Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The Upside of Falling by Alex Light - HIGH

The Upside of Falling
by Alex Light
288 pages Harperteen Harper Collins, 2020. $18.

Language: R (24 swears 3 'f'); Mature Content: PG13 (teen intimacy); Violence: G. 

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL 

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH 

17yo Becca loves romance novels. They have been her escape for a while now. Her parents divorced when she was 10 and she no longer believes in actual love. But when a former friend gives her attitude about not having a boyfriend, Becca lies and says she's been secretly dating someone. Brett Wells is popular, talented and has perfect parents, but he's so busy trying to live up to his dad's expectations (star of the football team) that he has little time for dating. So, when he overhears Becca's lie in the hallway, he steps in and quickly joins the charade as Becca's "mystery" boyfriend. A perfect arrangement for both, right? But, when acting like the perfect couple starts to turn into actual feelings for Becca, and then Brett's world starts to crash, he realizes that Becca may be more than just a ruse to keep his friends and dad happy, 

Oh! This was such a cute novel. Oh my, the romance was just right, the drama was realistic (not just school drama) and the issues were real - coping with divorce, parent troubles, best friend issues, grades, social status - a great high school read. 

Lisa Librarian

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