REVIEW: Where We Fall by Rochelle B. Weinstein

Where We Fall by Rochelle B. Weinstein is the first book that I have read by this author. This is a woman’s fiction book that deals with depression, anxiety, and mental illness. It shows the toll that the illness takes on the family. This book is told from different points of view by 4 different characters. At times is was confusing, because the book took time to catch momentum in my opinion.

Abby is the main character who has lived all of her life with depression, anxiety, and phobia. Her husband Ryan and daughter Juliana have suffered with her, never knowing what will trigger an episode for Abby. They have learned to live with what has become “normal” for them. When Abby has an episode and they fear that she is trying to kill herself, she agrees to enter into a treatment center so that she can regain control of her life, become a better person and the mother that Juliana needs.

This book is told not only from Abby’s point of view but also Ryan, Juliana’s and an old college roommate, Lauren.

Okay, for me, here is where I got really really lost. Ryan and Lauren were in love, they were committed, they were planning a life together. Lauren takes a job chasing waterfalls to photograph, leaving Ryan behind. It is not until half way through the book that you figure out what happened between the three of them. I am not going to give it away, but it is part of what has been eating away at Abby. She holds a secret that is sure to drive Ryan away, to make him no longer love her.

Now Juliana is a brat. She is more concerned about her boyfriend throughout the entire story than she is about her mother. I get that her mother has been absent, even though she was present, for most of Juliana’s childhood, but still, this is her mom for Pete’s sake. Show a little compassion kid.

I started to hate Ryan and Lauren after awhile. It became painfully obvious after awhile that Ryan never stopped loving Lauren, he claims to love his wife, but is always thinking about what if, why, and if things were different. I get that the secret that Abby has is big, but it seems like the author tried to brush over the fact that Ryan was at fault as well, and Lauren never reached out to tell the truth either. She just slunk away and only resurfaces seventeen years later declaring that she still loves Ryan and always will.

Now Abby I was able to connect with. During her time in the treatment center, she comes to face the reality that is her life. She makes amends for her mistakes and finds that on the other side of it all, she is a much stronger person. I have to say, that the ending was shocking for me. I did not see it coming and I have to say that although, I was happy that Abby realized that she is strong enough to make the decision that she did and that she would be okay, I was not thrilled with the way it all played out and I feel like in the end, she got a raw deal.

For me, although I felt that Abby’s character was the best of the bunch, I think the switch in character perspective was confusing and Juliana’s perspective was useless to the story. The story was interesting once it got going, but it moved too slowly for me and was just to confusing for me to follow at times.

Book Info:

Jen Zorko| 3 Stars | Nope! | No |
Publication: Expected publication: April 19th 2016 | Lake Union Publishing |

By all accounts, Abby Holden has it all. She’s the mother of a beautiful teenager and the wife of a beloved high school football coach. And all it took to achieve her charmed life was her greatest act of betrayal.

Coach Ryan can coax his team to victory, but he can’t seem to make his wife, Abby, happy. Her struggles with depression have marred their marriage and taken a toll on their daughter, Juliana. Although this isn’t the life he’s dreamed of, he’s determined to heal the rifts in his family.

Chasing waterfalls and documenting their beauty has led photographer Lauren Sheppard all around the world. Now it has brought her back home to the mountains of North Carolina—back to the scene of her devastating heartbreak.

For the first time in seventeen years, a trio of once-inseparable friends find themselves confronting past loves, hurts, and the rapid rush of a current that still pulls them together…