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A review by booksafety
Falling Down by Eli Easton
4.0
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
[…] being numb hurts less, not caring was a kind of mercy, and not wanting anything, not even time, was a release from pain.
This book is really special. Not particularly happy, but it has a happy ending, and there are good moments. I always have this feeling of melancholy throughout when I read or listen to it. It’s about Josh feeling so sad and lost that he thinks there’s no way through, but then (very slowly) realizing that life isn’t all cruel, and that he can still experience happiness. I think the thing I love the most is that Josh isn’t ‘healed’ by love (or a magic dick), but Mark’s friendship and offer of safety and having his basic human needs met gives him the opportunity to just… take a breath and heal in more ways than one. Of course a sweet romance starts between the two, but the author hasn’t downplayed Josh’s struggles by having him get instantly better after meeting his love interest.
"That's the way I want you. Like I would crawl over hot coals to get to you. Like nothing would ever stop me from being with you—not if you wanted it too."
Josh is also very young. He’s only 18 (Mark is 24), but he has had to grow up fast. He’s morose, prickly and defensive, but when he lets his guard down and feels a bit better, you can see glimpses of how young he is, which I actually thought was really beautiful.
Mark is also a really well developed character. He grew up in a hyper-masculine house with a bunch of brothers and a dad who threw around homophobic remarks without care, which affected him very deeply. He went straight into the military (or navy, I can’t remember lol) and hides his sexuality. I enjoyed how he genuinly wanted to help Josh, and didn’t immediately sexualize him. He isn’t blind to Josh being attractive, but he wants to help him get better mentally and physically first and foremost.
Josh knew all about being homeless now, and he'd reached the conclusion that home was as much a human necessity as water or food. It didn't matter what it was, how small, or how humble, but it had to be yours. Because when you didn't have home, something thirsty inside you shriveled up and died a little more every day. The tether that connected you to earth wore a little more thin. Josh had only been homeless for three months this time, but he couldn't imagine how people did it for years. It was like a slow poisoning of the soul.
Like I mentioned, it’s not a very happy book and it deals with some heavy themes, but I think it was all really well done. Would definitely recommend.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Age gap
Slow burn
Mental health rep
Small town
Homeless MC
Ex military MC
Closeted MC
Therapy
Forced proximity
Hurt/comfort
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Grief
Suicidal ideation
Hospitalization
Depression
Homophobia
Homelessness
Explicit sexual content
Underage drinking
Profound hypothermia
Accidental suicide attempt
Food insecurity
Financial problems and insecurity
MC planning to commit suicide (does not)
Medical emergency (stroke, side character)
Death of a wild animal (on page)
Nightmares (possible PTSD symptoms)
Mentions of active combat (past, detailed)
Mentions of gun violence and death (past, off page, detailed)
Brief mentions of grooming and underage sex (past, off page)
Mentions of the death of a parent (past, detailed)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: Mark had a semi-regular hookup who wants a relationship. Mark doesn’t. They kiss twice on page, but nothing more, and not after things escalate with Josh.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
MCs age: 18 and 24
You don't wanna be homeless in fucking Vermont in the winter, dude." The warning stirred the ideas that were gaining hold in Josh's brain. October. Fall leaves in New England. Summer's sweet good-bye. The earth going into hibernation. And then? Winter. Snow. An image of a thick blanket of snow in the woods came to him, maybe next to a lake. That would be a good place. He could curl up in a snowbank and . . . let go. It wouldn't hurt much probably. And it was a beautiful image—tragic and peaceful with the muffled fall of snow covering him like a blanket. It felt right.
[…] being numb hurts less, not caring was a kind of mercy, and not wanting anything, not even time, was a release from pain.
This book is really special. Not particularly happy, but it has a happy ending, and there are good moments. I always have this feeling of melancholy throughout when I read or listen to it. It’s about Josh feeling so sad and lost that he thinks there’s no way through, but then (very slowly) realizing that life isn’t all cruel, and that he can still experience happiness. I think the thing I love the most is that Josh isn’t ‘healed’ by love (or a magic dick), but Mark’s friendship and offer of safety and having his basic human needs met gives him the opportunity to just… take a breath and heal in more ways than one. Of course a sweet romance starts between the two, but the author hasn’t downplayed Josh’s struggles by having him get instantly better after meeting his love interest.
"That's the way I want you. Like I would crawl over hot coals to get to you. Like nothing would ever stop me from being with you—not if you wanted it too."
Josh is also very young. He’s only 18 (Mark is 24), but he has had to grow up fast. He’s morose, prickly and defensive, but when he lets his guard down and feels a bit better, you can see glimpses of how young he is, which I actually thought was really beautiful.
Mark is also a really well developed character. He grew up in a hyper-masculine house with a bunch of brothers and a dad who threw around homophobic remarks without care, which affected him very deeply. He went straight into the military (or navy, I can’t remember lol) and hides his sexuality. I enjoyed how he genuinly wanted to help Josh, and didn’t immediately sexualize him. He isn’t blind to Josh being attractive, but he wants to help him get better mentally and physically first and foremost.
Josh knew all about being homeless now, and he'd reached the conclusion that home was as much a human necessity as water or food. It didn't matter what it was, how small, or how humble, but it had to be yours. Because when you didn't have home, something thirsty inside you shriveled up and died a little more every day. The tether that connected you to earth wore a little more thin. Josh had only been homeless for three months this time, but he couldn't imagine how people did it for years. It was like a slow poisoning of the soul.
Like I mentioned, it’s not a very happy book and it deals with some heavy themes, but I think it was all really well done. Would definitely recommend.
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & tags ⚠️
Age gap
Slow burn
Mental health rep
Small town
Homeless MC
Ex military MC
Closeted MC
Therapy
Forced proximity
Hurt/comfort
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Grief
Suicidal ideation
Hospitalization
Depression
Homophobia
Homelessness
Explicit sexual content
Underage drinking
Profound hypothermia
Accidental suicide attempt
Food insecurity
Financial problems and insecurity
MC planning to commit suicide (does not)
Medical emergency (stroke, side character)
Death of a wild animal (on page)
Nightmares (possible PTSD symptoms)
Mentions of active combat (past, detailed)
Mentions of gun violence and death (past, off page, detailed)
Brief mentions of grooming and underage sex (past, off page)
Mentions of the death of a parent (past, detailed)
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
OM/OW drama: Mark had a semi-regular hookup who wants a relationship. Mark doesn’t. They kiss twice on page, but nothing more, and not after things escalate with Josh.
Third-act breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, dual POV
Genre: Contemporary romance, M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
MCs age: 18 and 24
You don't wanna be homeless in fucking Vermont in the winter, dude." The warning stirred the ideas that were gaining hold in Josh's brain. October. Fall leaves in New England. Summer's sweet good-bye. The earth going into hibernation. And then? Winter. Snow. An image of a thick blanket of snow in the woods came to him, maybe next to a lake. That would be a good place. He could curl up in a snowbank and . . . let go. It wouldn't hurt much probably. And it was a beautiful image—tragic and peaceful with the muffled fall of snow covering him like a blanket. It felt right.