Emma Montague may be British upper crust, with a boarding school and university education, and she may have done well in the banking world, both in London and later in Manhattan.
But what Emma truly wants and hopes to find in her new life in Westport, Connecticut, is something completely different. A homey and lovely life, with gorgeous interior designs. She starts out designing for local women, and creates a show place of her own in the little cottage she has rented. The cottage next door to her landlord, Dominic Di Franco, a bartender at the Fat Hen, and a sometime carpenter. And the father of six-year-old Jesse.
They become friends fairly quickly, and although Emma insists to her friends, like Sophie, who lives nearby, that he is not her type, something begins to happen between them.
Learning Dominic’s story, about how Jesse’s mother Stacy left them when Jesse was a tiny baby, Emma is drawn into this little family. Yes, there are times that Jesse is jealous and possessive, not wanting to share his father. But he clearly loves and adores Emma.
Falling is a beautifully rendered tale of unexpected love, the way life changes to accommodate that love, and how the past connections sometimes interfere and create conflict.
I loved the author’s descriptions of the developing love and family feeling between Emma, Dominic, and Jesse. I also enjoyed visualizing the before and after creations Emma brought to life. The settings made me feel as though I was visiting the lovely community, almost as if I were a part of it.
The unexpectedly dramatic and sad culmination left me in tears, but I also rejoiced at the way life brought the characters to a place of true discovery. A place of finding what they needed. Not necessarily what they wanted, but just what would feel like home for them. 5 stars.
SERENDIPITY 
My first Jane Green book. I liked it but the twist near the end kind of threw me. I think she should write a sequel because I want to see what happens down the road.
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Yes, I was sort of prepared for something shocking, since I’d read some reviews that mentioned it…but I was stunned by the actuality of what it was. I was sobbing…seriously.
Thanks for stopping by, Mary, and I would love a sequel, too.
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The ending makes me a little nervous. I tend to like my fictional self-discovery books with a happy ending though I know it’s not always realistic. This sounds like a great read though!
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The sad ending was hard to bear, but I sort of knew something like it was coming. I didn’t quite guess what it was, though. Thanks for stopping by, Katherine, and the happy parts were wonderful, and kind of made everything else okay, if that makes sense.
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