Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Review: Nantucket Blue by Leila Howland

Title: Nantucket Blue
Author: Leila Howland
Pages: 304 pages
Format acquired: Hardcover
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Published on: May 7th 2013
Source: Received from publisher for an honest review (Thanks, Hyerion!)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



For Cricket Thompson, a summer like this one will change everything. A summer spent on Nantucket with her best friend, Jules Clayton, and the indomitable Clayton family. A summer when she’ll make the almost unattainable Jay Logan hers. A summer to surpass all dreams.

Some of this turns out to be true. Some of it doesn’t. 

When Jules and her family suffer a devastating tragedy that forces the girls apart, Jules becomes a stranger whom Cricket wonders whether she ever really knew. And instead of lying on the beach working on her caramel-colored tan, Cricket is making beds and cleaning bathrooms to support herself in paradise for the summer.

But it’s the things Cricket hadn’t counted on--most of all, falling hard for someone who should be completely off-limits--that turn her dreams into an exhilarating, bittersweet reality.

A beautiful future is within her grasp, and Cricket must find the grace to embrace it. If she does, her life could be the perfect shade of Nantucket blue.

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

Review:

Pretty covers like these deserve to be read. I don't know how many times I've said that I gravitate towards books that have awesome cover pages. Probably in every post I've done. Haha! But in this department, Nantucket Blue definitely deserves a mention.

To be honest, I haven't heard or seen any hype for Nantucket Blue which is such a shame because I really found it quite a read.

The book starts off with Cricket, who is our average lacrosse playing and well-built girl (and by well built, I mean thin.) While I'd like to read more books that DON'T have skinny people as main characters, I've already accepted the fact that this wasn't one of them. So while Cricket is just your average girl, it seems that her friend Jules is not. Jules is pretty and glamorous and implied rich (implied because she has a house in Nantucket and she used to live in New York) completely opposite of Cricket. Their only common interest is lacrosse and well, lacrosse. Cricket simply ADORES everything about Jules. The fact that Jules' parents aren't divorced (unlike her sad own) and Jules' mom is super cool (unlike her sad own) and that Jules has a cool younger brother (unlike her adopted Ukranian brother, Alexi). To me, it seemed normal. I mean, it's not weird to want things that you don't have right? But then her mom started making comments making it looked like she glorified Jules' family and come to think of it, it did seem like a little obsessive. But then a tragic accident happens to Jules' family and everything just crumbles. What was supposed to be THE summer for both Jules and Cricket turns out to be one of the saddest experiences in her (Cricket) life. So while Jules goes out to party and live her Nantucket lifestyle, Cricket is working as a chambermaid and is falling in love with a completely off-limits boy. And it's not the fact that he's two years younger either. It just seems like it's not the right time for their romance. I really liked how Cricket knew what she wanted and she went to great lengths to get it. She's this really headstrong and maybe even stubborn character. What I didn't find so charming was how she was avoiding her mom during the first parts of the book. She said her mom was too sad and boring to be around so she just fled and left her alone. I mean, hello? A parent going through divorce obviously would be sad. You comfort and be there for them, not just flee. But in the end, she finally gives her mom some attention so this annoyance of mine went away. I also like how Ms. Howland was very descriptive of the scenes. Some authors don't even bother with the ambiance of the story which just kills the mood for me. I want to be able to see what the characters are seeing and feel what they're feeling. And in this department, I feel that she did a very good job. Keep up the good work, Ms. Howland and more power to you!

Overall, Nantucket Blue is the ideal summer read. Lots of sun, sand, humour and of course, drama.

Till the next review!

Rating:

2 comments:

  1. This does sound like a nice summer read. I'll have to put this on my TBR list. And the cover is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I definitely felt the same way. A wonderful summer read with all the drama that you don't need in your life, so you can just read about it. I also gravitate towards really pretty covers of books, it's my weakness when choosing books to read. I need to go to rehab for it or something because I'm really bad. Great review!

    ReplyDelete