Blog Tour Stop : Tyler Falls by Lori L. Clark
Summary (from Goodreads)By the time seventeen-year-old Tyler Falls meets Emma, his "Thirty-Days-Left-to-Live" plan is already in place -- and falling in love isn't part of that plan.
Tyler has suffered from manic depression for as long as he can remember. Through medication and therapy, he manages to keep his life together. But when his parents are murdered, he decides he's had enough of living as a broken person with a broken life. So, in thirty days, he plans to stick the barrel of his Ruger SP101 into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Emma Perez's brother, Ethan Giovanni, sits in a mental institution for the murder of Dr. and Mrs. Falls. Deemed mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trial, Ethan has one weekly visitor -- Emma. She doesn't deny his guilt, he's her brother and she loves him spite of the fact he's paranoid schizophrenic.
They say when you cross paths with someone more than once, it's fate -- you're destined to meet. Tyler doesn't know Emma is Ethan's sister, and Emma doesn't know Tyler's story either. When Tyler learns who Emma's brother is, the world he's rebuilt around her begins to crumble all over again and it leaves both of them wondering why fate has such a cruel sense of humor.
Tyler has suffered from manic depression for as long as he can remember. Through medication and therapy, he manages to keep his life together. But when his parents are murdered, he decides he's had enough of living as a broken person with a broken life. So, in thirty days, he plans to stick the barrel of his Ruger SP101 into his mouth and pull the trigger.
Emma Perez's brother, Ethan Giovanni, sits in a mental institution for the murder of Dr. and Mrs. Falls. Deemed mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trial, Ethan has one weekly visitor -- Emma. She doesn't deny his guilt, he's her brother and she loves him spite of the fact he's paranoid schizophrenic.
They say when you cross paths with someone more than once, it's fate -- you're destined to meet. Tyler doesn't know Emma is Ethan's sister, and Emma doesn't know Tyler's story either. When Tyler learns who Emma's brother is, the world he's rebuilt around her begins to crumble all over again and it leaves both of them wondering why fate has such a cruel sense of humor.
Personal Thoughts
Books that discuss such dark themes like murder, depression and suicide have to be able to bring all kinds of emotions in the reader. I went into Tyler Falls expecting a dark and troubling story. Instead, what I got was a somewhat light read with light traces of a complex story.
Ever since he saw his parents being brutally murdered by Ethan, Tyler has suffered from depression. While living with his criminologist aunt and his uncle, he makes the decision of giving up his life in exactly 30 days. Emma, Ethan’s baby sister, has had to abandon public school and instead obtain an online education due to her brother being a heartless. Regardless of everything she’s gone through, Emma still loves her brother and visits him occasionally. Then, Emma and Tyler come across each other …
Ever since he saw his parents being brutally murdered by Ethan, Tyler has suffered from depression. While living with his criminologist aunt and his uncle, he makes the decision of giving up his life in exactly 30 days. Emma, Ethan’s baby sister, has had to abandon public school and instead obtain an online education due to her brother being a heartless. Regardless of everything she’s gone through, Emma still loves her brother and visits him occasionally. Then, Emma and Tyler come across each other …
With the somber back stories that both Tyler and Emma possessed, I expected the characters to have complex characters. Unfortunately, I felt like they both lacked depth to make me root for them. While reading the book, I wanted my heart to be ripped off my chest, but that never happened because I was never emotionally invested with any of the characters. Although I did feel sympathy for them because they had both gone through hell, I was mostly passive while reading about them. For someone who had planned his suicide, Tyler never felt truly depressed to me. In fact, I thought he acted like a normal guy. However, I did enjoy the different arrays of secondary characters, who were definitely well-fleshed out.
The plot had the potential to be something very exceptional. Because of its short length, the author couldn’t really explore fully the struggles the two characters had to face as a result of their budding relationship. I wanted the Tyler and Emma to act like each other’s pillars and eventually help each other to get rid of the scars they both had deep within themselves. I just didn’t feel satisfied with the outcome of the book. One other complaint I had was that the book was told in dual POVs. I love reading YA romance books in dual POVs. However, in this book, it became quite exhausting since some scenes were repetitive since they were told through both Tyler and Emma’s perspectives. The romance itself was sweet and quite heart-warming, but I guess I was expecting a little more from it.
I guess Tyler Falls just wasn’t the book for me. However, don’t make that discourage you from reading it. Who knows? You might find something special that I couldn’t come across while reading!
Rating
Cover : 2/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 3/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 2/5
Writing : 3/5
Actual Rating : 2.5/5
Interview
Hi Lori ! Welcome to Nick's Book Blog!
Your book deals with a very deep and intense topic. What made you decide to write a story about suicide/depression?I once dated a man who suffered from depression and up until that point, everything I knew about depression in no way prepared me for being in a relationship with someone who is clinically depressed. It's not just a matter of "snapping out of it." There were days when he would be just fine and then all of a sudden, without warning, he would just retreat into his shell. It was hard for me because I thought his shutting me out was a personal affront and I had much to learn about depression as a disease. The hopelessness it causes which can often lead to suicidal behavior.
Writing is a long and hard process. What was the hardest obstacle you faced when writing Tyler Falls?
Impatience. I had the book in my head. Outlined from start to finish and the biggest obstacle was finding the time to sit down and write.
Which character did you feel mostly connected with?Tyler. I started writing the book solely from his perspective, but then after about 3 chapters in, I decided to add Emma's POV to the mix. Looking back on it now, it may have worked better using a 3rd person POV.
What are your future writing plans?I am currently working on another YA contemporary. This time, a romance about a seventeen year old girl with a beautiful voice who is overweight and has trouble getting the respect as a singer that she deserves.
Which upcoming book are you excited for and why?Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, due out at the end of July.
Thanks so much for taking your time to answer these questions.
Thank you very much for having me!
Excerpt
The first paragraph of Chapter 1 :
Giveaway
The first paragraph of Chapter 1 :
My name is Tyler Jacob Falls and I have exactly thirty days to live.
The special school I attend -- not short bus special -- and my shrink Dr. Dynerbaugh think talking about my problems will be great therapy, part of my healing process. She wants me to open up and share my thoughts and feelings more. Dr. Dynerbaugh even gave me a journal to write in, but I don't plan on using it. I've got news for her; there are more pages in that empty journal than I have days left.
Giveaway
Author Biography
1. I’m an only child.
2. I love dogs!
3. I was born in Iowa City, Iowa and lived in Iowa my whole life until January 2007, when I moved to the STL area.
4. I worked as a professional psychic reader for 2 years.
5. I’m a Pisces Sun, Leo Moon with Aquarius rising.
6. I’ve written 3 books and am in the process of writing my 4th.
7. I don’t look or act my age!
8. I’ve been married twice and divorced twice.
9. I love 80′s hair band music.
10. I’m a claims payment analyst for Fortune 500 Magazine’s #16 “Top 100 places in America to work.”
Connect with Lori L. Clark
Twitter: @clarklori
Buy Tyler Falls
DISCLOSURE
*Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
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