The Summer I Drowned by Taylor Hale Published by Wattpad Books (7.7.2020)
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
Format: eBook, 336 pages
Source: From Publisher
The past always resurfaces...
Five years after almost drowning, Olivia Cathart returns home to Caldwell Beach determined to face her fears and take some risks―not just by swimming, but by opening her heart. Hoping to rekindle her friendships, she’s excited about a carefree summer with her best friends Keely and Miles. But life in the sleepy town has changed, and no one and nothing is as it seems.
When a series of startling crimes threaten Olivia’s fragile state, she is plunged into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Her only solace from the chaos is West, Miles’s disowned and ruggedly handsome brother, but even he can’t answer the question on everyone’s minds―is Olivia really in danger or is it simply all in her head?
My thoughts
I’m going to be honest, I let this review go for WAY too long. At this point I really don’t remember anything at all about the book. But, in my defense, it wasn’t all that memorable and didn’t stick with me to begin with. I had forgotten much of what I read within the first week. I didn’t enjoy it very much while I was reading, either. I didn’t care about any of the characters or anything that was happening, and was pretty bored throughout the whole book. I don’t even remember how it ended.
The Hearts We Sold by Emily Lloyd-Jones Published by Little Brown (8.8.2017)
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult, Fantasy
Format: Hardcover, 381 pages
Source: I own it
When Dee Moreno makes a deal with a demon—her heart in exchange for an escape from a disastrous home life—she finds the trade may have been more than she bargained for. And becoming “heartless” is only the beginning. What lies ahead is a nightmare far bigger, far more monstrous than anything she could have ever imagined.
With reality turned on its head, Dee has only a group of other deal-making teens to keep her grounded, including the charming but secretive James Lancer. And as something grows between them amid an otherworldy ordeal, Dee begins to wonder: Can she give someone her heart when it’s no longer hers to give?
My thoughts
This book took me SO LONG to read! I almost DNFed it – I put it down halfway through, and lost all desire to read it. It sat on my coffee table for about 3 months before I finally picked it back up. I did a lot of skimming until I got to the end – I will say that the end made it worth it, but overall I still feel really meh about the book. And honestly, I should have cried at the end and I felt absolutely nothing because I was so jaded by the book at that point. Everyone RAVED about how amazing it was, and while the premise was really cool, I was just bored for most of the book. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, least of all our main character, Dee. She was horribly bland and had no personality, sorry. I didn’t care for the love interest, either. The only character I remotely liked was Dee’s quirky roommate, whose name I can’t even remember. Oops.
I do like what the author did with the ending, I will admit that! I love when authors don’t spare characters. View Spoiler »
Overall assessment
Plot: 3/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 4.5/5
Characters: 2.5/5
World-building: 3/5
Pace: 2.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 3/5
Overall rating: 3/5
Leave a Reply