Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
slow-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
This book was really sweet.
It wasn't jaw dropping amazing, but it was still good and I definitely enjoyed it!
It was a bit heavy on the instalove, and the "it was destined to be" aspect for me, but still well written and sweet. I love the closeness of the siblings! They are adorable.
I'm really looking forward to reading Flat Out Love by her as well!
It wasn't jaw dropping amazing, but it was still good and I definitely enjoyed it!
It was a bit heavy on the instalove, and the "it was destined to be" aspect for me, but still well written and sweet. I love the closeness of the siblings! They are adorable.
I'm really looking forward to reading Flat Out Love by her as well!
I'm not sure how to review this book. If you're looking for another book like Flat-Out Love, it isn't this one. This is not a book for teens. It was intense. Sometimes too intense. I had to skim through some sections that just left me cringing. But, it had a strong story and even stronger characters. And while sometimes it was unbelievable, it was entertaining.
Book: Left Drowning
Genre: YA
Type: Audiobook.
Book rating: ☆☆•5
Narration rating: ☆☆☆
Review
I was so excited to listen to this as I loved Flat Out Love, I was so SO disappointed! !
Blythe McGuire is treading water, going through the motions of college and normal every day mundane things.
The depression of losing her parents in a tragic accident 4 years ago is still too much for her, but she is trying to force herself to live a "normal" life.
In her senior year she meets Chris Shepard and there she finds a "connection", she is able to come to terms with her parents death and share a mutual bond as he has also lost a parent.
Now up to this point the book had potential, however it just started to go downhill from there really. Blythe didn't want a relationship with Chris......then she did........then they had sex .......then they broke up........then she felt the connection........had sex........broke up blah blah blah.
All the way through she seemed to say one thing and then do the complete opposite, I didn't understand her reasoning!
Chris was at first a lovely boy/man who had his own daemons to face but ignorned them to help Blythe with hers, but then all of a sudden he was this 21 year old sex god with better moves than a pornstar.
Chris's siblings were lovely and they took Blythe under their wing and made her part of their family, but at the same time, I felt like she strung Sabin along, as reading between the lines, I think that he was in love with her ( although it was never mentioned) and she leaned too heavily on him.
The whole family was f'd up and needed some serious therapy which again is never mentioned.
A disappointing 2•5☆
Genre: YA
Type: Audiobook.
Book rating: ☆☆•5
Narration rating: ☆☆☆
Review
I was so excited to listen to this as I loved Flat Out Love, I was so SO disappointed! !
Blythe McGuire is treading water, going through the motions of college and normal every day mundane things.
The depression of losing her parents in a tragic accident 4 years ago is still too much for her, but she is trying to force herself to live a "normal" life.
In her senior year she meets Chris Shepard and there she finds a "connection", she is able to come to terms with her parents death and share a mutual bond as he has also lost a parent.
Now up to this point the book had potential, however it just started to go downhill from there really. Blythe didn't want a relationship with Chris......then she did........then they had sex .......then they broke up........then she felt the connection........had sex........broke up blah blah blah.
All the way through she seemed to say one thing and then do the complete opposite, I didn't understand her reasoning!
Chris was at first a lovely boy/man who had his own daemons to face but ignorned them to help Blythe with hers, but then all of a sudden he was this 21 year old sex god with better moves than a pornstar.
Chris's siblings were lovely and they took Blythe under their wing and made her part of their family, but at the same time, I felt like she strung Sabin along, as reading between the lines, I think that he was in love with her ( although it was never mentioned) and she leaned too heavily on him.
The whole family was f'd up and needed some serious therapy which again is never mentioned.
A disappointing 2•5☆
Wow - words can't describe this book. It was so good! There was everything in this book that you could want in a great novel: love, heartache, adventure, passion, healing, and overall, a great story line. I wasn't really sure what to expect form this book when I first started reading it. I hadn't read anything by Jessica Park before (hadn't even heard of her, unfortunately), but this one blew me away :) Blythe and Chris are perfect. They each have struggles and tragic pasts they have to work through. They help each other heal, though Chris helps Blythe much more in the beginning than Blythe is able to help Chris. But they pull through. There are ups and downs in their relationship, which makes it so real! On top of that, there's a bunch of steamy sex scenes, which are always a plus ;)
I also really loved the rest of the characters in this story. Sabin is a charmer and definitely the lovable big-brother figure. Estelle is beautiful and full of live, but deep down is struggling with her past. James is Blythe's younger brother that also struggles with their tragic childhood. And Eric and Zach are the cute couple that everyone roots for! The story definitely wouldn't have been the same without these characters!
Pagesofcomfort.blogspot.com
I also really loved the rest of the characters in this story. Sabin is a charmer and definitely the lovable big-brother figure. Estelle is beautiful and full of live, but deep down is struggling with her past. James is Blythe's younger brother that also struggles with their tragic childhood. And Eric and Zach are the cute couple that everyone roots for! The story definitely wouldn't have been the same without these characters!
Pagesofcomfort.blogspot.com
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
5 stars for an unbelievably beautiful story!
This was my first Jessica Park book and I cannot believe how much I loved it! This story was so much more than just a book; It was a heart breaking journey of family, love, guilt, healing.
Meet Blythe McGuire. 4 years ago, she experiences a tragedy that took away her loved ones, and since then she's been just a shell of the person she once was. She hasn't been living her life, she's just been surviving through it.
She pushes away everyone and lives a lonely life, relying on alcohol and pointless parties to get her through the guilt she carries with her. One day she meets Christopher Shepard, and some how they just connect. They make each other feel again, in all the best and worst ways.
Something strong draws them together that neither of them can place, but neither is ready for a relationship. They can't deny the bond they share as they grow closer and closer together. Along with Chris, Blythe befriends Sabin, his younger brother. Before she knows it, she finds herself a part of the Shepard clan and after so long of being alone, Blythe has found a place she belongs.
Now, I have never liked the idea of insta-love in books. It just feels unrealistic to me. I wouldn't say Chris and Blythe had insta-love or insta-lust, it was more like... Insta-emotional-connetion. Sounds a little weird, right? I was more than a little skeptical at first, but the way their relationship progressed and you saw the way they grew to love each other was so captivating and emotional. It was realistic. You could feel their bond, their chemistry.
Although they connected so fast, their relationship was still slow burn and riveting. Chris, oh Chris. He made me swoon, cry, he broke my heart and destroyed me. I wanted to shake him at times, but nothing the characters did was out of reason.
For so long, just like Blythe, Chris has lived in the darkness of his past, but unlike Blythe, he pretends. Strong, protective, he never puts down the mask. He fights for those he cares about -his siblings. But for the first time, he is forced to feel again. Blythe makes him feel everything he's spent so long shutting down, and it scares him shitless. He pushes her away, but eventually they find their way back and overcome their demons together. As the pieces of their tragic past begin to unravel, my heart broke for them in every way.
The characters were incredible! I loved loved loved Estella, Eric, Zach, Sabin, James. Each and every one of the characters, no matter how small the role, was written with so much dept that I felt so connected and invested in each one of their stories. All of them had their own demons they struggled with, and my heart broke for each and every one.
Just hearing the plot may sound likes its done so many times before –the girl with PTSD meets the boy who changes her life. But it's not. The way it was written so eloquently and beautifully, with so much emotion puts this book in a shelf of and in itself. I can't think of one book that could be compared to this one because it was such a special story.
And, I was pleasantly surprised by the steam in this book! It was HOT! Holy crap, does Jessica Park know how to write a sex scene or what!
I wish there were words express how much I adored this book. This was my first Jessica Park book and I am so excited to read more from her! This book was entertaining, emotional and I had tears all the way through but I loved every page. Left Drowning has found a permanent place on my favorite shelf and I look forward to reading it again and again!
This was my first Jessica Park book and I cannot believe how much I loved it! This story was so much more than just a book; It was a heart breaking journey of family, love, guilt, healing.
Meet Blythe McGuire. 4 years ago, she experiences a tragedy that took away her loved ones, and since then she's been just a shell of the person she once was. She hasn't been living her life, she's just been surviving through it.
She pushes away everyone and lives a lonely life, relying on alcohol and pointless parties to get her through the guilt she carries with her. One day she meets Christopher Shepard, and some how they just connect. They make each other feel again, in all the best and worst ways.
Something strong draws them together that neither of them can place, but neither is ready for a relationship. They can't deny the bond they share as they grow closer and closer together. Along with Chris, Blythe befriends Sabin, his younger brother. Before she knows it, she finds herself a part of the Shepard clan and after so long of being alone, Blythe has found a place she belongs.
Now, I have never liked the idea of insta-love in books. It just feels unrealistic to me. I wouldn't say Chris and Blythe had insta-love or insta-lust, it was more like... Insta-emotional-connetion. Sounds a little weird, right? I was more than a little skeptical at first, but the way their relationship progressed and you saw the way they grew to love each other was so captivating and emotional. It was realistic. You could feel their bond, their chemistry.
Although they connected so fast, their relationship was still slow burn and riveting. Chris, oh Chris. He made me swoon, cry, he broke my heart and destroyed me. I wanted to shake him at times, but nothing the characters did was out of reason.
For so long, just like Blythe, Chris has lived in the darkness of his past, but unlike Blythe, he pretends. Strong, protective, he never puts down the mask. He fights for those he cares about -his siblings. But for the first time, he is forced to feel again. Blythe makes him feel everything he's spent so long shutting down, and it scares him shitless. He pushes her away, but eventually they find their way back and overcome their demons together. As the pieces of their tragic past begin to unravel, my heart broke for them in every way.
The characters were incredible! I loved loved loved Estella, Eric, Zach, Sabin, James. Each and every one of the characters, no matter how small the role, was written with so much dept that I felt so connected and invested in each one of their stories. All of them had their own demons they struggled with, and my heart broke for each and every one.
Just hearing the plot may sound likes its done so many times before –the girl with PTSD meets the boy who changes her life. But it's not. The way it was written so eloquently and beautifully, with so much emotion puts this book in a shelf of and in itself. I can't think of one book that could be compared to this one because it was such a special story.
And, I was pleasantly surprised by the steam in this book! It was HOT! Holy crap, does Jessica Park know how to write a sex scene or what!
I wish there were words express how much I adored this book. This was my first Jessica Park book and I am so excited to read more from her! This book was entertaining, emotional and I had tears all the way through but I loved every page. Left Drowning has found a permanent place on my favorite shelf and I look forward to reading it again and again!
“We’ll make it to that finish line, won’t we, Blythe?”
“Always.”
I thought this was a lovely story from start to finish. Admittedly, there are a lot of "feels" throughout and at times it was difficult to read some of the intense emotional moments. I'm not going to sit here and analyze character development and plot, because that's just not my style. I would recommend this book to friends and to me that's the highest compliment I can give to a book. Also, Sabin needs his own book. Seriously.