Falling Forward

by Jennifer S. Cohen

At an age when most girls are curating picture-perfect Pinterest wedding boards, twenty-six-year-old Jess Klein is sobbing over a stack of divorce papers. Everyone told her marrying Chris was a monumental mistake, but stubbornness and blind adoration kept her from heeding their advice. Not long after saying “I do,” Jess is living in her “forever home” all alone, lamenting what could have been. Attempting to piece her shattered fairytale back together while discovering what being on her own truly means, Jess inadvertently seeks solace in a roundup of losers. From the Guy Who Refuses to Eat, to Mr. Neurotic Neat Freak, to the One Who Refused to Grow Up, her luck with love seems to have run dry. In a desperate attempt to fix herself from the inside out, Jess seeks out advice from the lovable Dr. Blue, a seventy-year-old shrink who feels like the only one to truly understand her plight. As Jess continues to fall forward, confident in nearly every aspect of life except for matters of the heart, she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery she never imagined she needed, begging the Can she have it all…just not all at once? FALLING FORWARD explores self-identity, the power of female relationships, and the painful realization that sometimes you need to lose the life you had in order to create the one that’s waiting for you.

Genres: Romance

276 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2020

About the author

Jennifer Cohen is a coffee-drinking, exercise-loving author, wife, and mom. When she’s not lost in a great novel, she’s spending her days as a corporate marketing executive, helping craft strategies for businesses of all sizes. She studied Journalism and Strategic Media Relations at The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and began her career as a speech writer for General Norman Schwarzkopf and General Alexander Haig. Falling Forward was born during her own quest for self-love and acceptance and is her debut novel.

Reviews

[Nursebookie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story about our young 26 year old protagonist, Jess Klein who is going through the unthinkable in a relationship, and that is going through a divorce.

Luckily she has an amazing girl gang of friends that support her, as well as Dr Green, who helps her navigate this difficult time. The characters are relatable and I enjoy seeing Jess’ character move forward with this difficult situation.

A nice women’s fiction read.

[Jaclyn Hillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jess is a 26-year-old going through a divorce, and I knew I would be able to relate to her. Books are so much more enjoyable when you see yourself in the characters, right! I didn’t really talk about my divorce then, and I rarely talk about it now. I was 23, I pretty much isolated myself from any friends that I had, and I threw myself into my career and newfound hobbies — much like Jess did. She was blessed with such strong female friendships, and also finding Dr. Green to talk to, and in the end she found herself again. She didn’t just settle for the next dirt bag. I don’t regret anything that happened then, because it shaped who I am today. I’m thankful for this book and how Jennifer Cohen totally normalized being so young and getting a divorce. It’s okay for things to not work out the way you think they will, because something better will come along. Most importantly, love yourself and take care of yourself first. 💕

[Mollie's Bookshelf]

DNF @ 35%
I think this book will resonate with readers who enjoy women's fiction and are looking to read the experience of a woman going through divorce in their 20s. This just didn't really suit me as I don't love reading women's fiction.

[Ava · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book completely by chance. One of the people I follow wrote a great review and got me curious. Seeing that this is a debut novel I decided to buy it and read cause I´m making a more conscious effort to support debut novels and their authors.

And this book did not disappoint!

It follows the story of Jess who goes through a divorce and doesn´t know who she is anymore. She is in her twenties and getting a divorce. Life is not going the way she planned. Now she goes on a difficult journey of rediscovering herself and falling in love with her own self and the new life that lies ahead.
I was unsure if I could relate to Jess since I myself have never gone through a divorce but I was wrong. Cohen writes the book in such a way that you simply can´t not identify with some moments in the book. We´ve all at some point in life had bad dates, or job difficulties and felt like we´re burning out. Or we had a stop and thought to ourselves how life isn´t going the way we planned and we felt defeated. But following Jess, you get to the realisation that we are sometimes our own worst enemies and the expectations we set for ourselves are maybe too much. It is okay sometimes to realise that what we had planned won´t come true and in order to find a new way of life, we have to let go of the old one and embrace the future and try our best for it to be a happy one.
The female power in the book is so wonderful and you will fall for Jess and her friends. I found it particulary nice that one of the friends is Croatian born (like myself). The romance part is hilarious and I loved how Jess did struggle at first with dating which is very relatable.

I would definitely recommend this books, it´s cute, funny, feel good and overall a quick and wonderful read! In a way it is also a self help book and I am sure to people going through a similar situation it would be helpful.

[Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating from the first page, this story dives head first into the messiness and beauty of life as we follow a woman’s path of self-discovery. It strikes a note of familiarity, which makes it easy to read and relate to. Following a divorce and the end of carefully scripted dream of sharing a life with a person she though she would live out the rest of her days, Jess finds herself stripped off everything she thought she was and would become. How do you move forward when you feel like the rug was pulled out from under you? You get up, click your pretty high heels together and keep moving, even if you don’t look so graceful doing it. Falling Forward is chock-full of both tearful and humorous moments as the heroine Jess tries to find her footing, learns about her strength and resilience, and the power of her female friendships. While I enjoyed reading about a string of hilarious dating stories, I loved following a story of a woman coming into her own. It turns out that there’s really no place like home and seeking love is an inside job first and foremost. A truly witty and reflective read!

[Farah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always quick to read a good romance book but very rarely is there a book highlighting the flipside of when a romance goes sour.

Falling Forward follows the story of Jess and her quest to get her life back on track after her divorce is finalised. Following a period of sadness and realizing how her life has changed so drastically, Jess discovers the need to be her own person. She discovers new hobbies, spends more time with friends, progresses with her career, goes through health issues and delves back into dating.

I enjoyed following Jess' story and watching her come full circle.

Thank you Jenn Cohen for the complimentary copy of your book, in exchange for my honest review.

[Jackie Colegrove (jc.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great story about a woman’s journey of self-discovery. Jess is such a relatable character! There were situations that felt like they were directly pulled from my life, or could have been. Work struggles (and successes), dating after ending a relationship (some of the guys out there: yikes!), finding the people that are there for you .... this story had it all! I flew through it quickly & couldn’t wait to see where Jess would go next. I also loved that there was a focus on mental health and the impact that talking to a professional can make, even when you have a good support system around you.

[Mary Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling Forward was one of the best women’s fiction novels I have ever read. The protagonist is about a woman navigating her way through her career, family, and love and who I found to be relatable in so many ways. The way the relationships developed throughout the story had me examining many of the relationships in my own life, and I found this book to be the perfect combination of fun, hilariously witty, and self-help all intertwined into one juicy read. Highly recommend to all women who feel like they are going through it alone when in actuality, we’re all in this together - and Falling Forward proves just that.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! Following Jess' journey was addicting and I was so excited to see what happened next. It was a true roller coaster of emotions from the end of a marriage and the life Jess dreamed of, to wildly hilarious dating stories, and the friends, family, and therapist that supported her and helped her grow through it all. There are not enough women fiction novels that cater to women in their twenties and thirties trying to figure out who they are and Falling Forward absolutely fills that void!

[Chatelaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun read! Jess is an easily relatable character with a journey you enjoy following along. You can connect with her ups and downs, while wanting to cheer for her and hug her every time you turn the page. The relationships with family, friends, bosses and men are all the things we struggle with and seeing how Jess hilariously manages them all brings a lot of laughter and love in to figuring it all out.

[Artemis]

As a father of four daughters I was extremely blown away by reading this brilliant book The story in itself tells you all about a young woman’s story that is most impressive and a delight to read. I hope you all enjoyed reading the story as a writer my self. I know this book will be a definite winner. I also see this as a continuation as a TV series to come. Thank you Jennifer. For sharing this with me your friend Artemis Joukowsky.

[Stefanie Stallings · Rating 5 out of 5]

Falling Forward is the girlfriend novel we all needed! The story of a young 20 something navigating the trials of a young love lost, with the support and kindness of her circle of family and friends. The strength and wit of the principal character provides an account of the dreams most have of a fairy tale love, but when life deals us the hardest blows how do we navigate through it? This is a great read, wonderfully written and easily relatable.

[Kristen P · Rating 5 out of 5]

From start to finish I could not put this book down! Falling Forward has it all; I literally laughed out loud and shed tears as I was reading about Jess’ life after divorce. I was captivated and motivated by her drive and passion to keep moving (or falling) forward. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to enjoy a fun and heartfelt story.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have never related to a book more! One of those “must reads” when you need help with life problems. It provides great perspective, insight and motivation on steps to better yourself.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish, such a relatable heroine and a fabulous story!

[Dani Calahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like walking through Jess' life with her. She keeps it so real about the hardships after divorce and the fun times it is trying to date after. It is so amazing to watch her grow and love herself again and then fall in love once more! I truly could not put the book down!

[Erin (honeynougats.reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a coming of age for your 20’s. Having been through my 20’s I could relate to a lot of what Jesss was going through - uncertainty career and in relationships. Throughout this book she grows, navigates her career choices and gains self-confidence. This book sends a positive messages of supportive friendships, self reflection and learning to love yourself.

[Rachel Sirlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read!! I laughed, I cried - I felt for the main character. Great summer time book that you won’t be able to put down!

[Miesha (BookedAnBusy) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, however my huge complaint is that there was A LOT of noticeable typos.

Besides that, this book had me hooked the minute I started reading it. I related to Jess so much, she was very relatable. I loved her support system, that encouraged her every step of the way. Her self discovery was really great to read. If you are looking for a book that has character growth, finding yourself, finding your voice and realizing your worth, this is the book for you.

[Marian · Rating 1 out of 5]

Falling forward is the story of Jess as she gets over her divorce and finds her happy ever after.

I received an ARC from the writer in exchange for a review.
Jess was entertaining, loved brands, men, work and exercising. She jumped from one guy to the next until she learned how to say no, and only to say yes, when she really wanted to say yes.

❤️ Her relationship with her parents, especially with her dad. I also enjoyed all her friendships. Seems like she has a great support system. Although no one helps her during moving days 😂

👎🏼 This book still needed a lot of editing. I feel like the writer has the power to put out a great story, but this book felt unfinished. 👎🏼We had issues understanding timelines and other things. We have no idea how much time passed between the beginning of the book to end of it (it could have been a year or many, I really don’t know). 👎🏼The sleeping around, you all know by now that I don’t like steamy books, this book wasn’t steamy, but it still had the main character sleeping with a lot of guys, some she wasn’t even attracted to or even knew.

👍🏼 No description of the sex scenes. It was all closed doors 👍🏼

💎 “If only I had known, she realized, that happiness and acceptance were inside me the entire time.”
“Meeting Kyle was like running into your best friend while waiting in line to see an encore presentation of your favorite movie. No matter how many times you repeatedly watched the same scenes, with the same cast, it somehow felt as magical as the first time.”

[kimreadsandreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is listed as a romance but it is really a story of self discovery and friendships. I would definitely consider it more woman’s fiction. This was Indie published so I had to give it some leeway, actually a lot of leeway in the editing department but the base story was good. I liked the main character, Jess, at the beginning but my opinion of her went down a slippery slope continually at a time in the book when she should have shown more growth and I could have liked her even more.
I read this as part of a buddy read and some loved it. I just struggled to get past a few things.

[Briana · Rating 1 out of 5]

The lack of editing was very distracting and detracted from the overall narrative. :(

[Catriona Fyfe · Rating 1 out of 5]

“𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈, 𝒃𝒚 𝒂 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒆, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏”

❗️spoilers ahead ❗️

Synopsis:
Close to turning 27, Jess is faced with a brutal divorce of someone she’s spent all of her 20’s with. Over the course of the next year, Jess struggles to find who she really is without the conventional marriage and kids idea that she had planned for herself at this age. This is a story of self-discovery and realising what truly matters

Opinion:
Urgh I soooo wanted to love this but sadly it was a no from me. I feel like the story jumped all over the place and didn’t have a proper plot but rather small stories and scenes within. There are some other things that bothered me that I’m just going to bullet point:
- Jess attends the same therapist that her ex used to visit, surely that’s not allowed?
- Jess is so desperate not to be alone she avoids the red flags on her first date with Greg… I mean who asks someone out to a restaurant and doesn’t let them eat??
- Time jumps that don’t make sense- One chapter discusses how Jess’s first few weeks with Greg and the next chapter she is telling her girlfriends that she only met him a week ago
- She was warned that Erik had no personality yet went out with him anyway because he was hot
- Why is every death mentioned from a form of cancer? Could the author not think of something else to die from?

Overall, I think the novel had a promising message about self-acceptance and finding yourself after a divorce but it just lacked with the editing and timeline of the scenes ✨

[the bookish mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

💗 Book Review 💗
.
Falling Forward | Jennifer Cohen
Pub Date: ‪5/18/20‬
.
RATING: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
.
REVIEW: This was such a great women’s fiction about navigating life after divorce. Reading through the book and seeing how much Jess grew from when she had to say goodbye to all her past hopes and dreams and “what should have been” to where she ended up brought such joy and hope. I loved how this book gives you the nitty gritty of her work life, social life, love life. It kept me guessing and turning to see what she has to go though next!  I also thought it was great how it shared the importance and benefit of talking to a professional to keep your mental health in check. Even though she had her friends and family always there to lean on, it was such a positive message.  Overall it was a great book on loving yourself, loving your tribe and learning from your mistakes and moving forward! 
.
Thank you @jenncohenwrites for the gifted eARC to read and give my honest review! This book hits @amazon ‪May 18th‬! 

[Jennifer]

I read Falling Forward, Jennifer S. Cohen's indie-published debut novel, as part of a buddy read on Instagram. Based in part on Cohen's own experiences, Falling Forward details the life of Jess Klein after the breakup of her marriage. The novel focuses on the difficulty Jess experiences in finding her independence after a long-term relationship that began when she was quite young. Now, when many of her friends are settling down, Jess is doing the opposite.

The difficult cycle Jess experiences here is quite relatable: she knows that she needs to make a change and that she can't find happiness in a man, but she keeps falling into the same pattern. Unfortunately, inconsistencies with the timeline and persistent editing errors distracted from the strength of the story. I did enjoy the depiction of Jess's strong friendships--I'm a sucker for the power of unified women!

Overall, I'd say that Falling Forward reveals Cohen's potential to tell an inspiring, realistic story, though I did wish for more polish and consistency in the presentation of that story.

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Divorce (theme)

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Falling Forward is @jenncohenwrites’s debut novel. It seemingly mirrors her own story & life after marrying her high school sweetheart & subsequently realizing he is not the one, making her a 27 year-old divorcée. While I don’t know how many of the other stories in the book that happened to the main character (Jess Klein) happened to Jenn, I imagine that there were definitely some similarities & writing from experience. Needless to say, they went through a LOT.

At the end of the day, this story was about finding who you really are without someone else. Until you know that, you aren’t ready to be loved. While I don’t have experience with divorce, I have been through my share of painful breakups & imagine it to be a worse version of that. I commend Jenn for writing what she knew & shedding the stigma of starting over.

This gets a B from me, mainly because I never felt like we were fully let into any part of Jess’s story. We just got snippets and jump-cuts of all different parts and stories of her life, and I was looking for something a bit deeper. But that’s just me, of course! It’s a light read that could definitely resonate with a lot of young women.

Read if you like:
• Coming-of-age stories
• Stories about personal growth
• Women empowerment stories
• OR if you’re going through a breakup or divorce. Things DO get better.