It's All in How You Fall

I bought this book after devouring Sarah Henning's first YA Contemporary book Throw Like a Girl, especially after she told me on social media that this book was set in the same universe with some of the same characters (not a sequel, but close!). I quickly bought IAIHYF and read it within a few days too. It was just as good as TLAG, and the characters were also very endearing and adorable, while also being believable. Although I'm a 28 year old woman, these books remind me of my time as a high school athlete, playing sports amongst boys, with the pressures of the sport, buildup of liking someone, sexual tension, worries of friendship, how it would affect family and other relationships, etc. Sarah Henning writes very well about the sports and the interactions between the characters. Just a very enjoyable read and she has gotten me addicted to this genre now! I don't want to rush her but I hope she keeps writing more LOL :-)

I chose this rating because when you start this book, you don't want to put it down! It's honestly just an amazing And well written book. I loved the plot and the romance in this book. Honestly, I didn't find anything I disliked in this book. Definitely recommend for teenagers. Im 14, and I just really love this. Just trust me, get the book. You won't regret it 🫶

Captures all the teen drama of will they won’t they and leaves you wanting to learn more about the side characters once the main characters get their HEA.

Henning is such a fun and talented writer! I’ve loved all her fantasy novels, and the sportiness of this one is no exception, even for an athletic simpleton like me (; (I really liked learning more about all of these fields!)The characters are unique and likable. The theme of the title and the difficulty of losing a dream are as realistic as the Ice Castle–esque struggles that are outlined, Caroline and Alex’s budding romance, and the challenge Caroline faces of trying to break the habit of doubting and belittling herself.I’m glad Caroline stood up to Coach Bev—maybe she wasn’t totally incorrect in everything she was saying, but she just went about her feelings so rudely! I thought that Nat and his sibling relationship with Caroline was hilarious. And—most importantly—I really liked Alex! He was a good person and good match for Caroline. And I totally took notice of how even the weather matched their relationship ups and downs, haha.My favorite quotes:“…Being self-effacing…makes those who love you feel like [crap.]”“I know I could just toss everything to the wind and ask him. I could. But we all know how [crappy] I am at hand-to-ball coordination — I’d probably take off Alex’s very handsome head with my forty-five-pound bag of emotional confusion.”I’m glad that Caroline found a new passion to try and explore in order to heal and get excited again! My heart also went out to Henning, reading about her autobiographical influence in the acknowledgments.Very satisfying happy ending, and I continue to look forward to reading more from her!

IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU FALL is a cute YA contemporary romance. Caroline is an elite gymnast, and she has the persistence and skills to go the distance. However, her back may have other plans. Although she is only 15, a severe back injury reveals that she cannot do the gymnastic moves she needs to succeed, and the doctors, including her father, are telling her she needs to retire - at only 15. Caroline is bereft, and after one particularly discouraging evening with her brother, her brother's friend, Alex, offers to help her try out other sports, with one a week for the summer, so she can find something else to love and excel at - that won't further damage her back.Caroline reluctantly accepts this kindness, and she wants to do something in return, like setting him up with her friend, Sunny, on whom he had a crush a couple years before. As they spend time together, Caroline begins to realize something about herself that she didn't know before - she really likes Alex. However, she wants him to have his heart's desire, even if it's Sunny. Fate may have other plans.What I loved: This was such a cute and sweet read about kindness, generosity, finding your place, bouncing back, and healing. Caroline and Alex were ridiculously adorable together, and it was impossible not to cheer for them from the start. The book is told from Caroline's perspective, and she is a compelling character. Her life is changing forever, and she has a lot of healing to do (mentally and physically) as well as to find something new to put her passion into. At only 15, she doesn't quite yet know what she wants or a lot about herself, but this ends up being a summer of self-discovery, including realizing how she feels about Alex, and her family.Alex was really incredible, and I loved learning more about his character as Caroline does. He is really so fantastic, and it was easy to cheer for him and his all-sports star status. Other secondary characters were really great too, including Nat, who mostly seems like an obnoxious brother until we get to see more sides to him. He really became someone that was easy for the reader to love. Similarly, Caroline's dad and friends were full of fun and brought plenty of sweet moments.What left me wanting more: As a small thing, the beginning took a while to get going, and the pace felt a bit slow in places. I still was fully onboard by the end, but it took a bit more time than usual to read because of the early pace.Final verdict: A sweet summery read, IT'S ALL IN HOW YOU FALL is a cute and charming YA contemporary romance.Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book was adorable! I couldn’t put it down. From the accurate cover art I knew the gymnastics was going to be good. The gymnastics was explained accurately and in a way that was easy to understand. The storyline was cute and I will definitely reread it.

It got a bit damaged during shipping, otherwise good product.