kafide's Reviews > Rules of Falling

i was teetering between 3 and 4 but i ultimately, i gave it a 4 because i read this in 3 days contrary to the actual dates listed.

my first impression of this book was not the best. the cover looked very photoshopped. i hear you. it's a woman with her hair on fire. of course it's going to be photoshopped. it just doesn't look super polished.

but i read the blurb (shoutout to booksirens) and i was intrigued. medical conditions, illicit affairs, star-crossed lovers, POTENTIAL MURDER AND LITERAL FIRES WITH FLAMES AND EMBERS AND ASHES. sign me up.

i found myself gripped by the book once the actual affair started. it took me a while to pick this up for real once i got approval to read this (mostly because i was busy) but because i wasn't really that interested. when larry started doing illegal shit, i was suddenly glued to my computer. i don't know if it was the anticipation of my girlie erica's bff dying or the super cute chemistry between her and adam that kept me going. either way, i really enjoyed it.

the plot was pretty easy to follow through. i was happy enough that there wasn't a lot of fluff going on. it progressed at the pace that was comfy. i like the plot. it's creepy and scary to think that grooming is a thing but it is. i think that younger people should be made more aware of the signs that they're being groomed. it will hopefully avoid trauma. and if this does happen to anyone, that they get help and justice. i hope that people who read this who have friends (i worded this that way bc i don't have friends), that they keep them accountable because erica is very tolerant of lindsay's behaviour. that's not right.

also because this is pretty YA, i imagined the setting as a bulk standard YA small town.

the characters were fleshed out enough that i don't really have any questions about them. erica was a good character. she feels like a real person. i believe her struggles with syncope. i believe her complacency with lindsay's affair because we turn a blind eye for the people that we love. i believe her crush with adam was rooted in insecurity but is very pure. lindsay's well written as well. i think she echoes the same sentiments when we're told that what we're doing is wrong. she defensive and naive which is typical for people at that age. i don't know why i wish she dies in this book but i think it's the conclusion my brain was leaning towards and when it didn't happen, i was mad. lol. adam feels very much like a manic pixie dream girl. think of a boy version of that. that's adam i think. i just kept thinking... no one's like this right. maybe that's my cynicism talking but legit no one is like this... right??? larry a shithead for everything and he's really well written. he written pretty convincingly. i can see why young girls would fall for him. i also love josephine. lol.

why is this a 4 and not a 5? because it is very trope-y. that's it... and maybe because a particular character *lindsay* doesn't die.

my hidden notes are my kindle notes so it's totally skippable. in hindsight, they don't really make a lot of sense because they don't have context when i transfer them onto here but it's below if you're at all interested. otherwise... my final thoughts are at the end.

(view spoiler)[

“Sheep’s eyes, Erica, remember?” Lindsay said. “We’re dissecting today. You’re not the only one who felt like fainting, trust me. Half the kids in this class are green.”

holy shit. for a second there i though that she died and then she woke up during her autopsy. hahahaha.

“Mr. Taggert,” Lindsay explained. “His real name is Lawrence. But he told me to call him Larry.”

is this grooming. this is totally grooming. lindsay is going to killed or something.

“Like on CSI?” I asked.

why does she sound like an airhead? aren't you smart? and 17? like on csi. okay. lol.

“What flavor do you want?” he asked. “Interracial.”

what the fuck. that's actually a pretty cool way to order that though. is it too risky to try this in real life?

“Anyhow, Josephine doesn’t exactly make herself presentable for her husband. I think a woman should try to be sexy all the time, whether she’s at a picnic or sitting in a hospital cafeteria.”

no one has to do anything to be something for someone. if she wants to be sexy then she can do that but she doesn't have to be if she doesn't want to.

But still, it would have been nice if Jack had at least asked for my number, or asked to see if I was okay after I took a bite out of the dock. Maybe he was afraid he’d pick me up for a date and I’d get into his car with a snaggletooth smile.

:(
i want to tell her that it's not her problem that jack didn't want her number. it's jack's problem.
but then on the flip side, i can understand both sides.
he's being honest with himself that going out with erica is not something he can do. straight off the bat, he's being honest and not giving her flase hope into going out with her so that she can move one and find someone else.

“You broke up with Adam by text? That reeks, Linds.”

it does fr

“That’s because my dad’s a loser who doesn’t give a crap about his family.”

isn't that how it goes though? she's only attracted to larry because she didn't have a role model father. classic daddy issues.

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t rely on a man to begin with,” I told her. “Any man. No matter who he is.”

tell her erica!

“Do you plan to— you know— do more than just hang out with Larry?”

i think the problem here is that erica is complicit to lindsay's behaviour. if this were my friend, i would call them out on this because it's not right.

Did he have to leave an awesome dream to hold the large hose for the firefighters?

what is this obsession with adam lol

Lindsay closed the drawer, opened the medicine cabinet, checked out the labels on a few bottles, and grabbed a container of men’s deodorant. She popped off the cap and took a whiff. “Larry,” she breathed, rubbing the stick against her wrist.

this is fucking disgusting. lindsay. ffs.

“She’s probably delusional. Remember what we learned in psych class? How some people believe stuff that isn’t real because it makes them happy?” I wanted to say, Maybe that’s what you’re doing, Lindsay. But I did not.

lol
erica is my favourite character.
i imagine that she should be considering that she's the main character.

“Aw,” Lindsay said. “Larry says he misses me. And that he’s counting the minutes until Friday.”

she's totally gonna die this friday. i can feel it in my bones.

Lindsay, wearing an oversized fireman’s T-shirt below her made-up face and super stylish hair, swished back and forth on the swivel chair at my bedroom desk while I sat cross-legged on my bed.

fuck. i wanted her to be dead.

“So,” I said, “I was thinking, if this keeps up, I’d like to get my learner’s permit.” “To drive?”

okay. even I wouldn't allow this. sorry erica but you're still at risk of syncope and driving is way to risky for you and for other sriver.

I shut the bedroom door behind me, changed into my jammies, and crawled into bed, the idiotic grin never leaving my face.

eep.
that driving lesson was super cute.
i ship it.
oh and i think lindsay is super dead now.

Lindsay stopped at the BP station on our way to school Monday morning.

...and she's not.

One boy shouted, “This is so going on Youtube!” He hovered over me with his cell phone a foot from my face.

no one says this.
...wait do they do this??? are there still high school students that do this???

I think they said. The other one is an abandoned building down in the warehouse district.”

yes. fuck yes.
i hope josephine burned down the warehouse. that's a bad-ass moment right there. her burning the love nest of her husband and his secret lover. i support arson in these circumstances.
unless of course larry burned the building with lindsay in it to cover up his affair because josephine was catching on.

“Red-flagged?” “Arson.”

imagine me with a huge grin on my face with red flames in my eyes saying the word "arson".

“I’m way too tired to argue,” she said. “Besides, I like you, Adam. I trust you, too. Anyway, it’s been a long time since I’ve babysat. Maybe dirty diapers will bring back some fond memories.”

but like... you're a stranger. if larry or josephine suddenly rock up, then they'll see some random woman looking after their kids. that would be weird.

A blond female.

ffs i totally forgot than lindsay was out at the beach. i really wanted her to die in this fire.
we're already half-way. am i going to get the satisfaction of her death???

“He’s only being nice to you to keep a paw on me. I’m sure there are other things he’d rather be doing on a Friday night.”

that's so mean. my jaw just dropped. like wtf.

But I couldn’t stand the thought of losing Adam’s friendship, especially if I was the reason. I had misdirected my anger, unconsciously shoving him between Lindsay and me like a hefty chunk of insulation.

no shit sherlock

“Your hair looks good like that,” he said. My stomach twisted. I tried to throw away the compliment with a joke. “The windblown look is tres chic these days.” Larry laughed. I pretended to join him.

this is precisely what i would do if i felt uncomfy with anyone. lol.

“As if you didn’t know,” Larry said. “And why wouldn’t he? You’re pretty and sexy and a great listener. You seem way older than other girls your age. Adam’s a lucky guy. Make sure you let him know that.”

what the fuck larry. sir.

Outside, the wind blew harder, causing the fake shutters to rattle against the siding. The chime on the front porch made a tinkling sound.

this sounds like the opening to a horror movie.

Larry Taggert was madly in love with fire.

larry was totally causing all those fires. it's obvious now at this point. larry is to fire how i was to arson earlier in my notes.

“I just needed a couple of days to chill,” Adam said. “I knew you were taking your anger toward Lindsay out on me. But it still hurt.”

aww.

“Of course you can,” she said, smiling. “You two are— what do the kids call it today— hooking up?”

josephine is a hilarious gem. i hope she started the fires.

He hesitated, leaned into the cab, and gave me a quick peck on the lips.

a bit inappropriate in its timing but i'll take it.

But that doesn’t mean they should be saved every time they do something stupid.”

that's... actually correct. wow.

“You’ll be wasting your time.”

theory: not that this theory is based on sound information but what if adam is the bad guy dun dun dun

It was Josephine.

I FUCKING KNEW IT

twist his arm

what is it with people twisting other people's arms???

His little wifey wasn’t needed anymore; I was just another peon expected to bow down to him.

i see where she fails in herself here. she based a lot of her validation from her husband instead of herself.

how lucky can one woman get?”

it's so trope-y yet again. the villian catching our hero and sharing their evil plans with them. then the hero will say "YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS" stuggles a little bit in their restraint and the villian says somthing snarky and chucks her cigarette in the fire and the whole thigns goes ablaze and the villain walks out and by some miracle, the hero has a secret weapon in her pocket and she break free from the restraint and she escapes before the explosion and she kicks the bad guys' butt.

King Larry

i read this the other way. larry king live. i used to watch his show as a kid. pretty cool old man

She laughed like a madwoman.

she's so evil i love it. bahahahahaha

God is a woman,

you believe god is a woman~

yuh.

“Car keys,” I said. Adam pointed to his side pocket.

they managed to steal his wallet but not his car keys?

“I flew like a mother-clucking pterodactyl. Thank God that cop spotted me. Can you believe he thought I was drunk?”

lol

(hide spoiler)]

this book is actually really good. definitely would recommend especially if you just want a light read but you still want to experience the excitement from mystery and the flutter from a romance.

disclaimer: I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. :)