Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
This is a first read for me by this author and I really enjoyed it.
Erin and Brendan really made me laugh, swoon and cry during this read.
I really enjoyed it.
I volunteered to read a copy of this book
Erin and Brendan really made me laugh, swoon and cry during this read.
I really enjoyed it.
I volunteered to read a copy of this book
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting
Rollercoaster ride!
This was a rollercoaster enemies to lovers/ex’s best friend or best friend’s ex. However you want to look at it. Erin thinks she’s happy, but someone comes back into her life and shows her a different kind of happy. Brendan is scared of commitment and knows Erin is a girl you commit to. There is a butt ton of angst in this one. The relationship is a twisty turn-y one, but I enjoyed it none the less.
This was a rollercoaster enemies to lovers/ex’s best friend or best friend’s ex. However you want to look at it. Erin thinks she’s happy, but someone comes back into her life and shows her a different kind of happy. Brendan is scared of commitment and knows Erin is a girl you commit to. There is a butt ton of angst in this one. The relationship is a twisty turn-y one, but I enjoyed it none the less.
I really freaking loved this book, despite its flaws. Second books usually exhibit a pretty steep dip in quality, but I loved this as much as "Waking Olivia," if not more, and I really loved "Waking Olivia."
There are several things about Elizabeth O'Roark's writing style I really dig:
- Short chapters. Sometimes, writers seem to write for the sake of fulfilling word count, or needlessly tacking on unnecessary plot, stretching out inner monologue that doesn't need to be stretched. O'Roark is a good self editor / works with a good editor, and I always appreciate that, as an editor myself ;)
- For this book in particular, I really dug the switch between Erin's present tense POV and Brendan's past tense POV as it built towards a present tense POV. So clever and it was just so incredibly effective at building out the Brendan character.
- Her lovely characters. I love that they can be conflicted without being overdramatic 0r needlessly heavy. Specifically in this book, I really loved Brendan <3 I think a lot of authors often fail at writing alpha males without making them flat and having them Only Be One Way, and I liked that while Brendan was definitely more alpha than beta, he was respectful of boundaries and (mostly) communicative with his thoughts. It drives me when straight male characters try to be silent and noble in their intentions, suffering for the sake of suffering, and I liked that Brendan wasn't like that.
That said, I do think the book has two weaknesses.
- Erin. I liked Erin from "Waking Olivia" and I generally enjoyed her story. She seemed like a good example of someone who, as O'Roark wrote, sanded down her personality too much for the sake of a relationship that was never going to work, and then has to learn to build those edges back out with the help of the hero. And I liked her journey with Brendan where she got to do that—I LIKE that hero is the one that helps her discover/rediscover herself, because it's so often the case that the heroine has to help "teach" the heroes that.
And Erin is really funny! Really. Her line about "fufleek" is one of the funniest, snappiest barbs I've read as of late.
But Jesus H. Christ it was rough watching her be so swallowed by insecurity sometimes. I guess it's ... realistic, in some ways? The way some people lose themselves so much for the sake of a false sense of stability, and then really struggle to come out of it. But it was still frustrating to read...
-...which leads me to my second discontent and the book's second weakness. GotDAMN the last fourth of the book was a slog to get through. Erin's serious indecision between Rob and Brendan was so, so, so tenuous. It is ridiculously unbelievable that she would even consider Rob over Brendan. That felt more of a writing weakness than a lack of reality. It slowed the book down and took away pages and pages of what could've been more of a resolution between Brendan and Erin, which felt just too damn short.
There are several things about Elizabeth O'Roark's writing style I really dig:
- Short chapters. Sometimes, writers seem to write for the sake of fulfilling word count, or needlessly tacking on unnecessary plot, stretching out inner monologue that doesn't need to be stretched. O'Roark is a good self editor / works with a good editor, and I always appreciate that, as an editor myself ;)
- For this book in particular, I really dug the switch between Erin's present tense POV and Brendan's past tense POV as it built towards a present tense POV. So clever and it was just so incredibly effective at building out the Brendan character.
- Her lovely characters. I love that they can be conflicted without being overdramatic 0r needlessly heavy. Specifically in this book, I really loved Brendan <3 I think a lot of authors often fail at writing alpha males without making them flat and having them Only Be One Way, and I liked that while Brendan was definitely more alpha than beta, he was respectful of boundaries and (mostly) communicative with his thoughts. It drives me when straight male characters try to be silent and noble in their intentions, suffering for the sake of suffering, and I liked that Brendan wasn't like that.
That said, I do think the book has two weaknesses.
- Erin. I liked Erin from "Waking Olivia" and I generally enjoyed her story. She seemed like a good example of someone who, as O'Roark wrote, sanded down her personality too much for the sake of a relationship that was never going to work, and then has to learn to build those edges back out with the help of the hero. And I liked her journey with Brendan where she got to do that—I LIKE that hero is the one that helps her discover/rediscover herself, because it's so often the case that the heroine has to help "teach" the heroes that.
And Erin is really funny! Really. Her line about "fufleek" is one of the funniest, snappiest barbs I've read as of late.
But Jesus H. Christ it was rough watching her be so swallowed by insecurity sometimes. I guess it's ... realistic, in some ways? The way some people lose themselves so much for the sake of a false sense of stability, and then really struggle to come out of it. But it was still frustrating to read...
-...which leads me to my second discontent and the book's second weakness. GotDAMN the last fourth of the book was a slog to get through. Erin's serious indecision between Rob and Brendan was so, so, so tenuous. It is ridiculously unbelievable that she would even consider Rob over Brendan. That felt more of a writing weakness than a lack of reality. It slowed the book down and took away pages and pages of what could've been more of a resolution between Brendan and Erin, which felt just too damn short.
I enjoyed 99% of the book. The 1% killed it for me.
You should never falsely accuse someone of sexual harassment or rape as a form of revenge. It could ruin their life and belittles actual survivors.
You should never falsely accuse someone of sexual harassment or rape as a form of revenge. It could ruin their life and belittles actual survivors.
Read full review HERE
Awhile back I read Waking Olivia, which I loved, and I was excited for this one, because it’s about Olivia’s BFF and Will’s brother. So YAY, I love spin offs, and I love to know more about the secondary characters that show up in certain books. So let me tell you what worked for me and what didn’t in Drowning Erin.
THE POSITIVE:
♥ Enemies to lovers and second chance romance… I love those tropes, and those were the ones used in this book, so YAY.
♥ The writing and the structure. There’s no doubt for me that Elizabeth O’Roark’s writing is amazing, and she decided to write this book in dual POV, with present and past mixed. Which was great. Also, the chapters were super small, and that made the book flow super fast.
♥ Even though I had a lot of issues with the characters, they were super complex and there is a lot of character growth during this novel.
THE NEGATIVE:
♦ The miscommunication! OH MY GOD! There are so many situations that Erin and Brendan could have just talked, and stuff would have been okay. They just assumed the worst of each other and never even thought about actually communicating properly.
♦ Erin was not my favorite character… at all. While I understood her feelings and her need to feel secure, I hated how she was so willing to lose herself and stay with Rob. I hated how she never fought for what she wanted or needed until way way into the book.
♦ With that in mind, I hated the love triangle on this book. Especially, I hated how long it lasted…
Awhile back I read Waking Olivia, which I loved, and I was excited for this one, because it’s about Olivia’s BFF and Will’s brother. So YAY, I love spin offs, and I love to know more about the secondary characters that show up in certain books. So let me tell you what worked for me and what didn’t in Drowning Erin.
THE POSITIVE:
♥ Enemies to lovers and second chance romance… I love those tropes, and those were the ones used in this book, so YAY.
♥ The writing and the structure. There’s no doubt for me that Elizabeth O’Roark’s writing is amazing, and she decided to write this book in dual POV, with present and past mixed. Which was great. Also, the chapters were super small, and that made the book flow super fast.
♥ Even though I had a lot of issues with the characters, they were super complex and there is a lot of character growth during this novel.
THE NEGATIVE:
♦ The miscommunication! OH MY GOD! There are so many situations that Erin and Brendan could have just talked, and stuff would have been okay. They just assumed the worst of each other and never even thought about actually communicating properly.
♦ Erin was not my favorite character… at all. While I understood her feelings and her need to feel secure, I hated how she was so willing to lose herself and stay with Rob. I hated how she never fought for what she wanted or needed until way way into the book.
♦ With that in mind, I hated the love triangle on this book. Especially, I hated how long it lasted…
I love the story but Erin just so infuriatingly stupid. I badly want to shake some common sense to her.
2.5 stars
I had high expections, but they weren't fullfilled and I struggled to finish the book. Couldn't connect with Erin and her insecurities...
I had high expections, but they weren't fullfilled and I struggled to finish the book. Couldn't connect with Erin and her insecurities...