I was dithering in front of the YA section the other day when an intense young man of about 15 rushed up to me, grabbed this book off the shelf and pressed it into my hands, saying that it was a great read, and I should try it. Who could resist that? Certainly not me, and he was right. This is a realistic and gripping story of drugs, a brother, a bystander, and a family. ( )

Reviewed by Jennifer Rummel for TeensReadToo.com

Matt has a huge secret that causes all kinds of problems in his life.

Once the star basketball player in a small city that lives for sports, he now refuses to go out for the team. Instead, he keeps to himself and creates a barrier between himself and the rest of the world. He avoids going home after school so he won't have to deal with his older brother and his "friends."

Neal used to be the basketball star, but now he spends his days locked in his room doing drugs. Matt aimlessly walks around town after school until his clueless parents come home.

No one asks Matt to explain, until he meets a girl online. Katie goes to his school and has a passion for asking questions. Katie's hit upon something in Matt.

Soon the two of them are hanging out after school. Katie's friends balk at the idea of them as a couple. No one knows the reason behind Matt's changes, so they all assume that he's in trouble. Now Katie's asking questions, and it's only a matter of time until the truth tumbles out.

FALLING asks the question of how far would you go to protect someone you love? There also comes a time when everyone must make the decision at least once in their life: yes or no to drugs? Katie and Matt wrestle realistically with this issue throughout the book. ( )

Falling is my all-time favorite book. Though I may seem like I can relate more since I live in Vermont like Katie and Matt, the two main characters, everyone can fall in loe with this book. You'll fall in love with Katie and Matt immediately, you'll be on the edge of your seat when Matt finds out it's Katie in the chatroom, you'll be angry with Matt's brother's friend when he gets home, you'll want to yell "NO!" to Katie when she is with Matt's brother at the end, and if you're liek me, you'll cry whenever Katie and Matt get into a fight and it wil be difficult to see through your tears when MAtt finally "saves" Katie. Falling is just one of those books that it is absolutely impossible to not love. I HIGHLY recommend it to anybody who like a love story with a realistic spin. Falling not only tells a great story, but points out some recurring issues in Vermont. ( )

Excellent character development and setting. Started very promising but devolved into melodrama at the end. Still, would have great teen appeal. ( )

Matt was expected to continue his domination as the best round ball player entering the ninth grade in his small Vermont town, but Matt doesn't play anymore. Matt walks...everyday, listening to his personal soundtrack on his iPod. He meets fellow classmate, Katie, in a spiritually chatroom and his world starts to come alive and maybe Matt will share the secrets cause him to endessly walk away from the things that are important to him. ( )