Review ~ Here's to Falling by Christine Zolendz ~ JMAC

 

 

 

 

Synopsis: 

Every girl has that one guy…that one guy who steals her heart and never gives it back.

We were all friends…until we weren’t.
We depended on each other…until we couldn’t.
We were in love…until we were ripped apart.
We moved on…even when we didn’t want to let go.

This is our love story.

**This standalone novel contains material that some may find disturbing. Intended for mature readers only.
***TRIGGER WARNING!

 

 

JMAC’S REVIEW

 

3 Best friends. 

Love.

Heartache.

Based on true events.

 

What more could I ask for in a book?

Here’s to Falling made me feel so many different emotions.  Though I have never read any of Christine’s books before this one, I know she’s a very talented author.  Any author that can make my heart rate speed up, make tears fall from my eyes, and put a genuine smile on my face, is my definition of a talented author.  I felt so much reading Here’s to Falling. 

“It doesn’t matter why someone does bad things.  It’s not going to stop them if you understand the reasons or not.”

Here’s to Falling is a story following 3 best friends; Charlie/Charlotte, Joey and Jase.  Charlie and Joey have been friends since they were 4 years old.  Jase moved in next to Charlie when they were in 4^th grade.  They soon all became inseparable.  The friendship these 3 young kids had is something very few people are lucky to find.  Nothing could get in between Charlie, Joey, and Jase.  At least that was what they all thought. 

What I loved most about this book, besides the story itself, was the way Christine kept bringing you to their past.  I loved getting to see the 3 best-friends in their prime.  When they were innocent, before life got in the way.  The bond that Charlie, Jase, and James had made me jealous.  They were perfectly imperfect.  Charlie was the girl who was good, but wasn’t afraid to tell you off, even at a young age.  James was the boy who was always bullied.  But he had Jase and Charlie to protect him.  Jase, well Jase was your typical bad boy who had just been through the ringer.  His home life was nothing to brag about, then again neither was Charlie’s.  All of these friends had things that they went through that made their bond stronger.  If one was there, the other two were never far away.  They always had each others backs, until they couldn’t anymore.

“Charlie.  If someone ever breaks your wings, you just got to find some other way to fly.  Show them what you’re worth, Charlie.  Nobody should set your value but you.”

Like all kids, their life was innocent.  They were enjoying their time as kids.  Trying to stay out of trouble.  They didn’t know life would get hard for them.  They didn’t know life was going to tear them apart.  They didn’t know anything. 

“Life knocks you down.  It’s going to, and you got to just turn around and get back up, hold on to me if you have to but always get back up, people will just walk all over you if you leave yourself beaten on the ground.”

There are things in Here’s to Falling that are hard to get through.  I felt such a bond with these 3 kids that I almost didn’t want to know what happened.  I didn’t want to know what the “boom” was in Charlie’s life.  I was scared to know what broke her.  When I did find out, it broke me as well.  This book is by no means a “dark” story.  It’s just a story that sucks you in, and makes you FEEL everything.  Your heart breaks for these 3 friends who became strangers.  Acts of violence could ruin anyone.  Some parts of this story were really hard to read.  They felt personal, which they were.  I didn’t feel like I was reading a story, I felt like I was living through the pain Charlie was portraying in her words.  Everything just felt very REAL. 

“Everyone has a dark side.  Some are riddled with guilt about it and hide from it.  Me?  I needed to embrace mine, because I won’t let anything ever tear me down again.”

Christine, I applaud you.  You don’t find many authors who will write a story based on true events, and even if they do, many don’t share that fact with us readers.  I want to thank you for sharing this beautiful heartbreaking story.  Your words hit me to my core, and I will never forget this story.  

This story may be a trigger to some, but if you are trigger free please give this story a chance.  You will love it!

<3JMAC

 

Buy Links

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1Dtw3sq

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1J2H8bD