Left Drowning, By Jessica Park

Book 44 of 2015

Left Drowning, a New Adult novel written by Jessica Park, wasn’t what I hoped it would be. The story begins with college student Blythe McGuire barely functioning at school, years after her parents death. Blythe soon meets Chris Shepard, and while she has no interest in finding a relationship, the chemistry between the two is undeniable. Blythe sees Chris as someone who can help her seem human again; someone who makes her want to succeed and move on with her life. What she quickly realizes is that her new love interest may have a past that is more difficult to cope with than her own.

I don’t like writing negative reviews, so I will mention some positives about the story too. The elements I liked about this story are as follows: there is depth to the story and the emotions that the characters are feeling; this is evident in Parks’ writing. There are humorous characters woven into the plot, and there’s a ton of character growth throughout the book. That being said, while I read the novel rather quickly, I did have a ton of issues with it. I found the story took place over too long a period of time, and there were just too many “as if” moments—- meaning the events that took place were just too unbelievable, even for me.

I wouldn’t recommend this story for NA book lovers; it’s overly sexual and trying too hard to be deep and emotional at the same time. I find this a common theme in some NA fiction and erotica stories…. it makes sense that there needs to be a mysterious plot that unfolds, but at the same time, I think fiction of this nature should be somewhat believable too. Call me crazy.