{ARC Review} The Edge of Falling By: Rebecca Serle

Title: The Edge of Falling
Author: Rebecca Serle
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Shelves: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Publication Date: March 18th, 2014
Source: SimonPulse for review
Format: Physical ARC

*Book #7 of March Madness Reads*

Synopsis: Caggie has always had everything a girl could possibly need- a best friend, a boyfriend, prestige and wealth. But everything changed that one day. With a toss of the waves, Caggie's sister's life was swept away. Several months later, Caggie reportedly saved a fellow classmate from committing suicide- or did she? There are secrets Caggie keeps as she sinks deeper and deeper, and pushes the ones she loves most away- until she meets Astor, the one person who understands her. Can he be the one to save her? Set in the infamous Manhattan, The Edge of Falling pulses with depth and desire in every turn of the page. 

Review: A HUGE thank you to the lovely people at S&S for sending me this galley for review! I've got both good and not-so-good things to say about The Edge of Falling, but one thing I'll point out first is the BEAUTIFUL cover. This book grabbed my attention right away and I knew that I NEEDED to read it. And thanks to some wonderful people, I was given the chance to! This cover. Whoever designed it is absolutely brilliant. As the story progresses, the cover will make more and more sense, but it is just lovely. The shiny red flats against the blurry city backdrop. The font of the title, and the way it blends beautifully with the rest of the cover. It absolutely drew me in.

Now we talk about the actual story, the things that matter the most. The Edge of Falling starts off very slowly, and it takes a little while to get used to some of the choppier dialogue and internal thoughts. It wasn't too terribly hard for me to get through the first quarter, and it really started to pick up and become interesting. However, at times, I felt a little uncomfortable with the narrative. Caggie seemed to leave a lot of thoughts unfinished. I would liked the author to have created Caggie in a more evolved and expanding way. Going along with the writing was my love for the way Rebecca Serle described the city. As a New Yorker, I'm telling you that it was SPOT ON. Not only does she accurately describe it, but she will also make you FEEL it. Whether you are a native New Yorker or not, the setting adds an admirable quality to the writing.

In The Edge of Falling, Caggie meets a very mysterious boy named Astor. She is immediately attracted to him, thinking that their grief binds them together. This begins the start of a very eerie romance. Astor and Caggie's relationship reminded me of a puppet and his master. Astor was the master, and it seemed like Caggie was his puppet, as he controlled her movements and character. The chemistry between them was very flat. If I say anything else beyond this, I'm scared of giving away the ending so I'll just stop talking about Astor and Caggie ;) HOWEVER... Caggie and her ex-boyfriend Trevor! They were just absolutely adorable! Trevor was everything a girl could ever hope for in a guy, and they added a much needed burst of energy and light to The Edge of Falling.

When it really comes down to it, the true core of this novel was not romance or friendship. This was a tale of one girl's grief and personal pain. It's about learning to forgive yourself, and learning to let go of the past. And what truly leaves an impression on me after reading The Edge of Falling, is the genuineness of voice and soul. Rebecca Serle absolutely holds nothing back as you read deeper into the pain and despair Caggie goes through. This is the voice of a lonely and anguish-filled teenage girl, and Rebecca doesn't try to cover this fact up with rainbows and sunshine. It is what is truly just IS.

Conclusion: Although the beginning started off slowly, I grew to really love The Edge of Falling. Caggie's true nature comes out at the end, and she is a character you won't be able to truly hate. The Edge of Falling is a poignant and refreshing novel that accentuates grief in ways that are not always truly visible.