Falling for You by Lisa Schroeder (review)

Rae is essentially a servant to her demanding stepfather, and when he gets laid off, things get worse: he becomes physically abusive and starts demanding her paycheck and taking her truck. She doesn’t share any of her pain with her friends, choosing instead to fill the pages of her journal with poetry. She also tries hard to focus on the good things in her life, like her job at the flower shop, the cherished memories of her beloved grandmother, and her friendship with Leo, a guy who works at the nearby coffee shop. When a new boy, Nathan, takes an interest in her, she’s thrilled but wary; she doesn’t want to be like her mother and let her need for loving attention blind her to a guy’s faults. When Nathan almost immediately gets physically pushy and emotionally needy to the point of stalking her, she sets clear boundaries, something she is unable to do at home as her stepfather demands more and more of her money, until a climactic showdown lands her in the ICU. Though Nathan’s character is never fully fleshed out, the real interest here is Rae and the way she refuses to be undone by difficult circumstances. As things get worse and worse for her, she seeks ways to help herself and others that are faithful to her character; she’s no Pollyanna, but she is determined that the messes that surround her on all sides won’t define her, and she manages to convince herself and others that being honest about one’s pain can bring compassion. It’s a heartening message for readers in difficult situations, and the poems scattered throughout the text enhance the cathartic note of hope in hard times.