Do you ever pick up a book and can’t put it down? Do you ever just have to know what happens to the characters? Do you ever get attached to the characters in the book?
This year I’ve tried to read more, for pleasure and for my degree, and so far I have read 27 books. 14 of these books are all by the amazing author Lexi Ryan. I discovered Lexi Ryan through social media and decided to begin her series, ‘The Boys of Jackson Harbour’, and since then I am obsessed with her stories.
The latest book of Ryan’s I read was Every Time I Fall; it can be read as a standalone or part of the ‘Orchid Valley’ series as book three. Every Time I Fall follows the love story of Abbi and Dean, who just so happens to be her brothers’ best mate and her friends’ brother.
Having followed Ryan on Instagram, I was already excited about the release of this book before having ever read the ‘Orchid Valley’ series.
I knew I would enjoy the book because I like Ryan’s writing style – being a creative writing student, I’m continuously analysing other’s writing – but that wasn’t what initially drew me to this particular book.
What caught my attention was the cover.
Now I know there’s the saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’ and that is completely true. You shouldn’t just look at a book cover and then read it purely based on the image; you should read the blurb, maybe see if you can read the first couple of pages (easier in shops than online) to see if you like it. But for me, the cover was the thing that caught my attention.
It featured a big girl. The cover showed the protagonists, Abbi and Dean, but Abbi wasn’t portrayed as being a slim woman with the “perfect” figure. She represented the type of woman who isn’t normally written about or explored in fiction. She doesn’t have perfectly toned arms and a thigh gap; she’s not slim with a flat torso. Ryan created a curvaceous woman.
After reading the other books in this series, I started Every Time I Fall. Whilst reading, I had knee-jerk reactions of smiling and laughter. I felt sad when Abbi felt sad (coincidence that our names are the same, just spelt different) and I shipped Dean and Abbi - I read the book as fast as I could just to see their happily ever after.
The most captivating aspect of this book was that the characters felt real. They were relatable. Obviously not being a man, I related more to Abbi than I did Dean. There were scenes that were expertly written exploring Abbi’s insecurities as a bigger woman; she had accepted that out of her friends, she’d be the single one, the one who no man wants because of her figure. Ryan showcased all the worries every woman who isn’t slim has, and that was what made me love this book.
I would say that the theme of this book is acceptance and the journey that Abbi goes on helps her learn this. There are times when Abbi sabotages her chances with Dean based on insecurities, or external forces plant negativity in Abbi’s mind, but by the end Abbi has accepted that she doesn’t have to change her appearance.
She learns that she’s perfect the way she is – yeah, she may not be as slim as her friends but who cares – and that her own fears and worries about herself were getting in the way of having the guy she loves.
Every Time I Fall holds such an important message that isn’t explored much in fiction, and because of this, I recommend this book to all you bookworms.
Now, I just want Lexi Ryan to write a book about Savvy’s story (one of Abbi’s friends).
If you fancy reading a Lexi Ryan story, here's the link to her website:
Until next time...
This sounds like a great book! I love how Ryan's protagonist isn't a conventional one conformed to society's ideas of beauty. Diverse characters, in everything from race to body to health, is great to see - it's so much more real. 💜
Thank you for the amazing recommendation! I definitely need to try these books!
It must be good to get so involved in a book series, I really need to find one for me to get caught up with and be part of the characters' journey. I'm still looking!