Falling For You – A Second Chance Story

Great Scott!!! I’ve wrestled with this book. Not because I didn’t like it. Not because it wasn’t well written. I mean really; does Becky Wade ever write a bad book? My problem was I kept comparing it to True to You, which I think had two of the most lovable characters ever in a book - Nora Bradford and John Lawson (another book boyfriend). But in the end, I decided it was a five-star story because the beauty of the last half and the overall messages I found in it completely swayed me. For example:

• It’s really hard if you’re a true Christian to participate in a sinful activity and not feel the prick of the Holy Spirit. It’s going to be there and at some point you have to decide to stop, repent, and accept God’s forgiveness.
• Sometimes it’s hard to accept God’s forgiveness. We know what the Bible tells us about how God doesn’t remember our sins once we confess them, but we can carry around a crushing amount of guilt if we fail to accept this truth.
• People are going to hurt us. Sometimes very badly. And while it can affect our trust and faith in them, ultimately, we must forgive those who hurt us and seek reconciliation whenever we can.
• Love often means making sacrifices, and letting go of someone may be the hardest thing we ever do. But letting go is perhaps the most selfless act we ever do. This illustration in the book literally made me cry.

Falling for You focuses on super model Willow Bradford, who is beautiful inside and out. I could identify with her because her guilt over past actions when she'd drifted from her faith felt very realistic and familiar. She was good hearted. Her interactions with her sisters and twelve-year-old amateur sleuth Charlotte made her especially likeable.

However, the hero was a different story. For almost half of the book, I didn’t like Corbin Stewart, Willow’s former boyfriend and retired NFL quarterback. He was cocky, arrogant, and basically a jerk. Thankfully, at the midpoint his likable traits started to shine and his love for his dad, adorable Charlotte, and of course Willow melted my heart. The scenes with his dad are absolutely beautiful. And, then of course, his pursuit of Willow made it impossible not feel all swoony and release heavy sighs. Who could be impervious to a quote like this: “I want one more chance with you”? 

 

Another positive was catching up with Nora who was the main focus of the first book, and getting the setup for Britt’s story, which will be the final book in the series.  

 

Becky Wade makes her Christian beliefs known, so any non-Christian reader should bear that in mind. I like this about her books and I don’t think she’s ever preachy, but some people seem unable to connect the dots that if a person is a Christian author they are probably going to talk about God and Jesus.

 

I think you could read Falling For You first and not be lost; however, I think you learn things about the sisters and their family if you read the books in order, which is Then Came You, True to You, and finally Falling for You. All are outstanding.

 

Falling for You is a clean, sweet story I would read again.