Buy: Kindle Ebook  |  Paperback

---

---

Review

INTENSE, EMOTIONAL, HEARTBREAKING AND BEAUTIFUL! I LOVED IT!

There are so many books out there with the ‘broken souls coming together’ premise, but there are only a few of those books that made me feel as much as this one did! Just… wow!

When we first meet Blythe she is a complete mess. Drinking heavily and a virtual recluse, she cannot cope with the loss of her parents four years ago, and the trauma that she endured as a part of that. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure I was going to like her at the very beginning of this book, but that all changed very quickly when the Shepherds came along. Flamboyant Sabin is the first to make contact, instantly claiming a place in Blythe’s life, followed shortly by his big brother, Chris.

Blythe and Chris’s first encounter is INTENSE! Weirdly intense for a first meeting? Perhaps. But there is no denying that there is something very special happening between these two, and I was soon swept up in the moment.

“Your parents died. Your whole world fell apart.”
I nod.
He puts his hand on my cheek. “You were left drowning.”
I nod again.
“And you’re struggling to breathe.”
I am. It’s a constant struggle to stay near the surface. I have just enough air to stop me from totally going under, but not enough to thrive.
“So do it. Breathe. Just breathe.”

Chris is like a touchstone for Blythe. He calms her, allows her to be herself, helps her to deal with her past and move on. The friendship and connection between them is evident, and as Blythe spends time with Chris and his family, she starts to climb back from despair and come alive again, and the new Blythe is all kinds of awesome! Strong, honest, and with a huge heart, I absolutely love her.

“Being with you let me feel, feel everything, and I needed that. I remembered better with you, I healed better with you, and you made … you made everything real.” 

The romance is slow to develop, but it starts off with a ‘bang’ *wink*.  

Holy freaking hotness! The scenes between Blythe and Chris (and his dirty mouth) had me fanning myself. I certainly wasn’t expecting anything that explicit or intense. But more than just the actual smut, there is so much feeling behind it, and I was left shaking my head in awe at everything that they experienced together, and how Park was able to put that on paper.

But this is just the beginning of the emotional ride that is this book, as things spiral out of control in a way that I was NOT expecting. I had so many ‘WTF is happening???’ moments, and was left angry, frustrated, and absolutely gutted, wanting to hurl my kindle at the wall. Seriously, the emotion throughout this part of the book was incredible! I felt everything, and was left a blubbering mess! But in the middle of it all is one moment of absolute pure perfection. Blythe shows just how far she has come in reclaiming herself, and her life, and lets it all out in one EPIC scene!  

*sob* My heart broke, but I was so effing proud of her!

There is SO much more to the story after all of the drama unfolds, with lots of twists and turns, big revelations and huge character development. I’m not going to say much because I don’t want to spoil anything, but I was riveted through every single moment. I laughed, cried, swooned, and was left shocked by the full extent of it all.

While the emotion is a big part of the book, the thing that Jessica Park does so well is relationships. OMG, this woman can write relationships! Not just romantic relationships, but the everyday interactions between characters. I adored it in Flat-Out Love, and she did it again with this one. The dialogue and dynamics between her characters is absolute GOLD!

And she has given us the Shepherds *sigh*. If there were ever a fictional family that I want to have in my life – these guys are it! Chris, Sabin, Estelle and Eric are a very close knit, caring, supportive and hilarious bunch, and absolutely lit up the pages of this book! Their acceptance of Blythe (and Zach and James) into their fold is beautiful, and I adored every moment with them! In fact, the book ended and I just wanted more!

The bonds between the characters are absolutely phenomenal! Blythe’s relationship with Chris is definitely the focus, but all of the characters play a huge part in the story. Her relationship with her brother, James, plays a big part, and I love how her friendship with each of the other characters is individually explored in some way. Her bond with Sabin, in particular, is gorgeous! I love that she and Sabin had a special relationship. As best friends, they were 100% there for each other and Chris respected that, never trying to intrude, and never being jealous of the connection between them.

“I am hit with the enormity of the impact that this family is having in my life. They, and mostly Chris, are saving me. Or teaching me to save myself.” 

The one, minor criticism I have in this book is that there is possibly an overload of drama. There is SO much going on, and with all of the horrible backstories, and manifestations of the trauma in the present day, I wondered what else could possibly go wrong, and just wanted to scream out ‘enough already’, wave a magic wand, and make it all go away. But it’s all a part of the story that brings everybody together, and the issues are dealt with, and realistically resolved by the end of the book. There are a few twists in the story, and even though I picked the big ones, it didn’t ruin the ending for me in any way as I was so invested in the story, I couldn’t wait to see how it was all going to play out.

I love this book. It is absolutely beautifully written. And although it broke my heart, and I was an emotional mess through a lot of it, there are enough brilliantly funny moments (including a phenomenal drunken outburst!), and sensational dialogue to keep it light. The ending was beautiful, and left me with a massive grin on my face. Bravo, Jessica Park!

5 stars.

 

The Left Drowning series