Review of Left Drowning by Jessica Park

Synopsis:

What does it take to rise from life’s depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

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.

Leia’s Review:

I read. 

A lot. 

Like, a lot, a lot. 

Reading is a beautiful escape for me. I can leave reality for a little while and join the fictional world of all of my lovely characters. It’s a wonderful thing. Really. 

And then Jessica Park comes in with her deliciously different stories and full of life characters and takes away my fictional escape. 

These stories, these characters, these places….they ARE reality. Her books are effortlessly transport me to another place. I can smell the ocean. I can feel the cold biting winds during the winter storms. I hear the laughter from Sabin. I’m holding a sea urchin. 

This is a story of surviving struggle. Breathing through pain. Mending broken bridges. Falling in love. Finding your place in a world you don’t feel like you belong in. 

The amazing thing is, it’s not just a story about Blythe and Christopher. It’s about Eric, Estelle, James, Zach, and Sabin too. You don’t just fall in love once – you fall in love over and over again with each and every one of these people!

Now, it must be said that the infamous 70% mark is…..brutal. 

It. Will. Gut. You. 

I had to pause from the book to rummage through my fridge for a few bottles of wine and hunt down some tissues to wipe the disgusting snotty mess from my face in order to keep reading. But it was worth it. Oh it was so worth it. (But just so you know – read this part in private….no one needs to see the mess that you will become when Jessica Park rips your heart to shreds.)

Don’t worry, my lovelies….this does have a happy ending. Your heartbreak is temporary. 

I don’t even know what more to say about this book. The flow of this books was so wonderful. The story was gripping. The characters were flawed to perfection. It was epic. It was a piece of art. 

Jessica Park, here’s to you! I bow to you! You have my undying devotion as a fan. I’ve known this since the second I finished reading Flat-Out Love, and it was only reconfirmed and solidified through the indescribable journey that was Left Drowning. Cheers, lady!

*5 Brilliant Stars*