Before We Fall

Starred review from September 29, 2014
In the heart-wrenching third installment of the Beautifully Broken new adult series (after If You Leave), Cole brings together an actor and a waitress who both struggle with the aftermath of trauma. It’s been six years since the suicide of Dominic Kinkade’s girlfriend, but he still prefers voyeurism to any sort of emotional attachment with a woman. Feisty Jacey Vincent is the first to admit that she has made a lot of bad decisions in her life—including dating a murderer—but she’s determined to turn her life around. Falling in love with a screwed-up actor who’s addicted to kinky sex is not in her plan, but after she accepts Dominic’s offer of a ride home from a party, the two end up in jail and are sentenced to community service. Will the enforced closeness bring them together—or shove them apart? As they learn each other’s secrets, it’s hard to say. Cole’s deep characters and deft plotting make this angst-filled contemporary feel raw and real. Agent: Catherine Drayton, Inkwell Management.