I really loved this book. Yes some, no many of the characters were over the top but not to the point of distraction.This is a coming of age story about a girl named Finley. She spends the summer discovering who she is not who others want her to be. But it's more than that. Finley has lived her life according to her mother's plan for her and her mother making decisions about her life she thought was best for her. No her mother is not evil or overly strict she just made a lot of decision out of fear and not knowing the truth about certain situations.Finley's world becomes shattered when she finds out things in her life are not quite what they have been made out to be. Finley has a maturity level you don't usually see in teenage characters but she also has the uncertainty of the typical teen. She's shy around boys, has no fashion since and doesn't feel she is very pretty.Yes she does develope a love interest and I'm glad the author didn't lose focus on the fact that there are still some teenagers out there who are not ready for having sex. Bottom line is Finley grew up over the summer and started to live her life on her own terms.There is a book two "The Year I Almost Drown" that I am about to begin reading to see what happens to Finley and the rest of the characters. Loved the characters and the storyline. There were a few times I questioned the situations, but not to a bothersome extent. Romance was good, but secondary and very gradual. It was more about the heroin discovering who she really was and wanted to become. The author did have an “explain everything” writing style (ie. She walked to the car. She opened the door. She sat down and looked out the windshield.) It wasn’t too bad though. There were several times that I didn’t want to put it down and a few times when it was a problem to. Overall, it was a little better than good read.
coming of age novel with likeable characters, predictable story.
—dluper9
I felt like it was missing depth, but was still a good story
—_tami11_
Flawless! Without a doubt one if my favorite books! :)
—kitsone
3.5
—pavka
3.5
—deeps
