Book Review : Freefall by Mindi Scott

Freefall by Mindi Scott

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse; Original edition (October 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1442402784
• ISBN-13: 978-1442402782
• Available on Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound
• Source: Won from The Hiding Spot

How do you come back from the point of no return?

Seth McCoy was the last person to see his best friend, Isaac, alive, and the first to find him dead. It was just another night, just another party, just another time when Isaac drank too much and passed out on the lawn. Only this time, Isaac didn't wake up.

Convinced that his own actions led to his friend's death, Seth is torn between turning his life around . . . or losing himself completely.

Then he meets Rosetta: so beautiful and so different from everything and everyone he's ever known. But Rosetta has secrets of her own, and Seth soon realizes he isn't the only one who needs saving . . .

Hmm... What should I say about Freefall? I can't say I don't like it, but I can't say I love it either. I guess I have mixed feelings about this book. Let's get to the good things first. Freefall is a portrayal of the modern teenage world - a world filled with wild, recalcitrant [1], obstreperous [2] teens. Most of them love partying, drinking alcohol and do drugs. Though this is clearly a negative interpretation, it also sends a strong message to people about how awful the situation of teenage misbehaviours is.

Mindi Scott's writing is undeniably good. She uses her words to effectively craft a realistic fictitious world which encourages the reader to plunge into it. Seth McCoy is a typical sixteen year old boy - he drinks booze and enjoys himself in parties. But the difference between him and his peers are: 1) he doesn't do drugs; 2) he is drowning himself in guilt. Seth blames himself for his friend's accidental death and feels culpable [3] for it. But he soon meets a lovely girl called Rosetta and discovers that he is not the only one with problems.

Well, this sounds great, right?

Except that's one of the main things that I'm a little disappointed in. While it has the potential to be a great story, it seems to be going nowhere - there is not a main plot but only a few subplots. And there's no climax in the story - the ending seems to be quite anti-climatic. I kept hoping to discover a great secret or two - but the secrets (both Seth's and Rosetta's) are lacking of the "shocking" factor.

The characters that I like are Rosetta and Kendall. Rosetta seems to be a pretty troubled girl because of her secrets, but she is likable. Kendall is a gutsy girl whom I learned to understand although I kind of despised her at first. I'm happy that Seth is willing to stand up for Kendall at the end even though Kendall accidentally spilled Rosetta's secrets.

Freefall will appeal to those who are looking for books with some inner depth and emotion. If you like reading If I Stay (If I Stay, #1) by Gayle Forman, you'll most likely enjoy this book.

Note: This book is suitable for older teens only. There are alcoholism, sexuality and profanity in this book.

Rating:

Thanks to Mindi for sending me a signed copy of this book! :)

Avid lover of sun and hater of rain, Mindi Scott has somehow managed to reside in the Pacific Northwest corner of the U.S. all her life. She currently lives with her drummer husband and four cats near Seattle, Washington. Please visit her online at www.mindiscott.com.