New to You (6): Alexa Reviews Free to Fall by Lauren Miller {+ a giveaway}

Posted March 19, 2018 by Andi in Books, Giveaway, New to You, Review / 6 Comments

Welcome to New to You!

This idea came along last year when I was supporting Lauren Miller’s newest book All Things New and I asked Kelsey to read and review Parallel, a book I have read more than once. I didn’t really get it going until December when I offered people the chance to sign up to read and review a book that has been a favorite of mine that they have never read. I got a great response and I’m happy to tell you (minus January) you will see a New to You post twice a month.

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Next up for New to You is Alexa from Alexa Loves Books. I was really excited when Alexa stated she would really love to read Free to Fall. As a massive Lauren Miller fangirl, I find this book is totally underrated and I want more people to read it so to its relevance with technology (think Siri and Alexa, the Amazon one, not the real person). Come check out what Alexa had to say about one of my favorites! (Make sure you check out the giveaway at the end!)

Free to Fall by Lauren Miller
Published by HarperTeen
Published: May 12th 2015
Buy on Amazon
Add to Goodreads

From the author of Parallel comes a high-stakes romantic puzzler set in a near-future where everyone's life is seamlessly orchestrated by personal electronic devices. Imaginative and thrilling, this fast-paced story with two starred reviews is not to be missed.

Fast-forward to a time when Apple and Google have been replaced by Gnosis, a monolith corporation that has developed the most life-changing technology to ever hit the market: Lux, an app that flawlessly optimizes decision-making for the best personal results. Just like everyone else, sixteen-year-old Rory Vaughn knows the key to a happy, healthy life is to follow what Lux recommends. When she's accepted to the elite boarding school Theden Academy, her future happiness seems all the more assured. But once on campus, something feels wrong beneath the polished surface of her prestigious dream school. Then she meets North, a handsome townie who doesn't use Lux, and begins to fall for him and his outsider way of life. Soon, Rory is going against Lux's recommendations, listening instead to the inner voice that everyone has been taught to ignore—a choice that leads her to uncover a truth neither she nor the world ever saw coming.

I’ll be completely honest and tell you all that I totally forgot what Free to Fall was about when I first started reading it. But I think that worked out in this story’s favor since I had no set expectations going into it (except the knowledge that it was one of Andi’s favorite reads)! It turns out that this one is a science fiction mystery set at a boarding school that is also a thoughtful commentary on technology and power… and it totally ended up being a story that worked for me overall. Aurora ‘Ror’ Vaughn is a girl who lives her life by Lux, an app that is set to make all the most beneficial and right decisions for its user. She winds up being accepted to Theden, an exclusive boarding school that promises only the best opportunities for its students after graduation from its prestigious program. But all is not as it seems, and Aurora soon discovers challenges – in the form of the education and staff, her peers, a townie boy who doesn’t use Lux, secrets that she uncovers and the inner voice in her mind that she’s always been encouraged to ignore.

I know, I know, this sounds like an awful lot to fit into a plot, but Miller does it well enough. She sets the mystery up beautifully, has a knack for pacing (except the first few chapters) and does well with grounding her story in the setting. I couldn’t stop reading this novel once I’d hit a certain point, and I’m fairly certain a lot of that has to do with how Miller wrote this story. Now, I really only had one reservation, and it’s more personal taste than anything else — I couldn’t find a way to personally connect with the characters, even though I liked them overall. That’s really the only reason I couldn’t rate it higher! However, Free to Fall was still entertaining and quick to read. If you’re looking for a plot-driven story that’s really fun to read, well, I’d definitely encourage you to check this one out.