Review: After She Falls

After She Falls by Carmen Schober
My rating: 💛💛

With an opening chapter which included animal and spousal abuse, this was definitely an edgier Christian novel. Then add on a lot of mentions of overnight hookups, this was a dangerous edgy story. I continued reading/or listening to this story with the hope of redemption for the characters.

Did I get it? In some ways yes for certain characters, and in some ways no. I would have liked a more in depth view in the characters' road to God and becoming new, and I did not feel like I totally got that.

There was a lot of fighting scenes, lots of mentions of blood and broken bones, so, probably not a book for everyone. Those scenes did not bother me, since I know before hand what the subject matter would be. What did bother me was allowing children watch the fights - even if it was a parent fighting - that just did not feel totally appropriate.

*I listened to the audiobook on Scribd. Though I also received a read now copy via Netgalley.*

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About the book:

Strong-willed Adri Rivera always dreamed of becoming a professional mixed martial artist, but then she fell in love with a man who smashed everything to pieces. When their tumultuous relationship finally comes to a head, Adri flees with their young daughter to her small hometown in the mountains of Pennsylvania. There, she must face the people she left behind and put her broken life back together as a single mother.

Adri struggles to regain her independence after so many years under the oppressive influence of her ex, but a job opportunity at a local gym gives her hope that she'll be able to stand on her own two feet. The one problem? The man who offers it to her is the handsome but hardened Max Lyons--her former best friend and training partner, whom she left heartbroken years before.

As Adri dares to pursue her dream again, training for a big tournament, can she confront her weakness and avoid the past defining her future?

About the author:

Carmen Schober is a debut novelist, wife, full-time mother to two daughters, avid boxer, and Rocky enthusiast. A graduate of Kansas State University, where she earned a master's degree in English literature and creative writing, she currently lives in Manhattan, Kansas. She has published sports fiction in Witness magazine and Hobart Pulp, and she regularly blogs about faith, family, and fighting at www.carmenschober.com.