6.25.2014 | Wednesday

The Harder I Fall

category: Book Reviews
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The Harder I Falltitle: The Harder I Fall
author: Jessica Gibson
series: The Harder I Fall #1
published: 20 February 2014
publisher: self-published
genre(s): contemporary, romance
pages: 276
source: bought
format: eBook
buy/shelve it: Amazon | B&N | BookBub | Goodreads

rating: four-half-stars | series rating: five-stars

the blurb

Becca Langer was not a normal girl, she didn't have normal girl problems. For most of her life, she’s had to take care of herself, her younger brother Chad, and her drunk mother. She’s lived under the shadow of what her father did when she was ten years old. Forever branded by his actions.

College was her escape, she could get away and finally live. Her dream was to make it in the New York Ballet Company one day. That for her meant a long road full of hard work and dedication. She didn't have time for distractions, and Levi Klein was definitely a distraction.

Will Levi be able to crack through her tough exterior and really see the wounded soul underneath? Becca needs to be loved, but the question is, will she let Levi love her?


my review

The Harder I Fall is an incredibly emotional read.  There were so many moments when I just wanted to reach inside my Kindle and hug Becca and make things right for her and her brother.  I empathized and related to so many aspects of this story and it made the entire book that much more meaningful.

Becca is an amazing girl, intelligent and caring and strong beyond her years.  Her life has been tumultuous at best and deeply wounding at worst.  She is broken inside and she has come to accept that she will never be able to live a normal life.  That made it all the more sweet and romantic when her life began to change.  Enter Levi, an amazing guy with some issues of his own.  He starts out as the perfect Book Boyfriend, but as it always happens, there comes a time when he loses some of his shine.  But the beauty of the story doesn’t end with Levi.  There is beauty in the friendships she has with her roommate Sadie and her boyfriend Julian, also Levi’s best friend.  There is also the unexpected family she finds, a family that shows what family should really be about.

I’m not going to lie… the ending shocked me!  A good ending, but unexpected!

Things to love…

  • Sadie.  Kind, patient, and caring… everything a best friend should be, something that Becca needed in her life.
  • Levi’s parents.  And I can’t explain why without spoiling a fantastic story line!
  • The deep and dark issues of life.  They were dark, but they were real and poignant.

Fantastic contemporary romance!  I am reading the pre-release copy of the next book in the series, The Deeper We Get, and it is FANTASTIC!!

About Jessica Gibson

Hi, my name is Jessica Gibson, I’m a recovering bookaholic, down from four books a week to a more reasonable one. It was that love of words and creativity that made me dream about writing my first book. That dream was hidden for years, always put on the back burner, filed away in the “someday” section, until my husband Matt gave me the kick in the pants I needed to actually get off my butt and write.
My husband and I live in Southern California and have a serious addiction to reality tv shows like Pawn Stars and American Restoration. We have one son and hope to add to the family in the near future.

Rating Report
plot
five-stars
characters
four-stars
writing
four-half-stars
pacing
four-stars
Overall: four-stars

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