Crashing Down

by Kate McCaffrey

Lucy is in Year 12 and under pressure to succeed. The last thing she needs now is an intense boyfriend. Breaking up with Carl feels like the only way to keep her dreams on track.

But good decisions can have bad consequences. And leaving Carl is going to be a whole lot harder than Lucy could ever have imagined.

The latest novel from the best-selling author of Destroying Avalon.

Genres: Young Adult, Australia, Contemporary

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Kate grew up in Perth’s northern suburbs. She has a degree in English and Art and a diploma in Education.

Kate is the author of three award-winning novels for young adults: Destroying Avalon (2006), winner of the WAYBRA Award for older readers and the Western Australian Premier’s Book Award for Young Adults; In Ecstasy (2008), winner of the Australian Family Therapists Children’s Literature Awards; and Beautiful Monster (2010), named a 2011 White Raven, selected from newly published books from around the world as especially noteworthy by the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany. She is currently putting the finishing touches on a fourth novel to be published by Fremantle Press in 2014.
Awards

Winner, Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature, 2008
Highly Commended, Australian Family Therapists’ Award for Children’s Literature, 2007
Winner, Western Australian Premier’s Book Award, 2007
Notable Book, Children’s Book Council of Australia, 2007
Winner, West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award, 2007

Reviews

[Amber Crotty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel was amazing!!! I loved the story and the characters, especially the protagonist. The main character was my favourite character (Lucy) because she was sweet and happy at first until she lost her mind and had a mental breakdown with her being pregnant with her boyfriend (Carl), who died by a huge head trauma. The story was easy to understand through the issues and values of teenagers lives of guilt and pressure from having an offspring.

In conclusion, I would recommend this book to all the teen girls and maybe boys to read this book. And I still love the author of this book , Kate McCaffrey, and hopefully she would do a book signing and a meet-and-greet.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lucy's Year 12 year goes completely pear shaped. Some of things that go wrong are through no fault of her own, but some are as a result of the decisions she made and the risks she took. Didn't feel all that engaged with the characters. She does a great job of gaining parental advice when she needs it. A good read for those who like stories involving teenage girls dealing with plenty of serious problems. Yr 9 and above.

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

What in the after-school-special degrassi high teenage drama did I just read? This 300 page story was a quick read but it literally went all over the place. And while I appreciate the ultimate message, (or what I'm assuming is the ultimate message) this plot went literally all over the place until the last 100 pages. First it seemed to lean into a domestic violence and the dangers of highschool relationships that turn abusive. Then it pivoted and became a PSA about marijuana and driving while intoxicated. And then the real terror about dealing with people who are recovering from a coma and the personality changes that occur. Then the pregnant teen trope hit and again, I really appreciate the hard lean into delivering proper and accurate information surrounding abortion and being pro-choice. BUT. This plot was just executed really badly. The characters have no substance or personality. There just mouthpieces to deliver information. This whole thing really read like a rightly failed attempt at a script for a teenage based drama. And it simply was not done well.

[Kerran Olson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off really well, but kind of lost me halfway through. Lucy was likeable as a protagonist, but I didn't really connect much with, and I think there was just way too much information thrown at readers. The ending also dragged on a bit. The discussions regarding abortions and legal rights etc were interesting, but I just think there was too much in such a short book. super quick read for me as McCaffrey's books always are, so I did enjoy it, but it's not my fave of hers.

[Bianca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style made this very hard to connect to any of the characters. A lot went on in this book, arguably too much. However this was an interesting read when considering how pro choice/pro life is not as simple as it seems.

[Bonnie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really like Kate McCaffrey as a author and have read a few of her books and have absolutely loved them and therefore I think my expectations were too high for this book. I did not like it. I just couldn't relate or like the main character Lucy or any of the characters at all really.

[Honestly Teona · Rating 1 out of 5]

I genuinely felt no emotions reading this book whatsoever, the style is so abrupt and inconsistent, the whole book is just boring dialogue with barely any narrative. I genuinely think a 10 year old could write this and use better describing words.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The urban legend of the powder room lives on

[Ebony Lang · Rating 2 out of 5]

So much drama and cliche in such a short span

[Cerise Rafferty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really good and felt really realistic, Kates character building is phenomenal

[jodiel86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

See more reviews at Words Read & Written

Why I picked it up:

This book was sent to me from Fremantle Press in exchange for an honest review.

What I didn’t like about it:

I didn’t like the writing at all. The style is very abrupt. It’s all dialogue with not a lot of narrative or description. There was a lot of telling versus showing going on and a lot of short sentences. For example:

She frowns and shrugs. “Sure. Fine” And she walks off. A sudden wave of anger washes over her. What is the matter with him?

Third person, present tense is a little weird for me. I found it really jarring, and as a result, I felt very detached from the characters. I felt like I was standing on the other side of glass, watching everything they were doing but not understanding why.

What I liked about it:

Once I managed to get past the writing, the story was actually quite interesting. Crashing Down tells the story of Lucy. She breaks up with her boyfriend one night and on the way home he’s in a car accident. The story basically follows the guilt she feels while he’s in a coma and then the decisions she has to make while he isn’t himself.

I liked that this book challenged my personal bias. I am very pro-choice and Lucy frustrated the hell out of me at times, but I liked that, because even though I mentioned above that I felt detached from the characters, eventually they managed to grab me.

I was really unsure about this novel in the beginning, but it came together and finished strong. Overall, this was a quick read with interesting subject matter. I read it in two sittings.

My Verdict – 3 stars

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucy is in year 12 and getting ready for her final exams. Party time, she is waiting for her boyfriend Carl to pick her up. Everything in her life is going well. She is certain she'll get the grades she wants so she can go to Uni. Carl is a bit smothering and she thinks it's time to break up. What could go wrong?

This book throws surprising curve balls at Lucy, and everything changes in a very short time. Her friends Lydia who is hysterically funny in her dumbness, and Georgia who is her loyal confidante are a great support. Her mother and father although estranged, are always there for her. And she needs them all to help her cope with each crisis that develops. Lucy had never really been friends with Carl's friends and that changes too.

I really enjoyed following Lucy through her struggles and dilemmas. I will be reading more of Kate McCaffrey's books.

[Elouise · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was sent to me for review through Goodreads Giveaways.
Wow.
Another great Australian Young Adult novel.
It was realistic and emotional and the characters were believable and relatable. I loved the themes addressed; the book was very engaging and challenges the reader’s view on important issues. The writing style wasn’t the best, but was an easy read (which was a nice break from university studies).
Would recommend to older high school students.
3.5-4 Stars

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had great promise, and the way it opened really gripped me, but then it entirely lost me. It really just devolved into a treatise on how abortion and pregnancy are treated by the Australian legal system (what can/can't you do, what can/can't other people do, what are you options). I can understand the need for some of this information, but it was way too much and completely overwhelmed the rest of the novel... I was very underwhelmed by this.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate McCaffrey is one of my favourite authors, if only because she addresses a lot of important issues. In "In Ecstasy" it was drug use; "Beautiful Monster" addressed eating disorders; and "Crashing Down" strongly addressed the issue of abortion. Though it definitely wasn't my favourite of her books, it was easy to read and the plot progressed at a good pace.

[Jess White · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not McCaffrey's best work, but still a good read. About a girl under stress and pressure during Year 12, dealing with a personal crisis. Everything happened really fast in the book, but it was still interesting.

[Claire Miller]

I represent the publisher

[Claire Miller]

i represent the publisher

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written, covering situation many year 12's will have found themselves in.

[Caitlin (booksandwindowseats)]

I can't wait for this! I loved Destroying Avalon and In Ecstacy, so I'm sure this will be awesome too.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was like a soap opera, very dramatic! It does tackle some very confronting topics and teenage girls will enjoy it.

[Angel Arellano · Rating 2 out of 5]

good book