Dare to Fall

by Estelle Maskame

A brand new book from the internationally bestselling author of Did I Mention I Love You The higher the stakes, the greater the fall. MacKenzie Rivers knows the kind of impact death can have on those it leaves behind. She's felt that grief firsthand. So when Jaden, her crush and almost-boyfriend, loses his parents in a car accident, MacKenzie steps back. It might not be the right thing to do, but with an alcoholic mother and a father who deals with their family problems by not dealing at all, self-preservation is her only option. Then the pair meet by chance one night, reunited for the first time in months. Before MacKenzie can throw up her walls again, old feelings resurface and new memories are made. MacKenzie has missed Jaden more than anything. But can she dare to fall for the one person she's so afraid of growing close to? Praise for Did I Mention I Love You : "A solid romance with a tantalizing helping of forbidden love." ― Booklist on Did I Mention I Love You?

Genres: Romance, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, High School, Ebooks, Young Adult Romance

336 pages, Paperback

First published July 6, 2017

About the author

Estelle Maskame is a novelist from Peterhead in Scotland. After gaining universal acclaim online during her teenage years, she signed a print contract with the Edinburgh-based publisher Black & White Publishing at the age of seventeen. She is best known for her international bestselling YA series, the DIMILY series.

Reviews

[justmiaslife · Rating 3 out of 5]

„Falling: Ich kann dich nicht vergessen„ von Estelle Maskame klang nach einer locker-leichten Geschichte, die an der Highschool angesiedelt ist und einfach die perfekte Lektüre für diese Jahreszeit ist. Ich habe die „Dark Love“ Trilogie der Autorin nicht gelesen, allerdings bin ich mir relativ sicher, dass diese mehr in die Richtung New Adult geht, aber bei diesem Buch sind die typischen Elemente dieses Genres jedenfalls nicht zu finden. Obwohl es einige Problempunkte in diesem Buch gibt und natürlich auch einige Klischees vorhanden sind, hat mir das Lesen im Großen und Ganzen ziemlich viel Spaß gemacht.

Vielleicht lag das aber auch daran, da meine Erwartungen eher niedrig waren und sie somit übertroffen wurden. Die Prämisse der Story hat mir schon mal zugesagt: Kenzie und Jaden waren in der Vergangenheit schon mal ein Paar, bis ein Schicksalschlag die beiden auseinander riss und der Kontakt zwischen ihnen abbrach. Aber auch ein Jahr später sind die beiden sich bewusst, dass sie den anderen nicht vergessen können und noch immer etwas zwischen ihnen liegt. Mir hat das langsame Anbandeln der beiden ziemlich gut gefallen, auch weil sich das Buch am Rande auch um Verlust und Angst befasst und die beiden so eine Stütze füreinander waren. Allerdings hätte man diesen Handlungsstrang meiner Meinung nach noch weiter ausschmücken können.

Ich muss ehrlich gesagt auch zugeben, dass ich zu Jaden auch keine Bindung aufbauen konnte und er damit auch einer der uninteressanteren Charaktere blieb. Anders ging es mir mit Kenzie – sie war endlich mal eine sympatische Protagonistin und auch ihre zwei besten Freunde Will und Holden sind mir echt ans Herz gewachsen. Loben muss ich an dieser Stelle auch mal wie Estelle Maskame es mit einer Figur gehandhabt hat, die schwul ist, denn im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Genrevertretern, wo solche Charaktere sehr stereotypisch dargestellt werden, war diese Person so wie jede andere.

Wie im Klappentext bereit verraten wird, hütet auch Kenzie ein „dunkles“ Geheimnis, was meiner Meinung nach aber bloß total nichtig und nichtssagend war. Der Twist am Ende war dafür umso interessanter und brachte das gewisse Pfeffer in die Geschichte. Das Ende der Geschichte ist meiner Meinung nach nicht wirklich gelungen, denn als ich das letzte Kapitel gelesen habe dachte ich mir so „Im Ernst? Das wars jetzt?“. Ich hätte locker noch 100 Seiten gebraucht, damit es für mich alles schlüssig gewesen und das Potenzial der letzendlichen Auflösung sinnvoll aufgelöst worden wäre.

Fazit: „Falling: Ich kann dich nicht vergessen“ ist eine locker-leichte Liebesgeschichte mit leichten Mysteryelementen, die meines Erachtens perfekt für Einsteiger in diesem Genre wäre. Die Autorin hat hier kein literarisches Meisterwerk erschaffen, aber mir hat das Lesen Spaß gemacht und war nett für zwischendurch. Ich bin mir sicher, dass Fans von Anna Todd oder der Autorin selbst hier ihren Spaß haben werden!

[Maximiliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. No es mal libro pero a mi personalmente ya me aburren este estilo de historias. No me transmitió nada y los personajes me daban igual. Me gustó que tratara temas relevantes como el alcoholismo y la pérdida de familiares. Y también me encantó que la protagonista tenga dos mejores amigos varones y heterosexuales con los que en ningún momento se insinúa un romance. Después de eso pasó sin pena ni gloria pero si buscan un romance adolescente para entretenerse, este les va a venir como anillo al dedo 👌🏼

[Janay Brazier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Estelle's writing. It flows so well and has me hooked in from the start every time. I still think I prefer the DIMILY series but this is a fantastic story. I love the characters and there are so many emotions within this book, it's unreal. Another brilliant read by a truly talented author.

[Maggie · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF @ 40%

I think I got through far enough to decide I didn't want to keep going and rate it. The story wasn't bad, it was just flat. Bland characters, bland writing, just... bland. I was reading another book at the same time, and it was so much more in depth.

[Esmeralda Sempere · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ha sido un libro que ha rasgos general me ha gustado, pero la verdad es que siento que al libro le ha costado arrancar. El libro evoluciona y las últimas 150 paginas han sido mis favoritas. Es un poco lento y bueno los protagonistas no me han trasmitido mucho la verdad.

Mackenzie es una chica que bueno por un problema de su pasado tiene en casa una situación complicada pero es que es muy extremista a la par que para mi gusto exagerada. Y Jaden, no sé es un buen chico y tal pero no me ha conseguido enamorar.

De cara al final de la novela nos encontramos con un giro que no me veía venir, eso me ha gustado pero sinceramente la novela carece de giros argumentales. Tiene ese y poco más.

En fin, es una novela fresca, se lee rápido y tal pero yo me quede con la trilogía de la autora “You” me gusto muchísimo más.

[Madison Ramaget · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5 ★

[Scrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviews like this can also be found on my blog, Vicariously & Voraciously

ARC received from publisher for a fair review

When Mackenzie’s almost boyfriend’s parents die in a car accident, she ghosts him because she can’t handle being around the grief surrounding death. A year later, she bumps into him and sparks fly. Kenzie must face the choices she made when she ditched Jaden when he needed him the most as well as deal with the grief her own family has barely been dealing with.

The Story-
This is not the type of YA contemporary romance that should be shelved next to Kasie West (Don’t get me wrong, I have a love hate relationship with her books). This book doesn’t have a light bouncy feeling as you read through Kenzie’s experience of reacquainting herself with a guy she really liked but totally blew off. There are some bigger issues that are dealt with, while they aren’t all fully resolved, through the story actions are set in motion to rectify the problem.

I really liked the romance between Kenzie and Jaden as the story developed. Their misunderstandings and obvious wishes are still a struggle and it’s not a just a switch of hanging out and a great kiss or embrace that fixes it all. I love that through the story they both deal with the issues that they have been dealt in their own way.

The Characters-
In the beginning I had a hard time being on Kenzie’s side, but I am glad I got to stick around to read her side of the story that explains her actions. The best thing was that, it was never used as an excuse for her actions. Just explain her really crappy way of dealing with a situation. it showed her lack of knowledge with what to do and how to handle the problems she had at home. She herself had already been grieving and just couldn’t add more. The point is she realizes that she’s a jerk and does her best to make up for it.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dare to Fall is about Mackenzie Rivers, a seventeen year old high school student living in a small town in Colorado. She and her best friends, Will and Holden, are hanging out in Dairy Queen one Sunday night when Mackenzie sees Danielle (Dani) Hunter there. Mackenzie has been avoiding Dani and her twin brother, Jaden, since their parents died last year.

The reason is way, way less scandalous than you think. She's so used to the grief in her own family (complete with hackneyed plot regarding a parent and drinking too much) that she doesn't know what to say.

But she summons the courage to say something and reconnects with Dani --after first reconnecting with Jaden and realizing she's still as in love with him as she was before his parents died.

That's probably 80% of the whole book. The "plot" is nonexistent, save for a few obligatory nods to Mackenzie's home situation and the "mystery" behind the death of Dani and Jaden's parents. There's also, randomly, several clunky appearances by a former boyfriend of Mackenzie, who seems to exist to be the obligatory jerk/ person who drops the "scandalous" reveal about said mystery.

The characters are as uninteresting as the plot, making Dare to Fall an insipid and aimless mess.

[Lynsey is Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dare to Fall is a YA contemporary based on teens dealing with tragedy and loss. Sadly, it doesn't ever really fulfil its destiny or have enough depth to be effective, and while I enjoyed parts of it, overall I found it very underwhelming.

I picked this up because I do love an emotional gut-ripper now and then, and YA contemporarys that sound like they'll achieve this for me feature regularly on the wheel of genres I like to rotate. Unfortunately, this was not the book I was looking for. It had the potential to be based on its premise, but it consistently fell short of delivering what I assume was its intended effect. There were a number of what should have been major clangers in the storyline; some "oh shit" moments where someone says something or finds out something shocking. Each of these were undermined by the fact they were quickly resolved and forgiven within five pages.

Character-wise, I actually spent the first 60-70% of the book not really liking Kenzie. I couldn't help but think she'd been selfish for abandoning Jaden when his parents died, even though I knew her reasons why from fairly early on - I just didn't find those reasons justification enough for ditching him, without explanation, right when he needed her most. However, when I finally heard her voice her reasons fully to Jaden, it did make a sort of sense and I did then retract that opinion slightly.

Overall, this book wasn't for me. I didn't hate it, but it just never really resonated with me the way I know books like these can.

2 stars ★★

A copy of this book was generously provided by the publisher in order to garner an honest and unbiased review.

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dare to Fall is one of those perfect YA romance contemporaries that you find yourself becoming completely engrossed in. From the romance, to the drama, the twists and the more serious aspects, it was completely addictive.

Whilst this is a romance novel, serious topics aren't shied away from and are dealt with realistically and delicately. There is an overall theme of grief and how people cope with that in different ways. Each character dealing with grief has their own way of dealing with it. Some cope better than others and some heal more slowly than others. I appreciated that emphasis on how there is no "right" way and that the healing process can be very unpredictable and change a person. There are also lots of lighter, cute moments scattered throughout though. I liked the romance and the slow-burn nature to it and also the interactions between friends and family members which weren't forgotten about in favour of the romance.

Overall, a perfect balance of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments!

This is the first of Estelle's books that I've read but I'm definitely getting my hands on the DIMILY trilogy now. I have a feeling I'll be just as gripped as I was this time around!

[Dora Escobedo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going to start of by saying how much this authors writing has developed from DIMILY. I was sucked in from the beginning like I knew I would. I am blown away by the age of the author and the many different hard topics this book touched upon. They were written so delicately and so nicely. MacKenzie is so straightforward and brave, which I love. Jaden is just everything lol. I can’t rave enough about this book without saying too much because it’s a must read.

[Leah City of Words and Pages · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ich muss sagen, dass ich doch etwas enttäuscht von Estelle Maskame bin ...
Das Buch war jetzt nicht schlecht, aber irgendwie hat einfach was gefehlt.

Es ist eine süße Geschichte mit auch ernsteren Themen, allerdings würde ich sagen: das Buch ist wahrscheinlich auch eher was für jüngere Leser/innen.

Und ich finde es blöd, dass es keinen Epilog o.ä. gibt!

[Skaitytojos užrašai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skaičiau šios autorės trilogiją “Ar sakiau, kad myliu tave?” ir ją perskaičiau per tris dienas. Su šia knyga taip pat ilgai neužtrukau, viena diena ir baigta. Bet tų pačių liaupsių jau nebegalėčiau pasakyti, nes ji man pasirodė žymiai silpnesnė už trilogiją.

Aišku ši knyga skirta paaugliams ir tikrai galiu patvirtinti, kad ji ir tinkama paaugliams. Istorijoje tikrai nėra jokių erotiškų ar su S ženklu scenų, taip kaip trilogijoje ir viskas sukasi vien apie paauglius. Tad paauglių gyvenimiškų problemų ir meilės kančių čia tikrai rasite 😊

Nors dauguma iš tų problemų manęs neįtikino, pasirodė per daug išpūstos, bet paaugliai yra paaugliai. Vis dėl to pabaiga man labai patiko ir nepasibaigė viskas, kaip jau maniau, kad pasibaigs. Tad dėl to autorei didelis pliusas ir viena širdele daugiau įvertinime 😁

[Veronique · Rating 2 out of 5]

Voor mij was dit een tegenvaller. Het verhaal kabbelde een beetje voort, was vrij snel duidelijk hoe het zou lopen en het einde is wel erg open. Nee, helaas niet mijn soort boek

[jhalak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked the simple, elegant front cover of this book so decided to try it. I devoured the book and finished it in less than two days.

This book explores different characters coping in very different ways with grief from losing their loved ones. The two main characters are the protagonist, McKenzie and her long-time crush (and boyfriend), Jaden. McKenzie struggles to cope with the loss of her sister, Grace, who was stillborn whilst Jaden and his sister, Danielle, try to overcome their grief of losing their parents in a car accident.

Maskame does not shy away from the important theme of grief. Instead, she presents us with a beautifully written tale in which we see different ways of enduring loss and learn that only when we unite, confide in each other and help each other through it, can we become stronger. From the book, we learn that courage can mean simply acknowledging those who have suffered from loss or doing what Holden does in the end by turning himself in to the police. But whatever it is, we must show forgiveness, learn from our mistakes and stick with our friends.

I would recommend this book to everyone. It is simply written but powerful in meaning. Definitely a must read.

[Alice Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tengo que admitir que aún no he terminado la trilogía Love You y me he sumergido en la nueva historia de la autora, pero pensé que como no tenían nada que ver, no pasaría nada si aplazaba un poco su lectura. El primer y único libro que leí de Love You me gustó tanto que no me lo pensé dos veces a la hora de pedir su nueva novela, la pluma de la autora me atrapó entonces y me ha vuelto a atrapar ahora, es fantástica.

Puff, quiero destacar una cosa de Holden, uno de los mejores amigos de Mackenzie, mientras leía el libro mi faceta de detective me decía una cosa que bueno podía ser normal después de todo pero... al final mi olfato me ha engañado y la autora ha conseguido meter lo que yo considero un plot-twist. Esto me ha dado una gran lección: "Alicia deja de adelantarte y cíñete a leer, 😂".

El Final, bueno, no es nada del otro mucho. Todo pasa un poco rápido ya que la autora intenta solucionar el final en menos de 20 páginas y se me ha atragantado un poco, la historia en sí no ha quedado cerrada pero creo que lo deja perfecto y muy acertado para una historia autoconclusiva.

Más en la reseña-->
http://elrincondealexiaandbooks.blogs...

[Idoia Martínez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pensaba que este libro me gustaría, pero ha sido lento, repetitivo, excesivamente descriptivo, con una historia que intenta ser emotiva sin logarlo y un final de esos que me hace poner las manos hacia arriba pensando: ¿en serio se acaba así?
McKenzie me cae fatal, no empatizo con ella ni entiendo cómo Jaden puede perdonarla e incluso buscarla de nuevo, No se lo merece. Su drama personal no justifica para nada la forma en la que trata el tema de Jaden al principio y no me parece coherente que tenga una segunda oportunidad ni que él la perdone con esa facilidad. Entiendo su dolor, pero no me gusta su forma de actuar.
Jaden, por el contrario, es lo único que salva la novela, por eso le he puesto dos estrellitas, porque es un protagonista alucinante y me ha encantado como persona. Es amable, sincero, cariñoso... Se lo merece todo y no una chica como Kenz, pero bueno...
En cuanto al drama final, para mí es innecesario y no se soluciona de una forma correcta,
Falta un epílogo para entender qué narices sucede después porque ese final es demasiado precipitado y abierto para una historia como esta.

[feeling_in_books · Rating 2 out of 5]

Das Buch 'Falling' gefiel mir leider nicht besonders gut. Bereits meine Schwester sagte, daß sie das Buch definitiv nicht zu ihren Lieblingen zählt, doch ich wollte mich selbst überzeugen lassen☺️ Sie hatte jedoch recht😑 Bereits von Beginn an hasste ich die Protagonistin. Ihre Art und ihr Charakter waren mir einfach sehr unsympathisch. Jaden mochte ich zwar etwas mehr, doch auch er wurde nicht zum Liebling. Außerdem gefiel mir die Geschichte nicht besonders gut, da es nichts neues war und die Handlung ziemlich eintönig🙃 Dennoch muss ich sagen, das mir der Schreibstil der Autorin gut gefällt, da er sehr einfach zu verstehen und leicht zu lesen ist.😃
Jedoch war das Buch für mich eher ein Flop. Doch überzeugt euch selbst. Vielleicht gefällt es euch ja besser.

[areti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really cute book. I am not a contemporary fan but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

The relationship between MacKenzie and Jaden was so cute and I was shipping them from the very first moment.

MacKenzie, Jaden and Danielle are interesting characters and they make the story more and more interesting. You care about them and their journey. This is important because most of the time contemporary books have shallow, whiny and annoying protagonist and it has to change.

All in all, I am impressed. It was something new and I didn’t expect to like it.

[Miia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual rating 3,5⭐️
I really really liked this book! I loved the characters and I liked how the idea was a little different than other YA novels that I’ve read. My only problem was that all the drama in this book was always resolved quickly. Also the ending didn’t give me as much answers as I would have wanted.
But I have to admit that I really love Estelle Maskame’s books!!

[Monica Haak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Een heerlijk boek. Leest fijn weg en heeft mooie momenten. Het einde vind ik wel te abrupt en open, jammer.

Recensie (binnenkort) op www.myperfectbooklife.blogspot.nl

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5 Stars

When the Hunter twins' parents were killed in an automobile accident, Kenzie abandoned them. Not because she was heartless, but rather, because she was already drowning in her own family's grief, and could not handle anymore. But she made a choice, after a year, she thought it was time to reconnect with the twins, and this effort might actually open her pathway to healing.

This was a really beautiful portrait of grief and mourning. Both families were dealing with loss, but they were coping in very different ways, which was really realistic. Though Kenzie's family suffered their loss before the Hunters, they never really faced their loss, and it was a ghost, which was keeping the family from moving forward.

Kenzie and Jaden were really the stars of this for me. While they rekindled their romance, we learned more about how they were coping with their pasts. Jaden's openness and vulnerability was something that drew me to him, and I thought he and Kenzie shared a really special and wonderful bond.

The whole time, I was holding my breath, because I knew there was something we didn't know about the Hunter parents' accident, and I was taken aback when I learned the truth. It was tragic and sad, and my heart broke once again.

I really did enjoy this book, and I feel like if the ending hadn't been so rushed, I would have rated it higher, because I loved the characters, the character growth, and the romance.


*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 sterren. Hoewel ik de schrijfstijl meh vind - houterig en te veel uitroeptekens - en de plot me niet zo wist te grijpen als bij de DIMILY-boeken, vond ik het verhaal wel erg mooi en leest het fijn. Het is allemaal vrij voorspelbaar, maar de uitwerking van de thema’s is erg sterk en dat heeft me aangenaam verrast, zeker omdat het tot een bijzonder einde leidt. Uitgebreide recensie: http://thebookreview.nl/recensies/con...

[Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

C'est pas la lecture de l'année. C'était pas horrible, mais pas spectaculaire non plus. Une romance YA, saupoudrée de problèmes familiaux et d'histoires d'ados... j'ai trouvé le personnage de Kenzie assez plat, comme les autres d'ailleurs. On ne va pas en profondeur des émotions, tout reste en surface, ce qui ne donne pas envie de s'attacher à eux. Dani aurait pu être mieux exploitée, mais elle est laissée en arrière plan pour favoriser la romance.

Quant à l'intrigue principale, j'ai eu l'impression qu'elle apparaissait aux 60% du roman. Pendant toute la première partie, on a droit à un étalement de la vie de Kenzie, de ses geremiades quant à Jaden et son comportement vis-à-vis de la famille Hunter. De temps en temps, elle soulève un point sur l'alcoolisme de sa mère ou le deuil de la famille, mais ça aussi, ça reste en surface. Et puis la fin, j'ai eu le sentiment que c'était bâclé. Tout se déroule dans les 30 dernières pages du roman. Assez tard donc, et prévisible de surcroît. Tout va trop vite et est trop facile à mon goût.

Ce n'est pas une lecture désagréable, clairement ça m'a tenue occupée quand je n'avais pas envie de lire d'histoires complexes, mais je ne l'ai pas fermé avec le "waw" que j'aime avoir. Probablement que je ne suis pas la cible, je suis trop vieille pour des YA de lycéens (et je suis pas fan de romances, ca doit jouer !).

☆: 2,5/5

[Céline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik had dus totaal geen connectie met de personages. Ze voelden voor mij persoonlijk echt vlak aan. Het verhaal kwam ook totaal niet op gang en als er dan eens interessante thema's aan bod kwamen werd er naar mijn mening erg vlug over gegaan. Dit had echt een gevoelig boek kunnen worden, een tranentrekker zelfs. Maar deze keer heeft Maskame het niet kunnen waarmaken voor mij.. Ik heb mij door de eerste 200 pagina's moeten worstelen, de laatste hoofdstukken waren dan wel weer vlot en goed neergezet maar het haalde niet op met de trage start van het boek. Niet mijn boek, helaas.

[shannon✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahh omg, dit boek! Zo goed! Ik vond dit boek echt super, ik vond DIMILY al super, maar dit boek was net zo geweldig en misschien zelfs beter! Het was een heel ander onderwerp, maar eigenlijk net zo heftig. Ik vond het erg luchtig geschreven en het las goed weg! Ik vond het wel jammer dat het einde zo open was, maar nu hoop ik heel erg op ene vervolg.

[Sandra Winter · Rating 3 out of 5]

2,5 La autora trata temas muy complicados y en mi opinión no están bien llevados. No he podido empatizar con el drama del libro y tampoco con los personajes.

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik vond dit zo’n leuk boek. Ik hield van alle personages en van het verhaal.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5⭐️

[Kwante in Wonderland · Rating 2 out of 5]

Voorspelbaar en helaas is de schrijfstijl nog steeds hetzelfde als in de DIMILY serie, recensie volgt zsm op mijn blog.