NICOLE'S REVIEW: No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

Title: No Place to Fall

Author: Jaye Robin Brown

Format Acquired: eARC/Hardcover

Publication Date: December 9 2014

Publishing House:  Harper Teen

ISBN: 9780062270993

Source of Copy: Edelweiss/Purchased from Fully Booked

Summary: 

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, takes care of her baby nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend, Devon's house.

But when Amber learns about an audition at a prestigious arts school, she decides that her dream - to sing on bigger stages - could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon's older brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out. The more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes...and Amber starts to wonders if she's such a good girl after all.

Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family's world - and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between "good" and "bad" there's a whole world of possibilities.

        (Image and information courtesy of Goodreads; Summary lifted from actual book)

Review: 

Nothing screams good girl like singing church solos, babysitting your nephew and staying out of trouble. At least that's what Amber's definition of good is supposed to be. Good girl Amber also has a dream to sing on bigger stages and become a superstar. When auditions for an art school are dangled in front of her face she grabs at this chance to a new life. But in the span of a few bad decisions, Amber's whole world comes crashing down and she's torn between the good, the bad and everything in between.

I am not a fan of Amber. She's the supposed good girl - singing in church, hanging with friends, doesn't get into any trouble. But then from the get-go she was portrayed as sort of a party girl. She hangs out with hikers in the hopes of getting hot and heavy with one - because no regrets and they're out of town, who's going to spill her secrets right - smoking weed, doing drugs. She came off as a hypocrite and that didn't endear her much to me. The secondary characters weren't any better. 

I did not like the plot. It was confusing and messy and I didn't really feel like the story was going anywhere. Amber also makes a lot of stupid decisions that puts people she cares about into trouble. It's incredibly annoying. I wasn't a fan of all the cheating too. It happened again and again and again which made it incredibly hard to finish the book because it was just so...stupid! Add to that the endless stream of pointless drama and I had to resist banging my head up against a wall. 

Time and time again we hear about how Amber is such an amazing singer and she is always put on the spot. You know, I got it. She's a great singer. So? Doesn't mean I'll like her any more what with the incredibly asinine choices she's made and, because I'm petty, the overalls she always sports. Her signature, psh. Sure.

All in all, No Place to Fall just wasn't for me. The plot is incredibly slow and nothing really happens throughout the whole book. The whole incident that would supposedly change her family's life was rather anticlimactic and boring. The cheating was a definite downer and Amber is a huge hypocrite. 

Rating: