"Caroline Kepler is a competitive gymnast with three state balance beam titles and dreams of going elite (with the help of an incredibly difficult skill, a standing Arabian). But, after a dangerous fall, her back pain goes from chronic to career ending at age 15, destroying every last dream. Gymnastics is all she's ever known. No longer being able to practice the one thing she loves most, Alex Zavala, her brother's best friend, offers to teach Caroline all of the other sports she's never tried."

I thoroughly enjoyed the book. I won't lie when I love a good Falling For Your Sibling's Best Friend Trope . I'm trash for it and am happy to admit it.

My only real issue I had was there wasn't a lot of gymnastics. It gets mentioned quite a bit. It was a nice touch for non gymnasts to have the moves be described to us readers .Cause I know that not everyone doesn't know what a Aminar is without googling it.

Caroline was forced to retire at the beginning of the book. The book deals with how she handles it but doesn't really go into it much. If that makes sense. Gymnastics took up majority of her life(10 years of 15 years). You also have 3 characters still being involved in the sport as well. Its like walking on eggshells for the most part in the later parts of the book. The book is central around her relationship with Alex and she and Perregrine(i most likely spelled this wrong) trying to set up Sunny and Alex together.

Aside from that I thought it was a good book book. I would give it a solid 3.5 stars out of 5 from the first initial read. I would have liked to known some more about the other characters.is keeping me from wanting to give it a higher rating.

what a cute book to read this summer! This book is shows great growth in the characters and is super cute and fun. this book and the characters felt accurate for their ages and for the genre. it made me really enjoy getting a look into their stories.

This was a quick and fun read good for summertime. The romance was cute and I enjoyed to whole “dating” sports aspect of the book. I also like how Caroline grew throughout the book.

Thank you so much to the author, Little, Brown Young Readers, and NetGalley for the complimentary ARC!
This review contains my honest and unbiased thoughts and opinions. 🌸

I love gymnastics, cheer and dance so I was excited when I came across this book!

What if you could no longer continue the sport you love?

Losing the sport she loves, growing and discovering what life has in store for her is what the MC Caroline in It's All in How You Fall must deal with. Caroline is a competitive gymnast and as she continues competing, she struggles to deal with severe back pain until she has to face every gymnast's worst nightmare, an injury that ends her gymnastics career. Caroline loves gymnastics, she pushes herself and strives to be the best. Back pain leads her to a sports doctor, a fall during practice has her headed to the ER and MRI results show more than "just back pain". A true spinal injury that puts an end to her gymnastics. We join Caroline as she struggles with losing gymnastics, deals with her injury, grows and discovers more about herself and who she really is. We join her in moving on, discovering what's next in life and trying out different sports with the help of Alex.. And of course, we get to experience her crush on Alex.


Alex is a friend of Caroline's brother and he takes time to help Caroline. He introduces her to a variety of sports, encouraging her to try new things and see that there's more out there than just gymnastics.

This was one of those times when I enjoyed all the side characters as much as I enjoyed the MC. From Alex to the coach and all of Caroline's friends, all of the characters help add to the story and make it even more enjoyable.

I found Caroline completely relatable and a character my daughter would enjoy reading about. As someone who loves cheer, my daughter also has faced struggles and difficult times. Luckily, no injuries but she lost cheer, the sport she loved, thanks to COVID and has faced the struggles of figuring out "what now" and how to move on.

And I must mention the quote at the very beginning... "To those who lost a dream - I hope you find yourself again." That quote... for me, for my daughter, it definitely has meaning.

If you enjoy fun, cue, friends to lovers sports romances, definitely give this book a try!

This just might be my favorite Sarah Henning book yet! It was sweet and swoony and engaging and just everything I want a book like this to be. Caroline and Alex are both excellent characters who are well-developed and also act/think in a way that makes sense for their age. I laughed and sighed and honestly couldn’t stop reading. Highly recommend if you like cute and well-done YA contemporary romances!

Caroline Kepler is a competitive gymnast with three state balance beam titles and dreams of going elite (with the help of an incredibly difficult skill, a standing Arabian). But, after a dangerous fall, her back pain goes from chronic to career ending at age 15, destroying every last dream. Gymnastics is all she's ever known. No longer being able to practice the one thing she loves most, Alex Zavala, her brother's best friend, offers to teach Caroline all of the other sports she's never tried.

As a retired gymnast, I looked forward to reading "It's All In How You Fall." The story leans towards the younger end of the YA spectrum so if that's something you don't like, I would avoid this one. Caroline was extremely one dimensional, with her only personality trait being her connection to gymnastics. I rolled my eyes when every tank top she wore was described as having a famous gymnast on it. While athletics were obviously a huge part of her life, it's boring in a book and makes it hard to connect with the protagonist.

"It's All In How You Fall" is a slow burn sports romance hitting the brother's best friend, friends to lovers and failed matchmaking tropes. While a lot of the story missed the mark for me, I support the overall message that you're more than what you do and it's okay to grieve the dreams you've lost.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance reader copy of "It's All In How You Fall" by Sarah Henning, scheduled to release May 31st, 2022!

This YA novel is a solid 4/5 stars. It tells the story of Caroline and how she injures her back while doing her 10th year of gymnastics, subsequently ending her career as a gymnast. Her brother's best friend Alex takes it upon himself to teach her how to try, play, and enjoy an assortment of other sports that might interest her as alternatives.

There is also an intertwined plot in which Caroline and her friend Penigrene work and plot together in order to set Alex up with their other best friend Sunny. The way the characters were written is definitely picturesque of typical high school girls! I really enjoyed this book, even as a 32 year old reviewer :)

Thanks to NetGallery I got an ARC of this book! It was really cute story and loved that there were all different sports involved(including tennis which I played in high school) It took me a while to get into, but it’s a fun and easy read with good banter!!

Caroline has spent her entire life (all 15 years of it) as a competitive gymnast. When she is forced to retire after a career-ending injury, she feels lost. Everything she has known and loved has been taken from her and she doesn't know how to move forward outside of the gym. Her brother's best friend, Alex, offers to help Caroline try out new sports each week in order to find a new passion. Caroline accepts the offer and for the first time begins spending time with Alex without her brother around. Caroline not only finds a love of a new sport, but possibly love in a new relationship as well...

It's All in How You Fall is a very endearing YA novel. Caroline is 15 and she ACTS 15 - which is refreshing to see. There is a good bit of language in this book, but nothing too vulgar or out of the ordinary for typical 15/16/17 year olds. There is not any sexual activity or underage drinking or drug use - most of the characters are dedicated athletes and students, so they are committed to keeping their grades and health at top levels - which doesn't leave much time for nefarious activities.

It's All in How You Fall is an age appropriate YA novel that depicts the heartbreak of losing something you love. Caroline is not lamenting the loss of a teenage relationship or fawning over potential dating prospects. She is legitimately trying to process the grief of losing the only life she's ever known. Sarah Henning portrays the feelings of loss and emptiness in a very real way and makes it easy for the reader to feel the pain Caroline is experiencing. I would be comfortable with my middle schooler reading this book and think that even older teens (and adults, like myself!) would enjoy it as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Poppy for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book was super cute. While I wish it had more gymnastics in it, there were still nods to it throughout the story even though Caroline was injured and was not doing gymnastics herself. While I was never anywhere close to an elite gymnast, I 100% understood how heartbreaking it was for Caroline to get her diagnosis that she is not able to do gymnastics anymore. It's every gymnast's dream to get to the Olympics and only 4-5 girls in the whole country every 4 years achieve that. Working towards something like that, getting so close, even getting to level 10 which is insane, and then having that ripped out of your life is devastating.
Caroline had 2 best friends in gymnastics. Being in the gym so many hours a week, these people become your family. This was also ripped away from Caroline. But Peregrine and Sunny made a great effort to keep in touch and still spend time with Caroline. They were amazing friends. Caroline also had a very believable relationship with her brother Nat. They bickered and fought but they had some really nice moments too.
Of course her relationship with Alex was adorable. It was the cutest friends to lovers. He was so supportive of her at the lowest time in her life as a friend. He tried so hard to help her find something else her body was able to do and something she enjoyed. Their chemistry was great.
Like I said, I was really hoping this book would have more to do with gymnastics than it did, but it was still fun. We still got to go through Caroline's summer watching her fail and succeed and put her old life and her new life together.
This was definitely a fun quick read perfect for the start of summer!

This is a fantastic YA romance.

Here are a few things I loved about this book:
• brothers best friend
• sports romance
• moving on after an injury
• slow burn

I loved this book. This book has such a great message of finding the good in situations that are hard. I loved seeing Caroline wrestle and grief. Alex was so swoony and I loved how he showed up for Caroline.

The slow burn was real, the positive family and friendships were awesome, and the summer vibes were definitely there.

It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning is the most adorable, coming of age, sports romance. This book asks the question what happens when you have to retire from your first true love, the sport of gymnastics at the age of 15?! It wrestles with the idea of coming to terms with closing the chapter on your first big dream & what happens next. It has the cutest brother’s best friend, friends to dating trope ripe with teenage awkwardness, angst & adorability.
I did gymnastics for 15 years & have chronic back pain so this one hit home as the main character goes through something similar! Growing up it was so hard to find any books, movies or any merchandise related to gymnastics! & now to be able to receive an arc of a book with gymnastics is a full circle, really cool moment for me!
Also, I never competed level 10 or elite but a lot of times gymnastics is watered down in movies/TV for entertainment purposes & safety, but this time it wasn’t! The gymnastics & the descriptions are so accurate that I just knew the author had to be a gymnast. When I read the author’s note, it confirmed my suspicious & I was so excited! It’s just so good!
I was also so excited that there were multiple Hamilton references & especially loved the idea of Hamilton floor music!
If you love young adult sports romances, gymnastics or absolutely precious romance in general, I would highly recommend It’s All in How You Fall by Sarah Henning.
It’s All in How You Fall comes out May 31, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this in exchange for an honest review.

I will post to my Instagram before release & add links once I do.

This was a cute new book by the author of It's All in How You Fall. I enjoyed that she ventured into the world of sports again and created real and believable characters. I did find her first book to be a bit more charming, but overall, this was a nice YA read.

This was super cute!! It's All in How You Fall stars both a sweet romance as well as a wonderful story about a girl coming to terms with her injury and the loss of her elite gymnastics dream. As a former elite gymnast who had to quit due to an injury, I requested this book mainly to review how that was handled: if it was realistic, if it was clear the author has either prior knowledge or did a lot of research, etc. And this book definitely read to me as very well-researched, or perhaps a story the author had background in. I definitely cared more about her journey of acceptance than the romantic aspect of the story, but I enjoyed the romance as well! Overall found this book to be very solid, would recommend to my followers.

I relate to Caroline so much. I feel like I went through so many of the same emotions accepting my disability as she did accepting her injury. The one difference is that Caroline is 15 years old and I was 20. That's only a five-year age difference, but it makes a world of difference. I can't imagine going through what I went through in my teens. My heart broke all over again reading Caroline's story. Not to mention the dedication at the beginning of the book had me welling up even before the book started: "To those who lost a dream-I hope you find yourself again." UGH. :(

Thank you to author Sarah Henning for this beautiful story and these beautiful characters. And thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️stars

This was a very cute YA romance book. I don’t think I liked it as much as “Throw Like A Girl,” but this was still a great read. My biggest problem with the book was that I wasn’t that invested in the romance. I didn’t really feel the connection between Alex and Caroline. Don’t get me wrong, they had a great friendship. I just didn’t see them as a couple.

I did really enjoy the friendships in this book. Sunny and Peregrine were such great and supportive friends. I especially loved the conversation between Sunny and Caroline about Alex. They handled it in a mature way and I loved reading that. Caro’s relationship with her brother was something that I really loved as well. The supporting cast of characters were definitely the highlights of this book for me.

Overall, this was a cute and clean YA summer romance novel.

As someone who loved Sarah Dessen books as a teenager, this felt like coming home. This was very much in the same vein, and I thought it was a charming book.

The characters are charming and the plot is solid. I think it has the perfect level of depth for a YA book. This is one I would definitely pass on to the teenagers in my life.

A terrific YA story that is also fun for adults like me! :) A gymnastic, Caroline, who is forced to retire due to injury falls in love with her brother's best friend, Alex,. A slow-burn brother's best friend to something more storyline. Both Alex and Caroline are likable and realistic. Alex is so sweet and swoony. Caroline is so brave and sassy. I love how Caroline grows throughout the book. It's very uplifting.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.

Thank you to the author and publisher for and advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are a reflection of myself. I absolutely love Sarah Henning’s work! I fell in,love with the princess will save you and ever since have been following this awesome author. If you love stories about older brothers best friend or the hood guy this book is for you. There are references to throw like a girl but not enough that you can’t read as a stand-alone. I highly recommend for anyone who is looking for a good book tackling self discovery starting over and finding a purpose again.

I have been waiting for Sarah Henning to grace us with another YA sports romance since I read and loved Throw Like a Girl. Henning finally delivered with It's All in How You Fall and it lived up to every one of my expectations. 

What did I love about it? It's All in How You Fall took me on a journey I hadn't been on in YA before. It was about a fifteen-year-old having to make peace with walking away from her sport at the top of her game. My heart broke for Caroline, but I loved how she picked up the pieces and figured out how live life a different way than she had planned. It was fun to learn about the new sports she tried out and how they reshaped her frame of mind. 

Helping Caroline along the way was her older brother's best friend, Alex. Alex was also an athlete at the top of his game. We don't get Alex's POV in this book, which is the only thing that could have made this book any better, but I loved being a little in the dark on what he was thinking. He was such a good friend to Caroline, taking time out of his busy schedule to help her find a new athletic passion. I loved how his reactions were described and all of the fun Caroline and Alex had together. Their friendship led to a sweet ending.

This book wouldn't be what it was without the supporting characters. So many people supported Caroline through her injury and life in general. I loved how her dad responded to her injury and after. Same for her gymnastic coach Olga and teammates/BFFs Peregrine and Sunny. Her brother Nat was probably my favorite side character. He was a big presence. I would love for any of those last three characters I listed to get a book of their own.

As you can tell, I loved everything about It's All in How You Fall. The biggest thing I took away was the message. It's a great one for teens and adults alike. Sarah Henning did a fantastic job with this book. I hope we get another YA sports romance from her again very soon.