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Down to Earth

by Melanie Rose (Goodreads Author)

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 194 ratings · 40 reviews

When Michaela Anderson signs up for a charity parachute jump, she gets more than a case of vertigo...

Suffering last-minute panic, Michaela's three colleagues go first. But just as she takes her leap of faith, an almighty gale blows up from nowhere.

When she returns to the ground, she finds the airfield deserted, her car gone and the seasons mysteriously changed. Posters nea...more

Paperback, 388 pages

Published October 14th 2010 by Avon

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Jan 14, 2013 Kalaiaresi Subbiah added it

When Michaela Anderson signs up for a charity parachute jump, she gets more than a case of vertigo...

Suffering last-minute panic, Michaela's three colleagues go first. But just as she takes her leap of faith, an almighty gale blows up from nowhere.

When she returns to the ground, she finds the airfield deserted, her car gone and the seasons mysteriously changed. Posters nearby proclaim Michaela to have been missing for the last six and a half years.

1 like · like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 Jodie (Books for Company) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Melanie Rose has set high standards for herself from my point of view with her previous two books and after reading this she has yet to fail with coming up with an interesting, unique plot that has kept me gripped all the way through, this book doesn’t disappoint!
The futher you get into this book more things arise and are discovered about the characters and even though Michaela finding out what happened to the 6 and half years of her life is the main storyline in this book there are many other s...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Chloe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-release, read-in-2010

Michaela Anderson isn’t really a risk taker, but when her company organises a charity parachute jump, she can’t really refuse. When she gets up in the skies, she doesn’t want to jump but after everyone else seems to safely make it down, Michaela decides to take the plunge. But as she plummets back to Earth, a huge gust of wind takes Michaela by surprise. She lands with a bump and is a bit unsure why everything around her seems to have changed. The airfield has disappeared and there’s no sign of...more Michaela Anderson isn’t really a risk taker, but when her company organises a charity parachute jump, she can’t really refuse. When she gets up in the skies, she doesn’t want to jump but after everyone else seems to safely make it down, Michaela decides to take the plunge. But as she plummets back to Earth, a huge gust of wind takes Michaela by surprise. She lands with a bump and is a bit unsure why everything around her seems to have changed. The airfield has disappeared and there’s no sign of her colleagues anywhere, or Matt, her instructor. More oddly, when Michaela makes contact with Matt and her boyfriend, it seems she has been missing for over 6 years and everyone thought she was dead. Just what happened to Michaela when she made that jump, and where have the past 6 years been? Is it magical forces at work or something more sinister?

This is the third novel by author Melanie Rose, and I was so excited to read this one because of how much I have enjoyed her previous 2 books. Usually, magical type stories are not my thing, I prefer to read something rooted a little more in the real world, but there is something utterly charming about Rose’s books that I just cannot put down. The cover follows suit with her previous 2 novels, and once again I love it – the green is certainly different and stands out, and makes the book seem the something different that the book itself is. Melanie’s first book Could It Be Magic? focussed on the changed life of a woman struck by lightning, her second was Coming Home about a woman who loses her memory after being caught in a storm so this one about a missing 6 years seems to fit the form of Rose’s books quite well!

The book starts with a prologue that takes place at the time of the jump. We meet a few of Michaela’s colleagues and the jump instructor Matt in this scene, but the jump comes pretty quickly so not too much detail is given away. I actually liked this because it adds to the mystery element of what happened to Michaela, and we can suspect some of the characters because we just don’t know anything about them. Michaela is a very likeable character, although her denial of the new time period she’s emerged into is a tad annoying. It’s weird because I understood why you would be in denial about it, but at the same time I found it quite annoying! However, it didn’t bother me enough to skip parts or anything, it was more of a niggle than a huge problem!

The development of the story is very interesting and I loved how Rose dictates the pace of the story through her character. Michaela’s acceptance of her situation moves along quite nicely and allows for more plot development in terms of her building up relationships with the other characters in the book. The best relationship to read about was that of Michaela, her boyfriend from her life before Calum and his daughter Abbey. Obviously Michaela feels like she only saw the pair of them earlier that morning, yet Calum and Abbey have had 6 years to come to terms with Michaela’s disappearance, and the way this pans out makes for great reading. Rose gets into the emotion of these characters amazingly well, you can feel for each of them and how they are dealing with their difficult circumstances. Michaela and Abbey’s relationship in particular was very touching, and I loved seeing it develop as the book goes on.

I really couldn’t guess how it was all going to end for Michaela in the book and whether there would be a definite ending to it or if it would left up in the air a little bit. Even when I had read the end, I actually went back and re-read it just so I could make sure I had understood it clearly enough and it turned out I had. There is a science bit in the middle of the book which is quite hard going if you don’t pay attention and really concentrate on it! I found it was a little bit too heavy actually, a lot of the scientific jargon was just too much for me and I ended glossing over it and trying to get the general gist of it. This is really the only negative thing about the book though, and I still got the rest of the book okay by glossing over this bit. I appreciate the research that Rose must have put into this though, it must have been pretty heavy!

Overall, this is a superb book and one I would highly recommend, especially if you are a fan of more magical tales such as Melanie Roses’ previous books, Cecelia Ahern or even Sophie Kinsella. The writing is great – the style flows really well and I enjoyed it being written from the first person perspective as we can really get into Michaela’s head and try to puzzle out her story along with her. It’s very emotive, you really do feel for these characters, and the pace is just right so that your attention is kept, the secrets are revealed slowly as the book pans out, and by the end you really do care about what happened to Michaela. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to see what else Melanie Rose is going to bring us!(less)

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Oct 20, 2010 Tasha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Down To Earth is a unique book with an interesting plot. There's plenty going on throughout the whole book to keep the pages turning. I liked that the reason behind Michaela's disappearance was a mystery to both the characters and the reader. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of detail included - there's a 'science bit' and a couple of other parts, such as when Abbey is using Tarot cards, that were clearly well researched. However, I did feel that maybe the explanations given where a littl...more

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Apr 18, 2011 AvonBooks added it

When Michaela Anderson signs up for a parachute jump she gets more than a case of vertigo…

Suffering last-minute panic, Michaela’s three colleagues go first. But just as she takes her leap of faith, an almighty gale blows up from nowhere.

When she returns to the ground, she finds the airfield deserted, her car gone and the seasons mysteriously changed. Posters nearby proclaim Michaela to have been missing for the last six and a half years…

But Michaela is determined to find out the truth. Was she k...more

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Jan 17, 2011 Lisa rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read this book pretty quickly - just over one day. Michaela is roped into doing a team-building parachute jump but when she jumps out of her plane, she wakes up in an apparently different time but not place. She is told that she has been missing for 6.5 years and life has moved on without her. The book recounts her previous life, Michaela's attempts to find out what really happened at the parachute jump and hints at her future to come. I'm not sure if the author got bored with her own work, ba...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Nicole Chan rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is really awesome! If you like supernatural books like me, you will like this book! It really pulls you into the book and make you want to read on, wanting to know why Michaela skipped 6 and 1/2 years when she just did a simple parachute jump. You might feel lost at first, like me, but later on you will be able to follow the story. I simply loved the plot and the way it is expressed. It is so complicated yet so interesting. I felt as if I was really at the scene. It feels so real that...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had a hard time putting this book down. Each chapter presented a new twist to the plot that kept me wanting to read. The main character in the book jumps from a plane and when she lands on the ground she has literally lost 6 years of her life. Everyone has been looking for her for six long years and the last thing she remembers is jumping from the plane. This would be a nightmare for anyone! But what is really weird about the story is that most everyone is upset with her for disappearing and t...more

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Jan 12, 2011 Kerrie-ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: signed-books, romance, arcs-and-books-from-authors, own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The action starts right from the first moment you start reading this book as the first chapter contains the parachute jump which changes Michaela's life forever. From the moment she touches ground from the jump she finds that everything has changed and she has been missing for 6 and a half years. Throughout the novel Michaela has to make a lot of choices after she comes back. For example she must choose between her new love and her ex boyfriend (boyfriend when she disappeared) and whether or not...more The action starts right from the first moment you start reading this book as the first chapter contains the parachute jump which changes Michaela's life forever. From the moment she touches ground from the jump she finds that everything has changed and she has been missing for 6 and a half years. Throughout the novel Michaela has to make a lot of choices after she comes back. For example she must choose between her new love and her ex boyfriend (boyfriend when she disappeared) and whether or not to look after his ex-best friend's son.

The mystery of Michaela's disappearance has yet to be solved, but you are left thinking whether 2 of the main characters had anything to do with the missing 6 and half years of her life. Some theories are put forward throughout this story as to what could have happened during the missing 6 and half years of Michaela's life. However, you do not actually find out what happened to her. It would have been good to find out the truth as to Michaela's disappearance so I was a bit disappointed that you never found that out. Overall, the whole story was really good as there was lots happening to keep you immersed within the book. The book also had a lot of tension as Michaela found out certain home truths and the action packed ending.

The writing within this novel is very good as it contains a lot of detail and keeps you immersed within the story unfolding. The unfolding story makes you want to keep reading so you can find out what really happened to Michaela. Regarding the language used I would not recommend this book to younger readers as it contains swearing and some sexual content which young readers shouldn't read about. This is more of a 16+ book. The story unfolds at it's own pace as so much happens before you actually find out what happened.

The characters within the book are very good. Michaela is a great main female character as she is a caring woman (cares for Abbey and Tristan), she has been through a traumatic experience and come out the other side of it and she just seems like someone you would want to have as your friend. Kevin, on the other hand, does seem a bit weird as he keeps calling the female characters names like toots and babes. That can be a bit annoying as he does it continuously. Matt seems like a gorgeous guy who Michaela deserves to be with with, but she makes the right choice in going back to Calum as she can have a stable family home with him and be a proper family with him and Abbey.

Abbey is the perfect teenager has she is going through the rebellious stage of her life, but she is also caring (cares for Michaela, her father and Tristan) and wants to have Michaela back at home acting as her mother figure. Ingrid is a bit of a horrible character who I didn't really like much as she was rude to Michaela, partly drunk in the chapter at her home in Brighton and abandons her son with Michael to run off with her boyfriend (her boyfriend beats Tristan). Finally, Calum was a good main character as you felt sorry for him having to go through the cancer on his own until Michaela comes back. You also feel sorry for him when he tries to take his own life and to have his daughter being the one who found him was so hard on him.

Overall, this was a really good book which I throughly enjoyed reading. The book does contain 59 chapters, but they are pretty short chapters so if you are a quick reader it won't take you long to get through this book. My overall rating for this boom would be 4.5/5. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mystery novels with a touch of romance within them. (less)

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Jun 05, 2011 Sally rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, drama, really-het, country-england, chick-lit

I think I need a shelf for "look, it's a grown-up book for a change!" ;) This is one of those rare few that is not getting added to the masses of YA and childrens' books - and it's not GLBT, either! Quite a rarity indeed!

But what it was, was bloody awesome, that's what. Growing up, I had a few years of obsession with The Flight of the Navigator and have always been interested in Rip van Winkle-like stories; so when I heard what this book was about I was definitely very intrigued to read it. Mich...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Viohlet rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Shelves: 1st-person-pov, 11-books-i-own, career-i-have-my-own-business, career-pilot-engineer-etc, deception, estranged-or-long-lost-relatives, favorites, fast-paced, genre-contemporary, hero-3-m-r, hero-dark-mysterious-and-oh-so-sexy, hero-has-bucket-loads-of-charm, hero-i-loved, hero-i-wanna-marry, hero-is-too-noble-for-is-own-good, hero-to-die-for, heroine-5-blonde, heroine-3-m-r, heroine-i-loved, heroine-passive, love-at-first-sight, majorly-awesome-hero, majorly-awesome-heroine, my-life-has-been-turned-upside-down, whirlwind-romance, younger-siblings-to-look-after, we-can-never-be-together-angst, timeshift-timewarp-time-travel, supporting-characters-awesome, suddenly-a-parent, stars-5, soul-mates, set-in-english-country, secondary-romance, read-in-2011, read-4-loved, publisher-avon, paranormal-other, paranormal-general-magic, couldnt-put-it-down

I really loved this. It was an emotional roller-coaster and I loved every second of this. I couldn't put it down, I absolutely had to keep reading to find out what happened to Michaela, and what would happen next.

I wasn't able to predict anything in this, and I liked that. I liked not knowing how it would all turn out long before it happened.

I loved the relationship between Matt and Michaela. Sometimes, it's just nice to have a 'love at first sight' plot where they don't fuck around, and just ge...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Allie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book had been on my wishlist for ages before I managed to get a swap for it. Closer to chick-lit than I normally like to get, the plotline sounded fantastic.

The first half of the book WAS fantastic but then it was almost like the author got bored of writing or realised that she had started out with a terrific idea for a novel but had no idea how to bring it to a conclusion and the ending was very disappointing.

I would recommend reading it, just don't expect it to live up to the hype.

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Mar 10, 2011 Donna Irwin rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had ordered this book from the library but when it came and the cover said fans of Sophie Kinsella and Cecelia Aherne would love it, I was expecting the worst as I can stand either of them! I got a really pleasant suprise - it was really good and very well written. I loved the characters and the way the author presented the dilemma of the main character, Kaela. I also liked the way the story ended - but wont say more!

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Nov 08, 2011 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Really loved this book, they way it kept me gripped - I couldn't put it down. I kept reading on wanting to know what happened, and it was never explained - the ending was a bit disappointing to say the least, things were left unexplained that should have been cleared up. It was up to you to decide what had happened to Michaela - I'd like to have known about the cut on her hand for definite though.

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Dec 03, 2012 Chrissie rated it 2 of 5 stars

The storyline had so much potential, but the book went off on a tangent of relationships, parenting problems and family issues. It wasnt what i was expecting after reading the back cover of the book. I enjoyed reading it, but the story does fall flat in places and didnt have any twists that you dont see coming.
Not the worst book ive read.. but not the best

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May 01, 2013 Jycel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Hace un momento comentaba lo bien que le sienta al clásico "Jane Eyre" el uso de la primera persona. Bien, este es el caso al contrario, en "Caída Libre" está muy mal llevada.

No he llegado a empatizar con la protagonista. Para mí, éste es el problema principal del libro. La manera que tiene de pensar e incluso de exteriorizar los pensamientos se me ha hecho muy ajena, y no ha conseguido hacerme entrar en el libro. Es más, me ha aburrido bastante.

La historia prometía muchísimo. Sin embargo, y ést...more

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Feb 12, 2012 R. Dibby rated it 4 of 5 stars

I thought that this book was really good as the plot was just brilliant. From the cover it looks like it will be an ordinary chick lit but believe me there were so many different layers to the plot that there was not a bit where I found myself bored! Great read :)

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Apr 08, 2012 Jodie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

Just awful. I only finished it because nothing is open and I can't buy a decent book. On the upside this novel has convinced me to purchase an e-reader so I am not caught without a decent book on a long weekend ever again!

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Mar 21, 2012 Jodi rated it 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book. It was an engaging story about a lady who "loses" 6.5 years of her life in a moment, so it seems, during a parachute jump. It certainly kept me guessing and there were excellent sub-plots happening all over the place to keep up the interest. Very enjoyable, 'light' read. Thanks for the loan, Sandie :-)

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Jan 03, 2013 Clemmie Wood rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book has a great/clever storyline. unfortunately I was not able to finish it because I needed to get on to my next book. But if you have enough time. GO AHEAD

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Feb 23, 2011 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

I really enjoyed this book. An unusual plot, and the tales of the different relationships going on with the main character michaela, kept my interest. A light read.

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Jan 14, 2011 Kirsty Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

this was a great book, thanks Eve. had me hooked all the way through trying to figure out what happened to the main character Michaela.

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Jan 07, 2012 Julia Doherty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another excellent book by Melanie Rose. This poor Michaela had a hell of a week!!!

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Nov 27, 2012 Lucy Yaschenko rated it 4 of 5 stars

Couldn't put it down, but was left a little flat with the ending

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Sep 02, 2012 Ariana rated it 5 of 5 stars

Te mantiene interesado hasta el final. Bueno.

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Jan 23, 2013 Sarah Searle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Not bad, an easy lovely chick read

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Mar 04, 2012 Jane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Good middle of the night read

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Mar 05, 2012 Sandie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A great easy read.

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Dec 11, 2011 Chanpreet rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book was everything and nothing like I expected it to be. But I was hooked and as my first book by Melanie Rose I was very pleased with what I read. This book covered a lot more than I thought it would. There was scientific reasoning, paranormal phenomena, a tiny bit of religion/faith, etc along with with the relationship drama and issues. It made for a great mix and the premise is one I've never heard of before. If you haven't looked at this book before, I would definitely recommend you do...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Anna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Possibly one of the most dramatic books I've ever read in my life!! I really liked the plot though and am very impressed by the sheer amount of dramatic content Melanie Rose managed to fit in! I loved the science part and how there was little hints of God and faith in there (: Simone was my favourite character and I would liked to have seen more of her...but oh well. The cover annoys me on so many levels so I hope people can look past it because it is really worth reading!

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About Melanie Rose

Melanie Rose is the author of Finding Home (Jan '11) and Life As I Know It, (Feb 2010)
Both books are published in the US by Bantam and previously published in the UK as Coming Home and Could It be Magic? and across Europe under different titles, earning her a place on the bestseller list in Germany as Mein Tag Ist Deine Nacht.
Melanie has been a writer all her life whilst caring for children as a c...more

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