A Reading Daydreamer: leila howland

13 May 2013

Blog Tour: Nantucket Blue Review + Giveaway!

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

Nantucket Blue
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!