Falling For You by Lisa Schroeder

Synopsis: Rae's always dreamed of dating a guy like Nathan. He’s nothing like her abusive stepfather—in other words, he’s sweet. But the closer they get, the more Nathan wants of her time, of her love, of her...and the less she wants to give. 

As Rae’s affection for Nathan turns to fear, she leans on her friend Leo for support. With Leo, she feels lighter, happier. And possessive Nathan becomes jealous. 

Then a tragedy lands Rae in the ICU. Now, hovering between life and death, Rae must find the light amid the darkness…and the strength to fight for life and the love she deserves

Review: Lisa Schroeder's Falling For You is an amazing story mixed with both heart-wrenching and heart-warming moments. Her characters are deep, flawed, relateable and yet real for readers. This is my first time reading Schroeder's work and I can honestly say I loved this story and I felt like the problems Rae faced with her relationship with not only her boyfriend but her mother and stepfather were spot on for many teens. One of the things I didn't entirely like was I felt at the end of the book the relationship between Nathan and Rae felt a little unresolved. I did really enjoy the subtle relationship that develops between Rae and Leo. Rae is a great character and  I loved that she used poetry as an outlet, as a poet myself it made me feel closer to her. I really felt like it gave her character more of a personality. Another thing that I really admired about Rae was her ability to stay somewhat levelheaded. Although she had a overly possessive boyfriend she still stood up for herself. She didn't let herself get steam rolled by Nathan. Overall, Falling For You is a fantastic contemporary romance/drama. I look forward to reading more from Schroeder!