By:  Rochelle B. Weinstein

ISBN: 9781612184432

Publisher: Lake Union

Publication Date:  4/19/2016 

Format: Paperback 

My Rating: 5 Stars

A special thank you to Lake Union and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deeply psychological, beautifully written, with stunning metaphors of water, and mesmerizing lyrical prose, Rochelle B. Weinstein delves into her characters’ complex souls with,WHERE WE FALL a troubled family on the verge of collapse.Guilt. Secrets. Pain. Lies. Betrayal. Darkness. Depression.

Two parallels, a gripping, inspiring, emotional, and thought-provoking tale of mental illness. The real effects of millions of people, its afflictions- far reaching, often misunderstood, and the stigma attached, as a society.

Tragedy and beauty. Darkness and Light. Hate and Love. Emotions. Facing fears, pain, admitting misdeeds, accountability, taking responsibility for your actions “head on” in order to begin healing. Redemption, forgiveness, true happiness.

The author’s writing style is absolutely mesmerizing! I bookmarked so many pages, getting lost in her lovely writing, her poetic prose. Fans of T. Greenwood, Catherine Ryan Hyde, Amy Hatvany, and Jodi Picoult will love this author and WHERE WE FALL.

With finesse, Weinstein skillfully tackles highly-charged complex topics with sensitivity. So excited about the discovery of this new found author; cannot wait to read more. I love Greenwood’s lyrical writing and her skillful use of vivid imagery --Rochelle is right up there with her.

Falling in love, out of love, falling apart . . . A soft place to land. If you are looking for a light-hearted, cheery and carefree book, look elsewhere. So much more, here! A clever mix of chick-noir, domestic and psychological suspense, contemporary, mystery, romance, and family drama.

In a brief introduction, the spring of 1997, at Davidson College in North Carolina, we meet three friends Abby, Ryan, and Lauren. Flash forward to the Fall of 2014. Abby and Ryan, in their late thirties, married, with teen daughter Juliana, residing in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Told from multiple perspectives, allowing readers to gain keen insights into how the characters view one another.Flashing back and forth over the years.

Abby is taunted by demons of darkness and depression. She feels sorry for herself. Her wants and desires have resulted in an unhappy life. She is not honest about the past. She is manipulative. She has been plagued for years by the unwanted fears--the invasive, sneaky, and powerful thoughts. Neuroses. Sad and hopeless thoughts.

She sleeps for days straight, withering into something more skeletal than human. Ryan has begged her to return to therapy, and stay on her medications. Her therapist urges her to commit herself. She has reached rock bottom, when Ryan finds her on the bathroom floor with pills. Abby is hiding dark secrets, which continue to haunt her. She is an absentee, selfish, and distant parent.

Ryan is good-looking, patient, a loving father, a community leader, and husband. He is a fixer. A football coach, he loves his wife, his daughter, his team. However, his wife’s condition is disturbing, and has taken a toll on all their lives. Like a coach, he tried to draw Abby out. There was so much wrong inside her. He will not leave her. He has all sorts of strategy for the football field and his team; however, his own family is a different story. Abby needs him. His friends encourage him to leave. His wife is a woman of shifting temperament. Low self-esteem. Lifeless. Her mind is tangled and tortured. She needs help.

He has a life, but he cannot think of himself. He buries his needs. He lives in fear everyday she will take her life, buried in her darkness. He had become a single parent, a doting father, in his wife’s absences. He made promises and commitments to his wife. However, has he ever got over the love of his life, Lauren? The girl he was to marry. What happened? He cannot forget about her leaving and never to be heard from again. He is unaware of what his wife did years ago. When he discovers the truth, will he ever forgive her? Little does he know she changed the course of all their lives.

Abby is convalescing in the hospital, his star player is on the run, and his daughter is alone and frightened, yet he coaches his boys to a victorious win every week. He is proud of them. Many coaches tell their players to learn from loss—it builds character and resiliency. What about his own personal life?

Juliana, an only child. She is independent and self-sufficient. A fixer, the one who believes she can repair the damage and make wrong into right. She is disturbed by her mother’s condition. Her mom was different than other moms. She is embarrassed by her mom’s behavior. Why can’t she be normal?

Juliana has her own issues. She is dating the high school football star, E.J. However, E.J. comes from a poor, abusive, dysfunctional, and violent family. He is always caught in the middle trying to keep his mom and brother out of harm’s way from his father. In doing so, he gets into trouble with the law and on the run—everyone in his path is in danger. Now Juliana has to help him, putting her own father, the coach in the middle—a dangerous situation. She is filled with burdens of those she has chosen to love. Worrying about EJ protects her from the troubles of her own home. Her father provides the love of two parents.

Abby finally agrees to have herself committed, to Cold Creek a clinic in Asheville, western North Carolina--instrumental by Babs, (brutally honest) unlike most psychologists. Babs tells her she is dying and destroying everything around her. Memories of happier times have riddled her with guilt and hopelessness.

The world already thinks she is crazy, why not make it official. How did she get here . . to this place? How bad does she have to get to make a change. Here, she will be open to scrutiny and self-improvement, even though free of home and pressures to conform. She will have to face what she did. She is angry for so many reasons. Always chipping away. Placing the blame on someone else. Her husband loved someone else first. Will she always be second best. How did she play God?

Lauren had left years ago, to explore the world. A lover of nature. A free-spirit. (my kind of gal). She planned on returning. She and Ryan had plans for marriage. A lifetime. She loves gushing creeks and waterfalls which trickle from secret places. The water that falls from the streams washes away troubles and clears the mind. She loves the mountains—inspiring. The last time she sought the mountains, all those years ago she came for one thing—refuge, to rid herself of pain. This time she had not wanted to come back.

She is now an intelligent, world famous published author. (writing under another name). She has traveled the world. Her book was her life’s work. Her passion for writing, photography, and waterfalls had led her on a quest to compile the most beautiful cascades in the world. From poetry and musings. The grand finale would bring her home to the North Carolina mountains. Where she would shoot Linville, Toxaway, Looking Glass, and Elk River. (have hiked all these). What waited for her, terrified her. She had to return—she had put it off long enough. Her publisher is the only one who knows the truth about her identity. She is ready to reveal herself to her readers.

Everything she has kept at bay circling around Abby, Ryan and herself. Chipping away at her defenses, reminding her that no matter how hard she tried to move forward, there is always a past pulling us back. Long ago she gave herself to Ryan. A college love, connected. He was woven into her soul. She left. Ryan’s father died. He married someone else. A betrayal.

The author takes readers on a mysterious journey, at a controlled pace, peeling back the layers when Ryan and Lauren were dating in college. Lauren always included Abby. At first their friendship was new, and she was unaware of Abby’s secret suffering. When the lightbulb would go out. However, Abby fell in love with Ryan secretly. Everyone always knew Ryan and Lauren would get married. However, they didn’t. Why?

Throughout the book you do not know what happened to change these three. Until the ending…So be patient. It is worth the wait.

Now, Lauren is returning to her favorite small town of Banner Elk (Beech Mountain), NC. Her family home was there. Her haven. She has to make her first appearance as an author. Her readers will meet the real Lauren (not the fake). Back where her journey started. Little does she know Ryan, Abby, and his daughter are in the mountains staying at a friend’s seasonal cabin, while Abby is going through treatment. When their paths cross, soon the long awaited secrets will be revealed. (A BIG ONE)!

Readers will despise Abby during the majority of the book. She attempts to drag everyone down. You wonder why Ryan tolerates her behavior. You will sympathize with Lauren. Lauren hides behind her work and her mask – her pain, the betrayal. The author has a purpose, precise timing, taking you to the explosive and emotional conclusion. The more you read, the better-- which will keep you glued to the pages.

Richly textured, an insightful look at hope and redemption. The author handles the painful subject of mental illness, with honesty and compassion. The haunting look at a fractured family will please readers of literary and domestic suspense. A compelling character study--Harrowing, heartfelt and ultimately so realistically human --with flawed real characters—with a touch of romance--readers will be pleased with the beautiful ending.

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