What do you think?
Rate this book
Still Falling
‘The rain was still falling, but the dark had parted…’
F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Luke falls. He has epilepsy.
And, as it turns out, he has much bigger issues too.
Esther falls. In love.
It’s wonderful – but there’s a shadow that she can’t identify and she can’t make go away just by loving Luke.
Luke’s experience has taught him to despise himself; Esther’s self-belief is fragile. And love is not as easy as it looks. Will they be still falling at the end of term?
A story about the struggle it can be to love someone who doesn’t love themselves – and why it’s worth it.
From the winner of Children’s Books Ireland Honour for Fiction, the CBI Children’s Choice Award and CBI Book of the Year Award for her previous novels Taking Flight and Grounded.
F Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Luke falls. He has epilepsy.
And, as it turns out, he has much bigger issues too.
Esther falls. In love.
It’s wonderful – but there’s a shadow that she can’t identify and she can’t make go away just by loving Luke.
Luke’s experience has taught him to despise himself; Esther’s self-belief is fragile. And love is not as easy as it looks. Will they be still falling at the end of term?
A story about the struggle it can be to love someone who doesn’t love themselves – and why it’s worth it.
From the winner of Children’s Books Ireland Honour for Fiction, the CBI Children’s Choice Award and CBI Book of the Year Award for her previous novels Taking Flight and Grounded.
255 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
About the author
Sheena Wilkinson
18 books40 followersDescribed in The Irish Times as 'one of our foremost writers for young people', Sheena Wilkinson is the author of eight acclaimed YA novels. She has won many awards for these, and for her short fiction. Her first adult novel, Mrs Hart's Marriage Bureau, a historical romantic comedy, is published by HarperCollins Ireland.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
March 24, 2015
There is nothing worse than a book that you don't want to finish but HAVE TO! I felt like I was sliding towards an ending that I was definitely not ready for.
I fell in love with the characters of Luke and Esther. A lot of this novel hit home for me in more than one way. I prefer not to go into detail but the subject matter of all the issues in this book was handled superbly and delicately. Honestly, I recommend this book as a novel for all students to read.
I'll post a longer review soon, but right now I am raw from the hole this book has left in my life... Read it now.
I fell in love with the characters of Luke and Esther. A lot of this novel hit home for me in more than one way. I prefer not to go into detail but the subject matter of all the issues in this book was handled superbly and delicately. Honestly, I recommend this book as a novel for all students to read.
I'll post a longer review soon, but right now I am raw from the hole this book has left in my life... Read it now.
June 10, 2020
(whole review has spoilers)
So first and foremost, this book was really easy to tear through. I read the whole thing in just over two hours. I didn't feel tempted at any point to shelve it or anything like that, so credit where credit is due.
Further credit where credit is due: there are a lot of things about this book that I did like. The premise made it seem fairly unassuming - boy meets girl, etc etc etc. But there were a few little things that made it stand out - the Belfast setting, Esther struggling with her religious identity, etc. I cannot make an informed comment on the depiction of epilepsy, but I do appreciate how the book handled CSA. These things gave it the additional star.
However ... there was a lot that I didn't like. The main one being the thing that I feel drags down a lot of YA novels - the author, generally due to age, not being able to really depict teenagers. This comes across in dialogue and character actions, but also in little things lime the fact that the book seems to be set in 2015 but Facebook is the only form of social media referenced/used by the teenagers. They don't even rely on social media that much and text each other instead, which okay, I can imagine that they have some sort of unlimited text offer, but the texts have subject headings and the characters only seem to use text speak, as well as acronyms that I have never come across in real life - I genuinely had to pause and think about what F2F meant. I was sixteen when this book was published, about the same age as the characters, and that felt kind of jarring.
I also feel like the book, while it had a lot of things that could have set it apart, the potential was largely unrealised. I felt that the Belfast setting could have played into more since the book tried to explore classism and religious identity as issues. I say tried because ... I don't really think any kind of thesis statement was made. I feel like the classism was handled worse, because Luke himself is very negative about his old school, how his classmates were 'illiterate delinquents', as well as his working-class foster parents, while simultaneously being judged for his former school etc and his attitudes went completely unchallenged.
While Eshter's religious issues were handled a little more realistically - and I really liked that the author didn't make it a conflict over whether or not she believed in God etc, and instead made her sure of her atheism but struggling to deal with a loss of a community and an identity that previously defined her - I felt that they were resolved too quickly and her storyline suddenly became all about Luke. I also think that the fact that she was bullied at her school just for being a 'Christian' was a little strange especially when the school seems to be religious in some sense. I know that the Catholic/Protestant thing might feel very done, but it seems strange to have a story set in Belfast and have that not play into things at all. I feel like it would have made more sense that way.
I like that this book tried to give a lot of the adults some nuance, but I wish that the same thing could be said for the other teenage characters. They were either super supportive perfect friends who never ever get mad at Eshter, or else Actively Terrible People. It was weird because at two different points Eshter worries about how her friends will react to her treatment of them - dropping her Church friend without warning, and ignoring her Token Gay friend for her new boyfriend. But it never causes any kind of problem at all. I don't need drama for drama's sake, but it was just really unrealistic. I liked that Eshter initially wanted to befriend one of the Popular Girls but that was resolved way too quickly and she spent most of the rest of the book hating her for flirting with Luke.
Speaking of Luke, I personally found the relationship underdeveloped. I felt like it was on fast forward the whole time, but I don't really hold that against the book because I know that this is not inaccurate to teenagers and people do sometimes just meet someone and automatically feel a romantic connection or form a romantic interest - not me personally, but friends of mine certainly. But this to me justifies them getting together quickly, I still feel that the relationship relied on a lot of show don't tell
But all in all, I didn't hate this book and I have certainly read YA novels that are a lot worse. It was okay. Just please, if you don't know how the teens use social media, please set your novel in the 90s.
So first and foremost, this book was really easy to tear through. I read the whole thing in just over two hours. I didn't feel tempted at any point to shelve it or anything like that, so credit where credit is due.
Further credit where credit is due: there are a lot of things about this book that I did like. The premise made it seem fairly unassuming - boy meets girl, etc etc etc. But there were a few little things that made it stand out - the Belfast setting, Esther struggling with her religious identity, etc. I cannot make an informed comment on the depiction of epilepsy, but I do appreciate how the book handled CSA. These things gave it the additional star.
However ... there was a lot that I didn't like. The main one being the thing that I feel drags down a lot of YA novels - the author, generally due to age, not being able to really depict teenagers. This comes across in dialogue and character actions, but also in little things lime the fact that the book seems to be set in 2015 but Facebook is the only form of social media referenced/used by the teenagers. They don't even rely on social media that much and text each other instead, which okay, I can imagine that they have some sort of unlimited text offer, but the texts have subject headings and the characters only seem to use text speak, as well as acronyms that I have never come across in real life - I genuinely had to pause and think about what F2F meant. I was sixteen when this book was published, about the same age as the characters, and that felt kind of jarring.
I also feel like the book, while it had a lot of things that could have set it apart, the potential was largely unrealised. I felt that the Belfast setting could have played into more since the book tried to explore classism and religious identity as issues. I say tried because ... I don't really think any kind of thesis statement was made. I feel like the classism was handled worse, because Luke himself is very negative about his old school, how his classmates were 'illiterate delinquents', as well as his working-class foster parents, while simultaneously being judged for his former school etc and his attitudes went completely unchallenged.
While Eshter's religious issues were handled a little more realistically - and I really liked that the author didn't make it a conflict over whether or not she believed in God etc, and instead made her sure of her atheism but struggling to deal with a loss of a community and an identity that previously defined her - I felt that they were resolved too quickly and her storyline suddenly became all about Luke. I also think that the fact that she was bullied at her school just for being a 'Christian' was a little strange especially when the school seems to be religious in some sense. I know that the Catholic/Protestant thing might feel very done, but it seems strange to have a story set in Belfast and have that not play into things at all. I feel like it would have made more sense that way.
I like that this book tried to give a lot of the adults some nuance, but I wish that the same thing could be said for the other teenage characters. They were either super supportive perfect friends who never ever get mad at Eshter, or else Actively Terrible People. It was weird because at two different points Eshter worries about how her friends will react to her treatment of them - dropping her Church friend without warning, and ignoring her Token Gay friend for her new boyfriend. But it never causes any kind of problem at all. I don't need drama for drama's sake, but it was just really unrealistic. I liked that Eshter initially wanted to befriend one of the Popular Girls but that was resolved way too quickly and she spent most of the rest of the book hating her for flirting with Luke.
Speaking of Luke, I personally found the relationship underdeveloped. I felt like it was on fast forward the whole time, but I don't really hold that against the book because I know that this is not inaccurate to teenagers and people do sometimes just meet someone and automatically feel a romantic connection or form a romantic interest - not me personally, but friends of mine certainly. But this to me justifies them getting together quickly, I still feel that the relationship relied on a lot of show don't tell
But all in all, I didn't hate this book and I have certainly read YA novels that are a lot worse. It was okay. Just please, if you don't know how the teens use social media, please set your novel in the 90s.
February 9, 2015
I really enjoyed Sheena Wilkinson's first two YA books but this new novel is even better. Unlike Taking Flight and Grounded , Still Falling does not explore the world of a deprived Belfast estate. The protagonists are, on the surface, more privileged. School is a Belfast Grammar School and although the mysterious Luke has spent several years in care, his initial placement brought him academic success. Esther has loving supportive parents. But they are both struggling and in her descriptions of how the two sixth formers feel Sheena Wilkinson has taken her writing to a new level. Although on the surface Luke has lots going for him, he has epilepsy and other problems are hinted at. He not only has low self esteem, he has self hatred. Esther has lost her religious faith and now feels isolated from her actively Christian parents and her old friends from church. She has been bullied at school because of her background and feels deeply unattractive to boys. Her lack of self esteem is reflected by the other girls' attitude to her. Both characters are drawn convincingly, and the 'issues' are part of the story, never patronising the reader. I loved it.
April 6, 2017
Beautifully, thoughtfully written, bringing in loss of religious faith, sexual abuse, self harm and falling in love. Tender and serious, gloriously rich and unafraid of raising difficult questions and exploring answers in a reassuring, considered, wonderful way. Wonderful, wonderful.
May 11, 2015
Gritty and real story of growing up and finding who you are, and a troubled teenager accepting his worth. Wilkinson doesn't shy away from depicting the difficulties teenagers face at school and at home. I found myself totally engrossed in the lives of the main characters.
Beautiful writing and a strong plot makes for a vivid read that's impossible to put down.
Beautiful writing and a strong plot makes for a vivid read that's impossible to put down.
August 18, 2015
Really enjoyed it! More YA set in Northern Ireland, please.
June 4, 2017
I will ask How is that possible I haven't heard and read reviews on this book from other bookish people? The book has been published on 2015 and I read it only now.
This is so beautiful, interesting and amazing YA read! It touches so many topics and not the easy love story ones, it has a beautiful, realistic depth. I was glued reading this all Sunday and as much as I enjoyed I did not wanted come to the last page and place the book down and bring it back to the library! I loved it, I loved it. Oh, will try not to go into spoilers..
So the story is about Luke starting a new school in Belfast and a new year with new foster care parents. "Parents" do sound weird and Luke doesn't believe how foster care parents can ever love or CARE about him or anyone who comes into foster care. But he doesn't want to be noticed and tries his best to be just a shadow...until his first day in school is ruined by his epilepsy seizure. He makes it through thanks to his classmate Esther who seems to know exactly what need to be done when someone has a seizure. Some completely new experience, that is like a starting point of the wheel and a love story between them too, they do get involved in classmate drama, characteristics and old demons breaking in. But it also sums up the beauty of beautiful and smart friendship.
The author has excellently described and the roles of the other "drama, fame girls" that I am so glad I am no more a teenager who has to go with some in the same class every day and deal with this childish behavior, well some act that way all their lives, anyway - Still Falling perfectly handles parents of both sides, many climax situation in the plot and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this Ya.
This was a challenge read because I am not very familiar with school system in Ireland and having Religion class in High School was something completely new. I do associate ethics in the last year before High School , so that's 15/16 age and at first year either ethics or religion for pupils aged 7. This book gave this insight of community and it wasn't anything disturbing or boring, instead complete opposite - emotional and fantastic read!
This is so beautiful, interesting and amazing YA read! It touches so many topics and not the easy love story ones, it has a beautiful, realistic depth. I was glued reading this all Sunday and as much as I enjoyed I did not wanted come to the last page and place the book down and bring it back to the library! I loved it, I loved it. Oh, will try not to go into spoilers..
So the story is about Luke starting a new school in Belfast and a new year with new foster care parents. "Parents" do sound weird and Luke doesn't believe how foster care parents can ever love or CARE about him or anyone who comes into foster care. But he doesn't want to be noticed and tries his best to be just a shadow...until his first day in school is ruined by his epilepsy seizure. He makes it through thanks to his classmate Esther who seems to know exactly what need to be done when someone has a seizure. Some completely new experience, that is like a starting point of the wheel and a love story between them too, they do get involved in classmate drama, characteristics and old demons breaking in. But it also sums up the beauty of beautiful and smart friendship.
The author has excellently described and the roles of the other "drama, fame girls" that I am so glad I am no more a teenager who has to go with some in the same class every day and deal with this childish behavior, well some act that way all their lives, anyway - Still Falling perfectly handles parents of both sides, many climax situation in the plot and I was surprised how much I enjoyed this Ya.
This was a challenge read because I am not very familiar with school system in Ireland and having Religion class in High School was something completely new. I do associate ethics in the last year before High School , so that's 15/16 age and at first year either ethics or religion for pupils aged 7. This book gave this insight of community and it wasn't anything disturbing or boring, instead complete opposite - emotional and fantastic read!
April 7, 2019
Let me just say: I never expected to feel this attached to Esther & Luke. Just by reading the synopsis, I knew I was probably going to feel something reading it, but... yeah.
Luke has epilepsy, and hates himself. I don't have epilepsy, but I think we've all gone through a phase in life where we just feel like we hate ourselves, or someone made us to feel that way. The voice in Luke's head sounded so familiar to me, and I couldn't help but sympathize with him so much.
Esther comes from a religious Christian family; though she, however, questions the belief and decided to not attend church. Good thing was that her parents didn't really pressure her into keep going to church. Esther feels sheltered, and a bit wary that the kids at school label her as miss goody-two-shoes.
When she and Luke gets together, she's more than aware that she isn't exactly 'in his league' (Aah, there's another relatable feeling). When he turns her away every time she tries to get past 1st base, she starts questioning if he actually fancies her, or if she's just a security blanket of sorts for him. (Hello darkness my old friend~~)
And then the cliche happens in the form of an event that puts their relationship to the test; and of course, from that emerges a new understanding of each other. BUT, as cliche as the plot may be, there are still several pleasant and not-so-pleasant (in the form of a revelation) surprises.
Luke has epilepsy, and hates himself. I don't have epilepsy, but I think we've all gone through a phase in life where we just feel like we hate ourselves, or someone made us to feel that way. The voice in Luke's head sounded so familiar to me, and I couldn't help but sympathize with him so much.
Esther comes from a religious Christian family; though she, however, questions the belief and decided to not attend church. Good thing was that her parents didn't really pressure her into keep going to church. Esther feels sheltered, and a bit wary that the kids at school label her as miss goody-two-shoes.
When she and Luke gets together, she's more than aware that she isn't exactly 'in his league' (Aah, there's another relatable feeling). When he turns her away every time she tries to get past 1st base, she starts questioning if he actually fancies her, or if she's just a security blanket of sorts for him. (Hello darkness my old friend~~)
And then the cliche happens in the form of an event that puts their relationship to the test; and of course, from that emerges a new understanding of each other. BUT, as cliche as the plot may be, there are still several pleasant and not-so-pleasant (in the form of a revelation) surprises.
August 22, 2018
Moving, strong and compassionate, Wilkinson gives us a story that is important and challenges the reader. With echoes of The Great Gatsby, it is a story of seemingly reluctant and impossible love, of overcoming the ghosts of ones' past and developing a self-belief and confidence that allows the course of life to unfold. I have to say something, first of all about the way Wilkinson handles her depiction of epilepsy...she has it exactly right. The way she shows what happens with a seizure, the dangers of simply 'falling' and the effects this condition has on a persons' view of themselves; along with the misconceptions and concerns of those who lives are intertwined with someone with epilepsy is spot on. Also, the story of falling in love is amazingly rendered. This is no simple tale of love and beating the odds...not a simple 'us vs. them' story. It is told with genuine and richly layered voices with all the passion, confusion and fallibilty that happens, not just within the confines of young love, but with us all at any given stage in life. There are no easy answers here. It is gritty, heartfelt and all too real. Marvelous....simply marvelous. Highly recommended for 14 +.
October 26, 2020
This is a mental health positive book. That much I liked. It is about standing up for what you believe in and learning to grow up when parents are being overprotective and strict especially in a Christian family and school. Despite the positive, I couldn't enjoy the book. If I read this in 2015, I would have enjoyed it. 5 years and a lot of brilliantly written and intricate plots of controversial YA novels, I just wasn't satisfied with Still Falling. The "I would fight for my first love" , "love at first sight" troupe didn't work out for me. It was too soon, like 30 pages into the book. It felt more like a middle grade entering young adult book to me when the teens are in their late teens. Many choices made were rather immature. I'm sorry to say that this is a miss. Maybe it will be a hit for you.
September 20, 2017
Man liekas, ka tā ir pirmā grāmata, kurai lieku tik zemu vērtējumu.. Sākotnēji, gribēju likt 4 zvaigznītes, bet beigas mani pārsteidza, laikam, ne uz to labo pusi, jo ieliku mazāku vērtējumu. Tas vairāk būtu nosvēries uz 3,5 zvaigznīšu pusi.
Laikam jau beigas man arī lika pamainīt šo vērtējumu, jo man tās, godīgi sakot nepatika, viss bija skaisti, skaista valoda, emocijas, bet... iespējams, kas tas ir mana vecuma dēļ, bet es jau neskatu grāmatas pēc mana vecuma.. Tas nu ir mans gala vērtējums - 3,5!
Kaut gan iespējams, tas ir tādēļ, ka starp šo grāmatu un iepriekšējo grāmatu - "Tumšā puse" laika sprīdis bija ļoti sīks, varētu teikt, ka tā pat īsti nebija. Vakar vakarā pabeidzu vienu darbu, sāku otro, šovakar to pabeidzu un nu jau sāku citu. Uznācis lielais lasīšanas laiks! :))
Laikam jau beigas man arī lika pamainīt šo vērtējumu, jo man tās, godīgi sakot nepatika, viss bija skaisti, skaista valoda, emocijas, bet... iespējams, kas tas ir mana vecuma dēļ, bet es jau neskatu grāmatas pēc mana vecuma.. Tas nu ir mans gala vērtējums - 3,5!
Kaut gan iespējams, tas ir tādēļ, ka starp šo grāmatu un iepriekšējo grāmatu - "Tumšā puse" laika sprīdis bija ļoti sīks, varētu teikt, ka tā pat īsti nebija. Vakar vakarā pabeidzu vienu darbu, sāku otro, šovakar to pabeidzu un nu jau sāku citu. Uznācis lielais lasīšanas laiks! :))
January 28, 2022
im sorry but that wasnt worth it at all 😭😭😭
even at first when they were like crushing on each other and whatever IT WASNT THAT BUTTERFLY WORTHY AAAAA IM SORRY SHEENA
and idk sometimes the personalities of the characters can be a bit rude like when luke said
"No wonder she ended up only being a foster carer with that attitude to education."
like she was caring about your health you freaking asshole
no amount of mentions of taylor swift can even make up for that
and the fact that i was REALLY excited to buy it makes me even more dissapointed :\\
even at first when they were like crushing on each other and whatever IT WASNT THAT BUTTERFLY WORTHY AAAAA IM SORRY SHEENA
and idk sometimes the personalities of the characters can be a bit rude like when luke said
"No wonder she ended up only being a foster carer with that attitude to education."
like she was caring about your health you freaking asshole
no amount of mentions of taylor swift can even make up for that
and the fact that i was REALLY excited to buy it makes me even more dissapointed :\\
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2020
I liked this book well enough but I didn't love it. The two main characters are interesting but I didn't like how a particular situation was resolved, or not really resolved to be honest. Part of the reason I picked this book up is because it's set in Belfast and that part I did like - it's a nice change to read about non-American teens!
July 5, 2017
Really awesome book. I liked all those arguments but.. the end is awesome. The truth is revealed. :)
June 18, 2019
Drausmas. Un krietna homoseksuālisma propaganda. Pirmo reizi tik skarbi izsakos, bet - 20 gadu laikā neesmu lasījusi lielāku "figņu". Mīnus 10.
March 22, 2018
Another great read from Sheena Wilkinson. This Young Adult novel paints a very realistic portrait of life for a foster care teenager with a disability in Ireland today. It is empathetic and sympathetic and does not in any way trivialise the many trails and tribulations facing young people. It explores class, religion, education, first love, sexual awakenings, bullying and many more pertinent issues. I loved it and would recommend it.
December 3, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book and was very fond of the protagonists, both Luke and Esther. Luke suffers from epileptic seizures that only started recently, and he usually knows how to deal with them. However, when he gets a seizure on his first day of school and ends up wetting his pants, the closest person to him is Esther, and she immediately knows what to do in the situation. Not the best start to his school year.
Luke moved to the school after being transferred to new foster parents, and he's not really interested in making any friends. Esther just wants to get through the year without any drama. She tries to make friends with the popular girls, but when she realizes that they have zero interest in her, she immediately moves on. I liked that. I liked the fact that she wasn't one of those girls who kept trying to get into their crowd by doing highly embarrassing things like some other girls do. After one or two attempts, she just sort of shrugs her shoulders and goes back to her book.
However, now, there's Luke. Luke seems interested in Esther, and Esther can't deny his rugged handsome looks. They are drawn together, and end up spending a lot of time together, much to her parents' dismay. As she begins to fall in love with him, more and more questions are raised. She realizes that he doesn't really talk about his past, she doesn't know much about him, even though they have been spending a lot of time together.
When things go downhill at a party, Esther storms out, while Luke ends up getting drunk and blacking out. A girl makes a horrible accusation, and Luke hits rock bottom. Esther is the only one who can help him, and she ends up making a necessary trip to find out more about his past, in order to help him.
It was a really fun read, and I did feel for Luke, but I definitely related more to Esther and admired her strong character. She doesn't give up easy, and is loyal to those she loves. She also gives people the benefit of the doubt, which is such an admirable trait to have. Luke's past is more disturbing than I expected it to be, and it was very painful to read about it. Although, I have to say, I was not completely satisfied with how the accusation made by the girl was dealt with.
All in all, it was a good read, and I liked the characters, I just think it needed to be fleshed out a little more.
Luke moved to the school after being transferred to new foster parents, and he's not really interested in making any friends. Esther just wants to get through the year without any drama. She tries to make friends with the popular girls, but when she realizes that they have zero interest in her, she immediately moves on. I liked that. I liked the fact that she wasn't one of those girls who kept trying to get into their crowd by doing highly embarrassing things like some other girls do. After one or two attempts, she just sort of shrugs her shoulders and goes back to her book.
However, now, there's Luke. Luke seems interested in Esther, and Esther can't deny his rugged handsome looks. They are drawn together, and end up spending a lot of time together, much to her parents' dismay. As she begins to fall in love with him, more and more questions are raised. She realizes that he doesn't really talk about his past, she doesn't know much about him, even though they have been spending a lot of time together.
When things go downhill at a party, Esther storms out, while Luke ends up getting drunk and blacking out. A girl makes a horrible accusation, and Luke hits rock bottom. Esther is the only one who can help him, and she ends up making a necessary trip to find out more about his past, in order to help him.
It was a really fun read, and I did feel for Luke, but I definitely related more to Esther and admired her strong character. She doesn't give up easy, and is loyal to those she loves. She also gives people the benefit of the doubt, which is such an admirable trait to have. Luke's past is more disturbing than I expected it to be, and it was very painful to read about it. Although, I have to say, I was not completely satisfied with how the accusation made by the girl was dealt with.
All in all, it was a good read, and I liked the characters, I just think it needed to be fleshed out a little more.
March 6, 2016
Check out my full review of this novel over on my blog; Click Here!
-----
-----
In October of 2015, I went to my first ever book convention, Dept Con 1, and got to meet so many amazing authors, both known and new to me. Sheena Wilkinson was one of these and after meeting her and hearing her talk about her novel I knew I needed to pick it up and was so glad I stumbled upon a copy in my local library.
I went into this book with medium expectations, I had thought it was going to be a light contemporary, boy meets girl, type of novel. It was so much more than that.
This novel absolutely blew me away. I picked up this novel after having done some study for my college exams as a way to relax and wind down, but a few hours later and I had finished the novel and could not stop thinking about it. So naturally I took to twitter to tell everyone how amazing it was (@Shannonbookworm).
This novel focuses on the protagonists Luke and Esther and each chapter the novels point of view alternates between them. I really enjoyed seeing the novel from both sides of the characters as Luke and Esther are such dimensional characters that I loved reading from their perspectives. Their relationship slowly built up and went through us and down that read as being real and really drew me into the novel. They may be one of my new favourite book couples!
The novel focused on a lot of issues from school, new friends, fitting in and first love to deeper and darker ones such as epilepsy, faith, family and lack of family, and more. Sheena has obvious talent as the manner in which she dealt with each issue raised in the book was flawless and read as being so real. I really enjoyed reading about Luke's epilepsy as it is a condition I know very little about. The diverse themes and steady pacing of the plot kept me gripped until the very end.
I did not expect to enjoy this novel half as much as I did. It has exceeded all of my expectations and definitely made it's way onto my all time favourites list. The Irish setting was great to read and Sheena's writing style, use of diverse themes and amazing characters all entertained me until the very end.
I can not recommend this book enough. Please go read it, you won't regret it.
-----
-----
In October of 2015, I went to my first ever book convention, Dept Con 1, and got to meet so many amazing authors, both known and new to me. Sheena Wilkinson was one of these and after meeting her and hearing her talk about her novel I knew I needed to pick it up and was so glad I stumbled upon a copy in my local library.
I went into this book with medium expectations, I had thought it was going to be a light contemporary, boy meets girl, type of novel. It was so much more than that.
This novel absolutely blew me away. I picked up this novel after having done some study for my college exams as a way to relax and wind down, but a few hours later and I had finished the novel and could not stop thinking about it. So naturally I took to twitter to tell everyone how amazing it was (@Shannonbookworm).
This novel focuses on the protagonists Luke and Esther and each chapter the novels point of view alternates between them. I really enjoyed seeing the novel from both sides of the characters as Luke and Esther are such dimensional characters that I loved reading from their perspectives. Their relationship slowly built up and went through us and down that read as being real and really drew me into the novel. They may be one of my new favourite book couples!
The novel focused on a lot of issues from school, new friends, fitting in and first love to deeper and darker ones such as epilepsy, faith, family and lack of family, and more. Sheena has obvious talent as the manner in which she dealt with each issue raised in the book was flawless and read as being so real. I really enjoyed reading about Luke's epilepsy as it is a condition I know very little about. The diverse themes and steady pacing of the plot kept me gripped until the very end.
I did not expect to enjoy this novel half as much as I did. It has exceeded all of my expectations and definitely made it's way onto my all time favourites list. The Irish setting was great to read and Sheena's writing style, use of diverse themes and amazing characters all entertained me until the very end.
I can not recommend this book enough. Please go read it, you won't regret it.
June 21, 2015
Read the full review at Daisy Chain Book Reviews: http://daisychainbookreviews.blogspot...
From the author of the award-winning Grounded and Taking Flight comes another hard-hitting novel about struggles, choices and self-acceptance — this time with a romantic twist. This is the closest to mainstream contemporary YA I’ve seen from an Irish author in years (excluding the glorious Vendetta by Catherine Doyle, though that's part forbidden romance, part Mafia murder saga likely to give even The Godfather a run for its money) and it’s definitely a trend I’d like to see more of.
Still Falling tells the story of Luke and Esther, two ordinary teenagers who can’t help but fall for each other – but while many love stories take the ‘us against the world’ angle, this is a book which shows that Luke and Esther may just be their own worst enemy, particularly when it comes the secrets they’re trying to keep. This book is John Green meets Jenny Downham: potentially cheesy and overdone, but chilling and dramatic instead.
That said, I did have a few issues with the book. I wasn’t enamoured by the story to start with, as the characters don’t immediately jump off the page. Well-read fans of US and UKYA may find it difficult to look past the difference in quality between books like this and other more polished titles on the shelf; with standards skyrocketing, it’s easy to lose interest in a narrative which lacks the polish and shine found in books by Stephanie Perkins and Katie McGarry. For more reluctant readers who need their own world more directly reflected in a book, however, Still Falling will certainly appeal — and throw in some surprises to boot.
From the author of the award-winning Grounded and Taking Flight comes another hard-hitting novel about struggles, choices and self-acceptance — this time with a romantic twist. This is the closest to mainstream contemporary YA I’ve seen from an Irish author in years (excluding the glorious Vendetta by Catherine Doyle, though that's part forbidden romance, part Mafia murder saga likely to give even The Godfather a run for its money) and it’s definitely a trend I’d like to see more of.
Still Falling tells the story of Luke and Esther, two ordinary teenagers who can’t help but fall for each other – but while many love stories take the ‘us against the world’ angle, this is a book which shows that Luke and Esther may just be their own worst enemy, particularly when it comes the secrets they’re trying to keep. This book is John Green meets Jenny Downham: potentially cheesy and overdone, but chilling and dramatic instead.
That said, I did have a few issues with the book. I wasn’t enamoured by the story to start with, as the characters don’t immediately jump off the page. Well-read fans of US and UKYA may find it difficult to look past the difference in quality between books like this and other more polished titles on the shelf; with standards skyrocketing, it’s easy to lose interest in a narrative which lacks the polish and shine found in books by Stephanie Perkins and Katie McGarry. For more reluctant readers who need their own world more directly reflected in a book, however, Still Falling will certainly appeal — and throw in some surprises to boot.
April 2, 2022
Book Review 📚
Title: Still Falling
Author: Sheena Wilkinson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
A story about the struggle it can be to love someone who doesn’t love themselves - and why it’s worth it.
This is an amazing YA read, I bought the book about 5 years ago hihi but i was not able to pick it up for so long until now and I’m happy that I just did. The story revolves around two teenagers (Luke and Ester) and their struggle to fit in class and finding themselves. This book is well -written and had a steady pacing, I love how the author was able to handle hard issues like foster-care, disability, bullying, sexual awakening, low self-esteem and suicide but all were handled in a realistic and sensitive way. The characters are also likeable in their own special ways and I was able to connect with them.
Overall, this is an amazingly written book and I highly recommend it to readers who like YA Contemporary (preferably young adults) that will crush you hearts.
So, How do you really love someone who doesn’t even love him/herself?!
Title: Still Falling
Author: Sheena Wilkinson
Genre: YA Contemporary
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5
A story about the struggle it can be to love someone who doesn’t love themselves - and why it’s worth it.
This is an amazing YA read, I bought the book about 5 years ago hihi but i was not able to pick it up for so long until now and I’m happy that I just did. The story revolves around two teenagers (Luke and Ester) and their struggle to fit in class and finding themselves. This book is well -written and had a steady pacing, I love how the author was able to handle hard issues like foster-care, disability, bullying, sexual awakening, low self-esteem and suicide but all were handled in a realistic and sensitive way. The characters are also likeable in their own special ways and I was able to connect with them.
Overall, this is an amazingly written book and I highly recommend it to readers who like YA Contemporary (preferably young adults) that will crush you hearts.
So, How do you really love someone who doesn’t even love him/herself?!
December 4, 2015
Well-written and steady pacing, and the dual narrators played off each other well and kept me reading. I wasn't thrilled at how the rape accusation was resolved, or at how Esther's go-to weapon against her Queen Bee Bitchy Frenemy is to throw in her face, "WHAT A DRUNKEN DISGRACE YOU WERE AT SUCH AND SUCH PARTY!" And she's supposed to be the nice, relatable every-girl?
October 24, 2020
I read this book a few years ago and I really enjoyed it. I’m thinking of getting a copy of my own and reread this. At that time when I read this book, it became my favorite book; however, now it’s one of my favorite book.
August 17, 2021
do i even remember something? no
February 20, 2015
It was really interesting and enjoyable but I had issues with the writing.
June 12, 2017
Tipisks pusaudžu romāns #BJVzurija2017
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews