Summary
It’s been a week since I kissed Rae after the State Championship game. And we haven’t said a word about it.
Tonight is the first big party of the summer, and I’m going to steal her away, kiss the hell out of her, make her mine.
At least that’s the plan. Until everything comes crashing down.
What happens at the party changes everything for both of us.
Now I’m broken physically, and Rae is broken emotionally. She’s hiding behind fake smiles and the walls she’s so good at putting up—walls I’m determined to tear down. But she makes it clear that won’t be easy.
After a summer from hell, the school year begins with everything up in the air. When we’re forced to face our feelings for each other, will we finally give in? Is she ready for this? Can we find our way to each other after everything that’s happened? Or will we fall apart before we even get started?Will Rae and Aaron finally cross the line and become the something more they’ve always had the possibility to be? Find out in the second book of their love story.
Falling Like This is the second book in a mature YA/new adult drama series featuring teens in realistic and complicated situations. Recommended for readers aged 16+
Review
All we need is each other.
Aaron and Rae are each other’s person. Being someone’s soulmate doesn’t always mean it romantically. You can be someone’s platonic soulmate. They are drawn to each other.
As I was reading, I was questioning whether or not they should even be together romantically. Aaron and Rae kept hurting each other, whether intentional or not. Miscommunication seems to be a problem for them. For them being each other’s person, there were moments when it seemed like they shouldn’t be. Because when it comes down to it, when they needed each other, neither of them was there for the other. I’m not sure if Aaron and Rae work together in any capacity. They were both going through something and didn’t confide in each other. I think that happens when the lines of friendship blur with romance. Aaron put Rae above himself, yet Rae put herself above everyone else. How would that even work out? There were always obstacles thrown at Aaron and Rae’s relationship as if the universe was telling them it wouldn’t work out. But take this with a grain of salt because that’s my opinion.
While reading Friends Like This, I was uncertain how I felt about Rae. By Falling Like This, I realized that I hated her for most of it. It eventually went to dislike towards the end, but it took a while. Even though Rae wasn’t my favorite, I think I probably would’ve done the same thing for many of the choices she made, even if I was frustrated while she was doing it. It might be because I can see myself in her. Many of her actions were childish, but she is a teenager in high school, so it is understandable even if I didn’t like them. At least Rae knew she was acting like a child. She had self-realization after the fact. I went from liking Aaron to slowly disliking him. I hated how Rae acted, and it’s weird that Aaron views it as sassy when it seems more bratty than anything else.
All of the other friendships, on the other hand, I loved. Like in Friends Like This, I think I preferred the friendships over the romantic relationships. Even though the romantic relationships were messy and complicated, the friendships and familial bonds were strong. All they need is each other, and that’s enough.
Please check trigger warnings. There may be uncomfortable scenes. Falling Like This was emotional. I cried more than I thought I would. It may seem like I didn’t like Falling Like This, but that’s far from the truth. I enjoyed reading it. If a book makes you feel negatively or positively, it has done its job because a book should make you feel. I can’t wait for Broken Like This.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
