A Step Toward Falling

"A beautiful, big-hearted book with important lessons embedded in compelling stories of two irresistible girls. Expertly executed and movingly realized.” —New York Times Book Review

Cammie McGovern follows up her breakout young adult debut, Say What You Will, with this powerful and unforgettable novel about learning from your mistakes and learning to forgive.

Emily has always been the kind of girl who tries to do the right thing—until one night when she does the worst thing possible. She sees Belinda, a classmate with developmental disabilities, being attacked. Inexplicably, she does nothing at all.

Belinda, however, manages to save herself. When their high school finds out what happened, Emily and Lucas, a football player who was also there that night, are required to perform community service at a center for disabled people.

Soon Lucas and Emily begin to feel like maybe they’re starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing, if they could do that night all over again. But can they do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt the most?

Told in alternating points of view, A Step Toward Falling is a poignant, hopeful, and altogether stunning work that will appeal to fans of books by Jennifer Niven, Robyn Schneider, and Jandy Nelson.

Reluctant Allies: He’s a popular football player, she’s a girl haunted by her own inaction. Lucas and Emily were both there the night Belinda was attacked, and now their shared guilt is the only thing they have in common. Forced Proximity: Required to volunteer together at a center for people with disabilities, Emily and Lucas must confront their mistake—and the unexpected feelings developing between them. A Story About Redemption: As they work with the center’s members, Emily and Lucas start to see a path toward making amends. But can they ever truly make things right with Belinda, and with themselves? Social Issues Fiction for Teens: A thought-provoking and moving YA contemporary novel that tackles tough topics like bystander inaction, disability, and the courage to forgive yourself.