They were both each other's biggest supporters, and I was elated that Gallagher made this a central component of their relationship and set this side by side with Savannah and Cassie.
"That's what you're supposed to do as a friend. You support the dreams, the good ones, and you shake your friends out of the bad ones"
The juxtaposition Gallagher offered of Cassie and Savannah's friendship and Marcos and Andreas was quite telling as well. Marcos would risk everything to have Andreas' back and protect him from harm. And then there was Cassie, who fled at the first sign of danger and threw fits when Savannah did not make the decisions Cassie wanted her to make.

This book is billed as a gymnastics book, and gym references abound. The connection and relationship Savannah had with the sport was very authentic. You can definitely tell that Gallagher came from a gymnastics background, and it added an extra dimension to Savannah.

Overall: A poignant coming of age story featuring a physical and mental comeback.

**I would like to thank NetGalley and Spencer Hill Contemporary for the advanced copy of this book

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to Spencer Hill Press and NetGalley.)

This was a contemporary story about a gymnast and her strained relationship with her best friend.

I felt quite sorry for Savannah in this because of the way her best friend Cassie treated her. Savannah looked to Cassie as her best friend, whilst Cassie seemed to always be putting her down and focusing her attention on her other friend instead.

The storyline in this was about Savannah going back to gymnastics after a knee injury, wondering about which college she would go to and whether she could get a scholarship, and worrying about Cassie, especially after Cassie’s attempted suicide. I did find the story quite dull though, even with the attempted suicide, and I didn’t like the relationship between Savannah and Cassie all that much, as Cassie came across as quite self-centred and unsupportive of Savannah.

The ending to this was okay, and I was pleased that Savannah had got her future at college worked out.
6 out of 10