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F*ck-Up’s Guide to Falling In Love: Volume 1
A M/M second-chance romance featuring double-rebirth (via self-reincarnation), smut with feelings, and above all, sweet love for perfectly imperfect people.
Wei Qing died a cautionary tale-- falling from ‘that other family’s child’ to ‘that profligate waste’ in only a decade of effort. He played games he shouldn’t with stakes he couldn’t afford and when it all came crashing down, there was no one left to pull him back from the ledge. All that people remembered was his pretty face... And the embarrassing circumstances of his death.
His life could truly be called meaningless.
Maybe that’s why the universe decided not to count it and sent him back instead.
---
Yue Fei died unresigned. Working himself to the bone, trying to save the elder after losing the junior. Failing at both. In the end, what had he accomplished? That beautiful idiot Wei Qing was dead, and even his elder brother had eventually followed him. Wei Qing ignored his advice and died. Wei Qiwan took his advice and died a bit more slowly.
Yue Fei is done with it! His life was meaningless!
Maybe that’s why the universe decided not to count it and sent him back instead.
---
A story about healing and second chances, and what it looks like when you spend your rebirth chasing your happiness before revenge.
Wei Qing died a cautionary tale-- falling from ‘that other family’s child’ to ‘that profligate waste’ in only a decade of effort. He played games he shouldn’t with stakes he couldn’t afford and when it all came crashing down, there was no one left to pull him back from the ledge. All that people remembered was his pretty face... And the embarrassing circumstances of his death.
His life could truly be called meaningless.
Maybe that’s why the universe decided not to count it and sent him back instead.
---
Yue Fei died unresigned. Working himself to the bone, trying to save the elder after losing the junior. Failing at both. In the end, what had he accomplished? That beautiful idiot Wei Qing was dead, and even his elder brother had eventually followed him. Wei Qing ignored his advice and died. Wei Qiwan took his advice and died a bit more slowly.
Yue Fei is done with it! His life was meaningless!
Maybe that’s why the universe decided not to count it and sent him back instead.
---
A story about healing and second chances, and what it looks like when you spend your rebirth chasing your happiness before revenge.
657 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 8, 2024
6 people are currently reading
32 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 29, 2025
3.5⭐
This is a double rebirth story, told in a slice-of-life format, with a lot of wit and comedy from the characters' headspace.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I almost DNFed it several times because the day-to-day nature of the story is painfully slow and meandering. Sure, there are witty remarks and moments of comedy, but sometimes a bit too much that it became exhausting to read. The book is also badly in need of editing to trim (a lot of it!) down and to fix typos and improper dash usage. (And authors, please, despite what some might claim about AI, I beg you to keep using proper em dashes instead of random hyphens or double dashes!)
That said, what kept me going was the author's impressive psychological character work. Wei Qing’s struggle to reform while battling loneliness and touch-starvation genuinely made me teary. Yue Fei’s constant need to hit the brakes and check for any signs of unwillingness, shaped by his past experiences? That really makes sense. And Wei Qing’s reaction to a certain assault? Absolutely nailed it.
However, for a story split into two volumes, there’s a noticeable lack of a complete arc in Book 1. There’s no real climax or sense of resolution—the story simply stops somewhere along the timeline, even though the author does try to build some anticipation for the next installment. But seeing that Book 2 clocks in at 748 pages, and given the possibility of slogging through more of the same mundane routines, I don’t think I’ll be picking it up anytime soon.
This is a double rebirth story, told in a slice-of-life format, with a lot of wit and comedy from the characters' headspace.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I almost DNFed it several times because the day-to-day nature of the story is painfully slow and meandering. Sure, there are witty remarks and moments of comedy, but sometimes a bit too much that it became exhausting to read. The book is also badly in need of editing to trim (a lot of it!) down and to fix typos and improper dash usage. (And authors, please, despite what some might claim about AI, I beg you to keep using proper em dashes instead of random hyphens or double dashes!)
That said, what kept me going was the author's impressive psychological character work. Wei Qing’s struggle to reform while battling loneliness and touch-starvation genuinely made me teary. Yue Fei’s constant need to hit the brakes and check for any signs of unwillingness, shaped by his past experiences? That really makes sense. And Wei Qing’s reaction to a certain assault? Absolutely nailed it.
However, for a story split into two volumes, there’s a noticeable lack of a complete arc in Book 1. There’s no real climax or sense of resolution—the story simply stops somewhere along the timeline, even though the author does try to build some anticipation for the next installment. But seeing that Book 2 clocks in at 748 pages, and given the possibility of slogging through more of the same mundane routines, I don’t think I’ll be picking it up anytime soon.
November 14, 2024
This is not the sort of thing I usually read but i’d heard good things about it and plus, the title was unusual and tantalizing. It was, to be honest, a tad slow for me starting out but it still held my interest enough to keep going. The book is especially good in its character development, and i felt like i knew them. Also having been to china several times, and having read other literature set in China, i think the author did a good job of capturing some of the different cultural standards and social mores governing behavior in that culture.
I also really like the author notes that follow some of the chapters. Not many authors include these kind of notes but i think they add a lot to the story. For example, they remind me that i am probably not the usual reader, not the target audience or demographic. In other words, i am probably older than the target audience. The notes help place the story in time, and add a lot to the context. They are a reminder that this story is set in a time of increasing acceptance of changing social constructs, even in China’s more restrictive environment.
I received volume 1 on November 11 and read it straight through, wanting to know how the story ended. I wasn’t really thinking about the fact that this is volume 1, and that there is another volume to continue the story. Now I can’t wait for volume 2! And I can’t wait to see what Cy Pruitt comes up with next, once he/she/they finish volume 2!
I also really like the author notes that follow some of the chapters. Not many authors include these kind of notes but i think they add a lot to the story. For example, they remind me that i am probably not the usual reader, not the target audience or demographic. In other words, i am probably older than the target audience. The notes help place the story in time, and add a lot to the context. They are a reminder that this story is set in a time of increasing acceptance of changing social constructs, even in China’s more restrictive environment.
I received volume 1 on November 11 and read it straight through, wanting to know how the story ended. I wasn’t really thinking about the fact that this is volume 1, and that there is another volume to continue the story. Now I can’t wait for volume 2! And I can’t wait to see what Cy Pruitt comes up with next, once he/she/they finish volume 2!
December 20, 2024
I've been waiting forever for this one to arrive to GR. Such a masterpiece.
December 7, 2024
I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm not the type to easily hand out 5-star ratings, but "Guide to Falling" definitely earned it. There were times that the writing was so witty and articulate that I couldn't help but read excerpts of it out loud to my (admittedly confused) husband.
For a book that technically falls into the fantasy genre, the characters, their struggles, and their relationships are incredibly realistic. And by relationships, I mean more than the slow-burn romance between the leads (which was amazing on its own) but also the leads' relationships with the side characteristics, especially the brothers.
The main characters are flawed but so lovable that you can't help but root for them from ch. 1. The two main antagonists, the backbone of any good story, are such wonderfully horrible human beings that they're barely worthy of the epitaph. The side characters are varied and interesting.
This story gave me emotional whiplash- at times making me tear up or making me sick to my stomach over what they endured, then making me laugh aloud at their fumbling antics, or giving me warm-n-fuzzies that lasted for days over their wholesome, romantic moments.
I really don't have words to express how strongly I recommend this book.
For a book that technically falls into the fantasy genre, the characters, their struggles, and their relationships are incredibly realistic. And by relationships, I mean more than the slow-burn romance between the leads (which was amazing on its own) but also the leads' relationships with the side characteristics, especially the brothers.
The main characters are flawed but so lovable that you can't help but root for them from ch. 1. The two main antagonists, the backbone of any good story, are such wonderfully horrible human beings that they're barely worthy of the epitaph. The side characters are varied and interesting.
This story gave me emotional whiplash- at times making me tear up or making me sick to my stomach over what they endured, then making me laugh aloud at their fumbling antics, or giving me warm-n-fuzzies that lasted for days over their wholesome, romantic moments.
I really don't have words to express how strongly I recommend this book.
November 9, 2024
I've read the series at least twice now and loved it more each time. It is hysterical and heart wrenching and I fell in love with both the main characters. I cannot recommend it enough.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews