No Place to Fall by Jaye Robin Brown

No Place to Fall, by Jaye Robin Brown
Publication: December 9, 2014, by HarperTeen
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover
Source: Purchased
Rating: 

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.
When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder 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 “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.

This was a real special read. I find that most people are unable to discover something so unique and diverse compared to the regular usual concepts that everyone's used to in a contemporary-romance, but this book had it all.  No Place to Fall was something that I had touched upon in at one sitting, falling in love with Brown's words and that every YA reader will have to read.

"I've never even heard him play, but I know, from the sound of his voice, from the look in his eyes, that the guitar is the thing that keeps him together. My instrument is part of me, and I'll never lose it. Nobody can sell it out from under me."

Amber doesn't realize the talent that she has. She feels that her singing skills are just a hobby, something she can rarely sing around the campfire with her friends. This is something deeper and perhaps enjoyable for her than what the average person feels. When she learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides to fulfill her dreams and do it. Her best friend's, Devon's older brother, Will helps Amber prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be at ease and relive everything the way a peaceful way would be recognized. And then... tragedy strikes.

I just can't believe that that happened. I never saw it coming, and Brown just made this into a mystery that's contemporary and life changing, adding romance. I guess the image of friendship and people always being there for each other is always present, and this formed this novel, into a climax and a plot with gorgeousness and beauty. 

The story was perfect. Everything about it was amazing. I can't really explain to you the feeling of reliving a situation that many people have actually went through, but it is something magical. It was the perfect summer novel to read by the beach, or to dream about at night, though you don't want THAT EVENT to happen to you, because that definitely shattered the family and Amber herself... into someone unbelievable.

"That's not my dream. It's not my music. No matter how bad I want an audience."

You see, Amber has big dreams. I admire the fact that she does, but I DON'T LIKE HER. *rips hair, not literally* She's strange, absurd, and I don't know... snobby? I found that Brown made her someone who's willing to gear herself into reaching for her goals, but not doing anything about it. Yeah, she was reckless and crazy when not at the right moments, but that wasn't what upset me the most. The way she acted towards Will, playing hard-to-get didn't work for her. I felt like face-palming myself over and over again, begging for AMAZINGNESS.

With a gorgeous premise, some tension between the characters, and a memorable set of male characters, Brown is a fantastic author who's novels I will surely keep my eye onto... wanting to sneak some awesome characters into.