Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway: Into the Deep by Samantha Young

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Title: Into the Deep (Into the Deep #1)
Author: Samantha Young
Pages: 314 pages
Format acquired: Paperback
Publication date: August 8th 2013
Source: Received from the author (Thanks so much, Samantha! <3)
Buy the book: Amazon / Barnes and Noble



Live young. Live hard. Love deep.

Charley Redford was just an ordinary girl until Jake Caplin moved to her small town in Indiana and convinced her she was extraordinary. Almost from day one Jake pulled Charley into the deep and promised he was right there with her. But when a tragic incident darkened Jake’s life he waded out into the shallows and left Charley behind.

Almost four years later Charley thinks she’s moved on. That is until she takes a study year abroad in Edinburgh and bumps into none other than Jake Caplin at a party with his new girlfriend. The bad-boy-turned-good attempts to convince Charley to forgive him, and as her best friend starts spending time with Jake’s, Charley calls a truce, only to find herself tumbling back into a friendship with him.

As they grow closer, the spark between them flares and begins playing havoc with their lives and relationships. When jealousy and longing rear their destructive heads, Charley and Jake struggle to come to grips with what they mean to one another.

And even if they work it out, there is no guarantee Charley will ever trust Jake to lead her back into the deep…

(Image and summary taken from Goodreads)

Review:

I am a huge Samantha Young fan and her books always make my favorites list, and Into the Deep is no exception. I love this book something fierce! Into the Deep brims with Samantha Young's signature wit, snark, angst and steam. There was never a dull moment reading this book and I found myself furiously flipping the pages just to see what would happen next. Charley has to seriously be one of the most exciting and interesting protagonists I have ever read about and that is one of the things that makes Into the Deep so unique from other New Adult novels out there. Also, the alternating scenes between the present day and flashbacks helps the reader understand what happened in the past without feeling like the author is keeping something from you.

Charley, the only girl without superpowers that I can actually call a badass, is probably the most complex and controlled heroine I have ever read about. She's one of those rare women who can pull off the cool and stoic vibe without it feeling forced, but you can also see her vulnerability on the inside especially with all the stuff she went through. When you read the flashback scenes (you'll read about her former relationship with Jake) you'll see this witty and fresh teenaged girl. Her banter with Jake will only make you laugh out loud because not only are they sweet together, they also complement each other's personalities. But when you read the present day scenes, you'll see a distinct change to her. She's still the same snarky, sexy girl but you can also see a hardness to her, it's like she couldn't properly let loose. Once you read about what happened between her and Jake, you'd understand why she turned out that way. It was painful reading what happened to her, and she really didn't deserve any of that. And it was even more painful reading the scenes when she sees Jake with his new girlfriend, Melissa (I say this with so much contempt.) I just wanted to choke Jake and Melissa. But through it all, Charley stayed so strong and so firm, she didn't allow herself to be brought down by emotions. I confess, I totally have a girl crush on her. #TeamCharley

I'm pretty sure that everyone is totally in love with Jake (yeah, he's super swoony) and I love him too, but there were times when I want to cut the guy. I don't know if he was oblivious to the way Charley was feeling or if Charley was that good of an actress but have a care man, that's your ex over there and you're flaunting your new girl? Ouch. Throughout most of the book, you can actually see that Jake was trying to redeem himself and I appreciated the effort. It did show that he still cared what she thought about him, but I did get girl vibes from him sometimes. While Charley was cool and collected, you could see that breaks in Jake's wall of feelings. He was the one who showed more vulnerability and he did try to reach out to her. I was glad that they were able to resolve their issues and continue on as friends, even though there was still some hesitancy in both parts, there were still very cute and happy moments between them. I get why Jake pushed Charley away and did what he did, the fact that they had to go through that at such a young age, anyone would panic. I just wished that he thought about it before acting out because he really broke Charley and that was sad to see. Jake needed to forgive himself before he could face Charley and I guess it was good that he had time to reflect and find help before things got too messy. But through it all, you could see that he genuinely loved Charley, he just didn't know how to tell her because of all the issues and obstacles between them.

One of the things that really made Into the Deep so special are the minor characters, they were all pretty significant and made a big impact on the story as well. Beck and Claudia (Jake and Charley's best friends, respectively) were probably the most confusing couple in the book. They wanted each other, but didn't want each other. It was a constant push and pull between them and I can't wait to find out if anything really does happen between them. Matt, Denver and Rowena weren't as exposed as the others but they were great friends. I love how Matt always seems to get hit upside the head (I hope he doesn't get brain damage) and Rowena is such an insightful person. You could see that she's very keen and wise as well. Melissa... even though she didn't really do much, she still got on my nerves a lot. *eye twitch* And oh. My. Lord. I totally saved him for last. Who is "him" you ask? It's Lowe. Lowe is him. Oh, Loooowe. I am seriously so in love with him. (Excuse me while I fangirl right now.) He is such a great guy and I love that he gives his support to Charley and that he wouldn't hesitate to defend her honor. *swoons* I kinda don't want him to get his own story (no news there yet) because if he does, it'll mean that he'll end up with someone that isn't me... Hear my plea, Samantha! *raises hands in the air* You'll understand what I mean when you read the book. But remember, he's miiiine. *crazy eyes*

Into the Deep is such a great book. Not everyone may have gone through what Jake and Charley have but when you read about their experiences, you'll actually feel a connection with them. Whether it be their sweet moments or when they fight, you'll feel a sense of rightness and content. Samantha Young has created such real and raw characters that have their own issues deep inside, but she makes them so relatable that you can't help but feel what they're feeling. There were times when my heart literally hurt just reading about what happened to Charley. Into the Deep isn't just about two people who were in love with each other and are trying to find their way back into the other's arms, no. It's about so many other things, family issues, friendship and even bullying! This book is so multi-faceted that it will appeal to so many people and will definitely reach out into their hearts.

I'm going to tell you now, if you're looking for a book that will really tug at your heartstrings and will make you want to reread it so many times that your eyesight will start to blur (yes, this has happened to me) then this is the book for you. Samantha Young has gifted us with a book that shines with so many different but beautiful aspects that will make you fall so in love with it that you can't help but want more. Everything was executed perfectly but even then, I still need to know what will happen next. I don't doubt that Out of the Shallows will exceed my expectations, and I seriously can not wait to read it! (See you soon, Lowe. *winks*)

Rating:

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About the author:

Samantha Young is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author from Stirlingshire, Scotland. She's been nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Author and Best Romance for her international bestseller ON DUBLIN STREET. ON DUBLIN STREET is Samantha’s first adult contemporary romance and has sold in twenty-three countries.

For more info on Into the Deep visit the official blog http://intothedeepseries.blogspot.co.uk.

For info on her other books visit www.samanthayoungbooks.com.

You can find her here:

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