Freefall - Book Review

By Joanne Efendi

Synopsis

Twenty-five year old professional skydiver Levi James has a troubled past that he just can’t seem to leave behind. The main cause of his problems—his father. The billionaire Australian publishing magnate, who after being MIA for most of Levi’s life, has decided Levi needs to start playing a role in the family business, whether Levi wants to or not.

Andi LaRosa, a twenty-one year old Costco cashier, comes from a loving, if somewhat suffocating, traditional Italian American family. With no direction and in a deep depression, she often seeks solace in Valium and the bottom of a Vodka bottle. That is until see meets Levi and instantly falls for his Aussie charm.

The daredevil skydiver makes her feel alive and gives her a sense of direction that she so desperately craves. But can their fledging relationship survive Andi’s personal demons and Levi’s meddling father, who refuses to his son go?

Review

Andi was a hard character for me to relate to; she has some mental health issues such as anxiety and depression and relies on medication to get through the day. While she’s a very nice young woman, she has very low self-esteem and was constantly putting herself down. She’s very quick to believe any negative comments made about her and slow to believe the positive ones. I quite liked Levi though. He’s got a troubled past that he wants to keep hidden, but he’s a fun guy who went out of his way trying to make Andi feel good about herself. I liked that he kept pursuing her despite her belief that he could do better, and I loved that when he realised he was in love with her, he didn’t freak out and run away. Hallelujah!!!

FREEFALL is the first book I’ve read from Joanne Efendi and for lack of a better word, I’d say it was a very intense romance. Andi feels her emotions very strongly; she’s on top of the world when she’s happy, but she’s goes into a very dark place when she’s sad. It’s an insta-love romance in that the bulk of the story takes place between Friday night and Monday morning, which to me highlights the intensity of their feelings. FREEFALL is book 1 in the Santa Cruz Skydivers series, and at this stage I’m not sure who book 2 is going to be about. Will it be about another skydiver that works with Levi, or will it be the continuation of Andi and Levi’s story? FREEFALL ends with what could be considered a HEA, but at the same time, Levi & Andi’s story just ends and could also be considered a cliffhanger. Very clever Ms Efendi. I would have liked more closure with Levi and his father, as well as Levi and Andi’s family. Again, maybe those things will be addressed in the next book if it is in fact a continuation of this one.