Falling Like Leaves: A Kayla Hicks Book Review

What is Falling Like Leaves by Misty Wilson about?

Ellis has a plan: spend her senior fall prepping her application for Columbia, get into their journalism program, and set the foundation for a respectable career. So when her parents announce that not only are they separating, but Ellis has to move with her mom from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut, to live with her aunt and cousin, it couldn’t come at a worse time.

From past summers spent in Connecticut, Ellis knows Bramble Falls is idyllic and charming. But it also seems to be full of distractions. There’s local barista Cooper Barnett, Ellis’s one-time best friend and first kiss who now wants nothing to do with her. And then there’s the Falling Leaves Festival, a local autumnal celebration run by Ellis’s aunt where people from all over come to see Bramble Falls’s beautiful foliage. The house is stuffed with decorations, and every conversation seems to center around the festival.

Dragged to every oh-so-charming event from apple picking to pumpkin carving, Ellis can’t stop bumping into Cooper…or falling for the quaint town and its quirky residents. As her return to Manhattan gets repeatedly delayed, Ellis finds herself caught between two very different places—and the futures they represent.

My Review

Ellis is goal-driven when it comes to her future as she heads into her senior year of high school, aiming to get into Columbia University, just as she and her father planned. And although she is well on her way to achieving this goal, it hasn't been without sacrifice, like losing friends and missing out on teen experiences.

However, her parents throw a wrench into her plan when they announce they are separating...and that her mom is moving her from New York City to Bramble Falls, Connecticut. Everything feels as if it's crashing around her as she feels her future is being ripped away from her as she leaves her father behind in New York, forcing her to meet new people in a small town to live with her Aunt and cousin.

Lo and behold, Ellis doesn't imagine she will run into her ex-best friend, Cooper. And that he would be so good-looking when she returned to town. Except that he won't speak to her, and she doesn't know why.

I could not put this book down. It was a perfect read, as I am a sucker for cozy romance books in a small town. It had major Gilmore Girl vibes for fans of that series if you need a reference. In addition to this, every single character in this book was extremely likeable. I could definitely read more books from this series and be content.

This story also followed real-life issues, had a great story flow, and realistic consequences for one's actions.

I give this book a 5-star review.