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A review by andreathereader
Left Drowning by Jessica Park
5.0
I have to admit, I was scared to read this one. As you may recall, Flat-Out Love by Jessica Park is my favorite book. Nothing can come close to giving me the feels that book did. What if I read this one and it sucked? How would I review it? How could I ever face Jessica again? Well, I needn’t have worried. While very different from FOL, Left Drowning is a work of art.
Blythe is still reeling from the fire that left her parents dead. She and her brother aren’t really getting along, so she feels very alone in the world. She only wants to finish college so she can move away and start over someplace new. Then the Shepherds basically ingratiate themselves in her life and she finds herself drawn to the oldest brother, Chris. Of course, the Shepherds may not be the perfect family they seem to be; they have secrets of their own.
The characters… oh the characters. If there was ever a group of people more flawed than this one, I’ve yet to see it.
Blythe carried immense guilt for her parents’ death, and the injuries her brother still suffered from. She was afraid to let anyone near her and was just fine spending all of her non-class time holed up in her dorm room. She was the definition of antisocial.
The Shepherds all suffered from their own demons, though we didn’t find out the (awful) details until later. Chris, the level-headed older brother, was the one who finally got through Blythe’s tough exterior and helped her on the road to healing. Once she was on her way, she was able to see the Shepherd family for what they really were – broken. Sabin (who stole every scene he was in), Estelle and Eric all dealt with their issues in various (unhealthy) ways.
Okay, now I need to talk about the sex. I’m all for sexy times in a story. I love the build-up, especially the slow burn kind (and this was all about the slow burn. The scene in the hallway gave me tingles, because I knew what was about to happen), I love the teasing and tension and the seduction. But there is such a thing as too much. Once Blythe and Chris finally did the deed, they did it a lot. And we read all about it. They went at it in several different places and positions, and we got the naughty details of every single bit of it.
I’m of the opinion that once you’ve done one or two thorough sex scenes, it’s okay to say something like “We did it again, except this time…” Instead of describing the entire act over and over again. I didn’t dislike the amount or kind of sex the characters were having, but the amount I had to read about. Maybe if the scenes had been more spread out over a period of time, it wouldn’t have bothered me quite as much. By the way, the sex scenes were fantastic. Steamy, gritty and real.
I loved the relationship between Chris and Blythe, how there was no instalove. It was slow and steady and they really got to know each other and care for each other, it wasn’t just about the sex. I loved the closeness between the Shepherds; the way they looked out for and took care of each other was awesome. The interaction between the characters was really one of the best parts of the book for me. Sabin and Blythe, Blythe and Estelle, Eric and Zach, Sabin and Chris, Blythe and Zach; they all melded together to form a large family unit. Their dialogue and behaviors were honest, believable and at times heartbreaking. I cried more than once.
There were a lot of “issues” in the novel and it was not a light story in the least. It was sad and dark and not easy to read at times. There was talk of religion (or lack thereof), drug and alcohol abuse, physical abuse, lies, guilt, fault, family relationships, friendships, self-destruction and more. Believe me when I say this book was full of issues. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, there was also forgiveness, love and hope.
The sum up: Jessica Park creates real characters that you can relate to. They are flawed and wonderful and I want to hug them all. This book is deep, dark and amazing. Do yourself a favor and read it.
Blythe is still reeling from the fire that left her parents dead. She and her brother aren’t really getting along, so she feels very alone in the world. She only wants to finish college so she can move away and start over someplace new. Then the Shepherds basically ingratiate themselves in her life and she finds herself drawn to the oldest brother, Chris. Of course, the Shepherds may not be the perfect family they seem to be; they have secrets of their own.
The characters… oh the characters. If there was ever a group of people more flawed than this one, I’ve yet to see it.
Blythe carried immense guilt for her parents’ death, and the injuries her brother still suffered from. She was afraid to let anyone near her and was just fine spending all of her non-class time holed up in her dorm room. She was the definition of antisocial.
The Shepherds all suffered from their own demons, though we didn’t find out the (awful) details until later. Chris, the level-headed older brother, was the one who finally got through Blythe’s tough exterior and helped her on the road to healing. Once she was on her way, she was able to see the Shepherd family for what they really were – broken. Sabin (who stole every scene he was in), Estelle and Eric all dealt with their issues in various (unhealthy) ways.
Okay, now I need to talk about the sex. I’m all for sexy times in a story. I love the build-up, especially the slow burn kind (and this was all about the slow burn. The scene in the hallway gave me tingles, because I knew what was about to happen), I love the teasing and tension and the seduction. But there is such a thing as too much. Once Blythe and Chris finally did the deed, they did it a lot. And we read all about it. They went at it in several different places and positions, and we got the naughty details of every single bit of it.
I’m of the opinion that once you’ve done one or two thorough sex scenes, it’s okay to say something like “We did it again, except this time…” Instead of describing the entire act over and over again. I didn’t dislike the amount or kind of sex the characters were having, but the amount I had to read about. Maybe if the scenes had been more spread out over a period of time, it wouldn’t have bothered me quite as much. By the way, the sex scenes were fantastic. Steamy, gritty and real.
I loved the relationship between Chris and Blythe, how there was no instalove. It was slow and steady and they really got to know each other and care for each other, it wasn’t just about the sex. I loved the closeness between the Shepherds; the way they looked out for and took care of each other was awesome. The interaction between the characters was really one of the best parts of the book for me. Sabin and Blythe, Blythe and Estelle, Eric and Zach, Sabin and Chris, Blythe and Zach; they all melded together to form a large family unit. Their dialogue and behaviors were honest, believable and at times heartbreaking. I cried more than once.
There were a lot of “issues” in the novel and it was not a light story in the least. It was sad and dark and not easy to read at times. There was talk of religion (or lack thereof), drug and alcohol abuse, physical abuse, lies, guilt, fault, family relationships, friendships, self-destruction and more. Believe me when I say this book was full of issues. But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, there was also forgiveness, love and hope.
The sum up: Jessica Park creates real characters that you can relate to. They are flawed and wonderful and I want to hug them all. This book is deep, dark and amazing. Do yourself a favor and read it.