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thepagelady's review
4.0
The Beached Ones was an emotional story filled with anguish and grief but also hope and the love between siblings that can continue even after one is gone. The story is told through flashbacks from the past to the present so getting to know and understand Daniel Shepherd as an individual and his relationship to his younger brother is very easy. The flashbacks for me really brought the whole picture together and the ending was wonderful and satisfying! This was a page turner for me! At times it was hard to read with the strong emotions but I enjoyed every page!
readwkatie's review
3.0
This book felt like a roller coaster that went upside down, backwards, and through a dark tunnel. There was so much back and forth between the past and the present that it left me confused as to where we were at any point in time. Mix that with the fact that the main character is dead but some people can see him and some people can't and I found myself lost for periods of the book. Then the ending threw me for a loop that I never expected to be coming? This was a supernatural book that has a creepy undertone while also having a heartwarming story of two brothers. I'm really unsure how I felt about this read, it wasn't bad but it was something you really have to pay attention to closely to be able to follow the story line.
kirstyreviewsbooks's review
3.0
The Beached Ones by Colleen M. Story
Narrated by Rob Shapiro
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blurb
He came back, determined to keep his promise.
Daniel and his younger brother grew up in an abusive home. Daniel escaped. Now an established stunt rider, he intends to go back to rescue his brother. But then one jump goes horribly wrong . . .
He recovers to find himself in Iowa, unscathed, yet his life has drastically changed. His best friend won’t answer his calls. Even his girlfriend is hiding something. Increasingly terrified, he clings to the one thing he knows: He must pick up his brother in San Francisco. In five days.
From the isolating fields of Iowa to the crowded streets of San Francisco, Daniel must fight his way through a fog of disjointed memories and supernatural encounters to face the truth and pay a debt he didn’t know he owed.
My Opinion
This is not a simple book to read. Daniel wakes up following an accident where his motorbike stunt has gone wrong - he has no memory of what happened. All he knows is that he had to pick his brother up in five days. This is an unusual plot, that was enjoyable but I struggled to follow.
Rating 3/5
Narrated by Rob Shapiro
I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Books and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Blurb
He came back, determined to keep his promise.
Daniel and his younger brother grew up in an abusive home. Daniel escaped. Now an established stunt rider, he intends to go back to rescue his brother. But then one jump goes horribly wrong . . .
He recovers to find himself in Iowa, unscathed, yet his life has drastically changed. His best friend won’t answer his calls. Even his girlfriend is hiding something. Increasingly terrified, he clings to the one thing he knows: He must pick up his brother in San Francisco. In five days.
From the isolating fields of Iowa to the crowded streets of San Francisco, Daniel must fight his way through a fog of disjointed memories and supernatural encounters to face the truth and pay a debt he didn’t know he owed.
My Opinion
This is not a simple book to read. Daniel wakes up following an accident where his motorbike stunt has gone wrong - he has no memory of what happened. All he knows is that he had to pick his brother up in five days. This is an unusual plot, that was enjoyable but I struggled to follow.
Rating 3/5
bookishcatlady's review
4.0
The book opens in what appears to be dream sequence after a hard night of partying. The story is not quite as simple as that.
Deftly weaving the story from past to present we the readers, are treated to watching main character Daniel discover the truth.
The concept of this book is very interesting and kept me engaged as the story unravels with both the past and present intertwined and we the reader are treated to a very unique ghost story. Although it does have a ghostly element, I'm not sure I would classify this as full horror even with the ghostly elements. It is just a good story.
Deftly weaving the story from past to present we the readers, are treated to watching main character Daniel discover the truth.
The concept of this book is very interesting and kept me engaged as the story unravels with both the past and present intertwined and we the reader are treated to a very unique ghost story. Although it does have a ghostly element, I'm not sure I would classify this as full horror even with the ghostly elements. It is just a good story.
whatyoutolkienabout's review
5.0
I was given a copy to review for a book tour. My reviews are always honest and all opinions are my own. #TheBeachedOnes #ColleenMStory #BlackPhoenixBookTours #HenryRoiPR #BookTourReview #HenryRoi #BookReview #gifted #ad
I have to say I never like to spoil books in my review so will try my best to abide by this self imposed rule but I can honestly say I have not read such an emotionally charged ending to a book in a long time. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The Beached Ones focuses primarily on Daniel who grew up with his younger brother in an abusive home but Daniel was the only one who escaped. Now an established stunt rider he intends to go back to his home town and rescue his younger brother. Until one jump goes horribly wrong. Or so he thought. Daniel recovers to find himself in Iowa, completely unscathed, but his life is drastically changed. With a best friend who won’t answer his calls and a girlfriend who seems to be hiding something he becomes increasingly terrified of what did happen but he clings to the one thing he knows he must do. He has to pick up his brother in San Francisco in five days. Now he must make the journey from the isolated fields of Iowa to the crowded streets of San Francisco all while fighting through a fog of disjointed memories and supernatural encounters to pay a debt he didn’t know he owed.
Colleen M Story has created a story that is equally heart-warming and heart-breaking with a lot of supernatural and simply natural twists and turns along the way. I was instantly drawn into Daniel’s world and then his plight as he tried to reunite with his brother, Tony. I adored the relationships between the main characters, Daniel, Jolene and Brent, as well as the side ones. Story’s writing kept me hooked and guessing throughout. I have to say I adored the characters, even Brent and Jolene for all their secrets and shortcomings.
I liked how the story shifted to snippets of Daniel’s past and his current present as well. Despite this jumping back and forth I felt it gave the story more of a steady setting and was something I really enjoyed. Story is also a master of twists. I honestly didn’t see a lot of them coming and was pleasantly surprised and heart-broken at the same time.
The ending was something I found had some truly beautiful writing although keeping a touch of the visceral we find throughout. While it wasn’t the perfect happy ending you may have wanted it was perfect for the story and really closed everyone’s tale off in a beautifully poignant way. It’s actually really difficult to talk about how much I loved the ending without spoiling some of the twists and turns but let me tell you it is worth the wait.
All in all The Beached Ones is a beautiful story about keeping promises, protecting those close to you and trying to find the light in the dark. It does have darker themes in there such as mental health, domestic abuse and suicide but these are handled with care and I loved the twist (again no spoilers) relating to some of these events. This is one that will definitely stick with me and I will certainly be looking out for more of Story’s work in the future!
I have to say I never like to spoil books in my review so will try my best to abide by this self imposed rule but I can honestly say I have not read such an emotionally charged ending to a book in a long time. But I am getting ahead of myself.
The Beached Ones focuses primarily on Daniel who grew up with his younger brother in an abusive home but Daniel was the only one who escaped. Now an established stunt rider he intends to go back to his home town and rescue his younger brother. Until one jump goes horribly wrong. Or so he thought. Daniel recovers to find himself in Iowa, completely unscathed, but his life is drastically changed. With a best friend who won’t answer his calls and a girlfriend who seems to be hiding something he becomes increasingly terrified of what did happen but he clings to the one thing he knows he must do. He has to pick up his brother in San Francisco in five days. Now he must make the journey from the isolated fields of Iowa to the crowded streets of San Francisco all while fighting through a fog of disjointed memories and supernatural encounters to pay a debt he didn’t know he owed.
Colleen M Story has created a story that is equally heart-warming and heart-breaking with a lot of supernatural and simply natural twists and turns along the way. I was instantly drawn into Daniel’s world and then his plight as he tried to reunite with his brother, Tony. I adored the relationships between the main characters, Daniel, Jolene and Brent, as well as the side ones. Story’s writing kept me hooked and guessing throughout. I have to say I adored the characters, even Brent and Jolene for all their secrets and shortcomings.
I liked how the story shifted to snippets of Daniel’s past and his current present as well. Despite this jumping back and forth I felt it gave the story more of a steady setting and was something I really enjoyed. Story is also a master of twists. I honestly didn’t see a lot of them coming and was pleasantly surprised and heart-broken at the same time.
The ending was something I found had some truly beautiful writing although keeping a touch of the visceral we find throughout. While it wasn’t the perfect happy ending you may have wanted it was perfect for the story and really closed everyone’s tale off in a beautifully poignant way. It’s actually really difficult to talk about how much I loved the ending without spoiling some of the twists and turns but let me tell you it is worth the wait.
All in all The Beached Ones is a beautiful story about keeping promises, protecting those close to you and trying to find the light in the dark. It does have darker themes in there such as mental health, domestic abuse and suicide but these are handled with care and I loved the twist (again no spoilers) relating to some of these events. This is one that will definitely stick with me and I will certainly be looking out for more of Story’s work in the future!
bethreneereadsbooks's review
4.0
TW: suicide.
Daniel wakes up on a beach, no idea how he got there. After a brief, disturbing interlude with some beached whales, he just as suddenly finds himself in his childhood home.
This paranormal tale continues to get darker and more confusing from there, much as it continues to captivate. You never quite know where the story’s going to take you, until you arrive at the end, a mixture of hope and despair. It’s quite moving, and a bit sad and confusing as well, lingering with you well afterwards.
* I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Daniel wakes up on a beach, no idea how he got there. After a brief, disturbing interlude with some beached whales, he just as suddenly finds himself in his childhood home.
This paranormal tale continues to get darker and more confusing from there, much as it continues to captivate. You never quite know where the story’s going to take you, until you arrive at the end, a mixture of hope and despair. It’s quite moving, and a bit sad and confusing as well, lingering with you well afterwards.
* I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
cassiecat's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
🎧5⭐️
I had the audiobook read by Rob Shapiro, he does an excellent job. I want to listen to more of his work.
Daniel and his younger brother grew up in an abusive home. Daniel escaped becoming a stunt rider. He promised to go back for his brother.
A stunt goes badly wrong, he finds himself in Iowa unscathed, but his life has drastically changed.
He needs to fight through a fog of memories and get across state in five days to collect his brother.
Daniel is the narrator, the story is told by him learning what’s happening, and by him working through hazy memories. It’s a very character driven story with great emotional depth looking at his life and relationships. I was fighting tears on many occasions, especially with Daniel and Tony’s exchanges.
My heart went out to Daniel and his little brother Tony, he was such a sweet caring kid, working as a teenager to help out with household costs, as well as trying to concentrate on his school work and protecting his brother. Their relationship is so heartwarming.
It’s a beautifully written very moving story which broke me in a good way, there were tears. It’s gone into my books of the year.
There are some triggers.
thegrimbookworm's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
Long story short: this book f***ed me up.
Please look up the Trigger Warnings for this book. It is heavy. Including suicide, SA, among other dark topics.
I felt waves of emotions through the book: anger, anxiety, hope, confusion, and an overwhelming amount of sadness as more of the mystery unfolded. But, in the end, as I reflect and recover, I'm just...numb. Why? Because, despite there being paranormal to this, it felt incredibly real. These are very real topics that could happen to anyone, overlooking the paranormal bits. Symbolically, I could see the paranormal as simply your intrusive thoughts as you go through something like this.
That all might sound negative to some, but if a book is written so well that it pulls me under and swallows me in numbness in the end, it is well worth the 4.5 stars I gave it. I just have to watch some happy videos to snap me back out of it. As for why it didn't reach 5 stars? Although Colleen is quite the amazing writer, there were moments in this story that got lost in too many details or felt like it was going round and round in circles just to generate chaos and tension in a moment before the scene pressed on. Done well, it's fine. But when they go around too many times before the finale, you have to groan and yell 'get on with it!' ...That's how I felt with some of the scenes in this book.
But that is a minor flaw when overall I thoroughly enjoyed getting emotional damage by this crazy story as I tried to solve the mystery!
Long story short: this book f***ed me up.
Please look up the Trigger Warnings for this book. It is heavy. Including suicide, SA, among other dark topics.
I felt waves of emotions through the book: anger, anxiety, hope, confusion, and an overwhelming amount of sadness as more of the mystery unfolded. But, in the end, as I reflect and recover, I'm just...numb. Why? Because, despite there being paranormal to this, it felt incredibly real. These are very real topics that could happen to anyone, overlooking the paranormal bits. Symbolically, I could see the paranormal as simply your intrusive thoughts as you go through something like this.
That all might sound negative to some, but if a book is written so well that it pulls me under and swallows me in numbness in the end, it is well worth the 4.5 stars I gave it. I just have to watch some happy videos to snap me back out of it. As for why it didn't reach 5 stars? Although Colleen is quite the amazing writer, there were moments in this story that got lost in too many details or felt like it was going round and round in circles just to generate chaos and tension in a moment before the scene pressed on. Done well, it's fine. But when they go around too many times before the finale, you have to groan and yell 'get on with it!' ...That's how I felt with some of the scenes in this book.
But that is a minor flaw when overall I thoroughly enjoyed getting emotional damage by this crazy story as I tried to solve the mystery!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
jessicaoreads67's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I like the unique aspects and outlooks this book has. It was fast paced, I finished it in about 5 hours. I enjoyed the mystery aspects and the journey the book took me on. I also liked the brothers relationship, it felt real which made me care for them more. I liked the plot twists, I didn’t work them out. I just thought at times it was quite confusing.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Child death, Death of parent, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Violence, Self harm, Suicide, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Blood
terriep's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This imaginative story is a story of a big brother so devoted to his 9-year younger brother that, against all odds, he's compelled to travel cross country to pick him up from a summer camp. The problems are many, there are ghosts and paranormal activities that are clever and surprised me. All the way to the end. It's a very good read with excellent characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Child abuse, and Suicide attempt