Mundie Moms

Thursday, April 5, 2018

THE FALL OF GRACE by Amy Fellner Dominy / Book Review #TheFallOfGrace


By: Amy Fellner Dominy
Published by: Delacorte / Get Underlined
To Be Released on: April 10th, 2018
Pre-Order from: The Publisher | Amazon | B&N
Add it to Goodreads
Rating: 5 Stars
Source: arc from author in exchange for my honest review 

Fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will love The Fall of Grace, an adventure-thriller with a hint of romance, in which not everything as perfect as it seems.
Grace’s junior year is turning into her best year yet. She’s set to make honor roll, her print from photography class might win a national contest, and her crush just asked her to prom.

Then the bottom falls out. News breaks that the investment fund her mom runs is a scam and her mother is a thief. Now, instead of friends, the FBI is at her door. Grace is damaged goods.

Millions of dollars are unaccounted for, and everyone wants to know where all the money went. Can she find it and clear her mother’s name?

The key to repairing her shattered life seems to lie in a place deep in the wilderness, and Grace sets out, her identity hidden, determined to find it.

But she isn’t alone.

Sam Rivers, a mysterious loner from school, is on her trail and wants to know exactly what secrets she uncovers. As the pair travels into the wilds, 
Grace realizes she must risk everything on the dark, twisted path to the truth.


An addicting, realistic, emotional rollercoaster of a read. This book was a wonderful surprise and not at all what I was excepting it to be. I love it when a book surprises me like this one did. It didn't take long for me to become addicted to this story, or become completely emotionally wrapped up into Grace & Sam's story like I was. Amy's writing is vivid in both details, and emotions, making it incredibly easy to quickly connect with her characters. 

Grace's story is a heartbreaking, hopeful, redeeming, thrill ride of a read. It's the perfect blend of coming of age, action-thriller, mixed with romance, and picking up the pieces after destructive news up ends everything Grace thought she knew. Grace's character journey is one that Amy effortlessly connected me to. There were scenes with Grace that had me wanting to cry right along with her, and other times I couldn't help but laugh out loud with some of the things she says and does. I loved getting to know Grace. She is a courageous, resilient character who even at her lowest points, is stronger than she realizes she is. 


Paired with Grace is Sam Rivers. Like Grace, his story is one that pulled at my heart strings. The more time I spent with Sam, the easier it was to love his character. Similar to Grace, there was a lot below his rough exterior. I loved the way in which Amy allowed not only these two characters to really get to know each other, but the she allowed me as a reader, to really understand them, and get to know them as well. Their stories are ones that are heartbreaking, yet hopeful all at the same time. I loved what they both offered each other. 


Amy's writing is simply beautiful. I love how vivid her setting is, and how detailed orientated her scenes are. The rugged Colorado mountains/wilderness was so vividly detailed, I felt like I was there with Sam and Grace, taking in the sights, and sounds. I appreciated the symbolism the setting had on Grace's story. The emotions of this story are beautifully written, that without even trying to, I was invested in it. 


I really appreciate how this story flowed, and the pacing it has. Nothing is rushed. Instead, layers are pulled back little by little allowing me to really get to know the characters, as well as piece together everything Grace and Sam are trying to figure out together. There's a lot of different elements to this story that had the been rushed, would have ruined it. I couldn't help but fall in love with this story, and the way it was told. 

This book made me think, feel emotions I wasn't excepting to feel, and fall in love with two complex, tragically layered characters who's stories I wanted more of. I enjoyed the realism of the story, and the underlining message that everyone is fighting their own battles, especially the ones you can't see. That sums up much of what both Grace and Sam are fighting against, and coping with, all while dealing with the hash judgements of others. This isn't a light hearted YA contemporary story, and I appreciated Amy for not sugar coating the tragedies of life, people's choices, the consequences they have on others, and the inner strength and hope two characters find within themselves, and together. This is a book I'd recommend to older YA readers. I absolutely love this cover. 

*There is some language, the subject of suicide, and an attempted rape, that may not be suitable for all readers.


FAVORITE QUOTES:

* "Some storms you hide from, and some storms you meet with a furry of your own."


* "Here's the truth: We can't fix things or change them. Not the way we want. All we do is live it over and over until we're not living at all." 


* "I also know that if you can see a shadow, it's because there's light beyond it." 


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