The Official Description: For years, I’ve been bound by sleeplessness and sorrow. His voice threatens to set me free.
Insomnia. It’s part of the penance I pay for my greatest mistake. But when an ill-timed doze behind the wheel of my car nearly introduces me to a pole, I know something has to change.
Sleep with Me, a locally-made meditation app, promises a cure. I don’t expect it to work. Nor do I expect to become enthralled by the voice of its creator, Sam Stephenson. His ability to coax forth my nightly surrender is unnerving. I have to meet this man and learn the secret behind his techniques, so I can evict him from my head—and still get a good night’s sleep.
In person, the quiet and reclusive Sam is his own kind of complicated. He needs my business skills as much as I need his meditation skills and we forge an unlikely partnership. But the attraction between us soon flares into passion and, as we grow closer, I start to long for more than my guilty conscience will allow.
I have no right to love, not after the damage I’ve done. How can I give Sam all he deserves, when our chance at a happy ending was ruined before we even met?
Just the facts: M/M romance, grieving, insomnia, learning to forgive yourself
This one was hard-hitting, but I adored it. Raine has captured so many intense emotions and wrote them in a way that tangled my heart in on the first pages. – Kinzie Things
My thoughts bit: “The Harder We Fall” got me right in the heart! I’m not afraid of emotions so I tend to enjoy books that really explore the things we must live with and/or overcome and this one really had an effect on me.
Tristan had me intrigued from the very moment I first met him within the pages of this novel. He has been suffering most of his adult life from insomnia. It’s not until a micro-nap behind the wheel nearly ends up with him and his car wrapped around a tree that he decides he really needs to find some help. He’s tried everything – he thinks – but a co-worker suggested that he try the app called “Sleep With Me”.
Tristan is attracted and soothed by Sam’s voice instantly and for the first time in months, he is able to sleep. It’s such a remarkable thing for him that he approached his friend to see if he can meet up with Sam in person. Tristan wants to offer a trade. If Sam will teach him more about meditation and how to continue to find the relief of sleep, then Tristam will help him with a business plan.
Both the main characters in this story are fascinating and I really enjoyed reading about them. The topics covered in this book are heavy and may not appeal to everyone but Rebecca Raine writes such things with remarkable care and authenticity.
Apart, Tristan and Sam, struggle with issues that are holding them back. Together? These two could be unstoppable…but there’s always a lot to get through, isn’t there?
Tristan is mourning the loss of his sister and the complicated way that it has wrapped him up in guilt and sadness. His relationship with his parents has never been repaired and Tristan is resigned to the bland life that he’s living.
Sam was raised by a mother with severe agoraphobia. he deals with anxiety and maybe a slight case of agoraphobia. For Sam, meditation was a way to gain a bit more control of his life. He is a remarkable character. Despite the challenges he faces, he is softspoken, sweet, loving and there is a strength in him that is remarkable.
I don’t want to give away any more of this remarkable plot. This book made me cry, which doesn’t happen a lot. It was remarkably touching and emotional. I don’t regret a moment of this one! Absolutely loved it.
Things You May Want To Know: Please be aware, I’m by no means an expert on what may or may not have the potential to disturb people. I simply list things that I think a reader might want to be aware of. In this book: (SPOILERS) Vivid descriptions of grief, a character suffers under the weight of guilt, death of sibling (happened in past, described in present), death of character’s mother (in past), a character has a panic/anxiety disorder and mild agoraphobia, a character grew up with a parent with agoraphobia, suicidal ideation.
Links: Goodreads // The Author
I received an ARC of The Harder We Falled by Rebecca Raine from The Author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Kinzie Things 