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The Fall
Noel Savino has no problems attracting women. After several failed relationships, she's more than happy to keep it casual. Sunny Chase is willing to be another notch on Noel's bedpost, after tragedy of her own.
Despite their playful intentions, they find themselves poised to fall, especially if Noel’s old-school Italian mother and Sunny's cross-dressing uncle have anything to say about it. The only thing standing in their way is Noel’s niece, Harper, who is also captivated by one of the Chase women. Love becomes a complicated family affair.
Despite their playful intentions, they find themselves poised to fall, especially if Noel’s old-school Italian mother and Sunny's cross-dressing uncle have anything to say about it. The only thing standing in their way is Noel’s niece, Harper, who is also captivated by one of the Chase women. Love becomes a complicated family affair.
7 pages, Audible Audio
First published November 15, 2014
40 people are currently reading
458 people want to read
About the author
Robin Alexander
51 books814 followersBorn in 1965, Robin Alexander grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where she still resides. An avid reader of Lesbian fiction, Robin decided to take the leap and try her hand at writing. It didn't take long for her favorite hobby to become a full-time author.
Since her heritage is Scottish and Irish and she’s allergic to seafood, she’s considered an honorary Cajun. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring her state with the top off her Jeep in search of the small towns on the water that inspire her.
Robin is awkward, sometimes shy, loaded with anxieties, accident prone, dangerous with power tools, and has been known to make idiotic decisions. She has been fortunate enough to turn her shortcomings into the hilarious characters you’ll find in her novels and short stories. Her passion is writing funny tales about falling in love, being imperfect and reveling in friendship.
Robin is convinced she has the best job in the world, and she’s extremely grateful for her fans who support her and enable her to do what she loves.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Since her heritage is Scottish and Irish and she’s allergic to seafood, she’s considered an honorary Cajun. When she’s not writing, she’s exploring her state with the top off her Jeep in search of the small towns on the water that inspire her.
Robin is awkward, sometimes shy, loaded with anxieties, accident prone, dangerous with power tools, and has been known to make idiotic decisions. She has been fortunate enough to turn her shortcomings into the hilarious characters you’ll find in her novels and short stories. Her passion is writing funny tales about falling in love, being imperfect and reveling in friendship.
Robin is convinced she has the best job in the world, and she’s extremely grateful for her fans who support her and enable her to do what she loves.
Librarian note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
October 12, 2018
What I love about Robin Alexander’s books is that there is no angst between the two main characters. They meet, dig each other’s weirdness, fall in love and from then on it is them against the rest of their crazy family/friends. Oh, and they communicate! And with all the we’ve-reached-the-magic-80%-mark-so-let’s-fabricate-some-angst-just-for-the-hell-of-it plots that is les fic these days, that is always so comforting to me.
So it was high time for a re-read of The Fall. I think it has the best secondary characters of all Alexander books, namely Noel Savino’s small but feisty mother ‘we eat when I say we eat’ Inez and Sunny Chase’s hilarious crossdressing uncle Ethan. There is so much side-splitting humor in this book that it should be mandatory on everybody’s Kindle, just for when you need a good dose of Southern humor to get through your day.
I’ve read most of Robin Alexander’s books and I still think The Fall is the best she ever wrote.
f/f
Themes: Noel and Sunny try the casual sex route but it isn’t for them, the fall hard for each other, young love blooms between Sunny’s daughter Lydia and Noel’s niece Harper and it’s very cute, the Savinos, Inez and her spying bush, the woman that looks like Danny DeVito in drag, the hilarious hay-ride, painting the Halloween village tradition, that time that Ethan thought it was a good idea to stick his doodle in the hot wax, I want an uncle Ethan of my own!
5 stars
So it was high time for a re-read of The Fall. I think it has the best secondary characters of all Alexander books, namely Noel Savino’s small but feisty mother ‘we eat when I say we eat’ Inez and Sunny Chase’s hilarious crossdressing uncle Ethan. There is so much side-splitting humor in this book that it should be mandatory on everybody’s Kindle, just for when you need a good dose of Southern humor to get through your day.
I’ve read most of Robin Alexander’s books and I still think The Fall is the best she ever wrote.
f/f
Themes: Noel and Sunny try the casual sex route but it isn’t for them, the fall hard for each other, young love blooms between Sunny’s daughter Lydia and Noel’s niece Harper and it’s very cute, the Savinos, Inez and her spying bush, the woman that looks like Danny DeVito in drag, the hilarious hay-ride, painting the Halloween village tradition, that time that Ethan thought it was a good idea to stick his doodle in the hot wax, I want an uncle Ethan of my own!
5 stars
September 24, 2019
I listened to the audio version of this. I did not enjoy the narration. The eighteen-ish-year-old girls sounded like they were 14. I did like the voice of the mother, Inez. That was it. I may have liked and rated this higher had I read this myself.
It starts off with HS student, Lydia, having a crush on Harper. She decides to crash her banner making session in order to get to know her. A friendship blossoms, and I think these are going to be the leads of this story.
Then Lydia's flamboyantly over the top uncle has to go to the dentist. So Lydia's mom, Sonny, takes him and there she meets the doc, who happens to be Harper's aunt, Noelle.
After that, it becomes a dual love story where their two families are entwined.
This had a lot of attempted humor. It seemed like every other paragraph was meant to draw a laugh. Sometimes it landed but it more often fell short for me. I could not stand the uncle. The story could have done without him entirely and be better for it. I did like Noelle's mom and dad but even they had too much page time.
I will say that this had an ultra hot love scene. I usually like the sex off-page but I kind of liked this one.
I would recommend this to Robin Alexander fans, people who find over the top humor amusing, and hiding in bushes.
It starts off with HS student, Lydia, having a crush on Harper. She decides to crash her banner making session in order to get to know her. A friendship blossoms, and I think these are going to be the leads of this story.
Then Lydia's flamboyantly over the top uncle has to go to the dentist. So Lydia's mom, Sonny, takes him and there she meets the doc, who happens to be Harper's aunt, Noelle.
After that, it becomes a dual love story where their two families are entwined.
This had a lot of attempted humor. It seemed like every other paragraph was meant to draw a laugh. Sometimes it landed but it more often fell short for me. I could not stand the uncle. The story could have done without him entirely and be better for it. I did like Noelle's mom and dad but even they had too much page time.
I will say that this had an ultra hot love scene. I usually like the sex off-page but I kind of liked this one.
I would recommend this to Robin Alexander fans, people who find over the top humor amusing, and hiding in bushes.
February 14, 2019
How fitting! I've finished the book of one favorite author (Robin Alexander) and tonight, after proper Valentine's Day activities, I'll start the book of another.
I thoroughly liked this book. Of course, since Alexander reliably delivers! It didn't shoot me in the heart like previous titles, but I got in some good laughs and romance.
Our main ladies for this one are Noel and Sunny and their first meeting in Noel's dentist office was stupidly cute. In addition to them, we have another love story. It involves Harper and Lydia, Noel's niece and Sunny's daughter, respectively. I appreciated the weaving in of the second love story, though it's more YA in nature since they're in high school. Not badly done, even if I greatly preferred reading the adults' storyline. We also have a character (in both a literal and figurative sense) named Ethan, who's Sunny's 60-something-year-old gay brother. A devastating car accident left his body different and it takes nothing away from his fabulousness. Loved him.
A complaint:
Four stars! ☆☆☆☆
I thoroughly liked this book. Of course, since Alexander reliably delivers! It didn't shoot me in the heart like previous titles, but I got in some good laughs and romance.
Our main ladies for this one are Noel and Sunny and their first meeting in Noel's dentist office was stupidly cute. In addition to them, we have another love story. It involves Harper and Lydia, Noel's niece and Sunny's daughter, respectively. I appreciated the weaving in of the second love story, though it's more YA in nature since they're in high school. Not badly done, even if I greatly preferred reading the adults' storyline. We also have a character (in both a literal and figurative sense) named Ethan, who's Sunny's 60-something-year-old gay brother. A devastating car accident left his body different and it takes nothing away from his fabulousness. Loved him.
A complaint:
Four stars! ☆☆☆☆
August 30, 2019
Well, my foray into this book started rather dramatically. I downloaded this one solely due to my fan-girling of narrator Lisa Cordileone and didn't even read the synopsis. So I was really confused when the story started with a Lydia and a Harper who are clearly in high school and I was like "oh stink is this a YA??" then the next chapter came a Noel and a Sunny followed very quickly by an Inez and Mary and Lauren and some forgettable dudes' names, and I was like "wtf is happening who ARE all of these characters I am so confused." So there I was on public transit mashed against an armpit and some guy's hairy arm (godDAMNED I hate the feeling of hairy arms and felt like throwing myself into an active volcano), frantically trying to pull up my GR app to read a synopsis. *wheeeew* that was a journey, lemme tell you.
This is actually two love stories, an adult couple and a teenaged "coming out" story. I really enjoyed the adults, Sunny and Noel. They both have a past, Sunny's involves a tragedy, yet they are looking for love/connections in different ways (to start, then realize they are actually on the same page). There is no drama b/w them throughout which is SO WELCOME in lesfic! They are funny, compassionate, and very committed to family. They had one intense intimate scene that was amaaaaaaazing, and I would have liked to see that spark again but sadly, we don't, so when you get there, readers, savour it! The story is more heavy on these two, thankfully.
The teens Lydia and Harper are sweet and I thought Ms. Alexander wrote their experiences as very true to life. Took me back to my first gf in many ways, those same crazy butterflies but also how terrifying it was, sneaking around, the "sleepovers," ha. Oh to be young again. I enjoyed how the family worked through the issues maturely and wisely. This was a story that was.....nice, I guess. It did become tedious though and I had to skip some of the long family dialogues that went on seemingly forever with no real point.
But To be honest I was very overwhelmed with this as an audiobook and almost shut it down a few times. There are so....many....characters and many have different accents and inflections and I found the pace of their dialogue dizzying. I think it may have been more enjoyable as a read. There are too many one-liners, some characters incapable of uttering an entire sentence without having to add attempts to be dryly funny. I had a really hard time with uncle Ethan's voice and character, he was just too much and too over the top about every single thing. Mom Inez was ok but so fucking nosey, she needed to be reigned in. Dad Joe did grow on me in the end. I realize these quirky secondary characters are a major theme in Ms. Alexander's books, but having some limitations on these frantic dialogues would make the stories flow better, and be much more effective and tolerable for me.
This is actually two love stories, an adult couple and a teenaged "coming out" story. I really enjoyed the adults, Sunny and Noel. They both have a past, Sunny's involves a tragedy, yet they are looking for love/connections in different ways (to start, then realize they are actually on the same page). There is no drama b/w them throughout which is SO WELCOME in lesfic! They are funny, compassionate, and very committed to family. They had one intense intimate scene that was amaaaaaaazing, and I would have liked to see that spark again but sadly, we don't, so when you get there, readers, savour it! The story is more heavy on these two, thankfully.
The teens Lydia and Harper are sweet and I thought Ms. Alexander wrote their experiences as very true to life. Took me back to my first gf in many ways, those same crazy butterflies but also how terrifying it was, sneaking around, the "sleepovers," ha. Oh to be young again. I enjoyed how the family worked through the issues maturely and wisely. This was a story that was.....nice, I guess. It did become tedious though and I had to skip some of the long family dialogues that went on seemingly forever with no real point.
But To be honest I was very overwhelmed with this as an audiobook and almost shut it down a few times. There are so....many....characters and many have different accents and inflections and I found the pace of their dialogue dizzying. I think it may have been more enjoyable as a read. There are too many one-liners, some characters incapable of uttering an entire sentence without having to add attempts to be dryly funny. I had a really hard time with uncle Ethan's voice and character, he was just too much and too over the top about every single thing. Mom Inez was ok but so fucking nosey, she needed to be reigned in. Dad Joe did grow on me in the end. I realize these quirky secondary characters are a major theme in Ms. Alexander's books, but having some limitations on these frantic dialogues would make the stories flow better, and be much more effective and tolerable for me.
July 31, 2017
What do you say? It's Robin Alexander. In this case you get not one but two romances. This was the audio version for me this time as I'd read it before. Narration was bang on. I loved how she even did little laughs and chuckles and long island accents. It really made the experience better. So... Loved it before and loved it again. GR says I've read 27 RA books :) Yea. I'm kinda a fan.
September 14, 2024
Amusing and sweet...everything you would expect from Ms Alexander
It took me a couple of chapters to get into, but once I'd wrapped my head around the characters I found it a real pleasure to read. A typical R A novel, which means well written, amusing and fun, with a sweer romance...or romances in this case.
It took me a couple of chapters to get into, but once I'd wrapped my head around the characters I found it a real pleasure to read. A typical R A novel, which means well written, amusing and fun, with a sweer romance...or romances in this case.
November 20, 2014
This is your typical "face hurts 'cause you've been grinning like an idiot for an hour" Robin Alexander book. The book is full of quirky characters and laugh out loud dialogue, but underneath it all is a warm story (two stories) about coming out at as a teenager and finding love later in life. I think everyone needs an Uncle Ethan in their life. Robin continues to be one of my favorite authors.
April 21, 2019
This was just fantastic. However, before I declare that, I have to admit a couple of things. I listened to this one since included in Audible’s Romance Package. Once upon a time, I started the audiobook but quit early on. I could not get through the first family dinner scene. I was so overwhelmed by, wait for it, the Italian family (too close to home folks) that I had to move on. Since then, I’ve read two other Alexander books and loved them. Also, I have listened to two books narrated by Lisa Cordileone and also loved them. So, here I was looking for my next audiobook when I bumped into The Fall again. I will not lie. I struggled through that same dinner scene at the beginning. Then realized I had listened to it before and I had a choice to make. Well, since now I’m older and wiser, I pushed through! And I am so happy I did!
Noel Savino is a dentist only interested in casual relationships after failing at finding true love a few times. She meets town newcomer Sunny Chase, who has only done serious dating but is looking to change to casual in order to leave her dating rut. After agreeing to casual, Noel puts her foot down and wants to date Sunny for real. This after her niece, Harper, made her promise to stay away from Sunny. Meanwhile, Harper is a teenager struggling with finding her sexual identity after meeting Lydia, Sunny’s daughter. This book just becomes a family affair.
This is really two stories into one. Yay! This is about Noel/Sunny and Harper/Lydia. They were both fantastic on their own but worked so well together. Noel and Sunny were great together and tackled the adult issues. Harper and Lydia were sweet and were in charge of navigating the first love waters. Together they touched on family, parenting, dating guidelines and more. Ms Alexander wrote so many hilarious scenes that I just volunteered to mown the lawn so I could continue to listen. I’m sure some neighbors are wondering why one needs to laugh out loud while doing such an ordinary chore. The thought behind a person being a dog or a cat in terms of dating...that was priceless. By the way, I am so a dog! Everyone needs to read this to understand, the we can discuss!
The characters are likable and so entertaining. The ones that are less likable grow on you and end up making you laugh along. The dialog is spot on but never fails to be outrageously funny. Now, what really pushed this one to 5 stars was the secondary and surprisingly endearing topics-such as first love, and even some thought provoking ones-such as homosexuality and church. All these were in the background but when the story hits the proverbial fan, it was wonderful to see the author skillfully take the story along these paths without outlandish behaviors. Everything in this book seemed over the top without actually being over the top. That was refreshing!
Noel Savino is a dentist only interested in casual relationships after failing at finding true love a few times. She meets town newcomer Sunny Chase, who has only done serious dating but is looking to change to casual in order to leave her dating rut. After agreeing to casual, Noel puts her foot down and wants to date Sunny for real. This after her niece, Harper, made her promise to stay away from Sunny. Meanwhile, Harper is a teenager struggling with finding her sexual identity after meeting Lydia, Sunny’s daughter. This book just becomes a family affair.
This is really two stories into one. Yay! This is about Noel/Sunny and Harper/Lydia. They were both fantastic on their own but worked so well together. Noel and Sunny were great together and tackled the adult issues. Harper and Lydia were sweet and were in charge of navigating the first love waters. Together they touched on family, parenting, dating guidelines and more. Ms Alexander wrote so many hilarious scenes that I just volunteered to mown the lawn so I could continue to listen. I’m sure some neighbors are wondering why one needs to laugh out loud while doing such an ordinary chore. The thought behind a person being a dog or a cat in terms of dating...that was priceless. By the way, I am so a dog! Everyone needs to read this to understand, the we can discuss!
The characters are likable and so entertaining. The ones that are less likable grow on you and end up making you laugh along. The dialog is spot on but never fails to be outrageously funny. Now, what really pushed this one to 5 stars was the secondary and surprisingly endearing topics-such as first love, and even some thought provoking ones-such as homosexuality and church. All these were in the background but when the story hits the proverbial fan, it was wonderful to see the author skillfully take the story along these paths without outlandish behaviors. Everything in this book seemed over the top without actually being over the top. That was refreshing!
July 30, 2019
I recommend this funny story.
A romance with good main characters but great secondary ones. Two women, a safety officer and a dentist, meet and fall in love but their families are what make this another Robin Alexander success. The niece of one woman meets the daughter of the other, both high school seniors, and young love blooms. The secondary characters are all eccentric, kind, and supportive. One family is a gay uncle, and Mother and daughter lesbians. The second family, well the second are Italians.
This book is a shorter read and is also on Audible.
A romance with good main characters but great secondary ones. Two women, a safety officer and a dentist, meet and fall in love but their families are what make this another Robin Alexander success. The niece of one woman meets the daughter of the other, both high school seniors, and young love blooms. The secondary characters are all eccentric, kind, and supportive. One family is a gay uncle, and Mother and daughter lesbians. The second family, well the second are Italians.
This book is a shorter read and is also on Audible.
December 31, 2014
Last read for 2014 and it was sensational!
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Robin Alexander *always* manages to write at least one 'laugh out loud' moment into her books. The Fall had many moments where I found myself grinning like a fool and laughing out loud.
The Fall had a dual romance storyline (Noel/Sunny and Harper/Lydia) and the supporting characters provided a dose of humor throughout. Who could keep a straight face at some of Uncle Ethan's antics and that of Inez (Noel's Mother) hiding out in the bushes spying on her neighbor.
A light, sweet and enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down and had to read it in one sitting!
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Robin Alexander *always* manages to write at least one 'laugh out loud' moment into her books. The Fall had many moments where I found myself grinning like a fool and laughing out loud.
The Fall had a dual romance storyline (Noel/Sunny and Harper/Lydia) and the supporting characters provided a dose of humor throughout. Who could keep a straight face at some of Uncle Ethan's antics and that of Inez (Noel's Mother) hiding out in the bushes spying on her neighbor.
A light, sweet and enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down and had to read it in one sitting!
November 22, 2014
Another laugh out loud, fun story! Great characters full of life! Loud, bold and loving!
September 24, 2017
Very funny and cute. Fast paced romance with the best parts of a coming of age story without having to suffer teenage attitude too much. Actually really enjoyed this book.
August 28, 2025
This is two couples in one book. Harper and Lydia are teenagers and Noel and Sunny are adults. Noel is Harper’s aunt and Lydia is Sunny’s daughter. There’s Noel’s big, loud family, and Sunny’s Uncle Ethan who likes to give makeovers and dress in drag. It was just a lot of story to keep straight.
I wish there had been more focus on Noel and Sunny, with a little deeper dive into both of their pasts.
It was still good summertime fun with the expected humor from Robin Alexander’s work.
I wish there had been more focus on Noel and Sunny, with a little deeper dive into both of their pasts.
It was still good summertime fun with the expected humor from Robin Alexander’s work.
September 5, 2016
The Fall is a cute, sweet, fun book with a lot of the elements I've come to expect from Robin Alexander--hilarious older extended family members, low-angst romance, and engaging dialogue.
Where it surprised me was seeing two romances developing alongside each other. By having two teenagers getting together alongside two adults, it was kind of like a YA novel blended with a contemporary romance, without one ever compromising the quality of the other.
I listened to the audio book, and if you have a choice, I'd recommend going the audio version over print. Lisa Cordelione is a fantastic reader and she does a great job bringing Robin Alexander's words to life.
Where it surprised me was seeing two romances developing alongside each other. By having two teenagers getting together alongside two adults, it was kind of like a YA novel blended with a contemporary romance, without one ever compromising the quality of the other.
I listened to the audio book, and if you have a choice, I'd recommend going the audio version over print. Lisa Cordelione is a fantastic reader and she does a great job bringing Robin Alexander's words to life.
June 28, 2023
Second time reading, still at 5 stars!
February 12, 2018
4 Stars
Not one of my favorite Alexander books - 3 stars. But I'll easily add a star for Lisa Cordileone's narration.
Not one of my favorite Alexander books - 3 stars. But I'll easily add a star for Lisa Cordileone's narration.
February 8, 2019
There is actually two romances mingled in one book.
There is a first highschool love & a grownup love.
Some drama in the first and little bit of sob in the second, but it's mostly funny, and light.
If I'm playing it difficult (okay, yeah, most of the time with stories), well maybe the gay character could have been a lit bit less or a little bit more ???
But I've never met a more-than-sixty-year-old queen in my life so I don't know if it's as intense. That character was a bit exhausting just reading
There is a first highschool love & a grownup love.
Some drama in the first and little bit of sob in the second, but it's mostly funny, and light.
If I'm playing it difficult (okay, yeah, most of the time with stories), well maybe the gay character could have been a lit bit less or a little bit more ???
But I've never met a more-than-sixty-year-old queen in my life so I don't know if it's as intense. That character was a bit exhausting just reading
July 28, 2019
This is a mostly lighthearted story. It's a bit over the top in that it seems a bit far fetched that one family is comprised of an uncle, niece and great niece who are all gay and another family has another aunt and niece who are gay and both sets of women fall for each other.
Both families are also very supportive (even during a coming out drama). Seemed like a kind of wish fulfilment deal. Still, the relationships between the different set of characters (especially in Noel's family) provided some great interactions, and the romances were sweet enough, even though the cynic in me was wondering what the family dinners would be like in a few years when the younger couple breaks up.
One thing I do really like about Robin's stories is that she doesn't feel the need to add contrived drama to break a couple up and bring them back together, which is overdone in most Lesfic. This was an ok way to spend a few hours, it's a quick read.
Both families are also very supportive (even during a coming out drama). Seemed like a kind of wish fulfilment deal. Still, the relationships between the different set of characters (especially in Noel's family) provided some great interactions, and the romances were sweet enough, even though the cynic in me was wondering what the family dinners would be like in a few years when the younger couple breaks up.
One thing I do really like about Robin's stories is that she doesn't feel the need to add contrived drama to break a couple up and bring them back together, which is overdone in most Lesfic. This was an ok way to spend a few hours, it's a quick read.
March 2, 2018
4.5.
You can always rely on a Robin Alexander book to make you laugh and cheer you up. Uncle Ethan and Inez will have you howling in laughter. It's got great characters and its a great romance. Absolutely one of Robin Alexanders best books...
You can always rely on a Robin Alexander book to make you laugh and cheer you up. Uncle Ethan and Inez will have you howling in laughter. It's got great characters and its a great romance. Absolutely one of Robin Alexanders best books...
February 16, 2020
DNF stopt at 70% of this one. I wanted a romance audio novel. Usually I read a book first and listen to it after reading it. But I like Lisa Cordileone’s narration usually so I did it the other wat around. I love banter in a book, especially when the chemistry between MC’s is hot. But this one was a lot of humor that got old very soon. A lot of secondary characters...to much secondary characters that were there to be funny. I didn’t feel the chemistry buildup between Noelle and Sunny and neither between Harper and Lydia. There was one really hot🔥 scene between Noel and Sunny, which would even be hotter if it was in another book or an erotic short. It actually, to be honest, didn’t fit in this one. And that Ethan..the uncle pfffff 2 stars top. Will return this one.
On a second note I just found out that this is the second book by Robin Alexander that I did not finish. So guess that I can skipp this writer in the future.
On a second note I just found out that this is the second book by Robin Alexander that I did not finish. So guess that I can skipp this writer in the future.
June 27, 2022
This is two stories in one. Lydia and Harper are teenagers who become friends and develop true feelings for each other. Then you have Harper’s aunt Noel and Lydia’s mom Sunny who start to have a no strings attached fling. Add in family butting in and you have a truly wonderful story that is signature Robin Alexander lol funny. I can’t count how many times I have listened to this audiobook.
June 24, 2019
Although this book was funny and made me laugh out loud at times, this book just didn't resonate with me for some reason.
Overall, this book was okay. If you don't mind reading about kooky characters and want just a pick me up, then this book is for you.
Review also posted here:
Overall, this book was okay. If you don't mind reading about kooky characters and want just a pick me up, then this book is for you.
Review also posted here:
October 26, 2016
This is my 12th book by Robin Alexander that I have read. Second one that I read on the 24th of October. Though that may or may not sound impressive, I feel the need to note that that is only 284 total pages (84 pages for ‘Ticket 1207’ and 204 pages for ‘The Fall’).
This book picks up that holiday theme, just like the previous book I read on the 24th, – there, ‘Ticket 1207’, it was a Christmas theme, here it is a Halloween theme. Similarly, certain other themes that Alexander likes continued to pop up – old wacky people (mom/grandma Savino; dad/grandpa Savino), set in Louisiana (here Baton Rouge), humor, and two of the main characters are in the 30 to 40 age range.
Unlike any previous Alexander that I have read (as far as I recall), though, there are also two characters in the 13 to 19 age range (17 going on 18). For you see, this is one of those double couple type books (like in ‘The War Within’ by Yolanda Wallace – which involved two women in their 70s, and two in their 20s). This book stars Noel Savino and Harper Guidry (niece of Noel), and Sunny and Lydia Chase (daughter of Sunny).
The book opens with Harper painting a badger, and Lydia nearby working up the courage to burst forward and be near Harper – for you see, Lydia fancies Harper. Though she ‘knows’ that Harper is straight. They quickly become friends - with Harper finding that she rather likes Lydia - as a friend. Also, somewhat less quickly, Harper’s sexual orientation begins to come into question, by by Harper herself, and by others around her. Harper and Lydia are the 17 to 18 year old 'couple'.
Then there’s Sunny and Noel. They meet for the first time through another Chase family member – Uncle Ethan (Sunny’s Uncle). Ethan, formerly a hairstylist, now forced to be retired due to car accident, lives with Sunny and Lydia. He’s quite dramatic and a bit of a character himself – constantly dressing up as various old Hollywood actresses (and constantly trying to get everyone who comes within his reach to allow him to paint their faces, do their hair, and dress them in dresses; he’s a little hard to take at first though he grows on me). So I was mentioning a first meeting. Ethan has a tooth issue, and Sunny drives Ethan to the nearest dentist. Ethan’s kind of fragile like, and so he drags Sunny into the examination room with him. Whereupon Ethan and Sunny meet . . . a woman wearing cat ears. For, you see, Noel normally deals with kids, though can fit in adults as well. So Sunny and Noel meet. Ethan gets gassed and babbles certain things Sunny might not wish Noel to immediately know. Sunny and Noel are the 30-40 year old 'couple'.
Meanwhile, the generation below Sunny and Noel continue their own form of flirtation – as Lydia and Harper continue their friendship.
The generation above Noel and Sunny involves grandpa/dad Joe and grandma/ma Inez Savino (I haven’t been tracking this, but this actually might be the first time I’ve read an Alexander book wherein both father and mother at this level (the grandparent level, other books have had living father and mother) are living, I could be wrong here). Joe’s retired and loves going out on his boat with his friend Jeff (‘taking the boat out’, if they happen to actually catch any fish, it changes to ‘went fishing’). Inez loves making gigantic meals and loading everyone’s plates to the point wherein it is hard to see someone on the other side of the table, past the plate. She also likes sitting in bushes and spying on her neighbors (see a wacky old person).
The extended Savino family also includes Mason and Corey (cousins of Harpers - neither large presences in the book), Mary (Harper’s mother), and Matthew (father of Mason and Corey - barely there sibling). Mary plays a slightly larger role in this bunch, what with being Harper’s mother; while Corey gets slightly more lines than the rest (except for Mary).
It took me awhile to have Uncle Ethan grow on me, but I rather liked everyone else of major importance (Harper, Noel, Sunny, Lydia, Inez). Great story all the way around. I actually liked seeing things from the perspective of 17 year olds (unexpected, that - since I'd only really experienced main characters in the 30s/40s from Alexander).
As I noted, this is the 12th book I’ve read by Alexander, and I believe that it is tied with ‘Dear Me’ as being my favorite Alexander books. And to think, I read 3 books in 2014, then took almost two years to read another. And now I’ve read 9 more – as of this writing, bookended on one side by 5.75 ‘Dear Me’, and 5.75 ‘The Fall’. To a certain extent, I like the fact that ‘Ticket 1207’ actually appears above ‘The Fall’ on my list, even though I’d read ‘The Fall’ second. Because now I don’t have to play the ‘two great books, bookends, stop now for another 2 years?’ game. I can just continue reading.
October 26 2016
This book picks up that holiday theme, just like the previous book I read on the 24th, – there, ‘Ticket 1207’, it was a Christmas theme, here it is a Halloween theme. Similarly, certain other themes that Alexander likes continued to pop up – old wacky people (mom/grandma Savino; dad/grandpa Savino), set in Louisiana (here Baton Rouge), humor, and two of the main characters are in the 30 to 40 age range.
Unlike any previous Alexander that I have read (as far as I recall), though, there are also two characters in the 13 to 19 age range (17 going on 18). For you see, this is one of those double couple type books (like in ‘The War Within’ by Yolanda Wallace – which involved two women in their 70s, and two in their 20s). This book stars Noel Savino and Harper Guidry (niece of Noel), and Sunny and Lydia Chase (daughter of Sunny).
The book opens with Harper painting a badger, and Lydia nearby working up the courage to burst forward and be near Harper – for you see, Lydia fancies Harper. Though she ‘knows’ that Harper is straight. They quickly become friends - with Harper finding that she rather likes Lydia - as a friend. Also, somewhat less quickly, Harper’s sexual orientation begins to come into question, by by Harper herself, and by others around her. Harper and Lydia are the 17 to 18 year old 'couple'.
Then there’s Sunny and Noel. They meet for the first time through another Chase family member – Uncle Ethan (Sunny’s Uncle). Ethan, formerly a hairstylist, now forced to be retired due to car accident, lives with Sunny and Lydia. He’s quite dramatic and a bit of a character himself – constantly dressing up as various old Hollywood actresses (and constantly trying to get everyone who comes within his reach to allow him to paint their faces, do their hair, and dress them in dresses; he’s a little hard to take at first though he grows on me). So I was mentioning a first meeting. Ethan has a tooth issue, and Sunny drives Ethan to the nearest dentist. Ethan’s kind of fragile like, and so he drags Sunny into the examination room with him. Whereupon Ethan and Sunny meet . . . a woman wearing cat ears. For, you see, Noel normally deals with kids, though can fit in adults as well. So Sunny and Noel meet. Ethan gets gassed and babbles certain things Sunny might not wish Noel to immediately know. Sunny and Noel are the 30-40 year old 'couple'.
Meanwhile, the generation below Sunny and Noel continue their own form of flirtation – as Lydia and Harper continue their friendship.
The generation above Noel and Sunny involves grandpa/dad Joe and grandma/ma Inez Savino (I haven’t been tracking this, but this actually might be the first time I’ve read an Alexander book wherein both father and mother at this level (the grandparent level, other books have had living father and mother) are living, I could be wrong here). Joe’s retired and loves going out on his boat with his friend Jeff (‘taking the boat out’, if they happen to actually catch any fish, it changes to ‘went fishing’). Inez loves making gigantic meals and loading everyone’s plates to the point wherein it is hard to see someone on the other side of the table, past the plate. She also likes sitting in bushes and spying on her neighbors (see a wacky old person).
The extended Savino family also includes Mason and Corey (cousins of Harpers - neither large presences in the book), Mary (Harper’s mother), and Matthew (father of Mason and Corey - barely there sibling). Mary plays a slightly larger role in this bunch, what with being Harper’s mother; while Corey gets slightly more lines than the rest (except for Mary).
It took me awhile to have Uncle Ethan grow on me, but I rather liked everyone else of major importance (Harper, Noel, Sunny, Lydia, Inez). Great story all the way around. I actually liked seeing things from the perspective of 17 year olds (unexpected, that - since I'd only really experienced main characters in the 30s/40s from Alexander).
As I noted, this is the 12th book I’ve read by Alexander, and I believe that it is tied with ‘Dear Me’ as being my favorite Alexander books. And to think, I read 3 books in 2014, then took almost two years to read another. And now I’ve read 9 more – as of this writing, bookended on one side by 5.75 ‘Dear Me’, and 5.75 ‘The Fall’. To a certain extent, I like the fact that ‘Ticket 1207’ actually appears above ‘The Fall’ on my list, even though I’d read ‘The Fall’ second. Because now I don’t have to play the ‘two great books, bookends, stop now for another 2 years?’ game. I can just continue reading.
October 26 2016
December 30, 2016
This one fell short for me. I'm typically a huge Robin Alexander fan and, despite that most of her books are short, they usually squeak past "just long enough". This would have been the same case for this one, but the story was spread over too many different perspectives (Sunny, Harper, Noel, Kylie) while maintaining the same book length as usual. There were far too few Sunny and Noel moments and far too many Harper and Lydia moments. This was especially true because I do not typically enjoy high school romances.
I am also not a big fan of Harper. She seemed to not care about anything but herself and her interest in Lydia, not giving a seconds thought to painting someone else in a negative light over and over (Noel). I also did not like that she slept around just because it was "on her list of things to do" and did not care who it was with. Nothing puts me off a character more than that.
It seems odd to have sex with somebody and not have any: desire, attraction, impaired judgement, friendship, love, or not even getting drunk and having a one-night-stand. Sex, because it is on your list of things to do regardless of who it is with, like brushing your teeth or going to work. I guess you could call it emotionless sex? But, would that be better termed as....Yep.
Overall, there was humor to be had, but that was all. Everything else fell short due to the split in focus.
I am also not a big fan of Harper. She seemed to not care about anything but herself and her interest in Lydia, not giving a seconds thought to painting someone else in a negative light over and over (Noel). I also did not like that she slept around just because it was "on her list of things to do" and did not care who it was with. Nothing puts me off a character more than that.
It seems odd to have sex with somebody and not have any: desire, attraction, impaired judgement, friendship, love, or not even getting drunk and having a one-night-stand. Sex, because it is on your list of things to do regardless of who it is with, like brushing your teeth or going to work. I guess you could call it emotionless sex? But, would that be better termed as....Yep.
Overall, there was humor to be had, but that was all. Everything else fell short due to the split in focus.
March 4, 2015
Loved loved this book! Everything about it! It's an easy feel good book. You have Noel who has a name for herself as a bit of a womaniser, then you have Sunny who has decided to stop looking for someone to have a long term relationship with but instead find someone to have a fling with. Then they meet each other...
As I mentioned in a recent review of another of Alexander's book she really knows how to write secondary characters. In this one we have Lydia and Harper, whose youthful antics and friendship provide a lovely story within this book. Then there's Sunny's flamboyant uncle and Noel's rather mad Italian family.
Everything combined leads to another hit for Alexander.
As I mentioned in a recent review of another of Alexander's book she really knows how to write secondary characters. In this one we have Lydia and Harper, whose youthful antics and friendship provide a lovely story within this book. Then there's Sunny's flamboyant uncle and Noel's rather mad Italian family.
Everything combined leads to another hit for Alexander.
August 13, 2021
I can’t begin to describe how I enjoyed this book full of quirky characters. At some point, while reading in the subway, I got asked by some young fellows whether I was all right –because I was trying to suppress my laugh-out-loud outburst to a point of tears running down my cheeks!
It’s a sweet story, it celebrates differences in the context of family, a family that supports its offspring and its union, both the Chases and the Savinos are strong on sticking to and supporting their own. It’s also a sweet self-discovery story. Never mind, the story line is great with full fledged characters, but the telling of it is so totally and incredibly funny and enjoyable. Go for it!
It’s a sweet story, it celebrates differences in the context of family, a family that supports its offspring and its union, both the Chases and the Savinos are strong on sticking to and supporting their own. It’s also a sweet self-discovery story. Never mind, the story line is great with full fledged characters, but the telling of it is so totally and incredibly funny and enjoyable. Go for it!
August 2, 2016
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It had me laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes. I listened to the audio version, and would love to read the book, but the narrator did such a wonderful job that I will forever hear her voices in my head.
September 9, 2017
I was absolutely gutted when this book ended. I read it far too quickly. Like all of Robin Alexanders books, I loved the characters, It made me really laugh out loud, so so funny. This could be a new favourite but then I say that about every book I read of hers. Excellent! Funny! RomCom. I can never find a fault in this author's books, I'm always hooked and made to laugh, none of the jokes and characters are ever the same, they're all quirky and friendly but I never ever get bored of reading her books. Fantastic!
April 26, 2022
The Sweetest
It is Literally the sweetest one of Robin Alexanders that I have read. Uggg mah heart. Time to read another! ❤️
It is Literally the sweetest one of Robin Alexanders that I have read. Uggg mah heart. Time to read another! ❤️
March 13, 2017
Another enjoyable book from Robin Alexander. It took me a long time to finish this one because I just got burned out after reading several of the author's books in a row. This is one I might read again at some point. Alexander writes some fun characters.
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