ISBN: 1982117702
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: 04/28/2020
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars Top Books of 2020
From “the next major voice in Southern fiction” (Elin Hilderbrand) and the bestselling author of the Peachtree Bluff series comes an odd-couple tale of friendship that asks just how much our past choices define our happiness. It’s summertime on the North Carolina coast and the livin’ is easy.
Unless, that is, you’ve just lost your mother to cancer, your sister to her extremist husband, and your husband to his executive assistant. Meet Gray Howard. Right when Gray could use a serious infusion of good karma in her life, she inadvertently gets a stranger, Diana Harrington, fired from her job at the local pharmacy.
Diana Harrington’s summer isn’t off to the greatest start either: Hours before losing her job, she broke up with her boyfriend and moved out of their shared house with only a worn-out Impala for a bed. Lucky for her, Gray has an empty guest house and a very guilty conscience.
With Gray’s kindness, Diana’s tide begins to turn. But when her first love returns, every secret from her past seems to resurface all at once. And, as Gray begins to blaze a new trail, she discovers, with Diana’s help, that what she envisioned as her perfect life may not be what she wants at all.
In her warmest, wisest novel yet, Kristy Woodson Harvey delivers a discerning portrait of modern womanhood through two vastly different lenses. Feels Like Falling is a beach bag essential for Harvey fans—and for a new generation of readers.
My Review
Southern master storyteller, Kristy Woodson Harvey returns following (2019 The Southern Side of Paradise —check out my Q&A with Kristy) with her latest FEELS LIKE FALLING. A heartwarming tale of two women who form an unlikely friendship. Both of their lives are forever changed for the better.
Set on the coast of N.C, Gray Howard started a marketing company, ClickMarket, back in college, which has grown into an empire. However, now, her husband decides to leave her for his younger assistant.
Of course, with the divorce, he wants a little of everything, including her business. Plus, he is pulling their son away for a trip. On top of this, her mom died of cancer. And her sister Quinn has a cult-like leader/preacher for a husband.
Her work has been her life, and now it is being jerked away. As she is going through this process, she happens to be at the drug store getting some photos, and the gal, Diana (a clerk photo developer), wants her to get a release form signed.
After that, Diana gets fired and has no place to go. She also has experienced a bad breakup and now must live in her car.
However, through the process of several funny events, Diana winds up living in Gray’s guest cottage and working for her. This unlikely pair discovers they have more in common than they may know. Kristy weaves a beautiful story of two women who find themselves at crossroads. Infused with emotion and humor with distinct voices (including a cast of secondary female characters), plus Trey (loved), her assistant, and a hunky younger love interest (Andrew) for Gray (yum).
Plus, an old flame comes back into Diana’s life, and they both get a second chance at life and love. I enjoyed Diana’s wit and humor.
“Sometimes we get right where we need to be by ending up exactly where we started.”
Each of the characters questions their relationships and who they are while searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning, not just what people expect.
A perfect beach read with relatable characters that showcase that life is always full of surprises and does not always have to “look perfect to be perfect for you.”
Emotionally honest, and utterly captivating, FEELS LIKE FALLING is a story of family, friendship, love, and the courage to follow your own heart—wherever that may lead.
"An I realized that sometimes when you're speeding through thin air, the brakes worn out and the engine shot, maybe it feels like you're falling. But, in reality, that's when you're learning to fly." —Feels Like Falling
An ideal book to read during this time of isolation. As we think of others and what they may be experiencing.
Once again, the charming author knows her way around NC and Southern storytelling. I loved the characters. For fans of Mary Kay Andrews, Emily Giffin, Patti Callahan Henry, and Mary Alice Monroe.
Just give me a front porch and a swing on a breezy evening and this book. I highly recommend all of Kristy’s books! PS. Be sure and listen to Kristy’s video about the inspiration behind the novel. Fascinating!
A special thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy.
On a side note: As always, being an NC native, I enjoy discovering an essential or memorable place in one of Kristy’s stories. Was delighted when she featured The Mast Farm Inn!! It is a beautiful boutique historic Select Registry B&B Inn in Banner Elk, NC. I have stayed there many times when my oldest son attended college in Banner Elk and Boone. Many fond memories.
Being in the media business and a consultant for inns and the hospitality business, I have had the opportunity of seeing every room. The charming inn, the historic cottages, as well as the new cabins. The food is divine; the accommodations superb, and the owners and management are delightful. (I do wish Gray could have gone there with Andrew) but it all worked out in the end.💕
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Praise
Parade’s 20 Most Anticipated Books of Early 2020
SheKnows’ 10 of the Most Anticipated Books Coming in 2020
Mary Kay Andrews’ Reading Challenge Women’s Fiction Pick
Working Mother’s 20 Most Anticipated Books of 2020 for Working Moms
"Two women in turmoil, two lives at a crossroads. Only Kristy Woodson Harvey can make sense of the sometimes devastating, often-times delicious dilemmas faced by the protagonists of her newest perfect beach read FEELS LIKE FALLING. Readers will fall in love with entrepreneur Gray, whose husband’s betrayal leaves her feeling adrift and looking for something beyond career success, while plucky down-and-out Diana will win the hearts of those of us who always root for the underdog. Buckle up, buttercups, because FEELS LIKE FALLING feels like your next summer sizzler!"
—Mary Kay Andrews, New York Times bestselling author of Sunset Beach, The High Tide Club, and The Weekenders
"Kristy Woodson Harvey has the voice of a best friend; a storyteller of the finest sort. Feels Like Falling takes us on a page-turning journey with two very different women who must somehow find their way together. Harvey asks the important question — how do we let go of the preconceived notions of our life ? And she answers that question with lyrical prose, an uncommon wisdom and a sharp wit. This is more than a novel about friendship, it is also a story for friendship: you will find yourself sharing it with everyone you love. Dive in; the storytelling is delicious!"
—Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times Bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis
“Harvey creates genuine, capable, flawed protagonists and fun secondary characters, and readers will appreciate the thoughtful depiction of women supporting one another in an easy, breezy story. Fans of Mary Kay Andrews and Mary Alice Monroe should add this to their beach read lists.” —Booklist
“In pitch-perfect tones, Harvey creates two Southern women doing their best to deal with everything life throws at them, and her able plotting will keep readers turning the pages…Harvey’s optimistic tale just might convince readers that bouncing back can actually land a person in a better place than where they started.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A major new voice in southern fiction.” —Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author
“[A] rising star of southern fiction.” —Mary Alice Monroe, New York Times bestselling author
“Kristy Woodson Harvey really knows how to tell a southern tale.”
—Cathy Lamb, New York Times bestselling author
“One of the hottest new southern writers.”
—Parade
“My prediction is that writers come and writers go, but Kristy Woodson Harvey is here to stay.” —The Huffington Post
About the Author
Kristy Woodson Harvey is the bestselling author of six novels, including The Southern Side of Paradise, Slightly South of Simple, and the forthcoming Feels Like Falling. A Phi Beta Kappa, summa cum laude graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s school of journalism, her writing has appeared in numerous online and print publications including Southern Living, Traditional Home, USA TODAY, Domino, and O. Henry Magazine. Kristy is the winner of the Lucy Bramlette Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her work has been optioned for film, and her books have received numerous accolades including Southern Living’s Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Parade’s Big Fiction Reads, and Entertainment Weekly’s Spring Reading Picks. She blogs with her mom Beth Woodson on Design Chic, and loves connecting with fans on KristyWoodsonHarvey.com.
She lives on the North Carolina coast with her husband and son where she is working on her next novel. Read More
