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Book Summary and Reviews of Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor

Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivenor

Girl Falling

A Novel

by Hayley Scrivenor

  • Readers' Rating:
  • Publishes:
  • Mar 11, 2025, 272 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

The USA Today bestselling, Lambda Award–winning author of Dirt Creek is back with a woman's story of the aftermath of the climbing incident that killed her girlfriend―and getting to the truth.

Torn between her girlfriend, Magdu, and her best friend, Daphne, Finn is looking forward to a day of rock climbing and bonding for the three women on the soaring cliffs near their Australian town. But nothing goes as she planned, and in a horrific accident, Magdu falls to her death.

Rocked by grief, Finn tries to pinpoint where it all went wrong. Did Magdu die because of Finn's friendship with overbearing Daphne, who has never wanted Finn to change or leave her? Can Finn trace it all the way back to the tragic childhood loss of her sister? What about Magdu's family, who would never have accepted their relationship?

When the police suspect foul play in Magdu's death, Finn begins to search for the shocking truth about her relationships and what has been in front of her all along. Beautifully written by the #1 internationally bestselling, Lammy Award–winning Hayley Scrivenor, Girl Falling is a beautiful love story, a tender meditation on grief, and a searing tale of just how much our lies can cost us.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

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This information about Girl Falling was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Lynn H. (Clive, IA)

Girl Falling by Hayley Scrivener
This is a fascinating book that explores themes such as friendship, trauma and its aftermath, and the complexities of growing up.

Girl Falling centers on Finn and her best friend, Daphne, who have grown up together in the Blue Mountains of Australia. Bonded by the shared tragedy of losing younger sisters to suicide, their friendship is both deep and sometimes too close. Now in their twenties, their lives are beginning to diverge - Daphne is at university, while Finn remains in their hometown, working and rock climbing.

The book delves into the dynamics of their relationship, especially as it becomes entangled with Finn's girlfriend, Magda. An inciting incident, a climbing accident, leaves Finn to deal with profound grief and unanswered questions.

The portrayal of the Blue Mountains captures the region's natural beauty contrasting it against the dark undertones of the story. The exploration of memory, truth and human connections is thought-provoking in this captivating story.

Elizabeth D. (Apple Valley, MN)

Successful Second Outing
I really enjoyed Hayley Scrivenor's first book, Dirt Creek (in the US), so was thrilled to read an advance copy of her next book. It did not disappoint.

It's been several weeks since I finished the book, but I still find myself thinking about the characters and themes of this book. How much do people change? Who are you/are you truly yourself if you're masking major parts of yourself from the people you love? What motivates people to stay involved in toxic friendships? How do you balance friendship and love when you want to devote time and care to both? Can you ever escape by believing the stories you tell yourself? So much to think about in this book. I think it will make a great book club choice.

I feel the book has both good character development and a plot that moves along at a good pace. As in her prior book, she does an excellent job of describing the setting.

My only nit with the book is that I feel some plot points were left a bit ambiguous at the end, but I know that doesn't bother some people.

I would suggest this book for people who would like a literary lite thriller, who is interested in thinking beyond the action.

Debbie C. (Sun Lakes, AZ)

Mystery and discovery
I really enjoyed this book. The plot kept you interested and intrigued. It also helps a person understand manipulation and how someone can be sucked in when they provide the opportunity. A very good description of a type of mental illness. I recommend this book.

Terrie J. (Eagan, MN)

A book full of feelings
I really liked this book. A tragedy brings out many different feelings on so many levels…friends, parents, relatives and the police. Friendship is tested and there is an undertone of friendship vs love. I feel that women would enjoy this book because women are the key characters. I also think women can relate to the roller coaster of emotions. This book is well written and introduces new plots throughout the book. I highly recommend this book.

Barbara H. (Thomasville, GA)

Friendship to the end....
Another amazing Australian author!! This is a powerful novel about friendship, all its nuances and its power to destroy another. A co-dependent relationship existed for many years between Daphne and Finn, developing and morphing into something else - "like a vine that snakes around a tree until the tree and vine can no longer be separated.....holding each other up...." This story is also about secrets and how a secret in the telling can destroy someone and a secret in the knowing can give a person power over another.

The author graphically depicts the rawness of each character - and brings them to a level of development like the coming together of a great symphony.. I had to read this novel with new acceptance and tolerance and lose prejudices. It is totally amazing how the mind can block the obvious to keep one from seeing what is truly in front of them.....as this novel does. This was a wonderful novel!!

Donna D. (Riverside, IL)

Now that's a twist I missed!
I'm generally not a big fan of thrillers so I was surprised at how easily I was drawn into this story. While the mystery of how Magdu died simmered below the surface, the intricacies of the relationships held center stage. The unfolding of the friendship between Finn and Daphne intrigued me and proved to hold much more complexity than I thought initially. The drama in "Girl Falling" exists on several levels. It's so much more than a 'who done it'. Plus I was really blindsided by the ending

...24 more reader reviews

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Author Information

Hayley Scrivenor Author Biography

Hayley Scrivenor is a former Director of Wollongong Writers Festival. Dirt Creek is her first novel. Originally from a small country town, Hayley now lives and writes on Dharawal country and has a Ph.D. in creative writing from the University of Wollongong on the south coast of Australia. An earlier version of Dirt Creek was shortlisted for the Penguin Literary Prize and won The Kill Your Darlings Unpublished Manuscript Award.

Link to Hayley Scrivenor's Website

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  • Dirt Creek jacket
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