Book Review: The Fall Up by Aly Martinez

From Goodreads

I wanted to jump.
He made me fall.

As a celebrity, I lived in the public eye, but somewhere along the way, I’d lost myself in the spotlight.

Until he found me.

Sam Rivers was a gorgeous, tattooed stranger who saved my life with nothing more than a simple conversation.

But we were both standing on that bridge for a reason the night we met. The secrets of our pasts brought us together—and then tore us apart.

Could we find a reason to hold on as life constantly pulled us down?

Or maybe there’s only one direction to go when two people fall in love at rock bottom—up. 

My Review

4.5 Falling... Stars!

My career was soaring while, personally, I was plummeting. Every single day felt like a terrifying free fall in no particular direction. I was stuck in the middle with no way up - or down. 

Levee Williams is a world famous pop star that has it all... at first glance. She's constantly in the spotlight, and between spending all her possible free time in the pediatric cancer ward brining smiles to sick kids' faces, grieving for the sister she lost to the same disease as a child, and pasting on a smile for the world to see, she's run herself into the ground. 

Every night for the past several days, she's found herself on a San Francisco bridge...contemplating. 

Enter Sam Waters.  Gorgeous, tattooed, and chain smoking, he's on that bridge to remember. When he catches a glimpse at the beautiful woman hiding behind oversized glasses and a wig, clinging to the railing, those memories are dredged up. Hoping to step in and prevent what he couldn't before, he starts talking to her, drawing her attention away from the water below. 

With that simple act, a bond starts to form between the raw characters that was so beautiful it made me tear up on more than one occasion. The couple has a long journey ahead of them, and we get a front row seat to everything between them.

I had absolutely no business trying to pursue something with her. We came from different worlds - and only part of that had anything to do with her being famous. Hell, that was the easy part. We were both so filled with pain. Only she was determined to escape it, while I physically ached to stop her. We'd be a fucking train wreck together. 

I adored this one! Aly Martinez is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled to get an ARC of one of my most anticipated releases of the year. The woman can do no wrong in my eyes! Her stories are captivating, emotional, hilarious, fresh, and gorgeously romantic. The Fall Up was no exception! 

This story was gorgeous. Completely, utterly gorgeous. I was pleasantly shocked at how the subject of running yourself so ragged and becoming depressed was handled! It wasn't overly dramatic. It wasn't selfish. It wasn't an angst-fest. It was funny, romantic, honest, swoon-worthy, and so realistic! 

The characters were so vivid! Each and every one, from Sam and Levee to the side characters, felt like tangible people that would come alive from the pages. This is Martinez's specialty, and I love it.

I was falling fast for that man, and I could only hope I was taking him with me. 

Levee was such an enjoyable heroine! She was so down to earth, funny, and just a genuinely good person. She wasn't the vapid pop princess you'd expect from that line of work, which I really appreciated. I was surprised at how much I could empathize with what she was going through; Martinez did a fantastic job of showcasing what happens when you help others without helping yourself. The circumstance as it was written felt like it could happen to anything, and it made Levee even more relatable.

"I'm not perfect, and I'd like to pretend you aren't, either."

Sam....!!! God, I loved him. He was the perfect hero in that he wasn't perfect, and he didn't think he was. He was so sweet, funny, humble, and honest. He, like Levee, was such a good person, with an enormous heart. The level of love and tenderness he had for Levee was gorgeous, of course, but he cared for everyone in his life with such dedication. He was an admirable character, and a fresh take on heroes that completely bypassed the asshole alpha trend. The world needs more men like Sam Waters. 

"That bitch!"
"She's nice enough, just -"
"Nice enough? I'm gonna put a hit out on her!"
"Okay, hold on there, Tony Soprano. No one's putting a hit on anyone." I paused. "Just to be clear, you don't have those kind of connections, do you?"
"No, but I have money! I'm sure I can buy some connections."

The chemistry and connection between Sam and Levee blew me away! They were broken, fragmented people that somehow still fit together perfectly. In any other story by any other author, their connection would have been insta-love. Not here, though. The way the met was so intense and so raw that it was no wonder they formed such a connection from it.

"From the moment I first met you, you made the world lighter. You didn't even know you were doing it at first. But just knowing you would be on that bridge every night soothed the madness that was ricocheting around inside my head. You made me laugh, and you made me feel special. The relief I felt in your arms made the craziness manageable. You were never a distraction to me, Sam. You were always my reprieve."

Their sex scenes were smoldering, and I laughed out loud on more than one occasion at their banter! They were hilarious together, and once again, so real.

"Your dick's pierced." 

"I...fuck...ugh. Is it? I thought they all looked like that."

The story was told in alternating perspectives, and it was so fun to see both their points of view. They had distinctive voices I could differentiate just on tone, without having to even read which was talking. 

The secondary characters were just as funny and enjoyable as Sam and Levee! I really hope Sam and Levee's best friends get their own novels. 

"Just make sure she keeps her mouth shut, yeah? Levee and I aren't telling people we're together yet."

"No problem. I had her sign a nondisclosure agreement."

"Who the fuck are you? Christian Grey?"

"Who the fuck are you? A post-menopausal woman? Why do you know anything about Christian Grey?"

There wasn't any sort of big reveal or anything, which I enjoyed. It was their story, no lies and no pretenses. So refreshing!

There was a point around 80% where I had expected the story to end on an all too prefect happily ever after, but it didn't. It went on to show that life isn't that easy or that perfect, and I was so thrilled to see that. We did get a very adorable, very happily ever after, but only after some very hard work from both of them. It was such a satisfying ending, too!

Levee and I were in love - there was no doubt about that. But we were still getting to know each other on so many levels. 

Not our bodies, though. They were sexual soul mates. 

Despite the very heavy subject matter, this was a beautiful, hilarious romance that perfectly balanced the happy and light with the serious. I loved it, and it resides on my all time favorites shelf!

"At the end of the day, you have to be the one to want to live. All I can do is be at your side while you do it."

Overall, The Fall Up was a beautiful, swoon worthy romance between relatable people. It sucked me in from page one, and I finished it in a day and a half. It was one of those books that just leaves you with a smile and a content feeling. Highly recommend! If you're new to the author, this is a great place to start.

Stats:

Rating: 4.5 stars

Genre: New adult, contemporary romance 

Series: Standalone

POV: 1st person, dual perspective

Steam/sexual content: Deliciously steamy, explicit sex

Warnings: Sex, swearing

Cliffhanger: No

HEA: YES!

On My Goodreads Shelves: 2015 releases, 4.5 Stars, ARCs, A Slut For Smut, Book Boyfriends, Enjoyed, Favorites, Forget Boyfriend I'd Marry Him, I Ship Them So Hard, Steamy, Sweet Romance

Length: 260 pages

Published: October 26th, 2015

ARC to Review

Goodreads

- The Bibliophile Babe