Review: The Fragile Fall by Kristy Love (Undone #1)
Note: This ebook was provided by Patchwork Press Cooperative via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Will Mathers was always good: he did as he was told and he followed the rules. Then he decided to break the rules for one night. That one night changed his life forever. Now at seventeen, his parents are gone and he's living with his Aunt Liv, who he doesn't know very well, and has to start his senior year in a public school, something he isn't familiar with since he was always homeschooled. He has no friends and has been spending his summer either holed up in his room or playing video games. But when he hears music and laughter coming from the neighbor's backyard, he catches a glimpse of a beautiful girl named Ryanne.
Ryanne Morgan catches someone looking down on her from a bedroom window and decides it's time to finally meet her neighbor Liv's nephew. She knows a bit about him and why he's living with Liv but in the five months he's been in her house, Ryanne and her younger brother Jax have never even seen him...until now. When she looks into his eyes, she can't help but feel protective of him and as more time passes, she begins to recognize that her feelings aren't that of someone who looks at him as merely a friend or even a younger brother. She's falling for the boy next door even as her brother Jax asks her to keep her distance.
When Will is with Ryanne, he feels as if there's hope for a brighter future, one that isn't filled with the darkness that's engulfed him ever since his parents' deaths. But when his fear of being inadequate for the college girl are voiced out by someone he thought believed in him, Will's anxieties begin to get the better of him. In order for what they have to even begin to have a chance of flourishing, both Will and Ryanne will have to face their greatest obstacles together, even though they're tempted to see it through alone. Is it possible for a love as fragile as theirs survive all of the secrets that Will has been keeping from Ryanne?
The Fragile Fall is the first novel in the Undone series by Kristy Love and is hauntingly beautiful tale of a seventeen-year-old boy who has to find the will to live his life over after facing loss in the most tragic of circumstances and a nineteen-year-old girl who wants to show him that his life is worth living after all. Will Mathers and Ryanne Morgan are such sensitive characters who show a certain amount of maturity for older teenagers, yet also display that youthfulness that reminds you that they're still teens after all. Jax Morgan was the quintessential teen, at the cusp of being a child of sorts but also about to become an adult, and for a supporting character, he was quite memorable and provided a balance to the heaviness that his sister Ryanne and his best friend Will were carrying on their shoulders, no thanks to their life experiences.
Will's story was both heartbreaking and inspirational, especially as he had to face all the demons taking residence in his head for the first time and be open about them with someone. For such a young man, he's had to endure a great deal of self-imposed guilt and that sort of thing can bring even the strongest of adults to their knees. There isn't an easy fix for Will and I'm glad the author didn't make it appear as if he went from a troubled boy to someone who simply bounced back from it all. We read about his struggles and how his desire to overcome them was one of the necessary first steps to living again. His story gives you hope and makes you realize that asking for help doesn't mean you're helpless or weak but that you're strong enough to recognize you can't handle something alone. Will was such a remarkable lead character.
I loved Ryanne and appreciated how she was a strong yet vulnerable female lead character. Her interactions with Jax made me think of my own close relationship with my younger sister and how protective we are of one another. Her feelings for Will were something she wasn't sure if she should act upon because of how Jax felt about the idea of his sister and his best friend dating and possibly becoming a couple. The twist in the story concerning her was a complete surprise and the way the character handled it showed that she was human and wasn't overly understanding of everything happening to and around her. Even though she was a couple of years older than Will, she never treated him like a child or that he was some sort of helpless boy that she needed to mother or constantly have to keep a vigilant watch over.
This was a beautiful story of love, forgiveness, and survival and how even the most broken of spirits can still heal, for as long as they receive the support and assistance they need from family, loved ones, and professionals. Those who are sensitive to stories that involve suicide or self-harm need to know that there could be triggers in this book, so be aware before reading it. This isn't a light-hearted tale but happens to be one about light penetrating through the darkness and never losing hope. I thoroughly enjoyed Will and Ryanne's love story and found these two lead characters, along with Jax, Liv, and Courtney, will stay with me for a good long while. For a debut novel, I was impressed with the author's ability to weave a story that was tragic yet always hopeful. The Fragile Fall was a worthwhile read and I'm giving it 4.5 stars out five. ♥
Date Read: 07 May 2015
Learn more about Kristy Love here.
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