For Clementine Haas, finding herself is more than a nice idea. Ever since she woke up in an Irish hospital with complete amnesia, self-discovery has become her mission.They tell her she’s the lone survivor of a plane crash. They tell her she’s lucky to be alive. But she doesn’t feel lucky. She feels…lost.With the relentless Irish press bearing down on her, and a father she may not even recognize … not even recognize on his way from America to take her home, Clementine assumes a new identity and enlists a blue-eyed Irish stranger, Kieran O’Connell, to help her escape her forgotten life…and start a new one.
Hiding out in the sleepy town of Waterville, Ireland, Clementine discovers there’s an upside to a life that’s fallen apart. But as her lies grow, so does her affection for Kieran, and the truth about her identity becomes harder and harder to reveal, forcing Clementine to decide: Can she leave her past behind for a new love she’ll never forget?
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What a fantastic and original story! I especially love that it took place in Ireland (I want to go there so bad). I loved seeing the main character piecing her life together bit by bit. It was great!
Try and imagine that you were the sole survivor in an airplane crash. You wake up in a hospital have have no idea what happened, what your name is or anything else for that matter. Pretty darned scary! A male nurse takes Clementine under his wing and tries to help her regain her memory. It isn’t working and she is tired of being stuck in the hospital. She meets a guy out on the grounds of the hospital and convinces him to take her with him for only a little while. He ultimately agrees and takes her to a little town in Ireland where he lives. Clementine makes up an identity for herself and tells him her name is Sarah.
Of course she starts to fall for him–but he holds back. His pregnant sister really is mean to Sarah-but her boss befriends her.
There is a very happy ending to all this and Clementine finally meets up with her Dad who has been trying to find her–or has he?
This is a clean, heart warming book which could be read by teens and maybe even tweens. As an adult I am very glad I read it!!
“What is the point of cheating death if a life doesn’t exist when you wake up?”
I loved Rebekah Crane’s The Odds of Loving Grover Cleveland, so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed this one just as much. Rebekah has such a knack for making you fall in love with even the most unconventional of characters. Her ability to mix witty banter with sensitive topics gives you that heartwarming feeling in the end.
In the Upside of Falling Down we are introduced to Clementine Haas, an 18 year old from Cleveland, Ohio who has miraculously survived a plane crash, being the only survivor, waking up in a hospital in Ireland. Only Clementine has no memory of the accident, she has no memory of her past, she doesn’t know why she’s in Ireland either. As Clementine awaits the arrival of her father, a father she can’t remember, she is feeling an overwhelming sense of panic. She feels trapped, trapped in a world that isn’t hers… of this Clementine Haas… someone’s life that she can’t recall. Her nurse, Stephen, agrees to take Clementine out to the courtyard of the hospital for some fresh air. This is where Clementine meets Kieran. A peculiar young man who has a strange affinity for orange Jell-O. This is where Clementine’s life is left behind and Jane’s life begins. For fear of Kieran finding out who she really is and that she is the survivor of the plane crash, she lies, she tells Kieran her name is Jane. As a friendly game of “truth or dare” unfolds, Jane dares Kieran to take her away from the hospital. She creates a phony story as to why she’s there in the first place and asks for his help. Kieran agrees to help. From this point on Clementine is forced to keep up the lie and the life of Jane. She’s introduced to Kieran’s twin sister, Siobhan, who is pregnant, and has a strong dislike for Jane. She meets Siobhan’s boss, Clive, an eccentric shop owner who has a hidden love for Jane Austen novels. Soon, Jane has found her place… she falls in love with Waterville, Ireland, with Clive and his mohawk, and Siobhan and their love/hate relationship… but most of all, she’s fallen in love with Kieran. So, how can she leave this behind? She knows that she has to return to her father, to her life as Clementine, even though she still doesn’t know who he is and ultimately who she is.
Could you imagine? Waking up with amnesia, not remembering anything from your past? Being reborn again? What a flood of emotions that would bring? Fear, panic, sadness, confusion, frustration, but mostly the feeling of isolation. Even though you really wouldn’t be alone, I can’t help but think it would be a very lonely thing to go through. You have to reestablish yourself all over again. You can’t just simply reenter your life like re-spawning in some video game. Rebekah Crane presents Clementine as a strong young woman… I would say mature well beyond her years, and it’s not until later in the novel when Clementine finally finds herself that you truly understand where this strength comes from. All things considered, I will admit, this was the only part of the novel that I had a hard time with. I felt that the character that was being portrayed should have truly been older than that of someone who was 18/19 years of age.
The way the story unfolds in the end at first seems to almost have this poetic justice about it, and although I saw it coming, my heart ached for Clementine. I didn’t want her story to end there, carrying more guilt than she already felt. Everything unravels and it all begins to fall down around her. But I promise… with this story, there is an upside to falling down.
I want to thank NetGalley, Skyscape and Two Lions, and Rebekah Crane for allowing me the chance to read this novel in exchange for my review. It was truly a pleasure!
This was one of my Prime Reads from Amazon Prime. I hadn’t even heard of the book before it popped up in my Prime choices, but it looked good. I’m glad I chose to read it, it was different that much of what I’ve been reading recently.
A girl has amnesia and in the path to finding who she was, she possibly finds who she was meant to be all along. I love the whole journey of the story. How bits and pieces fall together along the way and end up painting a picture that even the reader might not have suspected.
There is a bit of romance in this book, but it’s so very secondary to the character development in the main character. It’s truly a story about her finding herself and the truest form of herself she can find and be.
Get ready for your next book boyfriend.
What’s the upside of finding a cheap bestseller? A darn good read! Although I’m not usually into the coming of age romances, this one proved to be a enjoyable although somewhat baffling story. Clementine wakes up in a Irish hospital with severe amnesia. Rebakah Crane weaves a tale of rebirth with one of total deceit and comes away with a winner. I especially appreciated the author’s efforts to tie the conflicting stories together at the end so the reader feels like he knows how things happened the way they did.
I wasn’t sure going into this book what to expect. One survivor of a plane crash and she ends up with amnesia! Of course I was totally surprised how the story progressed and ended.
Totally enjoyed it.
4.5 Stars!
After having loved the book Aspen by this author, I’ve been meaning to read more of her stories. The Upside of Falling Down was the perfect book to follow with. I would like to note that although this is classified as Young Adult, due to the some of the content and age of the characters, I feel the story leans more towards New Adult.
The story opens with Clementine in the hospital. She’s suffering from injuries due to a plane crash, with retrograde amnesia being the most prominent. That opening was an excellent precursor to the mystery of Clementine and why was she on a plane to Ireland? As the reader, we follow her journey of discovery and learn the truth right along with her. The mystery and the slow burn romance between Clementine and Kieran kept me glued to the pages. My only critique, while I found the character development wonderful, I thought that the author could have delved deeper into family dynamics and back stories. Regardless, it was a witty and moving story with some fun Ireland adventures.
Sweet, fun, exploration.
Interesting mix of characters in a complicated situation. The main character makes you love her and her confusing situation! I had the kindle unlimited listen and read version and loved the narrator who added immensely to the story.
Just when I was getting fed up with Clementine, Crane turned the story on its ear with all kinds of twists, giving it a five star ending. Crane has yet to disappoint me.
The sole survivor of a plane that crashed in Ireland from America wakes up with amnesia. Her lovely nurse is gentle and kind with her, and lets her have a quick moment to prepare herself for meeting her father once he arrives at the hospital to collect her.
She believes he’s her dad–and seems nice enough from what she can tell while peeking around the corner at him–but she can’t look this stranger in the eye and cause him more hurt with her lack of emotional ties with him. So she takes off, talking a hospital volunteer into letting her stay with him until her memory comes back and she can be herself when she reunites with her dad for good.
In the process of waiting to find out who she was, she discovers who she wants to be.
Rebekah Crane has a way of writing what seems like easy reading, but weaves quirkiness and serious issues in with a deft hand that makes them have just the right weight when they hit. A fun read with romance, family, and finding yourself.
I love Rebekah’s books! This is a great story about discovering who you are – both literally and figuratively. Great character development, as usual with Rebekah’s books. Plus it’s set in Ireland with an Irish love interest.