After She Falls

18+ for violence and domestic abuse

I was attracted to this book because of its unique premise with being about a woman MMA fighter. It's not really something I've learned much about before and I was interested to pick up the story and learn more about it.

I wasn't expecting it to be written in present tense and that was sometimes very jarring, especially as people generally talk in past tense, and the past tense conversation would be interspersed with present actions and conversation tags. However, she does write it consistently throughout the book, which helps.

It starts off with a bang where the woman is in the midst of a domestic abuse situation which includes animal abuse. It was a very quick read for me and kept my attention.

There were some large things I didn't like–flirting before divorce was completed, dirty dancing, heavy drinking/drunkenness, and one outright profanity. It's definitely a gritty story. I very much appreciated that there were no sex scenes, though, and that the MC did her best to stop things as soon as her conscience intervened.

I didn't quite think the story line with the ex was realistic. Based on the portrayal of him, I expected him to feel a whole lot more present and threatening, since I've known a number of abusers and it seemed off that he would just show up once or twice. Abusers are usually much more obsessed with their victims. Other than that, the story line is easy to follow and each of the side characters are nicely rounded and feel very real.

Overall, a solid debut. Bonus points because the romance isn't the end-all of the story, but the woman learning to find her footing in life and stand up for herself is. It's a survival story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required.