This month’s book club book was chosen by my sister, Jess! We were both pretty big fans of Anna Todd’s After series, so I was looking forward to this next read. Here’s what the synopsis has to say about the book. Be sure to read on to see what I thought!

The Falling Book Review / Summary

Twenty-year-old Karina is proud of the independent life she has created for herself in Fort Benning, Georgia. And like anyone who has grown up around an army base, Karina knows the background noise that follows men and women home from war.

When she meets Kael, a handsome soldier on the cusp of discharge, she’s immediately intrigued by his brooding presence and enigmatic silence. As their unexpected friendship turns into something more, Karina tries to piece together Kael’s story: he is emotionally closed off, recovering from wounds and other trauma in the aftermath of two deployments in Afghanistan.

Karina considers herself a fixer of broken things and has a strong desire to help Kael heal. She has an equally strong desire to trust him even though it challenges her many insecurities and anxieties. But trust is fragile, and when it is broken, Karina and Kael find their relationship at an impossible crossroads.

My thoughts on The Falling 

Overall, I was disappointed in this book. I figured the characters were likely to follow the toxicity thread that I found Harden from After fell into. However, unlike After, I couldn’t really get into these characters as much. Their flaws did not turn into something that made me want to read more. I’m unsure if it’s just because I’m at a different stage in my life, so it was a little harder to endure through the text.

Karina, being the main character, I found her flaws to be very annoying. It did not make her more endearing to me. I wanted to smack some sense into her half the time! Doing some soul-searching, I wonder if its because she reminds me of issues I used to face in terms of always trying to fix people and taking responsibility for others when its not your weight to bear. Having done some inner work myself, maybe this is why it was so intolerable and annoying to read.

Kael’s mystery and drama with the military history and background was fairly interesting to me, especially having my own ties to the military. I would be curious to read further books to learn more about his story and why he is the way he is, but I’m not sure I can handle the idea of reading from Karina’s perspective!

Overall, it was a fairly easy read, but not one I would pick up again.

Favourite Quotes from The Falling by Anna Todd

“For about the fourth time today, I can feel the panic bubbling just below my chest and it dawns on me that every time I imagine our reunion, I see him the way I did the very first time I laid eyes on him.”

― Anna Todd, The Brightest Stars

The Falling Book Club Questions

1. How does Karina’s mother’s story shape her growth and identity?
2. How is Karina’s life shaped by her tendency to assume responsibility for things outside her control?
3. Do you think Kael is emotionally unavailable? How do you think this impacts his relationship with Karina?

Other books in this series

Other books by Anna Todd

Similar books to The Falling

If you enjoyed The Falling by Anna Todd, you might like the following books that have similar themes of romance, emotional intensity, and complex characters:

Final Thoughts on The Falling by Anna Todd

If you’re into easy reads, this book falls into that category. It leaves much to be desired but has enough intrigue about why Kael is the way he is that you want to read the next book in the series to find out. If I’m looking for something to read and can’t find anything else, I might be convinced to pick up the second book. Overall, with the excitement I felt about reading a book by the author who wrote After, this book leaves me with the feeling of disappointment.