Falling Together

This is a terrific character study that deftly changes into an engaging mystery

Will, Cat and Pen became friends over Beowulf at college. They remained BFFs throughout their undergraduate years, but their friendship ended when Cat married her long term boyfriend Jason; who Will and Pen loathed. As they graduated, the trio agreed to never contact one another ever again.

Six years later, Cat emails her two former BFFs pleading with them to attend the college reunion so they can see one another. Unable to resist, Pen accompanied by her five years old daughter Augusta and Will go to the reunion to see Cat. Both are stunned with what awaits them at the reunion and beyond.

This is a terrific character study that deftly changes into an engaging mystery. The cast is extremely well developed and not just the lead trio as the support players bring plenty of oomph to the plot. Readers will want to travel with the three protagonists on a journey of awakening even though the walk down the Yellowbrick Road is too long and straightforward; as the trio and fans learn not all that glitters is gold and some that does not glitter is golden.

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Sometimes saying hello to old friends is the process of saying goodbye!

It's been six years since Pen Calloway watched her best friends walk out of her life. And through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them.

Pen, Cat and Will met on their first day of college and formed what seemed like a magical and lifelong bond, only to see their friendship break apart amid the realities of adulthood. When, after years of silence, Cat - the bewitching, charismatic center of their group - emails Pen and Will with an urgent request to meet at their college reunion, they can't refuse. But instead of a happy reconciliation, what awaits is a collision of past and present that sends Pen and Will, with Pen's five-year-old daughter and Cat's hostile husband in tow, on a journey across the world.

With her trademark wit, vivid prose, and a gift for creating authentic, captivating characters, Marissa de los Santos returns with an emotionally resonant novel about our deepest human connections. As Pen and Will struggle to uncover the truth about Cat, they find more than they bargained for: startling truths about who they were before and who they are now. They must confront the reasons their friendship fell apart and discover how - and if - it can ever fall back together.

I received Falling Together by Marissa de los Santos compliments of Harper Collins for my honest review. It's my first novel by this author and though I tried to get into the story, it just seemed like it was all over the place for me. The plot basically involves three people who formed a friendship in college and when life got in the way, they went their own separate ways. Now when a mystery email shows up, they decide to reunite but a twist appears when the email isn't what it appears. For me, the storyline was a bit confusing perhaps while the author was trying to establish the characters in the story and make them believable and for me, they just weren't. However that being said, perhaps the book will speak volumes for other readers, and for that reason I rate this book a 2 out of 5 stars. It just didn't have enough in it to make you want to keep reading it.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

needed a good editor

The book kept me interested, but I think it was about 100 pages too long. Good character development, unique story line, just too long.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Too long--falls short in interest

This needs MUCH editing. Falls short of ther other books!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

YAWN. Should be re-titled "Falling Asleep"

I bought this because I loved Marisa's other books. I am up to page 190 and I just can't go any further. There is no depth to the characters and there has been no direction in the story. Sorry Marisa, but you haven't grabbed me, you have put me into napville.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Boring plot didn't hold my interest

I read and liked Belong To Me so I thought I'd try this one and it just didn't hold my interest. I found the main character Pen totally unrelatable and the story was just boring.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Disappointing

I was disappointed in the book. I found it predictable. The only surprising element to the book was the overseas trip. Probably won't mre reading this one again.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great characters.

Great read. I loved the flow of conversation btwn the characters.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved it!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was a great story very light and easy to read but not at all cheesy. Marisa de los Santos has such a great way with words and dialogue that really makes her characters come to life. The dialogue was so genuine, they talked just like I do with my family and friends. Great read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Somewhat entertaining

I found it hard to grasp the reasoning Cat, Will and Penn used to end their friendship and to never contact each other after Cat married. The determination Will and Penn put forth to find her seemed misplaced after they had spent six years with no contact at all. Her husband seemed more like a stalker than a person who really understood his wife and their relationships. Cat's daughter seemed to bear the brunt of the hardships of the search. The happy ending seemed contrived and I found myself wondering why Cat and Will who were supposed to be the loves of each other's life never bothered to contact each other for six years. The promise to stay apart was juvenile in its premise and made the whole book seem trite.

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Good read

I love the way she uses words. Beautifully written and very thoughtful.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

People gonna make out in result above

Lets mess wit them!

Marisa de los Santos writing just keeps getting better and bette

Marisa de los Santos writing just keeps getting better and better. I fell in love with "Belong to Me." I couldn't wait to read "Love Walked In", which was even a more beautiful story with complex characters, quirky storyline, a compelling book that I did not want to end. This third book of hers I just finished tonight and it did not disappoint. She is just a wonderful story-teller, with a lovely grasp of words that make you feel what her characters experience, perfectly to a "t." This author has a knack in the use of language like Mary Alice Monroe combined with Pat Conroy. She has a gift for pulling you in to the story, making you fall in love with her characters, their vulnerabilities and all. You walk with them, cry for them, laugh out loud and cheer them on, hoping for the best and feeling blessed for the journey of living in her books. I loved this book. I think she is such an intelligent and talented writer. Read all her books and savor each one as long as you can make them last!

Sammi

Sean?

Great book!

I love this author. This book does not disappoint. As with her other books, I was not ready for it to end.

Highly Recommended!!!

I have always been a big fan of Marisa de los Santos, however this latest work is one of her best. There is a lyrical magic to the way she writes and brings characters to life.

Pen, Will, and Cat have been in each other's life since college until an event breaks the friends apart. Cat emails Will and Pen to request a reunion. This starts a journey in which all will learn answers to why the group separated and didn't communicate for years.

I won't give away the ending, but I have to say, the story is filled with surprises and beautiful writing. de los Santos has a way of make the words jump off the page and you feel as if you are standing in the midst of the story, feeling what the characters feel, hearing what they say, smelling what they smell.

I would recommend any of her books.

Incredible author

I do not agree with the other reviews that insist this story is 'boring' or predictable. The characters are incredibly well developed, and their relationships make sense to the point where I could not help but stop and think about my own close relationships. This is the first of very many novels that I will be reading from her. If you appreciate good storytelling, witty dialogue, endearing characters (augusta!), and actual overall creative writing (rather than the BOOM POP BANG Michael Bays style stories) then you will definitely enjoy this.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow! Loved this book!!

Will, Cat and Pen are the best of friends in college, secure in the fact that their threesome is perfect and complete. After graduation their lives begin to change and, largely due to Cat marrying a man Will and Pen don't like, the friendship ends. 10 years later Pen is struggling with single motherhood and the sudden death of her dad when she gets an urgent email from Cat requesting her presence at their 10 yr reunion. But when she and Will arrive they find Cat's belligerent and forlorn husband. What follows is a journey to find Cat and see if their friendship can be healed.

As always, Marisa de los Santos comes through with beautiful, intense, real characters who you will care about desperately. The problems they wrestle with, Pen's aversion to change, Will's anger issues, and Cat's inability to find her place in the world all touch a chord and resonate. The adventure of the trip adds some spice to the story and the lush descriptions of the Philippines and the people they meet there made reading this book feel like taking a vacation. Falling Together is a heart-warming, feel-good story that will make you reexamine your closest relationships.