Overall this is an entertaining story but as a reader who has spent many, many years reading mystery novels - this story is nothing new or special. I would recommend this to readers who are new to the genre. Enjoyable but predictable story line.

The synopsis alone caught my attention and I thought "what a great concept!". This was a great, easy read.

An easy quick read, but the ending seemed to be hastily concluded and that was that.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book gets your attention from the start and stays engaging all the way through. I enjoyed all the characters and the writing style of the author. The ending was a surprise to me.
I received this galley from NetGalley.

This premise was great and started well until a few timelines became confusing to me. Micah unfortunately is really annoying and it was hard to root for anyone. The ending was not well conceived and I was overall disappointed in the book after I had such high hopes for it. I won’t paste to other sites.

This one was ok. I finished it but had much higher hopes for it. The writing was good but the story line fell alittle flat form me.

The premise of this book sounded oh so good!

Ten years ago Micah’s best friend was murdered by her then boyfriend. He’s been sitting in prison since then. Now someone from their past has surfaced who firmly believes in his innocence. Can Micha delve into the past to find what really happened that night? Does she really want to uncover the truth?

But….
I had a few issues with this read:

First, the timelines. They seemed to be all over the place leaving me struggling to follow along.

Compounding the problem, I was continually confused with the characters. Not because there were so many. They just weren’t distinct enough for me to differentiate between them.

This is one of those books I should have DNF’d. But quickly, (with a bit of skimming) I made it to an ending that didn’t quite add up for me. Hmmm….

Hope this one works out better for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing

Micah Wilkes' boyfriend was convicted of killing her best friend when they are all in high school. Ten years later, there are questions about whether or not he was the actual killer. With the invention of pod casts, blogs, and citizen investigators, new evidence has come up that throws everything she knows into question. Will the questions be answered, or will things stay the same?

This book has a unique premise, in that it takes place as the narrator, Micah, is on a road trip to meet with her best friend's brother - in an effort to confront her past which has come back to haunt her in recent weeks. While on her nine-hour trip, she recounts those haunting weeks, as well as her high school days, when her boyfriend, Alex, murdered her best friend, Emily, during a party. A new website begins questioning his guilt and Micah begins experiencing strange things, which makes her both paranoid and questioning Alex's guilt. Her life is turned upside down as she spirals out of control and she turns to Emily's brother for the answers she so desperately needs.

Like I said, this premise was really different, but it works because the author uses a really forbidding atmosphere to create intense suspense. Also, Micah is presented as pretty emotionally fragile so it creates an atmosphere of wondering what the heck happened to her to make her so paranoid. I was really glued to the story as it unfolded, wondering what was going to happen next. And there were a lot of good secondary characters that rounded out the story as well. I was very impressed with the writing overall.

The ending was very good. I did not see it coming at all. But it made perfect sense - a very good twist. But it was brought about in a good way that I didn't feel it was overdone or just done for the sake of throwing a big twist in there.

The book also brings up a lot of ethical questions that I thought were interesting. I don't want to give anything away, but I thought there were some interesting dilemmas that were brought up amongst the characters. I always like a book that makes me think a little, gives me a little "what would you do in this situation?" and this book does that perfectly.

Overall, this book was a great, quick read. I really enjoyed it!

Plot:
This story's plot is interesting enough to be one of my most anticipated releases of February. When Micah was a senior in high school, her boyfriend, Alex, murdered her best friend, Emily. The spotlight brightly on him when it's discovered that Alex and Emily were having an affair, the ultimate betrayal of Micah's trust. Ten years later, Alex is sitting in prison convicted of Emily's murder. Micah is dating and living with Ryan who is Alex's ex-best friend. The pieces of Emily's life have finally started coming together as she's back in her hometown with her own bustling small business.

Things are looking up in Micah's life, that is until reminders of that dreadful night start popping up all around her. Alex's current girlfriend is determined to prove his innocence. There's even an online true crime forum where true crime junkies post all sorts of theories about what <I>really</I> happened to Emily. As Micah delves into the true crime sleuthing world, she begins to have doubts of her own. Is the man sitting in prison the one who truly belongs there?

Full review here: https://casperintherye.wordpress.com/2022/02/22/book-review-catch-her-when-she-falls/

Spoiler-free thoughts:
This story was a letdown for me. I was really hoping for something propulsive and twisty. That isn't what I got. Instead I found myself to maintain interest in the story. Our main character, Micah, is intensely unlikable. She doesn't think of anyone but herself and her actions are inexplicable. I understand that sometimes characters in thrillers do stupid things in order to progress the story, but that doesn't seem to be the case here. Instead, Micah just refuses to communicate in any kind of reasonable way with anyone around her to the point of frustration for the reader. She's beyond paranoid and has no level of introspection which makes her character feel flat and unappealing.

Beyond that, the rest of the cast of characters only exist to be someone for Micah to talk at. Even her live-in boyfriend has very few nameable qualities. Having just finished the story, I really couldn't tell you much about his character at all. For someone who seems to mostly have her life on track, Micah's devolvement into obsession and paranoia unravels so quickly that I don't think the reader gets a true sense of who she is before the repetitive obsessive episodes start occurring.

All of this would be forgivable to me if the story had a stellar conclusion. Unfortunately, the book has one of the most anticlimactic, boring endings I could imagine. After finishing the book, I could only sigh.

I can't in good faith recommend the book to lovers of thriller/mysteries although there are redeeming qualities that some readers might find enjoyable. The plot itself is interesting and seemed like it would be right up my alley. I love the idea of a girl's boyfriend murdering her best friend only to find out that the two had been having an affair. I mean, that's explosive drama that piqued my interest in the first place.

The writing itself is decent as well. There aren't any parts of the book that are unclear and there are even some clever thoughts and ideas. At one point, Micah discovers something in house during the height of her paranoia and there is that true thriller moment of, "Omg what is happening here?" I know all thriller readers love that moment.

It was just too little for me, but I hope other readers have a better experience if they dive into this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and RandomHouse for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting Story That Could Have Been Better Told. IF you complete this tale, you'll get one that is ultimately an interesting story more of descent into paranoia than of uncovering the truth of a murder, one where the author chooses an ending that is less conventional and therefore more interesting. IF. The singular biggest problem with this tale is that the way it is told makes it Just. So. BORING. As in, even I caught myself falling asleep to it as quickly at times as if I was trying to read a Chemistry textbook. As in, this could rival the first three chapters of The Great Gatsby for most boring tale ever told. But again, IF you can survive the boring manner in which the story is told, it is quite interesting. Fans of other hyper-boring yet massively successful books like The Road by Cormac MCCarthy may be better suited to this book than I was. Recommended.

The story was good, but what really stood out to me was the author’s writing. I loved how each chapter started in present day, but then seamlessly transitioned to a flashback so that there is a slow build up to the reason Micah is driving away from her hometown. This cannot be an easy style to write, and I am very excited to add Allison Buccola to my list of must read authors. The beginning of the book felt more like a story just being told, but it really started becoming suspenseful about halfway through when Micah starts to question the night her best friend was murdered by her boyfriend. Though the ending was a little anticlimactic, overall, this is a must read book and I will be recommending it those I know.

Thank you to the author, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #CatchHerWhenSheFalls #NetGalley

Catch Her When She Falls by Allison Buccola is a 2022 Random House publication.

In her senior year of high school, Micah’s best friend was murdered by her boyfriend. As it turns out, the two of them were seeing each other behind Micah’s back. Now, years later, Micah returned to her hometown and opened a coffee shop. But when she starts receiving strange text messages, it reopens old wounds and sends Micah on a long strange trip to prove her former boyfriend was indeed guilty of murder. But as she digs further into the events of the past, doubts start to emerge, making her rethink everything she thought she knew…

This story is an easy read, and strangely absorbing. There is a need to suspend belief, but I was entertained enough to give it the benefit of the doubt...

Until I got to the end.

I couldn’t believe I got all that way, just to have it end that way. It wasn't plausible in the least and the response to all those revelations didn’t ring true either.

Overall- unsatisfactory.

2 stars

I was excited to read this and was so happy when I got an ARC. Unfortunately the main character was so annoying I could barely finish the story. She seemed like she whined a lot and just made the story unreadable. It was not nearly as suspenseful as I had hoped and the ending was kind of a let down.

I don't know if I've read too many thrillers, or if they're being marketed incorrectly, or if this just wasn't a good one. But for something called a "thriller" this was pretty boring. It was definitely more of a slow burn, which isn't what I'm looking for when I pick up a thriller. I want a fast pace, edge of your seat, can't put down read, which isn't this. Maybe if I had gone in with different expectations I would have liked it more. This felt much more true crime, so if you like that, go into it with that in mind. The ending was pretty unsatisfying, another thing I need in a thriller. Maybe a sequel is on its way?

In this enjoyable debut mystery/thriller, main character Micah was a senior in high school when her best friend Emily was killed and Micah’s boyfriend was convicted of murder. But ten years later, things start happening which make Micah start questioning everything.

This book is structured in an interesting way - it’s told as Micah drives to go see Emily’s younger brother, and much of the story is addressed to “ you,” sort of like she is narrating it to him as she drives, but only in her head. There are then flashbacks both to the events of the previous month as we learn what has led her to this drive to see him, and to the events of ten years ago both before and after Emily’s death. This book definitely kept me guessing as I read and my suspicions flew all over the place, and ended up surprisingly but believably.

I’d say this book has a similar feel to Megan Miranda’s writing, so if you enjoy her books, you’d probably enjoy this as well.

Ten years ago, Micah Wilkes' boyfriend was convicted of murdering her best friend Emily. She has since moved on, but now a true-crime blog and internet forum brings up possibilities she never thought of before. While Micah had told the truth, there are other people that the internet doubts. Micah now delves into the case, looking at her memories of that fateful night. What does she really know about it, and will she be the next to disappear?

The story is told in second-person perspective, which is really hard to pull off. This is done by having Micah telling the story to Joshua as she drives, addressing him as "you." I still found it hard to get into the story, especially with the present and past weaving in and out. It's not how the story was told that got to me, more like I didn't feel attached to anyone at all, so it didn't matter to me emotionally that Emily died. I know that sounds bad, but she was cheating with Alex for months before her death, and that's a squick I have. I didn't like the characters, either. Micah is single-minded in her pursuit of what happened in the past once she sees the online forum, and it brings out the worst in her.

The actual mystery of Emily's death is cleverly told, and the final reveal is heartbreaking. I couldn't put the book down, as much as I didn't like anyone in it, much like watching a trainwreck or massive pileup on an interstate. This is a fascinating read, and sad on so many levels.

Catch Her When She Falls by Allison Buccola is a interesting thriller. Micah Wilkes boyfriend killed her best friend 10 years ago and although she thought she had moved past it, things start popping up and new versions of the story come to light. She left her hometown for awhile but decides to head back, to start over again. She opens a popular coffee shop, has a boyfriend and things are looking good. But reminders of the murder and that time of her life keep showing up everywhere.. in her apartment, at the coffee shop and her car. She can’t imagine who is doing this but thinks she has an idea. She is so unsettled, she starts looking back into the murder. Maybe her boyfriend didn’t murder her friend. How come everyone in the town feels like they could be guilty? How could such a small town hold such large secrets? Micha can not seem to find any peace and looking into this crime, turns to being obsessed with it. Her whole world starts to unravel, the more she digs… This was a good story but it was such a slow read for me. I think it just had to many details.. I liked the premise, it just wasn’t my typical Thriller.. I want to thank Netgalley for my copy for an honest review.. It was a 3 star read for me.. It was just missing something.. Let me know your thoughts?

3 for neutral. Unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me. I tried to finish, but just struggled to even get through a couple chapters. Tried a few times, but wasn’t able to get through it. Will update, it able to finish at a later date,

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.