I can now safely say that I'll probably like anything that McGovern writes. A Step Toward Falling is the second of McGovern's books that I have read; the first being Say What You Will, which I enjoyed immensely (and rated 4.5). A Step Toward Falling gets a solid 4 stars from me; it is a really good book but I think I enjoyed Say What You Will slightly more. 
 This book deals with disability and, just as in Say What You Will, it addresses it in an insightful and positive light. The POVs switch from Emily to Belinda throughout the story, though you know who is narrating as the name is at the start of each section and also because they have very distinctive voices and personalities. 
 Emily is a high school senior, isn't very popular but isn't what you would call a 'nerd' or a 'geek' etc. She has a gay best friend Richard, and I find that McGovern is good at inserting diverse characters in her books without it being obtrusive/for the sake of it. I enjoyed reading about Emily and Richard's friendship and the path that each takes as they find out who they really are. 
 The story starts when Emily and Lucas find out that they are required to complete some community service at a disability centre. Lucas is the opposite of Emily; what would be considered a 'jock' or something similar, he is a footballer and mingles with the popular crowd in school. Emily and Lucas, two people from very different groups in school are brought together as both of them were bystanders of (view spoiler)[Belinda's sexual assault (hide spoiler)] and did nothing to stop it. They both had 'reasons' why they didn't do something but of course they both realise it is unexcusable. I liked how yes, they were both at fault, but what they didn't do was quite realistic and asks the question of whether we ourselves would have acted differently if we were in the same situation. Should we judge if we would have done the same? 
 On the other side of the story is Belinda, the other main character who is disabled. She has a developmental disability which affects the development of her brain and how she learns, so she learns slower than normal people. She is in the same high school as Emily and Lucas but is in a class specialised for disabled students. It is never actually outright said what Belinda's disability is - but that isn't what's important. What was important was that Belinda is a person who has emotions and her own personality and should be treated just like anyone else. This is what Emily and Lucas learn and what we come to realise too. 
 I thought that Emily, Lucas and Belinda were all equally well-written characters. At first I wasn't sure about the POVs but getting the story from both sides and seeing them both from each others' eyes as well as getting to know them was beneficial for the reader. Emily and Lucas struck me both as quite smart students as well as real which I really loved. They aren't like characters that I've read before and though they had a lot to learn, their character development wasn't unrealistic. I also enjoyed getting into Belinda's head and the way she thinks. 
 The disability centre, where Emily and Lucas get their first up-close interaction with disabled people, is a fundamental part of the book. This is where, though, I thought the book could have been written better. I was expecting more scenes at the centre but there were only a couple. There is a bit of a gap between two of the sessions from where it goes from Emily starting to get to know all the members and then suddenly she is friends with all of them and fits in well. I understand that there was meant to be some time passing between those two points in time but I felt like it needed more development there as far as the sessions were concerned. As well, there were a couple of other points in the story that I thought could have been expanded on. 
 Reading the first third of the book, I was pulled out of the story and confused at times because the book doesn't always follow a chronological sequence. This was necessary for some explanations but I didn't think this part of the novel was done well. After a while though, I got into the story and the time lapse issue started happening less and less. 
 I loved the whole paralleling of Pride and Prejudice thing this book had going on. P&P is mentioned throughout the book (usu. through Belinda). Before anything happens, I realised I kept comparing Emily and Elizabeth with the whole 'prejudice' thing as Emily judges both Lucas and Belinda before she knows them and has her own biased opinions of them. Also, (view spoiler)[Emily even says that Lucas makes a good Mr. Darcy (hide spoiler)]. 
 An interesting thing was that both Emily and Lucas had history with Belinda before the incident, meaning that they both knew her somehow and perhaps gave them one more reason as to why they should have helped her at the beginning. 
 I thought that all the interactions between the characters were written well and especially enjoyed the ones between (view spoiler)[Emily and Lucas. Their friendship only starts being something more late in the book and their relationship from before the incident to the end of the book developed slowly and realistically. (hide spoiler)] 
 I wasn't exactly satisfied with the ending but it was still good. I suppose I felt some things were unresolved but they weren't anything major. I just thought that while it was a good ending, it wasn't great. 
 The really great thing about A Step Toward Falling is the issues and themes it addresses which are very relevant today. It also has a cast of diverse, unique, realistic main characters with distinctive personalities and voices. I really enjoyed A Step Toward Falling and will be checking out more of McGovern's books.