Total Book Geek: Review & Giveaway: Don't Fall by Rachel Schieffelbein

In this contemporary retelling of Rapunzel, seventeen-year-old Anya leads a secluded life in a house on the edge of town with her adopted mother. She doesn't go to public school, doesn't even have a best friend. But Anya doesn't seem to mind. She has her books, her photography, and her daydreams and would do anything to please her mom.

Until one day at the library, the only place Anya is allowed to go alone, she takes a picture of a beautiful boy. Before long she's lying to her mom, and sneaking out to meet Zander. But Zander wants more than a secret romance. If Anya wants to be with the boy of her dreams, she's going to have to risk her relationship with the only other person she's ever cared about.

*I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review*

The cover is what drew me in at first, seeing that and then reading the blurb I expected a more darker/heavier story, which wasn't the case at all. Don't Fall is simply adorable, ubersweet and swoon worthy.

Anya is being homeschooled and is not allowed to go anywhere without her mom, except to the library and even then she has to check in with her mom. Alarm bells ringing all over the place for me, but for Anya this is her life and she doesn't know anything else. She does wish she could go out more, meet people and live an adventurous life like the ones she's read about in all her books. Being so sheltered makes her very naive in some ways, though I do love her neverlasting optimism. That girl is just a bundle of sunshine.

When she sees Zander at the library and because the 'light was just right', she has to take his picture. Which then leads to him talking to her and she having to talk back to him. Butterflies and tingles galore. Everything moves really fast between them, but I loved it. There was just this cloud of meant to be, fairy tales and constant sunshine and rainbows around them, that nothing could get them down. Except of course that Anya isn't allowed to date, so the relationship is very hush hush and Zander isn't really liking that.

Standing up against her mother isn't easy for Anya, who all her life has been trying to please her mom and mostly failing. So keeping to a couple rules seems simple, but meeting Zander and wanting to be with him, has her questioning these rules and longing for her freedom. Now her mom wasn't the big bad with from the fairy tale, she was just unreasonable. Though you do get to understand why she is the way she is and why she is so protective over Anya, to me it just seemed like she needed to talk to a therapist asap.

Don't Fall is very heavy on the romance part and it won't leave you with a book hangover, but it will leave you happy and with a smile on your face. The two main characters are simply adorable and Zander will make any teenage girl swoon. It was very well written, straight to the point and no unnecessary drama. It was a great light read, perfect for the Summer or a lazy sunday afternoon.

3.5

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The Author

Rachel grew up in a tiny town in Minnesota. She still lives there, with her husband and their four kids. She coaches high school speech and theater, rides Arabian horses, reads as much as she can, and writes stories.