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Kindle Price: $7.09

Official Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

“After a cyber bullying incident turns her life upside down, a handsome wheelchair rugby player shows a former mean girl that everyone deserves a second chance in this swoonworthy new novel from the author of How to Say I Love You Out Loud.

The party was at her house. The photos were posted to her Facebook account. That’s all the evidence anyone needed to condemn Nikki Baylor for a cyberbullying incident that humiliated a classmate and nearly resulted in the girl’s suicide. Now Nikki’s been expelled from her old school, her friends have abandoned her, and even her own parents can’t look her in the eye. With her plans for the future all but destroyed, Nikki resigns herself to being the girl everyone hates – almost as much as she hates herself. But then Nikki meets Pax, a spirited wheelchair rugby player who knows what it’s like when one mistake completely shatters your life. Refusing to judge her because of her past, he shows her that everyone deserves a second chance… and everyone deserves to be loved.”

My Review:

Gracious. I haven’t read a romance novel in quite a while (at least at the time I wrote this), but I’m very pleased that How to Keep Rolling After a Fall was the book I read.

Cozzo has an amazing skill in writing. In fact, and please hold your gasps, I found nothing wrong in the book. Isn’t that wild? Me, of all people, not only enjoyed the book but had no complaints.

Let’s talk about Nicole. I actually really liked Nicole. She was funny, down-to-earth, had a rather dark past that was defining her, and she had obvious flaws. I loved it. She was a realistic and enjoyable character and despite everything, I ended up rooting for her. I appreciated that she didn’t feel entitled to things and that she was always respectful, even when people weren’t being fair. There was constant growth within her throughout the book and it was obvious through her thoughts and reactions.

I adored Pax. He was hilarious and down-to-earth too and so very honest. I liked that he wasn’t the type of guy who “just needs a woman to show him what love is.” He already knew what love is and Nicole wasn’t his savior or anything, but they needed each other even still. I liked that Pax didn’t have some macho man complex. He didn’t always tell other people his insecurities, but he wasn’t afraid, although maybe uncomfortable, of saying the truth about his struggles.

The romance was stellar. It wasn’t a cliche “everyone hates me except my guy best friend and we’re now in love.” It wasn’t “our passion swirled together as we stared intensely, even though we’d just met.” It was “We are two people, and something about us is broken, and maybe there’s some love in there.” Do you know how in many romance novels, the two characters eventually break up or something because of a severe lack of communication? Pax and Nicole communicated to each other constantly and that was why their relationship (platonic or otherwise) was so strong.

The plot was amazing too. I really appreciated that Cozzo didn’t immediately tell us the entirety of the story behind the bullying. I liked that there was a bit of a mystery because while the synopsis tells you what happens, you still don’t know everything. Of course, the plot in a romance novel is specifically focused on how the two characters come together (and hopefully stay together), but Cozzo included much more. Every important character had struggles that I was able to see through Nicole and I liked that. It wasn’t “Nicole is the only one with issues,” but instead, “Everyone has issues.” I also want to mention didn’t feel as if Pax’s disabilities were just a prop to give the story extra spice and I didn’t feel that way for Nicole’s issues either. I was ecstatic to see that Cozzo didn’t have Pax and Nicole have sex as the “ultimate bonding moment for boyfriend and girlfriend.” While sex is a monumental act for a couple, I was pleased that Cozzo had them become close in other ways, such as emotionally and mentally, but still physically.

Would I Recommend How to Keep Rolling After a Fall? Yes, I most certainly would. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it and it had me squealing at some moments. I was completely captivated and I’m thankful I got to read it. The book just came out yesterday, let me know if you check it out and read it!

There is also a GIVEAWAY where you could win How to Keep Rolling After a Fall for FREE!

I received this book for free  from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.