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Don't Fall
In this modern day retelling of Rapunzel, Anya has her books, her photography, and her daydreams. She doesn’t think she needs anything else. She lives in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother, who goes to extreme measures to keep her daughter safe. Anya doesn’t even go to school, but instead has a private tutor. Anya tries not to acknowledge her loneliness; she puts her efforts into pleasing her mom, and gives her heart to her stories, secretly wishing for a story of her own. Then one day at the library, the only place she's allowed to go, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy. Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out late at night to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she will have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.
204 pages, Paperback
First published May 18, 2014
5 people are currently reading
1002 people want to read
About the author
Rachel Schieffelbein
6 books86 followersRachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
May 17, 2016
Usually, as soon as I start a book, I can tell if I like it or not. This book was no different. It was amazingly BAD from page one.
So, if it's so bad, why did I keep reading it???For one thing, I don't like the idea of stopping a book in the middle, no matter how bad it is because maybe it has some redeeming qualities. Thus, my suffering. Maybe something would change and I would actually LIKE the book. My thoughts while reading were OMG this is SOOOO bad. I could already see myself giving it a one star rating. But maybe I could bump it up to two stars. It doesn't take much to please me; a clever quote, or swoon-worthy romance would suffice.
But this? This "romance" was FAR from swoon-worthy. It seemed fake, despite the characters' insisting that it was anything but that. Who are you trying to convince? Yourselves?
Yes, it's another two- POV book. One that really doesn't work out. With cheesy lines and atrocious declarations, it was TERRIBLE.
Ok so you know how in books, the author wants you to fall in love with the main characters? Or at least SOME character? Yeah, don't expect that.
So, I literally had to go back and figure out the characters' names cuz I forgot them. In like an hour since I finished the book. THAT'S their impression on me. They skipped cheesy and jumped onto pathetic and lame and just UGHHH (for lack of better words). Anya and Zander (ohhh like A and Z I guess). You'd think with names like that I'd remember it.
But honestly. If you find Anya SOOO irresistible, don't just say so. I don't get the feeling that she is, just like I don't get the feeling like YOU are SOOO intriguing. (that's me talking to Zander) No character depth whatsoever.
Were those letters supposed to mean something??? Oh, they were supposed to be romantic??? Oops. Sorry. Not getting that vibe AT ALL. I just keep getting the same shit over and over. No redemption. Just a boring listless read that made me kinda wanna shoot the characters. Stupid idiots.
See, I like a good, long delay between like and love. Something gradual, but steadily picking up the pace. Love is acceleration. Not this random jump after days of simple walking. I guess what I'm saying is, they "fell in love" so fast that it didn't convince me that it was true love. There was nothing building up to *the moment* and honestly, I was confused. Where was the chemistry?
Lazy ass descriptions. This was their first kiss:
“I’d read about butterflies and fireworks, electricity, sparks and flames, your body warming up and getting chills all at the same time. I’d even felt my own body tingle while reading the words and longing to feel those things myself.
But now, with Zander’s lips against mine, I realized they were all weak descriptions.”
GO DIE. YOU'RE A WEAK DESCRIPTION. You'd think the author would come up with some new way to describe a kiss. I was slightly excited for it, reading the first paragraph. This is it. This is where it becomes a two star book. Wrong. If anything, I would've rated it negatively. Why dignify something with a one star rating when it isn't even worth THAT???
Lastly, what happens? What's the big deal? Was that ending supposed to be a breakthrough. Oh, was I supposed to congratulate you?? Nooo. I don't think so. I am in shock with the ending. Because it. Is. So. LAME.
I can't even deal with this book. It wasn't even a disappointment because I should've known better to read something pitched as Rapunzel, one of my favorites.
This book could just die. Or burst into flames. I wouldn't care. (okay maybe a little)
So, if it's so bad, why did I keep reading it???For one thing, I don't like the idea of stopping a book in the middle, no matter how bad it is because maybe it has some redeeming qualities. Thus, my suffering. Maybe something would change and I would actually LIKE the book. My thoughts while reading were OMG this is SOOOO bad. I could already see myself giving it a one star rating. But maybe I could bump it up to two stars. It doesn't take much to please me; a clever quote, or swoon-worthy romance would suffice.
But this? This "romance" was FAR from swoon-worthy. It seemed fake, despite the characters' insisting that it was anything but that. Who are you trying to convince? Yourselves?
Yes, it's another two- POV book. One that really doesn't work out. With cheesy lines and atrocious declarations, it was TERRIBLE.
Ok so you know how in books, the author wants you to fall in love with the main characters? Or at least SOME character? Yeah, don't expect that.
So, I literally had to go back and figure out the characters' names cuz I forgot them. In like an hour since I finished the book. THAT'S their impression on me. They skipped cheesy and jumped onto pathetic and lame and just UGHHH (for lack of better words). Anya and Zander (ohhh like A and Z I guess). You'd think with names like that I'd remember it.
But honestly. If you find Anya SOOO irresistible, don't just say so. I don't get the feeling that she is, just like I don't get the feeling like YOU are SOOO intriguing. (that's me talking to Zander) No character depth whatsoever.
Were those letters supposed to mean something??? Oh, they were supposed to be romantic??? Oops. Sorry. Not getting that vibe AT ALL. I just keep getting the same shit over and over. No redemption. Just a boring listless read that made me kinda wanna shoot the characters. Stupid idiots.
See, I like a good, long delay between like and love. Something gradual, but steadily picking up the pace. Love is acceleration. Not this random jump after days of simple walking. I guess what I'm saying is, they "fell in love" so fast that it didn't convince me that it was true love. There was nothing building up to *the moment* and honestly, I was confused. Where was the chemistry?
Lazy ass descriptions. This was their first kiss:
“I’d read about butterflies and fireworks, electricity, sparks and flames, your body warming up and getting chills all at the same time. I’d even felt my own body tingle while reading the words and longing to feel those things myself.
But now, with Zander’s lips against mine, I realized they were all weak descriptions.”
GO DIE. YOU'RE A WEAK DESCRIPTION. You'd think the author would come up with some new way to describe a kiss. I was slightly excited for it, reading the first paragraph. This is it. This is where it becomes a two star book. Wrong. If anything, I would've rated it negatively. Why dignify something with a one star rating when it isn't even worth THAT???
Lastly, what happens? What's the big deal? Was that ending supposed to be a breakthrough. Oh, was I supposed to congratulate you?? Nooo. I don't think so. I am in shock with the ending. Because it. Is. So. LAME.
I can't even deal with this book. It wasn't even a disappointment because I should've known better to read something pitched as Rapunzel, one of my favorites.
This book could just die. Or burst into flames. I wouldn't care. (okay maybe a little)
June 27, 2015
“Somehow, even outside the library and our clearing in the woods, we were still in our own world. Everything else could fade away, and he and I would remain, tied together by something I couldn’t quite explain. In its simplest term, love.”
!!!!!! My. Heart. Just. Melted. Into. A. Puddle. Of. Pink. Cute. Goo. !!!!!! ❤
What to say? It's fun and lighthearted and a magical kind of romance, everything a fairy tale inspired book should be. It's swoon worthy and fast paced and I just loved every minute of it, especially the similarities to Rapunzel in this contemporary magic free book.
A few of my favorite things:
I loved Anya . She's a book worm which is always a plus and she's down-to-right perfection. Honestly the main things I loved about her though were that even though she is essentially locked away in her house and has next to no interaction with people, she's not naive, and she doesn't hold it against her mom, yes, she finally comes to realize that it's not right what her mom has done to her but she doesn't hate her for that. She's mature and caring and a breath of fresh air in the world of YA.
Also, I liked that Zander was understanding, for the most part, about Anya’s situation. He's sweet and cute and swoon worthy. I adore mostly how he was determined to fight for his love for Anya no matter what the cost. Such a real-deal man!
Anya's Mom - Mainly I loved the back story, I wasn't sure how that was going to work when going into this book and how the author was going to tie it into a Rapunzel retelling type thing, (or whatever you want to call it) but it was perfect. I really wanted to know why Anya’s mom was the way she was; why she kept Anya under her thumb so, and the answer was intriguing. In the end, it made total sense of why her mom locked her away like that and alternatingly made you feel bad for her and get annoyed because she needs to let the girl live already. All together I thought her character was just done really well.
I really enjoyed Shannon , Blake and Denise ’s character. While neither was in it a ton I loved them all. Shannon is basically Anya's only friend, a fellow book nerd and a key player in that she helps them pass notes and back and forth, which added to the cuteness of this book. Blake is Zander's cousin and an equally fun and enjoyable character. Lastly, Denise. Her cupcakes made me drool! She was sweet and I like how she was nice to Anya & Zander. They were so fun, and I wish that we could have seen them more.
Another thing that impressed me about this book was that sometimes when I made guesses I was wrong. There is nothing more disappointing, even if it’s enjoyable, than a predictable book. I was just so sure for the longest time that Anya had been stolen from her parents, which probably comes from my attachment to the original tellings of the different fairy tales. (Haha!) Nonetheless, it was fast paced without being too fast. I just loved the way it was told, from both of Anya & Zander's points of view and focusing pretty much solely on their time together. It made it easy to read and just really enjoyable. *giggles*
Overall: I am not good at describing writing so let's just say it's awesome, okay? I was happy with how the book ended. There were things I wish could have been different, but that didn’t really detract from the story too much. One thing I ADORED about this book was that it was clean. That probably sounds like a silly thing to be happy about, but I’m so sick of YA books that are just full of descriptive sex scenes. It's an awesome thoroughly enjoyable book, I read it in like a day and loved every minute of it. There's really not anything bad I can think of to say about it, that's not to say it's perfect, but nothing irritated me because I feel like the fast pace helped with that. And yeah, it's just fun and magical and everything a fairy tale should be; everything I wanted this book to be so you better read it. NOW. (*^▽^*)
!!!!!! My. Heart. Just. Melted. Into. A. Puddle. Of. Pink. Cute. Goo. !!!!!! ❤
What to say? It's fun and lighthearted and a magical kind of romance, everything a fairy tale inspired book should be. It's swoon worthy and fast paced and I just loved every minute of it, especially the similarities to Rapunzel in this contemporary magic free book.
A few of my favorite things:
I loved Anya . She's a book worm which is always a plus and she's down-to-right perfection. Honestly the main things I loved about her though were that even though she is essentially locked away in her house and has next to no interaction with people, she's not naive, and she doesn't hold it against her mom, yes, she finally comes to realize that it's not right what her mom has done to her but she doesn't hate her for that. She's mature and caring and a breath of fresh air in the world of YA.
Also, I liked that Zander was understanding, for the most part, about Anya’s situation. He's sweet and cute and swoon worthy. I adore mostly how he was determined to fight for his love for Anya no matter what the cost. Such a real-deal man!
Anya's Mom - Mainly I loved the back story, I wasn't sure how that was going to work when going into this book and how the author was going to tie it into a Rapunzel retelling type thing, (or whatever you want to call it) but it was perfect. I really wanted to know why Anya’s mom was the way she was; why she kept Anya under her thumb so, and the answer was intriguing. In the end, it made total sense of why her mom locked her away like that and alternatingly made you feel bad for her and get annoyed because she needs to let the girl live already. All together I thought her character was just done really well.
I really enjoyed Shannon , Blake and Denise ’s character. While neither was in it a ton I loved them all. Shannon is basically Anya's only friend, a fellow book nerd and a key player in that she helps them pass notes and back and forth, which added to the cuteness of this book. Blake is Zander's cousin and an equally fun and enjoyable character. Lastly, Denise. Her cupcakes made me drool! She was sweet and I like how she was nice to Anya & Zander. They were so fun, and I wish that we could have seen them more.
Another thing that impressed me about this book was that sometimes when I made guesses I was wrong. There is nothing more disappointing, even if it’s enjoyable, than a predictable book. I was just so sure for the longest time that Anya had been stolen from her parents, which probably comes from my attachment to the original tellings of the different fairy tales. (Haha!) Nonetheless, it was fast paced without being too fast. I just loved the way it was told, from both of Anya & Zander's points of view and focusing pretty much solely on their time together. It made it easy to read and just really enjoyable. *giggles*
Overall: I am not good at describing writing so let's just say it's awesome, okay? I was happy with how the book ended. There were things I wish could have been different, but that didn’t really detract from the story too much. One thing I ADORED about this book was that it was clean. That probably sounds like a silly thing to be happy about, but I’m so sick of YA books that are just full of descriptive sex scenes. It's an awesome thoroughly enjoyable book, I read it in like a day and loved every minute of it. There's really not anything bad I can think of to say about it, that's not to say it's perfect, but nothing irritated me because I feel like the fast pace helped with that. And yeah, it's just fun and magical and everything a fairy tale should be; everything I wanted this book to be so you better read it. NOW. (*^▽^*)
May 27, 2014
3.5 / 5
Instead of a tower we have a small house overlooking the forest. Instead of a Princesses we have Anya with her long golden hair and camera happy personality. And instead of a Prince we have an unbelievably adorable English Major called Zander. We also have cupcakes!
The story itself follows seventeen-year-old Anya, who has spent the last fifteen years of her life constricted by her over protective mother and all her rules. She's not allowed to go to public school, she's not actually allowed to go anywhere but the library and even then she has to text her mum to tell her she got there safely. But the rule that affects her most of all in this story is the fact she's not allowed to date. Which is a big problem once she meets Zander. Zander - who by the way is the cutest damn thing I think I've ever read - is unbelievably romantic and falls hard for Anya. He wants to make her the centre of his world but its these same suffocating rules that constrict Anya that threaten to tear them apart.
The book is told through a duel narrative, with each chapter split in two. I really liked that fact that as a reader we got equal amounts of both Zander and Anya because in a lot of books where the point of view is split it tends to focus on one particular character. Which as I said, wasn't the case with this this book. Don't Fall is a super cute and completely unputdownable.
I'm not going to lie it was a bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until around 25% that I really got into it but there are a couple of story lines within the book that have your stomach in knots just waiting for the final piece of the puzzle. I didn't like her mother though. I know you were meant to feel something resembling sympathy towards her by the end but I just couldn't. Although, I'm not sure if that's a flaw in the writing or maybe I'm just some kind of emotionless cyborg.
Okay, this book isn't going to change your life and it's not going to make you question everything you know or anything like that. What it is going to do though it put a smile on your face. It's a short book (so no dragging along half the library with you) that's easy to read and a great story to escape into. It's vivid and well written, with every setting and character easy to picture. And did I mention, cupcakes?
Overall it was good, a little heavy on the romance maybe, but an enjoyable read non the less. I would recommend this to most YA readers, but I think that it's more suited to a teenage audience. Which I know is technically what YA is, but I also know what a lot of you lovely lot are no longer in your teens - myself included. But as I've said, overall definitely worth adding to your TBR lists.
Instead of a tower we have a small house overlooking the forest. Instead of a Princesses we have Anya with her long golden hair and camera happy personality. And instead of a Prince we have an unbelievably adorable English Major called Zander. We also have cupcakes!
The story itself follows seventeen-year-old Anya, who has spent the last fifteen years of her life constricted by her over protective mother and all her rules. She's not allowed to go to public school, she's not actually allowed to go anywhere but the library and even then she has to text her mum to tell her she got there safely. But the rule that affects her most of all in this story is the fact she's not allowed to date. Which is a big problem once she meets Zander. Zander - who by the way is the cutest damn thing I think I've ever read - is unbelievably romantic and falls hard for Anya. He wants to make her the centre of his world but its these same suffocating rules that constrict Anya that threaten to tear them apart.
The book is told through a duel narrative, with each chapter split in two. I really liked that fact that as a reader we got equal amounts of both Zander and Anya because in a lot of books where the point of view is split it tends to focus on one particular character. Which as I said, wasn't the case with this this book. Don't Fall is a super cute and completely unputdownable.
I'm not going to lie it was a bit of a slow starter and it wasn't until around 25% that I really got into it but there are a couple of story lines within the book that have your stomach in knots just waiting for the final piece of the puzzle. I didn't like her mother though. I know you were meant to feel something resembling sympathy towards her by the end but I just couldn't. Although, I'm not sure if that's a flaw in the writing or maybe I'm just some kind of emotionless cyborg.
Okay, this book isn't going to change your life and it's not going to make you question everything you know or anything like that. What it is going to do though it put a smile on your face. It's a short book (so no dragging along half the library with you) that's easy to read and a great story to escape into. It's vivid and well written, with every setting and character easy to picture. And did I mention, cupcakes?
Overall it was good, a little heavy on the romance maybe, but an enjoyable read non the less. I would recommend this to most YA readers, but I think that it's more suited to a teenage audience. Which I know is technically what YA is, but I also know what a lot of you lovely lot are no longer in your teens - myself included. But as I've said, overall definitely worth adding to your TBR lists.
May 28, 2014
Rachel Schieffelbein... you satisfy my romance bone with every book you write. And yes, that sounds weird and creepy. No, I don't care. :)
The Gist
Sheltered Anya meets sensitive and sweet Zander at the library, and they fall fast for each other. But Anya's mother who refuses to allow her to date or go outside for long periods of time. And Zander grows frustrated at the secrecy of the relationship, not knowing the extent of the
The Characters
Anya is sweet, quiet, and yearns for adventure. I loved watching her slowly take risks, step outside herself, and find out who she is. She longs for the approval of her mom-a kind word or compliment here or there. And the love she has for a person who, quite honestly, is hard to love made her that much more likable.
Zander is one of the nicest guys I've read in YA fiction. (and I love a bookworm ;)) I also liked that even though he is sweet, patient, caring, and not afraid to express himself, he was also strong and well... a guy. I never once found him feminine which is a hard feat when writing a character like this.
The Writing
Simple and beautiful. I love the way Rachel tells a story. It's straight-forward, pacing is flawless, and I don't have to spend paragraph after paragraph on how the forest looked. I get to read how the surroundings effected the characters. It's the best type of reading experience for me.
Why I Totally Recommend
This book was short and sweet, with that heart pounding love story and heart breaking family story. I love retellings, and this one is no exception. Teens would enjoy the simplicity of it, and the underlying message that is weaved throughout the pages. If you're looking for a sweet YA that leaves a goofy smile on your face, I'd pick this one up.
Enjoy, loves! <3!
January 3, 2016
3.5 stars rounded up to 4!
I wasn't really expecting to like this book that much considering my bad experience with YA and romances but this book was really good.
This book is about Anya who has a very protective mother. Anya falls in love with Zander but her mother doesn't like that and she looks her in her room like Rapunzel(???) The blurb says it is a retelling so....
Well, it wasn't bad. It was boring at times but I liked the way characters are written. Every character has specific traits and they are written very minutely. The parts about sitting in the clearing at night reminded me on twilight, but zander's not a vampire so no worries there :P
I initially picked this book only because of the cover (yes, glares' coming, I know) but it is so so beautiful!
Anyway, 3.5 stars, overall :)
I wasn't really expecting to like this book that much considering my bad experience with YA and romances but this book was really good.
This book is about Anya who has a very protective mother. Anya falls in love with Zander but her mother doesn't like that and she looks her in her room like Rapunzel(???) The blurb says it is a retelling so....
Well, it wasn't bad. It was boring at times but I liked the way characters are written. Every character has specific traits and they are written very minutely. The parts about sitting in the clearing at night reminded me on twilight, but zander's not a vampire so no worries there :P
I initially picked this book only because of the cover (yes, glares' coming, I know) but it is so so beautiful!
Anyway, 3.5 stars, overall :)
May 27, 2014
4.5 stars -- OK, so it had me at Rapunzel retelling, but it's really more of a Rapunzel inspired tale -- like what if you took some of the elements of that story and tried to imagine them in real life in the modern world. It was a great success. Anya was so sweet and naive and innocent, but I could totally buy it given the way she grew up and all the tidbits of her history we were given. Zander was unbelievably adorable....he was kind of more of a beta male, and I wasn't expecting that. Very pleasant surprise. I mean seriously, who doesn't love a mischievous bookworm??? They had great chemistry together too. It started off as this totally believable epic crush, but transitioned perfectly to something that I could see was more and real love.
My pleasant surprise came with Anya's mother.... I had set myself up to anticipate a truly evil woman, b/c quite honestly in Tangled she is one of the most insidious and evil characters I've ever seen. But that wasn't what we got. Which was kind of marvelous and unexpected. I seriously kept expecting some additionally horrible revelation, and when I didn't get it, instead of being disappointed I was impressed. B/C she had way more character development than I was expecting, and it was just so very real and heartbreaking and believable how someone could let their grief and fear and guilt overwhelm them into making truly horrible choices. I even liked that the resolution with her character wasn't quick and 100%....but slow to turn around. Believable. That's just what I keep thinking.
I was enthralled with Zander and Anya's love throughout the book, but the ending with the mother is what hit this book out of the park for me. Such a great surprise.
My pleasant surprise came with Anya's mother.... I had set myself up to anticipate a truly evil woman, b/c quite honestly in Tangled she is one of the most insidious and evil characters I've ever seen. But that wasn't what we got. Which was kind of marvelous and unexpected. I seriously kept expecting some additionally horrible revelation, and when I didn't get it, instead of being disappointed I was impressed. B/C she had way more character development than I was expecting, and it was just so very real and heartbreaking and believable how someone could let their grief and fear and guilt overwhelm them into making truly horrible choices. I even liked that the resolution with her character wasn't quick and 100%....but slow to turn around. Believable. That's just what I keep thinking.
I was enthralled with Zander and Anya's love throughout the book, but the ending with the mother is what hit this book out of the park for me. Such a great surprise.
November 28, 2014
4 stars - Such a great YA fairy tale!
I haven't read a lot of fairy tale stories but this one appealed to me. I've been in the mood for a good YA and this totally fit the bill.
Let me start by saying I love the cover. It's whimsical and fits the story so well. I also adore the names of the characters. Anya is such a pretty name and Zander is just a yummy boy. Loved that.
I read this straight through. I don't remember a book that went so fast as this one did. I just glanced down and it was done. How did that happen? I think it was that fairy tale magic.
Clearly a fairy tale but in modern clothes, Anya is being locked away by her over protective mother. Having lost her own daughter in a tragic way, her adoptive mom feels the need to keep her safe at the cost of her social life.
Anya meets Zander at the library when she can't help but take his picture. It's a sweet moment when he looks up and realizes what's up. Their relationship develops as they meet at the only place Anya is allowed to go, the library, twice a week. Soon, that isn't enough for either of them. But Anya is afraid to tell her mother.
Things play out as one might expect but I just smiled as the story unfolded. So good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The story is just so sweet and delicious. It's the perfect YA read and a great one for adults to enjoy too. I accepted it as a fairy tale and just enjoyed it. I'm sure anyone who loves YA would enjoy this one too.
I haven't read a lot of fairy tale stories but this one appealed to me. I've been in the mood for a good YA and this totally fit the bill.
Let me start by saying I love the cover. It's whimsical and fits the story so well. I also adore the names of the characters. Anya is such a pretty name and Zander is just a yummy boy. Loved that.
I read this straight through. I don't remember a book that went so fast as this one did. I just glanced down and it was done. How did that happen? I think it was that fairy tale magic.
Clearly a fairy tale but in modern clothes, Anya is being locked away by her over protective mother. Having lost her own daughter in a tragic way, her adoptive mom feels the need to keep her safe at the cost of her social life.
Anya meets Zander at the library when she can't help but take his picture. It's a sweet moment when he looks up and realizes what's up. Their relationship develops as they meet at the only place Anya is allowed to go, the library, twice a week. Soon, that isn't enough for either of them. But Anya is afraid to tell her mother.
Things play out as one might expect but I just smiled as the story unfolded. So good. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The story is just so sweet and delicious. It's the perfect YA read and a great one for adults to enjoy too. I accepted it as a fairy tale and just enjoyed it. I'm sure anyone who loves YA would enjoy this one too.
June 2, 2014
Young adult romance can often be hit or miss, and all too often, they are not very well written. I am quite happy to report that this book definitely has the practically perfect young adult romance formula. There are only minimal profanity issues--hardly worth mentioning, and it is implied that the two main characters slept together, but no details are given. I would honestly have no problem letting my almost 11-year-old daughter read this book (although she is not "into romances"). For this, I give the author kudos.
Why did I not give it a five-star rating? For me, even speaking from a young adult standpoint, it was a bit too sappy at times, and I felt that the ending was too perfect. I prefer more realism in my reading, so that is my only complaint. If you are a fan of young adult mushy romantic novels, you would probably love this. It definitely does live up to being a modern-day Rapunzel.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
Why did I not give it a five-star rating? For me, even speaking from a young adult standpoint, it was a bit too sappy at times, and I felt that the ending was too perfect. I prefer more realism in my reading, so that is my only complaint. If you are a fan of young adult mushy romantic novels, you would probably love this. It definitely does live up to being a modern-day Rapunzel.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not financially compensated, and all opinions are 100 percent mine.
May 28, 2016
Anya and Zander's story was a sweet one. Anya is a seventeen year old who isn't allowed to go anywhere except the library because her mum's overprotective. She meets Zander in the library, and the story is about how they love each other and how Anya's overprotective mother finally learns to accept Anya's decisions. Sweet, but a little too cheesy for my tastes.. The book is a modern-day retelling of Rapunzel, and I think the author did a good job, if not great, in delivering the story.
May 27, 2014
4.5 Slow Down, Don't Fall Stars
Don't Fall was unexpected-in a good way. Let's not get all panicky over that word, now ;) It was unbelievably cute. Like kittens giving each other eskimo kisses cute. But by the cover I was expected something different. Don't know why, just did :)
In a nutshell:
Sheltered girl meets romantic boy through the bookshelves of a library (yeah... sold. I used to dream about finding my soul mate in a library *nerd alert*) But she's not allowed to date. She's not even allowed outside really with the exception of the library. So when he falls ridiculously in love with her adorableness, you can imagine that puts a hitch in things.
Zander and Anya had one of those fairy tale fall in love stories. It was princess-erific, Disney movie worthy, and was a great retelling of Rapunzel with the modern day twist-though most of the concepts I found to be a bit stretched on the believable factor, but that's okay. I liked the fantasy romance of it.
There was only one thing that kept me from giving a full five stars, and it's so small which is why I rounded up :) The characters were so pinch their cheeks cute that I often pictured them much younger than they actually were. Zander's heading to college and Anya turns 18, and yes, that's young. But I felt with their interactions, internal dialogue they could be even younger. So when Though this could be because 18 year olds are often portrayed much OLDER than what 18 year olds actually act like. So yes, I'm torn on the whole thing.
That being said, this was an adorable read, fast and simple, with a bit of heartbreak. The mother/daughter struggle in this sure had me screaming at my kindle hoping and praying that sweet Anya would speak up and let her mom know how she felt. The end was very satisfying, and I felt like the author wrapped everything up nicely. No loose ends, and I lurve that.
Recommended to anyone looking for a light, sweet romance. But it is VERY YA. So if that's not your thing, than keep it in mind.
Happy Reading! Mwwwwah!
Don't Fall was unexpected-in a good way. Let's not get all panicky over that word, now ;) It was unbelievably cute. Like kittens giving each other eskimo kisses cute. But by the cover I was expected something different. Don't know why, just did :)
In a nutshell:
Sheltered girl meets romantic boy through the bookshelves of a library (yeah... sold. I used to dream about finding my soul mate in a library *nerd alert*) But she's not allowed to date. She's not even allowed outside really with the exception of the library. So when he falls ridiculously in love with her adorableness, you can imagine that puts a hitch in things.
Zander and Anya had one of those fairy tale fall in love stories. It was princess-erific, Disney movie worthy, and was a great retelling of Rapunzel with the modern day twist-though most of the concepts I found to be a bit stretched on the believable factor, but that's okay. I liked the fantasy romance of it.
There was only one thing that kept me from giving a full five stars, and it's so small which is why I rounded up :) The characters were so pinch their cheeks cute that I often pictured them much younger than they actually were. Zander's heading to college and Anya turns 18, and yes, that's young. But I felt with their interactions, internal dialogue they could be even younger. So when Though this could be because 18 year olds are often portrayed much OLDER than what 18 year olds actually act like. So yes, I'm torn on the whole thing.
That being said, this was an adorable read, fast and simple, with a bit of heartbreak. The mother/daughter struggle in this sure had me screaming at my kindle hoping and praying that sweet Anya would speak up and let her mom know how she felt. The end was very satisfying, and I felt like the author wrapped everything up nicely. No loose ends, and I lurve that.
Recommended to anyone looking for a light, sweet romance. But it is VERY YA. So if that's not your thing, than keep it in mind.
Happy Reading! Mwwwwah!
June 24, 2014
**See this full review and more at http://bookbriefs.net**
Don't Fall is a completely contemporary retelling of Rapunzel. I have read 3 or 4 re-tellings of Rapunzel now to date and this was a really interesting one. I know the very first line of the summary states that it is a contemporary retelling, but even going into the book knowing that I wasn't sure what to expect. I was reading and enjoying the story, but I kept thinking in the back of my head, "what is the twist going to be". And while there were a few little twists and turns that I didn't see coming, this book really is 100% a contemporary story about a girl with a very over-protective mother. It was a fresh spin on Rapunzel, very fitting for this day and age actually.
I felt for Anya. Her mom is so over the top protective. She is only allowed to venture outside of her house to go to the library. And even then, the main librarian is a friend of the mothers so she is basically a spy. The girl has no where to go. She is tutored at home, only interacts with her mom and goes to the local library two days a week. I think it was because she was so sheltered that her interactions with the cute boy, Zander were so adorable. It made me smile to see the two of them together. Everything about them was sweet and innocent. It was so cute how Zander would wait for Anya every Tuesday and Thursday.
It was so interesting seeing the split in emotions that Don't Fall made me feel. I would go from being so happy with a goofy grin on my face watching Zander and Anya get closer and closer, to feeling so sad for Anya when I would watch her get locked away at home again. Every time she tried to speak to her mother she was met with "no's" and stony silence. Her mother would not even discuss anything except expecting a complete devotion to her "rules".
Don't Fall is a standalone book that I think so many will really enjoy. The story is cute and very easy to get into. It is a super quick read; one that you can finish in an afternoon. It is my first book that I have read by Rachel Schieffelbein and I really enjoyed it.
Don't Fall is a completely contemporary retelling of Rapunzel. I have read 3 or 4 re-tellings of Rapunzel now to date and this was a really interesting one. I know the very first line of the summary states that it is a contemporary retelling, but even going into the book knowing that I wasn't sure what to expect. I was reading and enjoying the story, but I kept thinking in the back of my head, "what is the twist going to be". And while there were a few little twists and turns that I didn't see coming, this book really is 100% a contemporary story about a girl with a very over-protective mother. It was a fresh spin on Rapunzel, very fitting for this day and age actually.
I felt for Anya. Her mom is so over the top protective. She is only allowed to venture outside of her house to go to the library. And even then, the main librarian is a friend of the mothers so she is basically a spy. The girl has no where to go. She is tutored at home, only interacts with her mom and goes to the local library two days a week. I think it was because she was so sheltered that her interactions with the cute boy, Zander were so adorable. It made me smile to see the two of them together. Everything about them was sweet and innocent. It was so cute how Zander would wait for Anya every Tuesday and Thursday.
It was so interesting seeing the split in emotions that Don't Fall made me feel. I would go from being so happy with a goofy grin on my face watching Zander and Anya get closer and closer, to feeling so sad for Anya when I would watch her get locked away at home again. Every time she tried to speak to her mother she was met with "no's" and stony silence. Her mother would not even discuss anything except expecting a complete devotion to her "rules".
Don't Fall is a standalone book that I think so many will really enjoy. The story is cute and very easy to get into. It is a super quick read; one that you can finish in an afternoon. It is my first book that I have read by Rachel Schieffelbein and I really enjoyed it.
May 31, 2014
DNF
All tell, now show.
Review coming soon.
All tell, now show.
Review coming soon.
July 13, 2015
honestly I don't know what I thought about this.
April 4, 2016
A fun contemporary retelling of Rapunzel. I read this in one day! Anya and Zander were both such likable characters that I found myself rooting for them in every chapter. Loved the dual POV as well.
June 14, 2014
★★★½
Rapunzel. You know the drill. Girl with super-long hair locked in a super-tall tower by a super-evil witch, all over some stolen lettuce. There’s also a super-determined prince, and in more recent versions, the occasional frying pan. It’s a fairytale filled with fantastical oddities. So when I saw in the blurb that Don’t Fall is a contemporary retelling of Rapunzel, I was definitely more than a little curious as to how Rachel was going to achieve this, while still holding on to the things that make Rapunzel such a unique story. What I discovered is an interesting and relatively realistic portrayal of how the basic story of Rapunzel could play out in real-world, non-magical circumstances. Schieffelbein has obviously put a lot of thought into how to make the basic plot points work practically within our world, and ends up with a story that roughly parallels the fairy tale in way that is organic, not forced.
Anya is our Rapunzel. Cloistered away from life by her extremely over-protective mother, Anya’s world is limited to her home and the public library. She’s monitored constantly and privately tutored, which effectively means she’s got no real friends or social life to speak of. And the one real relationship she does have, her mother, is a complicated one. This being all she’s ever known, Anya deals with her situation better than most would, I imagine. It is, after all, all she’s ever known. Anya’s generally a pretty sunny, “glass half full” kind of person; passionate, artistic, funny, cute, friendly, and kind. And while perhaps dissatisfied with her extremely limited boundaries, she gives no thought to escaping her mother’s prison until meeting Zander introduces her to all kinds of new possibilities.
Zander is a very sweet, very normal guy. A little clueless, a little nervous, he becomes all kinds of adorable whenever Anya’s around. He’s just a good guy too, and remarkably patient. I particularly loved his relationship with his parents, and more specifically, his mom. It’s sweet.
And since we’re talking about it, may I just say that I like Rachel’s portrayal of teenagers. They feel authentic. A little angsty, a bit naive, living in their own microcosm, in the midst of self-discovery, almost adult, but not quite there yet. The parents still play a large, and influential role in their teen’s lives (for better or for worse); there are rules to follow and expectations to meet. It’s just refreshing to read about teens who feel like actual teens.
And this played out into the romance as well. It was sweet, and cute, and at times adorably awkward. However, once their secret romance gets more serious, the whole “When are you going to confront your mom?”/”I should really tell my mom.” aspect did start getting a bit old. But, that said, I understood Anya’s reluctance to rock the boat. She’s been conditioned by her mother, and has a deep fear of disappointing her. For years, she’s lived this abnormal, anti-social, restrictive life which is arguably a form of emotional abuse, and to stand up to her mother is a huge, life-altering deal. So, I get it. I do. But still.
Also, I will say that I expected something slightly edgier and a bit darker than Don’t Fall ended up being. If you’re familiar with the original fairytale, you probably have some inkling as to what I’m referring to, and the plot certainly had the opportunity to go those routes if it had been so inclined. However, it never went to the dark places. I’ll admit, part of me wishes it had. I think it would’ve been really interesting to see where those paths would’ve led. But, I also appreciate the fact that it didn’t. Sometimes I just need a book that leaves me happy sighing upon reading the last page, and Don’t Fall is that book.
Overall, Don’t Fall is a cute, romantic, refreshingly feel-good retelling of Rapunzel.
Rapunzel. You know the drill. Girl with super-long hair locked in a super-tall tower by a super-evil witch, all over some stolen lettuce. There’s also a super-determined prince, and in more recent versions, the occasional frying pan. It’s a fairytale filled with fantastical oddities. So when I saw in the blurb that Don’t Fall is a contemporary retelling of Rapunzel, I was definitely more than a little curious as to how Rachel was going to achieve this, while still holding on to the things that make Rapunzel such a unique story. What I discovered is an interesting and relatively realistic portrayal of how the basic story of Rapunzel could play out in real-world, non-magical circumstances. Schieffelbein has obviously put a lot of thought into how to make the basic plot points work practically within our world, and ends up with a story that roughly parallels the fairy tale in way that is organic, not forced.
Anya is our Rapunzel. Cloistered away from life by her extremely over-protective mother, Anya’s world is limited to her home and the public library. She’s monitored constantly and privately tutored, which effectively means she’s got no real friends or social life to speak of. And the one real relationship she does have, her mother, is a complicated one. This being all she’s ever known, Anya deals with her situation better than most would, I imagine. It is, after all, all she’s ever known. Anya’s generally a pretty sunny, “glass half full” kind of person; passionate, artistic, funny, cute, friendly, and kind. And while perhaps dissatisfied with her extremely limited boundaries, she gives no thought to escaping her mother’s prison until meeting Zander introduces her to all kinds of new possibilities.
Zander is a very sweet, very normal guy. A little clueless, a little nervous, he becomes all kinds of adorable whenever Anya’s around. He’s just a good guy too, and remarkably patient. I particularly loved his relationship with his parents, and more specifically, his mom. It’s sweet.
And since we’re talking about it, may I just say that I like Rachel’s portrayal of teenagers. They feel authentic. A little angsty, a bit naive, living in their own microcosm, in the midst of self-discovery, almost adult, but not quite there yet. The parents still play a large, and influential role in their teen’s lives (for better or for worse); there are rules to follow and expectations to meet. It’s just refreshing to read about teens who feel like actual teens.
And this played out into the romance as well. It was sweet, and cute, and at times adorably awkward. However, once their secret romance gets more serious, the whole “When are you going to confront your mom?”/”I should really tell my mom.” aspect did start getting a bit old. But, that said, I understood Anya’s reluctance to rock the boat. She’s been conditioned by her mother, and has a deep fear of disappointing her. For years, she’s lived this abnormal, anti-social, restrictive life which is arguably a form of emotional abuse, and to stand up to her mother is a huge, life-altering deal. So, I get it. I do. But still.
Also, I will say that I expected something slightly edgier and a bit darker than Don’t Fall ended up being. If you’re familiar with the original fairytale, you probably have some inkling as to what I’m referring to, and the plot certainly had the opportunity to go those routes if it had been so inclined. However, it never went to the dark places. I’ll admit, part of me wishes it had. I think it would’ve been really interesting to see where those paths would’ve led. But, I also appreciate the fact that it didn’t. Sometimes I just need a book that leaves me happy sighing upon reading the last page, and Don’t Fall is that book.
Overall, Don’t Fall is a cute, romantic, refreshingly feel-good retelling of Rapunzel.
May 28, 2014
Review Originally Posted at: Book Freak
Rating: 4.5 Stars
One thing I love most about this book is the COVER! Look at it and tell me it isn’t beautiful! I instantly fell in love with it – mesmerized by the purple color and all those glitters that almost scream PARANORMAL.
Thank goodness, it’s not.
This was a short-read that I finished before I went to sleep – yes, sort of a bed time story since the blurb says it’s a retelling of RAPUNZEl. Don’t Fall is the story of a teenage girl who have been sheltered and protected by her adoptive mother until a boy sweeps her off her feet.
She was seventeen and the only place she was allowed to be was in the Library. Anya wasn’t allowed to date or to meet other people. Her life revolved around her photography and her mother. She was homeschooled. She didn’t have any friends at all. At first, she didn’t have any problem with it. She enjoyed reading books, and loves to read. She would do anything to make her mom happy. Until, she meets Zander.
Before she knew it, she was lying to her mother and sneaking out with a boy who makes her feel happier, and makes her life more interesting. Romance starts to blossom, and she was starting to fall for him. Zander feels the same way – but he wants more than just being a secret. He wanted Anya to tell her mother about them. He wanted to date her. He wanted to text her freely. He wanted to hold her hand in public. But until Anya tells her mother, they could only spend Tuesdays and Thursdays together, or the evening sneaking off. Zander was getting tired of it – if she wants to be with him, she will have to tell her mother and risk her relationship with the only other person she’s ever care about.
Love is shown in different way, and accepted in a lot of ways as well. But when love is being locked in a cage, it will always try to escape. Anya was contented of what she has, until Zander came into her life and showed her how to live and love. I understand Anya’s love for her mother and how she wanted to please her so much as to delaying in telling her about her relationship with Zander. She knew her mom, and she knew her mom would not understand. But heck – it was okay if she was younger. This girl is seventeen, turning eighteen – she is in the peak of her teens and she deserve to have fun like any other girls her age. But a painful past had made her mother wary about the outside world – and no matter how much Anya wanted to make her see reason, her mother wouldn’t hear of it.
I was waiting for Anya to finally grow some balls and tell her mother, it was frustrating at times. And I pity Zander, but he did try to understand and tried not to pressure it. He tried to be patient, but of course, patience would always reach it’s limits.
I think this novel got me scared, for a while there, I was thinking – perhaps this book has the same plot with HOPELESS. I hope not. I wanted this story to be different! I was so glad when it went to the other direction – relieved actually.
This might be a short read, but it is filled with emotions, and you can’t help but pin on the characters. You will fall in love with them, hate them, get frustrated – but at the end of the day, you just couldn’t help but love them. If you want a short, sweet read that has the capability to make you swoon in less pages, this is the book for you!
✪Complimentary Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.✪
More of my reviews at http://reviewsofabookmaniac.blogspot.com
Rating: 4.5 Stars
One thing I love most about this book is the COVER! Look at it and tell me it isn’t beautiful! I instantly fell in love with it – mesmerized by the purple color and all those glitters that almost scream PARANORMAL.
Thank goodness, it’s not.
This was a short-read that I finished before I went to sleep – yes, sort of a bed time story since the blurb says it’s a retelling of RAPUNZEl. Don’t Fall is the story of a teenage girl who have been sheltered and protected by her adoptive mother until a boy sweeps her off her feet.
She was seventeen and the only place she was allowed to be was in the Library. Anya wasn’t allowed to date or to meet other people. Her life revolved around her photography and her mother. She was homeschooled. She didn’t have any friends at all. At first, she didn’t have any problem with it. She enjoyed reading books, and loves to read. She would do anything to make her mom happy. Until, she meets Zander.
Before she knew it, she was lying to her mother and sneaking out with a boy who makes her feel happier, and makes her life more interesting. Romance starts to blossom, and she was starting to fall for him. Zander feels the same way – but he wants more than just being a secret. He wanted Anya to tell her mother about them. He wanted to date her. He wanted to text her freely. He wanted to hold her hand in public. But until Anya tells her mother, they could only spend Tuesdays and Thursdays together, or the evening sneaking off. Zander was getting tired of it – if she wants to be with him, she will have to tell her mother and risk her relationship with the only other person she’s ever care about.
Love is shown in different way, and accepted in a lot of ways as well. But when love is being locked in a cage, it will always try to escape. Anya was contented of what she has, until Zander came into her life and showed her how to live and love. I understand Anya’s love for her mother and how she wanted to please her so much as to delaying in telling her about her relationship with Zander. She knew her mom, and she knew her mom would not understand. But heck – it was okay if she was younger. This girl is seventeen, turning eighteen – she is in the peak of her teens and she deserve to have fun like any other girls her age. But a painful past had made her mother wary about the outside world – and no matter how much Anya wanted to make her see reason, her mother wouldn’t hear of it.
I was waiting for Anya to finally grow some balls and tell her mother, it was frustrating at times. And I pity Zander, but he did try to understand and tried not to pressure it. He tried to be patient, but of course, patience would always reach it’s limits.
I think this novel got me scared, for a while there, I was thinking – perhaps this book has the same plot with HOPELESS. I hope not. I wanted this story to be different! I was so glad when it went to the other direction – relieved actually.
This might be a short read, but it is filled with emotions, and you can’t help but pin on the characters. You will fall in love with them, hate them, get frustrated – but at the end of the day, you just couldn’t help but love them. If you want a short, sweet read that has the capability to make you swoon in less pages, this is the book for you!
✪Complimentary Copy was given in exchange for an honest review.✪
More of my reviews at http://reviewsofabookmaniac.blogspot.com
July 29, 2014
I kind of lost track that this was a fairy tale retelling. It was a retelling of Rapunzel. I loved that story and I loved the Disney version. It was awful to watch it unfold as a modern day story. I love retellings, but this mother was cruel. It seems weird to see it put in modern times with a parent like that. I loved this version too, don’t get me wrong.
We have Zander, a boy getting ready to go to college and get an apartment with his cousin. He had a loving family with regular family issues. He likes to read and spends some time in the library. He is a good kid and patient. He is wonderful and thoughtful with Anya.
We have Anya (the Rapunzel character) who does have long hair always kept in braids and around her head. She loves to take pictures with her camera and play with the things she can do with them. She is homeschooled. Her mother keeps her on a tight leash and doesn’t want her out in the world. She thinks the world is cruel. So, she only lets her go to the library twice a week. There she has her one and only friend who is the main librarian’s daughter. That way her mother can still keep her eye on her through the friend or her mother. Anya is a kind and sweet girl. She really wants to be happy and tries to please her mother.
But fate sets in and she meets Zander when she takes his picture in the library. He wants to see the picture she took and they form an attachment as they talk and visit with each other every Tuesday and Thursday at the library.
Zander wants to take her on a date and be more than just friends. But Anya’s mother won’t allow anything. Anya is almost 18 and so she tries to talk to her mother to see if she can go out on a date or when she will be able to do other things. But clearly, Anya’s mother isn’t going to budge, she is basically keeping Anya prisoner in her own home. So Anya risks it and goes to a bakery shop with Zander. Zander likes that she goes there with him but Anya has to sneak to do it. Zander wants her to talk to her mother and find out when she can date. The answer is pretty much NEVER! Zander and Anya push their time together by Zander coming to her house at night and she sneaks out and they spend time in the woods behind her house.
But eventually, her mother finds out and her cruelty shows. So now what will Anya and Zander do?
I enjoyed watching Anya grow and become her own person instead of just pleasing her mother and afraid to get her mother to see reason. I liked seeing how patient Zander is with her, willing to wait for Anya to talk to her mother and learning from his mistakes of pushing her a little too much to see her.
But, I would still react the same as any mother who finds her daughter sneaking out in the middle of the night to be with a boy. I would not be happy and wonder what kind of boy would do that. I understand that her mother left them little choice, just sayin….
If you like retellings, long hair, learning to stand up for yourself, enjoying a hobby like photography, cupcakes, family and finding first love, then this is for you
We have Zander, a boy getting ready to go to college and get an apartment with his cousin. He had a loving family with regular family issues. He likes to read and spends some time in the library. He is a good kid and patient. He is wonderful and thoughtful with Anya.
We have Anya (the Rapunzel character) who does have long hair always kept in braids and around her head. She loves to take pictures with her camera and play with the things she can do with them. She is homeschooled. Her mother keeps her on a tight leash and doesn’t want her out in the world. She thinks the world is cruel. So, she only lets her go to the library twice a week. There she has her one and only friend who is the main librarian’s daughter. That way her mother can still keep her eye on her through the friend or her mother. Anya is a kind and sweet girl. She really wants to be happy and tries to please her mother.
But fate sets in and she meets Zander when she takes his picture in the library. He wants to see the picture she took and they form an attachment as they talk and visit with each other every Tuesday and Thursday at the library.
Zander wants to take her on a date and be more than just friends. But Anya’s mother won’t allow anything. Anya is almost 18 and so she tries to talk to her mother to see if she can go out on a date or when she will be able to do other things. But clearly, Anya’s mother isn’t going to budge, she is basically keeping Anya prisoner in her own home. So Anya risks it and goes to a bakery shop with Zander. Zander likes that she goes there with him but Anya has to sneak to do it. Zander wants her to talk to her mother and find out when she can date. The answer is pretty much NEVER! Zander and Anya push their time together by Zander coming to her house at night and she sneaks out and they spend time in the woods behind her house.
But eventually, her mother finds out and her cruelty shows. So now what will Anya and Zander do?
I enjoyed watching Anya grow and become her own person instead of just pleasing her mother and afraid to get her mother to see reason. I liked seeing how patient Zander is with her, willing to wait for Anya to talk to her mother and learning from his mistakes of pushing her a little too much to see her.
But, I would still react the same as any mother who finds her daughter sneaking out in the middle of the night to be with a boy. I would not be happy and wonder what kind of boy would do that. I understand that her mother left them little choice, just sayin….
If you like retellings, long hair, learning to stand up for yourself, enjoying a hobby like photography, cupcakes, family and finding first love, then this is for you
July 1, 2014
This is exactly the kind of story I wanted to start out my summer with! Sure, technically I have a week left of work before my students and I are on summer vacation, but it's officially June, and that's close enough for me! I have already decided that this summer I want to read a lot of light, contemporary books, and this story certainly gave me what I was looking for. Along with that, it was a quick read and I got through it in one sitting, mostly because I did not want to put the book down.
Now, I would not say that this book is exactly a "retelling" of Rapunzel, but I can see how there are some similarities between the princess and our main character, Anya. Her mother has kept her locked inside their small home for fifteen years. She was not allowed to even go to school, and the library was the only place that she was allowed to go on her own. Even then, she had to text her mother and let her know that she had made it there. That was one of my favorite things, the modern concepts were all there, something you would look for in a modern-day retelling.
While I did not believe the story was actually a retelling itself, I do believe that the cover makes me think of Rapunzel. I am such a cover snob, and I really love this one. The colors are amazing, and I love the golden hair going over her face. It certainly makes me think of Rapunzel, and it really helped me get into that mind set a bit more as I read the story. The cover was part of what convinced me to read this book for the tour, after all.
Anya is a wonderful main character; she is exactly how you would expect a teenage girl to be when she has been held up in the house all of the time. Shy, naive, unaware of how things are supposed to be. It makes complete since, and I had a lot of sympathy for her because of it (and a lot of frustration and unhappiness for her mother because of it). She lives behind the lens of her camera, which is how she meets Zander. She takes a picture of him, sure he won't realize, but he does and their romance begins.
Zander is wonderful, and I actually might like him even more than Anya (horrible of me, I know!). He is so charming though, and he is so understanding when it comes to the situation that Anya is in. Still, I can understand why he became frustrated when he gets tired of having to sneak around in order to see Anya. The whole thing was a lovely read; I loved the relationship that bloomed, and I loved getting to see Anya grow as a character. This was such a relaxed, enjoyable read and I would recommend it to any YA contemporary fans.
Now, I would not say that this book is exactly a "retelling" of Rapunzel, but I can see how there are some similarities between the princess and our main character, Anya. Her mother has kept her locked inside their small home for fifteen years. She was not allowed to even go to school, and the library was the only place that she was allowed to go on her own. Even then, she had to text her mother and let her know that she had made it there. That was one of my favorite things, the modern concepts were all there, something you would look for in a modern-day retelling.
While I did not believe the story was actually a retelling itself, I do believe that the cover makes me think of Rapunzel. I am such a cover snob, and I really love this one. The colors are amazing, and I love the golden hair going over her face. It certainly makes me think of Rapunzel, and it really helped me get into that mind set a bit more as I read the story. The cover was part of what convinced me to read this book for the tour, after all.
Anya is a wonderful main character; she is exactly how you would expect a teenage girl to be when she has been held up in the house all of the time. Shy, naive, unaware of how things are supposed to be. It makes complete since, and I had a lot of sympathy for her because of it (and a lot of frustration and unhappiness for her mother because of it). She lives behind the lens of her camera, which is how she meets Zander. She takes a picture of him, sure he won't realize, but he does and their romance begins.
Zander is wonderful, and I actually might like him even more than Anya (horrible of me, I know!). He is so charming though, and he is so understanding when it comes to the situation that Anya is in. Still, I can understand why he became frustrated when he gets tired of having to sneak around in order to see Anya. The whole thing was a lovely read; I loved the relationship that bloomed, and I loved getting to see Anya grow as a character. This was such a relaxed, enjoyable read and I would recommend it to any YA contemporary fans.
May 30, 2014
What to say? It's fun and lighthearted and a magical kind of romance, everything a fairytale inspired book should be. It's swoon worthy and fast paced and I just loved every minute of it, especially the similarities to Rapunzel in this contemporary magic free book.
A few of my favorite things -
-Anya - I loved Anya, she's a book worm which is always a plus and I loved the references to different YA books in it. Honestly the main things I loved about her though were that even though she is essentially locked away in her house and has next to no interaction with people she's not naive, and she doesn't hold it against her mom, yes she finally comes to realize that it's not right what her mom has done to her but she doesn't hate her for that. She's mature and caring and a breath of fresh air in the world of YA.
-Zander - He's sweet and cute and swoon worthy. I feel like that's all I need to say on his character. =)
-Anya's mom - Mainly I loved the back story, I wasn't sure how that was going to work when going into this book and how the author was going to tie it into a Rapunzel retelling type thing, whatever you want to call it, but it was perfect. It made total sense of why her mom locked her away like that and alternatingly made you feel bad for her and get annoyed because she needs to let the girl live already. All together I thought her character was just done really well.
- Side characters - Blake and Shannon - While neither was in it a ton I loved them both. Shannon is basically Anya's only friend, a fellow book nerd and a key player in that she helps them pass notes and back and forth, which was just so fun and swoon worthy. Blake is Zander's cousin and an equally fun and enjoyable character.
-The pacing - It's fast paced without being too fast. I just loved the way it was told, from both of their points of view and focusing pretty much solely on their time together. It made it easy to read and just really enjoyable.
-The writing- I am not good at describing writing so let's just say it's awesome, okay?
Overall - It's an awesome thoroughly enjoyable book, I read it in like 2 hours and loved every minute of it. There's really not anything bad I can think of to say about it, that's not to say it's perfect but really nothing irritated me I feel like the fast pace helped with that, and yeah it's just fun and magical and everything a fairytale should be, everything I wanted this book to be and yeah, so read it.
A few of my favorite things -
-Anya - I loved Anya, she's a book worm which is always a plus and I loved the references to different YA books in it. Honestly the main things I loved about her though were that even though she is essentially locked away in her house and has next to no interaction with people she's not naive, and she doesn't hold it against her mom, yes she finally comes to realize that it's not right what her mom has done to her but she doesn't hate her for that. She's mature and caring and a breath of fresh air in the world of YA.
-Zander - He's sweet and cute and swoon worthy. I feel like that's all I need to say on his character. =)
-Anya's mom - Mainly I loved the back story, I wasn't sure how that was going to work when going into this book and how the author was going to tie it into a Rapunzel retelling type thing, whatever you want to call it, but it was perfect. It made total sense of why her mom locked her away like that and alternatingly made you feel bad for her and get annoyed because she needs to let the girl live already. All together I thought her character was just done really well.
- Side characters - Blake and Shannon - While neither was in it a ton I loved them both. Shannon is basically Anya's only friend, a fellow book nerd and a key player in that she helps them pass notes and back and forth, which was just so fun and swoon worthy. Blake is Zander's cousin and an equally fun and enjoyable character.
-The pacing - It's fast paced without being too fast. I just loved the way it was told, from both of their points of view and focusing pretty much solely on their time together. It made it easy to read and just really enjoyable.
-The writing- I am not good at describing writing so let's just say it's awesome, okay?
Overall - It's an awesome thoroughly enjoyable book, I read it in like 2 hours and loved every minute of it. There's really not anything bad I can think of to say about it, that's not to say it's perfect but really nothing irritated me I feel like the fast pace helped with that, and yeah it's just fun and magical and everything a fairytale should be, everything I wanted this book to be and yeah, so read it.
May 23, 2014
I love fairy tale re-tellings (obviously), so a modern day Rapunzel story that was written by a fellow Minnesotan was exactly what I needed. And I have to say that there is one word to sum up this book and it's cute. The whole stinking book was so cute! It was a quick, easy, cute read.
Likes:
I loved the pacing. I read the whole book last night, just kept flipping pages and realized that an hour was gone and the whole book was done! I just had so much fun reading!
I loved how Anya was "Rapunzel." Rachel really had her own take on the story, but it made complete sense in the modern day context. I don't want to spoil but it was well done.
I loved both Anya and Zander. They were realistic, cute and wholesome. I have a passion for books and photography, so it was easy to relate to Anya. Zander really wanted to share Anya and with her overprotective mother that was hard, so I thought the conflict there was really well done and not blown out of proportion.
The storyline was just so cute. Anya really reminded me of Cress, the sweet nativity that comes with being sheltered and reading only romantic novels as a basis for the reality of love. I loved the honesty of Anya's emotions.
Dislikes:
The only thing I didn't really love was the insta-love, Zander and Anya met and instantly connected, which I totally see, but it was that insta-love and I wanted a little more of that slow burn connection first. But other than that, I love the book and wanted to snuggle in its cuteness.
Favorite Quote:
"He leaned down and hesitated, his breath warm and staggered. Just when I thought I would burst apart from wanting, he kissed me.
I’d read about butterflies and fireworks, electricity, sparks and flames, your body warming up and getting chills all at the same time. I’d even felt my own body tingle reading their words and longed to feel those things myself.
But now, with Zander’s lips against mine, I realized they were all weak descriptions."
For more reviews visit
A Flurry of Ponderings
Likes:
I loved the pacing. I read the whole book last night, just kept flipping pages and realized that an hour was gone and the whole book was done! I just had so much fun reading!
I loved how Anya was "Rapunzel." Rachel really had her own take on the story, but it made complete sense in the modern day context. I don't want to spoil but it was well done.
I loved both Anya and Zander. They were realistic, cute and wholesome. I have a passion for books and photography, so it was easy to relate to Anya. Zander really wanted to share Anya and with her overprotective mother that was hard, so I thought the conflict there was really well done and not blown out of proportion.
The storyline was just so cute. Anya really reminded me of Cress, the sweet nativity that comes with being sheltered and reading only romantic novels as a basis for the reality of love. I loved the honesty of Anya's emotions.
Dislikes:
The only thing I didn't really love was the insta-love, Zander and Anya met and instantly connected, which I totally see, but it was that insta-love and I wanted a little more of that slow burn connection first. But other than that, I love the book and wanted to snuggle in its cuteness.
Favorite Quote:
"He leaned down and hesitated, his breath warm and staggered. Just when I thought I would burst apart from wanting, he kissed me.
I’d read about butterflies and fireworks, electricity, sparks and flames, your body warming up and getting chills all at the same time. I’d even felt my own body tingle reading their words and longed to feel those things myself.
But now, with Zander’s lips against mine, I realized they were all weak descriptions."
For more reviews visit
A Flurry of Ponderings
June 2, 2014
3.5*
The cover is what drew me in at first, seeing that and then reading the blurb I expected a more darker/heavier story, which wasn't the case at all. Don't Fall is simply adorable, ubersweet and swoon worthy.
Anya is being homeschooled and is not allowed to go anywhere without her mom, except to the library and even then she has to check in with her mom. Alarm bells ringing all over the place for me, but for Anya this is her life and she doesn't know anything else. She does wish she could go out more, meet people and live an adventurous life like the ones she's read about in all her books. Being so sheltered makes her very naive in some ways, though I do love her neverlasting optimism. That girl is just a bundle of sunshine.
When she sees Zander at the library and because the 'light was just right', she has to take his picture. Which then leads to him talking to her and she having to talk back to him. Butterflies and tingles galore. Everything moves really fast between them, but I loved it. There was just this cloud of meant to be, fairy tales and constant sunshine and rainbows around them, that nothing could get them down. Except of course that Anya isn't allowed to date, so the relationship is very hush hush and Zander isn't really liking that.
Standing up against her mother isn't easy for Anya, who all her life has been trying to please her mom and mostly failing. So keeping to a couple rules seems simple, but meeting Zander and wanting to be with him, has her questioning these rules and longing for her freedom. Now her mom wasn't the big bad with from the fairy tale, she was just unreasonable. Though you do get to understand why she is the way she is and why she is so protective over Anya, to me it just seemed like she needed to talk to a therapist asap.
Don't Fall is very heavy on the romance part and it won't leave you with a book hangover, but it will leave you happy and with a smile on your face. The two main characters are simply adorable and Zander will make any teenage girl swoon. It was very well written, straight to the point and no unnecessary drama. It was a great light read, perfect for the Summer or a lazy sunday afternoon.
*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*
The cover is what drew me in at first, seeing that and then reading the blurb I expected a more darker/heavier story, which wasn't the case at all. Don't Fall is simply adorable, ubersweet and swoon worthy.
Anya is being homeschooled and is not allowed to go anywhere without her mom, except to the library and even then she has to check in with her mom. Alarm bells ringing all over the place for me, but for Anya this is her life and she doesn't know anything else. She does wish she could go out more, meet people and live an adventurous life like the ones she's read about in all her books. Being so sheltered makes her very naive in some ways, though I do love her neverlasting optimism. That girl is just a bundle of sunshine.
When she sees Zander at the library and because the 'light was just right', she has to take his picture. Which then leads to him talking to her and she having to talk back to him. Butterflies and tingles galore. Everything moves really fast between them, but I loved it. There was just this cloud of meant to be, fairy tales and constant sunshine and rainbows around them, that nothing could get them down. Except of course that Anya isn't allowed to date, so the relationship is very hush hush and Zander isn't really liking that.
Standing up against her mother isn't easy for Anya, who all her life has been trying to please her mom and mostly failing. So keeping to a couple rules seems simple, but meeting Zander and wanting to be with him, has her questioning these rules and longing for her freedom. Now her mom wasn't the big bad with from the fairy tale, she was just unreasonable. Though you do get to understand why she is the way she is and why she is so protective over Anya, to me it just seemed like she needed to talk to a therapist asap.
Don't Fall is very heavy on the romance part and it won't leave you with a book hangover, but it will leave you happy and with a smile on your face. The two main characters are simply adorable and Zander will make any teenage girl swoon. It was very well written, straight to the point and no unnecessary drama. It was a great light read, perfect for the Summer or a lazy sunday afternoon.
*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*
July 20, 2014
Billed as a contemporary re-telling of the Rapunzel fairy tale, Don’t Fall is essentially a tale of love in the face of great odds. In this case, those odds have to do with Anya breaking away from years of what must be called a form of emotional abuse but only being able to do so because Zander’s love gives her the strength to escape.
It’s easy to like these two even while feeling they’re both very immature. Anya is understandable because her emotional growth has been severely stunted by her mother’s behavior but Zander is simply a few years behind his chronological age; rather than 18, he acts as though he’s 15 and experiencing his first love. In a way, this might not be surprising because he’s the youngest of five children but his parents don’t really seem to baby him. Truth be told, they can hardly wait for him to move out to his own place. That in itself is a little odd—he’s moving into an apartment with his cousin but he has no job so how is he going to pay his share of the rent?
Anya’s childishness, for lack of a better word, is typical of a teen who has grown up completely under the control of a parent and it’s really something of a miracle that she hasn’t rebelled before, perhaps violently. My sympathies were with her more than with Zander because I couldn’t help feeling her fear of confronting her mother wasn’t misplaced and Zander’s insistence that she do so, as well as his manipulating her into doing what he wanted was rather selfish and narcissistic although I still liked him.
Then there’s the mother. If ever a parental character was unlikeable, this is the one. There have been people in real life who respond to tragedy this way but, when the reason for her actions was revealed, I felt no sympathy for her, nor did I when everything came to a critical point. To me, she broke the trust a parent has with a child and her motivations do little to excuse nearly fifteen years of tyranny.
When all is said and done, Don’t Fall is an almost sugary romance with a dark element and that’s what most fairy tales are. This should appeal to many YA readers as well as quite a few who admit to being a tad older than YA :-)
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, June 2014.
It’s easy to like these two even while feeling they’re both very immature. Anya is understandable because her emotional growth has been severely stunted by her mother’s behavior but Zander is simply a few years behind his chronological age; rather than 18, he acts as though he’s 15 and experiencing his first love. In a way, this might not be surprising because he’s the youngest of five children but his parents don’t really seem to baby him. Truth be told, they can hardly wait for him to move out to his own place. That in itself is a little odd—he’s moving into an apartment with his cousin but he has no job so how is he going to pay his share of the rent?
Anya’s childishness, for lack of a better word, is typical of a teen who has grown up completely under the control of a parent and it’s really something of a miracle that she hasn’t rebelled before, perhaps violently. My sympathies were with her more than with Zander because I couldn’t help feeling her fear of confronting her mother wasn’t misplaced and Zander’s insistence that she do so, as well as his manipulating her into doing what he wanted was rather selfish and narcissistic although I still liked him.
Then there’s the mother. If ever a parental character was unlikeable, this is the one. There have been people in real life who respond to tragedy this way but, when the reason for her actions was revealed, I felt no sympathy for her, nor did I when everything came to a critical point. To me, she broke the trust a parent has with a child and her motivations do little to excuse nearly fifteen years of tyranny.
When all is said and done, Don’t Fall is an almost sugary romance with a dark element and that’s what most fairy tales are. This should appeal to many YA readers as well as quite a few who admit to being a tad older than YA :-)
Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, June 2014.
June 20, 2014
Read full review at: www.bookaholic-reads.blogspot.com
*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*
NO SPOILERS!
*3.5/5 stars*
Don't Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein is a modern, re-telling of the classic, 'Rapunzel'. The aspects of Rapunzel were conveyed in this book through the characters and the environment they are living in but this story also had it's own twist to make it special and different from other fairytale re-tellings. This contemporary, love story is a short, interesting read. Schieffelbein has written an excellent book which made the readers feel as if they were present in Anya and Zander's world. Although the beginning was quite slow and difficult to "get into" the story later progressed to a fun, fast paced read. Anya's character was quite unique and special but at times I found her difficult to relate too. Other than that, her character was quite outstanding and courageous. Living through the rules of her overprotective mother was represented through the novel intelligently by Schieffelbein. Zander's character was very opposite to Anya's as I found him relatable too and also the perfect fictional male character. The main romance relationship in this novel was paced out well and was not forced in any way. The novel, which was written in duel narrative, gave us an equal amount of insight on both Anya's and Zander's lives which helped express the emotion of each character more and allowed us, as the readers, to feel a deep connection with the characters. Don't Fall dealt with strong themes such as family and other relationships which Schieffelbein expressed brilliantly throughout her novel. Her elegant writing skills helped tie in the novel all together including unsolved questions and other mysterious to be solved. At times I felt this novel lacking reality and excluding events that would happen in real life relationships. In my point of view, the ending was too perfect to be true, in other words cliche and I really wish the ending was more real as I believed that this novel had potential to be extraordinary. Overall this novel was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to readers in their teens who enjoy romance.
*I RECEIVED THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW*
NO SPOILERS!
*3.5/5 stars*
Don't Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein is a modern, re-telling of the classic, 'Rapunzel'. The aspects of Rapunzel were conveyed in this book through the characters and the environment they are living in but this story also had it's own twist to make it special and different from other fairytale re-tellings. This contemporary, love story is a short, interesting read. Schieffelbein has written an excellent book which made the readers feel as if they were present in Anya and Zander's world. Although the beginning was quite slow and difficult to "get into" the story later progressed to a fun, fast paced read. Anya's character was quite unique and special but at times I found her difficult to relate too. Other than that, her character was quite outstanding and courageous. Living through the rules of her overprotective mother was represented through the novel intelligently by Schieffelbein. Zander's character was very opposite to Anya's as I found him relatable too and also the perfect fictional male character. The main romance relationship in this novel was paced out well and was not forced in any way. The novel, which was written in duel narrative, gave us an equal amount of insight on both Anya's and Zander's lives which helped express the emotion of each character more and allowed us, as the readers, to feel a deep connection with the characters. Don't Fall dealt with strong themes such as family and other relationships which Schieffelbein expressed brilliantly throughout her novel. Her elegant writing skills helped tie in the novel all together including unsolved questions and other mysterious to be solved. At times I felt this novel lacking reality and excluding events that would happen in real life relationships. In my point of view, the ending was too perfect to be true, in other words cliche and I really wish the ending was more real as I believed that this novel had potential to be extraordinary. Overall this novel was a fun read and I would definitely recommend it to readers in their teens who enjoy romance.
June 3, 2014
I have to be honest and say that the only thing that attracted me to the book was the cover and the claim that it is a modern retelling of Rapunzel. So I didn’t know what to expect when I received my ARC copy. You see I’m not usually a romance kind of reader. All my doubts vanished the moment I started reading.
I was instantaneously immersed in Anya world, a girl whose mother has kept her sheltered all her life and whose only excursions happen to be at the library. But in there, she meets Zander, a young college freshman who is enamored by her young presence. As a reader you read both their viewpoints in every chapter, which I found a smart structure. You don’t often get to see from the male’s perspective. Anya is a realistic, total bookworm. Zander is not as fully fledged as Anya, since I find that his interests and characteristics were overshadowed by his love for her. However, reading both their passages was a breeze and Shieffelbein managed to make me care for the couple and to create the urge to go on reading.
There are a few more interesting characters in the book, but the most important one would be Anya’s mother, whose strict rules are what raises the stakes in this quick read. I found her a tinny bit over the top, but overall, all her actions made sense.
The pacing is quite steady, with a few bumps every now and then. It’s a quick read anyway, so it doesn’t bore or drag on for too long.
The most surprising revelation with this novel, however, and the fact that made absolutely adore it, is the fact that this little treasure of a book made me see colors and this synesthesia of rainbows helped go through the characters’ journey and fall in love along with them. Don’t ask me how Rachel Schieffelbein did it, though. I tried to put it down to a certain technical feature the author uses, but came out with nil results. So I decided it is magic. And magic just happens.
And that is why I couldn’t recommend this novel highly enough. It is just THAT good.
I was instantaneously immersed in Anya world, a girl whose mother has kept her sheltered all her life and whose only excursions happen to be at the library. But in there, she meets Zander, a young college freshman who is enamored by her young presence. As a reader you read both their viewpoints in every chapter, which I found a smart structure. You don’t often get to see from the male’s perspective. Anya is a realistic, total bookworm. Zander is not as fully fledged as Anya, since I find that his interests and characteristics were overshadowed by his love for her. However, reading both their passages was a breeze and Shieffelbein managed to make me care for the couple and to create the urge to go on reading.
There are a few more interesting characters in the book, but the most important one would be Anya’s mother, whose strict rules are what raises the stakes in this quick read. I found her a tinny bit over the top, but overall, all her actions made sense.
The pacing is quite steady, with a few bumps every now and then. It’s a quick read anyway, so it doesn’t bore or drag on for too long.
The most surprising revelation with this novel, however, and the fact that made absolutely adore it, is the fact that this little treasure of a book made me see colors and this synesthesia of rainbows helped go through the characters’ journey and fall in love along with them. Don’t ask me how Rachel Schieffelbein did it, though. I tried to put it down to a certain technical feature the author uses, but came out with nil results. So I decided it is magic. And magic just happens.
And that is why I couldn’t recommend this novel highly enough. It is just THAT good.
June 6, 2014
(View this review on My Library in the Making.)
At every mention of Rapunzel to describe a story, what I find myself most curious about is the reason behind the mother hiding her daughter from the rest of the world, and although Don't Fall didn't end up as dark as I'd thought it would, it was still a heartwarming read.
Anya's mother has her living a very sequestered life, and between their house and the library, Anya doesn't have much to do aside from photography. One day, she takes a photo of a boy at the library, but he catches her before she manages to sneak away. Zander and Anya hit it off and the friends become lovers, but their relationship soon feels the strain of Anya's overprotective mother.
It would be easy for some readers to mistake Anya and Zander's romance for insta-love when it's actually more like insta-attraction, which is realistic for two recluses like them. It was so much fun to watch their reluctanct advances towards a relationship, their Tuesdays-and-Thursdays-only meetings at the library and then at a cupcake shop. The story truly is focused on their romance and how it affects Anya and her mother, and it's perfect as a lazy day read.
I thought up all sorts of dark, twisted back stories for Anya's mother and her unusual way of rearing Anya, and while it didn't disappoint, I feel like I wanted more from this aspect of the book. But Don't Fall certainly made up for it in many other ways. Quite a handful of references to other well-known YA books are made in this one, but even without them, I believe Don't Fall is worth a read.
MY FAVORITE PART is the ending :3
At every mention of Rapunzel to describe a story, what I find myself most curious about is the reason behind the mother hiding her daughter from the rest of the world, and although Don't Fall didn't end up as dark as I'd thought it would, it was still a heartwarming read.
Anya's mother has her living a very sequestered life, and between their house and the library, Anya doesn't have much to do aside from photography. One day, she takes a photo of a boy at the library, but he catches her before she manages to sneak away. Zander and Anya hit it off and the friends become lovers, but their relationship soon feels the strain of Anya's overprotective mother.
Somehow, even outside the library and our clearing in the woods, we were still in our own world. Everything else could fade away, and he and I would remain, tied together by something I couldn't quite explain. In its simplest term, love.
It would be easy for some readers to mistake Anya and Zander's romance for insta-love when it's actually more like insta-attraction, which is realistic for two recluses like them. It was so much fun to watch their reluctanct advances towards a relationship, their Tuesdays-and-Thursdays-only meetings at the library and then at a cupcake shop. The story truly is focused on their romance and how it affects Anya and her mother, and it's perfect as a lazy day read.
I thought up all sorts of dark, twisted back stories for Anya's mother and her unusual way of rearing Anya, and while it didn't disappoint, I feel like I wanted more from this aspect of the book. But Don't Fall certainly made up for it in many other ways. Quite a handful of references to other well-known YA books are made in this one, but even without them, I believe Don't Fall is worth a read.
MY FAVORITE PART is the ending :3
September 4, 2014
“When I was little my mom gave me a necklace with a little yellow sun on it. She said it was so I could always have a bit of sunshine with me. I don’t know what happened to it. I suppose I lost it, or broke it, at some point. But I liked the idea of always having a piece of sunshine.” She shrugged against my back. “Yellow reminds me of that.”
“That,” I said, running my hand down one of her braids, “is perfect.” I gave it a tight tug, making her turn her face toward me. “Because I always feel like I have a piece of sunshine whenever I am with you.”
Don’t Fall was an interesting, quick read. I love reimagined fairy tales and when I read that this one was based on Rapunzel I was immediately intrigued since I have never read a Rapunzel retelling. This version takes place in modern times and Anya is confined to her house, instead of a tower, due to an overprotective mom. She is allowed to go to the public library where she ends up meeting Zander. Before long she starts lying to her mom to spend time with him.
This book starts off really fast with Anya and Zander meeting as soon as it starts. In fact, the whole book features just their relationship making it a shorter book, in my mind. It does have the underlying mystery of why her mother is so overprotective and what would happen when she found out about Anya and Zander. The whole story I found to be very interesting, but also a little fast. I wouldn’t have minded other elements coming into play so it wasn’t so focused on their relationship, but given that I enjoyed the relationship I can’t argue too much.
The one thing I will say that disappointed me was the ending. I guess I was hoping for the resolution to play out differently. Without going into detail, I was just hoping for a more complex, maybe even messy ending.
But overall, it was still a good story and the love story was a very enjoyable one to watch unfold so I would recommend it to fans of YA and fairy tales.
July 16, 2014
Psychocat Reads Review of DON’T FALL by Rachel Schieffelbein
(I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
It seems of late that stories with a fairytale tie just keep making it onto the Psychocat Reads list. Fortunately, they’ve each had ties to a different tale and have each been dramatically different. This week’s story is a modern day Rapunzel inspired tale.
The Characters: Anya makes for a very cute Rapunzel figure. She’s smart enough to realize that her life isn’t normal, but hasn’t found a reason to push the super strict boundaries her mother creates yet. Enter Zander, the incredibly sweet and swoonworthy romantic hero. Anya’s mother is just what you expect, over bearing and super protective, but Rachel adds a bit more depth with the eventual explanation of her motivation. Although they are secondary characters Shannon, Blake, and Denise all added some great depth and fun moments through their relationships with Anya and Zander.
The Relationships: As noted above, the secondary characters and their interactions with Anya and Zander add lots to this story. Of course, the primary focus is on the relationship between the two young lovebirds. Though there were some places where the time elapsed between scenes or chapters was a bit jarring, the overall arc of the relationship was well done.
Too Perfect of Perfectly Flawed: I wouldn’t classify this book as insta-love as much as insta-intrigue. Where Rachel takes it from there is sweet, adorable, and great for young romance readers. There are plenty of moments that reflect very human emotions and frustrations.
Jen’s Final Rating: 4 STARS! DON’T FALL is an adorably sweet and quick read. It was just a bit too sweet to make my top reads list, but for many readers this will be a perfect 5 star read.
Psychocat’s Final Rating: This one was too sweet for her taste, but she did see some great potential with Blake.
(I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)
It seems of late that stories with a fairytale tie just keep making it onto the Psychocat Reads list. Fortunately, they’ve each had ties to a different tale and have each been dramatically different. This week’s story is a modern day Rapunzel inspired tale.
The Characters: Anya makes for a very cute Rapunzel figure. She’s smart enough to realize that her life isn’t normal, but hasn’t found a reason to push the super strict boundaries her mother creates yet. Enter Zander, the incredibly sweet and swoonworthy romantic hero. Anya’s mother is just what you expect, over bearing and super protective, but Rachel adds a bit more depth with the eventual explanation of her motivation. Although they are secondary characters Shannon, Blake, and Denise all added some great depth and fun moments through their relationships with Anya and Zander.
The Relationships: As noted above, the secondary characters and their interactions with Anya and Zander add lots to this story. Of course, the primary focus is on the relationship between the two young lovebirds. Though there were some places where the time elapsed between scenes or chapters was a bit jarring, the overall arc of the relationship was well done.
Too Perfect of Perfectly Flawed: I wouldn’t classify this book as insta-love as much as insta-intrigue. Where Rachel takes it from there is sweet, adorable, and great for young romance readers. There are plenty of moments that reflect very human emotions and frustrations.
Jen’s Final Rating: 4 STARS! DON’T FALL is an adorably sweet and quick read. It was just a bit too sweet to make my top reads list, but for many readers this will be a perfect 5 star read.
Psychocat’s Final Rating: This one was too sweet for her taste, but she did see some great potential with Blake.
July 24, 2014
From the very beginning paragraph, I was intrigued. I thought that Zander was endearing and adorable. I immediately wanted to know him better—I wanted to be his friend. From the get go, he knew what he wanted and he didn’t let anyone stand in his way. I really found what he thought of Anya very sweet. With Zander, it wasn’t first looks that drew him to Anya, it was blatant curiosity after she was caught taking his photograph—and with Anya, she was drawn to Zander due to photograph setting. Really, honestly, I loved how they first met—it was just sweet and romantic enough without being overtly obnoxious.
One thing—among many—that I truly adored was the fact that Anya loved books and related to them as well as having an eye for photography—two things that we both have in common. With Anya, I didn’t see her as pathetic or weak, I saw her as someone that I knew, someone that I shared a common interest in. I guess you could say that in a way, I saw her as one of my friends. Anya is cute and adorable and I love that instead of shying away from love, she ventures out to find and feel it.
This story is simply sweet; I liked that it is a nice good clean innocent romance, however, I thought it took a long time to get to the climax and I kept wondering to myself it it was ever going to reach that point. Sure, Zander and Anya had fights and arguments, but it was all just puppy love stuff nothing major. I also liked that when the ‘time’ came it was a simple question and then the story picked up after—no description, just a few words and that was what. They were portrayed as a real couple and I liked that, but it was all too sweet and innocent.
Check out my full review at: http://suchanovelidea.com/2014/06/04/...
One thing—among many—that I truly adored was the fact that Anya loved books and related to them as well as having an eye for photography—two things that we both have in common. With Anya, I didn’t see her as pathetic or weak, I saw her as someone that I knew, someone that I shared a common interest in. I guess you could say that in a way, I saw her as one of my friends. Anya is cute and adorable and I love that instead of shying away from love, she ventures out to find and feel it.
This story is simply sweet; I liked that it is a nice good clean innocent romance, however, I thought it took a long time to get to the climax and I kept wondering to myself it it was ever going to reach that point. Sure, Zander and Anya had fights and arguments, but it was all just puppy love stuff nothing major. I also liked that when the ‘time’ came it was a simple question and then the story picked up after—no description, just a few words and that was what. They were portrayed as a real couple and I liked that, but it was all too sweet and innocent.
Check out my full review at: http://suchanovelidea.com/2014/06/04/...
November 26, 2014
Plain and simple, Don't Fall, by Rachel Schieffelbein, just wasn't for me. Touted as a modern retelling of Rapunzel, it’s the story of Anya and Zander, a girl who’s lived an exceptionally sheltered life with her overprotective, adoptive mother and the boy who falls in love with her. I hate posting negative reviews so I try to keep them short and sweet. Here goes...
The writing was plain and contained too much telling, not enough showing. The characters seemed juvenile—despite being in adult situations—and not in a fairy tale or magical way but in a way that made the whole thing unbelievable. I never felt the connection between them, was never moved by it in any way. There were some romantic parts, like the late night visits, what Zander does for Anya on her birthday and the letters, however I didn’t connect to either of the characters enough to care. Anya was too timid, too let-life-happen-to-her, and Zander’s interest in her and his patience never made sense to me. I would have liked more explanation about Anya’s past and her adoptive mom. The bits we got came too little too late. Also, the interpretation of Rapunzel was too weak for me. The story needed more darkness, more links to the original story, probably more modernization, just something more. It definitely needed a stronger heroine to be considered modern in my books, one who rebelled more and would stand up to her mother. I don’t know any 17 year old girls who would live by the rules Anya did.
This one just missed the mark for me.
The writing was plain and contained too much telling, not enough showing. The characters seemed juvenile—despite being in adult situations—and not in a fairy tale or magical way but in a way that made the whole thing unbelievable. I never felt the connection between them, was never moved by it in any way. There were some romantic parts, like the late night visits, what Zander does for Anya on her birthday and the letters, however I didn’t connect to either of the characters enough to care. Anya was too timid, too let-life-happen-to-her, and Zander’s interest in her and his patience never made sense to me. I would have liked more explanation about Anya’s past and her adoptive mom. The bits we got came too little too late. Also, the interpretation of Rapunzel was too weak for me. The story needed more darkness, more links to the original story, probably more modernization, just something more. It definitely needed a stronger heroine to be considered modern in my books, one who rebelled more and would stand up to her mother. I don’t know any 17 year old girls who would live by the rules Anya did.
This one just missed the mark for me.
June 4, 2014
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion in any way.
If I could sum this book up in one word it would be: sweet. If I could add a word it would be quick. This book was something I was able to read in just an hour or so (yes, I read fast!) It was something I read in almost one sitting and I really enjoyed it. The book is very much tailored for a younger YA reader, which is nice. It was a really great story about two kids falling in love and a girl's opportunity to finally step out of the nest. I understood her mother's philosophy of overprotectiveness, but I felt bad for Anya. She managed to have a great outlook on life, even though she was basically locked away for safe keeping from society. Even so, she had a backbone and was able to stand up for herself when it really mattered.
There is definitely some insta-love, and it annoyed me, but I also understood why it was possible. Anya was very sheltered, so it was easy for her to fall in love with this sweet boy -- he was the first boy she ever really had the chance to interact with. Even so, I feel it needs mentioning because some people dislike insta-love.
The retelling part gave this contemporary story an ethereal feel and it was all a bit magical. Overall, I enjoyed this quick little read and I think others will too!
For this review and more, visit Such a Novel Idea
If I could sum this book up in one word it would be: sweet. If I could add a word it would be quick. This book was something I was able to read in just an hour or so (yes, I read fast!) It was something I read in almost one sitting and I really enjoyed it. The book is very much tailored for a younger YA reader, which is nice. It was a really great story about two kids falling in love and a girl's opportunity to finally step out of the nest. I understood her mother's philosophy of overprotectiveness, but I felt bad for Anya. She managed to have a great outlook on life, even though she was basically locked away for safe keeping from society. Even so, she had a backbone and was able to stand up for herself when it really mattered.
There is definitely some insta-love, and it annoyed me, but I also understood why it was possible. Anya was very sheltered, so it was easy for her to fall in love with this sweet boy -- he was the first boy she ever really had the chance to interact with. Even so, I feel it needs mentioning because some people dislike insta-love.
The retelling part gave this contemporary story an ethereal feel and it was all a bit magical. Overall, I enjoyed this quick little read and I think others will too!
For this review and more, visit Such a Novel Idea
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