Conflicted
I write this review feeling conflicted. I loved the characters and the plot, however, sometimes it was a bit too unrealistic for me. I am a practical person and couldn't get my mind around some of the events that took place. I was spellbound by the book and couldn't put it down. I kept hoping good things for Pen.
Rated of 5
by Kristin P. (Elburn, IL)
The Journey - Not the destination
This book was a fast read that kept the reader's attention as it explored the friendship between a group of 3 people. For readers who are more interested in going on a journey than in the concrete destination at the end of the story this book is for you. I would definitely recommend this as a book club selection because I think this book has a lot to offer for lively discussions (exploring friendships, falling out of relationships, reuniting and the factors influencing the choices people make). While I think this is a great book for a book club selection because of the discussions that can be had around the book, i would not choose this book to read on a vacation or a weekend afternoon. I did not particularly like and was unable to relate to any of the main characters. If you are a reader who enjoys strong female characters, you maybe disappointed in the female characters in this book.
Rated of 5
by Kristine L. (The Woodlands, TX)
Falling Together
I had a difficult time competing this book once I hit the mid-point of the book. I felt as though the author was keeping a secret that did not need to be kept so tightly. I rarely read this genre but the author's bio intrigued me. It was a good reflection on college friends and bonding but lost me a little in the end.
Rated of 5
by Vicki O. (Boston, MA)
Disappointing
I was looking forward to reading this book, but I was disappointed. The story revolves around a somewhat unconventional reunion of three characters, all of whom left me cold. I found the plot hard to follow as bounced back and forth between the present and the past. The writing, particularly the dialogue, flowed easily and was quite polished. That was what kept me reading.
Rated of 5
by Bill B. (Irvine, CA)
Falling Together misses expectations
In the interest of full disclosure, I am a big fan of Marissa de los Santos. Loved her first two books. Think she is right up there with Sue Monk Kidd in the use of the English language par excellance. That is why it really pains me to say that I didn't think Falling Together was as good as her first two books. I guess I could be more positive and say that this book is in de los Santos' top three but I also think there is a big fall off in the quality of Falling Together.
It is a slow starter. I opened the book expecting to find the author's excellent descriptions and prose that I remembered and it wasn't there. In all aspects it was a step below her earlier efforts. The first few chapters seemed superficial, choppy, and disjointed. It took a few chapters and some great dialog before I felt any kind of rapport or empathy with the characters, primarily Pen and Will. I didn't care about any of them at first and thought if they had been apart for 6 years with no contact, they might as well stay that way. But that would have made for a very short story and perseverance paid off. I eventually liked the main characters and their story.
Even with my negativity, I still recommend this book. Most people are going to like it. I liked it. I just had exceedingly high expectations that were not met. And the good news is if this is your first book by this author and you enjoyed reading it, you are really going to like her first two.
Rated of 5
by Shirin M. (Beverly Hills, CA)
A light read
The story has all the elements of a chick lit novel for the 30 something group. A tightly knit group of three college friends grows apart on graduation and returns to try and reconnect at their tenth anniversary reunion. An ordinary reunion turns out to be anything but that. The surprise twists and turns to the plot give the story some depth and does touch on the complexity of relationships, choices made, and an individual’s search for acceptance. The characters are two dimensional and the dialogue light, making it a fast and easy read.
Rated of 5
by Linda S. (Oceanside, NY)
I Wanted to Fall in Love With this book but...
I loved Maris de los Santos’ first two books, Love Walked In and Belong to Me, so I was looking forward to her newest novel. While enjoyable it did not live up to my expectations.
Cat, Pen and Will met in college and became fast friends, doing everything together, virtually to the exclusion of everyone else. When Cat leaves the trio to get married it causes a rift in the relationship. Six years have gone by when an e-mail from Cat to both Will and Pen arrives; Cat is asking for help and a meeting at their ten year reunion. When Cat doesn’t show up it sets in motion a series of events that lead to an exploration of the meaning of love, friendship and growing up.
As usual the book is well written and the dialogue and bantering between friends is entertaining, but herein lies a problem. It just seemed improbable that after a rift of six years everyone was able to pick up almost right where they left off. Many changes had occurred in their lives but it was hard to distinguish the youthful students from their adult counterparts. I also found it hard to believe that both Will and Cat would drop everything in their lives in an effort to find Cat, it just didn’t seem realistic. I did enjoy the book, but it was more along the lines of like and not quite love.
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of 5
by Sarah N. (Corte Madera, CA)
of 5
by Kristine L. (The Woodlands, TX)
