An unexpectedly complex gem I’ll come back to repeatedly

Holy WOW, this was incredible. It did take me a little while to get into- I don’t think the book description is really that accurate, and when I realized that the characters were all high schoolers I almost put it down. Still, I’m so, so glad I didn’t. The characters and the stakes they faced were all incredibly real and the drama was tight and death-defying. Yes, the kids do sound way older than I feel like high schoolers ought to, but honestly, if there had been a museum or an aquarium in my hometown to work at when I’d been that age, I probably would’ve sounded like that, too. And playing hide-and-seek with Twelfth Night through the text was actually kind of fun. I’m recommending this to a few of my
friends who still really enjoy reading YA coming of age fic, and also to a few others, just because.

Tavia Gilbert’s performance was jaw-dropping. You can always really tell the difference when you get a narrator who’s done live acting vs one who just reads like the book doesn’t exist beyond paper. I did have to pause when she did the panic attacks, because it got a bit too real, but maybe for someone who doesn’t actually have panic attacks it would be fine. Seriously, also, in case anyone needs an empathy lesson. Spot on.

I’m already planning on coming back to this for a repeat listen, at some point. I really appreciated Julia Drake’s sense of developing the depth of characters; how someone can be impulsive and make decisions they know aren’t great in the moment and be hurting and see poetry in the world and just want to relax and be tired and no want to explain themself and long for something more, how someone can have to words for some things but not let others surface at all, and all at the same time. Beautifully done.

10 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

I hated this

Wanted a book about a shipwreck hunt, but got a book about a whiney privileged teen with a sex addiction who couldn't have a conversation without the reader having to listen to her internal monologue about how hot the person was. I rage quit the book with only a few hours to go. I never did find out if they found the shipwreck.

6 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

incredible read. rich, real story, beautiful prose

I just can't get over how much I enjoyed this book. hit really close to how Ive felt as I've gotten older, slowly learning that everyone is complicated, love is complicated, life is complicated and nobody has figured it out.

5 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Teenage drama queen NOT mystery book

If you’re into teenage drama then read this but if you are looking for an actual mystery thriller book steer away from this book. I cringed the entire book from all the immaturity of the main character and how all the characters speak. I would recommend people to not read this book.

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

It's entertaining in a weird way.

Most reliable moment in the first 8 chapters:
"Aren't you an adult?"
"Not a very good one."

Let's just say when the book isn't trying to 180 your mood or fill you with teen angst, it's actually kinda funny in dumb ways that I love. Like spending 3 minutes laughing over "LIV STONE", and laughing now as I write that.

I love a story that can make me laugh one moment, and worry I'll have an anxiety attack triggered by a character having a panic attack the next. I live a weird life and this feeds into it in an oddly satisfying way.

2 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

A beautiful, intense, adventure of a story

I loved the narration first of all- great characters. Each scene was depicted so vividly; as a native Mainer, I could see much of the landscape in my minds eye, which made Violet’s story much more realistic. There was family tension, quirky friendships, romance, and adventure, all while a poetic cadence carried the story along. Very good!

Loved it

This was a great story! I enjoyed the characters and the narration. I needed something to pass the time and I’m so glad I listened to this one.

Forgettable story

And the narration is so over the top, frantic and dramatic that it was genuinely distracting. The narrator was literally sobbing and freaking out along with the characters, which might work for some but drove me crazy.
The characters in this book, apart from violet and perhaps her brother, are bland cardboard cut outs. I went into this, and so did Violet, as a book on self-discovery, but it morphs into a romance quickly, and one that doesn’t make any sense at that. The relationship isn’t believable and conflicts are patched over without real resolution.

Absolutely love this story

What a wonderful story of love, loss, coming out, the struggles of mental health, the struggles of bing a teenager, and a missing ship reck. It’s was such a great story and a really wonderful book for anyone who like a ship reck and LGBT books!

Oddly satisfying.

I found this book to be a bit strange, but I still enjoyed it.