Shaylie Beck is a real state broker on a flight home that goes terribly wrong. When the plane crashes, she is one of the eleven passengers lucky to be alive. In the support group for survivors, she meets Piper Cole, a yoga teacher who lost both her fiancée and her best friend on that flight. As Shaylie and Piper’s connection deepens, Shaylie is faced with the decision of telling Piper what she saw before the crash and risking losing her forever…
‘Falling’ is a slow-burn romance that starts with the extremely stressful situation of a plane crash. The author herself says that she is afraid of flying and came up with the idea of writing this novel based on the premise that the best can come out of the worst circumstances. Ms. Bryant is really good at choosing one-word book titles that can catch readers’ attention and this is no exception. ‘Falling’ conveys not only the plane crash but also falling apart and falling in love. This novel deals with all of them.
This book is written in first person as it’s usual for this author, in this case, from the point of view of Shaylie. That gives the reader a prime seat to her process of falling, literally and metaphorically. However, compared to Ms. Bryant’s previous book ‘Listen’, this novel focuses more on the good aspects of Shaylie’s recovery process rather than the post-traumatic consequences of her accident. On the other hand, with this single point of view, it’s hard to understand what is going on with Piper and how she is dealing with her loss. Hence, her actions might feel a bit out of character and unpredictable.
This is mainly a romance and its feel-good aspects. As a Yoga enthusiast, I loved the description of its healing powers. The cast of secondary characters and the m/f romantic subplot also help in bringing up the good in humanity. It might feel too sweet at times but it works well with the main feel-good premise of the book.
Overall, a very good slow-burn romance about falling apart and falling in love. 4 stars.
ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
