Watch Me Fall by Autumn Winchester

Watch Me Fall left me way beyond a book hangover. Right from the start this story held my attention and such an emotional story. Words can't describe it. Being gay takes on a whole new view with what Ari goes through. The suffering that follows him and the awakening is unforgettable.

From the blurb:

After Ari's parents abandon him at a church camp for being a sinner, he no longer knows how to survive.

Just breathing is hard enough on any given day with the abuse and torture he must endure.

Paisley, club owner and friend, understands Ari in a way no one else ever will. He can see the boy's pain written across his face as though Ari is an open book.

Can Paisley be there to help Ari in ways that no one ever has before? And will Ari be able to accept the help to learn to trust human kind again after the horrors of a conversion therapy camp?

Note from author - This book contains abuse around conversion therapy, PTSD, panic attacks and age regression.

Reedkaye's Review:

I’m in no way qualified to write a review for Watch Me Fall. It is so good I don’t have what it takes to do great reviews and this story more than deserves it. I don’t know how the author was able to maintain any sort of normal daily life while working on this. I was in tears through most of the book. Its hard to believe that this really goes on and yet not enough is done about it.

Ari is put through hell. As a teen his parents decide to “fix” him since he isn’t behaving as they want. This is a pair of really awful parents. I’ve read about a lot of bad parent stories but these are the how to book in being awful. 

Ari who is a quiet introverted kid gets an introduction to conversion therapy when his parents sign to let this happen to him. His path through this experience and beyond tore my heart apart. Thank goodness Ari runs across Toni and she won’t give up on him.   

Later he meets Paisley. I only wish there were more Paisley’s in the world. He seems to be on a mission to help those who really need it. There are so many events and characters that make this story so believable and heartbreaking but also the author is able to tilt Ari’s world back enough to give him a routine life. 

I wish the story had gone further. I’d like to know where these characters were five or ten years later but I applaud the author for the place the characters are currently.  

Please pay attention to the author’s trigger warnings. If any of them bother you, this is not the book for you. You’ve been advised.

Rating: 5 Stars

Watch Me Fall is available to buy as an ebook