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Picture Us, Falling
Not yet published
Expected 20 Oct 26Clementine Becker has spent her life becoming invisible. Abandoned by her mother, hollowed out by grief, and carrying a secret, she has no room left for anyone new—until Saxon Stone walks into an art gallery opening in 2012 Seattle.
Saxon is a war correspondent sidelined by injury, assigned to profile a Seattle resident for a human-interest story. When that turns out to be Clementine, what begins as journalism becomes something neither of them planned.
When the truth of Clementine's secret surfaces, Saxon faces an impossible choice—publish the story that could revive his career, or walk away from it to embrace a love he knows won't last.
Both of them must ask the same question: is a connection with a built-in ending worth the devastating cost of having it at all?
Saxon is a war correspondent sidelined by injury, assigned to profile a Seattle resident for a human-interest story. When that turns out to be Clementine, what begins as journalism becomes something neither of them planned.
When the truth of Clementine's secret surfaces, Saxon faces an impossible choice—publish the story that could revive his career, or walk away from it to embrace a love he knows won't last.
Both of them must ask the same question: is a connection with a built-in ending worth the devastating cost of having it at all?
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Expected publication October 20, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
Did Not Finish
September 26, 2026thank yo uso much to the author for reaching out to me to read this one early. unfortunately, though it sounded up my alley, i found myself not really being that into it and i don’t want to continue and give this a bad rating at all! i found it to be overly wordy, unecessarily, and it was a bit too much for me personally.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I'm sorry, Quin Madden. I was not familiar with your game.
It honestly bothers me that I came across this book on NetGalley—mind you, it was already labeled “READ NOW”—and yet only a handful of people had picked it up and read it. And somehow, through that, I found a gem hidden in plain sight.
From the very first sentence, I had this quiet certainty that the book would linger—that it would become one of those rare stories I’d carry with me long after I turned the final page. I knew it almost immediately.
Quin Madden reminds us that, much like the characters in this book, we are all a little like Clementine and Saxon in our own ways. We detach. We wander. We yearn for a place we can call home—for somewhere, or someone, to belong to.
There is a quiet nuance in the way Madden tells a story that pulls you in so deeply, yet somehow leaves you completely at ease. She takes the broken pieces of these characters and makes them beautiful—not by erasing their flaws, but by allowing those broken parts to become something tender and endearing.
There is a profound subtlety to this book that I rarely find in others. It is the kind of nuance that stays with you. And honestly, it was painfully devastating to see how beautiful everything was initially, only for the author to drop a bomb that you simply cannot escape from. Realistically speaking, it was inevitable. But there is still that small, stubborn part of you that hopes it won't end that way—that somehow, things will turn out differently.
For Clementine and Saxon… oh, how complex beautifully written you both are.
You are both so very dear to me. I don't even have the right words to describe what you have become to me. And if I'm being completely honest, may I one day find someone like Saxon—with that depth of love, honor, devotion, and loyalty? Because I want what they have. I really, really do.
I was full of dread as I read the remaining chapters because I knew where everything was heading. It was painful to keep going when you already knew it was going to break you. Heartbreaking. Terrifying. You keep wishing it would end differently, only to be slapped with the reality that not every story gets a happily ever after.
And perhaps that is what made Clementine and Saxon's story so unforgettable. It was the depth of their love in the face of impermanence that pulled me toward them. Something so precious that I want to preserve it like a national treasure.
It is almost insane to feel this strongly about fictional characters—and I am absolutely not complaining. I loved every second of it.
This book was equally heartbreaking and healing.
It made me slow down. It made me put the book down and walk back and forth because I didn't have the strength to read another chapter, knowing exactly how much it was going to hurt. It made me tear up. It made me cry my eyes out. It made me sit with happiness, sadness, grief, and love all at once.
And somehow, that is what separates this book from so many others.
Many books have tried to make me feel something this deeply, but very few have succeeded. None have made me feel quite like this one did.
This book is hard to find, and I got lucky. No—perhaps I was meant to find it. Because some books are simply meant to be read, while others feel as though they were meant to find you at exactly the right moment. This was the latter for me.
I was meant to meet Clementine and Saxon. I was meant to love them, to hurt with them, and to carry the weight of their story long after I closed the book.
And maybe that is why I don't even want to recommend this book too loudly. There is something selfish about finding a story this beautiful. I want to keep it hidden somewhere safe, like a secret I am afraid to share because I don't want the world to touch it carelessly. I don't want other people's opinions to diminish what this book became to me.
Because this wasn't just a story I read.
It was a story I felt.
Clementine and Saxon will stay with me—not because their story was perfect, but because it wasn't. Because their love existed in the face of something neither of them could outrun. Because sometimes, the most beautiful things are the ones we cannot keep.
And perhaps that is what hurts the most.
You finish the book knowing you have to leave them behind, even though some part of you desperately wants to stay.
Quin Madden, you gave me a story that broke my heart so quietly that I didn't realize how deeply it had wounded me until I reached the end. And somehow, in breaking it, you also reminded me what it means to love something knowing it cannot last.
I don't think every book is meant to leave you happy.
Some are meant to leave you changed.
This one left me changed.
So, Quin Madden— I'm sorry.
I was not familiar with your game.
But now I am.
And I think a little piece of Clementine and Saxon is going to live with me for a very, very long time.
Maybe that's the cruelest and most beautiful thing a book can do.
It honestly bothers me that I came across this book on NetGalley—mind you, it was already labeled “READ NOW”—and yet only a handful of people had picked it up and read it. And somehow, through that, I found a gem hidden in plain sight.
From the very first sentence, I had this quiet certainty that the book would linger—that it would become one of those rare stories I’d carry with me long after I turned the final page. I knew it almost immediately.
Quin Madden reminds us that, much like the characters in this book, we are all a little like Clementine and Saxon in our own ways. We detach. We wander. We yearn for a place we can call home—for somewhere, or someone, to belong to.
There is a quiet nuance in the way Madden tells a story that pulls you in so deeply, yet somehow leaves you completely at ease. She takes the broken pieces of these characters and makes them beautiful—not by erasing their flaws, but by allowing those broken parts to become something tender and endearing.
There is a profound subtlety to this book that I rarely find in others. It is the kind of nuance that stays with you. And honestly, it was painfully devastating to see how beautiful everything was initially, only for the author to drop a bomb that you simply cannot escape from. Realistically speaking, it was inevitable. But there is still that small, stubborn part of you that hopes it won't end that way—that somehow, things will turn out differently.
For Clementine and Saxon… oh, how complex beautifully written you both are.
You are both so very dear to me. I don't even have the right words to describe what you have become to me. And if I'm being completely honest, may I one day find someone like Saxon—with that depth of love, honor, devotion, and loyalty? Because I want what they have. I really, really do.
I was full of dread as I read the remaining chapters because I knew where everything was heading. It was painful to keep going when you already knew it was going to break you. Heartbreaking. Terrifying. You keep wishing it would end differently, only to be slapped with the reality that not every story gets a happily ever after.
And perhaps that is what made Clementine and Saxon's story so unforgettable. It was the depth of their love in the face of impermanence that pulled me toward them. Something so precious that I want to preserve it like a national treasure.
It is almost insane to feel this strongly about fictional characters—and I am absolutely not complaining. I loved every second of it.
This book was equally heartbreaking and healing.
It made me slow down. It made me put the book down and walk back and forth because I didn't have the strength to read another chapter, knowing exactly how much it was going to hurt. It made me tear up. It made me cry my eyes out. It made me sit with happiness, sadness, grief, and love all at once.
And somehow, that is what separates this book from so many others.
Many books have tried to make me feel something this deeply, but very few have succeeded. None have made me feel quite like this one did.
This book is hard to find, and I got lucky. No—perhaps I was meant to find it. Because some books are simply meant to be read, while others feel as though they were meant to find you at exactly the right moment. This was the latter for me.
I was meant to meet Clementine and Saxon. I was meant to love them, to hurt with them, and to carry the weight of their story long after I closed the book.
And maybe that is why I don't even want to recommend this book too loudly. There is something selfish about finding a story this beautiful. I want to keep it hidden somewhere safe, like a secret I am afraid to share because I don't want the world to touch it carelessly. I don't want other people's opinions to diminish what this book became to me.
Because this wasn't just a story I read.
It was a story I felt.
Clementine and Saxon will stay with me—not because their story was perfect, but because it wasn't. Because their love existed in the face of something neither of them could outrun. Because sometimes, the most beautiful things are the ones we cannot keep.
And perhaps that is what hurts the most.
You finish the book knowing you have to leave them behind, even though some part of you desperately wants to stay.
Quin Madden, you gave me a story that broke my heart so quietly that I didn't realize how deeply it had wounded me until I reached the end. And somehow, in breaking it, you also reminded me what it means to love something knowing it cannot last.
I don't think every book is meant to leave you happy.
Some are meant to leave you changed.
This one left me changed.
So, Quin Madden— I'm sorry.
I was not familiar with your game.
But now I am.
And I think a little piece of Clementine and Saxon is going to live with me for a very, very long time.
Maybe that's the cruelest and most beautiful thing a book can do.
September 8, 2026
This is a perfect book for those who want a slow-burning, introspective romance that will leave you in absolute tears at the end. With humor similar to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and emotional tragedy no better than The Fault in our Stars, Picture Us, Falling brings you along Clementine and Saxon’s journey as they learn to bring down their walls and accept the moment as it is. Books with endings like this one are always my favorite, albeit bittersweet… read at your own risk ❤️ stay safe out there
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is what we call romance with a side of heartbreak and emotion, and I LOVE those kinds of stories. Truly I am a sad girl at heart which means anytime I can read a romance that'll make me weep SIGN ME UP! Real life, raw emotion is the heart of this story.
This story follows Clementine and Saxon who meet by chance and are sucked into one another's orbit and truly buckle up for the ride because it is utterly beautiful to watch it all unfold. Told during the year of 2012 in Seattle which made this book feel almost nostalgic in a way. I saw myself in both of our main characters, both feeling like life is just throwing every curveball imaginable. Childhood traumas, life traumas, you name it and that is so REAL. Quin did wonders with making this book shake you with seeing yourself in these characters. She has such a way with words, I just can't stop thinking about this book since finishing it.
I highlighted 52 times, truly a work of art!
"We're all trying to untangle what these weird, unprecedented times are doing to us. Horrible things happen every day. But so do beautiful things. Endings and beginnings can coexist."
"Then fall apart and let me keep the pieces safe."
"Picture us, falling in love with the idea of forever. Imagine forever wasn't long enough. That's how I feel about you."
Thank you so much to the author Quin for allowing me such a privilege to read an early copy of this amazing novel! If you enjoy Literacy Fiction with romance ID Normal People then I highly suggest you pick this one up on 10/20/26!
This story follows Clementine and Saxon who meet by chance and are sucked into one another's orbit and truly buckle up for the ride because it is utterly beautiful to watch it all unfold. Told during the year of 2012 in Seattle which made this book feel almost nostalgic in a way. I saw myself in both of our main characters, both feeling like life is just throwing every curveball imaginable. Childhood traumas, life traumas, you name it and that is so REAL. Quin did wonders with making this book shake you with seeing yourself in these characters. She has such a way with words, I just can't stop thinking about this book since finishing it.
I highlighted 52 times, truly a work of art!
"We're all trying to untangle what these weird, unprecedented times are doing to us. Horrible things happen every day. But so do beautiful things. Endings and beginnings can coexist."
"Then fall apart and let me keep the pieces safe."
"Picture us, falling in love with the idea of forever. Imagine forever wasn't long enough. That's how I feel about you."
Thank you so much to the author Quin for allowing me such a privilege to read an early copy of this amazing novel! If you enjoy Literacy Fiction with romance ID Normal People then I highly suggest you pick this one up on 10/20/26!
October 2, 2026
What an incredible and heartbreaking story. This book was a gut punch, but so beautiful at the same time.
When Saxon goes to his friend's gallery exhibition, he meets Clementine, and the attraction is instant. After meeting again at Pike Place market, he starts to do an anonymous news series on Clementine, disguised under a different name. As the two get to know each other, their bond starts to strengthen. During a visit with her grandmother, Saxon learns a big secret about Clementine, that will alter their relationship forever.
This is by no means an easy read, and deals with some very difficult topics including terminal illness, death, and family neglect. However, the way Quin Madden writes her characters is done with such incredible sophistication, which I know comes from her own personal life experiences.
I couldn't put this book down and kept rooting for Clementine and Saxon the entire time. Both have been dealt an unfortunate hand in life, but together, they become more powerful. They show that true love knows no boundaries or time limits, and to live every day to the fullest.
The messages in this story were heartbreaking, but also heartwarming, and a wake up call for making sure to make the most out of the one precious life you're given.
Quin Madden is an auto buy author for me, as her books are always written from the heart and you can feel it in the pages of the book.
I can't recommend this book enough, it deserves all the stars!
When Saxon goes to his friend's gallery exhibition, he meets Clementine, and the attraction is instant. After meeting again at Pike Place market, he starts to do an anonymous news series on Clementine, disguised under a different name. As the two get to know each other, their bond starts to strengthen. During a visit with her grandmother, Saxon learns a big secret about Clementine, that will alter their relationship forever.
This is by no means an easy read, and deals with some very difficult topics including terminal illness, death, and family neglect. However, the way Quin Madden writes her characters is done with such incredible sophistication, which I know comes from her own personal life experiences.
I couldn't put this book down and kept rooting for Clementine and Saxon the entire time. Both have been dealt an unfortunate hand in life, but together, they become more powerful. They show that true love knows no boundaries or time limits, and to live every day to the fullest.
The messages in this story were heartbreaking, but also heartwarming, and a wake up call for making sure to make the most out of the one precious life you're given.
Quin Madden is an auto buy author for me, as her books are always written from the heart and you can feel it in the pages of the book.
I can't recommend this book enough, it deserves all the stars!
Review of advance copy received from Author
This one here? Is an absolute masterpiece. This author not only writes stories for the readers but stories for the heart that leave a mark that you will never forget. Clementine and Saxon are two characters I will never forget. They gave me all the feels, laughter, joy, happiness, sadness, i cried a few time but also felt their story to the bones. This one stick out to me since the moment I saw the title. The book is literally the title, watching these two fall into a place where there is no return, where love can conquer, where words are not needed, where little details are necessary and where a world where neither one of them exists is unthinkable. I love this book since page one, the story was great, thw characters where even better and till this day Clementine and Saxon live rent free in my mind. When you you had loved a couple writen by this author, she goes an write another better♥︎
October 3, 2026
I am giving it 5 starts firstly because how close the story hit home. At some point in your life, you have either been a Clementine or a Saxon, were in a relationship almost like theirs or heard the story from someone else, or you have laid on your bed on an insomniac night, eyes wide open, thinking about what you would have done if you were in a relationship like that.
In a time where it is safer to lay masterpieces that follow popular genres and trope, Quin Madden dared to write a story only for the heart brave enough to hear it. And story asides, I wholeheartedly loved how the author choose to write it. I am no expert in book proses, but there was a good number of quotes there about love, live and aspiration that deserve their own thumble or tik tok pages.
I highly recommend it, and instead how expecting to chase high stakes, be ready to feel vulnerable, to reflect and to open your heart bare.
In a time where it is safer to lay masterpieces that follow popular genres and trope, Quin Madden dared to write a story only for the heart brave enough to hear it. And story asides, I wholeheartedly loved how the author choose to write it. I am no expert in book proses, but there was a good number of quotes there about love, live and aspiration that deserve their own thumble or tik tok pages.
I highly recommend it, and instead how expecting to chase high stakes, be ready to feel vulnerable, to reflect and to open your heart bare.
August 27, 2026
4.5 ⭐️ rounded up!
This book is a quiet, heartbreaking exploration of love and what it means to truly know someone.
There was something so deeply moving about the way this book was able to capture a great love in all its beautiful and most painful forms. I don’t want to say too much because going in knowing as little as possible made the story that much more impactful, but this one is going to stay with me.
The writing was absolutely gorgeous, lyrical without feeling overdone, with so many beautiful and memorable lines throughout. Saxon and Clementine both had so much depth, but Clementine especially felt like such a fully realized, complicated, and unforgettable character. I really loved getting to know her.
Thank you so much to the author, Quin Madden for an eARC of this work, it was truly beautiful. All opinions are my own.
This book is a quiet, heartbreaking exploration of love and what it means to truly know someone.
There was something so deeply moving about the way this book was able to capture a great love in all its beautiful and most painful forms. I don’t want to say too much because going in knowing as little as possible made the story that much more impactful, but this one is going to stay with me.
The writing was absolutely gorgeous, lyrical without feeling overdone, with so many beautiful and memorable lines throughout. Saxon and Clementine both had so much depth, but Clementine especially felt like such a fully realized, complicated, and unforgettable character. I really loved getting to know her.
Thank you so much to the author, Quin Madden for an eARC of this work, it was truly beautiful. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This novel has moved my soul in such a memorable way that I find myself thinking of it weeks later. My heart has been both shattered and healed at once. Sometimes it takes a book to put us back on the path to things that help us see what’s really important.
Clemmie and Saxon are two souls afloat in a sea of humanity yet standing out for their experiences and their deep need to be felt, seen, and understood for their unique lives. While not a romance- there’s love, theres healing, learning, and life-changing realizations about themselves and one another. While their lives may not coincide with ours directly, there’s a familiarity in their struggle, and in their paths.
Allow yourself to get lost in this piece. Grab the tissues. Feed your soul. Well done, Quin.
Clemmie and Saxon are two souls afloat in a sea of humanity yet standing out for their experiences and their deep need to be felt, seen, and understood for their unique lives. While not a romance- there’s love, theres healing, learning, and life-changing realizations about themselves and one another. While their lives may not coincide with ours directly, there’s a familiarity in their struggle, and in their paths.
Allow yourself to get lost in this piece. Grab the tissues. Feed your soul. Well done, Quin.
Review of advance copy received from Author
"Sometimes I wonder if this is how happiness begins. Jumbled and messy, but infinite."
Hey, so this book ruined me, I think. Walking into this book, be prepared to fall with the story, with the characters. This story felt all-encompassing and does a devastating job at relaying just how finite love and life can be. We spend so much time WITHIN, judging all our choices, all our mistakes, sometimes missing the little pieces of light and happiness that deserve to be cherished for too long, until there's a deadline we didn't know existed.
I think I spent the majority of this book out loud crying on company time. It's heartbreaking, it's real, it's life.
5⭐️ Spectacular work.
Hey, so this book ruined me, I think. Walking into this book, be prepared to fall with the story, with the characters. This story felt all-encompassing and does a devastating job at relaying just how finite love and life can be. We spend so much time WITHIN, judging all our choices, all our mistakes, sometimes missing the little pieces of light and happiness that deserve to be cherished for too long, until there's a deadline we didn't know existed.
I think I spent the majority of this book out loud crying on company time. It's heartbreaking, it's real, it's life.
5⭐️ Spectacular work.
Review of advance copy received from Author
3.5 stars!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this early. This book was HEAVY, and truthfully was not expecting that. I thought this written beautifully, but some parts I couldn’t connect to or truly get into. I love how Saxon & Clementine met, their interactions, all of it. However I was looking for more. Clementine’s grandma broke my heart but I love how Saxon was involved with visiting her. This is definitely a story about love, loving someone with an illness, and honestly knowing that life is too damn short. I definitely annotated this in my kindle because some of the sentences really just hit home.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this early. This book was HEAVY, and truthfully was not expecting that. I thought this written beautifully, but some parts I couldn’t connect to or truly get into. I love how Saxon & Clementine met, their interactions, all of it. However I was looking for more. Clementine’s grandma broke my heart but I love how Saxon was involved with visiting her. This is definitely a story about love, loving someone with an illness, and honestly knowing that life is too damn short. I definitely annotated this in my kindle because some of the sentences really just hit home.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This book broke me. But in a good way. It’s an emotional gut punch for sure. But I also connected with the FMC in a way that made me feel understood. It centers around Clementine and Saxon. The way they meet is like two waves crashing together and melding into one. Hopelessly drawn to one another. What happens between them is fierce and all consuming while both try desperately to fight it. This story will carry you through moments of discomfort and discovery for both. All while struggling with the hurdles of life thrown their way. It’s beautifully written and well worth reading. Just be prepared with tissues on hand. You will cry. I love this book so much and recommend it to anyone who wants a second chance at life kind of story.
September 5, 2026
Thank you Quin for the ARC and inviting me into the beautiful and emotional story between Sax and Clemmie. The gripping prose and unique take on grief hooked me from page one and continued to intrigue me in ways I wasn’t expecting. I was immediately invested in, not just the main characters present journey through love and loss, but also related so much to the way they navigated all the trauma from their past. One of my favorite five star reads of the year!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Oh wow. I’m sick over this, actually!
What a stunningly gorgeous book about trust and love, even in the face of the unimaginable. Saxon and Clementine’s love story is equal parts tragic and hopeful. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to call up a loved one just for the comfort of hearing their voice. It’s just an incredible story, and it’s one that will stick with me for a long time.
Thanks so much to Quin Madden for trusting me with an ARC so I could read and review this early. Wow.
What a stunningly gorgeous book about trust and love, even in the face of the unimaginable. Saxon and Clementine’s love story is equal parts tragic and hopeful. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to call up a loved one just for the comfort of hearing their voice. It’s just an incredible story, and it’s one that will stick with me for a long time.
Thanks so much to Quin Madden for trusting me with an ARC so I could read and review this early. Wow.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This was so amazing!
I have never read a book that described falling in love so beautifully!
It was poetic. It was raw and real! Meeting someone who SEES you?!! It’s everything! Would you survive losing them?! This is heart breaking story of sad girl and boy. They heal each other! They make each other feel safe and alive!
I ate up every word and then I cried like a baby! But I needed it!
So glad I got to read it!
Thank you for the ARC.
I have never read a book that described falling in love so beautifully!
It was poetic. It was raw and real! Meeting someone who SEES you?!! It’s everything! Would you survive losing them?! This is heart breaking story of sad girl and boy. They heal each other! They make each other feel safe and alive!
I ate up every word and then I cried like a baby! But I needed it!
So glad I got to read it!
Thank you for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
That was a beautiful book, I loved what the main characters have because thats so rare and wholesome. It is a heartbreaking story of a girl who was scared to love, but by the end it is not her who feels the pain of letting love overwhelm you. There's a lot of room for discussion and some morally grey areas in the plot, as things change and progress. Even tho I dont usually read romance I felt this was worth it and I would recommend to everyone who loved beautiful and heartbreaking love stories.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a beautifully written story with prose that will make you cry just as much as the storyline! As soon as I had a chance to appreciate the impact of one line, a new one was coming like a gut punch of poignant words.
An instant buy for anyone craving the hold of friendship, navigating the trenches of grief, or needing to remember that true love can defy any odds.
An instant buy for anyone craving the hold of friendship, navigating the trenches of grief, or needing to remember that true love can defy any odds.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Great read! I definitely wasn't expecting the ending, but I could relate to so much of this story from both characters. As someone who has lost someone they loved to illness, the idea of actively grieving someone while they're still alive really hit home. That kind of loss takes such a toll. The characters in this book really brought the reality of it all to life, & they felt so relatable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book has some good potential, but i found i was forcing myself to finish it. The attempt at lyrical prose started to feel early on like it was being used to meet a word count and not just for the flow of the story. All in all it wasn't a terrible book, it just didnt meet my writing style taste. I could think of a few folks that I could recommend this book to that would enjoy it.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews