Review: Fall by Kristen Callihan

Fall
(VIP #3)
by Kristen Callihan
Publisher: Plane Jane Books
Publication date: Oct. 23, 2018
Genre: Romance
Rating:

The first time I met Jax Blackwood things went a little sideways.

In my defense, I didn’t know he was Jax Blackwood—who expects a legendary rock star to be shopping for groceries? More importantly, a blizzard was coming and he was about to grab the last carton of mint-chocolate chip.

Still, I might have walked away, but then he smugly dared me to try and take the coveted ice cream. So I kissed him. And distracted that mint-chip right out of his hands.

Okay, it was a dirty move, but desperate times and all that. Besides, I never expected he’d be my new neighbor.

An annoying neighbor who takes great pleasure in reminding me that I owe him ice cream but would happily accept more kisses as payment. An irresistible neighbor who keeps me up while playing guitar naked–spectacularly naked–in his living room.

Clearly, avoidance is key. Except nothing about Jax is easy to ignore—not the way he makes me laugh, or that his particular brand of darkness matches mine, or how one look from him melts me faster than butter under a hot sun.

Neither of us believes in love or forever. Yet we’re quickly becoming each other’s addiction. But we could be more. We could be everything.

All we have to do is trust enough to fall.

 

 

When Stella yanks a pint of ice cream out of a guy’s hands at the supermarket, she has no clue who he is. When she gets a job offer to be a live-in pet sitter for a few months, she jumps on the chance since she’s about to be evicted from her apartment. Guess who happens to be her new neighbor? The guy she stole the ice cream from. However, what she soon finds out is that the guy isn’t just an normal New Yorker. Nope! He’s Jax Blackword from Kill Jax, one of the hottest bands out there.

Fall tells the story between a woman who knows the feeling of being left behind by those who should love her, and a man who battles with anxiety and depression so deep that sometimes he can’t breathe. While most rockstar romances take on a hardcore rock and roll vibe of clubs, parties, groupies, and super cocky rock gods, Fall takes a more somber approach. A couple years ago, Jax tried to kill himself when the world became too much for him. He’s lived with that decision every day and no one lets him forget about it. Except for Stella. There’s something about her that brightens his mood and makes him forget for a while. However, she’s harboring deep sadness of her own. Her father treated her as a means of making money. The moment she turned 18 years old, he up and left without a word. Leaving her to fend for herself. With no family and no friends in the world, she puts on a happy front, but deep down she’s depressed, too. When these two find each other, their burdens seem to lighten and they start to enjoy life a bit more.

Watching these two characters slowly build a friendship and then a relationship was a completely new thing for me when it comes to rockstar romances. I’m used to them being much quicker on the turnaround and romance. However, I think the author did a great job taking things slow for these two. The chemistry was there, but it was a slow build that seemed perfect for Jax and Stella.

While I loved the slow progression of their relationship, I did feel like there were times where the story dragged on a bit too much. I’m all for getting to know the characters on a personal level while they get to know each other, but I wish there was a bit more excitement. Whether it was what they did on a day-to-day basis or maybe going out for some fun. I just wish there was a bit more going on to break up the mundane. I also wish the author took a different approach with the “big” conflict that pops up towards the end. I saw it coming a mile away and it’s such a common excuse and story arc that I was just hoping for something different than your typical, “You’re too good for me. I must push you away and set you free so that I don’t taint you.” Of all the things that could have happened to cause a rift between these two, and it went to the generic push-away.

Fall gave rock star romances a new feel. It wasn’t fast-paced and filled with glitzy douchebags chumming it up with their groupies. It wasn’t the star studded life on tour or in the studio. If it wasn’t for the constant reminder that Jax was in an extremely popular band, he could have just been a normal guy. I really liked that the author wrote the story in such a way that was befitting to these characters. They weren’t fast-paced or into flashy stuff. They were two homebodies who just wanted to be normal.

 

Favorite quote…

“We live in a world where people greet each other with ‘How are you?’ But few of us actually want an answer. It’s kind of hilarious if you think about it. We don’t really want to know how someone else is doing, but we want to look as though we do.”

 

Previous reviews from VIP
Idol

 

 

 

 

3 Thoughts on “Review: Fall by Kristen Callihan

  1. Welp, I downloaded this one against my better judgement the other day lol I guess we’ll see whether it works for me or not.

    Karen @ For What It’s Worth

  2. ratmom on 27 October, 2018 at 5:03 pm said:

    I’ve read a few reviews for this one and everyone seems to be liking this.

  3. I feel like I’d like this one, but the slowness might make me stabby. So we’ll see lolol

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