Falling for Hadie (With Me #2)
by Komal Kant
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: Komal Kant
Publication date: March 7th 2013
Source: copy from author
Author's website | GoodReads

Running away from his old life in New York City, Lincoln Bracks ends up in the small town of Statlen, Iowa. He isn't interested in making friends or getting to know anyone. He just wants to keep his head down and disappear amongst the crowd. That was the plan anyway, until he meets Hadie Swinton.

Nursing a broken heart and the realization that the boy she’s loved her entire life isn't Prince Charming, Hadie is set against ever falling for the same type of guy again. But when new boy, Lincoln, arrives in town, she discovers that this is easier said than done.

Hadie assumes that Lincoln is a typical arrogant jock—he is good-looking, confident and charming—but when he doesn't do anything she expects him to, she is intrigued by him against her better judgment. There is definitely more to Lincoln then just a pretty face, but Lincoln is hiding something that he doesn't want anybody to discover because when they do, they will never look at him the same again.

Falling in love was the last thing Lincoln wanted to do, so how will he convince himself to fall out of it?

Falling for Hadie is probably one of the most beautiful and saddest books that I have ever read. I was a bit wary about reading it when I first read the summary because it sounded just like every other contemporary book out there. It seemed like that at first; the first few chapters were peppered with a lot of clichés, like Hadie's man-hating tendencies and Lincoln's 'I like her, but I should stay away' monologues. I was this close to marking this book as 'did not finish', but i'm really really glad that I gave it a chance.

There are so many things I want to say about Falling for Hadie but I’m so afraid I might not be able to give it justice. This book made my heart ache and my eyes burn with tears. There was just so much emotion in every page that it was so hard not to feel them. The initial peeves I had about the book disappeared as I devoured page after page and I slowly understood the reasons behind the clichés. This isn't your typical Young Adult/New Adult contemporary at all.

I found myself so emotionally invested in Lincoln and Hadie because they were so real. I adored Hadie's authenticity and cheered deep inside when she shed her prejudice towards Lincoln. This girl has been through a lot and continues to go through a lot as the story progressed, but she dealt with it with so much strength and courage. Lincoln is my favorite character; he was so unbelievably sweet and thoughtful and charming and funny and witty and strong and perfect, but still incredibly genuine. The relationship these two had was so pure and made me giggly all over, but the thing I loved most about their relationship was that they understood each other and gave each other strength against all odds.

I have to applaud Komal for writing so many stories within a story without moving too far away from the main plot. Hadie's and Lincoln's past were well established and I understood who they were before they met. The supporting characters weren't left behind and Komal paved the way for their own books. I liked how we clearly see the contrasts between Hadie's family and Lincoln's parents, and how judgemental and hungry for attention people can get. Komal Kant certainly has a gift for breathing authenticity into all of her characters in all kinds of situations.

The plot was painfully slow at first but thankfully evened-out in the middle. I enjoyed reading the two main characters' points of view and they really gave each character a clear voice that echoed their inner thoughts. I wasn't a fan of how the school was depicted in the book because almost the entire student body was against Hadie and Lincoln and I just found that hard to believe. There were also events that were a tad bit too melodramatic, but not to the point that they made me gag.

While I was reading the book, I was constantly begging Lincoln to tell me his secret reason why he wouldn't let himself fall for Hadie. A lot of things were revolving around this big secret of his, like why he didn't want to form any relationships and why his parents and sister were so cold towards him. When Lincoln finally told, I was completely dumbfounded; I didn't see it coming at all and it definitely wasn't in my list of speculations but everything suddenly made sense and I slowly turned into a waterfall.

I don't want to spoil anything and I won't tell you Lincoln's secret- you'll have to read the book to find out. But I will tell you this: sometimes a book will leave a mark on you; not only because it made you cry a waterfall of tears and made you laugh until you couldn't breathe, but because you felt something while you were reading it and that feeling will never leave you-ever. Falling for Hadie isn't a book about heartache and sadness, it is a book about living and loving and everything in between and it has taught me so much about life and gave me the second most beautiful epilogue that I have ever read.

Komal, you have broken my heart into tiny little pieces. And for that I will love you and your books forever. Falling for Hadie has touched me in ways I never thought it could and this just proves how powerful a book can be. This wonderful and emotionally gripping novel filled with life, love, courage, and unwavering hope is something that everyone should fall in love with.

THE NUB AND GIST: 5 STARS

P.S. The most beautiful epilogue that I have ever read was for Deathly Hallows
P.P.S. The making of this review once again brought waterworks
P.P.P.S. Falling for Hadie is book 2 in the With Me series, but works well as a standalone. I should know; I haven't read the first book.

Buy the book: Amazon | Amazon ( kindle copy)