Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos

Falling Together
Author:  Marisa de los Santos
Published: October 2012 (this edition)
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages:  384
Edition:  Trade paperback
Source:  Thank you to TLC book tours and to the publisher for supplying a complimentary copy of Falling Together for the purpose of review.  The opinions expressed here are my own and in no way influenced by receipt of the book.

It’s been six years since Pen Calloway watched Cat and Will, her best friends from college, walk out of her life. Through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them. When, after years of silence, Cat—the bewitching, charismatic center of their group—urgently requests that the three meet at their college reunion, Pen can’t refuse. But instead of a happy reconciliation, what awaits is a collision of past and present that sends Pen and Will on a journey

around the world, with Pen’s five-year-old daughter and Cat’s hostile husband in tow. And as Pen and Will struggle to uncover the truth about Cat, they find more than they bargained for: startling truths about who they were before and who they are now.

With her trademark wit, vivid prose, and gift for creating authentic, captivating characters, Marisa de los Santos returns with an emotionally resonant novel about our deepest human connections.

My thoughts:

What an appropriate time to be reading Falling Together, since it's autumn now and this cover, so bright and colourful, presents a fall scene which is so enticing.  Much like the novel itself!  

I laughed so much during the first third of the book.  The humour becomes somewhat mooted as more serious plot lines develop and the author takes you back in time and then again to present day.  Sometimes these lines are blurred and I found myself a little lost, having to go back and reread to be sure of the tense.  I didn't mind though as Marisa de los Santos is a spectacular writer whose words flow beautifully and descriptively.  The character development is excellent!  The way Pen and Will banter is endearing and sometimes hilarious!

"Do you mind if we don't talk for a little while?  My brain is so full it hurts," said Pen.
"Brain indigestion," said Will.

I was rooting for these two to finally admit to themselves and to one another that they loved the other.  But to admit to it was something they couldn't do.  Their relationship was two-thirds of a threesome and the third member of the trio was missing.  When Cat's (the other third of the trio) husband sought their help in finding her, in quite a convoluted manner, Pen and Will were unsure of his motives but being themselves concerned for her, they agreed to join in a journey that would take them to the beautiful islands of the Philippines and back.  This trip would not only find answers but remove their blinders about their relationships and their friendships.

As Jason, Cat's estranged husband, let down his guard it was difficult not to like this big burly softy. For under his gruff exterior was a man who would do anything to find the woman that he loved with all his heart and being.  He put it all out there.  I think there's a lesson to be learned from him.

I loved this novel. for within the pages of Falling Together, I found true heart, real love, and soul.    If you are looking for a book of substance and humour to warm those chilly days and nights, you simply must give this one a read.  Falling Together is definitely a good thing!

About the author:

Marisa de los Santos is a New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning poet with a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing. She lives in Delaware with her husband, David Teague, and their son and daughter.

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