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A two-book series by the bestselling author of Almost and Unmaking Hunter Kennedy.
2014, 379p, YA Contemporary Romance
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy for an honest review
*WHAT IF YOU HAD AN IMPOSSIBLE CRUSH?*
Impossible because she’s Ellen Foster. The beautiful, smart, and possibly fragile photography-girl. You’re Cam Campbell. The guy who plays football 24/7 with no life. But what if during junior year, you decide to finally try for her phone number—until this glitter-crazed new girl ruins your plan. Worse, the girl is Irish, awkward, and insists you and Ellen should become best friends—with her! Only, you don’t want to be friends with a human tornado, and you think Ellen might need to stay a crush. This is because after one interaction you’ve discovered Ellen Foster really is fragile. Your problems and secrets are too big for anyone to understand.
*WHAT IF YOU COULDN’T RESIST?*
But what if the three of you wind up assigned to a group photography project, where rumors are already circling about the new girl being ridiculous? You know she’s nice but very alone, so you convince your crush to help protect the new girl. Suddenly, working on the project makes hanging out, texting, talking—and even high school—seem fun and completely normal when it’s anything but normal.
*WHAT IF YOU KISS?*
What if you kiss Ellen Foster and it’s perfect enough to make you believe in things you shouldn’t. You tell her secrets and share your dreams. You make the kinds of promises and create plans to be together that might be impossible to keep when you’re only sixteen and your parents control your entire future, but… WHAT IF YOU HURT HER?
I had the opportunity to read both of these books.
Ellen is a junior in high school and has Cerebral Palsy. She's been best friends with Patrick since the 7th grade, when he wound up at the loser lunch table with her. He has changed a lot over the past year and plays football so he's moving up in popularity but stays true to her. Ellen has a crush on Cam, the star football player, and we quickly learn that he also has a crush on her. She meets a new, quirky girl from Ireland named Laura London on the bus at the beginning of the story.
This book is about the four of them and their relationships with each other. Ellen and Cam have a love of photography in common and they get to know each other through a project they work on together. As Ellen gets to know Cam, she realizes that he doesn't live a charmed life like she thought and he has huge issues with his parents. The story switches POV between Ellen and Cam so we know what the other one is thinking. It's understandable that Ellen is leery of his intentions and it's nice that we're able to know how he really feels.
Ellen and Laura become best friends. Laura is great comic relief. I love her quirkiness and how accepting she is of Ellen. Patrick falls in love with Laura but she has a boyfriend she left behind and is only interested in being his friend. I enjoyed Ellen's character and liked how optimistic and realistic she was. She understood her limitations with CP and didn't expect pity or special treatment. There were times, though, that I wished she would just let others help her.
There's quite a bit of drama since not everyone is thrilled with the relationships that are forming. There were a few parts that were lengthy to me and and I felt like they dragged on a little too long and there was quite a bit of language. I enjoyed it overall and when I got to the end, I was glad that I was able to start reading the second book right away!
“How I Fall captures exactly how a high school crush feels. You can have endless long days—days that feel exactly the same—and then in one moment a little thing changes, a conversation finally happens, and suddenly there’s a new friend group formed where relationships are suddenly ‘on’! I loved this book (How I Fall) and I’ve already read the sequel, How I Fly as ARC. You will laugh, you will cry and you will fall so in love with Ellen and Cam’s story.” ~Becca H. Teen book blogger.
“Anne Eliot writes the sweetest first kisses. She also does those book boyfriends you can’t get out of your head. Cam Campbell in How I Fall doesn’t disappoint, nor does the awesome first kiss.” ~Judith, I Love YA Fiction, Blog
2015, 355p, YA Contemporary Romance
My Rating=4 Stars
Source: Received a copy for an honest review
*WHAT IF IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON…?*
Over six months after an accident that broke her legs as well as removed her boyfriend from her life—because Cam Campbell left town and dumped her—high school senior, Ellen Foster, wants to move past her broken heart. She’s off to attend a summer photography workshop at a real university along with her best friends. Ellen’s determined to find a new love—or at least a summer boyfriend. In the dorm, she meets Harrison Shaw. He’s a handsome photography student, a charmer who likes her, and a perfect way to forget her past.
*WHAT IF IT ALL GOES PERFECTLY…?*
Ellen thinks she has everything she wants. Her summer program couldn’t be better. She’s half in love with Harrison Shaw, and she’s going after her next scholarship. But when she kisses Harrison, she can only remember how Cam Campbell used kiss her better, sweeter, and how he used to make her feel like she could fly…
*WHAT IF SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT…?*
When Cam shows up at the university it’s a shock, especially to Ellen’s new boyfriend. Cam’s distant, different and very afraid to hurt Ellen again. He asks Ellen if they could be friends despite the past and how they’ve both changed and Ellen agrees. But after all they’ve been through, can Cam and Ellen ever be just friends?
*WHAT IF…?*
This book starts a few months after the first book ends. Cam is gone and Ellen is leaving for a summer program to learn more about photography and try for a scholarship. Patrick and Laura are going with her. She misses Cam but everyone is telling her to move on. When she gets to Western Ontario Arts School, she meets a cute guy, Harrison Shaw, and decides to give him a chance.
It's not long before we learn what happened to Cam and what he's been going through since he left Ellen. His life has changed drastically. He feels terrible about what happened when he last saw Ellen and asks her if they can be friends.
Ellen has to sort through her feelings as she still has feelings for Cam but feels the need to give Harrison a chance. Her choice felt obvious to me but it was good that she gave herself some time to work through her feelings. I enjoyed Ellen's character throughout both books. She learned a lot about herself and her limitations and overcame some major obstacles.
I absolutely loved Cam in this book! He had grown a lot since we last saw him and had made some positive changes in his life. The dynamics between the four friends had changed so it had a different feel than the first book but was still enjoyable.
There's plenty of drama in this book, especially towards the end. Like the first book, there were parts that I felt dragged on a little too long and quite a bit of language. And, once again, I enjoyed it overall and was mostly satisfied with how it ended. There's one storyline which could have used more closure so I had to come up with my own (happy) ending. This was a fun series to read!
Anne Eliot is the author of the, How I Fall/How I Fly two book series, and bestselling, young adult teen issue romances, Almost and Unmaking Hunter Kennedy. She loves writing about teens who live outside the ordinary and she’s devoted to stories about teens who live outside the ordinary but who also get to find sweet first kisses and first loves.
Anne resides in Colorado with a very patient husband, two teens of her own whom she adores (an some teens near and far thanks to hosting many exchange students) who are all growing up too fast.
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1 comments:
Oh this sounds so sweet!
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