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coachmtibbs's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
novelvisits's review against another edition
4.0
My thanks to The Dial Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.
ROCK THE BOAT by Beck Dorey-Stein was a book I’d long looked forward to because I so loved her 2018 memoir, From the Corner of the Oval. I was excited to see what she’d do with fiction. The story revolves around Kate, dumped by her fiance as the book begins. She returns home to the small town of Sea Point, NJ where she grew up. There she reconnects with Ziggy, her neighbor and childhood friend. Ziggy is reeling from the recent death of his father, a man everyone adored. Into this mix is Miles, longtime friend to Ziggy and nemesis to Kate. He’s come back to town to prove to his mom that he’s capable of taking over the beach resort she owns.
Now this sort of combination is not really unusual and not many of the events in it were particularly surprising, but I still liked it! The beginning was a little slow and for a short time I even considered DNFing it, but am so glad I didn’t Rock the Boat is a perfect example of a book that gets better and better and pays off in the end. The more I read, the more attached I became to the characters, to the point where I even shed a couple of tears at the end. My advice? Give it about 100 pages and then, if you’re like me, you’ll be all in! Grade: B
ROCK THE BOAT by Beck Dorey-Stein was a book I’d long looked forward to because I so loved her 2018 memoir, From the Corner of the Oval. I was excited to see what she’d do with fiction. The story revolves around Kate, dumped by her fiance as the book begins. She returns home to the small town of Sea Point, NJ where she grew up. There she reconnects with Ziggy, her neighbor and childhood friend. Ziggy is reeling from the recent death of his father, a man everyone adored. Into this mix is Miles, longtime friend to Ziggy and nemesis to Kate. He’s come back to town to prove to his mom that he’s capable of taking over the beach resort she owns.
Now this sort of combination is not really unusual and not many of the events in it were particularly surprising, but I still liked it! The beginning was a little slow and for a short time I even considered DNFing it, but am so glad I didn’t Rock the Boat is a perfect example of a book that gets better and better and pays off in the end. The more I read, the more attached I became to the characters, to the point where I even shed a couple of tears at the end. My advice? Give it about 100 pages and then, if you’re like me, you’ll be all in! Grade: B
lamom77's review against another edition
4.0
I ended up really enjoying this book after struggling a bit in the beginning. There were a lot of characters and little side stories, but I loved how it all came together in the end. I loved the character development for the main characters over the course of the book.
geisttull's review against another edition
3.0
good story - likeable characters. wouldn't call it a romance because it is very sweet and no dessert
_rachelreads_'s review against another edition
4.0
I so enjoyed Rock the Boat! What a charming book about arrested development, growing up, and the fact that we are all works in progress. All of Beck Dorey-Stein's characters in the town of Sea Point, New Jersey are just delightful. And though our protagonists Kate Campbell and Miles Hoffman are quite immature and see returning to their hometown as a sign of said arrested development, this of course becomes a beautiful story of growth, growing up, and what it means to find your way. When Kate and Miles reunite with their childhood friend Ziggy Miller in Sea Point, all three characters will go on a journey. Beck Dorey-Stein's prose is nice. Her writing is straightforward, but she has some elegant turns of phrase. Overall, this is an enjoyable work of contemporary fiction.
holly1739's review
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
caseysilk's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 a cute beach read taking place in a fictional Jersey shore town.