The Upside of Falling

Book Name

The Upside of Falling (originally a wattpad story)

Author

Alex Light

Book Plot

Becca Hart loves romance. But only if it exists in books. Real-life romance? Definitely not her thing. But when her former best friend starts teasing her about not having a boyfriend, Becca hastily lies that she does have one. And when Brett Wells, the hottest and most liked guy in school steps in to be her ‘boyfriend’, Becca is in shock. On Brett’s side, being one of the most popular guys in school and not having had a girlfriend before is rough. So when he hears Becca’s lie, he decides to step in. That way, both their problems get fixed. But when the lines begin to blur between fake and real, Becca and Brett must ask themself – can this fake relationship possibly turn into something more? Find out by reading the book!

Age Rating

14+

This book is a romance book, so younger readers shouldn’t be exposed to it. While the physical part of the romance isn’t much (read below), the ideas of it are strongly enough expressed that young readers may not feel comfortable, or they may get exposed to something they shouldn’t too early. As mentioned before, the book revolves around a romance between two high schoolers, and readers below the age of 14 may not be mature enough to understand this. There are some sensitive topics in there, such as an affair, and a father leaving a child, both of which smaller children may find scary. One child also punches his father, which may negatively influence smaller readers. Overall, readers above the age of 14 would be better suited to read this book.

Good Messages

8/10

There are a lot of good messages in this book. Some of them include the importance of having good friends (seen through Brett and Becca’s friendship and how they are there to support each other), the importance of reading (seen through how books get Becca through everything, and this is an important message in today’s digital world), the importance of letting go (seen through how Beeca feels better after she lets go of her past), and more.

Violence

1/10

The only scene of violence in this book is when one character punches his father, and there is a slight description of what his injuries look like, including blood descriptions.

Language

Usage: 2/10

Intensity: 8/10

There is some, but little bad language in this book. The words used include the f-word, ‘sh*t’, and other light words. However, they are used very less throughout the story.

Romance

8/10

This is a romance book, so there is bound to be a lot of romance in it. Between Becca and Brett, romantic feelings slowly grow, and they kiss a few times, once passionately. Becca and Brett pretend to be dating at one point in order to fit in with a lie they told at school. The reason the rating is so much is that these topics, though few, come up very frequently during the story.

Adult Topics

There are very few adult topics in this book. In one part of the story, two characters get very intimate with each other and undress while in bed. One character’s father has an affair, and another character’s parent has had a divorce because the father left their family. When Brett and Becca go to a party, they accidentally come across people having sex.

Tvix’s Take

Holy MOLY. This book was…. spectacular. The plot was very similar to the book ‘To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before’ by Jenny Han, but I have to say, I liked this one a lot more. The subtle way Becca and Brett’s romance grew was amazing. I absolutely adored it. The small mix-ins of drama were also great. They kept the story from just being a sappy romantic one. Overall, the book was so, so, SO great, and this is definitely on my go-to reading list for when I’m in the mood for something light and romantic!