The Upside of Falling Down by Rebekah Crane Review – Updated 2019
Another great little sweet romance story by Rebekah Crane, “The Upside of Falling Down.” It’s a story filled with ideas about new beginnings and the changes and possibilities that are brought with them.
This one centers around a plane crash survivor named Clementine who has amnesia. She can’t remember a thing. She’s been told that she’s from Ohio in the USA, but here she lays in a hospital bed in Ireland.
In the midst of all this confusion she has the press pestering her.
Soon she hears that her father is coming all the way from America to pick her up.
But will she even remember him? Is it really her father? And what is all going on?
So, rather than wait it out, she decides to escape from the hospital with the help of a stranger.
A gorgeous Irish stranger with blue eyes named Keiran. But a stranger none the less.
Maybe not the best move, but it solidifies in the reader’s mind the amount of confusion she’s feeling.
As she hides out in an idyllic town her past starts to become clearer. And she’s torn whether or not she should reveal who she is to Kieran.
The Upside of Falling Down Target Audience and Style
But if their love isn’t based on truth, will it last?
Ah the age old question often wrestled about in different romance novels.
It’s a nice little romance story and is a great light read.
That being said, it’s probably geared towards more of a teenage crowd than an adult crowd.
But you probably could’ve guessed this by the graphical style of the cover 🙂
With all that said, Rebekah has a deft way of intertwining serious issues in with a certain lightness or quirkiness that takes the edge off a little.
If you love sweet romance novels like this one, be sure to check out Virginia Hodgson’s books here.
Other Rebekah Crane Books
The Odds of Loving Grover Clevland – This is a cute little summer camp romance novel. Zander’s parents have seemingly sent her to camp crazy. Almost everyone here seems to have some sort of disorder. It’s a camp for teens at risk.
The Infinite Pieces of Us – Esther loves math. Actually she is totally obsessed by it. But when her dad drags her and the family to the far reaches of Mexico to hide Esther’s secret past, it sets off a hilarious combination of events intertwined with a sweet romance. This one’s geared more towards teens as well.
Postcards for a Songbird – Wren seems to lose everybody who is close to her. Or maybe it’s her that pushes others away. But even with her feelings of abandonment from having been left by her mom, best friend and sister, she keeps going. And then she finds Wilder who can’t leave the house. Finally – someone who can’t get away! This book tackles some big issues but keeps things light.
Teen Romance Books & Light Romance Book Reading
Now, as I mentioned, this is a light little summer read so there are bound to be a few little holes in the story.
Some people complain about them but I would argue that you have to understand and be aware of the type of story this is trying to be.
It isn’t trying to be anything other than an upbeat, simple contemporary romance story.
In the story, Clementine’s picture doesn’t show up in the news as being the only survivor of a plane crash. But does that REALLY detract from the story?
Sure, it makes it a little less believable on the whole.
But it serves it’s purpose of letting her escape the hospital and keeping her real identity a secret from Kieran.
So it works as far as the story needs it to.
Some reviewers go on to say the the characters are too sweet. Sickly sweet even. And that this also makes the story a little less credible.
These people seem to feel that most strangers – while helpful – are not quite as frenziedly generous as the story makes them out to be.
Point taken, but again this is just a light read and I think it needs to be evaluated as such.
To expect the story to have no holes at all is a bit much given the story style of the author and the age group (teens primarily) that it’s made for.
I think it’s made for a certain target audience and that it does a fantastic job of catering to what they are looking for.
And beyond that – who doesn’t like a nice light read now and then?
Light Romance Reading Alternatives
For me, I love Virginia Hodgson’s work and it’s pretty light as well. Now, she does dabble a little more into the romantic side of things and has a bit more of an edge but she’s certainly on the light read side of things as well. And if you sign up for her email list, you can get a couple of her books for free to see if you like them!
Rebekah Crane is a master when it comes to witty, quirky banter. In addition to that the slightly off kilter story lines serve to keep you engaged and entertained. Her books always contain just the right amount of humor. Which is nice as she sometimes touches on what could be pretty heavy subject matter.
And while some people were critical of the book saying it’s a little simplistic, Rebekah will occasionally thread in an interesting thought like the following quote:
“The memories mean nothing to me if I can’t recall them. Except for the small fact that… they mean everything. No matter what people want to believe, life is locked in the past. It’s all we are — a timeline of events that make up a person.”
I, for one, think little comments like this adds a little depth to the story.
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