I'm a sucker for Roller Derby and found family and LEARNING TO FALL succeeds at giving me both! I loved Casey's relationship with her mom and teammates. Venom and Mel were particularly fabulous! Her concern about leaving for university, and the impacts that will have on her own life and her mom were so relatable. Casey's struggle with her panic disorder felt a bit rushed, but overall I loved that this story is truly about Casey becoming who she's meant to be.

Went into this thinking it was ‘just’ a romance, and whilst the romance was beautiful it was about so much more !!! The anxiety and chronic illness rep was unexpected for me but really appreciated, I loved Casey and Mel and all the other derby peeps !! Will be buying this physically when it’s released and will definitely be rereading !

4.25 stars

As someone who is queer, fascinated with roller derby, and struggles with anxiety disorders, this was a really relatable read. I loved the way Casey fell in with the derby crowd and especially her friendship with Mel. This is definitely a story of Casey learning how to skate and to manage her anxiety with a side focus on a queer awakening.

I am so conflicted about Imogen. There were times where Imogen and Casey are super cute together and I rooted for them, but by the end, I did not want them together. I loved Casey's mom, and Mel is so great, but I couldn't stand the rest of Casey's family. I really enjoyed all of the roller derby aspects.

This is a solid debut from the author, and I look forward to more from them. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

Picking up this book I was excited for a sapphic romance surrounding the world of roller derby, while it’s not as spicy as I thought it could be, I definitely loved the story and resonated with Casey. I love the development of Casey falling in love with roller derby while discovering her own sexuality and mental health. Overall a really good read and I’d suggest it to anyone! Thank you for allowing me to be an ARC reader!

I really enjoyed this book, I thought the way Laura was written was amazing, I have M.E but I’m also a carer for my wife, I thought it was great how it was spoken about high and low energy days because most people don’t realise this is the case. The feelings of Casey having to leave her mum and panicking about it great.

The roller derby, I LOVE the concept of the sport and if I could I’d love to play as I think it sounds amazing. I also enjoyed learning about the different rules and how the author really went into the details of it I found that great.

Overall a great book! And I loved the way the main characters love for roller derby happened in such an unconventional way and the learning to understand her sexuality.

Thank you so much for approving me for this book. I requested it because I thought I’d like it. I mean, come on, a queer coming of age story featuring roller derby? Yes, please!

Unfortunately, Learning to Fall fell flat for me and I had to DNF it.

My biggest issue was that the writing felt very juvenile to me. Yes, I realize this is supposed to be YA, but also - the main character is supposed to be 18-19. Her dialogue felt like things someone a few years younger would say.

Additionally, I feel that writing should be more showing rather than telling. Sadly, it seems the writing in this book was the other way around, We are told way more than we need to about Casey, rather than learning the information through her actions.


I’m sorry, I feel really bad,

This was a really sweet story highlighting the importance of having queer spaces especially in sports and I think that was very well done.

Casey was such a lovely character to read about. From her anxiety to her overthinking, it was so realistic and highly relatable that I couldn’t help but adore her.

Imogen was a good character, however I feel like her arc wasn’t explored well enough for me to fully connect with her. Even though her struggles with growing up in a homophobic family were portrayed in a very realistic manner, I felt how that impacted her struggles with alcohol was kinda glossed over.

I wasn’t fully sold on Casey and Imogen’s romance either up until their first date where I finally felt some chemistry between them and thought they were really cute.

Casey coming to terms with her sexuality, getting help with her anxiety and finally finding herself surrounded by so much support, beautiful friendships was really heartwarming. Seeing her find solace in a sport she loves surrounded by people who love her was the highlight of the book for me.

This was ok, I think there are better books in the genre of LGBTQ, coming of age, romance. I liked the roller derby element, and that made it stand out, but overall it was not a favorite for me. I would still recommend in reader's advisory.

First, a huge thank you to NetGalley and 8th note press for this ARC. Honestly, I had a very difficult time with this book. I really liked it at the start - the initial scene that sets the plot in motion was entertaining and the roller derby and found family were well done and had me enjoying the story. My main issue with this book was the writing. I had a difficult time with some of the writing and as a highly anxious person myself I think it was difficult for me that the story, which has such an anxious main character, is told in first person. Additionally I think this book would have tremendously improved by being told in 3rd person because the other issue I had was that almost everything is told to you and very little is shown. Additionally, I struggled with the addiction subplot since I feel like it didn’t get the time or attention it needed to be included well.

much like the author of this sapphic YA sports romance, i too was greatly impacted by the film Whip It when it came out (as well as being extremely disappointed in the straightness of it all). obviously this meant i had no choice but to give this a read.

this was good for a debut novel, i enjoyed the sports of it all and appreciated the HFN plus Found Family rather than HEA ending for the MCs. i also was going crazy at how this is such a common type of relationship for sapphics when they’re younger or newly out. and obviously the awkward sapphic yearning and miscommunication was extremely accurate and relatable. and it made me want to strap on the skates and jump in so badly despite the fact i am an ambulatory wheelchair user and definitely not fit for such a brutal sport!

i do feel like i maybe needed more from this story, and definitely felt upset that some of the parts regarding the way the rest of the family treated the topic of the MC being a carer for a parent. i think i would have liked some of them to realise the error of their horrible words and realised the pressure they were putting on her when she was already struggling.

it also broke my heart with the realistic representation of how often alcoholism is missed in young people in britain due to the normalisation of the binge drinking culture and how long it takes to access any sort of mental health services when you need them.

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨✖️

Thank you to NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review <3

Unfortunately I didn't finish this book. The writing style seemed too juvenile for the ages of the characters. I felt like the opening could have been a strong start to create conflict, but that part of the storyline was immediately resolved (like, in the same scene). I think the roller derby aspect had potential to be interesting, but I found myself skimming the over-explanations of the rules so that we can learn through the main character, as it wasn't very engaging.

I did read the Author's Note at the end and this story is very personal to her. I'm really happy for her that it's getting published and I know it will find it's audience (it just isn't me, and that's okay!)

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7464675407

This felt very YA. But not in a terrible way. It was good. I was interested the entire time and I definitely think I’d read more books by this author. I love the plot and the openness of the book.

*4.25 Stars*

I really liked this book. It's definitely not a romance. It's a coming of age story with a lot of character development through community and friends. The main character was really layered and interesting. I really liked her relationship with her mom. The story also grabbed me from the very first page. I really liked seeing the main character grow. And I'm sorry, but, by the end, I still couldn't stand the sister. I really did like all the subject this book broached and all the roller derby scenes and friendships. I also enjoyed getting to know Imogen, flaws and all, and I would love to know even more about her. Basically, this was such a great debut and I hope I can read more books by Peach Morris.

I really wanted to love this book - queer awakening and found family are some of my favourite tropes. I also had particularly high hopes given that ME features in this book, a condition that I myself have experienced. There were a few elements here that did hit well, and did meet my expectations, but overall it felt a little lacklustre.

I loved that the romance was brief and not particularly central to the story, it served it's purpose in terms of the queer awakening, but didn't limit our MC as she found growth outside of it. However, the growth overall through the story was not fully fleshed out, and a lot of situations occurred that simply didn't get resolved. Relationships didn't grow, they just...were. There was a subplot about the MC getting support for her anxiety, but we didn't really go into any of the growth there either.

I loved the diversity of characters, and the way this felt representative of the sport. I also loved being able to learn about roller derby and not feeling completely lost by terminology the whole time.

On the whole, I can see people enjoying this book, and I can feel the authors love for the sport in the book, but I just wanted way more growth and development than we really got.

This is a love story, but not the kind I was expecting! While there is some romance, Learning to Fall is a story about loving yourself and, of course, roller derby.

By and large, this was a sweet coming of age story that also tackled some difficult topics such as anxiety, chronic illness, and alcoholism. I personally struggled a bit with the writing style. There were some scenes where every little detail of what the main character, Casey, was thinking and doing were written out, and it was unnecessary. I don’t need to know the step by step process of making tea, spliced between a text conversation... I did really enjoy that level of detail during the roller derby games, though! I was also very fond of a lot of the side characters. I especially related to the tough love of Venom.

Though I didn’t completely love this book, I think it would be a hit with anyone who loves roller derby, as well as young folks who are maybe battling some anxiety around what’s next in their lives and who they’re “supposed” to be.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC

This is a fantastic story about self-discovery and found family, all through the world of roller derby. Casey is incredibly relatable, and the anxiety representation was so well done. Mel was a standout—exactly the kind of supportive, big-sister-like friend everyone wishes they had.

Perfect for queer fans of Whip It, but keep in mind that despite the title and cover, this isn’t a romance-focused book. The romantic subplot is there, but it’s not the main focus. Also, while I understand Imogen’s struggles, ghosting people who care about you is never okay.

Thank you NetGalley for the Arc!!

I truly enjoyed this! I loved seeing Casey blossom and overcome her anxiety and panic. I can say I truly dislike Billy though…. The only thing I can say is I wanted more Imogen. I really feel there was more that could have been explored with her character.

Overall, I absolutely loved this!!

This was very fast paced and easy to love. The character development, I loved very much. I can’t wait to recommend this book once it’s released.

This was such a great read! Once I'd started, I couldn't put it away. This book has great representation in multiple different areas. Firstly, I loved the manner in which finding your sexuality and finally having all the puzzle pieces come together was showcased, such a relatable experience. I also thought the anxiety rep felt spot on, especially the way in which you can latch onto your safe-person and perceive that as everything going okay. I had no prior knowledge about roller derby, but this book definitely got me interested, even though it was a bit too technical at times to fully understand. It became clear through the Author's Note that this story is highly personal, and that is something I could really feel in the way it was written.
Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc

This is cute and fun read! Very reminiscent of 'Whip it' in a way. I enjoyed the characters and roller derby action