You want to know why Courtney Summers is a must-buy? Because she can take any topiceven a riskily overexposed one such as the death of a loved oneand write about it in such a way that sucks you in and makes you feel like this is the first time youve ever read about that topic before. So yes, thats what FALL FOR ANYTHING does with grief, wrapped up in beautiful descriptions of art photography and and nail-biting mystery.
Courtney Summers has nearly unmatched talent with developing three-dimensional characters using her trademark sparse prose. Even with this tight prose, there is never a moment when she just comes right out and tells us something about the characters and their relationships with one another. Instead, the characters issues, histories, and desires are allowed to unfold on their own. It is in this way that we see the growing tension between Eddie and Milonot melodramatic tension, but the achingly relatable confusion that arises when old, cherished friendships seem to be on the cusp of becoming something more.
Some characters ring truer than others: Beth, Eddies mothers old friend, is callous perhaps to the point of incredulity, and there is something unsettling about Culler, the way he insinuates himself into Eddies life. But instead of detracting from the story, they simply add to the novels insistent pace, that theres always something, something just beyond the next page that will give some relief to poor Eddies desperation to find meaning in her fathers death. The dramatic climax, followed by the quiet resolution, makes it all the more clearer to us the complexities of grief, and the lengths that we might need to go to in order to find peace.
In that sense, then, FALL FOR ANYTHING itself reads like a story of our own grief, from the anxiety we feel for Eddie, to its breathless yet not quiet restful ending. Regardless of whether or not youll enjoy that, there is no doubting the fact that FALL FOR ANYTHING is an incredible read. Courtney Summers is three books into her writing career and showing no signs of faltering. I will read anything she reads, and no matter which Summers book you start with first, you will most likely come to the same conclusion, too.
Courtney Summers has nearly unmatched talent with developing three-dimensional characters using her trademark sparse prose. Even with this tight prose, there is never a moment when she just comes right out and tells us something about the characters and their relationships with one another. Instead, the characters issues, histories, and desires are allowed to unfold on their own. It is in this way that we see the growing tension between Eddie and Milonot melodramatic tension, but the achingly relatable confusion that arises when old, cherished friendships seem to be on the cusp of becoming something more.
Some characters ring truer than others: Beth, Eddies mothers old friend, is callous perhaps to the point of incredulity, and there is something unsettling about Culler, the way he insinuates himself into Eddies life. But instead of detracting from the story, they simply add to the novels insistent pace, that theres always something, something just beyond the next page that will give some relief to poor Eddies desperation to find meaning in her fathers death. The dramatic climax, followed by the quiet resolution, makes it all the more clearer to us the complexities of grief, and the lengths that we might need to go to in order to find peace.
In that sense, then, FALL FOR ANYTHING itself reads like a story of our own grief, from the anxiety we feel for Eddie, to its breathless yet not quiet restful ending. Regardless of whether or not youll enjoy that, there is no doubting the fact that FALL FOR ANYTHING is an incredible read. Courtney Summers is three books into her writing career and showing no signs of faltering. I will read anything she reads, and no matter which Summers book you start with first, you will most likely come to the same conclusion, too.
Reviewed by Ashley B for TeensReadToo.com
Eddie Reeves is devastated when her photographer father commits suicide. She is consumed by the question of "why?" He left a note, but there were no answers. She meets Culler Evans, her father's one and only student, and he is consumed by the same questions she is.
Culler is mysterious, and seems to know more about her father than she does. Culler shows Eddie his discovery, at the place where her father committed suicide, and from there, they go on a search to find answers.
FALL FOR ANYTHING actually had a pretty slow start, unlike Summers' other novels. I was a little disappointed, because it wasn't like her other ones. It was still good, though. I felt a genuine concern for Eddie's character, because of her hurt and depression from her father's suicide. I was worried about her, and I don't often feel that kind of connection with characters.
Overall, this was a fairly good story, with a huge twist at the end which I definitely didn't see coming. If you enjoyed Ms. Summers' other novels, check this one out, too!
Eddie Reeves is devastated when her photographer father commits suicide. She is consumed by the question of "why?" He left a note, but there were no answers. She meets Culler Evans, her father's one and only student, and he is consumed by the same questions she is.
Culler is mysterious, and seems to know more about her father than she does. Culler shows Eddie his discovery, at the place where her father committed suicide, and from there, they go on a search to find answers.
FALL FOR ANYTHING actually had a pretty slow start, unlike Summers' other novels. I was a little disappointed, because it wasn't like her other ones. It was still good, though. I felt a genuine concern for Eddie's character, because of her hurt and depression from her father's suicide. I was worried about her, and I don't often feel that kind of connection with characters.
Overall, this was a fairly good story, with a huge twist at the end which I definitely didn't see coming. If you enjoyed Ms. Summers' other novels, check this one out, too!
