Blog Tour & Giveaway: How to Keep Rolling After a Fall by Karole Cozzo

Book Blurb:

After a cyber bullying incident turns her life upside down, a handsome wheelchair rugby player shows a former mean girl that everyone deserves a second chance.

The party was at her house. The photos were posted to her Facebook account. That's all the evidence anyone needed to condemn Nikki Baylor for a cyberbullying incident that humiliated a classmate and nearly resulted in the girl's suicide. Now Nikki's been expelled from her old school, her friends have abandoned her, and even her own parents can't look her in the eye. With her plans for the future all but destroyed, Nikki resigns herself to being the girl everyone hates - almost as much as she hates herself. But then Nikki meets Pax, a spirited wheelchair rugby player who knows what it's like when one mistake completely shatters your life. Refusing to judge her because of her past, he shows her that everyone deserves a second chance... and everyone deserves to be loved.

Published by: Swoon Reads

Publication date: August 2nd 2016

Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult

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My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Romance, Teen--

After a mean, terrible prank gone wrong, Nikki was responsible for almost ruining a classmate’s life. She was expelled from school, abandoned by the friends who were part of the situation, and even her own parents won’t make eye contact with her. Her community service hours are at the rehab center where she meets Pax, a guy who is wheelchair bound from an accident. Pax helps Nikki to finally start seeing herself differently, not as the screw up that everyone believes her to be. Pax believes in second chances and staying positive, both things that Nikki desperately needs in her life. Can Nikki get on with her life, or will she be stuck as the mess most people see her as?

This was a really sweet, unexpected story. I went into the book with an open mind and no expectations, just hoping for a good read while in the mediocre reading slump I have found myself in recently. The topics of this book are tough ones, with the focus being on bullying and disabilities, yet the book was not overwhelmingly dark.

Nikki is cast as the bad guy, but honestly she was not really (or at least completely). Sure she was involved in the situation, but it was not her alone, yet her loyalty cost her everything. Her life is no longer recognizable; she is a completely different person who is just floundering along hoping to be forgiven, but unable to forgive herself. Nikki is just as good at punishing herself for the event as everyone else is. I was really disappointed in her so called friends and their actions- they are the classic mean girls. Nikki learned to see who a person is under all the glam and popularity and meet new people who were even better. I really enjoyed watching Nikki become herself (but a better version without the shallow shell) again with the help of Pax’s confidence and positive attitude.

I loved Pax, he was so straightforward and open about everything. He had these nuggets of wisdom to help inspire, but then he would give honest answers about his condition/life that made it hard to stay positive. I just wanted to hug him tight, so I could completely understand Nikki’s draw to him. The author gave the book the harsh reality of being wheelchair bound such as using a catheter and compression sores, things most teenagers/love stories don’t deal with. I really liked how Nikki stepped up to show Pax that he was more than his past, too.

I found this story to be a roller-coaster of emotions, some good, some bad, but overall a fantastic read. The pacing was good and it was a really fast read. I look forward to more by this author.

I received this title from the author in return for my honest review.

Author Bio:

KAROLE COZZO is a school psychologist by day, a wife and mother of two by night, and a writer of YA romance in the wee hours of the morning. She loves camping out at Starbucks, breakfast cereal at all hours, and watching every movie made from her favorite YA books. How to Say I Love You Out Loud is her debut novel.

You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, and her website

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