Waiting For A Fall

Y.A #1-3

by Sarah Tork

Previously published as Young Annabelle Series: Young Annabelle, The Truth About James, What My Heart Wants.

The first time I met James I thought he was an idiot. But the more time we spent together the more I realized that he was just as angry as I was. Him with his dad and me with my mom. He’s got me all twisted, messed up to a point where I barely recognize myself anymore. My best friend tells me to dump him. My parents don’t know he exists. But I can’t seem to stay away. When we’re alone it’s everything, but when we’re at school it’s like we don’t even exist, and I wish he’d tell me why.

Already a star on the Royal Heights High School Baseball team, James Lawson wasn’t your average transfer student. Even with his ‘new guy’ status, he quickly becomes one of the popular ‘Kings’ at school and that alone should have been the red flag Annabelle needed to stay away from him. He’s arrogant, intense, rude and worst of all he seems like the kind of guy that usually gets what he wants. But the more time they spend together the more it becomes difficult to stay away from him, especially with all the stress her mother is causing her concerning her appearance. As if she didn't already have enough to worry about, she finds out that the popular ‘Queen’ of Royal Heights High had her sights set on a certain popular ‘King’. In Donna Tallins eyes, James was her perfect match, but there was one person standing in her way of high school couple stardom. And that was Annabelle.

This is a mature YA novel.
Contains strong language and sexual scenes.
This is not a standalone.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance

ebook

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Welcome to my world.


Check out my Facebook page for more information about my upcoming books!

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Reviews

[Katherine Brisso · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've waited a long time to read this book, I honestly think it wasn´t long enough considering there are three books in this one. The story is quite light compared to other books that are currently out there so it´s very YA, I really liked the characters, although I must admit it left me with a bit of love/hate taste about James but overall I loved the book, it was sweet, funny, a bit sad and definitely entertaining! I know this is an authors cut, but if you have read the original books, It might be a little bit weird to read this, it happened to me and I only read young Annabelle, sometimes I’d think of that scene that I really liked in the original book, or go back to look at it but wasn’t in this one ... so yeah it was a little distracting ... But, maybe it happened because I liked this series so much that I wanted to know every single detail and never wanted it to end, so I prefer the original books.
I would definitely read more from Sarah Tork, (hopefully something not so YA), she has become one of my favorite authors with Penelope Douglas, and Sara Wolf, so if you are reading this, I hope it´s useful.

[Alexia Purdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story resonates a lot with anyone's high school experience, troubles with parents and self insecurities. Annabelle's metamorphosis was interesting to watch for it went by slowly, with Anna almost oblivious to her own changes. I felt bad for her at times, elated and frustrated alongside with Anna as the story went on, especially with so much back and forth with James, who is definitely hot, but is a bit scary controlling at times. I kept holding out for them, but they kept me teetering on the border of liking/hating their relationship. It kept me wondering what was going to come next and who would win Anna's heart. Loved her BFF Jenna, who's fierce attitude towards life should be everyone's mantra.

I enjoyed this tale of coming of age and look forward to more from this author.

[Amber Hodges · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was asked over a year ago to read Young Annabelle by the author herself. I was just starting out my blog and she was one of the first ones to look into me for a review opportunity. I was so honored to do so I. I really enjoyed the book and have continued to read her books when my TBR pile is forgiving enough to let me sneak one in. She took the first 3 books of the Young Annabelle series and chopped them up a bit and put them all together into this one book.

I found Young Annabelle to be kind of long and drawn out the first time I read it. I still enjoyed the book, but at times I wanted to choke Annabelle's mom. You get A LOT of her in the original version. I am glad that it was cut down a bit in the first book. You got all the meaning out the first one, even the mother hounding her for being over weight. The author does a great job of clipping parts out to make it more enjoyable. There were some parts there were a little choppy, but not enough that you couldn't figure it all out. I did have a couple times where I had to re-read the parts because it jumped quite a bit further ahead.

I love Annabelle as a character. I know how it is to be picked on for your weight. I happened to be considered anorexic when I was younger, so even though I wasn't overweight, I still got called a lot of names anyway. I wasn't anorexic, I just had a super high metabolism and I grew a foot in height in less than a year as well as being on a soccer team for my high school. I was very active, was a bottomless pit, but because of my growth and running all the time, I just didn't gain weight. My self-esteem was definitely low because of it. I still don't look people in the eyes unless I am forcing myself to do so, I walk with my head down and it has been almost 10 years since I graduated high school. It definitely wears you down. I was proud of Anna for all that she did. She definitely had her fair share of meltdowns, but they were usually at a time that was understandable. You can't expect her to come around in a day. It takes time, but you can tell she works on it, even if she wants to give up sometimes. She was a strong character that did so much growth through the pages.

James...I don't know what to say about him.I didn't love him but I didn't hate him either. He definitely came across as a egotistical jerkbag, but I think it was more of a coping mechanism than who he really was. There were so many times though that he does so much to Annabelle that I couldn't stand him. I really wanted him gone. He ends up giving us a glimpse into himself later on in the book to really help us understand all of him and let us look at him in a different light. I learned to like him in the end, but it took some work for me to get to that point. He has a lot more demons going on in his life, but I definitely felt he was really immature in how he handled some things.

The author has some other secondary characters even if they don't feel like they are. You have Jenna, Donna, Latisha, Becky, Peter, Tom, Roy, Dean, Joe and more that I can't remember right now. They all have big personalities that shine through even in their little parts they have. Some of course have more than others, but you still get a sense of who they are. You also get to feel emotions through them. There are some that you want to punch and others you want to run and hug and tell them it will be okay.

I loved the message throughout the book. One was to never give up, even when times are super tough and you don't feel you can make it, there is always something good waiting for you. You just have to hold yourself together enough to get the prize. I also loved the message of love yourself. There were so many characters that had such a hard time with who they were. Even the "hot" girl crew had their doubts even if they went to evil measure to try to change it. It doesn't matter if you are short, tall, skinny, or chunky. You are the only you there is, so you need to love yourself. I still battle from this, so this book definitely helped me remember that.

This is a wonderful book that would be worth reading no matter who you are. The characters are teenagers, but yet their is a depth in them that rivals any adult out there. The messages are amazing and the smile on your face when it ends is worth it.

[Angie Creel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really confused about the author on why she had to change the whole series in the first place. Because it was just as good as the first three books. Overall, the book was good not great.

[Edie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to say in this review. Some things I write might be considered spoilers, so beware....

I had read the Young Annabelle series about a year ago, anxiously awaiting each story as they were released. I love the stories and the characters, and I was very excited for this author's cut. The original three were really good, this compilation was really good; both were great reading.

If you have not read the original three, please read this author's cut - you will be happy you did.

If you have read the original three, please read this author's cut - you will be happy you did.

So here it comes, why I didn't give it five stars:

Some of the dialogue between Anna and her family is missing in this edition. I too had a mother who made me self conscious about my body and weight, but the missing scenes were the dialogue that made me really feel for Anna as opposed to just attributing her parental issues to teenage hormones and angst. It was that dialogue that made me agree her family was mistreating her and she's not overreacting or being an overly sensitive brat. In fact, I felt at times this edition didn't have Anna truly struggling with those issues.

The original stories had Anna fantasizing more often in the beginning so her character grew because the fantasizing tapered off to more realistic thoughts.

The library scene was missing even though it provided a stronger basis for Anna to attend the party and be upset with James.

Why the author's cut is an improvement over the original three:

This edition has more dialogue and interaction between James and Anna, developing the reason for their connection and the growth of their relationship. It totally took away my "I don't understand why they even like each other" thoughts that came up reading the original three. Actually, that's why I was disappointed that the family dialogue was missing because family struggles is such a big part of their connection.

This edition has James revealing more of his thoughts and life struggles, so we get to see him develop as a person as well.

I have no idea why I feel this way, but Anna seemed stronger over all in this edition.

So really, if I hadn't read the originally published three, I would have given this five stars. And I am desperate to read the continuations that are forthcoming.

[Denise Trevino · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you loved the Young Annabelle series,than you'll love Waiting For a Fall. This is the author's cut. So it's the three previous books all wrapped up into one. As I was reading this novel and revisiting two of my favorite characters. Two things came to mind. One, I forgot how obsessed Annabelle' s mother was. She's out of control. Annabelle is a senior in high school who is constantly reminded by her mother that her physical appearance is unacceptable. Which leads her to become extremely insecure. She feels she's unsuitable to date any descent looking guy. So when the handsome, baseball playing, green eyed stud muffin, by the name of James shows interest in her. She's shocked...... And my second thought that came to mind was James. James is just so hard to read. You just don't know if he's sincere or not. The entire time your reading, your questioning his true intentions. Like is this guy for real, or what? You just love to hate him. And honestly Sarah Tork could've gone either way with James. Bad or good, he's a great character. He's an alpha male, stalker-ish, obsessed type of guy. There's no one like him. And I love it. He knows exactly what he wants. He knows exactly how to play with Annabelles emotions. And when he gets jealous, oh my Lord, he plays dirty. Love it. These two bicker back and forth. So much so, you know that they met their match. And, of course I have to talk about Annabelle' s best friend Jenna. LOVE HER! I think this version really emphasized on their friendship more. I didn't think I could like her anymore than I did, but I do. I truly cannot wait to read her story. In closing,I think my only true complaint, would be some of the left out material. I think one particular scene, really show cased James' feelings for Annabelle. And I would've loved to have seen it added. But, this book is great. If you've never read the series, this book will work. And if your like me and read all three of the original books. Than this is a special treat. It's pretty much an outline of all the great parts of all three books. With a little bit of changes here and there. I absolutely enjoyed the rendition of the books. Great job! Please read!

[Donnz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Free book for honest review:

When I first heard that Sarah was going to re-release the Young Annabel series as an author’s cut version I was a little sceptical. I thought to myself, ‘why would you need to re-release a series when it was absolutely amazing the first time around?’ I fell in love with the characters and found the storyline refreshing. It brought to the surface some of the key issues that teens deal with on a daily basis, specifically first love, family dynamics and the many insecurities teens face along the way. Annabel is hands down one of my favourite characters and her relationship with James during the first three books gave you a strong sense of their connection. In the authors cut version however, I found a lot of the pivotal moments regarding the formation and beginning of their relationship had been cut out. This is a real shame as it caused a real disconnect between the characters, and personally, I think it ultimately was detrimental to the book. The book appeared to jump through events without giving proper background knowledge and understanding as to why characters performed certain actions. To be honest, if I was yet to read the first three books in the series and only read the author’s cut, the book would not have made any sense to me and I would have put the book down before the half way mark. In addition to this, I also found the continuously changing point of view, from first to third person a little confusing.
On a positive note the book did open up more information on characters that had not been explored in detail in the first three books. I personally hope future books from the series explore Matthew in more detail. I’m glad that the first three books are available once again, as I thought they were perfect as they were. I can’t wait for the next book and I hope that Sarah can go back to her original writing style with this one!!! I would love for a book from James’ POV too!!!

ANNABEL + JAMES = LOVE

Thanks Sarah for writing these books!!!

[Eva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Annabelle is our typical insecure high schooler entering her senior year. Only with this new year comes new pressures from her mom to lose weight and upgrade her overall appearance. Not a bad thing for a mother to want for her teenage daughter, but with Annabelle's mom it crosses the line of obsessive, damaging Annabelle already low self esteem. Especially since her very best friend is a star athlete with loving parents and tons of friends.

The story starts in the summer with a few days before school begins. At her dreaded job Annabelle encounters James, a funny, fun loving and quite attractive fellow worker and future newbie to RHH. The banter the two developed was sweet.

James is a transfer student who gets pegged for the infamous RHH baseball team. And here my fellow readers is where the drama begins. As in real life, high school life has three to four groups of people, the jocks, the hot girls, the smart crew and the nerds. James of course transitioned into the jocks while Annabelle fell into the nerd group who just happens to have a jock as a best friend.

James is obviously into Annabelle, even gave her a cutesy nickname, Fireball, but the pull of the high school social ladder proves hard to overcome. Annabelle thinks she's finally got a boyfriend only to be strung along with mushy love action when alone all while telling her they need to keep their relationship a secret at school. The reason will shock and anger you, but just may soften your heart to James.

This is a remake of sort and in this edition we find Annabelle a little less mousy but James a little more mousy in my opinion. I think I prefer the original version much more, although I truly enjoyed James and Annabelle's story and can't wait to read the next book, Jenna's story.

[Lynette Medina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love love this series! I think the added and re write was beautifully written. Im so use to reading books where they all seem the same. But this series is not only about young love but touches a subject that not many writers do. The fact that Ana's mother was so focused on her daughter's weight that she seemed to disconnect with her daughter. Later it showed that her mother was regretful for going over board was nice to see. I think Sarah hit it out of the park, and I can't wait for book number 4 and 5 to come out. Glad that 5 will continue ana and james story the only down side is the waiting game but other than that I give it 5 stars. I think its a great book to read.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't think the author needed to cut out the extra scenes or long scenes with her mom. I liked it the way it was before she edited it. However, it was still as good as the trilogy. I really liked it overall, and cannot wait for Jenna's POV!

[Amanda Hopwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book, i didn't want it to end ....I can't wait for the next book, it can't come quick enough

[Mel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A true portrayal of the struggles teenagers go through.

[Jill Remackel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tiger & fireball

What a sweet, funny heartbreaking story. I loved it from the beginning to the very end. I can't wait to read more about tiger and fireball....

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was upset most of the book!

[Dancergurl16 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story line

I liked this book cute coming of age but anyone can read this no matter what age, adorable and happy ending