Layered, complex, honest, real.

A wonderful YA novel from Eunice Chan, This Side of Falling follows Nina between the past and present after her “complicated” almost boyfriend jumps in front of a train.

Nina, expected by her family to be perfect - in the footsteps of her older sister - struggles with her grief, her relationships and what she wants music to be in her life. Her family struggles with what not succeeding means to a perfect on the outside life.

I devoured this book over a couple of days, and whilst the ending does feel rushed it’s a brilliant read and one I won’t hesitate in recommending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Soho Press (Soho Teen) for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows the story of Nina, a high school senior who loves violin who's life changes forever at the death of her boyfriend, Ethan. It also explores Nina's relationships with the members of her strict family, and what she chooses for her future.

I really enjoyed reading this book; I think it was paced really well and kept a nice balance of switching between the past and present. I hated seeing Nina go through such a sad time in her life, especially with problems with her family at home, so it was heartwarming to see her recover from these things throughout the book. She was a really likeable character that made me sympathise with her and become very invested in her story. I also liked how the author gave her an important relationship with music, and I think she described Nina's feelings while performing perfectly.

One thing I didn't love was that the ending seemed quite rushed to me: there were a lot of things that were revealed near the end that really could have been explored more to make the story feel more resolved, and instead, everything wrapped up quite fast and it didn't feel like a satisfying conclusion.

Overall, this book is a really good YA contemporary novel, and explores a lot of important themes with a story that flows really well.

A multilayered YA with complex themes, many of them quite dark and tragic. A snapshot in time of grief weaved with mystery as Nina wonders how much she really knew Ethan, her mysterious friend-but-more-than-friend. I enjoyed the subtle back and forth with past and present, which flowed rather than was jarring.

Wonderful, authoritative writing, leaving me excited for more Eunice Chan books! I read this in just under two days and the pace and plot was constantly intriguing. A really solid, heartfelt, and thought-provoking YA