Fall for Anything

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-na, 2011

I can't imagine why Courtney Summers' novels aren't more widely read, I guess it might have something to do with Cracked Up to Be and Some Girls Are being marketed as your typical high school clique-y/boy-obsessed novels. Their covers suggest something you'd find in every American high school movie and even the quote from the School Library Journal about Some Girls Are is: "Fans of the film Mean Girls will enjoy this tale of redemption and forgiveness".

Well, let me tell you this... Courtney Sum ...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Arlene by: Street Corner January Read

Shelves: street-corner-pick, read-2011, young-adult

Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars

Fall for Anything is one of those few stories that kept me up all night until I finished the book because I just had to see how this car crash would end. It’s by no means a feel good escapist book. It’s about parental suicide and learning how to cope with the aftermath of unanswered questions and a quest for the truth.

Spoilerish comments coming, but if you haven’t read the book, I don’t think they’ll make much sense.

When Eddie stumbles across Culler at the warehou...more Rating Clarification: 3.5 Stars

Fall for Anything is one of those few stories that kept me up all night until I finished the book because I just had to see how this car crash would end. It’s by no means a feel good escapist book. It’s about parental suicide and learning how to cope with the aftermath of unanswered questions and a quest for the truth.

Spoilerish comments coming, but if you haven’t read the book, I don’t think they’ll make much sense.

When Eddie stumbles across Culler at the warehouse where it all went down, my creep detector radar was sending off high static signals. All it took was for him to take an unsolicited picture of Eddie for me to feel there was something not right happening here. I don’t blame Eddie for falling for him, she’s confused, she mourning, and she just wants to find someone that she can connect with. Great candidate that Culler. He played the part with perfection.

I didn’t feel much for Milo for more than half the book. I think if the author would have infused the Missy story a bit differently, maybe, just maybe I would have felt differently for him. I knew he cared for Eddie and I just wished he would have played his part a bit differently. However, by the end of the novel, when Milo went after her, my walls of defense came crumbling down.

Overall, Courtney Summers creates a flawlessly broken, angry, confused teenage girl in Eddie and as before with Cracked Up to Be, the main character has my compassion from the first FU she spews. She honest, angry and hurting, there’s no way I could turn my back on her struggle and not care. I felt horrible for her with that whole motel incident and even though in my head I knew! I just knew! Like with any close friend, I’d never say it out loud, I’d just be there for them and that’s it.

Open ending with no conclusive answers, but very signature as other books I’ve read on suicide,... it’s not about closure or getting answers… it’s just not.

Crazy, dark read that may not be for everyone, but if you open the book and begin Eddie’s journey, I’d be surprised if you didn’t feel just a little bit spent by the end.

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Jan 23, 2011 Kim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookclub, ya, read-in-2011, contemporary

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I don't know what to think about this book exactly. I get that Eddie is looking for answers, hell, I'd be looking too, but I think her brain died on the same day as her dad.

The minute that Culler guy came into the picture I backed away from my book and thought WOW, what a freak. At first it seemed like he was making it all up, since Eddie didn't know he was her dad's student, but at least that part of his story was the truth. That's pretty much where it ended though. What he did was completely m...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Janina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, death-loss-grief, contemporary, read-in-2011, given-away, art

Fall for Anything was my second Courtney Summers novel, and while I did ~~enjoy~~ like (I think enjoy is probably the wrong word for a Summers book. I find it hard to enjoy them, because they are so raw and full of hurt. But I did like reading it, if that makes sense.) it a bit more than Some Girls Are, I still can’t rate it higher than three and a half stars. Summers’ books are very powerful and engaging, but also very depressing and dark. If you are looking for happy endings – in the classical hap...more Fall for Anything was my second Courtney Summers novel, and while I did ~~enjoy~~ like (I think enjoy is probably the wrong word for a Summers book. I find it hard to enjoy them, because they are so raw and full of hurt. But I did like reading it, if that makes sense.) it a bit more than Some Girls Are, I still can’t rate it higher than three and a half stars. Summers’ books are very powerful and engaging, but also very depressing and dark. If you are looking for happy endings – in the classical happy ending sense – you probably shouldn’t look here.
Also, I’m finding it pretty hard to write a review of this book without giving away any spoilers. They are marked with this great little new spoiler tag, but if you haven’t read the book yet (and plan to read it), my review probably isn’t going to offer you much insight without clicking on them.

Courtney Summers writing and her characters are definitely very strong. I liked both Eddie and Milo, but I just couldn’t understand Eddie’s infatuation with Culler. I mean, I could understand what drew her to him in the first place. And I did understand that she needed someone to be close to her in her grief, somebody who was grieving as well and somebody who was looking for answers as desperately as she was. But I hated his character. I wanted Eddie to stay away from him and I, myself, would never have gone anywhere with him after dark. He gave off a seriously creepy vibe. (view spoiler)
Also, the hunt for the snippets Eddie’s dad supposedly left before his death got repetitive and I was immensely bored after the first two buildings Eddie and Culler visited. I started hoping they would get this over with already. I wanted to know the outcome, but I didn't really like reading through breakdowns and searching dusty and abandoned houses six times.

Then, the ending. Don’t get me wrong, the ending was a very realistic one. One that doesn’t answer all your questions but makes you think for yourself. (view spoiler)
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May 06, 2013 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Christina (A Reader of Fictions) by: Renae M.

Shelves: sadie-hawkins

Courtney Summers is one of those authors I come to for a really depressing read, and she really delivers in Fall for Anything. Eddie Reeves' has not been the same since her photographer father committed suicide. Of course, who would be with a loved parent dead and no idea why he would do such a thing? Fall for Anything is a girl's search for answers.

In the wake of her father's suicide, Eddie's mother has fallen apart, refusing to leave the house or take off her husband's housecoat. A nosy friend...more Courtney Summers is one of those authors I come to for a really depressing read, and she really delivers in Fall for Anything. Eddie Reeves' has not been the same since her photographer father committed suicide. Of course, who would be with a loved parent dead and no idea why he would do such a thing? Fall for Anything is a girl's search for answers.

In the wake of her father's suicide, Eddie's mother has fallen apart, refusing to leave the house or take off her husband's housecoat. A nosy friend of the family, Beth, moves in to keep the family functioning the way she thinks they should be. Eddie does not approve. I really like how up front Eddie is about her distaste for this person coming and messing with their mourning. The moments when she complains about Beth or about her best friend Milo's girlfriend are when she feels most like a normal teenager.

Seth Reeves hardly left anything behind to explain why he killed himself. Until she knows why, Eddie doesn't know how to deal. To cope, she turns her focus to frustrating Beth and thinking about boys. She's looking for meaning, and if she can't find it in her father's action, maybe she can find it in Culler Evans, his only student. Eddie makes some really dumb choices with regards to romance, but they're so obviously a cry for help even she doesn't know she's making.

My favorite part is the mystery of why Seth jumped from the roof. Eddie and Culler find a box of photographs. From them, they discern clues as to his reason for exiting this world. Their search turns into a road trip and a bunch of life lessons. Those left behind when a loved one commits suicide will always wonder why, and feel culpable; this is why Eddie searches.

One of the most fascinating techniques Summers uses to highlight Eddie's discomfort is the coldness in her hands. Since his death, her hands have not been warm, even though it's the middle of summer. She has trouble using them and it's almost as though they've been damaged by the ordeal and cannot be fixed, in much the way Lady Macbeth couldn't get the damn spot out.

Unfortunately, I never personally connected with Eddie, and I viewed her solely from a distance. My heart didn't ache for her the way it did for Sloane in This Is Not a Test. Both are withdrawn, unhappy, messed up girls, but for some reason Sloane captured my heart and Eddie did not. I think part of my disconnection was how incredibly sad every aspect of this book is. I prefer a bit more humor, even really dark humor, mixed in to lighten the mood. That juxtaposition tends to make points more strongly, I find, than a book that stays consistently sad.

Courtney Summers writes amazing books, though I do not think this one will be my favorite of the bunch. I do, however, plan to revisit this one later in life, because the themes of dealing with grief might be more meaningful for me then. (less)

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Jan 23, 2011 Morgan F rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, 2010, realistic, goodreads-author, its-a-girl, ive-got-issues, small-sized, own, death-and-dying, read-2011, fiction, mystery, thriller, grief

Jesus, this is a hard book to rate. I could probably justify any star-rating I choose to give it. In many ways, it was like a drive-by smack in the face. Shocking, painful, and it leaves you feeling bewildered, while at the same time forcing you to acknowledge your own being.

This is quite a powerful book about loss and the search for answers to impossible questions. At times it was quite uncomfortable to read, for it was filled with such raw emotion and honesty, but at the same time, it was too...more Jesus, this is a hard book to rate. I could probably justify any star-rating I choose to give it. In many ways, it was like a drive-by smack in the face. Shocking, painful, and it leaves you feeling bewildered, while at the same time forcing you to acknowledge your own being.

This is quite a powerful book about loss and the search for answers to impossible questions. At times it was quite uncomfortable to read, for it was filled with such raw emotion and honesty, but at the same time, it was too intense to leave alone for long.

About a year ago, my grandfather, whom I was quite close to, died of a brain aneurism, which was both unexpected and a long time coming. My family and I spent the next fews days just rehashing the event over and over again, also dissecting all the ways my grandfather seemed unhealthy in his last few weeks, from forgetting his car keys to complaining of a cramp in his sides. Next to my grandmother, I was the most inconsolable. I believe "crazy raging vindictive bitch" would be the best way to describe how I was feeling in the following weeks. I was angry at everyone. If they weren't crying, I wasn't happy because I wanted everyone to visibly feel as devastatingly miserable as I was. I also engaged in a myriad of irrational, self-destructive behavior like driving our mini-van into a stone wall (the reason as to why I don't have my license as of yet) and toppling over a refrigerator (the reason why my grandmother has a new fridge)….yeah, I was not pleasant. I can't even imagine how I would react if it was my father, a father who had just committed suicide. So I could relate to Eddie for the most part.

This isn't a book that one has fun reading. I'm not even sure if I liked it, but I am sure that I loved it (does that make sense?). The characters, even the narrator, were tremendously flawed, and at times infuriating. It was hard to predict their response to anything, but that is one reason I liked these characters so much, even the douche bag. They were too complex to love or hate holistically.

I am warning you now. There are no definite endings or answers in this book. But I think that only adds to the novel. Grief can never be summarized or summed up.

And I loved the prose. It was lyrical and sparse. Exactly what I like.

I will definitely be reading more of Courtney Summer's novels. (less)

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Jun 15, 2011 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5

It's a sob story. It's got a teeny tiny love story. It's a story of coming to terms with loss... or at least trying to come to terms with loss:

What a sad girl... yet despite that or maybe because of what she was going through, Eddie came across as real, and just the right amount of snarky, sullen teenager. Her comments, her jealousies, her petulant behavior were all honest. She read real to me. I didn't always like her. There were times I wanted to shake her, knock some sense into her. Some...more

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Feb 04, 2011 Stefanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-ya, absolute-favorites, books-that-moved-me

***12 STARS!!!!***

Very Powerful.

With that said, definitely not a book for everyone...

Eddie Reeves is dealing with the sudden loss of her father who took his own life. Her father being a famous photographer, was a true artist. Eddie spends the summer asking the ultimate question of Why?. Why would someone take their own life? There were no signs of grief or depression, nothin to elude Eddie or her mom to his unhappiness.
What I loved about this book is that it shows the aftermath of a suicide an...more

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Apr 03, 2011 Thomas rated it 4 of 5 stars

More like a 3.5.

Eddie Reeves' father committed suicide, but she doesn't know why. There seems to be no reason - he was a famous artist, a talented photographer, and had a loving family, most importantly, her. While entrenched in her grief Eddie meets Culler, his former student. They form a dangerous attraction and embark on a mission to piece together the broken picture of her father's death.

Another powerful book by Courtney Summers. Like a punch in the stomach, Fall for Anything surprises the r...more More like a 3.5.

Eddie Reeves' father committed suicide, but she doesn't know why. There seems to be no reason - he was a famous artist, a talented photographer, and had a loving family, most importantly, her. While entrenched in her grief Eddie meets Culler, his former student. They form a dangerous attraction and embark on a mission to piece together the broken picture of her father's death.

Another powerful book by Courtney Summers. Like a punch in the stomach, Fall for Anything surprises the reader, seizing them and forcing them to feel Eddie's anguish. I think the writing - and the emotions evoked by the writing - were enough to justify giving this book 3.5 stars, even though I'm not sure if I actually liked it at all.

I did not like the plot in this one as much as Summers' first two novels. Sure, if one of my family member's passed away I would be overcome with despair and angst, but I do not think I would travel around with some strange twenty-year-old who randomly takes pictures of me. I also predicted the twist about halfway through the novel, which may have lessened my enjoyment when it occurred.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll end this review by saying that I wish Summers' had focused more on the aspect of recovery rather than the descent into depression Eddie experienced.

Here are two quotes from the beginning of the novel that exemplify Summers' writing talent:

"I imagine diving under, swimming down, down, down with my eyes open and not being able to see anything in front of me. Not even my hands. I imagine forcing myself farther down, until I feel weeds everywhere, brushing the sides of my arms, my feet, and then I'm surrounded. Tangled up in them so bad the lake would have me forever. I imagine drowning and what that would feel like, if I'd be scared. If I'd let it happen or if I'd fight it. I read in a book once you can't drown yourself. Your body will fight to survive, whether you want to or not.

But I don't think it's the same when you jump."

"Sometimes I feel hunted by my grief. It circles me, stalks me. It's always in my periphery. Sometimes I can fake it out. Sometimes I make myself go so still, it can't sense that I'm there anymore and it goes away. I do that right now.

I go so still the thing inside me doesn't know I'm there anymore."

Want to read more of my reviews? Follow me here.(less)

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Nov 01, 2010 Shanyn (Chick Loves Lit) rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm pretty much in love with Courtney Summers and her beautiful writing.

I read Some Girls Are (one of Courtney's other books) because of the plot (mean girls/bullying). After finishing I immediately purchased Cracked Up to Be (another of Courtney's books), which was also excellent. When my very nice blogger friend Gail offered to let me borrow Fall for Anything, I danced around and said YES YES YES because I knew that if it were anything like her other two books I would be in love.

This is a scar...more

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Oct 25, 2010 Sara Grochowski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: wishlist, reviewed

Courtney Summers is the Queen of Mean; she holds hold court over characters that readers love to hate... and just plain love. Readers are well aware that Summers can write a compelling mean girl, but, with FALL FOR ANYTHING, she shows us that she can write vulnerable and broken with just as much skill.

I quickly realized that Eddie wasn't anything like Summers' previous two main characters, Parker and Regina. Eddie has never dated the most popular guy in school, she doesn't bully, and, most notab...more

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Dec 18, 2010 Steph Su rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

You want to know why Courtney Summers is a must-buy? Because she can take any topic—even a riskily overexposed one such as the death of a loved one—and write about it in such a way that sucks you in and makes you feel like this is the first time you’ve ever read about that topic before. So yes, that’s what FALL FOR ANYTHING does with grief, wrapped up in beautiful descriptions of art photography and and nail-biting mystery.

Courtney Summers has nearly unmatched talent with developing three-dimens...more You want to know why Courtney Summers is a must-buy? Because she can take any topic—even a riskily overexposed one such as the death of a loved one—and write about it in such a way that sucks you in and makes you feel like this is the first time you’ve ever read about that topic before. So yes, that’s what FALL FOR ANYTHING does with grief, wrapped up in beautiful descriptions of art photography and and nail-biting mystery.

Courtney Summers has nearly unmatched talent with developing three-dimensional characters using her trademark sparse prose. Even with this tight prose, there is never a moment when she just comes right out and tells us something about the characters and their relationships with one another. Instead, the characters’ issues, histories, and desires are allowed to unfold on their own. It is in this way that we see the growing tension between Eddie and Milo—not melodramatic tension, but the achingly relatable confusion that arises when old, cherished friendships seem to be on the cusp of becoming something more.

Some characters ring truer than others: Beth, Eddie’s mother’s old friend, is callous perhaps to the point of incredulity, and there is something unsettling about Culler, the way he insinuates himself into Eddie’s life. But instead of detracting from the story, they simply add to the novel’s insistent pace, that there’s always something, something just beyond the next page that will give some relief to poor Eddie’s desperation to find meaning in her father’s death. The dramatic climax, followed by the quiet resolution, makes it all the more clearer to us the complexities of grief, and the lengths that we might need to go to in order to find peace.

In that sense, then, FALL FOR ANYTHING itself reads like a story of our own grief, from the anxiety we feel for Eddie, to its breathless yet not quite restful ending. Regardless of whether or not you’ll enjoy that, there is no doubting the fact that FALL FOR ANYTHING is an incredible read. Courtney Summers is three books into her writing career and showing no signs of faltering. I will read anything she reads, and no matter which Summers book you start with first, you will most likely come to the same conclusion, too.(less)

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Dec 20, 2010 Kelly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction, top-picks, read-in-2010, rereads, favorites

Full review here: http://stackedbooks.blogspot.com/2010...

I've been impressed with Courtney's first two books. But impressed isn't even a fair word to use for this one. It was beyond my expectations. This is a story of grief. Overwhelming, powerful, enveloping grief. And it is a story about heartlessness and art.

While reading it, the only word I kept thinking about overandoverandover was intimate. This is an intimate look at loss and life and utter despair. I wanted so hard to tell Eddie to be...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Rayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, death, drama, love-triangle, realistic-fiction, stand-alone-novel, young-adult

This is a difficult book to rate. It wasn't as riveting as Some Girls Are or as raw and powerful as This Is Not A Test, but it was definitely intense and engaging and heart-breaking. It was just missing a little bit of what Some Girls Are and This Is Not A Test had in excess. I am definitely in love with Courtney Summers's books and I honestly believe she can do no wrong. She has such a way with words, such a rawness to her writing and a masterful ability to make a reader immediately connect, in...more

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May 11, 2012 Aly (Fantasy4eva) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those looking for something thought - provoking and ache-y

Shelves: favourites, oh-how-the-heart-flutters, dark-and-gritty, i-ache-for-you, crushing-on-the-cover, fast-paced-and-engrossing, my-kinda-protagonist, digging-the-premise, gorgeous-prose, pleasantly-surprised, quoted-the-hell-out-of-this, own, so-amazing-i-actually-reread-this, twists-and-turns

This book will make you feel. It's punches are lighter though. They creep up and build up momentum only to catch you by surprise at unexpected moments. So much so, that you will struggle throughout, but you will cope, and then you will reach the end only to find yourself slightly trembling, with this ache-y hollow feeling and wet eyes that you had not anticipated. And that is when you will realise the gorgeousness that is this book.

Our protagonist Eddie is lost. And her mother is as broken as on...more This book will make you feel. It's punches are lighter though. They creep up and build up momentum only to catch you by surprise at unexpected moments. So much so, that you will struggle throughout, but you will cope, and then you will reach the end only to find yourself slightly trembling, with this ache-y hollow feeling and wet eyes that you had not anticipated. And that is when you will realise the gorgeousness that is this book.

Our protagonist Eddie is lost. And her mother is as broken as one can be when their husband commits suicide. Whilst her mother locks herself in her room, overwhelmed by grief - Eddie on the other hand wants answers. She can't for the life of her understand why her father ended his life. They all loved one another immensely, so why would he leave them without an explanation, without a hint of a warning? Eddie wants only one thing. To know why.

It's absolutely heart – breaking to see this poor girl struggle with all the guilt and anger. It will tear the reader up. Her pain is far from easy to witness, that's for sure.

Yet it's this question and her own grief that are the driving force behind her actions throughout the book. It's determination for the truth.

Worse - still, her best friend Milo was there that day, but he refuses to tell her what happened. Being around her best friend and knowing he knows something is close to unbearable, and soon enough it starts to drives a wedge in their relationship. But then there is Cullen - handsome, understanding Cullen who knew her father. Her only link to him that is willing to talk about him, and the one person who seeks the answers she does. As for the boys, I have mixed feelings. They both had their flaws, but then again that's why I adored this book. The fact that they were all so unapologetically flawed gave it this raw, gritty vibe that just made me completely fall in love. However, Milo did grow on me during the second half of the book. He really proved his loyalty in my opinion, and let's be honest - despite some of his decisions, he is one heck of a friend.

Yet when I was presented with this so called "revelation" I was quite baffled by it. However, it was when I tried to see it from Eddie' and Milo' pov that I really saw just how heart-breaking it truly was.

FALL FOR ANYTHING blew me away. Being my first Courtney Summers book, I'd never read anything like it at the time, and it was so beautifully written, with such a well written plot and characters that I was completely caught off guard. It wasn't before long that I realised that I had stumbled across a gem of a book and an author. Oh, and the quotes guys, so damn crush - worthy.

My hands are dying

I have to get him back. I close my eyes and think of the photograph Culler showed me. I see it in my head perfectly. He'll be there, at that school. Another piece of my father. And then another. Six pieces. I will find them all, put them together. I'll find him. And then I'll let him go.

I let him take a photograph of my hands. I don't know why.

I leave my voice in there. I think. My heart.

There is nothing to say. These burdens. Nothing worth staying for. What could I even say.

I wake up alone. I know it before I open my eyes.

He lowers his camera and stares up at me. "You trust me," he says quietly.

My father is dead. He killed himself and no one can tell me why. Why. And my mother isn't wearing his housecoat and I want her to be wearing his housecoat. I want to say, don't give up on this, because then I'm the only one left with it, but I can't speak. I lean forward so she can't see my face, and before I can stop myself, I start to cry. I cry so hard I can't breathe. I can't see. I feel like I'm coming apart.

Maybe it all got to be too much for him. I'd understand that. It has to be something like that. But I wish he'd told me he felt that way, because I'd forgive him that. If he told me that, I'd forgive him

Do those quotes tug on your heartstrings like they do mine?

There is no happy ending, but it is so realistic and rings so true that I truly think it couldn't have ended more perfectly. It felt right. It was brave, daring and far from the norm, but once again, it's why I connected with this book so much. It was uncomfortable and completely unapologetic. I so love that.(less)

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Feb 18, 2011 Pam Gardow rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

If you haven't read a Courney Summers book, Fall for Anything is a great beginning! Eddie Reeves is consumed with grief and obsessed with discovering why her photographer father committed suicide. Her best friend, Milo, is always there for her, perhaps in more ways than Eddie realizes. When her father's only student, Culler Evan, enters the picture, her quest for answers and her relationships take a dark turn.

This is riveting and emotional read, with complex characters and engrossing family dyna...more

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May 25, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, read-2011, read-2012

I had pretty high expectations for Fall For Anything...and I was not disappointed at all! It is easily one of my favorite books; I could read it over and over again without getting bored. I love the cover. It is just striking.
Courtney Summers is probably my favorite author out there. She's been known as the 'Queen of Mean' for writing up compelling mean girls, but that's not what made me love Fall For Anything. No, in this story Eddie is not popular, she hasn't dated the most popular guy in scho...more

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May 23, 2011 Alyssa rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, 2010-read, really-excited-for, ya-loved, i-cried, great-realistic-fiction, highly-anticipated, emotional, ya-romance, great-books, mystery-suspense, oh-canada

“Don’t divide me into before and after.”

I was really eagerly awaiting Summers’ new novel, FALL FOR ANYTHING, and luckily, it did nothing wrong. In FFA, Summers takes a break from the lives of mean-girls and dives into the grieving heart of a daughter of a suicidal.

I mean, as per usual, Summers created a book that is all lyrics – without it being poetry – is all sad – without being a complete downer – and is all real and gritty and raw – without her having to even try. Although I was a bit nervou...more “Don’t divide me into before and after.”

I was really eagerly awaiting Summers’ new novel, FALL FOR ANYTHING, and luckily, it did nothing wrong. In FFA, Summers takes a break from the lives of mean-girls and dives into the grieving heart of a daughter of a suicidal.

I mean, as per usual, Summers created a book that is all lyrics – without it being poetry – is all sad – without being a complete downer – and is all real and gritty and raw – without her having to even try. Although I was a bit nervous about her leaving behind her normal area of expertise, I now have an even stronger love for Summers because she is elastic. She can create a broken girl with a broken family and a broken friendship and a little inkling of hope and she can make the book enjoyable and whole-hearted and fantastic all the same.

Eddie was such a strong character, even though absolutely everything tore her apart. My favourite quote of hers is the legendary, “my hands are dying,” (which later becomes of semblance) and although such a shallow four-lettered sentence, it strikes you hard. Especially as a first line to a book. Milo, her struggling best friend, was absolutely lovable and real and I was routing for him the entire time. The entire book Milo as arguing with Eddie and I was like, “wow, so this is what an actual friendship looks like.” Because in YA, you don’t always find an actual honest-to-God loving friendship looks like. Or actual best-friends-turned-kinda-smitten, an act I love even more.

I have this feeling reserved just for Courtney Summers novels – this raw feeling in my throat, heart and stomach that totally keeps me dead (but alive) until the very last page. This author has this gift to make people of any age – although she writes YA, her novels fit perfectly for anybody over the age of thirteen – cry and laugh all in the same chapter. She writes her characters with realistic issues that actually seem to define the character – she does this for her main characters, for romantic leads, potential best friends, and very, very annoying, pesty aunt-like figures. You can really feel that whatever Summers writes comes from the heart and that she really loves everything she’s doing. She believes in it. And I believe in her. So Summers? Do me a favour and write some more.
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Aug 27, 2011 Melannie :) rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: read-2011, favorites

Six hours, non-stop.
Six hours took me to finish this book.
I wouldn't change any second.

I'm in love with Courtney's writting, seriously in love.
It's so captivating, so raw, beautiful, real and so haunting.

Her third novel is no exception.

Fall for Anything is a novel about a girl looking for answers,
answers of why her loving father commited suicide.

But if you've read Summers before, or if you don't I'll tell you:
This is not your typical grief-post-death-of-a-loved-one book.
This is much more.

I know...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Helen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Courtney Summers writes with so much deep emotion. It's one of the main reasons I adore her writing. In her books, every character's emotions seep through each page with every single word you read. And Fall For Anything seems to be the most emotional out of all the books I've read by her so far.

You don't need Eddie to tell you what she's feeling, ever. No matter what she says, you know what she's feeling, because you're feeling it too through everything she's doing and saying.

It's just so beaut...more

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Oct 23, 2010 Yan rated it 5 of 5 stars

It's just so fucked up. I love it.

ETA for full review:
After her father’s suicide, Eddie can’t seem to move on.
Straight off the bat readers’ find Eddie to be different from Summers’s typical heroine: quiet, fragile, and much more solemn. Going in I mentally prepared myself to dislike Eddie as I did to the previous other characters of her previous works. But there wasn’t that bitchy, outwardly hostile, and combative girl I was so used to and expecting from Summers’s. And I loved it. This was an un...more It's just so fucked up. I love it.

ETA for full review:
After her father’s suicide, Eddie can’t seem to move on.
Straight off the bat readers’ find Eddie to be different from Summers’s typical heroine: quiet, fragile, and much more solemn. Going in I mentally prepared myself to dislike Eddie as I did to the previous other characters of her previous works. But there wasn’t that bitchy, outwardly hostile, and combative girl I was so used to and expecting from Summers’s. And I loved it. This was an uncharted area.

Courtney Summers keep readers on their toes who expected the worst of a situation. She always seems to surprise me with every new novel on how she’s stretching the line of no-man’s-land. How evil can a character be while still making them well-rounded and letting the reader connect to them? And with every new novel, I sit back and ponder that question: can I really blame so-and-so for acting in such a fashion?

Fall for Anything deals with the emotional trauma of not only a death, but an intentional death. Eddie deals with it by just not letting it go. She becomes obsessive with the reasons why her father killed himself. (Her father, might I point out, is much older than Eddie’s mother. He can possibly pass for Eddie’s grandfather.) When Culler Evans appears with the same obsession and a different link to her father than she has, Eddie is drawn to him. He is the connection to the world of photography and the apprentice of Eddie’s father. But Cullen does something unforgettable that makes the reader go ‘holy ****’. It goes back to the question, can you blame him? The intention was good, but did he overstep the line of no-man’s-land? There are some hints along the way that readers can pick up so this wasn’t something completely from left-field. The climax and the resolution was something that I really hoped Summers nailed and she did.

I love how open-ended the novel is. I love how not nothing can be solved because in real life the real reason why behind suicides are only known by the people who committed the suicide. While it’s frustrating not having a 100% positive sure answer after going on this journey with Eddie, it is a realistic ending. The novel itself is the journey to accepting this fact and moving past it.

Despite not having the spotlight on the mother, I believe she follows the typical behavior of dealing with deal that I seem to see in novels. Just this complete shut-down and shut-off. Fall for Anything has two characters who deal with death separately that affect the entire community and each other. Readers will come across classmates, acquaintances, best friends who are affected through ripple effect.

P.S. I love Summers’s sense of humor.

P.P.S. I love Summers’s novels period.(less)

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Jan 05, 2011 Olivia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, books-read-in-2011

I read this book in a day and loved every minute of it. I was a little scared going into this but had a lot of excitement. I love Courtney Summers a bunch. "Cracked Up to Be" and "Some Girls Are" are some of my all-time favorite books ever. So I was scared this one would disappoint me because anymore I have such a high expectation, which I know is totally wrong.

Anyways, onto the book. "Fall for Anything" was really, really good but for some reason I don't think it was epic like her other two bo...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Manda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: awesome-crazy-girl, bffls-to-love, break-your-heart-kind-of-story, for-love-of-artsyness, here-be-uncovering-truth, reality-gritty-and-unflinching, smells-like-mature-teen-spirit, small-towns, snark-syndrome

There's something a bit addictive about Courtney Summers books. They aren't the happy books that make you see the beauty of life - they're just about the opposite. And it's this gritty, imperfect and flawed world with its cast of characters that can be selfish, cruel and destructive that creates the draw.

My third Summers after This is Not a Test and Some Girls Are, this novel is the slightly more reserved sister, dealing with the grief and confusion after a sudden loss. This made it a bit less...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Abigail (Shiningshawol) rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

i'm shocked by the high ratings of readers on this one coz that leaves me by what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-me judgement. So here's the thing, i'm not complaining about the characters here. All were real and i even love the fact that Eddie was a total bitch sometimes. Milo was okay, a very good guy. The whole story though was.. i don't know, a bit heavy i guess? or not. i don't know how to label it right but talking about grief and death, it feels sad and negative.

The mystery messages from Eddie's...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Adrian Dahlquist rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the book, Fall for Anything, written by Courtney Summers, readers are introduced to a dramatic story about a seventeen year old girl named Eddie Reeves. Unlike most senior high school students who are enjoying summer break Eddie is dealing with the death of her father. Eddie’s father, a famous photographer committed suicide and she desperately searches for answers as to why. Along with Eddie, the reader is introduced to Eddie’s mother and Beth, her mother’s friend. Since her father’s passing...more In the book, Fall for Anything, written by Courtney Summers, readers are introduced to a dramatic story about a seventeen year old girl named Eddie Reeves. Unlike most senior high school students who are enjoying summer break Eddie is dealing with the death of her father. Eddie’s father, a famous photographer committed suicide and she desperately searches for answers as to why. Along with Eddie, the reader is introduced to Eddie’s mother and Beth, her mother’s friend. Since her father’s passing Beth has moved in with Eddie and her mother. Eddie finds Beth superficial and domineering. Ever since Beth has moved in she has taken on a parenting role toward both Eddie and her grieving mother. Beth seems to treat Eddie as a child always ordering her around. She also does not consider Eddie’s feelings or state of grief. For example, in the book, Beth in secrecy, fearing for Eddie’s mother emotional state, insists on Eddie picking up her dead father’s personal items at his old studio. It seems from the portrayal of Beth’s character that she is not sensitive to Eddie’s feelings or grief toward her father’s recent passing. In addition, the reader is also introduced to Milo, who is Eddie’s best friend. Milo cares a lot for Eddie and both are attracted to one another however; Milo begins seeing another girl, leaving Eddie behind. Just when Eddie feels more alone than ever, she meets Cullen, a boy three years older than her and one of her father’s students. Eddie finds Cullen interesting and she likes that he is sensitive to her feelings when it seems like the rest of the world is not. As their relationship and jealousy between Milo unfolds, Eddie and Cullen begin to seek out the mystery behind her father’s suicide.
I found this book enjoyable because I was able to relate many of Eddie’s feeling to my own feelings as my seventeen year old self. I was also able to gain a new perspective on dealing with death. I think that how Eddie reacts to the world would be similar to any teenager therefore as a reader; I was able to gain insight on how one might feel when grieving the death of a parent or caretaker.
In my opinion, Fall for Anything would be a drama because the main character and those involved are dealing with many obstacles and learning how to cope after a recent tragedy. Because of the dramatic story line, it did not take me very long to enjoy. This book was a quick read and something I would have typically read in high school or during my free time. Although this book may not be listed for selected text in the classroom I think it offers important elements for young adult readers.
Therefore, I would recommend this book for student’s ages fourteen and up. I think this book would be helpful when discussing grief and loss to high school students, especially those dealing with a tragedy similar to Eddie’s.
(less)

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Jan 16, 2013 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hi there lovely person..Yes you..Please check ot my blog if you want to Thanks http://booknerdrambling.blogspot.com

So I’ll admit it I have heard of Fall for Anything before but I really wasn’t that excited to read it and honestly if it wasn’t for it being on the Contemps Challenge I don’t think I would have read the book at all.
I absolutely love the cover its what drew me in, the girl on the cover looks sad or in thought its quite lovely.I like the photographs in the background it ties in nicely...more
Hi there lovely person..Yes you..Please check ot my blog if you want to Thanks http://booknerdrambling.blogspot.com

So I’ll admit it I have heard of Fall for Anything before but I really wasn’t that excited to read it and honestly if it wasn’t for it being on the Contemps Challenge I don’t think I would have read the book at all.
I absolutely love the cover its what drew me in, the girl on the cover looks sad or in thought its quite lovely.I like the photographs in the background it ties in nicely with the story.

Eddie Reeves' father committed suicide, but she doesn't know why no one really does. There seems to be no reason - he was a famous artist , a talented photographer, and had a loving family, most importantly her his daughter. Shes obsessed with the why. Her moms extremely depressed so her best friend Beth helps them out, Beth and Eddie don’t get along. Her best friend, Milo, is always there for her they been friends for the longest. While still in despair about her dad grief Eddie meets Culler, his former student. They form a dangerous attraction and embark on a mission to piece together the broken picture of her father's death.

Her best friend, Milo, is always there for her, perhaps in more ways than Eddie realizes. I liked Milo’s character he was sweet and just wanted what’s best for Eddie. Then theres Culler this dark older mysteries stranger who seems to know a bit more about Eddies dad then she does.Milo is a comfort hes reliable, Culler is new and has a secret. Both care for Eddie.

So I'm kind of on the fence about how I feel about this book I read Courtney Summers’s other book Some Girls Are and I really enjoyed that book despite the subject matter of bulling/mean girls .So I starting reading Fall for Anything excepting to like this book just as much the other but I just don’t feel the same way.
The book was on such a raw topics its all about the aftermath of a suicide and how it affects every close to you. Despite the fact that I wasn’t crazy about the book it was defiantly moving and a decent read 3/5(less)

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Sep 25, 2012 Kim Smiley rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really interesting book and I enjoyed the story. Eddie, (a girl) is reeling from the suicide of her father. He may have been over 20 yrs. older than her mother, but he was a kind and generous man. He was once a very talented photographer and very well known in the art industry. Then one day he gave it all up to move to a small town and get married and have her.

Then one day, he just ended it all. And left a stupid note for her and her mother about how he's sorry and he loves them. Well...more This was a really interesting book and I enjoyed the story. Eddie, (a girl) is reeling from the suicide of her father. He may have been over 20 yrs. older than her mother, but he was a kind and generous man. He was once a very talented photographer and very well known in the art industry. Then one day he gave it all up to move to a small town and get married and have her.

Then one day, he just ended it all. And left a stupid note for her and her mother about how he's sorry and he loves them. Well, now her mom is in an almost catatonic state, as she doesn't even remember life without him. Her friend Beth has moved in to try and help them out, and Eddie hates Beth. She just wants to understand why this happened and why he did it.

Her best friend Milo is a wonderful supporting character to this story. He is Eddie's best friend and has been since second grade. It is obvious these two want more from eachother, but it isn't the right time. But he is there for her in her time of mourning. This guy will do anything for her, he's a good guy.

Eddie keeps going back to the site her Dad killed himself. There she meets Culler Evans, a photographer her Dad was mentoring, (and she didn't even know it). He goes w/ Eddie to clean out her dads studio where he left a box of framed photographs. She tells Culler to keep them. Then he calls her outta the blue to tell her the photos were numbered, and when he went to the barn where her Dad killed himself, he saw his initials carved into a door. So now Eddie wants to go on a trip to every place her dad took these last photos and see if he left any messages to indicate why he killed himself.

This is a very drama filled story. It lets the reader in to what a suicide can do to a family and how it effects people in such a bad way. This girl is really messed up and it all comes down to understanding why her dad would do such a thing when nothing seemed out of the ordinary to anyone that knew him.

I have to admit I was a little disappointed in the ending. Like Eddie, I wanted more, and the closure we both desire wasn't given.(less)

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Aug 23, 2012 Silent_count rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, commented, not_a_series

Does anyone know if Courtney Summers is single? Cause I think I'm in love. She's mean and nasty, which is common enough, but she's also bright, imaginative and articulate. Oh yes! That, right there, is a winning combination. Not petty, stupid nastiness, but honed, baleful and conniving wickedness. Can you think of anything else you'd rather have standing by your side?

I can't.

Should the stars ever so align that Ms. S condescends to be my Lady Macbeth, look out world!

Anyhow, I'm supposed to be tel...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Syndey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Fall For Anything is the first novel by Courtney Summers that I’ve read. I had no idea of Summers’ style nor did I know what this story was about. All I knew was the cover was fabulous and I really wanted to love it. And I did. I more than loved it, I took the lens off the camera, zoomed in and spent the day up close and personal with Eddie Reeves.
“This place never has anything to say to me.”
From the very first moment I began to read about Eddie’s story I was intrigued. Such tragedy. So much pai...more Fall For Anything is the first novel by Courtney Summers that I’ve read. I had no idea of Summers’ style nor did I know what this story was about. All I knew was the cover was fabulous and I really wanted to love it. And I did. I more than loved it, I took the lens off the camera, zoomed in and spent the day up close and personal with Eddie Reeves.
“This place never has anything to say to me.”
From the very first moment I began to read about Eddie’s story I was intrigued. Such tragedy. So much pain. So many questions. The most important one? WHY? I could feel it in my heart and soul. The question ached in my bones, I wanted the answer as much as Eddie did. Eddie traces back to the unimagineable night countless times in hopes of learning the truth. On her journey she unexpectedly meets a student of her late fathers. Culler Evans. He seems to know so much. Have so many of the same feelings. They were in sync. The more time she spends with Culler the less she spends with her best friend Milo and the more she thinks maybe she didn’t really know her father at all. So many questions. So many emotions. Sad. Angry. Cold. Numb. Desire. Guilt. Loss. All of these push Eddie for answers.
Robyn, Eddie’s mother is quite a mess. Plagued with utter emptiness and desolution she just can not maintain. Beth, Robyn’s best friend since back in the day has come to stay with her and Eddie to help out. This is disasterous. Eddie and Beth have a hate-hate relationship. Putting the two of them together for a month is mortifying.
Eddie goes for an emotional rollercoaster ride in this novel. The twists and turns are breathtaking. Every page is full of raw emotion, total intensity. There is not one moment when I wanted to step away, I had to finish this story once it was started. Summers’ took me down a path that was so unexpected I found myself holding my breath waiting for the next turn in events. Each and every character was well carved into their orginal personalities. I actually felt as if I knew these people.
This is one story that I will not soon forget, one that will wake me in the middle of the night to ponder over and one that I will with no doubts recommend to anyone that I possibly can.
I think this novel is phenomenal. However, I feel like I was punched in the stomach at the end. Maybe shorted a tiny bit. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED the story but when it was all said and done I wanted more. I expected something more. So I fought with myself on the star sitch going back and forth until I decided to go with my first real feelings.(less)

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Jun 27, 2012 E rated it 4 of 5 stars

Also Found On: A Book and A Record

For some reason I'm attracted to sad books, which is strange because I'm not a big fan of being sad, but whatever, there is it. Maybe it's that I like to look at grief from different angles? I don't know. Okay, anyways Fall for Anything was kind of a..strange book. I've read a lot of books where one of the parents dies and this one was different and yet the same as others. Different in that it is solely focused on Eddie and Milo, the same in that the parent left...more Also Found On: A Book and A Record

For some reason I'm attracted to sad books, which is strange because I'm not a big fan of being sad, but whatever, there is it. Maybe it's that I like to look at grief from different angles? I don't know. Okay, anyways Fall for Anything was kind of a..strange book. I've read a lot of books where one of the parents dies and this one was different and yet the same as others. Different in that it is solely focused on Eddie and Milo, the same in that the parent left living becomes an empty shell and no longer cares about the child, their whereabouts, etc. and the same in that a third party who the protagonist hates enters and makes a muck of things. However, what was different is how Summers captured grief. This book literally felt like a weight was resting on my chest. It was that intense. The way that Eddie is constantly feeling and trying to understand things weighs you down as a reader, which was surprising and completely unexpected.

There is just something about Fall for Anything that insists on being read thoroughly. Although Eddie isn't necessarily likeable, I found myself at two in the morning wondering what would happen between her and the two love interests. What I also enjoyed was how much Summers really gets into Eddies head. I felt like I was living this story while I was reading it. Fall for Anything definitely sucks you in. The only really big problem that I had (besides the fact that the F word was dropped probably three times per page – annoyed.) was that Milo seemed so much older, and yet would act so young at the same time. I wish that I could have seen more inside Milo's head. There were a lot of times where I kept wondering what the heck that boy was thinking, and why he felt so inclined to do what he did. What were his motivators? Was it love? Was it fear?

Fall for Anything is one of those books where you come out the other end feeling differently about things, whether it's a good different or a bad different is entirely up to you, but you do, definitely, feel different. That's the real reason this is getting a four, because rarely do YA books make you feel and question this much afterwards.(less)

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