3⭐

*** This book deals with a lot of heavy topics - especially for teens - so check your Trigger Warnings.

From losing her once strong connection with her sister, to dealing with the suicide of her boyfriend and applying for schools, Nina is struggling to navigate through this tough part of her life.

Very well told.

Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This Side of Falling is a fantastic YA contemporary novel. Featuring themes of loss, depression, college admissions, family pressure and so much more! This is a must have for all YA collections!

Nina’s facing senior year, worried about her violin show, her collage applications, her mother’s increasing demands, her father’s job, and the ever- growing distance between her and her sister. But then her situationship commits suicide, and her whole world falls apart.
This side of falling was a brilliantly written story. Nina was very relatable, and her family were so realistically complicated. The way people deal with suicide and the threat of it is very real and well- written. I found a lot of the problems in this story relatable and dealt with in a honest manner. Definitely check the trigger warnings and definitely read it if this book sounds interesting to you, because I promise it delivers upon its premise.

This Side of Falling explores grief, mental health, & the complicated emotions of teenagers/children. It also involves family dynamics, community, and Chinese culture. As an adult, I found it a little hard to relate to, but I think would be good for young adults/teens. The narration on the audiobook was very goof. Check triggers if you are concerned about your children reading this.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I thought it would be a fluffy teen romance but turned out to be a lot more. The main character was challenging with grief, the struggles of senior year, and eventually finding herself. She was able to reconnect with important people and learn to ask for help when necessary. The main lesson is that things may not go as planned but everything works out in the end. Check trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for an audio arc of this book.

This was a very messy YA coming-of-age story for our heroine, Nina. This story deals with topics like declining mental health and suicide, and how our loved ones move on after the fact. While I think it had an important message and it was quite realistic, it didn’t make an enjoyable read for me. I think with a more gripping start and cleaned up end, I would have rated it higher.

I did enjoy the narrator’s performance - she did well with the emotional story.

This Side of Falling opens as Nina finds out that her not quite boyfriend, Ethan Travvers, has perished by jumping onto railroad tracks in front of a moving train. As Nina spirals to find out what drove him to this, she discovers an underlying truth in her life...nothing much about it is real and honest. How long has she been living her life for everyone else? What does she really want? Then, in the midst of all this turmoil, Nina's sister, Carmen, comes home from college, well, is sent home from college. She has lost her scholarship and blown every second chance she was given. In a household where only the best is good enough, how will their parents deal with Carmen's complete disregard for rules and appearances and Nina's need to deal with the tragic death that her parents relegate to background noise on the news?

I listened to the audiobook for this and was so impressed with the beauty of the writing. It is lyrical, so much so, that I had to check and see if perhaps it was a novel in verse. It wasn't, but it reads beautifully.

This is a brilliant read for adults, but is specifically aimed at the YA audience. The message is sound without being pedantic and characters are relatable and believable. Her debut novel is spectacular and hopefully, just the beginning.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Nina has been struggling ever since her crush's unexpected death by suicide. As she tries to hold her life together and fulfill her parents' high expectations, Nina's sister returns home from college mid-semester. With her sister's behavior and challenges taking all of their parents attention, Nina falls further behind.

A serious, thought-provoking novel about grief, mental health, and self discovery. I typically enjoy books that deal with these topics but I just couldn't get into this one. I don't think there was enough detail to truly suggest that Nina and Ethan were anything more than casual friends, and Nina's parents were pretty unlikeable. Carmen's big reveal also seemed to come out of left field. Ultimately, I wanted more resolution between all of the various relationships.

The characters in this story, particularly the teenagers, feel very real. Nina’s experience will resonate with everyone who has been in pain but not sure where to turn for support. The novel’s perspective on suicide and drug abuse is not forced and unfolds at a realistic pace. So often in these types of narratives we are left asking “where are the adults?” but in this story, it’s understandable how they think they are doing the best they can, and are not fully aware of the help that is needed. This is a beautifully well written book about how a family comes to terms with harsh realities, and ultimately reconciles to help and love one another.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read This Side of Falling by Eunice Chan.

This was a beautifully written and emotional debut. Chan explores grief, identity, and healing with quiet strength and authenticity. The characters felt layered and real, especially the main character, who is navigating deep loss and the complexities of family and friendship. The prose was thoughtful and at times poetic, drawing me into the emotional landscape of the story.

I gave it four stars because while I appreciated the reflective tone, the pacing felt slow in a few places. Still, the story stayed with me, and I found myself thinking about the characters even after I finished.

A moving read, especially for fans of contemporary YA with emotional depth and cultural insight.

Great story that is relatable about the pressures put onto someone and how it affects them mentally. Shows that looks can be deceiving.

Between familial, educational, and peer pressure, Nina and Carmen have it bad but no one is actually seeing them crack and how or why its happening.

This story is very emotional and deals with hard topics but definitely worth the read for a teen or parent raising teens.

I unfortunately had to DNF at 20%, as I still didn't care about any characters and I absolutely could not get into the book.

This book really puts things into perspective—especially how families that seem to have it all can quietly fall apart under the weight of pressure, silence, and unspoken expectations.

As a Chinese American teen, Nina faces intense scrutiny from her mother, grandmother, and extended family who push her toward academic perfection, music competitions, and college prep—while dismissing her emotional needs. Even when Ethan, a boy she deeply cares for commits suicide. Despite how much he means to her, Ethan is never acknowledged by her family for showing emotions and weakness, and attracting attention does not align with the family’s rules.

So, after his death, Nina is left to grieve alone. She loses interest in the violin and struggles to keep up appearances. Meanwhile, her older sister Carmen, once the “golden child,” has slipped from high academic standing to being kicked out of school and is now more distant than ever. And yet, despite wanting to reach out to her, Nina doesn’t know how—or even where to begin. Their upbringing taught them silence, not connection.

This story carries real emotional weight. It doesn’t offer a tidy or happy ending—just a slow process of putting pieces back together and learning how to heal. And sometimes, that’s what life is. I’d caution that it includes triggers related to mental health, suicide, substance use, and parental pressure. Still, as a mother and a teacher, I found it deeply important. It’s the kind of book I would recommend to thoughtful teens aged 14 and up, and to adults who care for or work with young people.

I do believe that the ending felt a bit rushed. I would also have loved more insight into Carmen’s or Ethan’s perspective, perhaps through journal entries or a split narrative. Even so, this is a story that stays with you. The audiobook narration was excellent—emotionally grounded and well-paced.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ALC. 🎧

3.5

thank you to netgalley and RBmedia for this alc.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ books with the same vibes:

🎻 all the bright place
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🎻⋆⭒˚｡⋆ this side of falling is a ya novel that explores grief and family expectations in the aftermath of a teenage boy's suicide. the story centres around Nina, a girl grappling with the loss of her almost-boyfriend, Ethan, who jumped in front of a train.

Nina - her struggles with her emotions and grief felt so raw and real. the way she felt the need to always be perfect and uphold everyone's expectations of her felt so much like how I feel, especially academically. the way she treats herself makes me so so sad but honestly I can relate to that and I'm sure a lot of other people can too.

🎧 Cindy Kay did an excellent job of narrating such an emotional book. it was definitely a hard listen at times but books like this are so important because of their portrayal of things that real people go through.

Title: This Side of Falling
Author: Eunice Chan
Format: 🎧
Narrator: Cindy Kay
Publisher: RB Media
Genre: Teen YA
Pub Date: June 17, 2025
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Pages 272


Seventeen-year-old Nina repeats to herself “Not Real” Not Real” “Not Real” as she clutches her violin case when she learns that e Ethan Travvers a boy she likes, killed himself by jumped in front of a freight train.

Nina Young is a sheltered Chinese American high school senior whose parents have a high expectation. However, right now the grief is consuming her and that is not allowed

I am a retired High School Guidance Counselor also a professional College counselor who worked privately with students not attending my school.
Nina’s school is very similar to the school where I worked.
Nina’s experiences were something I am familiar with ~ students were very competitive academically also very talents additionally active
with community service.
My educational training included knowledge and understanding of different cultures. Also School Counselors are not therapists so need
to have resources for referral.

Nina was very real to me! I knew the story was going to be emotional and it was!

Author Eunice Chan is new to me so I checked her bio. She is familiar with Davis, California, as it was her home additionally a graduate of UC Davis. She has completed a program in Special Publishing with the Institute of Children’s Literature and has published fiction with Clubhouse magazine. Currently, she lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and works full time as a civil engineer and part time as a freelance editor.

Want to thank NetGalley and RB Media for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 17, 2025.

Thank you for the opportunity to review. I found this novel very moving. Though, to me, the twist was obvious, I still found myself desperately listening to see if I was right. The emotions were palpable. I highly recommend!

Aaaah teenage angst!

This was quite an emotional read following Nina after the sudden suicide of her crush. She is so grief stricken but has to keep it together because of her family's expectations. School, violin practice etc.

Her older sister Carmen returns home suddenly and her formally "perfect" sister seems to have taken a wrong turn somewhere, she's changed so much.. Nina doesn't expect or understand this but one thing is becoming clear there was a connection between Carmen and her crush Ethan.

So much heartache, I feel teens nowadays are so much more prone to metal health issues. There is so much pressure to perform academically, socially, look a certain way. This book is a reminder to me to be a better listener, to pay attention and not to put on extra/unnecessary pressure on my teen.

I absolutely loved the solemn narration by Cindy Kay!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Author and RB media for the opportunity to listen and share my thoughts.

This Side of Falling is devastating but so incredibly captivating. I was sucked in right from the beginning, and Cindy Kay's narration definitely helped with that. This book reminded me of a lot of the hard-hitting books I read as a teen, and I hope anyone who can unfortunately see themselves/their circumstances in this book find it.
I also really appreciated that it opened with not only a trigger warning, but also information on hotlines and websites. Eunice Chan clearly put a lot of thought into this and wrote it with care for the readers.

3.75 🌟

This Side Of Falling was a lot heavier than I expected from a YA however I suppose it was fairly realistic in the way that Nina is treated by her family, who seem to expect a lot, demand maturity but don’t seem to respect her maturity.

Lots of content warnings, which the author acknowledges in the outset, Nina is trying to come to terms with the suicide of her boyfriend. Missing the closeness she once shared with her sister carmen who is away at uni, but it isn’t long before Carnen becomes the main character in Nina’s story.

Sad,shocking, distressing and disturbing, but incredibly well done.

Great narration by Cindy Kay 🎧

Huge thanks to RB Media via NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ALC 🎧

This Side of Falling is a compelling and emotionally layered coming-of-age novel that delves into grief, family secrets, and self-discovery. Nina’s journey after Ethan’s tragic death is raw and authentic, capturing the numbness and the need to cling to comforting mantras—like her repeated phrase, which provides temporary relief from her pain. The story takes an intriguing turn with Carmen’s return home, stirring up long-buried memories and forcing Nina to confront uncomfortable truths about her family and herself. Eunice Chan masterfully explores themes of identity, loss, and the fragile masks we wear to maintain appearances, especially in the face of tragedy. While some moments felt slightly predictable, the depth of character development and the heartfelt portrayal of Nina’s internal struggle make this a worthwhile read. It’s a poignant reminder of how grief can both break us and lead us toward understanding and healing.