Falling For You

by Lisa Schroeder

Rae's always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give.

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous.

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, New Adult, Abuse, Contemporary Romance

355 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lisa Schroeder is the author of more than twenty books for kids and teens. Her latest novel is A NIGHT TO DIE FOR, a YA murder mystery. She lives in Oregon where she works full-time and writes when she can.

twitter: www.twitter.com/lisa_schroeder
instagram: lisaschroeder15

Reviews

[Lisa]

So... I wrote this book! And here are some things I want you to know about it.

It is a book with strong themes of darkness and light. While Rae has a sad home life, she has a bright and happy job working at a flower shop with people she adores. The flower shop, Full Bloom, is her safe place and I hope you come to enjoy the flower shop as much as Rae does.

Rae is a poet, and fills up journals with thoughts that help her cope with the feelings she has about her step-dad and her mom. Soon, school mates are writing poetry because of a new project at school. Should Rae let the world know about her poetry or keep it a secret, like she always has?

And then there are the two boys in the story - Nathan, who becomes her boyfriend, because Rae so desperately wants someone to love her, and Leo who is her friend. One needs her, while the other wants desperately to help her.

When you meet Rae, on the very first page, you discover something has happened to her. Something horrible.

This book is mysterious, it is heart-wrenching at times and romantic at others. Most of all, at its core, it is a book about love and its incredible ability to pull us from the darkness into the light.

[Aj the Ravenous Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I could tell that Ms. Lisa Shcroeder is such a super kind and generous human being just by reading this book. It’s clear in the words she chose and the main character’s attributes. it’s pretty obvious that the very purpose of Falling for you is to inspire every reader who is in one way or another, experiencing more darkness than light in his/her life. I wouldn’t have realized all of these things had I judged the book by its tacky cover and title because really, if I did that, I probably wouldn’t have opened the book at all. *insert peace sign here*

It turned out, the pages are filled with an uplifting story of a brave young girl who despite the challenges and persecutions she faced at home still managed to not only survive, but to also bring light upon other people’s lives through her kindness and generosity and through her beautiful words and poetry. I really appreciate the writing technique, the present-flashback inducing suspense and the poems. Browsing through other people’s reviews, Ms. Shcroeder is actually well-known for her verse-filled narratives which makes me really curious and eager to read other books she wrote.

If not for lack of stronger characterizations and tone down of the preachy element of the narratives and dialogues, I would have given it more stars but as it is, I would still recommend it as a very worthwhile and relevant YA contemporary read.

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one while we were gone on a short trip. It is perfect for teenagers. However, I did enjoy it. The heroine writes poetry and I liked that too. She gets most of her high school writing poetry. There are two men in her life who are dangerous but I had best not tell anymore about that.

I read this while traveling north and back again. We did not encounter any of the smoke from Canada but lots of rain for which we are thankful. Praying it rains on Canada too.

[Faseeh Ilahi a.k.a Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 🌟


The book basically follows a girl named Rayanna Lynch who has an abusive stepfather at her house. To deal with that abusive she hide away her feelings by writing poetry.

But then this new boy named Nathan comes in to the picture. And the moment Rae saw him, she knew that he is the one. But he turns out to be a creep, who is really possessive of her. So she basically breaks up with him.

But then she starts to fall for her best friends Leo, who worked at the coffee shop next door.

And as Rae and Leo find that the love they have for each other is mutual, Nathan comes back into the picture but this time he is even more messed up. He starts to stalk Rae.

Rae family life is also quite messed up just like her love life. So she has to deal with a lot of stuff.



Although for the first half of the novel, I basically considered Nathan a Creep, and he was creeping me out. He was really possessive, he minded when Rae hanged out with other boys. He was also a complete sex freak.
I started enjoy the story even more after that.

[Gray Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I hate the cover. It doesn't fit the overall mood of the book at all. Secondly, this book was AMAZING. Rae is such a sweet but strong character, and she was just lovely and I liked her so much.

Leo was homeschooled and normal! FINALLYYYYY.

This book was a rae of hopeful sunshine on a stormy day, and I love it.

Content warnings:

-Some makeout scenes, although it focuses on Rae feeling pressured and saying no as well as her pulling away.

-Mild swearing (used sparely).

[Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Schroeder never fails to amaze me with her words. So many emotions in this one.

Loved it! Full review to come.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

FallIng for You by Lisa Schroeder --

I am so in love. This made my heart ache, I don't know where to begin on this review. This story hits you where it counts, a lot of this is so true today and everyone is too scared to come forward. Rae is by far the strongest girl I have read about and I want to just hug her.

Rae is the definition of a hero. She keeps all her pain bottled up, and hides that part of her life from everyone else. I don't know how she does it but she stays strong, and when she needs to say something she does, she tries to fight be strong but sometimes it isn't enough. She has good friends and a great job. She only let's so many people close but never close enough to find out her secrets. She just breaks my heart, she is trying to save everyone, help everyone but what about her?! When she starts the poetry revolution she thinks she is doing something good, but really staying anonymous isn't all what it's cracked up to be.

Add in Nathan the new golden boy who is interested in her Rae with all her secrets, and she is so happy at first but then things start to get weird and there were SO many signs but she stuck through for her friends. I don't know why but then there is Leo oh Leo. Nathan is somewhat of a psycho, he is too needy and I don't know what his deal is but he doesn't take rejection well. Rae leans on Leo but the more time they spend together the more clear it is on how she feels.

Rae is a strong character who goes through hell. She has had some horrible stuff happen to her but when you get to the end and think the worse is over, Lisa throws in a curve ball and throws you WAY off course, you the something is bad with the months counting down but nothing prepared me for it and my heart shattered. I was devastated and thinking why her, she is just amazing but boy did the community surprise me :) this book will pull on your heat strings and makes you feel like you are there.

I recommend this to everyone and I mean everyone..

[Devyani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling For You was the first book that I read in 2013 and like I said earlier..It was a good way to start a year.

I love Lisa Schroeder. I've read almost all her books and The Day before and I heart you , you haunt me are books I totally adore and are also two of my many books that highlight my book shelf.
Her books are all in verse form and the beauty of it all lies in the fact that she can break our hearts a thousand times and swoon us off our feet by throwing poetry at us. WE ALL LOVE LISA SCHROEDER BECAUSE OF THAT!

And I think, that's what went wrong with this one.
This is NOT in a verse format.

Earlier , I had given this book four stars out of 5 but after a lot of thinking I just couldn't fathom why I even liked it in the first place.
Here me out you all.
This is a book about a girl from a broken home. Her stepfather is abusive and her mother usually is a no-show in the area of love. A gorgeous guy likes her and she starts dating him , but he turns out to be a total nut. Then there's this other guy..and a very sad thing happens and blah blah blah.

So it's the classic sad YA soup story. It's not something we haven't heard about or read before. If you sit down calmly and think about it , you would notice that all the books that Ms.Schroeder pens down are books dealing with storylines we're all familiar with. But we still do love them. Why?
Because not everyone has the ability to touch our hearts and influence our emotions and write down a 'whole' story of about 500 pages in mere poetic verses. I have read poetry back in the day and I do read some now too but they're all limited to research and project purposes. None for my own pleasure. So for me, Lisa Schroeder is like my own personal John Keats , Robert Frost etc.

I won't say that the writing is bad because it wasn't. I wasn't bored , neither did I entirely hate this book. I did like it. My earlier googlyness could be because I've already mentioned it a thousand times and I'll say it once again , I love Lisa Schroeder.
This was well like any other book. Nothing new. Nothing exciting.

So would you want me to recommend this book to you?..maybe.
But if I were you , I would go ahead and read other books by her which are in the verse format. There is more to appreciate and more to like.
But I still love you Ms.Schroeder and I know that next time you will hit me with your fabulousness. But just not today.

This review and many other cool things can found at YA Fanatic.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have waited for what seems like FOREVER for this book. I read The Day Before (Lisa Schroeder's most recent book before this one) in 2011 and then read everything else she'd written almost immediately thereafter and then was heartbroken to learn that there wouldn't be a new release until 2013. As in I would have to wait over a year. And if you know anything about me at all, you know that I do NOT do well with waiting.

But oh, this was so worth the wait. Like all of her books, this book will completely gut you, but it will also put you back together. And while you will probably cry, you will also be so, so happy that you ended up reading this book.

I think Rae may be my favorite of her characters. Her life is far from perfect (abusive stepfather, creepy and over-controlling boyfriend) but she never stops insisting to herself and to the world that she deserves better. And while she gets metaphorically knocked down a lot, but she never stops getting back up.

The best part of this book is the way that it proves that words can change everything. A kind word, obviously, but also standing up and admitting that life is not perfect. Once we let people in enough to help us, we tend to learn that most of the time, that IS people's primary impulse---to help each other, not to mock each other.

Highly, highly recommended.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Falling For You was Lisa Schroeder's first full length book and I was so psyched because I've been a huge fan ever since Chasing Brooklyn, that it was an instant favorite. Lisa Schroeder is best known with her heartfelt, very poetic YA verse novels, so coming from her I certainly didn't want to pass everything she writes.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this one as much as I did her other works. I think she's better off with verse novels, in my humble opinion.

The story line was not strong, and the narrator has problem with being consistent and I think her character is a little immature for her age and her situation. This book is full of incompatible characters. Rae, Nathan, Leo, even Dean were missed up to begin with but that's all there is to know. You see, the problem was, Nathan is suffering from something in his past and along with his parents having no care for him and with his father having an affair. From that alone, it was not elaborated. Nathan is a tough character in the book but whatever he's going through was not put into detail. That's why I'll always refer to him as the 'creepy ex-boyfriend' and will always be. I would have understood what's going through him if he would have opened more with Rae. As for Rae, she didn't even gave Nathan a chance for explanation. She would always shun him an way possible and honestly I feel sorry for the guy. While he's chasing her for attention, she was also running for someone who better understands her. That's where Leo comes to the picture. There are still a lot of issues I'd like to point out but don't even get me started.

Honestly, this roller coaster of drama is something I will consider petty because a lot may have happen and problems do escalate but these people didn't even try to take action as a matter of fact. I am suppose to root for Rae since she whines why her life is so missed up but she can't even say 'no' to her step dad for stomping all over her and her mom.

I was very disappointed with this. I thought it would be as intense and cordial as her other books but I digress. This doesn't mean that I will not look forward to whatever she writes in the future but quite the opposite. This author has a very keen way of writing powerful stories. This one wasn't just it.




xx

[Krystle Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to dislike this book because it started off slow and I felt like the writing was not up to par to other books I read. I kept reading it because even though it was slow, I felt like I could relate to the main character Rae. She is a 17 year old girl who has a weak minded mother who lets her be emotionally and physically abused by her overbearing loser stepdad. She is a writer inspired by her grandmother who passed away from cancer. Truly, this book connected to me on a level I did not want to admit. I went through a similar upbringing but at a younger age and sans the male roles in this book, Nathan and Leo.

I ended up not being able to put the book down and I finished it in a day. Rae is annoying in how selfless she is and how much she tries to keep the peace, but the annoyance is just a personal opinion. Other people would find her rather strong and flawed with the potential to grow into the character that she does by the end of the book. The way the book was put together kept the story moving. There was suspense on what happened to this individual to land her in the hospital.

Extremely great book! I would read it again. It had its moments of romance but not in a the world will end if we are not together. Leo and Rae help each other out throw difficult times and become best friends who end up liking each other. Truly romantic and wonderful! I am a fan!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review was originally published on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.

I hadn't had many people in my life who made me feel special. You know what happens after awhile? You start to wonder if you matter.
I mean, really and truly matter.
And the more time that goes by, the harder it is to believe that you do.

Lisa Schroeder has quickly become one the select few authors whose books I love to revisit. The Day Before, her 2011 novel in verse is one of my all-time favorites reads and I often pull it from the shelf in my office (uh, I just realized that "my" of this book is actually Laura's--whoops!) and read a couple of passages at random.

Lisa's books work for me in a way that a lot of contemporary YA novels do not. She talks about families and life and friendship and love in a way that's universally understandable, regardless of whether you're 15 or 35 or 55. There's a thread of goodness that runs through her stories, and each has left me feeling a bit better about the world. None of this is what's popular and trendy in teen fiction, so her books are a breath of fresh air on the crowded teen fiction shelves. With that said, I was admittedly sad when I learned that her 2012 young adult novel, Falling for You, wasn't a verse novel. I love verse, and Lisa's verse novels are some of my favorites.

However, after reading Falling for You, I'm actually quite happy that Lisa chose to write this novel in traditional prose because it will allow verse-averse readers to try one of her books and perhaps the numerous poems in Falling for You will be a gateway to her four verse novels. Rae is a teen in a small-ish town in Oregon. She works hard at a flower shop, Full Bloom, where her coworkers and the other people who work at the nearby businesses are as much her family as her actual family--perhaps more. She lives in a challenging home environment where money is always tight and made tighter when her stepfather, whose job loss early in the novel creates further financial pressures and tensions in Rae's household.

At the same time, Rae quickly becomes involved with Nathan, the new boy at school whose devotion sends off alarms bells for Rae. She quickly realizes that this relationship is too much, too fast and the situation frightens her. Meanwhile, her friend Leo, who's home schooled and works in his family's coffee shop near Full Bloom, senses that things are wrong in Rae's life, and desperately wishes to help her, if only she'll let him. Leo--whose life has a lot of complications as well--introduces Rae to his hobby of making YouTube videos and his positive outlet seems to subconsciously inspire Rae to take her poetry more seriously.

These events all happen in the form of extended flashbacks, which make up the bulk of Falling for You. In the present, we know that Rae is injured and in an intensive care unit, clinging to life. Interspersed within both are poems written by Rae which are published in the poetry section of her school newspaper. These poems lend further insight into Rae's real feelings about her family, her boyfriends, friends and job--through these poems we see the real Rae.

I'm not the floor
to be walked on
or the hammer
to be used.

I'm not the choir
to sing your praises
or the commercials
to be ignored.

I'm the baby bird
wanting to fly
and the orchid
starting to bloom.

The overarching them in this surprisingly complex and dark story is the tension between darkness and light. It's a literal experience for Rae as she hovers between life and death, but it's true in terms of her daily life. Her job at the flower shop and the people in brings her close to provides her with so much joy and happiness. On the other hand, she goes home to a family in shambles, where home feels unsafe, and her boyfriend is frightening and seemingly unstable. Writing brings her comfort amidst these tensions, but that may not be enough to pull her out of the bleakness she confronts as the events of Falling for You unfurl.

Falling for You not only deals with Rae's frightening relationship with her boyfriend Nathan, it takes an unflinching look at a troubled family. Rae's mother is a woman who married a bad guy in hopes that he would take care of her. He's lazy and demanding, expecting that Rae cook his meals while her mother works evenings. He's unkind and that meanness escalates as he loses his job and the family's tenuous financial situation reaches a breaking point.

He came closer to me. "You'll give me your paycheck on paydays. The first and the fifteenth, isn't it? I'll decide how much money you need for your girl crap."

I couldn't believe this was happening. "Why should I hand it over to you?" I waved my hand at the empty cans. "You'll just throw it away on beer."
Dean reached out and slapped me hard across the face. I tottered back and landed against the stove. My cheek burned. Tears pushed against my eyelids, wanting to escape. Too bad. I wouldn't let them. If I was trapped, so were they.

I was surprised by what Dean, the stepfather, was involved in and the direction his story went, and I have to say, I'm glad to see this particular issue addressed in a novel for teens, because it's a common and destructive problem. (Apologies for the vagueries--but it would be a significant spoiler to say what it is.)

Another notable element to Falling for You is Rae's relationship with her coworkers.

Falling for You reminded me a bit of Good Oil/Love and Other Perishable Items in that it captures the unusual relationships that develop in workplaces. Full Bloom's tiny cadre of employees and the owner are endearing and love Rae like she's family, and in a sense they are her family. YA novels tend to focus on just a few types of relations: family, romance and similarly-aged friends--hooray for including the first work colleague relationships!

The sweet-smelling shop has walls the color of sunshine and shelves filled with potted plants and flowers. It gave me a warm, fuzzy felling when I walked in, like always.

I could see Nina in the back workroom through the large picture window behind the long front counter. She sat with a pile of paperwork in front of her and her laptop.

"Hey Nina. How's it going?" I asked as I walked through the workroom door.

"It's been quite all day," she said, glancing up at me. "So I'm paying bills. Man, do I hate paying bills. But Uranus is finally leaving my second house, which rules earned income. Uranus is volatile, so it's a good thing it's leaving. More money should start coming in now, right?"

I curled my lips in, trying not to giggle. "Nina, I'm sorry, but I'm still back at 'Uranus is volatile.'" She could talk astrology to me all she wanted, but as soon as she mentioned Uranus, it was over.

"All right, all right. I'll keep my thoughts about Uranus to myself."

The thing that struck me most about Falling for You is that while it has many of the issues found in novels for teen--family problems, bad romance, growing up--but so often in YA novels there are clear lines between good characters and bad, and in this one, yes, there are some people who do really despicable things, but I also felt sympathy for these characters, as did Rae. Despite that loose ends are tied up a bit too neatly for my usual comfort, there's emotional complexity to this story that reminded me of Sarah Ockler and Sarah Dessen's books.

Because of that, I worry that readers may not pick up Falling for You. Like all of Lisa's books, it goes against the trend that's so popular in contemporary YA fiction at the moment: the extremely dramatic storyline. There are some Big Things that happen in the book, but they're not self-perpetuated, they're not over-wrought.

And in that sense, despite the darker themes of Falling for You, it's a gentle book that in the end left me feeling enveloped by a spirit of goodness.

FNL Character Rating: Matt Saracen (I had a big debate between Becki Sproles & Matty on this one.)

Initial Reaction: This was so different from what I expected--in a really fantastic way.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Originally reviewed here @ Angieville

A couple of years ago I stumbled across a new-to-me book by new-to-me author Lisa Schroeder. I cracked open Chasing Brooklyn with what you might describe as less than high expectations, with the result that I was utterly blindsided by the reality. I am a decided fan of well-executed novels in verse. Have been for awhile now. And this was just such a one--an expertly crafted study of grief and its aftermath, on survivors reaching out to each other. I read it in a single evening and looked forward to more from Ms. Schroeder. Somehow I never made good on that resolution, though. I think it was that I was nervous her others wouldn't live up to the perfect moment that was Chasing Brooklyn. Like maybe I shouldn't go out on any more dates with her books for fear none of them would quite match that heady first date. So I held back. But when the early buzz for FALLING FOR YOU began to swirl so enticingly around me, it wasn't long before my resolve dissolved in the face of a pretty, pretty cover and the potential for such pretty, pretty words.

Rae needs someone to want her. Someone to care about her and for her to care about in return. It's been years since she's gotten any of that from her mother, let alone whichever man they're currently dependent on for money, food, and shelter. That's why the arrival of Nathan Sharp seems so timely. Nathan is almost immediately into her, and it's difficult for Rae to see past his flattering, affectionate manner. Encouraged by her two best friends who've quietly watched her avoid meaningful relationships in the past, Rae decides to give something with Nathan a shot. And, boy, do sparks fly. The undeniable physical connection between them makes itself both felt, seen, and heard. And before Rae knows it, she has a full-fledged boyfriend, complete with obligatory hand-holding and locker-kissing. Unfortunately, Nathan also appears to come with a monstrously large load of jealousy and neediness. So much, in fact, that she finds herself avoiding him in order to catch her breath. Trouble is, Nathan doesn't really do breathers very well. Any separation at all fills him with despair. And what with her home life being about as bad as it can be, and her need for time and space in which to work and write and avoid her increasingly unstable stepfather, Rae realizes she needs to break things off before she gets in too deep and Nathan's need for her becomes more than she can handle.

I wasn't too fussed when I found out FALLING FOR YOU was not in verse. I mean, I had kind of hoped it would be, but I was also eager to see how Ms. Schroeder fared in prose. I enjoyed the initial structure and set-up, starting out at the end and then interspersing Rae's account of the past six months with short bursts of the crisis that is to come. I liked Rae fine. She was smack dab in the middle of a nightmare and yet she kept on getting up and going to school and work and fixing an endless string of dinners for her worthless stepfather. But I never really got inside her skin, you know? I understood what made her tick, but it never went beyond skin deep emotion for me. The writing was fine as well. But I quickly found myself missing the wonderful poetic turns of phrase I know Schroeder is capable of. Since Rae is a poet herself, there are excerpts from her poetry journal, but none of them lifted me off the ground. They never felt as genuine or revealing as I was looking for. I also liked the idea of exploring a relationship with one utterly co-dependent partner and one increasingly disaffected one. But Nathan and Rae never surprised me. I could see the turns they were going to take several steps ahead. And minus a deeper emotional investment in Rae, it was hard to stay as present in her predicament as I'd like to have been. And while I liked Leo (it's impossible not to like Leo), I wished I'd gotten more of his perspective. He remained a sort of innocuously good presence in Rae's life, never quite crossing over into vital or vibrant enough to fully inhabit his place in the story. He has a couple of elegant moments that gave me cause for hope. But they (and Rae's journey) were overshadowed by the heavy messages that permeated the novel. Where such themes were delivered subtly and impressed me deeply in Chasing Brooklyn, here they felt too overt, too . . . simple and monochrome and easily swallowed, if you will. I rather suspect I shall sit on this underwhelmed bench alone. And that is just fine. I hope FALLING FOR YOU finds the readers it's meant to.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

**May contain spoilers. (Although you could probably predict them.)**

Lisa Schroeder is seriously one of my favorite authors. Ever.

Unlike her other books, this is not one written in verse. A poem comes up every few chapters as a glimpse into the MC’s poetry journal. I never actually realized it wasn't in verse until I stated reading. It was shocking, really. To see periods, sentences, WOAH.

I’m not sure whether I liked this more or less than the others I've read. Lisa Schroeder is a mastermind when it comes to writing poems. I can’t say the same for Falling For You. As much as I liked it, it just doesn't compare. So yes, Lisa Schroeder writes like it’s no one’s business, but this one’s just… different. In some ways, I loved reading this so much more than some of her other books. It’s amazing, I’ll leave it at that.

Rae is a character I really liked. Not so much in the beginning, but as the story progressed, so did my liking toward her. At the start of the book, I found her and her friends to be somewhat clueless. Her friends more than Rae herself. How long does it take to realize Nathan’s a creep and she should leave? They’re all a little slow on catching on.

Nathan is creepier than creepy.

“Rae. Look out your window,” [Alix] whispered.
I jumped. It was like something out of a horror movie. A guy stood a few feet away, with no coat or hat or umbrella, in the pouring rain, just staring at us.
The window was fogged. “Is that—?”
“Yes,” Alix said, her warm breath on my neck. “I’m pretty sure it’s your boyfriend.”

I would've run for my life. That’s scary as hell.

Rae lives a very complicated life. Her mother is distant, her father gone. Her stepfather, Dean, is an abusive gambler jerk. This is not her real family. Biologically, yes, but her real family lies within her boss and co-worker at Full Bloom. Nina and Spencer are great people; I wished to see more of them. I personally didn't like how Rae’s mother shifted personalities throughout the story. If you compare her at the beginning to her at the end, she’s completely different.

Dean. What to say… He’s even scarier than Nathan. The way he’s always yelling and asking for money, it’s sad that Rae and her mother have to live with that. And with the threats and the bruises, her mother’s pretty much living in hell. I didn't like that Dean didn't have a full story. You never really know his situation, nothing more than a basic idea. He drinks, needs money to pay back two guys that are apparently scarier than he is. And? As bad as he is, I still want to know.

The whole time reading, I couldn't figure out who it was that put Rae in the hospital. It’s weird, but before I read this I had though Nathan and Rae had one of those domestic violence relationships where Nathan was really nice at first then turned possessive and Rae wanted to leave him but she couldn't because she was afraid of him. In my defense, the synopsis is somewhat misleading. “Rae’s always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan … he’s sweet. But the closer they get … the less she wants to give. As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support … [P]ossessive Nathan becomes jealous. He’s not about to let her go …” Doesn't that sound like a domestic relationship? That thought remained with me for a good portion of the book until I realized it wasn't it at all. But then there’s Dean and I couldn't figure out if it was Nathan or Dean who hurt her. I guess I’m clueless too.

Leo is cute. He didn't appear in the book that much, and it didn't seem like he and Rae had much going on. They’re cute together though. I want a guy like him. <3 (Maybe without the whole hair obsession thing.)

Overall, this is just another of Lisa Schroeder’s amazing books. Written in verse or not, it’s amazing.

[Mary BookHounds · Rating 5 out of 5]

MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Rae's father left when she was a baby and her mother has moved on and in with Dean, a man Rae is not fond of. The only thing she really knows about her father is that he was a fan of Nirvana and that leads to her love of the Foo Fighters whose songs carry her through the worst of days. She works at a job she adores, assisting at Full Bloom, the only flower shop in her small town. She has a close circle of friends and never fails to go out of her way to be kind, even though life hasn't been kind to her. When her English teacher suggests the students submit their poems for an anthology, Rae will only submit hers as "anonymous" and the school seem to explode with hidden grief as the submissions grow with deep revelations to spark a poetry revolution.

When Nathan, the son of a nationally known author, moves to town, he is everything that Rae thinks she wants in a boyfriend until he becomes obsessive and possessive. As Rae feels that she finally has everything a teen her age could desire, she knows something is wrong with Nathan, something she can't deal with at all right now. Things get progressively worse at home with her step father, Rae finds herself keeping secrets from everyone who reaches out to her with offers of help. At this point, I am seriously in tears. I think Rae will never find peace or the happiness that she deserves.

On the other hand, is Leo, who works next door at a coffee shop for his parents. He has been the constant in Rae's life, always being there for her even when she doesn't realize it. He pays attention to her, talks to her and lets her forget that she has trouble at home. The story is told through flashbacks between the past few months and the present while Rae is in the hospital in horrible pain. What puts her there will stun even the most jaded reader. I am leaving out a lot of details but this is really a story of good triumphing over evil even though there is so much pain that Rae must endure. I wonder how many kids endure what she did?

Even though this is Schroeder's first book that isn't written entirely in verse, the same emotional story telling and gorgeous writing is wonderfully put together. There are lots of poems sprinkled through the story in the form of Rae's poetry journal and brings a lot of emotional background to her personality. Parents: There are mentions of domestic violence, stalking, alcohol and drug abuse, and some kissing, none of which are overtly graphic. Overall this is really a clean read which is a real lesson in empathy towards others.

[Tanja (Tanychy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review also posted at Ja čitam, a ti?

There is no need to mention that I failed big time here. I should as other people first do some reviews for her previous books but well this is something I guess. But firstly I guess that most of you know that other books by Lisa Schroeder are in verse.

If you are using an excuse "I don't like books/stories written in verse" for not reading her books my friends you will have to change your way of thinking or I'll do it for you. No kidding, but I can be really persuasive and boring when I want to. So after you read this story and enjoy it then pick some other book and experience the real magic. I'll stop blabbing right now.

Rae is a nice girl who tells us her story here. She lives her life in a broken home. Her father is an a really abusive man and her mother is not someone she can rely on so much. So logically she wants to get away and once when she meets Nathan a guy who is everything but not her father she can't help but to fall for him. Only the first impression is not always the right one. Nathan starts to change and demand more of her - in every way so she doesn't know what to do. She finds help in her friend Leo who makes her forget everything and enjoy her life.

Well here again don't expect something overly imaginative and new. But the thing is with her writing she can make anything usual to be so much unusual. That's the beauty of it. When I say writing I don't necessary mean this book, even though she is perfectly capable of writing prose as much as in verse. But still I'll be looking forward to her other books written in verse.

[Marta :} · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book so far, I hadn't really expected the end, I rooted for Rae and Leo from the start, but sincerly I thought that she may end up alone. I disliked Nathan and I thought it was something up with him since he appeared. All the thing with "delete all the boys' numbers from your phone" was a little too much, it may have been a joke, yes. But I think he was really serious. I loved a lot how Rae escaped from the family troubles while she was with Leo, he was making her happy and I really adored their bond. It was something little, but beautiful.
The main character is having serious problems at home and you're really going to feel what she feels in many situations. The book is well written and Rae really gives you that impression that your life could be so much worse. I think this book makes you try to understand your problems and everything.

[Kimberly Sabatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ha! Snuck this one in just before it's launch day. But now I'm angry because I stayed up way too late the night before New Years Eve reading by book light. I just couldn't put it down! I have to say I LOVE how this story unfolds. I wasn't sure about the ending right up until the end, which kept me flipping those pages LOL! I loved Rae and how she had these strengths in addition to her weaknesses. Yay for girl power! And a poetry revolution--we all need a poetry revolution. And don't forget the flower power. There was something absolutely perfect about the flower shop. And Leo--to know him is to love him and I do. I want to go out and make some Leo style videos in 2013. FALLING FOR YOU was the perfect way to end 2012 and kick off 2013--you're going to love this one!!!!

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon a recommendation from my niece, I decided to check out this book. When I read the inside jacket, I was a little concerned that it would be too hard for me to read because it says the stepdad is abusive. I'd just like to say that this book did not trigger me as other abuse type stories have. It's there, and it's told well, but it's not graphic enough to give me nightmares or anything like that.

The one criticism I have for this story is the lack of closure to the Nathan portion of the story. I would have loved to see how he reacted to what happened to Rae and if that helped him change his life path or not. I would have liked to know how he went forward since he was just never mentioned again.

I loved some of the characters so much. Nina, Leo and Spencer were the greatest. These are the kind of friends that we should all strive to have in our lives and the kind of friends we should strive to be to others. We all need these people who regardless of blood, become family to us and care about us in that unconditional way.

[Pat-z · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sad and sweet. I love the input of poetry and the friendships.
"Spencer, Love or Hate?"
"Always Love, sweetheart."
That ending was powerful.

[Just a person · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is one powerful and emotional book. I really connected with Rae and appreciated how she always used poetry as her healthy outlet for the negatives that were going on in her life. She was strong, and caring to a fault, which led her to more relationship troubles on top of her unstable home with her stepfather and unavailable mom.
On the theme of healthy outlets, I also like how it featured Leo's methods as well with the videos. I read so much about unhealthy outlets like drinking, eating disorders or cutting that even though this is an issues book with the relationship with Nathan and Rae's stepdad, that it does show other good things to take away.
Falling for You goes back and forth between Rae being in the ICU from some sort of tragedy to the past, where she first meets Nathan. I think the transitions are seemless and add an extra element of mystery and needing to know what exactly put her there and even though I have two possible scenarios, it could be something unexpected as well.
The writing is beautiful and I am sure to finally pick up some of Lisa's other books like The Day Before or Far from You to start with.
Rae is a really strong main character, and she is so selfless and brave. I really enjoyed being in her head no matter how dark it got in there. I love how she kept fighting and even when she was in pain, she wanted to still help others.
Falling for You also has a superb cast of secondary characters. The people that she works for and with at Full Bloom, Nina and Spencer are great. Their dialogue is so well written and their interactions are the warm and fuzzy that adds brightness to the dark that feeds into Rae from her home life and the negative relationship with Nathan.
I also appreciated how Ella, the grandmotherly figure was featured. She had something to teach Rae, and love to give, and she helped break Rae out of her shell, and show her that people with problems and sadness don't have to fake it to be likable.
Then there is the sweet and swoon worthy Leo. I fell for him in their first interactions. I loved their banter and his easy and caring manner. It was a sweet friendship and he really brought out the best in Rae.
And, as many of you know, I usually steer clear of books written in verse, but this is a hybrid, much like Collateral by Hopkins that I just read and loved. It is mostly written in narrative, but there are poems, but they only enhanced the story in my opinion.

Favorite quotes (from the arc)
I also really liked Alix and the friendship that her and Rae had. She supported her without pushing too far, and was there without judging when Rae shared some of her true self.
Alix speaking to Rae "But I think that is why sweet girls sometimes stay with guys who are tools. The physical part is great. they love feeling loved and they put up with stuff they shouldn't." (p. 218)
I think that this is so true. I was in a bad relationship and even at points where I knew that I shouldn't put up with it or stay, I couldn't let go of the happy times, and the feeling of being wanted and often mistakenly equating physical attraction for true love.

I also really liked the poem that she finally submitted speaking up for those keeping quiet about their pain
"Scars by Rae Lunch
When a wound is fresh, my pen is the ointment and my paper the gauze.
What a surprise I'm not the only one.
We write to remind ourselves we have a voice. That what we feel, think, worry about, and speak matters.
Any et, we've been hiding our scars behind a single word.
Anonymous.
Don't we all hurt some days? Isn't that part of the human experience we share?
Maybe we shouldn't be so afraid to let the world see our scars.
Sharing brings people together.
It's secrecy that can tear people apart. "
That really made me realize the power that poetry can have...

Bottom line: Dark book with a strong yet flawed but relatable main character. Lots of light moments of friendship and caring for others.

For more of my reviews, check out Blkosiner’s YA and Teen Book Blog: http://blkosiner.blogspot.com

[Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling For You is a book the encompasses light, love, life, darkness, pain, and this incredible will to keep going. I like to blame this on my freshman year English teacher who always had us talk about the light and dark themes that we found in the books we read, and movies we watch (which has stayed with me since then), but I loved the way Lisa developed and showed the light and dark themes that are at the heart of this story. It's not just with Rae's home life, and her life at work and school, but her friends, the people who come into her life, the actions both good and bad that are done in this story and of course different love interests in this story. Can I just say I loved the differences between the two romantic interests, and don't worry, it's definitely not a love triangle!

What I liked about Rae is she's someone who is infectious. She's someone who brightens the lives of others, and I could not help but be drawn to her. She's a loyal friend, a hard worker, good student, and someone who comes across as driven. She seems to be one of those people in life who is naturally an all around genuinely nice person. Unlike her close knit friends, Rae is someone who's forced to grow up and basically take care of herself. What Rae's ray of light is hiding is something much darker. A home life that is emotional abusive, a step father who threatens her, a mother who's never there for her, and she's put into a position where everything she's worked hard is taken out from under her, and yet no matter what this girl keeps at it. I was so impressed with her strength to keep going.

I love it when a book emotionally hooks me! Lisa did just that right off the bad. My heart broke for all the crap Rae had to deal with at home, and cheered her on for being so courageous and strong when she wasn't at home. Part of me wished I could take her out of that environment, and the other part of me grew livid at her mother for all the things she didn't do. Her mother..... I wanted to feel sympathy for her, but I just couldn't. I had too many issues with the type of her person she was and the lack of mothering and care she showed her daughter, though I understand she probably felt she was doing the best she could. I found interesting to see some of the similarities that both her horrid stepfather Dean, and her first boyfriend Nathan have. Yeah, it was alarming, and thankfully Rae is an intelligent girl.

Let's talk about the romance! First off, kudos to Lisa for writing a smart character who knows when to say NO! I greatly admired Rae for standing up for herself, and though she may not have got was going on at first in her relationship with Nathan, she definitely wasn't afraid to say no, and instead of thinking with her hormones she thought with her head and her gut feeling. Than there's Leo... *sigh* I adored him! He and Rae have this great friendship that slowly turns into something much more, and I loved the way their relationship was developed. It was natural and just made sense. It's one of those relationship that just seemed right. When you read Rae's story you'll know what I'm talking about.

One of the other things I enjoyed about this quick read is the role art has in this story. I liked the artistic side of Rae. She copes with her pain through her poetry. I loved how Rae's poetry and her idea to incorporate poetry in her school's paper sparked something that helped her and others cope with what they've been dealing with. Not only that, but that small act and a few things she does for others through her work are the cause for something much bigger than end up changing Rae's life at the end of the book. I loved everything tied together at the end of the story. If you're looking for a great realistic contemporary, with a strong female character I'd recommend picking this one up!

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find more of my reviews at www.readingangel.com

I have been highly anticipating reading Falling For You. Lisa Schroeder is one of my favorite authors. All of her books go on my auto-preorder list. When she announced Falling For You as her first Young Adult book not written in verse I could not wait to read it and see how well she took it on. I loved that while Falling For You is not written in verse, you can still fell Lisa's lyrical style of writing through-out. Her writing always flows so smoothly.

One reason I loved Falling For You as much as I did was that the main character was one I really connected to and wanted to root for. Rae has so much that she has to struggle with. She feels like she has to bear the weight of everything on her own. Yet, she is still such a good person, taking her grandmother’s saying “The road to happiness is paved with good deeds for others” to heart and really living it. Rae is someone who is constantly striving to make other people’s lives better.

Because the book starts with “The hospital” and then flashes back to the last 6 months to tell the story and to lead up to the moment of the hospital I was literally on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what was going to happen to Rae. I just wanted her story to end with a happy ending so badly, and I just didn't see how it was going to get there. I devoured Falling For You in one sitting, completely immersed in the lives of these characters.

I could clearly tell from the beginning that Nathan was going to be bad news for Rae. I was so scared that she was going to just cling to that since she was so alone in her home life. I was so glad to see that she was stronger than that. I loved that Lisa pulled the story away from abusive boyfriend/clingy girlfriend. Rae is able to connect with Leo, who is such a good friend and just an all-around great guy. He would say some of the sweetest things and I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug him myself.

Just like Rae, the people who worked with her at Full Bloom, the flower shop, were among my favorite of the book. I loved Nina and Spencer. Nina was such a great mother figure for Rae and you could just see how much she genuinely cared for her. Spencer was funny and charming. There games of This or That became a favorite part of the dialogue for me.

Falling For You was an emotionally charged and fast-paced YA contemporary. I flew through it in just a few short hours and was left hugging the book to my chest not wanting to let the characters go. If you are a fan of contemporary, grab you a copy of Falling For You ASAP!

[Brandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rae, the main character in the story, comes from a not so happy home life. Her father skipped out on her mother before she was born, her step father is emotionally abusive, and her mother stopped being loving after Rae's grandmother passed. Rae meets the new boy in school and they become an item however, it turns out that he has issues of his own and begins to scare Rae with his jealousy & possessive ways.

The story begins 6 months prior to Rae ending up in the hospital from an accident; the accident is unknown until you reach the end of the story. During those 6 months you learn that Rae is an avid poetry writer and works at a florist shop. Rae tries to hide who she is because of her background and uses poetry to ease her emotions. There is a message throughout the story on why it is ok to speak up if you are hurting and that everyone, no matter who they are or what background they come from, has similar growing pains.

Falling for You is a great book with a great story line and extremely well written. Being a big fan and poetry writer myself, I love how the author mixed poetry into the story. I really enjoyed Falling For You; if you are looking for a good read then I would definitely add this one to your books-to-read list; I’m confident you will love this book just as much as I do!

[Vanessa Booke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lisa Schroeder's Falling For You is an amazing story mixed with both heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments. Her characters are deep, flawed, relateable and yet real for readers. This is my first time reading Schroeder's work and I can honestly say I loved this story and I felt like the problems Rae faced with her relationship with not only her boyfriend but her mother and stepfather were spot on for many teens. One of the things I didn't entirely like was I felt at the end of the book the relationship between Nathan and Rae felt a little unresolved. I did really enjoy the subtle relationship that develops between Rae and Leo. Rae is a great character and I loved that she used poetry as an outlet, as a poet myself it made me feel closer to her. I really felt like it gave her character more of a personality. Another thing that I really admired about Rae was her ability to stay somewhat levelheaded. Although she had a overly possessive boyfriend she still stood up for herself. She didn't let herself get steam rolled by Nathan. Overall, Falling For You is a fantastic contemporary romance/drama. I look forward to reading more from Schroeder!
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[Nomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Lisa Schroeder. She is on my auto-buy list of favourite authors.I bought this without realising it is her debut non-verse (regular prose with some poems scattered throughout) book. I also saw mixed reviews before beginning. I am SO happy to say I am on the LOVE side.

What a completely heart-felt little book this is. My heart broke and I was full of hope and well wishes for our the lovely Rae. I got swept into this story and even shed a tear or two :) Also, Schroeder's prose is just gorgeous. I love her writing and her themes and the way she brought light into darkness.

Warning: I think both the blurb and the cover of this are unfortunately misleading. It's not a kissy romance book. It's also not about one typical story just dealing with abuse. ALSO the first 100 pages might begin as cliché but the plot veers right of in it's own unique and unexpected direction. I would love to see more people find this quietly awesome gem of a book.

[justwant2read · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where light shines, darkness disappears


I really liked this story. I read it this afternoon. Rae was a really like able character, at first I wanted to give her a little shake to keep her focused but she came right during the story. I liked what she had to say through her poetry. I liked the way she tried so hard to be a "normal" teenager, even with the troubles she had at home and the stuff with Nathan. I cried for her too.

Aside from Dean and Nathan, all the characters were so lovely, didn't matter how old they were, they all had their strengths.

Oh and of course the best thing about this book was Rae's love of the Foo Fighters! She has excellent taste in music ;)

[★Ruth★ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow Rae really was one of the strongest characters I've read about in a while, in the face of such a shitty home life and then shitty relationship she constantly tried to stay positive & see the good in life.
I think this story shows how important even having one person in your life who is a positive influence growing up (in this case her grandmother) can make such a huge difference in your life.

I'm not usually a fan of poetry but it fit really well here & got across her feelings perfectly.

I really thought Leo was sweet but I didn't get blown away by their connection.

Overall a very enjoyable read which whiled away a Sunday afternoon.
I would definitely look out for more by this author.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, Rae and Nathan are a young couple whose relationship was just a mess and not easy to read about! I was scared that Rae would keep going back to Nathan over and over and even at times I feared that he would physically harm her.

The book had rays of sunshine and hope but it was so sad in parts. I loved Rae's good-hearted nature and her thoughtfulness for others. Leo also had my heart because he was amazingly kind and did some of the most beautiful acts of love I've ever heard of before.

There were those characters that I hated, namely DEAN! What a JERK! He could have his own TV series of Stepdad Nightmares...ugh!

Recommendation: Definitely read it!