Free Falling is the second/final book in the Sweetwater Peak Duet, where each book follows the experiences of one of the twins; Clarke and Collins. This duology weaves elements of the paranormal, with Clarke and Collins being able to commune with ghosts, in a realistic western setting incredibly well. The elements of the supernatural are woven into a very believable setting and enhance the overall plot and romance of the story.

What I love about Lyla Sage books is that she is able to write in characters whose experiences are a little outside of the realm of a basic charater, in the Rebel Blue series, there was ADHD and depression representation that felt so authentic. In Soul Searching, we saw how Collins experienced burn out and imposter sydrome at work and how it bled into all the other areas of her life, impacting her creativity. Similarly in Free Falling, we are able to viscerally feel Clarkes mental health journey, Clarkes' depression is written in so seamlessly, I felt it sneak up on me and slowly grow, much like it did with her.

The dynamic between Clarke and Leith was so natural, while the premise was meant to be fake-dating, their dynamic seemed so natural that it felt organic pretty quickly. The way neither of them realises the other has had feelings for them since high school was so sweet, without falling into miscommunication. I liked that both gave us insight into their shared past without having to be bogged down with excessive flashbacks also really helped the progression of the story. Their chemistry worked really well, with the perfect amount of spice and I particularly liked when they got to go to prom together.

This book saw cameos from some old friends from Meadowlark, just enough for me to feel like I needed to take a reread trip to the Rebel Blue Ranch Series, but not so much that it overpowered this series. It was a cameo that complimented this duet whilst also letting it stand on its own. Additionally, it had the perfect amount of Collins. I think having her absent (where we leave off in Soul Searching) with Brady allowed the audience to really get into Clarkes' headspace. Her return, with her wit and sass in the second half was timed perfectly and was a great way of progressing the plot.

I felt like there were some unanswered questions, Leiths' dad just disappears after initially providing the conflict that forms the basis of the story. We see Clarke decide to embrace her abilities a bit more towards the end, I would've liked to have seen her commune with the dead a little more instead of just hearing that she does. I also wish there was a little more closure for Earnest, though I think that the lack of closure was kind of meant to be the point.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for giving me access to this book in exchange for an honest review, these thoughts are all my own.