Roxy Art has had a crush on Reece Anders since she was a
teenager. After high school, Reece joined the Marines,
went to war, and came back home to Philadelphia when he
was hurt; he is now a police officer. Roxy knows her
obsession with Reece is irrational, but she can't help
herself. Eleven months ago, when Roxy and Reece went out,
too much alcohol was consumed, something happened, and
Roxy has been avoiding Reece ever since.
Roxy's childhood friend, Charlie Clark, is in a long-term
care facility because of a bigoted aggression that
happened several years ago; it's Reece who comes to tell
Roxy that Charlie's aggressor is getting out of jail and
wants to make amends, but Roxy does not agree. There's a
psycho on the loose; young women are getting killed, and
strange things begin to happen to Roxy; is someone
watching her?
FALL WITH ME is the fourth instalment in the Wait for
You series by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and while it
refers to characters from the previous books, the author
makes a new reader feel comfortable right away with the
group of friends. However FALL WITH ME is one of those
instances where the premise for a part of the story can
be problematic. There is a misunderstanding, more
precisely a lie by omission, which could have easily
cleared up the issue far more quickly. This is where the
writing can make it or break it. The author needs to be
convincing as to why a character chooses to remain mute
regarding the issue at hand. Happily, Ms. Armentrout
succeeds in her endeavour: the character who should speak
up is profoundly conflicted about not telling the whole
truth; the angst over not opening up is part of the
character's very essence.
Roxy is very contemporary character: she's the girl whose
brown hair sports a purple streak, she wears quirky T-
shirts and sometimes wears her glasses, whereas Reece is
obviously more straight-laced, being in law enforcement.
As they strive towards rebuilding their damaged
friendship, unexpected events bring them closer and make
them realise that it is indeed better to seize the
moment; there is one specific plot twist I never saw
coming, which provided an opportunity for some character
growth.
In FALL WITH ME, Ms. Armentrout crafts a believable
environment featuring young, hip characters; I got the
impression I was chillin' with my friends, even though
serious unpleasantness occurs. The writing is vibrant,
fresh and flows smoothly; FALL WITH ME is an enjoyable
read filled with angst, love and true friendship.
Jennifer L. Armentrout, New York Times bestselling author of the Wait for You series, delivers a new novel of first love, second chances, and scorching chemistry. Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She's been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She's sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice. Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She's not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already. But Reece isn't convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn't believe him, he's not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He's already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he's not going to let history repeat itself.