Falling

by Jane Green

"The New York Times bestselling author of The Beach House, Jemima J, and Summer Secrets presents a novel about the pleasure and meaning of finding a home--and family--where you least expect them... 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

"Eight years ago, Emma Montague left behind the strict confines--and rather dull boyfriend--of her upper-crust English life and moved to New York City, where she immediately found success in finance. But her soulless, cutthroat, all-consuming job was another life she didn't want. Answering an ad on Craigslist, Emma finds a tiny beach cottage in the small town of Westport, Connecticut. It needs work--lots of work. But it's the perfect project to satisfy Emma's passion for interior design and gardening, if her new landlord, Dominic, is agreeable to the small changes she yearns to make. To Emma, Dominic himself is somewhat of a fixer-upper. A local handyman with a six-year-old son, he's a world away from the men she should be interested in, but he's comfortable in his own skin, confident, quiet, and kind. And slowly, over a shared garden, time spent with his son, and late-night conversations, Emma finds herself falling for Dominic... From friends to lovers happens as naturally as the changing seasons. But setting down roots doesn't come easily when two lives as different as their own merge into one. And Emma will realize that the seeds of happiness must be nurtured and cherished to grow into something strong enough to shelter all their hopes and dreams.."--

• ISBN10: 0399583289
• ISBN13: 9780399583285
• Publish Date: 19 July 2016 (first published 14 July 2016)
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Imprint: Berkley Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[mrs_mander_reads]

I don't think I've ever been more angry about a book.

[Leah]

I have just finished Jane Green’s latest book Falling, and I’m baffled and confused. Why? Well, I can’t actually tell you that because SPOILER ALERT. But suffice to say, a book that I was actually really, really enjoying, actually kind of lost me. And for those who say, “Surely the ending of a book can’t ruin a book for you,” have clearly never read a book before. Anything can ruin a book, and in this case, the ending made me want to hurl it against a wall with as much force as I could muster. I very much encourage you to go and read it and then come back and discuss it with me, please.

What I really liked about Falling, until that ending, was the fact that it is, quite simply, a love story. These days, authors don’t write just simple, easy-going, hard-to-believe-it’s-really-happening love stories. There’s always got to be tension or fights or an inconvenient ex who shows up at just the wrong time, and so I expected Falling to have none of those things, although sadly, it does get a check mark against the inconvenient ex, along with annoying, irritating parents, who really should keep their mouths shut. But, taking out all of the noise around them, Emma and Dominic were so cute. From their first meeting, there was just something special there and to just see it evolve and grow from there was pretty amazing. It was sweet, and lovely, and it just seemed like the most perfect romance in the history of romances (which was, perhaps, my first clue all probably wasn’t going to end well, but that pesky tag line had me pretty much gloating about the fact it was inevitably going to end well).

Emma and Dominic were a pleasure to get to know, although Jesse, Dominic’s son, kind of stole the book. He was amazing, he was so sweet (and I kinda thought his tantrums over Emma/Dominic were completely out of character) and again, like I said, it was all just so freaking easy. Clearly it was too easy, and Jane Green needed a way to shock her readers from their bubble of happiness, and so that ending. It’s the kind of thing you don’t forget in a hurry, so when Jane Green brings out her next book, I will very much pause before I even think of picking it up and reading it because with the greatest of respect to Jane, I actually feel cheated. I invested my time in the book, I loved the characters, the setting, Hobbes the kitten, and I’ve finished the book feeling like I’ve been slapped in the fact and had vodka slung onto my wounds. It’s genuinely amazing how just a few pages of a book can change your mind about the whole thing, but here it is. I went from loving this book, soaking it up, to feeling like I’d been cheated. Oh, Jane, why did you do it?