The Upside of Falling Down is unfortunately not for me. I had tried this book and set it down in hopes of one day coming back to it, but now it is time to mark as DNF.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Clementine Haas is the girl who fell to earth, the lone survivor of a plane crash. Unable to remember anything about her past life, she enlists Kieran, a young man she meets at the Irish hospital, to help her flee before her father can arrive from the US to bring her home. Because she is so disturbed by her inability to recall her past life, she gives Kieran a fake name and claims she was mugged while traveling in Ireland and needs a place to stay temporarily. Their attraction to one another is complicated by the fact that his twin sister, Siobhan ,who is also staying at the family cottage, hates her with a passion. And Siobhan is very pregnant.

I wasn't sure what to expect with "The Upside of Falling Down." Rebekah Crane is an excellent writer, someone who can take on amnesia as a main plot point and make it work without being too soap-operaesque. Her writing was, in fact, stronger than the plot. The reader knows Clementine's past will be revealed eventually, and for me, that reveal was a just a little disappointing. I was expecting more suspense and intrigue, higher stakes involved here, based on her escaping from the hospital rather than meeting her father. In fact her leaving the hospital before he arrived seems cruel to a man who has lost so much.

But I read it into the night without complaint and will buy it for my library. I'll also be on the lookout for more of Rebekah Crane;s work.

This was an okay read. I think the entire YA genre needs to look in the mirror and really take a look at what it's doing cause this book was boring. While still readable, the premise was great (how many other books can you think of where the reader has survived a plane crash?!) but everything else was boring and predictable and made me feel like a bitter old woman. oh well 😔

I was not the biggest fan of this novel and ultimately DNF'd it. I cant really think of 100 more words so
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Sweet, heartfelt and emotional with a good storyline and important messages. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend to younger boys and girls.

I started off really enjoying this one, but as it progressed I started losing my love for it. My biggest problem was the MC was forever lying to everyone, but then got mad when people lied to her. She also went on and on about how she wasn’t the type of girl that needed a guy and she was independent, but then acted like she was going to die when the love interest quit talking to her. I found it all rather annoying. I did love the setting though. It made me want to pack my bag and visit Ireland immediately!

The Upside of Falling Down was a cute contemporary romance set in Ireland. I really liked the setting, and I think it was the most well-written part of the book. Most of the characters, and especially Clementine/Jane felt really flat to me for most of the story. I recognize that this is because of her amnesia, but the other characters have no excuse. They seemed really one-sided until the end, where I got twisted so much I had whiplash. I don't like it when characters build an entire relationship based on lies, so the ending made me really uncomfortable. People who don't mind this kind of storyline will probably like it though.

Will no longer be reading or reviewing this book due to lack of interest in the title, and the fact that the title has been archived.

I am a sucker for books where the main character has some type of amnesia, an unreliable narrator is my jam. This book did not let me down, I really liked my time reading it.

I have tried unsuccessfully to read this title and I have found it is not a good fit for me. I do not rate books I DNF...However, I was required to do so for this title. I stand by the fact...it is just not a good fit for me. I would not be willing to say it would not work for someone else.

3.5 Stars

A contemporary teen read that has great characters, an engaging plot, and good writing. I really like Clementine's and Kieran's relationship and felt the story was cute and charming.

Contemporary teen books and I are not usually friends. I still read them because when I like one it is often amazing. The Upside of Falling Down is an unusual situation as I didn't love it or hate it. It was okay. I find I don't have any strong feelings one way or the other.

Plot
Easily the best part of this book is the plot. Rebekah Crane takes us on a journey with our lead gal who has temporary amnesia. And while she has all the correct supports in place; she still runs away because in her mind she isn't the girl everyone at the hospital thinks she is. I can absolutely see myself as a teen doing exactly what our lead gal does. The twisting road the anmesia leads us on as readers is interesting. We only know what our lead girl knows; which means we have an unreliable narrator that may not be giving us all the details in the right order or even accurately. As the reader we also don't know what our lead gal is leaving out. What details is she not seeing or choosing to ignore. If you're a smart reader you'll actually focus on what she isn't telling us more than what she is.

Love Interest
Here's where The Upside of Falling Down looses me a bit. Yes there is an obvious, in your face love interest; and of course he's attractive, rich and without the 'constraints' of parents being present in his life. The perfect scenario for our lead girl to fall into. *rolls eyes*
The thing is that the actual lust/love aspects of the story are quite genuine. The first time is a bit glossed over but overall the interactions between the two feel genuine and reminded me of my own stumbling teenage years and relations with boys. So while the scenario may be convenient I'll give Crane props for making our teens act like teens.

Overall
There is a fun twist to this book that all goes back to our unreliable lead gal whose telling us the story. I liked how by the end I was ready for what happened and felt it made good sense. For some it may seem far-fetched but I didn't feel that way. With the exception of some convenient moments in the plot and characters I overall felt this was a well put together contemporary teen novel. And from this pessimistic teen literature reviewer that is actually a pretty good compliment.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Full review to follow!

Quick thoughts:
- Well, this was dreadfully boring and underwhelming.
- Hard-to-follow, hard-to-believe character motivations.
- Weakly written, cartoonish characters with angst-y backstories that made me roll my eyes.
- Lackluster writing style interspersed with generic, feel-good motivational crap (e.g. letting go, finding who you are, making changes).
- Annoying, hypocritical protagonist who hardly thought or acted logically? Jesus.
- Token diversity (i.e. a side character that likes to announce he’s Jewish and gay to literally everyone he meets).
- What’s the exact opposite of sizzling chemistry? That’s what Clementine and Kieran had.
- Poorly executed attempt at an interesting mystery. The reveals were also terribly done.
- Circular dialogues about who saved whom. Eww.
- SO. MANY. PLOT. HOLES. This wasn’t cohesive in any way.
- The resolution was really rushed, and I cringed the whole time.
- No emotions outside of cringing were felt as I read this.

This was a sweet,short read. Perfect for summer. I loved the romance part,and mistery part was so good! I couldn't predict the end and that says a lot! This book is perfect for people who looks for swoony beach reads that will also leave you breatless,but it's also for ones who wants to be detective for a while.

*I received a free copy of this ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Maybe 3.5 stars.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The twists weren’t exactly surprises to me, but that’s okay. I enjoy piecing things together and then finding out I’m right. It’s a cute story, even with the dark parts. I appreciate that choices aren’t without consequences.

Kieran was easy to like. I love genuinely good characters. Clementine was tricky because I knew she was lying about pretty much everything; her selfishness and disregard for how her lies and actions would affect others bothered me. Siobhan, Clive, and Stephen were all good supporting characters. I like the protective sibling relationship between Kieran and Siobhan.

Note: Some swearing, including a few f words. Off-page sex.

The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane was such a cute contemporary! Might I also mention that it takes place in Ireland? I mean, how can you beat that? Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook copy.

I thought this book was such a fun read! I was surprised about what was happening, but I really thought it was a good read.

The cover and title alone of this book caught my attention. They are both just fun and cute and makes me want to have some fun with this book. I read the synopsis and knew I wanted to read this book and it would be great for when I needed the short and light kind of read. I was right. This book was so fun and light and cute and fluffy and full of the good feels. The romance was cute, the story was good, and with the character development and wonderful setting if Ireland I couldn't ask for anything more in this kind of read.

Clementine Haas was a girl with her entire future ahead of her. She decided to take a trip to Ireland and on the way there the plane went down. Clementine was the only survivor. She wakes up in the hospital with no memory of who she is or the life she had. When it all gets to much for her she decides to hide away with a guy she just met at the hospital. He happens to be nice and sweet and rich and has a nice home she can borrow for a couple of weeks. She wants to give herself some time to see if the memory comes back. Instead, she finds herself building a new life with new memories. It can't be that easy though... not when everything new is built on lies.


This book was really adorable. I just loved every moment of it. Now I don't agree with running off with some strange guy you just met in a foreign country with no memory of who you are... but it fit okay for the story. So you know he was not a serial killer or anything like that. Now that I have given my few words of don't try this at home, let's get to my thoughts.

The characters in this book were cute. I loved Clementine... as stated above didn't really agree with her actions but I wanted to enjoy the book as was and except for this decision... and the decisions of lying... I really liked her. I got her motive. I mean she has no memory and as far as she knows no life. It was going home with a stranger or escape with a stranger. There was no win for her. I love amnesia books because they are intriguing. This is something no would ever understand unless one has been through it. I can't imagine ever losing all my memories and knowledge of who I am. It's got to be plain scary. So I got why she did what she did. She was a brave individual and determined not to let this part of her life define her. She was just going to reinvent.

Kieran... oh Kieran I loved him. Part jerk and part sweetheart. He was cold at times, built up a wall but oh all the nice things he did and said. He made me swoon. I don't like some of the choices he made either but I do know he had his heart in the right place. For most of the book, I was totally in love with him.... the accent didn't hurt either.

There were some other adorable characters too. Clive... another one I just adored. He was so so cute and kind and funny and all that good stuff. I just wanted him in my life. Kieran's sister... I can't remember her name now... she was a little witchy but I knew I would end up loving her too and I did.

The story was cute and fun and the kind of book that gave you warm feelings of goo in the end. It was the perfect light and fluffy that I needed and still had some deeper moment in there too. There was a little mystery as Clementine put together her past or remembered it little by little and few surprises down the road too.




A good old fun time with this book.

I want to read more ARCs this year, and this was one of my most recent ones I've received so I decided to pick up. I wasn't sure what to expect at first, but this is truly a delight.

Clementine Haas remembers nothing when she wakes up in the hospital in Ireland after surviving a plane crash that killed everyone on board but her. The suffocating hospital and the terror of her absent memory leads her to escape the hospital to discover herself on her own. With the help of a boy she meets, Kieran O'Connell, she leaves with him to his small town of Waterville. There, she aims to avoid the life she lost and recreate herself in the hopes of finding herself along the way. The people she meets and the discoveries she makes in Waterville under the name of Jane Middleton will change Clementine Haas's future forever, but will she have to leave one of her lives behind?

I've never read anything by Rebekah Crane before, but I really found her writing captivating. She managed to write a book that is simple and sweet, but sprinkles it with incredibly profound statements that are worthy of wall decor. Her characters are each vivid and different and the whole book is a standout in its genre. Though it lacked a bit in diversity, it was sex-positive and very accepting of all sexualities, which was wonderful to read. I can't wait to read her other books and follow her in the future.

Clementine Haas's journey is a unique and specific situation, but she is incredibly relatable. Self-discovery is a journey that never ends, and Crane perfectly captures this aspect of the human experience. Clementine--or Jane, as she is called for most of the book--is a unique character because of her journey of self-discovery. Having nearly nothing to offer from the beginning allows her to go through the book as the same pace as the reader. She is thoughtful and kind and is surprisingly self-aware for someone with no memories. Clementine/Jane is so easy to read and even easier to love.

Kieran O'Connell. Is there a more stereotypical Irish boy name? But I honestly didn't mind! While being the usual contemporary romance love interest (daddy issues, a past he won't discuss, and one or two hobbies that are incredibly unique), he doesn't blend in with the rest. Though he acts a bit distant and strange throughout most of the beginning of the book, the reader never dislikes him. He is not cruel, but is instead very level-headed and rational.

The reader meets other characters like Siobhan, Kieran's very prickly and very pregnant twin sister, Stephen, her gay male nurse, and Clive, Siobhan's boss and friend. Each character brings something different to the table for Clementine, and the way they help her in her transformation is amazing. I have never wanted a group of such unique and out of the ordinary characters to be my friends until this book.

I've wanted to go to Ireland for a long time now, but Crane's description of it as the setting made me want to go even more. It was the perfect place for this book to take place and it made it feel fresh. The setup of the entire book make me increasingly curious about the ending, and I have to say I thought she ended it very well. It's one of those where you get to the last bit and you're thinking, "How is she gonna give me everything I want with so little time left??" Of course she does, and it's absolutely worth it.

If you're looking for the perfect read as it gets warmer and you're reaching for those sweet summer romances, put this at the top of your list. It's a fun and easy read, but it's also poignant and impactful. Rebekah Crane started off my spring/summer reads with the perfect pick. I'm a little late on this review so it's already hit shelves, so do't waste any time grabbing your copy!