Fall With Me Review: Roxy

Book: Fall With Me
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Wait For You
Standing: Book 4
POV: 1st person by Roxy, past tense
Genre: NA romance, contemporary

Source: Physical copy
Publisher: Avon
Pages: 389
Release: March 31st, 2015

Goodreads Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice. Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already. But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.

Yet another great Jennifer L. Armentrout Book!

Roxy is a part-time bartender, part-time graphic design student with a passion and talent for painting. She's been in love with Reece Anders since she was fifteen and he left for the Marines, and has tried--and failed--to get over him, until the one night they spent together changes their relationship for both better and worse. However, Roxy has bigger things to worry about: the person responsible for sending her best friend into a long-term care centre is now out of prison, and apparently wants to make amends. And not long after, Roxy finds herself in the centre of a stalker's attention...

We've glimpsed Roxy a few times in Stay With Me, the previous book, and the strange relationship she has with Reece. This book takes us deeper into her story, explaining that fateful night eleven months ago, and how every since then, she's been avoiding him like the plague. Roxy is definitely one of the perkiest heroines I've read by Jennifer L. Armentrout, and I loved her nerdy shirts and all the fandoms they represent. One thing we really get from Roxy is guilt: guilt of lying, and guilt of past actions. It's not easy to find your voice and speak about these things, and even more difficult to fully accept the consequences of them. Even harder than guilt is forgiveness, something that many of us hold onto and reluctantly give up. Roxy was a very realistic character to me, and I really loved her and her ways to face her fears.

Reece was our very fine and swoon-worthy lead male character. Unlike with the previous books and their featuring male characters, Reece was very straightforward and made his intentions for Roxy clear as day. Even though Roxy has been avoiding him for eleven months, he remains firm, and tells her that he still wants her. However, Reece wasn't without his own troubles. As it was hinted in the last book, Reece's time in the Marines didn't quite go as planned, and neither did his time at the beginning of his cop career. But what I really liked about him was how he admitted that he still wasn't quite okay, but he was doing his best to slowly heal in his own time. Another thing I really loved was his persistence, both trying to court Roxy and to help her deal with the rough times she goes through. He does a lot for her, and is overall amazing.

This book deals with issues with a scary yet very read case of head injuries, and how one helplessly copes. Roxy's childhood friend, Charlie, is a victim of a hate-crime, and as a result, is hospitalized and sentenced to a long-term facility. Right off the bat, we get a sense of how much Roxy loves Charlie, visiting him every Friday even though he's completely unresponsive. It's rough for Roxy, with her best friend unable to function properly or recognize people, yet she plasters on a smile week after week to see him. Head injuries are no joke, and we get a small glimpse at the consequences of what seemingly minor things can actually do to people. Lives can be turned upside-down, not just for the victim, but also anyone close to the victim.

The theme of forgiveness comes to play in this book. What exactly is hatred? How do you forgive someone who sent your best friend into a mental state of deterioration? Is it possible? How do you let go of hatred? When should hatred become pity, and then forgiveness? All these questions are raised by either the reader of by Roxy, and they are discussed in a very real context. It's hard to judge who deserves what, and even harder to let go of hatred and turn it into something else, like forgiveness. But forgiveness is also what gives people hope, hope to make the world a better place.

Like any good romance book, the element of danger has to be incorporated. This type of danger comes in the more severe form of modern-day yet: stalkers/creepers. To find disturbing messages, and find yourself in the centre of an escalating violence. How do you deal with it? When do you draw the line between thinking you're going crazy to actually calling the cops? It's every girl's worse nightmare... Make sure you always lock your doors and windows!

Overall, this is yet another utterly fantastic book by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It will tear at your heart, leaving you happy, sad, scared, and blushing from all those steamy moments. I recommend this, so long as you can take the heat!