The Fall of January Cooper
by Audrey Bell
I loved the beginning of The Fall of January Cooper. Audrey Bell had such a clever writing style and wrote effortless humor into dramatic situations, instantly hooking me in. The story is told in alternating chapters from the male and female protagonists, and for the first part of the book, they haven’t yet met. The young man was involved in a terrible car crash that crippled him and killed his brother; as a result, he’s bitter, angry, and ashamed of hurting his parents. The young lady is the polar opposite: she’s wealthy, engaged to a celebrity, and hates her parents. There’s a scene in the beginning involving her and her parents that had me in stitches:
“Let’s actually make sure January names all the children.”
“Seriously? Are you even allowed to put that in a prenup?”
“No,” Mr. Gregory said, doodling on a legal pad. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t want a grandchild named Chevrolet,” he said.
“He wouldn’t name a child Chevrolet,” I said.
“He named his dog Jiffy Lube,” my father said acidly.
“It’s just Jiffy. And that was for a sponsorship. And also a dog. We have a dog named Rocket.”
“Rocco. My dog is named Rocco,” my mother said.
“Whatever.”
My father raised his eyebrows. “I’m trying to protect your interests here.”
“You’re trying to scare him off,” I said.
“Like I said, I’m protecting your interests.”
My mom sighed. “Why are you even marrying this person again? You’re only nineteen. You have all the time in the world to marry someone we like.”
“I’m twenty-one.”
She waved her hand. “You don’t even have a college degree. People will think you’re pregnant. It’s tacky.”
I loved their dynamic and hoped the sarcastic humor would continue throughout the book. Unfortunately, as soon as the romantic leads met each other, the book went downhill fast. I found them terribly ill-suited for one-another and didn’t agree with any of the reasons they chose to pursue a relationship. The humor and family dynamics disappeared, and the romance took center stage. The man constantly put her down and criticized her. The woman insinuated herself when she wasn’t wanted and made it her mission to fix him and his problems—a completely unrealistic and unhealthy goal.
Thankfully, I’ve had enough life experience to recognize these unhealthy lessons for what they were. I won’t take the book to heart and think that if I meet a man who calls me a “spoiled brat”, insults my talents and intelligence, rebuffs my kindness and attempts to heal his emotional scars, and basically only appreciates my outside appearance, we’re meant to be. I can only hope any other young woman who reads this book has enough self-respect not to be swayed by a mis-matched romance.
“Let’s actually make sure January names all the children.”
“Seriously? Are you even allowed to put that in a prenup?”
“No,” Mr. Gregory said, doodling on a legal pad. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t want a grandchild named Chevrolet,” he said.
“He wouldn’t name a child Chevrolet,” I said.
“He named his dog Jiffy Lube,” my father said acidly.
“It’s just Jiffy. And that was for a sponsorship. And also a dog. We have a dog named Rocket.”
“Rocco. My dog is named Rocco,” my mother said.
“Whatever.”
My father raised his eyebrows. “I’m trying to protect your interests here.”
“You’re trying to scare him off,” I said.
“Like I said, I’m protecting your interests.”
My mom sighed. “Why are you even marrying this person again? You’re only nineteen. You have all the time in the world to marry someone we like.”
“I’m twenty-one.”
She waved her hand. “You don’t even have a college degree. People will think you’re pregnant. It’s tacky.”
I loved their dynamic and hoped the sarcastic humor would continue throughout the book. Unfortunately, as soon as the romantic leads met each other, the book went downhill fast. I found them terribly ill-suited for one-another and didn’t agree with any of the reasons they chose to pursue a relationship. The humor and family dynamics disappeared, and the romance took center stage. The man constantly put her down and criticized her. The woman insinuated herself when she wasn’t wanted and made it her mission to fix him and his problems—a completely unrealistic and unhealthy goal.
Thankfully, I’ve had enough life experience to recognize these unhealthy lessons for what they were. I won’t take the book to heart and think that if I meet a man who calls me a “spoiled brat”, insults my talents and intelligence, rebuffs my kindness and attempts to heal his emotional scars, and basically only appreciates my outside appearance, we’re meant to be. I can only hope any other young woman who reads this book has enough self-respect not to be swayed by a mis-matched romance.