Title: The Year We Fell Down
Series: The Ivy Years, Book 1
Author: Sarina Bowen
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Sensuality Rating: Steamy
Source: library
Published: March 24, 2014 by Rennie Road Books
The sport she loves is out of reach. The boy she loves has someone else.Reviewed By: BabsWhat now?
She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.
Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.
Also, he’s taken.
Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.
They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.
But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.
In a Nutshell: I read this in one evening. I haven’t read a lot of New Adult romance. This is a really great story, awesome writing. It really drew me in.
Why I Read This Book: I read good things about this story on Twitter.
What I Liked: I’m not sure if this is a typical New Adult but I didn’t think the story was too angsty as far as the relationship between Corey and Hartley. (I’ve heard NA is pretty angst-filled.) And it easily could have been especially with what Corey was going through. Between Corey and Hartley there’s some longing glances and silent suffering but I thought it was bearable and not overdone.
I really enjoyed the evolution of Corey and Harley’s relationship. I found it very believable they would connect the way they did over their situations and their love of sports.
I initially thought Hartley was a bit shallow. I think the author did a good job explaining why and redeeming him.
What I Didn’t Like: I’m conflicted about how quickly Hartley went from his girlfriend to Corey. Even though the story was building up to it (hello—romance needs a happy ending!), the switch over from the girlfriend to Corey was quick. Corey was the better choice of course but that was still a quick change in my opinion.
Overall Impression: The Year We Fell Down is a great story! I highly recommend it. Books 2, 2.5, and 3 in the series are available now and I plan to check them out. I also recommend The Hook Up by Kristen Callihan, another New Adult romance set in college. This is another great love story with well-developed characters. And it’s the beginning of a new series by the Darkest London author.
Bab’s Rating:
I love this series. The next one, The Year We Hid Away is my favorite. It's pretty angsty, but I loved it because the hero and heroine support each other instead of pulling away from each other and it never felt over the top like so many NA romances do.
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