Today I’m the last stop on the When He Fell by Kate Hewitt blog tour hosted by Jenny at Jennyinneverland Well I must say this book left me an emotional wreck, it’s unusual for me to feel such emotion when reading a book, but this one certainly pulled at the heart strings. Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway: (A paperback copy of This Fragile Life – Kate’s other book) at the bottom of this post.
Book Description
The powerfully gripping new book from USA Today bestselling author Kate Hewitt.
Josh and Ben are nine years old and best friends, until a single, careless act in the school playground destroys the lives of both families – and wrenches their small Manhattan school apart.
As both mothers Maddie and Joanna try to find out what really happened between the boys, they discover the truth is far more complicated and painful than either of them could have ever realised… with lasting repercussions for both families.
And when tragedy strikes again in the most unexpected of ways, the lives of these two women will be changed once more, and this time forever.
When He Fell explores the issues of parental responsibility and guilt, and whether there are some acts that human nature just cannot forgive…
Before we begin my review I had one tiny gripe About When He Fell, I felt the book description was far too detailed, so I was already prepared for a second tragedy right from the start, which was a shame. When He Fell is a novel that packs an emotional punch, it’s both a poignant and emotive read that left me emotionally drained. This novel explores the unthinkable for any parent, a careless act in the playground destroys the lives of two families, which in turn will change the lives of two young boys and their parents forever.
I was unable to take to the main characters of When He Fell, which usually means I struggle to then read the book, but fortunately although the characters aren’t particularly likeable this just added to my curiosity regarding this novel. I found Joanne really irritated me rather than deal with problems head on, she was more likely to bury her head in the sand, and avoided confrontation at every opportunity, she also appeared self absorbed at times putting her career before her family. I did have great empathy for Maddie, as what she goes through with her son Ben is every parents worse nightmare, but I did dislike the needy side of Maddie,and how she was so desperate to be part of a loving family, she didn’t even consider the fallout of her actions. In the characters defence as the plot progresses we do learn more about their pasts, and how this shaped them into the people they had become, and the complexity of their characters actually added to my enjoyment of this novel.
Whilst reading When He Fell I experienced so many different thoughts and feelings throughout, dislike, anger, compassion and irritation and heartbreak, to name but a few and in my opinion this is down to the authors extraordinary ability to give the reader a set of characters who are not always endearing or even very likeable, and you see them for what they really are, which is not very pretty picture at times. When He Fell delves into so many issues loss, abandonment, guilt, the need to feel loved, and most importantly the choices we make as parents, and the ramifications for our children when we make bad decisions. Kate Hewitt has produced an emotionally powerful read, with a well constructed plot, if you are looking for a book to pull on your heartstrings then this might just been the book for you, it certainly left me feeling emotionally drained.
4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Out of 5
About the author
Kate Hewitt is the author of over 40 novels of women’s fiction and romance. She loves telling an emotional story in a variety of genres, and has been nominated for the Romance Writers of America RITA Award twice. An American ex-pat, she lives in the Cotswolds of England with her husband, five children, and an overly affectionate Golden Retriever. You can follow her adventures in village life on her blog, http://www.acumbrianlife.blogspot.co.uk.
LINKS
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AUTHOR LINKS:
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Giveaway:
A paperback copy of This Fragile Life by Kate Hewitt
The book review café 