A review by missawn
Stranger on the Shore by Josh Lanyon

3.0

This came so perilously close to being perfect, but somehow came up short in the end. I think a big part of that for me was the lack of chemistry between the two MCs. The story happens too quickly, and there isn't enough time to develop the depth and growth needed by this otherwise well written story. There are times that literally we went from "I hate you, goodbye" to "I love you" in the span of 15 minutes! Too sudden for me ... I didn't feel it. Both MCs started off as distant but instead of that slow burn progression I was longing for from mutual dislike to love ... we got painful whiplash and confusing inconsistencies that jarred the reader into doubting what was real. The lack of chemistry and wasted potential was sadly this book's biggest downfall. Had the love story (and the mystery for that matter) been spread out over a long period and developed gradually, I may have felt the connection more (one week isn't really enough for the kind of bonding that was implied).

Still there are things that I loved about this book ... the writing as always from Josh Lanyon was impeccable ... and the sprinkling of Great Gatsby themes and images was a very lovely touch. A common trait for most of the books that I have read by this author, I found that there was an over emphasis on the mystery SL which overshadowed and watered down the love story a little bit too much. I just wish there was more between Pierce and Griff to hold the rest of the book together ... that would have made this book perfect for me.