Falling into Place is the story of Liz Emerson. Liz has just driven her car off an icy road and tumbled down a cliff. Everyone believes it was accidental. It wasn't. Liz planned her suicide in such a way that no one would know that she actually wanted to die. Even her best friends didn't know how unhappy she was, how much she loathed herself and her life. Liz is the pinnacle of popular at her high school. She is THE beautiful, mean girl. Liz has left immeasurable ruined reputations, relationships and lives in her wake.
Molly is driving back, but she doesn't know from where. And she doesn't know to where. All she knows is that she should be in school, but she's in her car instead. Suddenly she sees a motorcycle speeding up behind her. Somehow she knows that he is coming for her. She passes through the intersection as the light turns red. The motorcycle keeps coming; it runs the red light. A truck enters the intersection, catching the back tire of the motorcycle, sending is spinning. The rider flies through the air, over Molly's car and lands on the asphalt right in front of her. She brakes, screaming.
Penelope has lost everything in the Earth Shaker that destroyed the Los Angeles area. Her home by the sea is in ruins, her family gone. There is no one left in the neighborhood. Penelope is trying to survive on what little food and water she can find in what remains of their basement pantry. Then suddenly three men appear at her home. She hides, knowing that they will kill her if they find her. But one does find her and surprisingly he offers her secret help and a bit of hope.
A strikingly illustrated graphic novel featuring short horror stories told in bold blacks, reds, blues and whites. The stories are ones that will stay with you. Each story felt familiar to me, probably inspired by classic fairy tales but each has its own horrific twist. One of my favorites has tones of Little Red Riding Hood, about a girl traveling through the woods to her mother’s house. Her father warns her to travel fast to avoid the wolves in the forest. She travels over hills, between the trees and safely reaches her mother’s home.
There's a brand new drug: Death. Take it and you'll experience the best week of your life - and then die promptly after.
I thought it was a decent, fast-paced book. The concept was very interesting. I felt very distant from Adam, who, despite being the main character, had a lacking presence. However, I loved his character - he wasn't really a "hero", he cries when his life is crumbling around him. He's a gold digger. He's an awful boyfriend. In short, he's a complete loser. I found that really fascinating.
Cantor is a realm walker. He can pass through the Portals to other planes. His whole life has been building up to when he'll find his dragon and go on fabulous adventures. But, the authorities are corrupt and Cantor learns that not everything is quite as calm as it seems.
Morgan measures her likeability by how many Twitter followers she has. Her goal is to reach 5000 and she is getting very close. If she has 5000 followers, she has to be likeable, right? Even if she doesn't have any real life friends, even if the father she's never known didn't like her enough to stick around and help raise her. She is currently tweeting about things she thought were true.
Mysti Murphy is not having a good 7th grade year. Her only friend, Anibal Gomez, has developed a crush on a Cheer Squad girl and has decided to change his image in an effort to be noticed. Part of Anibal's "social experiment" is to develop a hipster persona that he thinks his new crush will admire. To see if his experiment works, he needs to ditch Mysti. Anibal decides that he and Mysti can talk and text in the evenings and on weekends, but they must have NO contact during school. Mysti has no other friends, so she now sits alone at the Loser Island in the cafeteria at lunchtime.
Things have been complicated for Hannah Wagnor since her best friend Lillian died six months ago, because her best friends ghost still haunts her, and because someone in their sleepy town is killing girls and leaving their bodies in the woods behind Hannah’s house. Lillian has become obsessed with the murders and to appease her friend’s spirit, Hannah begins to investigate the crime scene photos developed at the photo store where she works.
What a heart wrenching, yet inspiring, read this was! I listened to the audio book and couldn't tear myself away. It's been a long time since I found myself so immersed in a story, or since I have read a story so incredibly tragic and yet, at the same time so hopeful.
