The Way We Fall

Live To Read

This book has to be one of the best dystopians of 2012. The author writes in such a way that allows the reader to fully immerse him/herself into the novel. The reader will love the main character, Kaelyn, for her intelligence and willingness to help others. Kaelyn's world is turned upside down in the space of one week. A mysterious virus sweeps through her small island town and begins to pick off the residents one by one. The environment created by the author feels so real that the reader will be able to picture all of the events and characters and really connect with them.

Kaelyn is amazingly resilient. Her characters endures so much loss in the novel, but she still comes up fighting. The other characters the reader meets will intrigue him/her. The author has a way of making the reader miss the characters who don't make it to the end, a rare quality. The love interest, Gav, is brave and a survivalist, the reader will enjoy meeting him and getting to know him through Kaelyn. Kaelyn's family is complex and will feel like the readers' family not long after the reader picks up the book. Her brother and father butt heads over a few issues, Kaelyn's mother loves her children to a fault, and Kaelyn's uncle and cousin are special to them all. If the author did not create such dynamic and likable characters, this story would not be as fantastic as it is.

The book is only about 304 pages long, but the reader will want the book to be far longer. There is an unbelievable amount of action, suspense, and romance packed into these pages. The characters are a delight to read about, the reader will actually care what happens to them in the novel. The author keeps the novel within the realms of realism, the reader will not be rolling his/her eyes over the plot and events in this book. This book is highly recommended to young adult/teen readers.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Reas this

No one listen to the people who said this book deserves one star. They have no since in books! Best book ever

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The One that Makes You Paranoid but in a Good Way

The Way We Fall is set in a society much like our own. Kaelyn lives on an island, goes to school, and has friend troubles just like any other sixteen-year-old girl. When she finally feels as if she should take control of her life, her world crumbles around her.
A deadly virus begins to make its way through the households of her hometown, leaving them stranded and cut off from the rest of the world. People panic. Food runs short. Loved ones die.
The Way We Fall is told through Kaelyn's journal entries to her friend. Every day is a new entry that is our only lifeline to her island. Kaelyn has to learn how to become the person that will survive. She fights for those she loves and overcomes the obstacles before her. Watching Kaelyn grow is heartbreaking and encouraging at the same time.
Then we meet Gav. A former foe becomes the closest confidant, blossoming into a love that will bring tears to your eyes. Gav is a strong character that takes a stand and works to help all those in need, even if that means sacrificing himself. Gav and Kaelyn's relationship grows strong despite all odds. I loved watching them together, working, helping, and loving with wisdom beyond their age.
Megan creates a terrifyingly real world, making you rethink everything you may know. The first book in a dystopian trilogy, Kaelyn's story will grip your heart and leave you begging for book two!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The story was anti-climatic. I bought the book because it was o

The story was anti-climatic. I bought the book because it was one of those "If you like The Hunger Games, try this..."" First off, this book should not be compared to the Hunger Games AT ALL. The whole story was slow and nothing happened. People got sick, and people started doing what any other society would do in a "Catastrophic" situation. The reason why I kept reading was that I was hoping somethin would happen, but of course nothing did. The story went no where and it was hard to get through because I kept falling asleep while reading. If you like The Hunger Games, don't read this book. If you like nonsense stories, well then, maybe this is for you.

The book is told from the point of view of sixteen year old Kael

The book is told from the point of view of sixteen year old Kaelyn through the form of letters to a former best guy friend of hers, Leo, who had moved away from the Canadian island before a virus broke out and the island was quarantined. Even though her father is a doctor of microbiological research, the cause and cure of the virus are difficult to determine. Due to this, Kaelyn's close friends, family, and even herself are still susceptible to the virus. This virus starts out with a cough, sneeze, or itch, but then causes people to become unhinged - yelling out nonsensical, inappropriate or just plain mean things that they seem to be totally unaware of.

Kaelyn is kinda panicked about the whole situation, but finds ways to help survivors of the pandemic that are holed up in their homes and those that are sick in the hospital. There's a guy that has also been helping out, Gav, that turns out to be pretty awesome! Also, she develops an unlikely friendship with a girl, Tessa, who is ...Leo's current girlfriend. I loved it! Ended in a bit of a cliffhanger - maybe we'll find out even more about this Leo character in the next book!

I loved this Book!

yn the main protagonist of the story lives on an island somewhere off mainland Canada. Having lived in Toronto as an outsider for many years Kaelyn tends to keep herself guarded from those around her. I wouldn't call her anti-social just cautious and set in her ways. The Way We Fall is written from a Journalistic viewpoint. Most of her entries are written to Leo a boy/best friend/former crush she watches leave at the beginning of the book. Throughout the book we learn she has had a previous falling out with him and possibly due to that overwhelming guilt this is why she has chosen to focus on him in her writing.

It starts with an Itch and a cough. The disease is an unknown Flu type strain. What happens when you can't leave but staying may result in your death? This is the premise of The Way We Fall. The Book is divided into three parts-Symptoms,Quarantine,Morality.

Symptoms covers the initial outbreak of the virus. That tickle in your throat, that scratch that won't go away. Guess what that means (at least in Megan Crewe's world) that your infected. Kaelyn has just started allowing herself to relax in her new surroundings when the whispers start to spread that something nasty is going around. Suddenly not only are people sick but they are worried. What if this isn't just some cold. What if it is much worse?

Quarantine covers what happens after the bodies start to drop. The Army moves in promising protection and safety but when fear and paranoia starts to take hold they fall back leaving the island alone and cut off. With infection spreading, panic setting in and supplies running low all Kaelyn and her family can do is wait but at what cost?

Morality covers what happens when you have nothing left to lose. Society as it once was has crumbled. With the majority of the population dead or dying and bands of looters roaming around with no lawmen to stop them. How do you hold onto hope that things can still get better.


I absolutely loved this book! I've always found Epidemics intriguing, there is something so terrifying about a virus or infection that can with a cough or a sneeze exterminate a large group of people.The Book is the first in a trilogy so the ending does cut off quite abruptly. This is a dark dystopian. Very little feel good moments in this book. You really do feel Kaelyns isolation and loneliness. We barely see the mainlands perspective except for a few brief conversations that occur through secondary characters and their loved ones. I feel this creatively adds to the Quarantine feeling.

I did have two small issues with the book. First Kaelyns father, He saw the danger firsthand and yet did nothing to prepare supplies for his family. If that was my family, at the first drop of serious sickness I would of bought stuff so that they at least were provided for. Yes, there is no guarantee that the stock pile would be safe from looters but they at least wouldn't have to scavenge for quite some time.

My second issue is just isolating loved ones in a bedroom. Heck no you wouldn't be sick and staying in the house. It might be cruel but outside is where you'd be staying even if it meant tethering you to a tree or locking you in a shed so you couldn't wander off infecting others. These are personal gripes not those directly aimed at the Author.

I am really looking forward to the rest in the series. I care about Kaelyn and want to see what happens if and when the quarantine is lifted. I am giving this book 5 Stars!

Must Read!!!!!!!!!

This book was wonderful. I was truly hoping it would never end!!!! I would love a sequel!

Fantastic pandemic thriller!

Read this book. You won't regret it!

Chilling and Terrifyingly Possible - An Epidemic Story At Its Best

The Way We Fall could easily be categorized as another end-of-the-world story, and it is, in a way. But it is so much more than that too. Megan Crewe has pulled all the most basic aspects of an apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic story and added the eccentricities and complexities that come with everyday human life. The story starts off slow, but builds up, bit by bit, layering the story with unwavering fear.

Kaelyn tells the story through letters to her once best friend Leo, who moved away for school. While we don’t really know Leo or get a feel for who he is, Kaelyn’s letters make everything so intimate and shocking. She doesn’t hold back with what’s happening in her town, she doesn’t hide her fear in her letters, so the reader will latch onto that and dread every cough and sneeze along with her.

The idea of this epidemic effectively shutting down an entire island is terrifying, but completely plausible. The science behind it fascinated me – the spread of the disease, the symptoms, the progression – all of it was enthralling in a morbid kind of way. I was distraught by certain character deaths and constantly worrying who would get sick next. It’s impossible not to care for Kaelyn, her brother Drew, cousin Meredith, her mom, dad, her uncle, her not-so nice friends, and even Tessa, her once best friend/crush’s girlfriend. They’re all helpless in the situation.

The Way We Fall is chilling in its telling and more than a little dismal, but Megan Crewe humanizes even the worst of situations and will make the reader feel every single moment. Despite the dire circumstances, the story is grounded in its heart – the emotional family moments, friendships, and the blossoming romance bring light to this island surrounded by death. The Way We Fall is more than just a story about an epidemic, it’s about the best and worst that human beings have to offer, and even amidst the suffering, there are still things to look forward to and reasons to hope. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

The Way We Fall.

The Way We Fall is a Young Adult novel about a family, an island, cut off from the world. With her Dad busy trying to find a cure and then her mom getting sick, Kaelyn is left to her own devices. The Way We Fall is a fast read full of "What if's..." I enjoyed seeing what Kaelyn did to help her father find a cure. The Way We Fall is pretty tame as far as Dystopian novels go, but it was still enjoyable if you like that type of novel

Well-written, quick read for young readers

Although this novel had a bit of a slow burn kind of start, it picked up rather quickly and drew me into the world of the main character. Told in an epistolary/diary format, The Way We Fall is the story of Kaelyn, a young girl struggling to find/re-invent herself when disaster strikes the community she lives in. As the disease spreads from victim to victim with little hope for a cure, Kaelyn and the friends she finds along the way much work together to survive and continue to hope for a cure. Since the story is told via Kaelyn's letters/diary entries, hers is the only perspective that we have on the situation, and as a narrator, she's not too bad. She's determined and loyal yet naive and flawed--characteristics that made her all the more realistic to me.Sure, there are points when she felt a little...slow or behind, but I thought that given the situation and her personality it seemed to fit. The relationships that kaelyn developed with Tessa and Gav also never felt forced or unnatural, which I totally liked. I appreciated that it wasn't love at first sight with Kae and Gav and it had to spend a little time simmering. Sometimes these relationships can fall into the trap of "it's the end of the world so who cares and let's go fast" but this one didn't. This story really pulled me in but I have to admit that it took a few letters/entries before I was really hooked. It wasn't until the disease really started spreading that the book created a sense of urgency that kept me reading. Once we got to that point however, I was hooked. I couldn't put it down because I felt like I really needed my questions answered. And on that note, the cliffhanger ending was not my favorite. By that point, I felt like I had fully committed to this book and almost deserved a little more resolution. And beyond the cliffhanger, there were a lot of questions that I still had concerning basic interpersonal relationships, such as what happened (in the past) with Leo and Kaelyn? While I had my own issues with this book, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to lots of different readers. It's got a vibe to it that will appeal to readers who enjoy dystopias and post-apocalyptic stories. It's got a "light" feel to it as well, if that makes sense. It's not overly heavy on the drama or message or what-have-you. While there's some romance and some violence, it's nothing over the top that would stop me from recommending it to a younger crowd. Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel when it comes out if for no other reason than to have some questions answered!

exciting new book for young readers

Thank you Disney-Hyperion for allowing me to read an ARC via NetGalley.

The Way We Fall is written from the perspective of 16 year old Kaelyn and consists of a series of letters in a diary-like format. Kaelyn begins writing in her diary to her former best friend Leo, who is away at school, when she moves back to their hometown on an island. Kaelyn and Leo have not spoken in a couple years due to a so-called fight, however Kaelyn believes that she can change into a better person, and by documenting the process through her letters/diary entries she hopes to remedy her torn friendship. Then a mysterious virus breaks out and slowly begins to take the lives of several people on the island. Soon the island is quarantined by the government and the crux of the story begins to unfold. Kaelyn struggles to keep her family safe while forging new and unlikely friendships and learning to trust herself.

Surprisingly, I did not find Kaelyn's character annoying or frustrating. Kaelyn is a smart and strong girl who uses her skills as a natural observer to help protect those she cares about. All of her decisions appear to be logically justifiable and I especially enjoyed her interactions with her cousin Meredith and Leo's girlfriend Tessa. In fact, I believe Tessa was my favorite character; I admired her bravery and strong will.

This book is definitely directed toward a younger audience, maybe ages 10-16, however I believe that all ages will find some pleasure in reading the story. I only wish Crewe spent more time describing the island and focused more on Kaelyn's relationship with her father. I also felt like Crewe did not focus enough on the losses that were sustained throughout the book, but this might also have been an attempt to keep the story 'lighter' for a younger reader.

Overall, The Way We Fall was enjoying to read and I felt invested in the characters. I believe this book is a good introductory for young readers into the dystopian genre and is directed toward those who do not want to read something that is too dark or scary.

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