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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I feel like it took me a little bit to get into the story and there were a couple of times that I thought were a little strange. The trauma that these characters have gone through was horrifying and made my heart hurt for them. The whole almost "found family" part of the story was very sweet, but their flaws were still very prominent. This is a personal opinion, but I didn't really like how faith was talked about. This obviously wasn't supposed to be a religious book, but when it was mentioned I just didn't like it. Again, this is a personal thing so it could be overlooked. Interested to read the sequel.
http://celebrityreaders.com/2018/07/18/left-drowning-by-jessica-park/
4 stars — OK, I’m about to disappoint my friend Joooood. While I enjoyed Ms. DeLisle’s narration, she wasn’t my favourite. She was fantastic during normal narration, and with Blythe’s thoughts, but I was only meh on her other character dialogue narration. I think I’m really picky about that. It was partly that I wasn’t keen on the way she voiced Chris…it’s a personal taste thing, not something inherently wrong. But it was also partly that I occasionally found the differences in voices for characters wasn’t consistent. She was good with Blythe, Chris and Sabin…but maybe it just became too many characters after that? Sometimes her Estelle was great, but sometimes I would think it was Blythe talking, and then find out it was Estelle. Again, not a huge deal, just something I noticed. Honestly, I think it’s Ms. Park’s fault for writing so many secondary characters that had a huge part in the story! *snort*
This book went in all sorts of directions, and I LOVED so much of it, but there were also things that bugged me. So I’m going to preface the rest of this review by saying that while I can’t help but want to mention the things that bugged me, this was still a fantastic book! I really did enjoy SO MUCH of it, I just inevitably end up focusing on the things that prevented this from being a 5 star read. So read the rest of the review with that in mind…it was still 4 freaking stars…it just…wasn’t 5. *rolls eyes*
One of the major things that bugged me was the way depression was depicted and addressed….BUT I might be thinking of it in normal depression ways, not situational depression, which I know less about. It’s just that the fact that Blythe never sought any outside help irked me…it might work that way for some people, but it might also contribute to the unhealthy way we view mental health as a society. I was glad that at least the rest of the cast eventually sought out help by the end.
The rest are pretty minor…and probably just Lenore specific, you know? Like, occasionally I was uncomfortable with Blythe’s body image and the way she talked about it…and then with the running. There was this teeeeeensy tiny element that almost felt…preachy? No. Judgey? I can’t figure it out, it just twigged me I guess. I also found the relationships depicted in this story to be really unhealthy. Which…is kind of the point in some ways…but I wished they’d more openly realized that. Then there was the odd fate stuff…I’m not big into that, and it definitely felt like there was a bit of woo-woo going on at the end there. And finally, I read a friend’s review that remarked on the sex, and I laughed it off because that’s typically not a problem with me…but there really was a LOT of sex in this book. I think it stood out more in an audiobook though. When you’re listening to a 20 minute sex scene, and it’s one of many, it gets a bit much, you know?
OK, now that that’s out of the way, onwards!!!
There was a very rich and interesting set of characters in this one. They were ALL damaged, and damaged hardcore, but I still liked them all. I liked them together too, even as they were a bit crazy and occasionally unhealthy. I appreciated the way they were there for one another. I wish I could have seen more gradual growth in Blythe, but I still felt like she had an almost coming of age story. They were all likable people that I’d enjoy observing. I truly felt the depth of their caring for one another. I liked that not all their interactions were picture perfect — Sabin was all kinds of f’d up, and Thanksgiving was crazy…like super duper crazy. And the Christmas revelation with her brother was also f’d up, but I appreciated how she could be mad at him but still want to make sure he knew she still loved him.
I feel like I had other thoughts, but apparently I got sidetracked while writing this review and no longer remember. Ms. Park always writes about trauma and f’d up people really well…she enjoys taking a strange situation and delving into it. I do believe I will eventually tackle Restless Waters, but I’m not feeling a rush at this point. I liked the stability that was finally semi-achieved at the end.
4 stars — OK, I’m about to disappoint my friend Joooood. While I enjoyed Ms. DeLisle’s narration, she wasn’t my favourite. She was fantastic during normal narration, and with Blythe’s thoughts, but I was only meh on her other character dialogue narration. I think I’m really picky about that. It was partly that I wasn’t keen on the way she voiced Chris…it’s a personal taste thing, not something inherently wrong. But it was also partly that I occasionally found the differences in voices for characters wasn’t consistent. She was good with Blythe, Chris and Sabin…but maybe it just became too many characters after that? Sometimes her Estelle was great, but sometimes I would think it was Blythe talking, and then find out it was Estelle. Again, not a huge deal, just something I noticed. Honestly, I think it’s Ms. Park’s fault for writing so many secondary characters that had a huge part in the story! *snort*
This book went in all sorts of directions, and I LOVED so much of it, but there were also things that bugged me. So I’m going to preface the rest of this review by saying that while I can’t help but want to mention the things that bugged me, this was still a fantastic book! I really did enjoy SO MUCH of it, I just inevitably end up focusing on the things that prevented this from being a 5 star read. So read the rest of the review with that in mind…it was still 4 freaking stars…it just…wasn’t 5. *rolls eyes*
One of the major things that bugged me was the way depression was depicted and addressed….BUT I might be thinking of it in normal depression ways, not situational depression, which I know less about. It’s just that the fact that Blythe never sought any outside help irked me…it might work that way for some people, but it might also contribute to the unhealthy way we view mental health as a society. I was glad that at least the rest of the cast eventually sought out help by the end.
The rest are pretty minor…and probably just Lenore specific, you know? Like, occasionally I was uncomfortable with Blythe’s body image and the way she talked about it…and then with the running. There was this teeeeeensy tiny element that almost felt…preachy? No. Judgey? I can’t figure it out, it just twigged me I guess. I also found the relationships depicted in this story to be really unhealthy. Which…is kind of the point in some ways…but I wished they’d more openly realized that. Then there was the odd fate stuff…I’m not big into that, and it definitely felt like there was a bit of woo-woo going on at the end there. And finally, I read a friend’s review that remarked on the sex, and I laughed it off because that’s typically not a problem with me…but there really was a LOT of sex in this book. I think it stood out more in an audiobook though. When you’re listening to a 20 minute sex scene, and it’s one of many, it gets a bit much, you know?
OK, now that that’s out of the way, onwards!!!
There was a very rich and interesting set of characters in this one. They were ALL damaged, and damaged hardcore, but I still liked them all. I liked them together too, even as they were a bit crazy and occasionally unhealthy. I appreciated the way they were there for one another. I wish I could have seen more gradual growth in Blythe, but I still felt like she had an almost coming of age story. They were all likable people that I’d enjoy observing. I truly felt the depth of their caring for one another. I liked that not all their interactions were picture perfect — Sabin was all kinds of f’d up, and Thanksgiving was crazy…like super duper crazy. And the Christmas revelation with her brother was also f’d up, but I appreciated how she could be mad at him but still want to make sure he knew she still loved him.
I feel like I had other thoughts, but apparently I got sidetracked while writing this review and no longer remember. Ms. Park always writes about trauma and f’d up people really well…she enjoys taking a strange situation and delving into it. I do believe I will eventually tackle Restless Waters, but I’m not feeling a rush at this point. I liked the stability that was finally semi-achieved at the end.
I really tried to get through to the finish on this story, but after almost 60% done, I just couldn't force myself to go on. This book was offensive on so many levels, I had to abandon it.
I have been looking forward to reading this book for a while now because I totally loved JP's other books Flat Out Love, Flat Out Matt, and Relatively Famous. I one-clicked the book the second I knew it was released. I was not disappointed.
I've seen a few complaints in other reviews about the insta-love between Chris and Blythe being too much. Sometimes I do agree that it can seem too unrealistic for people to fall so quickly but the way that Jessica Park wrote it, it seems pretty perfect. They were instantly attracted to each other and had a strong connection but the way they fell in love was slow and steady. Shit, I fell in love with Chris pretty instantaneously myself.
"But Chris does not run. Instead he slides his arm around my waist and pulls me in close until my back is tight against his chest. "It's okay. Breath into it.""
"I want to hear you come. I need to hear you come."
Come to think of it I kept thinking to myself...what is taking so long? How long are you two gonna drag this out?!? Then finally they get their shit together and hump like bunnies for days and I'm like THANK GOD!
Then suddenly 64% of the way through the book I want to throw my Kindle against a wall!! Seriously....seriously? W.T.F. ?!? Turmoil, heartbreak, stupid decision-making;I was expecting it all but not like this. Not.Like.This.
After this is where the book kind of lost me for a minute. Things began to happen pretty quickly without a lot of details that I feel would have been interesting to read about. How (in greater detail)did Blythe deal with being around his family after? How did she deal with normal every day things for that year? I would've liked to hear a little about her life without the Shepherds in it.
I'm still a little angry at Blythe for getting over everything pretty easily and I'm super pissed at Chris that he acted so casually about what he almost did but then suddenly decides that he's all-in with Blythe and nobody seems that upset by it.
I have to mention how in love I am with all of the secondary characters. I mean Sabin is ridiculously awesome and quirky in the best way.
"What's happenin', the cakest of all my baby cakes?"
James, Eric, Zach and Estelle round out the group pretty nicely. Estelle and her faith make me giggle..is that supposed to happen?
"Forgive me my sins, O lord, forgive me my sins; the sins of my youth, the sins of my age, the sins of my soul, the sins of my body; my idle sins, me serious voluntary sins..."
While I'm not sure if I love this book as much as I LOVED the Flat Out books I will absolutely say without a doubt that I love the way Jessica Park writes her characters. I want to be friends with each and every one of them.
In the end we get our HEA and days after finishing the book I'm still kind of in love with Chris and Blythe's story.
Being an over emotional person already AND having pregnancy hormones do not make for a good combination.
This book .. ugh. The pasts of each character in the book, what is going on in the present for them as well. It’s all too much. It’s beautiful and painstakingly heartbreaking and i loved every single word of it. I was crying so hard at one point i had to take a break. If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover like myself, and you want a good heartbreak (like myself obviously), then you WILL read this book.
This book .. ugh. The pasts of each character in the book, what is going on in the present for them as well. It’s all too much. It’s beautiful and painstakingly heartbreaking and i loved every single word of it. I was crying so hard at one point i had to take a break. If you’re a fan of Colleen Hoover like myself, and you want a good heartbreak (like myself obviously), then you WILL read this book.
Closer to a 3.5.
So I've slowly worked my way through Jessica Park's independent stuff this year, and Left Drowning is her newest release. Aiming for a more "new adult" genre target this time, in a lot of ways it's perfect, and in a lot of ways I think the book is a piece of evidence against the way independent publishing can sometimes direct book content.
The story is interesting enough, where it follows a girl, Blythe, in her senior year of college. She's more than a little withdrawn due to a family tragedy, but she eventually meets Chris, who has similar problems. The two broken people end up bonding, and it becomes more of a story about how two people who are so broken yet are so well matched can (or should) end up with each other.
In terms of writing, editorial, etc, the book is as good, if not better, than Flat-Out Love, which I did enjoy. The story moves along at a fairly perfect pace, and Park doesn't waste a lot of time with things that don't matter - if the plot doesn't need to spend a significant amount of time between two scenes, it just skips it. I definitely liked that.
My one real complaint, and this is less a style problem than a personal preference, is that this book is very mature. Perhaps this is where New Adult is going, perhaps I just don't read enough non-genre adult literature to begin with, perhaps it's something else, but there is a lot of sex in this book. We're not talking Fifty Shades erotica, but the sex is significant, plentiful, and descriptive. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but it felt very gratuitous. This is where my concern about independent publishing being directed a certain way comes into play - when Park published Flat-Out Matt, the much of the more mature content was created specifically due to fan request. I don't have any issue with people writing what they want to write, or writing to fulfill fan requests (especially for companion pieces that aren't necessary for enjoyment of the main text), but it's hard not to see that trend and question whether the more "adult" content is there less because it needs to be and more because fans want it to be. I understand the danger in trying to read the mind of an author and assign motives based solely on blog posts and fictional writing, but the book really didn't need it to be successful, and it just felt unnecessary.
If you're not bothered at all by that previous paragraph, you should grab this book. If you are bothered by that content, you should still grab that book and just skip those parts that are significant in nature. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book quite a bit, my major complaints are more because of my own preferences than the overall quality of the book itself.
So I've slowly worked my way through Jessica Park's independent stuff this year, and Left Drowning is her newest release. Aiming for a more "new adult" genre target this time, in a lot of ways it's perfect, and in a lot of ways I think the book is a piece of evidence against the way independent publishing can sometimes direct book content.
The story is interesting enough, where it follows a girl, Blythe, in her senior year of college. She's more than a little withdrawn due to a family tragedy, but she eventually meets Chris, who has similar problems. The two broken people end up bonding, and it becomes more of a story about how two people who are so broken yet are so well matched can (or should) end up with each other.
In terms of writing, editorial, etc, the book is as good, if not better, than Flat-Out Love, which I did enjoy. The story moves along at a fairly perfect pace, and Park doesn't waste a lot of time with things that don't matter - if the plot doesn't need to spend a significant amount of time between two scenes, it just skips it. I definitely liked that.
My one real complaint, and this is less a style problem than a personal preference, is that this book is very mature. Perhaps this is where New Adult is going, perhaps I just don't read enough non-genre adult literature to begin with, perhaps it's something else, but there is a lot of sex in this book. We're not talking Fifty Shades erotica, but the sex is significant, plentiful, and descriptive. I'm not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but it felt very gratuitous. This is where my concern about independent publishing being directed a certain way comes into play - when Park published Flat-Out Matt, the much of the more mature content was created specifically due to fan request. I don't have any issue with people writing what they want to write, or writing to fulfill fan requests (especially for companion pieces that aren't necessary for enjoyment of the main text), but it's hard not to see that trend and question whether the more "adult" content is there less because it needs to be and more because fans want it to be. I understand the danger in trying to read the mind of an author and assign motives based solely on blog posts and fictional writing, but the book really didn't need it to be successful, and it just felt unnecessary.
If you're not bothered at all by that previous paragraph, you should grab this book. If you are bothered by that content, you should still grab that book and just skip those parts that are significant in nature. Overall, I did enjoy reading this book quite a bit, my major complaints are more because of my own preferences than the overall quality of the book itself.
It's a beautiful book, great story-telling, but it's sad as sad can be.
3.5 stars.
It was nice to see a dude with a troubled past not be crazy and violent. Granted he had his fair share of issues, but he was caring and I loved the dynamic with his siblings.
Overall a predictable plot, but I didn't mind.
I also hear there's a sequel...
It was nice to see a dude with a troubled past not be crazy and violent. Granted he had his fair share of issues, but he was caring and I loved the dynamic with his siblings.
Overall a predictable plot, but I didn't mind.
I also hear there's a sequel...