Reviewer: Samantha
I received a review copy
Summary:
When Emma Montague left the strict confines of upper-crust British life for New York, she felt sure it would make her happy. Away from her parents and expectations, she felt liberated, throwing herself into Manhattan life replete with a high-paying job, a gorgeous apartment, and a string of successful boyfriends. But the cutthroat world of finance and relentless pursuit of more began to take its toll. This wasn’t the life she wanted either.
On the move again, Emma settles in the picturesque waterfront town of Westport, Connecticut, a world apart from both England and Manhattan. It is here that she begins to confront what it is she really wants from her life. With no job, and knowing only one person in town, she channels her passion for creating beautiful spaces into remaking the dilapidated cottage she rents from Dominic, a local handyman who lives next door with his six-year-old son.
Unlike any man Emma has ever known, Dominic is confident, grounded, and committed to being present for his son whose mother fled shortly after he was born. They become friends, and slowly much more, as Emma finds herself feeling at home in a way she never has before.
But just as they start to imagine a life together as a family, fate intervenes in the most shocking of ways. For the first time, Emma has to stay and fight for what she loves, for the truth she has discovered about herself, or risk losing it all.
In a novel of changing seasons, shifting lives, and selfless love, a story unfolds—of one woman’s far-reaching journey to discover who she is truly meant to be…
Review:
I’m a big fan of Jane Green so I was looking forward to reading Falling, even though I could tell from the synopsis that a few tears might be shed. It was interesting to follow a relationship that seemed to fit so well yet went through hardships, in particular when it came to each set of parents. Emma’s parents think Dominic is beneath them, and Dominic’s parents simply don’t think Emma is the one for his son. Adding in the dynamic of Dominic’s own little son, the strain when his mother suddenly appears back in town, and Emma learning how to be a step-parents of sorts, and there really is quite a lot going on here. I did think the book was a bit long and drawn out in some parts. I kept waiting for the fate to intervene but that didn’t occur until the very end of the book, where I did indeed shed some tears. Though I did wish the book went at a faster pace, it was emotional at times and I did enjoy the ending.
