Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang

Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang

Release Date: September 9, 2014

Publisher:  Greenwillow Books

Age Group: Young Adult

Pages: 304

Summary:  On the day Liz Emerson tries to die, they had reviewed Newton’s laws of motion in physics class. Then, after school, she put them into practice by running her Mercedes off the road.

Why? Why did Liz Emerson decide that the world would be better off without her? Why did she give up? Vividly told by an unexpected and surprising narrator, this heartbreaking and nonlinear novel pieces together the short and devastating life of Meridian High’s most popular junior girl. Mass, acceleration, momentum, force—Liz didn’t understand it in physics, and even as her Mercedes hurtles toward the tree, she doesn’t understand it now. How do we impact one another? How do our actions reverberate? What does it mean to be a friend? To love someone? To be a daughter? Or a mother? Is life truly more than cause and effect? Amy Zhang’s haunting and universal story will appeal to fans of Lauren Oliver, Gayle Forman, and Jay Asher.

My Thoughts:  Boy, oh boy have I read some amazing reviews for Falling Into Place! And while I enjoyed it, I was hoping it would be a 5 cupcake rating for me.

We are introduced to Liz who thinks she deserves to die. She’s not a perfect person, she’s made her fair share of mistakes but she thinks the world would be better off without her. Sadly, she doesn’t realize all the people that her death would affect.

I liked learning about Liz and what made her tick. I also loved the scenes with the mysterious boy. I really adored him and the way he saw Liz and her life.

I also liked seeing how her friends and boyfriend took everything. And her mom.

I liked seeing the things that lead up to her suicide attempt. What made her do it. What made her “her.”

Most of all, I loved how the story was written. I felt like I was looking inside her head the whole time, even though I was seeing things from the outside.

I thought this one was quite good, I liked learning more about everybody in the story, and I liked all the little details about gravity, motion, etc.

Overall:  I’m not sure why I didn’t give this one 5 cupcakes. As much as I enjoyed it, I felt like I couldn’t connect to the whole thing. At times, I just wanted to know the ending and didn’t really care about reading the middle. Yes, this story is about hope, and love, and it was beautiful!  

I would recommend it, a solid debut!

Cover:  Love it! Its kind of plain but in a good way! I’d pick it up in a bookstore just to see what it was about!

What I’d Give It: