Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I picked up Fall for Anything because of the cover art. I hadn’t planned on reading a YA, but that’s okay. I’m glad I did. I forgot about how nice it is to read a story about a teenager overcoming a change in her life. Added bonus, a mystery to solve. Here it is: Eddie Reeves’ photographer father has killed himself, and Eddie must know why.
This story is about dealing with the loss of a parent, and I think Courteney Summers did a great job making that grief real. I have a hard time imagining the emotional toll death can take, but Eddie’s behavior, confusion, and emotions were very honest. Part of me was thinking, “would a seventeen year old really do this?” Of course she would because her Dad committed suicide. She needed the answer to the question, “Why?”
I loved the mystery of this story. There were a few points where I was a little scared. Suicide, empty buildings, cheap motels: that’s some creepy shit. I blew through the 230 pages because I too needed to know the answers.
Some caveats. I have to say, I have a problem with love triangles. They tend to be tiresome. This one wasn’t too bad, but still not my favorite plot point. I also kind of solved the mystery well before it happened – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I got to follow Eddie while she figured it out.
In reality, the story isn’t about the dead, it’s about the living. It’s about how the living consider death and life. Like Eddie says, “…even I can see worth in stupid little moments like these. These people aren’t even my family, but I can see their value and if I can see it in something this small, when I feel this bad, then —
Then why didn’t he?”