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Left Drowning Jessica Park 9781477817155 Books

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Left Drowning Jessica Park 9781477817155 Books

“You have been my sanctuary this year. You saved me. Do you know that? You saved me. And I wish that you would let me save you.”

There are some books that you enjoy, some books that you love and then there’s the books that you live and breathe. This is definitely one of those books, it’s one that totally immerses you while you’re reading it and one where you wish you were a part of this group because they are so awesome and one that’ll stick with you long after you’re done reading it. It’s not every day where you fall in love with not only the main couple but with every single secondary character. I almost feel bad calling them secondary characters because I felt like all 7 of the characters were main characters in their own right. This group would not have been complete if even one of them was missing, they fit together and complemented each other so perfectly. I love that this book opened its arms and welcomed the reader into this crazy, wonderful family.

When we first meet Blythe she’s terribly depressed and basically just going through the motions, and spending most of her time in a drunken stupor while she tries to navigate her senior year in college. It’s been 4 years since the tragic events that took half of her family, all that’s left are her and her brother and to say their relationship is strained is an understatement. She completely realizes that she hasn’t handled her grief or the situation well and tries to make small changes to start to bring her back to her former self. This plan is fast tracked after chance encounters with two of the Shepherd siblings. I absolutely adored Sabin and the relationship that forms between him and Blythe, their first meeting was hilarious and I wish I had a friend like him! Then there’s Chris, the eldest of the Shepherd clan, and it’s pretty easy to fall in love with him too. The connection was instant between him and Blythe and I loved seeing their relationship develop. There were times where it definitely hurt and I was so mad at Chris, there’s one part where crap really hits the fan and it totally felt like a punch to the gut. But I loved the way they helped each other, you really see Blythe come alive again as she becomes a part of this crazy family. And it was great seeing her use that new found strength to help repair the other relationships in her life and also lend support and try to help Chris and his siblings with the demons that plague them.

I loved the message of healing and hope that was so prevalent in this book. There was also the big question of fate or destiny and whether it exists. I’ll tell you what, regardless of what you believe, by the time all the pieces fall together in this book it makes a pretty compelling case for the existence of these things! The story was perfectly paced and there was definitely a slow burn going on, but everything happened or was mentioned for a reason and when it all comes together it’s pretty perfect. As you go you’ll probably be able to piece a lot of it together, but that doesn’t change how great it was to see it all unfold.

Like I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things about this book was the sense of being part of the family. They were all so supportive of one another, it was unconditional and unwavering. Even at their worst point, there wasn’t the typical drama or games that you might find in other books. They were still looking out for one another and only wanted what was best for the other. I also loved how no one put a label on their relationships, they simply fit and there was no need to define it. It was such a refreshing twist in this genre and I really loved it.

I could go on and on about this book, I loved every single second of it, even the ones that hurt. I would highly recommend this book and after giving 5-stars to both Jessica Park books I’ve read (this and Clear – another AWESOME book!) I am really looking forward to going back to read her other offerings!

“You have the here and now,” Chris says. “You have a future. Deal with the past so you can stop looking back. It’s just pain.”


Tags : Left Drowning [Jessica Park] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe? Weighted down by the loss of her parents,Jessica Park,Left Drowning,Skyscape,1477817158,Fiction,Love & Romance,Romance - Contemporary,Romance: Modern,Social Issues - Dating & Sex,FICTION - Coming of Age,FICTION - Romance - Contemporary,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12)

Left Drowning Jessica Park 9781477817155 Books Reviews

There aren't many books that can straddle the line of tragic and romantic. Usually it's skews to far one way or the other. This book is a perfect blend of both.
College seniors Chris and Blythe are managing life. Chris, with the support of his siblings, is managing better than Blythe. She is barely hanging on after the tragicness of her senior year in high school. When she meets Chris, he's the lightness that she's been missing.
Chris is attracted to Blythe, against his better judgement. He's also dealing with a rough youth and has guarded his heart so tightly he's convinced he's undeserving of love.
How these two navigate their feelings is a joy to read. It's a slow burn, for sure, but you won't be disappointed.
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.
“You have been my sanctuary this year. You saved me. Do you know that? You saved me. And I wish that you would let me save you.”

There are some books that you enjoy, some books that you love and then there’s the books that you live and breathe. This is definitely one of those books, it’s one that totally immerses you while you’re reading it and one where you wish you were a part of this group because they are so awesome and one that’ll stick with you long after you’re done reading it. It’s not every day where you fall in love with not only the main couple but with every single secondary character. I almost feel bad calling them secondary characters because I felt like all 7 of the characters were main characters in their own right. This group would not have been complete if even one of them was missing, they fit together and complemented each other so perfectly. I love that this book opened its arms and welcomed the reader into this crazy, wonderful family.

When we first meet Blythe she’s terribly depressed and basically just going through the motions, and spending most of her time in a drunken stupor while she tries to navigate her senior year in college. It’s been 4 years since the tragic events that took half of her family, all that’s left are her and her brother and to say their relationship is strained is an understatement. She completely realizes that she hasn’t handled her grief or the situation well and tries to make small changes to start to bring her back to her former self. This plan is fast tracked after chance encounters with two of the Shepherd siblings. I absolutely adored Sabin and the relationship that forms between him and Blythe, their first meeting was hilarious and I wish I had a friend like him! Then there’s Chris, the eldest of the Shepherd clan, and it’s pretty easy to fall in love with him too. The connection was instant between him and Blythe and I loved seeing their relationship develop. There were times where it definitely hurt and I was so mad at Chris, there’s one part where crap really hits the fan and it totally felt like a punch to the gut. But I loved the way they helped each other, you really see Blythe come alive again as she becomes a part of this crazy family. And it was great seeing her use that new found strength to help repair the other relationships in her life and also lend support and try to help Chris and his siblings with the demons that plague them.

I loved the message of healing and hope that was so prevalent in this book. There was also the big question of fate or destiny and whether it exists. I’ll tell you what, regardless of what you believe, by the time all the pieces fall together in this book it makes a pretty compelling case for the existence of these things! The story was perfectly paced and there was definitely a slow burn going on, but everything happened or was mentioned for a reason and when it all comes together it’s pretty perfect. As you go you’ll probably be able to piece a lot of it together, but that doesn’t change how great it was to see it all unfold.

Like I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things about this book was the sense of being part of the family. They were all so supportive of one another, it was unconditional and unwavering. Even at their worst point, there wasn’t the typical drama or games that you might find in other books. They were still looking out for one another and only wanted what was best for the other. I also loved how no one put a label on their relationships, they simply fit and there was no need to define it. It was such a refreshing twist in this genre and I really loved it.

I could go on and on about this book, I loved every single second of it, even the ones that hurt. I would highly recommend this book and after giving 5-stars to both Jessica Park books I’ve read (this and Clear – another AWESOME book!) I am really looking forward to going back to read her other offerings!

“You have the here and now,” Chris says. “You have a future. Deal with the past so you can stop looking back. It’s just pain.”