Reviewed by Ankita Shukla for Readers' Favorite

As I Fall by Shade Owens sheds light on the life of a family that is buried deep under a pile of drugs, alcohol, and domestic violence. As far back as she can remember, Samantha always saw her father under the influence of alcohol and drugs. He cared neither for his children nor his wife. He was always irritated and finding reasons to hit his wife, Bonnie. When Bonnie realized that her husband might prove more dangerous than she could have ever anticipated, she picked up her kids and ran. She dropped her children (Samantha and Joel, aged seven and eleven respectively) at her sister's house. Her sister, Jean, promised to take care of Samantha and Joel. Having witnessed the harmful effects of alcohol and drugs, Samantha decided that she would stay away from such addiction. However, when life became tough, without even realizing it, she found comfort in the numbness that followed after she consumed alcohol and drugs.

As I Fall is a mirror that provides a clear reflection of how the family of a drug addict suffers. Samantha had always been a good student; however, as a result of her father's careless lifestyle, she found it tough to concentrate. In order to block out the disturbing images of her past, she succumbed to the exact same addiction that she had sworn to avoid. Nobody taught her how to voice her opinion and that became a problem for her. So, when she met a girl who was carefree and brave, Samantha was unable to decide whether she should follow in her footsteps or create her own. A child learns to take a stand from her parents, but whenever Samantha saw her mother take a stand against her father, she received multiple injuries. As a result, Samantha learned to keep her opinions to herself or risk getting a beating.

The characters are written flawlessly. The author has done an incredible job of presenting the characters in a manner so that readers are able to make an instant connection with all of the important characters. I felt bad for Samantha. I was angry to see her falling into the same pit of addiction as her father, but I could not hold it against her. I understood her need to feel numb. I did not judge her, but I wanted her to realize that this is not the life that she wanted, such was the extent of my connection to this character, thanks to the author's excellent writing. I admired various attributes of Aunt Jean. Her immense patience, selfless care, and hard work seemed to help Samantha a lot. I figured that she will be Samantha's rock. I had high hopes for Joel, Samantha's older brother. Reading about the time that he and Samantha had spent when they were kids, I could not help but smile at their innocence. Joel was Samantha's support system when they were kids. The message of the book is very clear. Actions of every family member can make or break a family. With love, care, and patience, a family can thrive; whereas with a careless lifestyle, substance abuse, and domestic violence, a family can descend into a never-ending cycle of destruction for generations. If a child has to leave home in search of love and comfort, then often they find themselves under a bad influence. The problem with such children is that they do not know whom to trust. They do not know who to look to for guidance as their parents are fighting their own demons.

Once I started reading, I could not stop until the last line of the last chapter. The climax has been done in a manner that suggests an upcoming sequel. Encapsulated with a strong plot, a powerful message, excellent character writing, and captivating development, As I Fall has everything that a reader could ask for. I would recommend this to readers who enjoy a book that urges society to reform and take care of its people. Needless to say, I loved this book.