Mindi Scott

Beautiful. Absolutely and utterly beautiful. This book made my heart sing! It isn't often I stumble upon a book that deals with such a serious concept, and yet come away feeling light and airy once I've completed it. I fell in love with Freefall from the first few pages. It is a book that I know will stay in my heart for a very long time.

I need to profess my adoration with Seth right off the bat. He was a character that I felt I could rally behind, and that allowed me to love the book so show more much more. Coming from an underprivileged family, working while going to school, dealing with the death of his best friend, and yet through it all still doing his absolute best to lead the best kind of life he knows how. Seth is a true hero in my eyes. The fact that he chose to stay sober in the face of so much suffering and peer pressure really made me proud of his character. He was portrayed as such a sympathetic, kind, and loving person. Trust me, it's hard not to feel strong emotions towards him as you read.

The chemistry between Seth and Rosetta also resonated strongly with me. Although Rosetta was from the "other side of the tracks" so to speak, she gave Seth a chance and saw him for what he really was. I liked that their relationship moved at a slower pace, allowing them time to get to know one another and understand one another. When it came to the point where they needed one another for support, I found myself tearing up more than once. Don't we all look for that one person we can rely on in tough times? The person who will support and love us no matter what? Seth and Rosetta had that, and I appreciated it so very much.

Mindi Scott uses Freefall to tell a story that is riddled with angst, guilt and ultimately the trek towards redemption and healing. It is the type of book that will have you both tearing up and smiling happily. The type of book that makes you feel introspective. Freefall is such a gorgeously written and touching book, that I eagerly await the release date so that I can buy a copy for my very own. Amazing debut Mindi Scott. Amazing! show less

Rating: 4.5/5

I should know by now that, whenever when I'm delaying reading a certain book, said book is a frigging perfection and must be read right away...

It has all the elements I like in my books: music, dark humor, a wacky Communication class and teacher who likes to be called Mrs. Dalloway, a sarcastic flawed broken hero, a sweet nerdy heroine, lots of kissing and a swoon-worthy, butterflies-invading-your-stomach romance. What more can a girl ask for??

I’ve been looking forward to this book since I first saw the cover and the blurb. The cover is so intense and striking – I absolutely love it, and combined with the summary, I expected this this book to be pretty intense. It wasn’t really as intense as I expected, but certainly just as good as I anticipated.

Freefall is not only a great debut, but it’s also told from the male perspective, which is pretty rare in the young adult group. I can imagine that it’s not easy to write from show more the mail point of a view as a girl, but I think Mindi Scott . But I thought the voice was really well done. Seth’s inner narration is basically how I imagine most guys to think. Her writing flowed very well and I liked how there were time stamps and dates as a way to split up the text rather than the usual “chapter 1, chapter 2, etc”, and that despite the time stamps, it wasn’t in journal form. I thought thought that was very cool.

I love stories that take place in small towns rather than big cities such as New York City. I come from a small-ish town, so the setting is much easier for me to relate to. I really liked the characters in this book – Seth is a really down-to-earth guy and he isn’t perfect, by any means. Neither is Rosetta, which I think is what makes her so real. She’s been through a lot of things that I can’t really relate to, but because she’s not perfect, I can still relate to her. I adored Kendall. She’s probably my favourite character. She messed up a bit, but really, so did everyone in this book.

I enjoyed the story of Freefall. It was depressing and upsetting, but it wasn’t a rip-your-heart-out intense kind of book like I was expecting, and I’m glad for it. I think that, because it was told from the perspective of a guy, if the story was over-the-top angsty, then it would have killed the realness factor for me, just because most guys I know aren’t overly emotional. The story was less about the death of Isaac and more about life after. The ending was great, too. It left me hanging in a way that I wanted to know what happened after, but also in a way that I felt like everything was resolved at the same time.

Like I said, a great debut, and I can’t wait to read more from Mindi Scott. If you haven’t checked this book out, please do! Freefall is also part of the Contemps challenge, if you’re participating in that :) show less

Ashlyn Montiel dies in a freak biking accident at the age of 16. The Way Back to You is told in alternating chapters by Cloudy (Ashlyn's best friend) and Kyle (Ashlyn's boyfriend). Six months after Ashlyn's death, Cloudy secretly prints off emails that Ashlyn's parent's received from the people who received Ashlyn's donated organs. She decides to take Kyle on a road trip across the southwest and "meet" the donor recipients in hopes of gaining one last "glimpse" of Ashlyn. Cloudy and Kyle show more have been estranged for some time due to Cloudy's secret crush on her friend's boyfriend. Cloudy loved Ashlyn deeply and never wanted anything to come between them. Now that they are on a week long road trip with each other, both Kyle and Cloudy's true feelings toward each other are slowly revealed. With the edition of a side trip to find Kyle's mother, who walked out on him and his father 7 years ago, this trip devolves into an emotional roller coaster and an awakening.

The Way Back to You is well written and immediately draws the reader into the story. After every leg of the trip the author includes one of the letters from the organ recipients. Cloudy and Kyle are both complex, yet likable characters and the story has a solid conclusion. I would compare this title to The Land of 10,000 Madonnas by Kate Hattemer, but don't waste your time with that one. Just read The Way Back to You instead.

Recommended for teens who enjoy realistic fiction. show less