Falling by Jane Green

I really enjoyed reading this book, it doesn't really bring anything new to the reader but it does give a sense of cosy familiarity to the reader.  You know what is going to happen almost from the moment Emma moves in to her rented Beach House in what sounds like an exclusive Summer Town (I'm sure some people know this area of the US Coastline but I'm pretty much clueless).  There are the usual speed bumps in the road to happiness but regular readers of the genre know this is just the way it has to go for love to blossom (yes I am rolling my eyes as I type that).

In all honesty I could not for the life of me figure out what Emma and Dominic had in common beyond physical attraction.  As a character Dominic is very flat on the page and lacks any real depth beyond being a single dad who works as a bartender and rents out his Grandparents old home to keep himself afloat.  Emma herself is a little more interesting but the English Reserve trope is overdone and rather than being reserved she comes off as being downright rude and selfish.  I was also left feeling a little uncomfortable by some of her interactions with Dominic's son as they felt more than a little like she was using the child to get to the dad.

Despite the above I found myself actively wanting to read one more chapter and enjoying the story.  Lots of ups and downs that felt fairly true to life (well, life as it rolls out in Novel World) and some interesting interactions with characters on the periphery of the tale.  I particularly enjoyed the interplay between Dominic and Emma and their respective parents.  Both of them have their own reasons for keeping their parents at arms length and whilst the tropes are overplayed (in my opinion) they do still work.

My biggest issue was with the ending of the book.  There is no way that the whole Guardianship thing would have happened, it just wouldn't.  It actively left a bad taste in my mouth and I hated that the author felt the need to tie everything up with a neat little bow.  Should have been left on a down-note.