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Fall for Anything
From the author of Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are comes a gripping story about one girl’s search for clues into the mysterious death of her father.
When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide, her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world?
When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?
When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide, her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world?
When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 21, 2010
About the author
Courtney Summers
14 books7,567 followersCOURTNEY SUMMERS is an uncompromising writer¹ known for a history of risky artistic choices² and pushing boundaries³ with novels that are not for the faint of heart.⁴ She has received over 20 starred reviews and numerous awards and honors, including the Edgar and ITW Thriller Awards.
¹ Quill & Quire ² Kirkus Reviews
³ Shelf Awareness ⁴ The New York Times
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¹ Quill & Quire ² Kirkus Reviews
³ Shelf Awareness ⁴ The New York Times
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 756 reviews
March 30, 2012
I can't imagine why Courtney Summers' novels aren't more widely read, I guess it might have something to do with Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are being marketed as your typical high school clique-y/boy-obsessed novels. Their covers suggest something you'd find in every American high school movie and even the quote from the School Library Journal about Some Girls Are is: "Fans of the film Mean Girls will enjoy this tale of redemption and forgiveness".
Well, let me tell you this... Courtney Summers' books are incredibly raw and emotional, they are addictive in that "just one more chapter" way, even when it's 2am and you have to get up early. She gets right inside the mind of her protagonist like so few authors manage to do. Even this book, a story so different from her two previous novels, was utterly mesmerizing. Though, if you only like happy books she probably isn't the right choice for you.
It's insane how many popular novels tackle the same subjects such as loss, sexual assault, and bullying but are far less effective. So many try and fail to capture the sadness, loneliness and guilt that Courtney Summers repeatedly manages to deliver so expertly. These books need to be read.
As for Fall for Anything, it's the story of Eddie, a girl whose father has just commit suicide. Desperate for answers as to why a successful photographer would choose to end his life, Eddie teams up with his ex-student in an attempt to decode what may be the troubled artist's final message to the world. With her mother sinking deeper into depression and her mother's friend taking over their home with little regard for Eddie's grief, this could be her only chance to regain some of her previous life back... but what if the answer she finds is the last thing she wanted to hear?
Trust me, if you're not familiar with Courtney Summers, get to it! And I highly recommend you start with Some Girls Are.
September 17, 2020
Courtney Summers undoubtedly has raw talent in perfectly creating broken characters who are believable. You can touch them, you can feel them and there’s no other recourse but to embrace them for who they are.
She also has a gift in discussing sensitive matters in a very intensely provocative and original manner. The use of photographs in the story is very striking. It provided it deeper meaning.
This is the story of a 17 year old girl named Eddie Reeves whose father was once a very kind and famous photographer who believed that his work/talent must be shared, who touched many people’s lives but who one day decided his life wasn’t worth to live any longer (Robin Williams, RIP. *sniffs*) and whose mom who couldn’t process the death of her husband couldn’t seem to function as a person anymore.
Eddie is therefore left on a sole, determined mission- to find out the mystery behind her father’s suicide. This is where the plot evolves. In the process, she meets Culler, her father’s ex-student and finally someone who seems to understand. Is he the answer to Eddie’s Big Why? Read the book for the answer.
I don’t think the author is really big on writing complex plots. In fact, this is almost plot-less. The events are quite subtle and yet it’s still a very gripping read.
It’s emotional, it’s sad. It’s after all a story about grief and how people haunted by it vary in processing such an emotion but it’s also sweet (as it also talks about friendship) and in the end very real and meaningful and hopeful.
She also has a gift in discussing sensitive matters in a very intensely provocative and original manner. The use of photographs in the story is very striking. It provided it deeper meaning.
This is the story of a 17 year old girl named Eddie Reeves whose father was once a very kind and famous photographer who believed that his work/talent must be shared, who touched many people’s lives but who one day decided his life wasn’t worth to live any longer (Robin Williams, RIP. *sniffs*) and whose mom who couldn’t process the death of her husband couldn’t seem to function as a person anymore.
Eddie is therefore left on a sole, determined mission- to find out the mystery behind her father’s suicide. This is where the plot evolves. In the process, she meets Culler, her father’s ex-student and finally someone who seems to understand. Is he the answer to Eddie’s Big Why? Read the book for the answer.
I don’t think the author is really big on writing complex plots. In fact, this is almost plot-less. The events are quite subtle and yet it’s still a very gripping read.
It’s emotional, it’s sad. It’s after all a story about grief and how people haunted by it vary in processing such an emotion but it’s also sweet (as it also talks about friendship) and in the end very real and meaningful and hopeful.
September 5, 2018
*3 Stars*
Fall for Anything takes an honest and heartbreaking look into the aftermath of a loved one's suicide, and vividly explores the self-blame and confusion that inevitably lingers.
While I didn't find this story as edgy or intense as some of Summers' others, its messages were every bit as impactful.
The plot itself moves at a slower pace and, although some mystery is incorporated, is a fairly steady, straightforward ride.
But what stood out most for me was the genuine nature of each character, which allowed me to remain fully convinced and invested at all times. The tone of this story was depressingly solemn, and the characters' behaviors stayed true to that.
Since her father's sudden suicide, Eddie lives a life fueled by desperate motivation: trying to uncover the reason her talented, artist father took his own life. When clues begin presenting themselves, Eddie jumps head first into a do-or-die investigation. Haunted by endless questions and ignored by a mother who's too broken to leave her bed, giving in to this uncertain quest is something Eddie simply must do.
There is a shadow of a romance entwined, but the heart of this plot lies in Eddie's pain and frustrations. As with all books by this author, the ending is left somewhat open, offering insinuations while still presenting gratification. I believe this particular book was this author's early work, and while I enjoyed, I can certainly see how her unique talent has multiplied in her recent novels!
A touching read!
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Realistic Fiction/Mystery/YA
▪ Romance: Very subtle
▪ Characters: Well drawn out. Pained personas.
▪ Plot: A teenaged girl struggles to uncover the reasons her father committed suicide.
▪ Writing: Superb. Polished, descriptive, and convincing.
▪ POV: 1st Person: Heroine
▪ Cliffhanger:None. Standalone.
Fall for Anything takes an honest and heartbreaking look into the aftermath of a loved one's suicide, and vividly explores the self-blame and confusion that inevitably lingers.
While I didn't find this story as edgy or intense as some of Summers' others, its messages were every bit as impactful.
The plot itself moves at a slower pace and, although some mystery is incorporated, is a fairly steady, straightforward ride.
But what stood out most for me was the genuine nature of each character, which allowed me to remain fully convinced and invested at all times. The tone of this story was depressingly solemn, and the characters' behaviors stayed true to that.
Since her father's sudden suicide, Eddie lives a life fueled by desperate motivation: trying to uncover the reason her talented, artist father took his own life. When clues begin presenting themselves, Eddie jumps head first into a do-or-die investigation. Haunted by endless questions and ignored by a mother who's too broken to leave her bed, giving in to this uncertain quest is something Eddie simply must do.
There is a shadow of a romance entwined, but the heart of this plot lies in Eddie's pain and frustrations. As with all books by this author, the ending is left somewhat open, offering insinuations while still presenting gratification. I believe this particular book was this author's early work, and while I enjoyed, I can certainly see how her unique talent has multiplied in her recent novels!
A touching read!
Book Stats:
▪ Genre/Category: Realistic Fiction/Mystery/YA
▪ Romance: Very subtle
▪ Characters: Well drawn out. Pained personas.
▪ Plot: A teenaged girl struggles to uncover the reasons her father committed suicide.
▪ Writing: Superb. Polished, descriptive, and convincing.
▪ POV: 1st Person: Heroine
▪ Cliffhanger:None. Standalone.
July 22, 2015
4 Stars!!
“Fall for Anything” was an interesting, honest and raw realistic/young adult novel and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Well, ‘enjoyed’ it’s not the right word I think, since the story was so heartbreaking and emotional and its message was quite powerful, but anyway...I’m a romance reader…95% of the time, I read romance novels, but once in a while I love to read a good realistic fiction/young adult novel. “Fall for Anything” was my second book by this author and like the first one it was a character driven story, it was emotional, it was gripping from start to finish. I love this author style. It’s very simple, yet so honest and moving and personally I don’t need fancy words to be impressed or moved by a story. This book is about suicide, loss, family, friendship, coming of age and maybe just maybe acceptance.
The story fallows Eddie Reeves, a 17 years old girl whose life was shattered when her father, once a famous photographer committed suicide. His death almost destroyed her and left her mother inconsolable, a woman who doesn’t want to learn how to life without her husband and who doesn’t know how to be a mother for her daughter. Eddie has many questions, but the most important one is – why her father committed suicide. She wants to know what he thought about when he did it, if he thought about her and her mother, if she was or not a good daughter. She has her best friend, Milo who is there for her like a true friend, but maybe Eddie needs someone else, someone who understands her ‘obsession’ with her father death. In this adventure/mission to find ‘the truth’ about her father, Eddie meets Culler, her father ex-student. She’s more surprised when she finds out that her father had a student, so she starts to wonder if she truly knew him like a daughter supposed to know her own father. Together, Eddie and Culler try to figure out everything that matters for both of them – why Sean Reeves did what he did?!
This was great read! For me. For me because while the message it’s pretty clear, I’m not sure everyone will 'enjoy' this novel. ”Fall for Anything” was raw and a little...dark, touching and maybe for some readers will be a little depressing as well. But most of all it was realistic fiction at its finest. Why? Because it made me feel, because it’s a story you can relate with and because the subject matter is narrated in a respectful way. The story is slow paced and while I’m not quite a fan of this kind of stories. I thought the pace of the story was perfect for this novel.
Like I mentioned earlier, the story is more character driven than plot driven. The plot is very simple and honestly I was more than fine with this aspect of the story since the main character, Eddie and her character development were enough for me. Eddie is a character really well developed. She felt real and her characterization and her inner turmoil were so fantastically done. Through the author’s words you can feel her pain, her confusion, her anger, her despair and all of her other feelings. I really felt for her.
The romance aspect of the story is almost inexistent. The same thing I could say about the mystery aspect. They were there, but they were not the important ones. Eddie’s journey was what mattered in this novel. It’s a an emotional, sad journey that left me wanting more, a journey that will made you reflect.
Overall, a great read!
“Fall for Anything” was an interesting, honest and raw realistic/young adult novel and I have to say I really enjoyed it. Well, ‘enjoyed’ it’s not the right word I think, since the story was so heartbreaking and emotional and its message was quite powerful, but anyway...I’m a romance reader…95% of the time, I read romance novels, but once in a while I love to read a good realistic fiction/young adult novel. “Fall for Anything” was my second book by this author and like the first one it was a character driven story, it was emotional, it was gripping from start to finish. I love this author style. It’s very simple, yet so honest and moving and personally I don’t need fancy words to be impressed or moved by a story. This book is about suicide, loss, family, friendship, coming of age and maybe just maybe acceptance.
The story fallows Eddie Reeves, a 17 years old girl whose life was shattered when her father, once a famous photographer committed suicide. His death almost destroyed her and left her mother inconsolable, a woman who doesn’t want to learn how to life without her husband and who doesn’t know how to be a mother for her daughter. Eddie has many questions, but the most important one is – why her father committed suicide. She wants to know what he thought about when he did it, if he thought about her and her mother, if she was or not a good daughter. She has her best friend, Milo who is there for her like a true friend, but maybe Eddie needs someone else, someone who understands her ‘obsession’ with her father death. In this adventure/mission to find ‘the truth’ about her father, Eddie meets Culler, her father ex-student. She’s more surprised when she finds out that her father had a student, so she starts to wonder if she truly knew him like a daughter supposed to know her own father. Together, Eddie and Culler try to figure out everything that matters for both of them – why Sean Reeves did what he did?!
This was great read! For me. For me because while the message it’s pretty clear, I’m not sure everyone will 'enjoy' this novel. ”Fall for Anything” was raw and a little...dark, touching and maybe for some readers will be a little depressing as well. But most of all it was realistic fiction at its finest. Why? Because it made me feel, because it’s a story you can relate with and because the subject matter is narrated in a respectful way. The story is slow paced and while I’m not quite a fan of this kind of stories. I thought the pace of the story was perfect for this novel.
Like I mentioned earlier, the story is more character driven than plot driven. The plot is very simple and honestly I was more than fine with this aspect of the story since the main character, Eddie and her character development were enough for me. Eddie is a character really well developed. She felt real and her characterization and her inner turmoil were so fantastically done. Through the author’s words you can feel her pain, her confusion, her anger, her despair and all of her other feelings. I really felt for her.
The romance aspect of the story is almost inexistent. The same thing I could say about the mystery aspect. They were there, but they were not the important ones. Eddie’s journey was what mattered in this novel. It’s a an emotional, sad journey that left me wanting more, a journey that will made you reflect.
Overall, a great read!
July 20, 2018
This review and other non-spoilery reviews can be found @The Book Prescription
Actual Rating: 2.75 stars
“You know,” she says. “You’re still alive. I don’t know how many different ways I can try to tell you before it finally sinks in.”
🌟 I didn’t know this book existed until Lily pointed out that it does and that it is one of her favorite books. She warned me that this book is not for everyone and it has relatively few ratings and reviews if compared to other books on GR.
🌟 I didn’t know what it discusses or what shall I expect, I prefer to do that recently because sometimes there are good surprises awaiting and sometimes -this time included- there simply aren’t.
🌟 I saw the cover and didn’t know if I wanted to read it because honestly, this does not have the best cover out there! But let’s not cover a book by its cover. So I heard the writing style is good and it was. But it was not that mind-blowing for me.
🌟 There is a general uncomfortable feeling that I had the whole time I was reading this and I felt it was gloomy and that I wanted to finish it fast. This is a short book, 240 pages and can be finished in 1-2 days so I finished it in one day because to be honest another time, I wanted to have answers, I wanted to know what happened. But the build up was intense and the result was so underwhelming.
🌟 I didn’t like the characters and I couldn’t relate to the story very much. I know there is a message behind the book but I don’t know if I am 100% convinced. But I felt that Eddie was in grief and she needed serious help. Milo was the only character that I liked in this book. And Culler!! WTF!
When the woman asked Eddie if she was OK, I was relieved that finally someone asked her that, she takes very bad decisions that felt a bit irrational to me.
“Why. Why. Why. WHY.
The question my life had become.”
🌟 Summary: As Lily told me, this is a good book but it is not for everyone, I could not relate to the story so much because I wasn’t in a similar situation.
Prescription: For those who are looking for an answer for the question WHY??
Actual Rating: 2.75 stars
“You know,” she says. “You’re still alive. I don’t know how many different ways I can try to tell you before it finally sinks in.”
🌟 I didn’t know this book existed until Lily pointed out that it does and that it is one of her favorite books. She warned me that this book is not for everyone and it has relatively few ratings and reviews if compared to other books on GR.
🌟 I didn’t know what it discusses or what shall I expect, I prefer to do that recently because sometimes there are good surprises awaiting and sometimes -this time included- there simply aren’t.
🌟 I saw the cover and didn’t know if I wanted to read it because honestly, this does not have the best cover out there! But let’s not cover a book by its cover. So I heard the writing style is good and it was. But it was not that mind-blowing for me.
🌟 There is a general uncomfortable feeling that I had the whole time I was reading this and I felt it was gloomy and that I wanted to finish it fast. This is a short book, 240 pages and can be finished in 1-2 days so I finished it in one day because to be honest another time, I wanted to have answers, I wanted to know what happened. But the build up was intense and the result was so underwhelming.
🌟 I didn’t like the characters and I couldn’t relate to the story very much. I know there is a message behind the book but I don’t know if I am 100% convinced. But I felt that Eddie was in grief and she needed serious help. Milo was the only character that I liked in this book. And Culler!! WTF!
When the woman asked Eddie if she was OK, I was relieved that finally someone asked her that, she takes very bad decisions that felt a bit irrational to me.
“Why. Why. Why. WHY.
The question my life had become.”
🌟 Summary: As Lily told me, this is a good book but it is not for everyone, I could not relate to the story so much because I wasn’t in a similar situation.
Prescription: For those who are looking for an answer for the question WHY??
March 26, 2015
We're all lost in different ways, so how do we even help each other find our way out. We won't. We can't. We'll just stay lost forever.
Wow. Just all the feels. All the feels in the world. It's no secret I adore this author and would face a throw down in the Hunger Games to get another of her books in my hands, but I don't think I could possibly portray just how deeply her books touch me. It's not because I have all these dark inner thoughts and need a book like this to feel like someone is actually reaching me-No, what gets to me is the idea that I might have these dark thoughts...and no one would even know about it. Courtney Summers doesn't hide from the harsher parts of life. All her books deal with inner turmoil in one way or another, but you never ONCE feel as though you are reading a suffocating story-it feels like any other book laced with humor and boys and parties and high school. But the kicker is that you are living your life in someone else's shoes. Someone's shoes that don't have it as easy as you do. Someone who might just feel like they are dying inside but play the part every day like they are fine...when in fact they are slowly losing pieces of themselves each day that passes. These stories make you wonder just how much you know about those around you. Her books are that kind of powerful.
I imagine forcing myself farther down, until I feel weeds everywhere, brushing the sides of my arms, my feet, and then I'm surrounded. Tangled up in them so bad the lake would have me forever. I imagine drowning and what that would feel like, if I'd be scared. If I'd let it happen or if I'd fight it. I read in a book once you can't drown yourself. Your body will fight to survive, whether you want to or not.
But I don't think it's the same when you jump.
My biggest question has nothing to do with this book-why why WHY don't more people read this woman's books?? They are beautiful and profound and they aren't your every day drivel and formula we all have memorized and rehearsed-they actually have strong messages that give you feels in ways you never imagined possible. She expands your mind to a point you didn't even realize existed. This is a book about suicide? I couldn't even tell. I was hypnotized, as always, from page one when I got a glimpse of Summer's words again.
No author speaks to me the way this one does. We get romance, which I love, but it isn't solely driven by that. I get emotional and obsessed with every aspect of the story, giving me these deep rooted feels I didn't even know existed outside of romance. And I don't see why more people haven't latched onto her work like a life boat. I've felt like I have been drowning lately over the books I've read (not in a good way), slowly sinking into a depression where I didn't think I'd fall hard for a book for a long time. But thank God I saved the last available Summers book up until this moment-I feel as though I've been air-lifted out of my funk, which brings no short amount of humor to my attention, in that this book had such dark matter...but that's the point-it all mattered to me. And I guess that's all I've been wanting-to actually care.
I catch sight of myself in the mirror and realize my father will never see me like this. I am becoming a person my father will never get to know.
A touching story where a girl feels betrayed after her father commits suicide, leaving no evidence as to why he chose to do so-causing her to grasp for more, any kind of more, to help with the whys and the hows and the whens. A journey where a girl is so desperate for answers she continually searches and strives for anything she can find....and then she meets a guy who might just know more than she does about what happened that night. Her best friend, Milo, learns about this and becomes protective and concerned and...jealous? Could he possibly be jealous? They've been best friends since second grade and ever since her father's death, he has been worried sick about her and her well-being. He would do pretty much anything for her....even help her to figure out what's going on with mystery guy and the clues he found from her father...even when he thinks she should just try to live and move on.
Sometimes I feel hunted by my grief. It circles me, stalks me. It's always in my periphery. Sometimes I can fake it out. Sometimes I make myself go so still, it can't sense that I'm there anymore and it goes away. I do that right now.
I go so still the thing inside me doesn't know I'm there anymore.
Today, here, now I didn't exist (How many times have I used this word? See? I'm out of my mind nuts for this book) outside of this story. For whatever reason it latched onto my heart and put it in a vice, squeezing and squeezing until that very last page where I finally, finally could let my breath slowly ease out and I could just simply be. That's what her books do to me. They rip me out of reality until I feel like coming back-not often do books hold that power over you. That power where you know things are going on outside this vivid, imaginative world, but you are so focused and intent on this story that you kind of...live in an alternative plane of existence where you're simply going through the motions in the real world until you can pick the story back up. That was me last night. I smiled. I nodded. I talked with the hubbs...but the only thing I wanted was to get back to Eddie and protective little Milo!
I can't even look at her. I can't do this right now. I leave the room. I leave the house. I'm always leaving, but I never have anywhere to go.
There is strong subject matter that won't be fit for everyone, so I suggest you pick up her other works first like Some Girls Are or This is Not a Test and see if those stories touch you just as much as her writing has touched me. My first suggestion? Some Girls Are. But for an excellent dystopian that brought me out of the dystopian funk I was in (my favorite type of book so imagine how sad I was), I suggest This is Not a Test. I almost guarantee you'll like one of those, if not both. If you don't enjoy those, then her writing is likely not for you-Summers always has a dark undertone to her writing and a sleek way of working real tragedy into the stories, so you'll quickly know if it's a trigger you can handle. Though, I just can't imagine that being the case-ever. It's not all dark-there are beautiful moments between friends and jealousies and protectiveness and she creates some pretty dreamy boys that I have found to be unforgettable-almost every story has a heartbreaking romance that, while it doesn't steal the show, it totally does because it's not stealing the show lol. Meaning, by not pushing it in our faces, it totally makes you obsessed with it to the point where you're...well...obsessed. But you still care about the depth of the story-line-which is a big problem for me. In most books all I care about is the romance.
Aaron launches himself off the roof and the time it takes him to fall seems like one of those forever kind of seconds-the kind you feel every inch of yourself present for, the kind where you can absorb every detail and recall it easily later, but also the kind that's gone so quickly you wonder how it's even possible to have walked away with that much of it carved into your soul.
I was going through a reading slump, but this book brought me back from that dark place. I got to add a new favorite to my shelf and I was able to immerse my myself in a sea of one of my favorite author's words, once again. It just goes to show I've really evolved as a reader, since 2012. I need something palpable, real. I need flawed characters who make mistakes. I don't need that perfectly wrapped up HEA anymore (okay, well, I mean Lauren Layne's books have the PERFECT HEA's so that's a lie-I'll always need those....) to fulfill me. I just need an expertly woven story...and Summers delivers.
For more of my reviews, please visit:
Wow. Just all the feels. All the feels in the world. It's no secret I adore this author and would face a throw down in the Hunger Games to get another of her books in my hands, but I don't think I could possibly portray just how deeply her books touch me. It's not because I have all these dark inner thoughts and need a book like this to feel like someone is actually reaching me-No, what gets to me is the idea that I might have these dark thoughts...and no one would even know about it. Courtney Summers doesn't hide from the harsher parts of life. All her books deal with inner turmoil in one way or another, but you never ONCE feel as though you are reading a suffocating story-it feels like any other book laced with humor and boys and parties and high school. But the kicker is that you are living your life in someone else's shoes. Someone's shoes that don't have it as easy as you do. Someone who might just feel like they are dying inside but play the part every day like they are fine...when in fact they are slowly losing pieces of themselves each day that passes. These stories make you wonder just how much you know about those around you. Her books are that kind of powerful.
I imagine forcing myself farther down, until I feel weeds everywhere, brushing the sides of my arms, my feet, and then I'm surrounded. Tangled up in them so bad the lake would have me forever. I imagine drowning and what that would feel like, if I'd be scared. If I'd let it happen or if I'd fight it. I read in a book once you can't drown yourself. Your body will fight to survive, whether you want to or not.
But I don't think it's the same when you jump.
My biggest question has nothing to do with this book-why why WHY don't more people read this woman's books?? They are beautiful and profound and they aren't your every day drivel and formula we all have memorized and rehearsed-they actually have strong messages that give you feels in ways you never imagined possible. She expands your mind to a point you didn't even realize existed. This is a book about suicide? I couldn't even tell. I was hypnotized, as always, from page one when I got a glimpse of Summer's words again.
No author speaks to me the way this one does. We get romance, which I love, but it isn't solely driven by that. I get emotional and obsessed with every aspect of the story, giving me these deep rooted feels I didn't even know existed outside of romance. And I don't see why more people haven't latched onto her work like a life boat. I've felt like I have been drowning lately over the books I've read (not in a good way), slowly sinking into a depression where I didn't think I'd fall hard for a book for a long time. But thank God I saved the last available Summers book up until this moment-I feel as though I've been air-lifted out of my funk, which brings no short amount of humor to my attention, in that this book had such dark matter...but that's the point-it all mattered to me. And I guess that's all I've been wanting-to actually care.
I catch sight of myself in the mirror and realize my father will never see me like this. I am becoming a person my father will never get to know.
A touching story where a girl feels betrayed after her father commits suicide, leaving no evidence as to why he chose to do so-causing her to grasp for more, any kind of more, to help with the whys and the hows and the whens. A journey where a girl is so desperate for answers she continually searches and strives for anything she can find....and then she meets a guy who might just know more than she does about what happened that night. Her best friend, Milo, learns about this and becomes protective and concerned and...jealous? Could he possibly be jealous? They've been best friends since second grade and ever since her father's death, he has been worried sick about her and her well-being. He would do pretty much anything for her....even help her to figure out what's going on with mystery guy and the clues he found from her father...even when he thinks she should just try to live and move on.
Sometimes I feel hunted by my grief. It circles me, stalks me. It's always in my periphery. Sometimes I can fake it out. Sometimes I make myself go so still, it can't sense that I'm there anymore and it goes away. I do that right now.
I go so still the thing inside me doesn't know I'm there anymore.
Today, here, now I didn't exist (How many times have I used this word? See? I'm out of my mind nuts for this book) outside of this story. For whatever reason it latched onto my heart and put it in a vice, squeezing and squeezing until that very last page where I finally, finally could let my breath slowly ease out and I could just simply be. That's what her books do to me. They rip me out of reality until I feel like coming back-not often do books hold that power over you. That power where you know things are going on outside this vivid, imaginative world, but you are so focused and intent on this story that you kind of...live in an alternative plane of existence where you're simply going through the motions in the real world until you can pick the story back up. That was me last night. I smiled. I nodded. I talked with the hubbs...but the only thing I wanted was to get back to Eddie and protective little Milo!
I can't even look at her. I can't do this right now. I leave the room. I leave the house. I'm always leaving, but I never have anywhere to go.
There is strong subject matter that won't be fit for everyone, so I suggest you pick up her other works first like Some Girls Are or This is Not a Test and see if those stories touch you just as much as her writing has touched me. My first suggestion? Some Girls Are. But for an excellent dystopian that brought me out of the dystopian funk I was in (my favorite type of book so imagine how sad I was), I suggest This is Not a Test. I almost guarantee you'll like one of those, if not both. If you don't enjoy those, then her writing is likely not for you-Summers always has a dark undertone to her writing and a sleek way of working real tragedy into the stories, so you'll quickly know if it's a trigger you can handle. Though, I just can't imagine that being the case-ever. It's not all dark-there are beautiful moments between friends and jealousies and protectiveness and she creates some pretty dreamy boys that I have found to be unforgettable-almost every story has a heartbreaking romance that, while it doesn't steal the show, it totally does because it's not stealing the show lol. Meaning, by not pushing it in our faces, it totally makes you obsessed with it to the point where you're...well...obsessed. But you still care about the depth of the story-line-which is a big problem for me. In most books all I care about is the romance.
Aaron launches himself off the roof and the time it takes him to fall seems like one of those forever kind of seconds-the kind you feel every inch of yourself present for, the kind where you can absorb every detail and recall it easily later, but also the kind that's gone so quickly you wonder how it's even possible to have walked away with that much of it carved into your soul.
I was going through a reading slump, but this book brought me back from that dark place. I got to add a new favorite to my shelf and I was able to immerse my myself in a sea of one of my favorite author's words, once again. It just goes to show I've really evolved as a reader, since 2012. I need something palpable, real. I need flawed characters who make mistakes. I don't need that perfectly wrapped up HEA anymore (okay, well, I mean Lauren Layne's books have the PERFECT HEA's so that's a lie-I'll always need those....) to fulfill me. I just need an expertly woven story...and Summers delivers.
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January 23, 2011
Jesus, this is a hard book to rate. I could probably justify any star-rating I choose to give it. In many ways, it was like a drive-by smack in the face. Shocking, painful, and it leaves you feeling bewildered, while at the same time forcing you to acknowledge your own being.
This is quite a powerful book about loss and the search for answers to impossible questions. At times it was quite uncomfortable to read, for it was filled with such raw emotion and honesty, but at the same time, it was too intense to leave alone for long.
About a year ago, my grandfather, whom I was quite close to, died of a brain aneurism, which was both unexpected and a long time coming. My family and I spent the next fews days just rehashing the event over and over again, also dissecting all the ways my grandfather seemed unhealthy in his last few weeks, from forgetting his car keys to complaining of a cramp in his sides. Next to my grandmother, I was the most inconsolable. I believe "crazy raging vindictive bitch" would be the best way to describe how I was feeling in the following weeks. I was angry at everyone. If they weren't crying, I wasn't happy because I wanted everyone to visibly feel as devastatingly miserable as I was. I also engaged in a myriad of irrational, self-destructive behavior like driving our mini-van into a stone wall (the reason as to why I don't have my license as of yet) and toppling over a refrigerator (the reason why my grandmother has a new fridge)….yeah, I was not pleasant. I can't even imagine how I would react if it was my father, a father who had just committed suicide. So I could relate to Eddie for the most part.
This isn't a book that one has fun reading. I'm not even sure if I liked it, but I am sure that I loved it (does that make sense?). The characters, even the narrator, were tremendously flawed, and at times infuriating. It was hard to predict their response to anything, but that is one reason I liked these characters so much, even the douche bag. They were too complex to love or hate holistically.
I am warning you now. There are no definite endings or answers in this book. But I think that only adds to the novel. Grief can never be summarized or summed up.
And I loved the prose. It was lyrical and sparse. Exactly what I like.
I will definitely be reading more of Courtney Summer's novels.
This is quite a powerful book about loss and the search for answers to impossible questions. At times it was quite uncomfortable to read, for it was filled with such raw emotion and honesty, but at the same time, it was too intense to leave alone for long.
About a year ago, my grandfather, whom I was quite close to, died of a brain aneurism, which was both unexpected and a long time coming. My family and I spent the next fews days just rehashing the event over and over again, also dissecting all the ways my grandfather seemed unhealthy in his last few weeks, from forgetting his car keys to complaining of a cramp in his sides. Next to my grandmother, I was the most inconsolable. I believe "crazy raging vindictive bitch" would be the best way to describe how I was feeling in the following weeks. I was angry at everyone. If they weren't crying, I wasn't happy because I wanted everyone to visibly feel as devastatingly miserable as I was. I also engaged in a myriad of irrational, self-destructive behavior like driving our mini-van into a stone wall (the reason as to why I don't have my license as of yet) and toppling over a refrigerator (the reason why my grandmother has a new fridge)….yeah, I was not pleasant. I can't even imagine how I would react if it was my father, a father who had just committed suicide. So I could relate to Eddie for the most part.
This isn't a book that one has fun reading. I'm not even sure if I liked it, but I am sure that I loved it (does that make sense?). The characters, even the narrator, were tremendously flawed, and at times infuriating. It was hard to predict their response to anything, but that is one reason I liked these characters so much, even the douche bag. They were too complex to love or hate holistically.
I am warning you now. There are no definite endings or answers in this book. But I think that only adds to the novel. Grief can never be summarized or summed up.
And I loved the prose. It was lyrical and sparse. Exactly what I like.
I will definitely be reading more of Courtney Summer's novels.
February 18, 2018
what are emotions?? i forgot how to feel. also
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book #2 in the saunta and maymay's Courtney Summers' Marathon Binge Saga
i remember like 2 things about this book from my first read but i thoroughly remember the hole it left in my being so that's always great.
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book #2 in the saunta and maymay's Courtney Summers' Marathon Binge Saga
i remember like 2 things about this book from my first read but i thoroughly remember the hole it left in my being so that's always great.
January 23, 2011
I don't know what to think about this book exactly. I get that Eddie is looking for answers, hell, I'd be looking too, but I think her brain died on the same day as her dad.
The minute that Culler guy came into the picture I backed away from my book and thought WOW, what a freak. At first it seemed like he was making it all up, since Eddie didn't know he was her dad's student, but at least that part of his story was the truth. That's pretty much where it ended though. What he did was completely messed up, and then the way he 'handled' the situation after Eddies pin-up moment? "Oh I was going to call you in a few weeks". WEEKS? (I'm using my shrieking voice here) Suuuuuure, that didn't make it look like you were some kind of pervert, you sick bastard.
I don't even understand why Eddie let things go that far, what was that about exactly? Maybe it's because I'm not the kind of girl who feels the need to expose herself to a guy she doesn't know, but I really don't get it. It had nothing to do with her grief. It kinda felt like it was some obligatory nude scene that just got thrown in because the contract said there had to be one. I'm sorry, maybe it had a deeper meaning, but if so, I completely missed it. Don't get me wrong, it's not the nude part that weirded me out, it was just the randomness of it all. I want to see your face when you are reading about two people having a normal conversations and then suddenly, out of nowhere, this guy pops up.
I'm terribly fond of Milo, I liked every scene he was in. His relationship with Eddie is sweet, deep, meaningful, difficult, complicated and I really hope they'll end up together. They just have to end up together.
The minute that Culler guy came into the picture I backed away from my book and thought WOW, what a freak. At first it seemed like he was making it all up, since Eddie didn't know he was her dad's student, but at least that part of his story was the truth. That's pretty much where it ended though. What he did was completely messed up, and then the way he 'handled' the situation after Eddies pin-up moment? "Oh I was going to call you in a few weeks". WEEKS? (I'm using my shrieking voice here) Suuuuuure, that didn't make it look like you were some kind of pervert, you sick bastard.
I don't even understand why Eddie let things go that far, what was that about exactly? Maybe it's because I'm not the kind of girl who feels the need to expose herself to a guy she doesn't know, but I really don't get it. It had nothing to do with her grief. It kinda felt like it was some obligatory nude scene that just got thrown in because the contract said there had to be one. I'm sorry, maybe it had a deeper meaning, but if so, I completely missed it. Don't get me wrong, it's not the nude part that weirded me out, it was just the randomness of it all. I want to see your face when you are reading about two people having a normal conversations and then suddenly, out of nowhere, this guy pops up.
I'm terribly fond of Milo, I liked every scene he was in. His relationship with Eddie is sweet, deep, meaningful, difficult, complicated and I really hope they'll end up together. They just have to end up together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 10, 2016
"I hope he’s found peace, wherever he is. I hope I do too, wherever I end up."
Fall for Anything is a sad, depressing novel about suicide, grieving and finding answers. You might say this book is just another novel about grief and I think I can agree with that.
If I would compare it with I Was Here by Gayle Forman, I think the latter kinda worked for me better since I've got hooked with I Was Here (even the romance was really unnecessary) compared to this book that I felt detached with the main character most of the time. That actually lead to detachment with the whole book.
And the grief is all over the place. It's kind of chaotic (if that's the right word for it) and confusing. Maybe, this is the main reason why I felt so detached with Eddie (the MC). I understand her and her grief but it felt like she's pushing me away. I can't connect with her that I sometimes, I lose the interest to go through with book.
But thank the book gods, I persist. The ending wasn't that unpredictable or perfect but I thought it redeems my detachment. It struck me the strong feeling of being lied about and the big dismay after shattering the hope you clinged to. It was intense. It was painful. But nonetheless, a great reminder of accepting things that you can't change.
January 23, 2011
Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars
Fall for Anything is one of those few stories that kept me up all night until I finished the book because I just had to see how this car crash would end. It’s by no means a feel good escapist book. It’s about parental suicide and learning how to cope with the aftermath of unanswered questions and a quest for the truth.
Spoilerish comments coming, but if you haven’t read the book, I don’t think they’ll make much sense.
When Eddie stumbles across Culler at the warehouse where it all went down, my creep detector radar was sending off high static signals. All it took was for him to take an unsolicited picture of Eddie for me to feel there was something not right happening here. I don’t blame Eddie for falling for him, she’s confused, she mourning, and she just wants to find someone that she can connect with. Great candidate that Culler. He played the part with perfection.
I didn’t feel much for Milo for more than half the book. I think if the author would have infused the Missy story a bit differently, maybe, just maybe I would have felt differently for him. I knew he cared for Eddie and I just wished he would have played his part a bit differently. However, by the end of the novel, when Milo went after her, my walls of defense came crumbling down.
Overall, Courtney Summers creates a flawlessly broken, angry, confused teenage girl in Eddie and as before with Cracked Up to Be, the main character has my compassion from the first FU she spews. She honest, angry and hurting, there’s no way I could turn my back on her struggle and not care. I felt horrible for her with that whole motel incident and even though in my head I knew! I just knew! Like with any close friend, I’d never say it out loud, I’d just be there for them and that’s it.
Open ending with no conclusive answers, but very signature as other books I’ve read on suicide,... it’s not about closure or getting answers… it’s just not.
Crazy, dark read that may not be for everyone, but if you open the book and begin Eddie’s journey, I’d be surprised if you didn’t feel just a little bit spent by the end.
Fall for Anything is one of those few stories that kept me up all night until I finished the book because I just had to see how this car crash would end. It’s by no means a feel good escapist book. It’s about parental suicide and learning how to cope with the aftermath of unanswered questions and a quest for the truth.
Spoilerish comments coming, but if you haven’t read the book, I don’t think they’ll make much sense.
When Eddie stumbles across Culler at the warehouse where it all went down, my creep detector radar was sending off high static signals. All it took was for him to take an unsolicited picture of Eddie for me to feel there was something not right happening here. I don’t blame Eddie for falling for him, she’s confused, she mourning, and she just wants to find someone that she can connect with. Great candidate that Culler. He played the part with perfection.
I didn’t feel much for Milo for more than half the book. I think if the author would have infused the Missy story a bit differently, maybe, just maybe I would have felt differently for him. I knew he cared for Eddie and I just wished he would have played his part a bit differently. However, by the end of the novel, when Milo went after her, my walls of defense came crumbling down.
Overall, Courtney Summers creates a flawlessly broken, angry, confused teenage girl in Eddie and as before with Cracked Up to Be, the main character has my compassion from the first FU she spews. She honest, angry and hurting, there’s no way I could turn my back on her struggle and not care. I felt horrible for her with that whole motel incident and even though in my head I knew! I just knew! Like with any close friend, I’d never say it out loud, I’d just be there for them and that’s it.
Open ending with no conclusive answers, but very signature as other books I’ve read on suicide,... it’s not about closure or getting answers… it’s just not.
Crazy, dark read that may not be for everyone, but if you open the book and begin Eddie’s journey, I’d be surprised if you didn’t feel just a little bit spent by the end.
February 3, 2011
It has taken me forever to write this review......
Fall For Anything made me cry, not just once but several times. It was such a fiercely emotional read. I don't think enjoy is the right word to describe how I feel but rather it was a book that affected me, that got under my skin, that I don't think I will forget.
Courtney Summers writing is powerful. It is just full of emotion. It deals with suicide in such an honest and real way. I can say that as a person who has been closely affected by suicide I could relate to this story in so many ways especially looking for answers that will never come, being pushed away by those you love and then watching everyone fall apart.
It was also a gripping read. I devoured it within a couple of hours. There was no way I could go to sleep without answers like is Eddie and her Mum going to be okay? Is she going to find what she is looking for? What does Culler really want? Will she open up to Milo? And I was surprised by some of the answers I got.
Eddie, my heart just ached for her. I just wanted to hug her. Completely likeable and very realistic. Milo, what a gorgeous and sweet guy. I loved how he stood by Eddie even as she push him away. I want to hug him too. Really all the characters were so well written, so fully alive.
Overall, Summers really is a remarkable writer.
Fall For Anything made me cry, not just once but several times. It was such a fiercely emotional read. I don't think enjoy is the right word to describe how I feel but rather it was a book that affected me, that got under my skin, that I don't think I will forget.
Courtney Summers writing is powerful. It is just full of emotion. It deals with suicide in such an honest and real way. I can say that as a person who has been closely affected by suicide I could relate to this story in so many ways especially looking for answers that will never come, being pushed away by those you love and then watching everyone fall apart.
It was also a gripping read. I devoured it within a couple of hours. There was no way I could go to sleep without answers like is Eddie and her Mum going to be okay? Is she going to find what she is looking for? What does Culler really want? Will she open up to Milo? And I was surprised by some of the answers I got.
Eddie, my heart just ached for her. I just wanted to hug her. Completely likeable and very realistic. Milo, what a gorgeous and sweet guy. I loved how he stood by Eddie even as she push him away. I want to hug him too. Really all the characters were so well written, so fully alive.
Overall, Summers really is a remarkable writer.
September 3, 2020
Speechless. That’s what I was after finishing this novel. Apparently it’s true what they say about stumbling upon something amazing when you least expect it—in this case Fall for Anything.
I honestly didn’t think I would ever discover a novel again that would compare to Saving June in the way that it managed suck me in and take me to another place entirely, and make me feel so many different emotions in the best and worst way—I don’t get emotional too easily when reading, but this novel made me shed tears more than once.
Fall for Anything tells the story of a teenage girl named Eddie in the aftermath of her father’s suicide. Unable to make sense of why her father, an infamous artist, killed himself, when she never recognized any signs of unhappiness in him, she goes—with her father’s student— on a quest to decipher what could be her father’s last message to the world.
Having read many young adult novels that deal with tough subjects, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the sypnosis, but that just goes to show how stunning this novel is, and how talented the author, because she managed to make me fall in love with it nevertheless by creating a heart-wrenching, but wonderful story that will stay with me for a long, long time.
The writing was beyond mesmerizing—it was powerful in so many ways. Courtney Summers has a way of making you enjoy Eddie’s undeniably sorrowful and grief-stricken journey to understanding , even through the hollow feeling in your chest, and the sadness that seeps through you.
I honestly believe that Fall for Anything might be one of the best young adult novels in the realistic fiction genre I have read so far—it is definitely one of my favorite young adult novels of all time.
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I honestly didn’t think I would ever discover a novel again that would compare to Saving June in the way that it managed suck me in and take me to another place entirely, and make me feel so many different emotions in the best and worst way—I don’t get emotional too easily when reading, but this novel made me shed tears more than once.
Fall for Anything tells the story of a teenage girl named Eddie in the aftermath of her father’s suicide. Unable to make sense of why her father, an infamous artist, killed himself, when she never recognized any signs of unhappiness in him, she goes—with her father’s student— on a quest to decipher what could be her father’s last message to the world.
Having read many young adult novels that deal with tough subjects, I wasn’t particularly impressed with the sypnosis, but that just goes to show how stunning this novel is, and how talented the author, because she managed to make me fall in love with it nevertheless by creating a heart-wrenching, but wonderful story that will stay with me for a long, long time.
The writing was beyond mesmerizing—it was powerful in so many ways. Courtney Summers has a way of making you enjoy Eddie’s undeniably sorrowful and grief-stricken journey to understanding , even through the hollow feeling in your chest, and the sadness that seeps through you.
I honestly believe that Fall for Anything might be one of the best young adult novels in the realistic fiction genre I have read so far—it is definitely one of my favorite young adult novels of all time.
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January 23, 2011
This book falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me.
Eddie Reeves is lost since her father's suicide. A once-famous photographer, her father leaves basically no clues behind to indicate his motivations. Her mother is basically nonfunctioning after his death so her mother's best friend moves in to attempt to keep things in order. Eddie's own best friend, Milo, won't tell her some of the details about the night her father died. When she meets a mysterious former student of her father's who is similarly aggrieved by his death, they attempt to shed some light on the matter.
I had never read anything by Courtney Summers before and I appreciated her voice. At times, when I am reading Sarah Dessen books, I just wish she would be realistic about teenage thoughts and what goes on in high school. (Not that I don't enjoy Dessen's books, I definitely do) I think what I am getting at is that the conversations in this book felt real. So often in books, people say exactly what they want to say at the moment they want to say it. Sometimes we say things to people solely to be mean or to hit them where it hurts, especially when we're in a bad mood, and I'm glad these moments were left in the book. At one point, one of the characters tells another, "You make me feel alone," and I thought that was one of the harshest things someone could ever say to another person. The times after we lose someone we love are some of the hardest times we go through in life and Summers did a great job of capturing that feeling. (Especially the thought that everyone has--that no one can understand their grief)
There is a sort of love triangle going on in this book, but unlike basically every other YA book out there, there was absolutely no moment where I was cheering for one of the guys. One of them was a total creepshow and the other was (for the most part) really endearing. No contest.
I liked Courtney Summers' writing style and will definitely check out more of her work. She painted some beautiful imagery at times and I enjoyed the characters in the book. (even when I wasn't particularly enjoying their actions) Anyway, I don't want this book to sound earth-shattering because it wasn't. But I did enjoy it, read it rather quickly, and thought it was well done.
Eddie Reeves is lost since her father's suicide. A once-famous photographer, her father leaves basically no clues behind to indicate his motivations. Her mother is basically nonfunctioning after his death so her mother's best friend moves in to attempt to keep things in order. Eddie's own best friend, Milo, won't tell her some of the details about the night her father died. When she meets a mysterious former student of her father's who is similarly aggrieved by his death, they attempt to shed some light on the matter.
I had never read anything by Courtney Summers before and I appreciated her voice. At times, when I am reading Sarah Dessen books, I just wish she would be realistic about teenage thoughts and what goes on in high school. (Not that I don't enjoy Dessen's books, I definitely do) I think what I am getting at is that the conversations in this book felt real. So often in books, people say exactly what they want to say at the moment they want to say it. Sometimes we say things to people solely to be mean or to hit them where it hurts, especially when we're in a bad mood, and I'm glad these moments were left in the book. At one point, one of the characters tells another, "You make me feel alone," and I thought that was one of the harshest things someone could ever say to another person. The times after we lose someone we love are some of the hardest times we go through in life and Summers did a great job of capturing that feeling. (Especially the thought that everyone has--that no one can understand their grief)
There is a sort of love triangle going on in this book, but unlike basically every other YA book out there, there was absolutely no moment where I was cheering for one of the guys. One of them was a total creepshow and the other was (for the most part) really endearing. No contest.
I liked Courtney Summers' writing style and will definitely check out more of her work. She painted some beautiful imagery at times and I enjoyed the characters in the book. (even when I wasn't particularly enjoying their actions) Anyway, I don't want this book to sound earth-shattering because it wasn't. But I did enjoy it, read it rather quickly, and thought it was well done.
August 8, 2022
4+ stars
I really enjoy Courtney Summers writing, always interesting, always challenging, rarely easy to read. This is no exception, one of her earlier novels. Eddie is having a hard time of it as her beloved father has just jumped off the 7th floor rooftop of a deserted warehouse. He was a renowned photographer and Eddie wants to know why he killed himself. Her mom is falling apart, her mom's friend Beth has moved in to take care of things to Eddie's horror. And there is her best friend Milo and her father's student Culler to help.
Not an easy read by any means, but Eddie's journey is always interesting and involving. Another good one from Ms Summers.
I really enjoy Courtney Summers writing, always interesting, always challenging, rarely easy to read. This is no exception, one of her earlier novels. Eddie is having a hard time of it as her beloved father has just jumped off the 7th floor rooftop of a deserted warehouse. He was a renowned photographer and Eddie wants to know why he killed himself. Her mom is falling apart, her mom's friend Beth has moved in to take care of things to Eddie's horror. And there is her best friend Milo and her father's student Culler to help.
Not an easy read by any means, but Eddie's journey is always interesting and involving. Another good one from Ms Summers.
September 14, 2013
See more reviews at YA Midnight Reads
I fall for anything Courtney Summers writes. And this one was no exception.
Eddie Reeves' father, a legendary photographer, commits suicide but no one knows exactly why. And Eddie wants to know. She wants to know why he left her. Why he left her mother. Why he left the world where he was such a respected photographer. When Eddie begins to believe that she'll never find out the reason- she meets Culler Evans. Ex-student of her father and photographer himself. Culler seems to know more than anyone has ever known about her father, so she and Culler slowly work their way through uncovering the mystery behind her father's death. However is she falling for him in the process? Or is she falling for something else that may tear her up forever?
Fall For Anything, truth be told was a rather typical, average book for the majority of the time. I was not irked by much. Nevertheless, this still is a Courtney Summers book, and she surprised me near the end. Things began to make sense. And Courtney Summers went back to my list evil, crafty authors that I love so much. The main character, Eddie was a rather neutral- though not bland- character compared to Parker and Regina from Courtney's other novels. Eddie was a passionate and generally relatable character. Her anger and confusion was understandable and helped make this story stronger in several ways. I enjoyed her eagerness for finding answers that no one seems to be keen about and her love for her family was so raw and touching. While Eddie takes her father's suicide as a mission to be conquered- and closure, her mother takes the issue harshly and becomes completely unstable. The two different reactions were thoroughly intriguing to observe. Though I really wanted Eddie and her mother to help each-other through this endeavour.
I was wholly surprised when Courtney Summers threw in a 'love triangle'. The word seems rather dirty for this novel, to be truthful. There were two boys and a girl. (Mind blown!) Courtney Summers also seems to be a master of making me root for two boys at the same time. Culler's passion was one so similar to Eddie's father and he really seemed to comprehend what Eddie was going through. A definite sweetheart. On the other hand, childhood best friend, Milo was also held a charming personality. His humour and easy dialogue with Eddie sent quite a lot of feels through me. But honestly, Courtney, why are you so good at making such adorable love interests?! You'll be the death of me one day.
A novel about loss, family and friendship, Courtney Summers hits it home once again with a deep gritty contemporary mystery that I ended up to love. If you haven't read any Courtney Summers, you're missing out on so much!
“I'm always leaving, but I never have anywhere to go.”
I fall for anything Courtney Summers writes. And this one was no exception.
Eddie Reeves' father, a legendary photographer, commits suicide but no one knows exactly why. And Eddie wants to know. She wants to know why he left her. Why he left her mother. Why he left the world where he was such a respected photographer. When Eddie begins to believe that she'll never find out the reason- she meets Culler Evans. Ex-student of her father and photographer himself. Culler seems to know more than anyone has ever known about her father, so she and Culler slowly work their way through uncovering the mystery behind her father's death. However is she falling for him in the process? Or is she falling for something else that may tear her up forever?
Fall For Anything, truth be told was a rather typical, average book for the majority of the time. I was not irked by much. Nevertheless, this still is a Courtney Summers book, and she surprised me near the end. Things began to make sense. And Courtney Summers went back to my list evil, crafty authors that I love so much. The main character, Eddie was a rather neutral- though not bland- character compared to Parker and Regina from Courtney's other novels. Eddie was a passionate and generally relatable character. Her anger and confusion was understandable and helped make this story stronger in several ways. I enjoyed her eagerness for finding answers that no one seems to be keen about and her love for her family was so raw and touching. While Eddie takes her father's suicide as a mission to be conquered- and closure, her mother takes the issue harshly and becomes completely unstable. The two different reactions were thoroughly intriguing to observe. Though I really wanted Eddie and her mother to help each-other through this endeavour.
I was wholly surprised when Courtney Summers threw in a 'love triangle'. The word seems rather dirty for this novel, to be truthful. There were two boys and a girl. (Mind blown!) Courtney Summers also seems to be a master of making me root for two boys at the same time. Culler's passion was one so similar to Eddie's father and he really seemed to comprehend what Eddie was going through. A definite sweetheart. On the other hand, childhood best friend, Milo was also held a charming personality. His humour and easy dialogue with Eddie sent quite a lot of feels through me. But honestly, Courtney, why are you so good at making such adorable love interests?! You'll be the death of me one day.
A novel about loss, family and friendship, Courtney Summers hits it home once again with a deep gritty contemporary mystery that I ended up to love. If you haven't read any Courtney Summers, you're missing out on so much!
October 26, 2010
Courtney Summers is the Queen of Mean; she holds hold court over characters that readers love to hate... and just plain love. Readers are well aware that Summers can write a compelling mean girl, but, with FALL FOR ANYTHING, she shows us that she can write vulnerable and broken with just as much skill.
I quickly realized that Eddie wasn't anything like Summers' previous two main characters, Parker and Regina. Eddie has never dated the most popular guy in school, she doesn't bully, and, most notably, she doesn't hide her pain and vulnerability behind a mean exterior. She's had one best friend, Milo, for years, and, except for the occasional girlfriend, it's them against the world. That is, until her father commits suicide, Milo refuses to talk about what happened that fateful night, and Eddie meets Culler Evans.
Eddie's quest to find the reason for father's sudden death is painfully sad and incredibly moving. The novel begins "My hands are dying" and this line stayed with me throughout the novel. Since the night her father died, of which she only has a hazy, incomplete memory, Eddie does not feel alive. She constantly analyzes her father's actions, his words, his life, looking for the reason behind his departure. And when Culler Evans, her father's student whom she's never met, reaches out to her, she holds on for dear life because he's the only person who makes her feels alive. For the first time, something and someone has come between Eddie and Milo, despite the fact that Eddie might need Milo now more than ever.
I'll openly admit that I love everything I've read by Summers, so maybe my opinion regarding this novel is biased... or maybe, my love for her previous novels, CRACKED UP TO BE and SOME GIRLS ARE, and newfound adoration for FALL FOR ANYTHING, offers proof of just how wonderful her stories and characters are and will convince you to pick up these novels for your own collection.
I quickly realized that Eddie wasn't anything like Summers' previous two main characters, Parker and Regina. Eddie has never dated the most popular guy in school, she doesn't bully, and, most notably, she doesn't hide her pain and vulnerability behind a mean exterior. She's had one best friend, Milo, for years, and, except for the occasional girlfriend, it's them against the world. That is, until her father commits suicide, Milo refuses to talk about what happened that fateful night, and Eddie meets Culler Evans.
Eddie's quest to find the reason for father's sudden death is painfully sad and incredibly moving. The novel begins "My hands are dying" and this line stayed with me throughout the novel. Since the night her father died, of which she only has a hazy, incomplete memory, Eddie does not feel alive. She constantly analyzes her father's actions, his words, his life, looking for the reason behind his departure. And when Culler Evans, her father's student whom she's never met, reaches out to her, she holds on for dear life because he's the only person who makes her feels alive. For the first time, something and someone has come between Eddie and Milo, despite the fact that Eddie might need Milo now more than ever.
I'll openly admit that I love everything I've read by Summers, so maybe my opinion regarding this novel is biased... or maybe, my love for her previous novels, CRACKED UP TO BE and SOME GIRLS ARE, and newfound adoration for FALL FOR ANYTHING, offers proof of just how wonderful her stories and characters are and will convince you to pick up these novels for your own collection.
January 23, 2011
Fall for Anything was my second Courtney Summers novel, and while I did enjoy like (I think enjoy is probably the wrong word for a Summers book. I find it hard to enjoy them, because they are so raw and full of hurt. But I did like reading it, if that makes sense.) it a bit more than Some Girls Are, I still can’t rate it higher than three and a half stars. Summers’ books are very powerful and engaging, but also very depressing and dark. If you are looking for happy endings – in the classical happy ending sense – you probably shouldn’t look here.
Also, I’m finding it pretty hard to write a review of this book without giving away any spoilers. They are marked with this great little new spoiler tag, but if you haven’t read the book yet (and plan to read it), my review probably isn’t going to offer you much insight without clicking on them.
Courtney Summers writing and her characters are definitely very strong. I liked both Eddie and Milo, but I just couldn’t understand Eddie’s infatuation with Culler. I mean, I could understand what drew her to him in the first place. And I did understand that she needed someone to be close to her in her grief, somebody who was grieving as well and somebody who was looking for answers as desperately as she was. But I hated his character. I wanted Eddie to stay away from him and I, myself, would never have gone anywhere with him after dark. He gave off a seriously creepy vibe.
Also, the hunt for the snippets Eddie’s dad supposedly left before his death got repetitive and I was immensely bored after the first two buildings Eddie and Culler visited. I started hoping they would get this over with already. I wanted to know the outcome, but I didn't really like reading through breakdowns and searching dusty and abandoned houses six times.
Then, the ending. Don’t get me wrong, the ending was a very realistic one. One that doesn’t answer all your questions but makes you think for yourself.
Also, I’m finding it pretty hard to write a review of this book without giving away any spoilers. They are marked with this great little new spoiler tag, but if you haven’t read the book yet (and plan to read it), my review probably isn’t going to offer you much insight without clicking on them.
Courtney Summers writing and her characters are definitely very strong. I liked both Eddie and Milo, but I just couldn’t understand Eddie’s infatuation with Culler. I mean, I could understand what drew her to him in the first place. And I did understand that she needed someone to be close to her in her grief, somebody who was grieving as well and somebody who was looking for answers as desperately as she was. But I hated his character. I wanted Eddie to stay away from him and I, myself, would never have gone anywhere with him after dark. He gave off a seriously creepy vibe.
Also, the hunt for the snippets Eddie’s dad supposedly left before his death got repetitive and I was immensely bored after the first two buildings Eddie and Culler visited. I started hoping they would get this over with already. I wanted to know the outcome, but I didn't really like reading through breakdowns and searching dusty and abandoned houses six times.
Then, the ending. Don’t get me wrong, the ending was a very realistic one. One that doesn’t answer all your questions but makes you think for yourself.
June 2, 2015
I have no idea how to rate this.
This is my third book by Summers, and my least favorite so far.
No matter which rating they receive from me, her books always affect me in one way or another. They're moving, shocking and eyeopening with their raw and unflinching tone. It's powerful. The writing is on point, the characters are very flawed and often unlikable. Summers makes these people human and real, and no one is one-dimensional.
With that said, this wasn't a book for me.
Eddie's voice was nowhere near as strong or unique as Parker's or Regina's, and it was difficult to relate to her. Unlike her other work, Fall for anything isn't intense or loud. It's quiet and thoughtful. None of the characters stuck with me, and they felt rather plain.
The subject and reveal at the end didn't give me that gut-wrenching feeling and I was quickly bored by the plot.
The ending is very open, and I wonder if that's the point; maybe the message of this story is that you can't always have the answers? Either way, it was both unsatisfying and thought-provoking at the same time.
Fall for anything is a truly bittersweet journey, and I had a really hard time figuring out what I thought of it.
As always, Courtney Summers handles tough topics - suicide and grief, in this case - exceptionally. This is a very sad and quiet book, but it is far from impersonal or cliché.
I guess I prefer her confident, wildly sarcastic characters more, with a high-school setting and a good mix of teen politics and controversial issues.
Ratings of Summers' work so far:
Cracked Up to Be: /★★★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
Some Girls Are: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
Fall for Anything: ★★/☆☆☆☆☆
This is my third book by Summers, and my least favorite so far.
No matter which rating they receive from me, her books always affect me in one way or another. They're moving, shocking and eyeopening with their raw and unflinching tone. It's powerful. The writing is on point, the characters are very flawed and often unlikable. Summers makes these people human and real, and no one is one-dimensional.
With that said, this wasn't a book for me.
Eddie's voice was nowhere near as strong or unique as Parker's or Regina's, and it was difficult to relate to her. Unlike her other work, Fall for anything isn't intense or loud. It's quiet and thoughtful. None of the characters stuck with me, and they felt rather plain.
The subject and reveal at the end didn't give me that gut-wrenching feeling and I was quickly bored by the plot.
The ending is very open, and I wonder if that's the point; maybe the message of this story is that you can't always have the answers? Either way, it was both unsatisfying and thought-provoking at the same time.
Fall for anything is a truly bittersweet journey, and I had a really hard time figuring out what I thought of it.
As always, Courtney Summers handles tough topics - suicide and grief, in this case - exceptionally. This is a very sad and quiet book, but it is far from impersonal or cliché.
I guess I prefer her confident, wildly sarcastic characters more, with a high-school setting and a good mix of teen politics and controversial issues.
Ratings of Summers' work so far:
Cracked Up to Be: /★★★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
Some Girls Are: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆
Fall for Anything: ★★/☆☆☆☆☆
May 31, 2013
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Please, please don't make me talk about this one. I can't. Fall for Anything is the type of contemporary grief novel I have been clamoring for; the type of book that is a mere snippet of time. It sucks you in from the first page and leaves you just as easily suspended at the last. Fall for Anything unflinchingly leaves no answers. It explores suicide in a manner that is painfully striking; one that reminds us all that there is no answer to this type of death. And even more startling than that, there is many a time no answer to life or the actions we take. Each of the characters in this book are boldly drawn, in lines that leave them full and developed, but obscure like a stranger we may meet as well. We see them, we feel them, we watch their transformations and even understand some of their actions, but not all of them. Never all of them.
Fall for Anything almost seems like a photograph, achingly familiar and not at the same time. Eddie, with all her real, honest, and life-like characteristics is almost painful to read about, her narration ringing true with the parts of our own selves we find hard to label and distinguish. Even the glimpses of grief that reverberated within the other characters in this novel were striking. Fall for Anything is not the fist-in-the-mouth type of read that Summers usually delivers, but this quieter, more achier kind of novel with the whispers of the past and echoes of unanswered questions is gripping in its own light. Fall for Anything is not for everyone and the lack of answers will likely frustrate many, but for those who hunt for ambiguous endings, even in the dark, this will leave you hollow.
Please, please don't make me talk about this one. I can't. Fall for Anything is the type of contemporary grief novel I have been clamoring for; the type of book that is a mere snippet of time. It sucks you in from the first page and leaves you just as easily suspended at the last. Fall for Anything unflinchingly leaves no answers. It explores suicide in a manner that is painfully striking; one that reminds us all that there is no answer to this type of death. And even more startling than that, there is many a time no answer to life or the actions we take. Each of the characters in this book are boldly drawn, in lines that leave them full and developed, but obscure like a stranger we may meet as well. We see them, we feel them, we watch their transformations and even understand some of their actions, but not all of them. Never all of them.
Fall for Anything almost seems like a photograph, achingly familiar and not at the same time. Eddie, with all her real, honest, and life-like characteristics is almost painful to read about, her narration ringing true with the parts of our own selves we find hard to label and distinguish. Even the glimpses of grief that reverberated within the other characters in this novel were striking. Fall for Anything is not the fist-in-the-mouth type of read that Summers usually delivers, but this quieter, more achier kind of novel with the whispers of the past and echoes of unanswered questions is gripping in its own light. Fall for Anything is not for everyone and the lack of answers will likely frustrate many, but for those who hunt for ambiguous endings, even in the dark, this will leave you hollow.
May 11, 2012
This book will make you feel. It's punches are lighter though. They creep up and build up momentum only to catch you by surprise at unexpected moments. So much so, that you will struggle throughout, but you will cope, and then you will reach the end only to find yourself slightly trembling, with this ache-y hollow feeling and wet eyes that you had not anticipated. And that is when you will realise the gorgeousness that is this book.
Our protagonist Eddie is lost. And her mother is as broken as one can be when their husband commits suicide. Whilst her mother locks herself in her room, overwhelmed by grief - Eddie on the other hand wants answers. She can't for the life of her understand why her father ended his life. They all loved one another immensely, so why would he leave them without an explanation, without a hint of a warning? Eddie wants only one thing. To know why.
It's absolutely heart – breaking to see this poor girl struggle with all the guilt and anger. It will tear the reader up. Her pain is far from easy to witness, that's for sure.
Yet it's this question and her own grief that are the driving force behind her actions throughout the book. It's determination for the truth.
Worse - still, her best friend Milo was there that day, but he refuses to tell her what happened. Being around her best friend and knowing he knows something is close to unbearable, and soon enough it starts to drives a wedge in their relationship. But then there is Cullen - handsome, understanding Cullen who knew her father. Her only link to him that is willing to talk about him, and the one person who seeks the answers she does. As for the boys, I have mixed feelings. They both had their flaws, but then again that's why I adored this book. The fact that they were all so unapologetically flawed gave it this raw, gritty vibe that just made me completely fall in love. However, Milo did grow on me during the second half of the book. He really proved his loyalty in my opinion, and let's be honest - despite some of his decisions, he is one heck of a friend.
Yet when I was presented with this so called "revelation" I was quite baffled by it. However, it was when I tried to see it from Eddie' and Milo' pov that I really saw just how heart-breaking it truly was.
FALL FOR ANYTHING blew me away. Being my first Courtney Summers book, I'd never read anything like it at the time, and it was so beautifully written, with such a well written plot and characters that I was completely caught off guard. It wasn't before long that I realised that I had stumbled across a gem of a book and an author. Oh, and the quotes guys, so damn crush - worthy.
Do those quotes tug on your heartstrings like they do mine?
There is no happy ending, but it is so realistic and rings so true that I truly think it couldn't have ended more perfectly. It felt right. It was brave, daring and far from the norm, but once again, it's why I connected with this book so much. It was uncomfortable and completely unapologetic. I so love that.
Our protagonist Eddie is lost. And her mother is as broken as one can be when their husband commits suicide. Whilst her mother locks herself in her room, overwhelmed by grief - Eddie on the other hand wants answers. She can't for the life of her understand why her father ended his life. They all loved one another immensely, so why would he leave them without an explanation, without a hint of a warning? Eddie wants only one thing. To know why.
It's absolutely heart – breaking to see this poor girl struggle with all the guilt and anger. It will tear the reader up. Her pain is far from easy to witness, that's for sure.
Yet it's this question and her own grief that are the driving force behind her actions throughout the book. It's determination for the truth.
Worse - still, her best friend Milo was there that day, but he refuses to tell her what happened. Being around her best friend and knowing he knows something is close to unbearable, and soon enough it starts to drives a wedge in their relationship. But then there is Cullen - handsome, understanding Cullen who knew her father. Her only link to him that is willing to talk about him, and the one person who seeks the answers she does. As for the boys, I have mixed feelings. They both had their flaws, but then again that's why I adored this book. The fact that they were all so unapologetically flawed gave it this raw, gritty vibe that just made me completely fall in love. However, Milo did grow on me during the second half of the book. He really proved his loyalty in my opinion, and let's be honest - despite some of his decisions, he is one heck of a friend.
Yet when I was presented with this so called "revelation" I was quite baffled by it. However, it was when I tried to see it from Eddie' and Milo' pov that I really saw just how heart-breaking it truly was.
FALL FOR ANYTHING blew me away. Being my first Courtney Summers book, I'd never read anything like it at the time, and it was so beautifully written, with such a well written plot and characters that I was completely caught off guard. It wasn't before long that I realised that I had stumbled across a gem of a book and an author. Oh, and the quotes guys, so damn crush - worthy.
My hands are dying
I have to get him back. I close my eyes and think of the photograph Culler showed me. I see it in my head perfectly. He'll be there, at that school. Another piece of my father. And then another. Six pieces. I will find them all, put them together. I'll find him. And then I'll let him go.
I let him take a photograph of my hands. I don't know why.
I leave my voice in there. I think. My heart.
There is nothing to say. These burdens. Nothing worth staying for. What could I even say.
I wake up alone. I know it before I open my eyes.
He lowers his camera and stares up at me. "You trust me," he says quietly.
My father is dead. He killed himself and no one can tell me why. Why. And my mother isn't wearing his housecoat and I want her to be wearing his housecoat. I want to say, don't give up on this, because then I'm the only one left with it, but I can't speak. I lean forward so she can't see my face, and before I can stop myself, I start to cry. I cry so hard I can't breathe. I can't see. I feel like I'm coming apart.
Maybe it all got to be too much for him. I'd understand that. It has to be something like that. But I wish he'd told me he felt that way, because I'd forgive him that. If he told me that, I'd forgive him
Do those quotes tug on your heartstrings like they do mine?
There is no happy ending, but it is so realistic and rings so true that I truly think it couldn't have ended more perfectly. It felt right. It was brave, daring and far from the norm, but once again, it's why I connected with this book so much. It was uncomfortable and completely unapologetic. I so love that.
January 23, 2011
Rating clarification: 3.5 stars
Fall for Anything is a pretty dark book and I was constantly feeling uncomfortable while reading it.
Eddie’s grief felt very real to me and I liked her but I didn’t really understand all her actions. I get why she was drawn to Culler and I get why she felt like only Culler could really understand her and not Milo but I don’t get how she could have missed the gigantomous, neon-colored CREEP sign that was flashing right above Culler’s head the entire time. I mean, I found his obsession with her father creepy right from the beginning and when he showed her the numbers on the back of the pictures I was convinced that he had staged the whole thing. When Eddie saw his "art" online I was completely creeped out and I expected her to put 2 and 2 together or to be at least a little suspicious but that didn’t happen. The way he kept taking her picture made me think that he wanted to make one of his morbid stories out of Eddie’s grief and their hunt for the pictures/messages. When he left her in that motel room, I was 100% sure that he would go and publish the pictures, especially the ones he had taken the night before. I was really surprised when he didn’t but also glad on Eddie’s behalf.
I liked Milo a lot but I didn’t completely understand him either. He is Eddie’s best friend and he also acts like it throughout the book except for when he doesn’t offer to go with her to her father’s studio and when he doesn’t tell her what happened the night her father died. When Eddie tells him that she has to clear out her father’s studio he doesn’t offer to go with her and after some probing he tells her that he has plans with Missy. I didn’t get that because obviously he had been in love with Eddie at that time already and I didn’t understand why he would rather do something with Missy instead of helping Eddie. I also didn’t get why he couldn’t tell her sooner about the night her father killed himself. Sure, it was hard for him but the way he kept freaking out every time Eddie asked him about it made me expect God knows what but as it turned out all the built-up had been for nothing. Nevertheless, I adored Milo and I loved that they seemed to be at the beginning of a relationship in the end of the book. Oh yeah, and that’s also something. The end of the book. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get a conclusion but I guess that’s how it is in real life most of the time. Even if the person who commited suicide leaves a letter behind I still don’t think that it’s of great use for the ones left behind. As Eddie said, you think you know a person but then he or she does something unfathomable like jumping off a roof and it turns out you didn’t know them after all.
This was a quick read for me, especially the last third of the book as I thought the pace picked up considerably at that point and even though I felt like I had pretty much figured everything out after the first third of the book I kept racing through the pages.
A well-written, gripping and dark YA mystery thriller.
Fall for Anything is a pretty dark book and I was constantly feeling uncomfortable while reading it.
Eddie’s grief felt very real to me and I liked her but I didn’t really understand all her actions. I get why she was drawn to Culler and I get why she felt like only Culler could really understand her and not Milo but I don’t get how she could have missed the gigantomous, neon-colored CREEP sign that was flashing right above Culler’s head the entire time. I mean, I found his obsession with her father creepy right from the beginning and when he showed her the numbers on the back of the pictures I was convinced that he had staged the whole thing. When Eddie saw his "art" online I was completely creeped out and I expected her to put 2 and 2 together or to be at least a little suspicious but that didn’t happen. The way he kept taking her picture made me think that he wanted to make one of his morbid stories out of Eddie’s grief and their hunt for the pictures/messages. When he left her in that motel room, I was 100% sure that he would go and publish the pictures, especially the ones he had taken the night before. I was really surprised when he didn’t but also glad on Eddie’s behalf.
I liked Milo a lot but I didn’t completely understand him either. He is Eddie’s best friend and he also acts like it throughout the book except for when he doesn’t offer to go with her to her father’s studio and when he doesn’t tell her what happened the night her father died. When Eddie tells him that she has to clear out her father’s studio he doesn’t offer to go with her and after some probing he tells her that he has plans with Missy. I didn’t get that because obviously he had been in love with Eddie at that time already and I didn’t understand why he would rather do something with Missy instead of helping Eddie. I also didn’t get why he couldn’t tell her sooner about the night her father killed himself. Sure, it was hard for him but the way he kept freaking out every time Eddie asked him about it made me expect God knows what but as it turned out all the built-up had been for nothing. Nevertheless, I adored Milo and I loved that they seemed to be at the beginning of a relationship in the end of the book. Oh yeah, and that’s also something. The end of the book. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get a conclusion but I guess that’s how it is in real life most of the time. Even if the person who commited suicide leaves a letter behind I still don’t think that it’s of great use for the ones left behind. As Eddie said, you think you know a person but then he or she does something unfathomable like jumping off a roof and it turns out you didn’t know them after all.
This was a quick read for me, especially the last third of the book as I thought the pace picked up considerably at that point and even though I felt like I had pretty much figured everything out after the first third of the book I kept racing through the pages.
A well-written, gripping and dark YA mystery thriller.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 17, 2010
Hi, do you want your heart to break often and repeatedly? Oh, AWESOME, because I would therefore like you to read this book. Summers does it YET AGAIN, makes you feel crap perhaps you'd like to keep buried, except she does it in such a beautiful REAL manner it's totally the good kind of pain.
This could easily be a Dead Dad Book, because, well, there is a dead dad and all. But it just isn't, because instead it's the story of one girl and her life, and that just happens to be post-her-dad's-death. There aren't the steps that clichés tell you will occur, there's just life and pain and healing and understanding and confusion and the search for meaning in a universe where we aren't so easily provided it, where maybe that notion is just the stuff of dreams.
Kudos kudos kudos for making me fall head over heels in love with a pretentious art type, considering I thought I outgrew that about twelve years ago. Approximately. Also for presenting a best friend/sexual tension sorta/WTF is this dynamic and where is it going character without, again, taking the expected steps. Because, let's face it: there are only so many stories to be told and so many characters to fill them. But surprise me with them. Make me believe. Make them real.
And that is why I think Summers always succeeds, for bringing such humanity to her novels. It's exciting that this is only her third book; I truly can't wait to see everything that comes next.
(can't add this to my reading count since I read it awhile ago, before the page existed here!)
This could easily be a Dead Dad Book, because, well, there is a dead dad and all. But it just isn't, because instead it's the story of one girl and her life, and that just happens to be post-her-dad's-death. There aren't the steps that clichés tell you will occur, there's just life and pain and healing and understanding and confusion and the search for meaning in a universe where we aren't so easily provided it, where maybe that notion is just the stuff of dreams.
Kudos kudos kudos for making me fall head over heels in love with a pretentious art type, considering I thought I outgrew that about twelve years ago. Approximately. Also for presenting a best friend/sexual tension sorta/WTF is this dynamic and where is it going character without, again, taking the expected steps. Because, let's face it: there are only so many stories to be told and so many characters to fill them. But surprise me with them. Make me believe. Make them real.
And that is why I think Summers always succeeds, for bringing such humanity to her novels. It's exciting that this is only her third book; I truly can't wait to see everything that comes next.
(can't add this to my reading count since I read it awhile ago, before the page existed here!)
June 11, 2023
This book got me out of my reading slump AND OMG THE ENDING?!?!?!?!??! I honestly didn't expect Culler to be the one who wrote the messages like I honestly thought it was her dad. When Culler confessed to it I stared at the wall with my jaw hanging open for 5 minutes. Wow, I honestly really enjoyed this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 3, 2011
I hate to start off my 1st review of 2011 and my first read as a "Street Corner Booker" in a negative light, but honesty is the best policy. I wasn't wowed. I really expected to be from reading so many rave reviews on here....
Eddie Reeves is on a mission. A mission to understand why her talented, famous, photographer of a father committed suicide. She blames herself, she questions herself. She questions everything. She meets one of her father's only students, Culler. He seems like a breath of fresh air, like someone who gets her. He loved her father, he misses him. She feels so connected to this guy. The book really starts off after they find these clues with her father's initials in them, they are placed in all the last photograph locations he took. It seems like her father is trying to tell her something. Culler and Eddie are a team with a common goal; to find out the why. Or are they???
Spoiler section:
Culler makes me want to scream. Who would do something so messed up to another human being??? I understand his motives and his thought process... but what he did was one of the most selfish, inconsiderate moves in book history! That poor girl was so open and vulnerable to him and he just screws her over... It makes me mad that I was rooting for him in the beginning.
The beginning of the book sort of drove me crazy too. I couldn't figure out if Milo and Eddie were together or what... and then in pops Missy?!?!? Trainwreck of unanswered questions, this one was
Yoda Graphics & Yoda Pictures
I was really into the photography aspect of this book though... I kept hoping we'd get to see some of her father's pictures... no such luck :(
WeakJob
All I can say is you'll just have to read this one for yourself.... I think I might be on a little island with me, myself and I on this book opinion.
All by myself, Don't wanna be all by myself anymore
Eddie Reeves is on a mission. A mission to understand why her talented, famous, photographer of a father committed suicide. She blames herself, she questions herself. She questions everything. She meets one of her father's only students, Culler. He seems like a breath of fresh air, like someone who gets her. He loved her father, he misses him. She feels so connected to this guy. The book really starts off after they find these clues with her father's initials in them, they are placed in all the last photograph locations he took. It seems like her father is trying to tell her something. Culler and Eddie are a team with a common goal; to find out the why. Or are they???
Spoiler section:
Culler makes me want to scream. Who would do something so messed up to another human being??? I understand his motives and his thought process... but what he did was one of the most selfish, inconsiderate moves in book history! That poor girl was so open and vulnerable to him and he just screws her over... It makes me mad that I was rooting for him in the beginning.
The beginning of the book sort of drove me crazy too. I couldn't figure out if Milo and Eddie were together or what... and then in pops Missy?!?!? Trainwreck of unanswered questions, this one was
Yoda Graphics & Yoda Pictures
I was really into the photography aspect of this book though... I kept hoping we'd get to see some of her father's pictures... no such luck :(
WeakJob
All I can say is you'll just have to read this one for yourself.... I think I might be on a little island with me, myself and I on this book opinion.
All by myself, Don't wanna be all by myself anymore
April 3, 2011
More like a 3.5.
Eddie Reeves' father committed suicide, but she doesn't know why. There seems to be no reason - he was a famous artist, a talented photographer, and had a loving family, most importantly, her. While entrenched in her grief Eddie meets Culler, his former student. They form a dangerous attraction and embark on a mission to piece together the broken picture of her father's death.
Another powerful book by Courtney Summers. Like a punch in the stomach, Fall for Anything surprises the reader, seizing them and forcing them to feel Eddie's anguish. I think the writing - and the emotions evoked by the writing - were enough to justify giving this book 3.5 stars, even though I'm not sure if I actually liked it at all.
I did not like the plot in this one as much as Summers' first two novels. Sure, if one of my family member's passed away I would be overcome with despair and angst, but I do not think I would travel around with some strange twenty-year-old who randomly takes pictures of me. I also predicted the twist about halfway through the novel, which may have lessened my enjoyment when it occurred.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll end this review by saying that I wish Summers' had focused more on the aspect of recovery rather than the descent into depression Eddie experienced.
Here are two quotes from the beginning of the novel that exemplify Summers' writing talent:
"I imagine diving under, swimming down, down, down with my eyes open and not being able to see anything in front of me. Not even my hands. I imagine forcing myself farther down, until I feel weeds everywhere, brushing the sides of my arms, my feet, and then I'm surrounded. Tangled up in them so bad the lake would have me forever. I imagine drowning and what that would feel like, if I'd be scared. If I'd let it happen or if I'd fight it. I read in a book once you can't drown yourself. Your body will fight to survive, whether you want to or not.
But I don't think it's the same when you jump."
"Sometimes I feel hunted by my grief. It circles me, stalks me. It's always in my periphery. Sometimes I can fake it out. Sometimes I make myself go so still, it can't sense that I'm there anymore and it goes away. I do that right now.
I go so still the thing inside me doesn't know I'm there anymore."
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Eddie Reeves' father committed suicide, but she doesn't know why. There seems to be no reason - he was a famous artist, a talented photographer, and had a loving family, most importantly, her. While entrenched in her grief Eddie meets Culler, his former student. They form a dangerous attraction and embark on a mission to piece together the broken picture of her father's death.
Another powerful book by Courtney Summers. Like a punch in the stomach, Fall for Anything surprises the reader, seizing them and forcing them to feel Eddie's anguish. I think the writing - and the emotions evoked by the writing - were enough to justify giving this book 3.5 stars, even though I'm not sure if I actually liked it at all.
I did not like the plot in this one as much as Summers' first two novels. Sure, if one of my family member's passed away I would be overcome with despair and angst, but I do not think I would travel around with some strange twenty-year-old who randomly takes pictures of me. I also predicted the twist about halfway through the novel, which may have lessened my enjoyment when it occurred.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll end this review by saying that I wish Summers' had focused more on the aspect of recovery rather than the descent into depression Eddie experienced.
Here are two quotes from the beginning of the novel that exemplify Summers' writing talent:
"I imagine diving under, swimming down, down, down with my eyes open and not being able to see anything in front of me. Not even my hands. I imagine forcing myself farther down, until I feel weeds everywhere, brushing the sides of my arms, my feet, and then I'm surrounded. Tangled up in them so bad the lake would have me forever. I imagine drowning and what that would feel like, if I'd be scared. If I'd let it happen or if I'd fight it. I read in a book once you can't drown yourself. Your body will fight to survive, whether you want to or not.
But I don't think it's the same when you jump."
"Sometimes I feel hunted by my grief. It circles me, stalks me. It's always in my periphery. Sometimes I can fake it out. Sometimes I make myself go so still, it can't sense that I'm there anymore and it goes away. I do that right now.
I go so still the thing inside me doesn't know I'm there anymore."
Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here.
September 21, 2016
گاهی بعضی از چراها مثل خوره به جون آدم میفتن، تمام گوشه های ذهن رو پر میکنن و برای افکار دیگه جایی نمیگذارن؛ نه تا وقتی یه جواب براشون پیدا نشده. و حقیقت اینه که امیدوارم هیچوقت، هیچکس، درگیر این چراهای آزاردهنده نباشه.
پدر "اِدی" خودکشی کرده، و حالا این دختر هفده ساله نمیتونه این اتفاق رو پشت سر بگذاره، نمیتونه اینهمه "چرا" رو بدون جواب رها کنه و ازشون عبور کنه: که چرا پدرش به زندگیش خاتمه داده؟ با وجود اینهمه شهرت و استعداد، چرا؟ چرا تنهاشون گذاشته؟ اونم وقتی هیچ و هیچ نشونهای در رفتارش نبوده، هیچی.
و ما قراره در طول داستان از نگاه اِدی، در کنارش به دنبال پاسخ بگردیم و فراز و نشیبهای احساساتش رو بخونیم. از مادر افسردهش بخونیم و از دوستی که به کمک اینخانواده میاد، از کمک گرفتن ادی از همکلاسی قدیمیش و همچنین دانشآموز پدرش. و میخونیم از دستهای ادی؛ دستهایی که به قول خود ادی، مردهن و حسی ندارن. و قراره کمکم بفهمیم که چرا ادی این حس رو درباره ی دستهاش داره، چه اتفاقی برای دستهاش افتاده؟
فکر میکنم همه میدونیم که اکثر اوقات، پذیرفتن درد و کنار اومدن باهاش، بیشتر از جنگیدن باهاش وحشتناک بهنظر میاد. اما باید باورمون بشه که گاهی باید رها کنیم، باید از جنگیدن دست بکشیم. گاهی باید درد رو با همه ی مخلفاتش قبول کنیم و بهجای یک جنگ تمومنشدنی، باهاش کنار بیایم. گاهی باید صلح کنیم با تمام چراهای بی جواب و با تمام دردهایی که مرهمشون دست ما نیست. که درسته این صلح یکطرفهس، درسته این ما هستیم که از جنگیدن دست میکشیم؛ اما شاید بالاخره یه روز اون درد هم با ما کنار بیاد. و درسته که اون همیشه یه دشمنه، اما دشمنیه که جنگیدن باهاش تلفات بیشتری خواهد داشت؛ پس کوتاه میایم و عادت میکنیم. به رژه ی نیروهای دشمن تو وجودمون عادت میکنیم و بعدها شاید حتی از رژه ی اونها قلقلکمون بیاد و بخندیم. مطمئن نیستم؛ اما شاید یه روز موفق بشیم با یه لبخند از کنارشون رد بشیم.
Imagine you’re the weight around a person who jumps.
That you are what keeps them falling.
پدر "اِدی" خودکشی کرده، و حالا این دختر هفده ساله نمیتونه این اتفاق رو پشت سر بگذاره، نمیتونه اینهمه "چرا" رو بدون جواب رها کنه و ازشون عبور کنه: که چرا پدرش به زندگیش خاتمه داده؟ با وجود اینهمه شهرت و استعداد، چرا؟ چرا تنهاشون گذاشته؟ اونم وقتی هیچ و هیچ نشونهای در رفتارش نبوده، هیچی.
و ما قراره در طول داستان از نگاه اِدی، در کنارش به دنبال پاسخ بگردیم و فراز و نشیبهای احساساتش رو بخونیم. از مادر افسردهش بخونیم و از دوستی که به کمک اینخانواده میاد، از کمک گرفتن ادی از همکلاسی قدیمیش و همچنین دانشآموز پدرش. و میخونیم از دستهای ادی؛ دستهایی که به قول خود ادی، مردهن و حسی ندارن. و قراره کمکم بفهمیم که چرا ادی این حس رو درباره ی دستهاش داره، چه اتفاقی برای دستهاش افتاده؟
My hands are dying. I keep trying to explain it to Milo, but he just looks at me like I’m crazy.
“They don’t feel warm—they haven’t.”
فکر میکنم همه میدونیم که اکثر اوقات، پذیرفتن درد و کنار اومدن باهاش، بیشتر از جنگیدن باهاش وحشتناک بهنظر میاد. اما باید باورمون بشه که گاهی باید رها کنیم، باید از جنگیدن دست بکشیم. گاهی باید درد رو با همه ی مخلفاتش قبول کنیم و بهجای یک جنگ تمومنشدنی، باهاش کنار بیایم. گاهی باید صلح کنیم با تمام چراهای بی جواب و با تمام دردهایی که مرهمشون دست ما نیست. که درسته این صلح یکطرفهس، درسته این ما هستیم که از جنگیدن دست میکشیم؛ اما شاید بالاخره یه روز اون درد هم با ما کنار بیاد. و درسته که اون همیشه یه دشمنه، اما دشمنیه که جنگیدن باهاش تلفات بیشتری خواهد داشت؛ پس کوتاه میایم و عادت میکنیم. به رژه ی نیروهای دشمن تو وجودمون عادت میکنیم و بعدها شاید حتی از رژه ی اونها قلقلکمون بیاد و بخندیم. مطمئن نیستم؛ اما شاید یه روز موفق بشیم با یه لبخند از کنارشون رد بشیم.
We’re all lost in different ways, so how do we even help each other find our way out. We won’t. We We can’t. We’ll just stay lost forever.
December 20, 2010
Full review here: http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/2010...
I've been impressed with Courtney's first two books. But impressed isn't even a fair word to use for this one. It was beyond my expectations. This is a story of grief. Overwhelming, powerful, enveloping grief. And it is a story about heartlessness and art.
While reading it, the only word I kept thinking about overandoverandover was intimate. This is an intimate look at loss and life and utter despair. I wanted so hard to tell Eddie to be Eddie, to be herself, to not be something she's not but I couldn't and I didn't have the guts to anyway. She was so vulnerable.
Longer review to come when I can digest it and put my heart back in its place. This is not an easy read. It begs, BEGS to be read slowly and with a box of tissues and perhaps some armor and a pen to underline some of the passages that you will commit to memory.
I've been impressed with Courtney's first two books. But impressed isn't even a fair word to use for this one. It was beyond my expectations. This is a story of grief. Overwhelming, powerful, enveloping grief. And it is a story about heartlessness and art.
While reading it, the only word I kept thinking about overandoverandover was intimate. This is an intimate look at loss and life and utter despair. I wanted so hard to tell Eddie to be Eddie, to be herself, to not be something she's not but I couldn't and I didn't have the guts to anyway. She was so vulnerable.
Longer review to come when I can digest it and put my heart back in its place. This is not an easy read. It begs, BEGS to be read slowly and with a box of tissues and perhaps some armor and a pen to underline some of the passages that you will commit to memory.
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