Review: The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker

The Girl Who Fell by Shannon M. Parker

Published: March 1, 2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse

High school senior Zephyr Doyle is swept off her feet—and into an intense and volatile relationship—by the new boy in school.

His obsession.
Her fall.

Zephyr is focused. Focused on leading her team to the field hockey state championship and leaving her small town for her dream school, Boston College.

But love has a way of changing things.

Enter the new boy in school: the hockey team’s starting goaltender, Alec. He’s cute, charming, and most important, Alec doesn’t judge Zephyr. He understands her fears and insecurities—he even shares them. Soon, their relationship becomes something bigger than Zephyr, something she can’t control, something she doesn’t want to control.

Zephyr swears it must be love. Because love is powerful, and overwhelming, and … terrifying?

But love shouldn’t make you abandon your dreams, or push your friends away. And love shouldn’t make you feel guilty—or worse, ashamed.

So when Zephyr finally begins to see Alec for who he really is, she knows it’s time to take back control of her life.

If she waits any longer, it may be too late.

My Thoughts

Well this was definitely a daunting story, which felt like a train wreck from the beginning seeing as it started off with a scene from the final chapters. I just didn’t know how bad the journey would be to the final destination. However, it was clear that The Girl Who Fell was going to take me on a dark, twisted journey where the romance was filled with inevitable pain both physical and emotional. HARSH!

Zephyr Doyle is a field hockey player for her high school team. She’s focused and level headed, as well as, determined to take her team to the state championships. Having a solid academic and sports strategy is part of her goal to getting to Brown University when she graduates. Everything seems to be going according to plan until she meets the charming, new student who sweeps her off her feet.

At first glance, Alec seems like a catch. He’s sweet and somewhat mysterious having transferred from a different school, and when he sets his sights on Zephyr, their romance escalates quickly. That’s when the manipulation and abuse begins, and she’s oblivious to the signs until it’s too late.

Well, as far as YA contemporary novels go, The Girl Who Fell definitely falls into the dark romance category. However, you can’t ignore the relevance of the novel. The relationship depicted in this story is not uncommon and Shannon M. Parker doesn’t hold back when it comes to portraying its toxic and destructive possibilities. There are hard lessons learned when it comes to young relationships that teenage girls should be aware of.

This book is relevant and bold, and I would recommend it to a 16+ audience.

4 Snowflakes