I'm so excited to be a part of the Nantucket Blue blog tour, hosted by the lovely Shane at Itching For Books! Today I have my review of Nantucket Blue and a giveaway! To see the rest of the tour, click here.
Jen's Review
by Leila Howland
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Summer.
When the sun's rays are shining down on your bare shoulders, when your ice cold
glass of lemonade is freezing your hand off, even though the rest of your body
is on fire. Summer, when your life is carefree. Summer, when sometimes, you
discover who you are and who you're meant to be with. Summer, when you maybe
find your summer romance.
Nantucket Blue was very much all of these
things. It's quite the enjoyable perfect summer read, with it's distinct
setting on an island off the coast, friendship problems, family problems, and
of course, the boy problems. Although I had a few problems with it here and
there, Nantucket Blue definitely prepped
and got me excited for summer.
My
favorite aspect of Nantucket Blue for
sure was the setting. Leila Howland did a fabulous job creating the mood and
picture of the story-- the island with its boat docks, little shops, sandy
beaches, and bikes everywhere instead of cars. The picture was very clear and
was accessibly easy to settle into the story. Perhaps it was the setting that I
wanted to return to every time I wasn't reading this book, but I don't think
Howland could have down a better job with it. It seriously makes me crave
summer so much more!
And you
know those contemporary novels that have a bunch of little mini problems that
pop up here and there in the story, and they just somehow intertwine together
to make an interesting story? Leila Howland was able to perfect that. The
original plot with Cricket and her best friend Jules moving to Nantucket for
the summer slowly turns into a whirlwind of problems amongst themselves, their
parents, drama with boys, and more. All of these elements combined formed an
intriguing plot line that I couldn't stay away from. I always wanted to know
what happened next!
However,
I did have some minor issues with the main character, Cricket, and the romance.
Cricket was an okay character for me, but I never really felt a closeness or
connection with her. Her obsession with her ex-best friend's family was a
little intense and weird. The romance starts off as pure lust. Then, the love
interest shifts into something that was uncomfortable to read about, but later
on I grew more comfortable with it. I just have really mixed feelings about it,
and I think it could have been done differently.
Aside
from some minor problems with the main protagonist and the summer romance, I
really enjoyed Nantucket Blue for its
wonderfully vivid setting and well-thought out plot line. I definitely
recommend it if you're looking for a quick summer read for reading on the
beach!
3.75 teacups for Nantucket Blue!
*Thanks to IFB, Disney Hyperion, and Netgalley for providing me with a copy for review!*
Giveaway!a Rafflecopter giveaway
Happy reading,
Jen xx
Posts
I've been wanting to read this foreveerr(:
ReplyDeleteYES! The mini problems that all add up perfectly by the end of the story. I think that was definitely my favorite part of the book - I loved how the internship and her mothers diary ended up connecting.
ReplyDeleteGreat review!
why would you do that? that first paragraph of yours had me gaping and daydreaming about summer.. but its RAINING OUTSIDE *cries* oh man, I love the beach! haha, ok rant over. I also really enjoyed Nantucket and like you I thought it was initially uncomfortable when the real love interest was produced but i started to really like him over time!
ReplyDeletegreat review and thanks for the giveaway!
- Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
I really loooved this book and I found the romance especially interesting!
ReplyDeleteBut, you are right Cricket's obsession with her BFF's family was a little weird, but I found that she mainly was searching for her own place, especially when her own home was so full of problems..
Nantucket Blue sounds like such a perfect Summer read. Luckily I have a copy sitting on my shelf so I know I will be diving into it over the Summer. I love how you've described the setting of the story too, it sounds sooo lovely! Lovely review Jen, you've convinced me to give this book a try a lot more sooner! :)
ReplyDeleteI have had this one on my radar for a while now and you are making me with I had jumped and requested it off NG. The name Cricket is so weird lol I'm happy to see that despite the few issues you had with it, you enjoyed it overall!
ReplyDeleteGood review. Thanks for participating.
ReplyDeleteI love the sound of the setting here. I can't resist a well-built coastal or beach atmosphere. I agree with Jenni about Cricket's name, though! The only Cricket I've come across before is Cricket Bell and he's obviously not a girl. :P But I'm glad you enjoyed this one overall. I'm definitely ready for the summer. Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteI saw this on NG but haven't heard a lot about it, so I'm glad you enjoyed it. It seems to be quite good, so I might just pick this up. I don't resist these types of settings very easily! ;) Lovely review, Jen! :D
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you *mostly* enjoyed it. I'm kind of surprised at how much I liked the romance. Her 'obsession' with her friends family actually made sense to me. I grew up in a super strict household and when I was able to get out I spent every moment I could with my best friend and her family. I felt more of a connection with them then my own family. I know now it was just a teenage thing and me needing some freedom and her family allowed that to happen, but it was just something that made me understand Cricket a little more.
ReplyDeleteWonderful review Jen!
Fantastic interview Jen! I'm glad you really like this one! I'm sorry you couldn't connect to Cricket as much as you would've liked, but I'm so glad that you thought Nantucket Blue had a really great setting, plot, and that it was perfect for summer time :)
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely need to check this one out soon!
I also had very mixed feelings with the romance. Overall, though, I really enjoyed the plot :) Amazing review!
ReplyDeleteI'm reading this book at the moment and now I'm all curious about your issues with the romance! :)
ReplyDelete"The romance starts off as pure lust. Then, the love interest shifts into something that was uncomfortable to read about, but later on I grew more comfortable with it."
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Well now you have me curious Jen! I've heard such great things about this book, but I haven't read anything about the romance being slightly uncomfortable and that makes me want to pick this book up immediately and see what I think! I'm glad despite that minor drawback, this book was still a winner for you:)
I love those little mini problems as you call them but sometimes they can seem really out of place OR only put there for extra drama, it sounds like Leila really did this seamlessly. I have had my eye on this one since I saw the pretty cover so I'm glad it seems to be a winner-despite the weird ex-friend family obsession (O_O)! Definitely looks like something I would like!
ReplyDeleteI love to read summer books when summer is upon us, and it's here where I live! I have a copy of this, I just need to read it. I'm a little weary after seeing you didn't connect with the protag too well, but I guess I'm warned now. Great review, Jen. :)
ReplyDeleteAhh, so many mixed reviews for this one, I still haven't quite decided whether I want to read it or not. Those little problems you had with Cricket would probably bother me too, and I'm not very fond of too much drama. I didn't request this one, but I've been thinking about getting a copy anyway and I might just do that.
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Jen!