REVIEW: Falling Fast by Sophie McKenzie

Name:  Falling Fast

Author:  Sophie McKenzie

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Date published: 1st March 2012

Pages: 247

Source: Gifted

Rating: 4 stars

When River auditions for a part in an inter-school performance of Romeo and Juliet, she finds herself falling for Flynn, the boy playing Romeo. 

River believes in romantic love, and she can’t wait to experience it.  But does Flynn see things the same way?

The path of true love never did run smooth…

  Being a fan of Sophie McKenzie, I was eager to read the first book in her new series.  She writes wonderful books under any genre and I loved her Luke and Eve series so I had high expectations for Falling Fast. 

  The storyline was pretty simple and predictable but I loved the backdrop of the Romeo and Juliet play because it established the love theme of the book.  However I was worried that this would mean the book would be all lovey-dovey and cringey.  As the book went on, thankfully I didn’t need to worry. 

  Falling Fast is narrated by River, a sixteen-year-old girl who is desperate to find a boy who she really loves and loves her in return.  When she auditions for a part in a play at the boy’s school, she falls for Flynn, who plays Romeo.  Desperate to play Juliet, she is distraught when her best friend Emmi gets the role instead.  As she gets to know Flynn, she tries in vain to get through to him but he keeps shutting her out.  Is he the perfect Romeo for her after all?

  I must admit that I didn’t really like River.  She wasn’t an easy character I could warm to, mainly because of her irritating personality.  I was quite incredulous when she obsessed over how she wanted to find ‘true’ love.  Her initial naivety made me curious about her and I really wanted to warm to her but then her innocence turned to a whiny, immature personality that sort of got on my nerves.  She let Flynn walk all over her and every time she confronted him, she ended up in tears, apologising and begging him.  Fortunately by the end, she was braver and stronger which makes me want to read the next book in the series when it does come out to see if she has changed for good.

  Flynn.  What can I say about him?  I thought he would be a sweet character but he turned out to be the opposite.  But I liked his mysteriousness and secretive personality which added an interesting element to the book.  He didn’t open up much to River and was always angry and moody, so I was REALLY frustrated with him.  Once I found out more about him and the frugal life he led, I pitied him and forgave him for his horrid temper.  In ways, he made River more mature and showed her the harsh reality of the world outside of her sheltered life so he wasn’t all that bad.  By the end, like River, he seemed to change in personality and his anger melted away.  This makes me want to read on in the series as well because if they both have new personalities, the book will be much better!

  I’m afraid it didn’t live up to the Luke and Eve series for me but you should still give it a go!  As I’ve already pointed out above (several times!) I am eager to read the next book as the characters get quite interesting by the end of this one…  I think that the idea behind the book was great but it was just presented in too much of a fluffy, light-headed way if that makes sense.  However, I did enjoy it and didn’t give up on it so my only dislikes about it were the characters’ personalities. 

  Overall Falling Fast is a fun, light read and a good start to Sophie McKenzie’s new series.

REVIEW: Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie

Sister, Missing by Sophie McKenzie begins two years after the events of Girl, Missing.

After the death of a family member, Lauren's birth mother takes Lauren and her sisters, Shelby and Madison, on holiday so that they can spend more time together.  But something terrible happens: one of her sisters goes missing and it all seems startling similar to when Lauren was taken years before.  Can Lauren save her sister before it's too late?

When I started Sister, Missing I had slight reservations.  I loved reading Girl, Missing and thought it was perfect as a stand-alone book. I was still eager to read the sequel but I did wonder if it would live up to the first book.  But as soon as I picked up the book and read the first few pages, I was engrossed and could not put it down. It seemed like I was in the adventure and action along with the characters. It is very fast-paced and action-packed, it doesn't slow down!  I honestly cannot find a page where there is no action. The storyline twists and turns where you least expect it and is a rollercoaster of thrilling writing. At times, when the book slows down, for example the conversation between Lauren and Shelby, a poignant profound atmosphere is created and works nicely as the two sisters come to terms about their dislike for each other. The ending is something I didn't expect and I did wonder why Sophie McKenzie decided to end it like that but once I left the book for a few days, I understood why she did.

Sophie McKenzie is successful in creating believable characters. Although the book revolves around saving the missing sister, it continues subtly the theme of identity and Who Am I? that appeared in Girl, Missing. It charts the development of Lauren as the main character and how she matures as time goes on. She begins to realise that she herself is not perfect and that no one is and she confronts this strongly.  All the characters are thoroughly likeable. I fell in love with Jam who continues to love and support his girlfriend, and the innocence of Madison was portrayed perfectly.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Sister, Missing and won't hesitate to read any other books written by Sophie McKenzie.  5/5!!!!

Thank you Luisa at Chicklish for giving me this book to read and review!