Nina Sadowsky's debut novel Just Fall, is intriguing mystery about a woman who discovers on her wedding day that everything about her new husband, including his name, is nothing but a series of well-crafted lies.

With a few failed romances behind her, Ellie Larrabee has low expectations about her blind date with Rob Beauman. Much to her surprise (and his), the two immediately hit it off and before long, they are living together and planning their upcoming wedding. Shrugging off her concerns about Rob's reluctance to discuss his past since she, too, is keeping a few dark secrets of her own, Ellie is eagerly looking forward to their wedding day. However, what should be the happiest day of her life quickly turns dark when, immediately after exchanging their vows, Rob makes a stunning confession. When he is kidnapped from their wedding reception, Ellie endures a horrifying ordeal in order to save his life.

Ellie and Rob seem to be the perfect couple. Fixed up by mutual friends, they are pretty much inseparable from their first date. Their relationship moves at an accelerated pace as they become engaged soon after moving in together. Ellie quells her doubts about Rob's reticence to reveal much about his past but her fears about him are soon realized by his shocking admission on their wedding day. Terrified for Rob's safety, Ellie is soon swept up into a dizzying array of events that she hopes will set them both free from his sinister past.

Written from multiple points of view and weaving back and forth in time, details about Rob and Ellie's relationship and their individual backstories reveal shocking and unexpected information about this seemingly innocuous couple. Rob's past is particularly heartbreaking as events from his childhood set him on collision course for disaster. Surprisingly, Ellie is the less sympathetic of the pair since the revelations about her past paint her in a less than flattering light. Neither are particularly likable but it is impossible not to feel empathy for them as they try to move past their mistakes and missteps.

Just Fall is an engrossing mystery that is surprisingly addictive despite a somewhat slow beginning. Ellie and Rob are both deeply flawed and seemingly without conscience but tiny glimmers of humanity and compassion make it easy to hope they survive their ordeal. With an absolutely shocking plot twist, Nina Sadowsky brings the novel to a dramatic and stunning conclusion that appears to leave the door open to a possibility for a sequel at some point in the future. ( )

I thought this was a bit better than just ok but I can't honestly say that by the end, I strongly liked it. The story of Ellie & Rob being told by two threads in alternating chapters titled "Then" and "Now" felt tedious. I admit to being far more interested in the Now and I was also just annoyed that the Then felt disjointed and didn't even always pick up where the prior Then, ended. The summary definitely drew me in and more than anything was what kept me turning the pages so that's to the good. I was completely put off by the reveal of Quinn's relationship to Rob and truly feel that this is the point where the story fell short for me. I did like how Lucien's thread tied into Ellie and Rob's main one but I ultimately felt that the reader is supposed to empathize with Rob's plight but I didn't. I never felt that he was deeply rendered enough as a person for me to care, let alone, empathize. This of course never made me see what Ellie was going to the lengths she did. I hate to say that given the summary, I thought this story would have been different & I felt a bit of disappointment.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to Netgalley. ( )

Buchinfo
Be my Girl - Nina Sadowski
Broschiert - 336 Seiten - ISBN-13: 978-3328100041
Verlag: Penguin Verlag - Veröffentlichung: 13. Februar 2017
EUR 13,00
Kurzbeschreibung
Ellie und Rob sind das perfekte Paar. Gut aussehend, erfolgreich, bis über beide Ohren verliebt. Aber nur Augenblicke nach dem Jawort scheint alles in Scherben zu liegen. Rob verbirgt eine entsetzliche Vergangenheit. Je mehr Ellie erfährt, desto tiefer wird sie in einen Strudel aus Lügen und Verrat gezogen, der ihrer beider Leben bedroht. Wer ist der Mann, den sie geheiratet hat? Und wie weit will sie gehen, um ihre Liebe zu retten? Denn Rob ahnt nicht, dass auch sie nicht ehrlich zu ihm war …
Bewertung
„Be my Girl“ ist der Debütroman von Nina Sadowsky.
Der Autorin ist ein guter Start gelungen. Ich hatte keine Probleme in die Geschichte rein zu kommen. Es gibt in diesem Buch keine Kapitel, sondern es ist unterteilt in „Damals“ und „Heute“. Finde ich eine klasse Idee und vor allem passte es zu der Story. Ab und zu riss die Spannung mal etwas ab, aber wenn man nur ein paar Seiten weiter gelesen hat, wurde das auch belohnt.
Der Erzählstil der Autorin ist anders und gewöhnungsbedürftig, aber ich fand ihn klasse. Die einzelnen Charaktere werden detailliert beschrieben und ich merkte schnell welcher der Protagonisten mir überhaupt nicht sympathisch war und welcher mich mitfiebern lies.
Gut fand ich das überraschende Ende. Während des Lesens dachte ich des öfteren, ich wüsste wie es aus geht, aber falsch gedacht. Also, bis zum Ende lesen lohnt sich.
Fazit: Gelungener Debütroman. Hierfür gebe ich gerne meine Leseempfehlung. ( )

I was quite unhappy with this author's writing quality and writing style. The plot was rediculous and quite choppy. It is an author's job to create characters that make readers care what happens. I neither liked nor cared about these characters. Poorly done. ( )

When I read the description for this book where it says something along the lines of, 'What do you do when you find out the person you love is a killer?' I knew I had to read it. Thankfully, although I don't know that I read any more of the description before deciding to pick it up, I was definitely not disappointed.

Ellie and Rob are a very happy newlywed couple, but they are both filled with secrets. As these secrets begin to reveal themselves, they're both faced with decisions to make. How much can you love someone who has gone out of their way to hide so much? If you both hide things from each other, is it then fair?

All in all I felt that this book was very well written. In alternating "then" and "now" chapters, the story jumps around to different points within their lives to paint a picture of who they are now and why their decisions are so crucial within each moment. I found it relatively easy to follow and I felt the pacing done in this manner made it an even harder book to put down.

What did I think?: I really liked reading this and thought it had a great mix of thriller and romance. Some parts were a bit graphic but never too much so in my opinion.

Who should read it?: If you enjoy thrillers, this is one of the better ones I've picked up in a while. I highly recommend it if you're looking for something fast paced and exciting. ( )