Don't Fall
Release
Date: May 2014
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Synopsis:
In
which a teenage girl endures the over-protective love of her adoptive mother
until she falls for a boy who has her wanting to spread her wings, pitched as a
contemporary retelling of RAPUNZEL
Seventeen-year-old
Anya leads a very secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted
mother. She doesn't go to school, but instead has a private tutor. Her
over-protective mom keeps her so sheltered that she doesn't even have a best
friend.
But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams, and would do anything to please her mom. Until 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.
But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams, and would do anything to please her mom. Until 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.
Review: 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.
Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Rachel
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.
Author Links:
PUBLISHER LINKS
@swoonromance
Facebook.com/SwoonRomance
***GIVEAWAY***
1 ebook of Don’t Fall + $10 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
Oh yay! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book! Thanks for being part of the tour! :)
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