**REVIEW** The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe

It starts with an itch you just can't shake. Then comes a fever and a tickle in your throat. A few days later, you'll be blabbing your secrets and chatting with strangers like they’re old friends. Three more, and the paranoid hallucinations kick in. 
And then you're dead.
When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again. But then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island community, infecting young and old alike. As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.
Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down, Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.
Because how will she go on if there isn't?
Poignant and dizzying, The Way We Fall is the heart-wrenching story of one girl's bravery and unbeatable spirit as she challenges not just her fears, but her sense of what makes life worth living.

Release Date: January 24, 2012

Published By:  Disney-Hyperion

Review Copy: Hardcover, 309 pages

*purchased 

Trailer

Review

  I was under this odd impression that this book was some form of dystopian or post apocalyptic novel.  I have no idea why really rather than the mention of the super virus that seems to kill everyone there is not a single thing that would suggest that.  Also lets face it we prefer to think that things like that wont happen now but many years from now.  The fact is though that virus mutate and become stronger all of the time.  This book hit me with a creepy reality that I have not often felt with books.  There are a few other out there that have this type of representation but fact of the matter is it's harder to digest when it is possible.

 The story itself was presented quite uniquely.  It's presented through a series of journal entries to a boy that the MC used to be best friends with.  Before everything started she was trying to fin the courage to actually speak to him and make some changes in her own life.  The only flaw I found in this was that there were times that the journal entry seemingly ended and you were reading what was unfolding with no indication that she had stopped writing.  Truth be told it really isn't that big of a deal but I found myself noticing it nd figured I would put it out there.  The other thing is it may just be me.  Rather than that I found that the story was captivating and moved at a good pace.

Kaelyn was an interesting main character.  Like many out there now she wasn't the centre of attention and only really had a few actual friends.  Her moving away from the Island then back seemed to have changed her and the way people looked at her.  For the most part she was a likeable character and really easy to read.  There were times that I honestly thought she was a bit whiny but then she would do something to rectify those thoughts.  She really showed her true colours when it came down to having to care for her cousin and she really shined just over half way through the book.  Kae grew as a character and really came to realize that maybe some of the things she thought she knew and had assumed were wrong.

  The secondary charaters in this novel were okay and for the most part felt a little one dimensional.  This is probably due to it being written from Kaelyn's perspective and in a journalistic way.  They do however have some life to them.  Basically I would like to have gotten to know the love interest a little better.  Gav comes in a bit further into the story and though you do get some information on him and a glimpse into who he really is, there is a lot left to be desired.  The relationship that develops between him and Kae though quick is believable.  Given the situation I understood how they could develope the feeling that they did and I appreciated that there was no instant I love you and I can't live with out you.

  The Lives We Lost is currently sitting on my shelf begging to be read.  Ther are certain hopes I have for it now that I get what the books are.  I want to know about the virus and if it made it to the main land.  Also what happened to Drew and what about all of the orphaned children?   There was actually a lot left unsaid and untied, so I find myself looking forward to the next installment and am kind of glad I procasinated with this one.  Not sure I would feel the same if I didn't know the next book was within reach.

  

Quotes

Everyone still seems standoffish, like they suspect the me they knew five years ago might have gotten replaced by a pod person while I was in Toronto.  I haven't managed anything other than "Hi" so far.  But hey, it's a start.

I wish people were as easy to understand as animals.  You give a dog a treat, it's happy.  You yank its tail, it's angry.  Obvious cause and effect.

And all of a sudden I was furious.  At the government for imposing the quarantine.  At Dad for not having found a cure in time.  At Mom for making us move back here.  At everyone.

I touched my mother for the first time in a week, and it made me absolutely petrified.  That's how warped my life is now.

"You're always threatening me with violence," he said, his breath warm against my ear.  "What's that all about?""You're the one teaching me  how to hit people," I pointed out."You're saying I'm a bad influence, then?" he asked.  I could feel his grin."Oh, definitely," I said.