I really enjoyed this. The characters were all interesting and believable. I loved the dynamics between all of them, in the past and present day settings. It truly showed how people can grow up but still remain the same, especially in a small town setting. I wouldn't say most of the characters were likable, but they genuinely felt like people, despite some cliches.

I enjoyed the plot; It was unique. The dual timeline really worked in it's favor and added the perfect level of light mystery and suspense. The football elements really worked in creating stakes on multiple levels. The ending was a bit over dramatic but it tied in nicely with the Julius Caesar references. I loved the 90's references. They were woven seamlessly into the story and helped the world feel real. I also really loved the music review excerpt between the chapters. I love little touches like that.

Overall this was a really great story that blended small town life, regret, grief and ambition into an engaging story. I would definitely recommend .

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book okay... What I enjoyed most is the 90's nostalgia. It was packed full of 90's references and terminology. I loved that. What it didn't enjoy was the fact that the story didn't feel like it had much depth. It was just a lot of teen angst that while relatable to me... I could see how it might not be to the youth of today.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Title: The Rome of Fall
Author: Chad Alan Gibbs
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

Twenty years ago, Marcus Brinks left Rome, Alabama behind quickly, quietly, and mysteriously. The small town worshiped its football gods—back when Marcus was in high school, that was Deacon Cassburn—and allowed them to get away with anything short of murder, including bullying Marcus and his best friends, Silas and third-string quarterback Jackson. So Marcus and his friends decide to take down Deacon—state championship on the line or not.

Now Marcus is back in Rome to care for his dying mother. Things have changed in Rome…or have they? Marcus is a teacher and former indie rock star and Jackson is the football god/coach, while Deacon and his buddies plot to take him down. Things are ugly in Rome, and Marcus just wants to keep out of the drama and maybe have a bit of romance with his high school crush. But the past has a way of shaping the future, and even in Rome, it will catch up to you.

I’m not a football fan, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying every page of this. I graduated in ’95, so all the references the author made brought that back to life for me. I’m from Texas, so I get the Friday Night Lights hoopla—even though my high school didn’t have football until just a couple of years ago, the basketball coach back then could have gotten away with murder—and it was so vivid and realistic in The Rome of Fall.

Marcus isn’t entirely likable, but he’s relatable. The whole teen angst storyline in the ‘90s was vivid, angry, and full of pain. The present-day storyline was more nostalgic, but also angry and painful. I loved how everything resolved at the end, bringing Marcus full-circle and the reader hoping he finds happiness along with his dreams.

Chad Alan Gibbs is an award-winning author. The Rome of Fall is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Borne Back Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Gibbs has done it again and I'm so glad his debut wasn't a "one hit wonder".

This book has something for everyone and speaks to everyone. Though I didn't go to school in the 90s (I was barely in preschool in the 90s) these characters felt so relatable. I absolutely loved the back and forth between the 90s and 2017. Not everyone can successfully write a story in this fashion, but Gibbs sure can.

First with Two Like Me and You and now The Rome of Fall, Gibbs has illustrated a special talent of creating such lovable and well thought-out characters (even when you don't particularly like the character).

Though not my typical genre, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC and thank you Chad for the paperback. Looking forward to your next book.

I loved this book! It was a nice, easy read! I'm a huge Chad Alan Gibbs fan, so it's hard not to love his stories. I could picture this absolutely being the high school I attended. The ending was a bit over the top, but that usually is the way with high school turned adult drama! I can't wait to get his next one!

I would like to thank netgalley and Borne Back Books for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A clever retelling of Shakespeare's Julius Ceaser. Marcus is an ex music star who goes back to Rome, a town where his mother lives and he spent some time in the past. Told through flashbacks and the present, the story goes through the highs and lows of school.

I didn't understand all of the American football references, but really enjoyed the book.

Full of 90s nostalgia - I'm unsure how teens or YA readers will enjoy this. It's almost like when I read Little House on the Prairie and couldn't imagine mud houses or leeches in the river.

Still - this was a fun flash back to my teen years.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Those of you who read my blog know that I am not a huge YA fan, but when I received a Galley of this book, I thought I would give this a shot. First, I did read Gibb’s first week and really enjoyed it and the second reason, part of this book takes place around the same time I attended HS in the ‘90s, which Gibbs totally got right.

This story is a supposed to be a retelling of Julius Caesar, which to be honest, I don’t remember since I read this over 20 years ago. However, I did not feel I was missing anything by not remembering that story. This takes place over two timelines. Fall of 1994 where we meet Marcus Brinks who is a a senior in Rome, Alabama. This school is all about Football, which Marcus could really care less about. The second timeline takes place 2017 and Marcus returns to teach after leaving a successful music career behind. Guess what Football is still the thing. But this time his old friend Jackson is the coach.

Both timelines involve Marcus and the potential to take down the Football team and an ending I did not see coming, but blew me away in a good way. Because of the way this is written, this is perfect for older teens and adults alike. Gibbs took time to really get the quintessential ‘90s and I love the book more for that. This book is totally engaging and I did not want to put it down.

Highly recommend this one and if you grew up in the ‘90s I think you will absolutely love this.

Thank you NetGalley and Chad Alan Gibbs for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So let me first say that I graduated high school in 93, and currently live an a small town where my son plays football, although we aren't nearly as obsessed with it as Rome is. I think that some of my warm fuzzy feeling for this book is due to nostalgia and self recognition. I did like the book, and the characters, and most especially the writing, but I didn't love the story. It's slow and predictable. But I did love Marcus, and the back and forth between past and present really worked, especially seeing him (and the others) grow and change (or remain stagnant). This book was funny yet real, but it left me wanting just a bit more.
3.5 Stars

Thanks the author for reaching out and Netgallery for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The book will be available on 15th March 2020.

This is the second book I have read by Chad Alan Gibbs. As much as i liked his first novel (Two Like You and Me), this book give a different vibe. The scene set in school life and adulthood which at first i thought it will be difficult to catch up on the story but turns out it's pretty clear cut. The alternate between year 1994 and 2017 shows how the main character (Marcus Brinks) grows in terms of maturity and characteristic as well as other characters.

Also i really enjoy the humor in the story and bring laughter in every chapter. I can imagine this play out as movie which might be a great work. Once again great work Chad and look forward for more great books from you.

5 stars! I absolutely adored this book! Everything about it was perfect. The writing, the story, the characters. Perfection!

Let me start with the writing - Gibbs’ writing is so ridiculously entertaining and so sassy (the main character is basically a 40 year old Percy Jackson who teaches high school literature minus the demigod powers). And let’s talk for a second about the end of this book (like the literal last page) - it was freaking explosive (kind of literally, actually). It had me like Ron Burgandy in Anchorman, all “well-that-escalated-quickly.”

Then there’s the story itself, which alternates between the past (set in the 90’s) and present day. Both storylines were really entertaining and well-done, and I found myself really caring about what was happening in both. It was interesting to see how the things that happened in the past informed the events of the present-day story line. The more we learned about the characters in the past, the more we understand about what’s happening (and going to happen) in the present.

Overall, just fantastic! Two awesome books in a row (the first being Two Like Me and You). Chad Alan Gibbs has joined the ranks of my auto-read authors, no question about it.

We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies come from that.
-Marcus Aurelius

I find this quote to be all to fitting for this novel! One single cause, one single person has created controversies that Marcus Brinks and his band of misfits must say “no more!”

As Marcus navigates the waters of high school in a new town I found myself all to nostalgic at times because of all the amazing 90’s references! Flash forward a few years and Marcus is back home surrounded by the same nonsense that had him leaving in the first place but this time he’s older, a little wiser and he’s had way more than enough.

I loved seeing each character at different points in their lives and how much some of them grew and how some just stayed stagnant! Which lets be honest we can all relate to! This story isn’t so much about romance but more about friendship and learning to let go in order to keep yourself sane! It’s also knowing when you need to step in, step up and for once just do something!

A hilarious novel that I think older and younger generations will all love!

Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc for my honest review!

_The e-arc of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review._

*2.5

The story is about Marcus Brinks, a rock star turned teacher at his old high school who returns to the town after many years. Some shady things have been going down in the town. He meets his old classmates who now teach at the same high school. I won't give much away, because it was a short book, to avoid ruining someone's reading experience.

I was born in the 2000's so I have never heard of most of the 90's references that are in the book. This affected my reading experience.

The characters were flawed but I liked that about them. It was a fairly decent read. Marcus came across as annoying at times.

The ending was really good.

As someone who graduated from high school during the 1990s, this book resonated with me a lot. At the same time, I think I could give it to my children and they would also relate. I will definitely be purchasing this for my library and I'm considering suggesting it for our book club. Fun book, fun reading. Chad Gibbs is definitely on our must buy list!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of The Rome of Fall in turn for an honest review.

The town of Rome reminded me a lot of my small, close knit community where sports were well loved by all. So, the setting and the feeling of how Rome was drew me right in. However, there were the typical cliques which could have been more creative and where they end up be a little less predictable.

I did enjoy the changes between 1994 and 2017. They were clear, the voice and tense did not change which kept the book smooth. Also, the ending was tied up rather well.

I received this book free for an honest review. Excellent coming of age story about Marcus Brinks who goes on to have a short fame as a rock star and comes back to his home town. Shady things are going down in his home town and we find out as the book goes on. I don't want to give anymore of it away but it was an interesting story and I really enjoyed reading it!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me an e-ARC of this title!

I absolutely adored this book. Short and sweet, I think this would be a great addition to a high school's English curriculum.

I was born in '93 so that decade is kind of lost on me, but this book did a great job of making me nostalgic for a time period I never knew. I loved our main character Brinks, and I really rooted for him in both '94 and 2017. Also, the alternating chapters in the two different time periods? Actually worked for me.

Also, this book was funny. Like, legitimately. I laughed out loud during several parts. I deeply related to all parts that referred to growing up in a small, southern town, including going to the Ignite youth service with Pastor Shawn (I think ours was named Jason). Sadly we didn't have a line-dancing club in town, but I had totally forgotten that we had to take our shoes off at the elementary school dances until the book jogged my memory!

Bottom line, I hated putting the book down to do trivial things like sleeping and going to work. Mr. Gibbs, please write modern versions of Shakespearean plays forever.

Hits all the right notes, all the inside jokes, all the nostalgia of the 1990s.

I was gripped by The Rome of Fall for a quick day and a half. Told in two threads, thirty years apart, in the life of Marcus Brinks, high school senior/ washed up rock star…

1994: Marcus is forced to move to his mom’s hometown of Rome, Alabama, and enrolls in football crazy Rome High School. He’s resigned to stew on his new-kid and son-of-newly-divorced-parents status, but he hooks up with an eclectic crew. Jackson, the backup to the backup QB and Silas, a former athlete who is now suffering from muscular dystrophy. They spend their weekends cruising Main Street, playing NBA Jam, and sometimes going to church youth group (for the girls). Oh, and let’s not forget The Crush. Becca, the starting QB’s GF.

2017: Marcus has returned to Rome after twenty-three years. A meteoric rise to rock star fame… and then a decade and a half as a recluse in Jamaica. But Marcus has now taken a job as an English teacher at his old high school. His relationship with his mother has been a series of ups and downs (even a number of years of silence), but now that her illness has taken a turn for the worse he has moved back in to take care of her. Some things in Rome have stayed the same (football, small-town gossip, Becca is SINGLE!).

I have no idea how Gibbs remembered all the mid-90s sayings, references, and music, but it came flooding back to me in a heartbeat. This book got me… Ummm, I graduated high school in 94 and I’ve been a high school English teacher for the past 21 years. Some of the most interesting juxtaposition in the book is the difference in technology. The pre-cell phone era vs the social media world we live in now. My high school Friday nights revolved around a lot of HORSE games and playing Madden-NFL on Sega. And now as a a teacher, I experience the distractions head on every day. Gibbs gets this perfectly in his novel.

And the plot: both threads build slowly and at the end there an equally shattering climax that is just awesome. It’s great… and not to downplay it at all, but it’s the atmosphere that got me and kept me going. The references to Weezer, “sad bastardness,” and the trying to discuss Shakespeare with 9th graders. (I just taught Romeo and Juliet last month.)

Pick this up for lots of laughs, some bitter-sweet symphony feels, and a heavy dose of one guy with a guitar, a notebook, and that one girl.

5 out of 5 stars

Thank you to the author for an advanced copy for review.

In a unique take on 'what goes around comes around', this book examines the ways that decisions made in high school come back to haunt us as adults. Equal parts funny and infuriating, the main characters approach to dealing with conflict is all of us struggling to take adulting head on.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! Books that switch back and forth between past and present either work well or flop. This one worked well. While it builds back story, you are suspicious of people in the present bc of what you see in a previous chapter. It also makes you want to keep reading bc a past or present section leaves you hanging. I enjoyed that it went from the 90s of my own high school days to 2017 (& I’m a teacher, so I had that connection as well).
The main character, former rock star Marcus, had some childish tendencies (seemed rock star-like in that way), but that childishness and his past of being in a band with one big hit record make him an interesting addition to the teaching faculty at a football-obsessed high school he briefly attended, I liked seeing what his friends and enemies and HS love were all like in the past compared to him seeing them again in his 40s. It was also interesting to see how football rules the adults and kids. I loved the character of his mom, and the dialogue was witty. There’s interesting conflict, and right when I found myself getting irritated with him, he stepped up and impressed me.
I read this one pretty quickly as it had me interested and was pretty fast-paced. I think it would appeal to YA and adult readers alike.
Just FYI-contains hefty profanity and references to sex, drugs, and underage drinking