Review: Left Drowning by Jessica Park

Posted July 3, 2013 by Karen in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Left Drowning coverTitle: Left Drowning
Author: Jessica Park
Genre: Contemporary Romance/New Adult
Release Date: July 16, 2013
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Book description:

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn’t expect—an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she’s been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family’s traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

*This book is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Note: due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

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AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER:
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Review:

I need to take a breath before I write this review. (cue 10 second long breath)

WOW WOW WOW is really all I can say about this story! This is the third book I’ve read by Princess Jessica Park and I can truly say that her writing keeps getting better and better. (As if that’s even possible!) This story, and the characters, will stay with me forever. I really mean that. It’s everything you want and love in a novel. It’s beautiful, heartbreaking, funny, sarcastic and thought-provoking. Just incredible!

In most stories you have the hero/heroine with a love interest and some background characters that serve as comic relief, but with Left Drowning, every one of those characters (to me) was a main character and vital to the story telling. I was rooting for each one of them and actually anticipated reading about them in the next scene. This wasn’t just a romance, it was a book about realizing the grass is greener on the other side and life does get better.

Blythe suffered a huge and miserable event in her life that she will never get over. She replays those tragic moments in her head and even though it’s been a while, those memories are still fresh. She’s at a point in her life where she needs…something. A wakeup call, a big break, a change…something.  She’s barely hanging on a thread and still trying to cope with the death of her parents. While in her last year of college, she tries to make the best of it while still struggling to socialize. Then, by a random chance, she meets the Shepherd clan and the siblings change her life in more ways than one. Chris, the oldest, helps her survive and endure the pain, but what she doesn’t know is that she is saving him too. He has his own history which has scarred him for life that Blythe can empathize with. Their pasts link them together and help mend their broken hearts so they can both find joy again.

Left Drowning is worth reading over and over. This story DID make me cry, so take this as a warning…or maybe I’m just an emotional reader. 😉 However, if you have a heart, you’ll really adore these people and their personalities. You won’t be able to resist falling in love with this epic story! Absolutely brilliant! Bravo Princess! 🙂

Jessica ParkAbout Jessica Park:

Jessica Park is the author of the young adult novels Flat-Out Love and Relatively Famous; five Gourmet Girl mysteries (written as Jessica Conant-Park); and the e-shorts Facebooking Rick Springfield and What the Kid Says (Parts 1 & 2).

Jessica grew up in the Boston area and attended Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. After spending four years in the frigid north, including suffering through one memorable Halloween blizzard, Jessica hightailed it back to the east coast. She now lives in (relatively balmy) New Hampshire with her husband, son, bananas dog named Fritzy, and two selfish cats. When not writing, Jessica indulges her healthy addictions to Facebook, Rick Springfield, and super-sweet coffee beverages.

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