kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars.
Local Girl Swept Away by Ellen Wittlinger is a captivating young adult novel about a group of teenagers trying to cope with the loss of a beloved friend.
Best friends since the fourth grade, Jackie Silva, Lucas Baskin-Snow and Finn Rudolph are devastated when Lorna Trovato is swept out to sea during a storm. In the aftermath of her disappearance, Jackie and Finn console one another while Lucas avoids them then leaves town for the summer. Although deeply saddened by Lorna’s death, Jackie handles her grief much better than Finn and she renews her friendship with another childhood friend, Char. As Lorna’s boyfriend, Finn deeply mourns her loss until Jackie forces him to stop wallowing in grief. Completely perplexed by Lucas’s reaction to Lorna’s death, Jackie continues trying to get in touch with him but she eventually gives up when her texts and e-mails go unanswered. Just as the three friends are moving on with their lives, Jackie makes a shocking discovery which forces her re-evaluate everything she thinks she knows about Lorna.
Jackie spends the most of her free time with Finn until an awkward kiss drives a wedge between them. She then throws herself into her job at a local art gallery run by Finn’s mother, Elsie. Closely working with thirty year old Cooper Thorne, she falls under his spell as he encourages her to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. She also welcomes his wildly inappropriate romantic interest despite the huge age difference between them.
Jackie is relieved when her relationship with Finn resumes but they do not see eye to eye when Lucas returns home and reveals some very troubling information about Lorna. After his shocking revelation, she begins to view Lorna a little more realistically but she still idolizes her vibrant, spirited friend. Jackie remains troubled about the circumstances surrounding Lorna’s disappearance and she continues trying to make sense of what happened that fateful night. A stunning discovery confuses her but her loyalty to her friend puts her in the uncomfortable position of keeping secrets from the people she cares about. Jackie becomes even more conflicted when new information comes to light but will her conscience allow her to maintain her silence?
Local Girl Swept Away is an engaging young adult novel with a fast-paced and moving storyline. The characters are interesting with realistic strengths and weaknesses and their reactions to the various situations ring true. Ellen Wittlinger’s vibrant descriptions of Provincetown make it very easy to visualize the picturesque seaside town. While some aspects of the plot are a little predictable, readers will be pleasantly surprised by the novel’s very unexpected conclusion.
Local Girl Swept Away by Ellen Wittlinger is a captivating young adult novel about a group of teenagers trying to cope with the loss of a beloved friend.
Best friends since the fourth grade, Jackie Silva, Lucas Baskin-Snow and Finn Rudolph are devastated when Lorna Trovato is swept out to sea during a storm. In the aftermath of her disappearance, Jackie and Finn console one another while Lucas avoids them then leaves town for the summer. Although deeply saddened by Lorna’s death, Jackie handles her grief much better than Finn and she renews her friendship with another childhood friend, Char. As Lorna’s boyfriend, Finn deeply mourns her loss until Jackie forces him to stop wallowing in grief. Completely perplexed by Lucas’s reaction to Lorna’s death, Jackie continues trying to get in touch with him but she eventually gives up when her texts and e-mails go unanswered. Just as the three friends are moving on with their lives, Jackie makes a shocking discovery which forces her re-evaluate everything she thinks she knows about Lorna.
Jackie spends the most of her free time with Finn until an awkward kiss drives a wedge between them. She then throws herself into her job at a local art gallery run by Finn’s mother, Elsie. Closely working with thirty year old Cooper Thorne, she falls under his spell as he encourages her to pursue her dream of becoming an artist. She also welcomes his wildly inappropriate romantic interest despite the huge age difference between them.
Jackie is relieved when her relationship with Finn resumes but they do not see eye to eye when Lucas returns home and reveals some very troubling information about Lorna. After his shocking revelation, she begins to view Lorna a little more realistically but she still idolizes her vibrant, spirited friend. Jackie remains troubled about the circumstances surrounding Lorna’s disappearance and she continues trying to make sense of what happened that fateful night. A stunning discovery confuses her but her loyalty to her friend puts her in the uncomfortable position of keeping secrets from the people she cares about. Jackie becomes even more conflicted when new information comes to light but will her conscience allow her to maintain her silence?
Local Girl Swept Away is an engaging young adult novel with a fast-paced and moving storyline. The characters are interesting with realistic strengths and weaknesses and their reactions to the various situations ring true. Ellen Wittlinger’s vibrant descriptions of Provincetown make it very easy to visualize the picturesque seaside town. While some aspects of the plot are a little predictable, readers will be pleasantly surprised by the novel’s very unexpected conclusion.
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
Jackie, Lucas and Finn are on the breakwater when their friend, Lorna, is swept away. Her body is never found and the repercussions for the three teenagers are evident.
Life goes on, but those left behind slowly learn more about themselves and their shared relationship. There are a lot of complications, and some unexpected moments.
Jackie, Finn and Lucas all seem very naive. As the novel progresses they develop in confidence, and slowly come to terms with how their lives have changed.
The character of Lorna was incredibly selfish, and I couldn't quite understand how she had such a hold over people. It was kind of obvious what was going on, but the author explores friendship and self-identity without straying too far into unbelievable writing.
Thanks to edelweiss and the publishers for the advance copy.
Life goes on, but those left behind slowly learn more about themselves and their shared relationship. There are a lot of complications, and some unexpected moments.
Jackie, Finn and Lucas all seem very naive. As the novel progresses they develop in confidence, and slowly come to terms with how their lives have changed.
The character of Lorna was incredibly selfish, and I couldn't quite understand how she had such a hold over people. It was kind of obvious what was going on, but the author explores friendship and self-identity without straying too far into unbelievable writing.
Thanks to edelweiss and the publishers for the advance copy.
hazelstaybookish's review against another edition
1.0
This was so disappointing. Maybe it's because I've lost a friend to the ocean and expected some emotional impact from this but Local Girl Swept Away just didn't deliver. Instead, it was completely predictable with characters who were just naive as hell.
nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
Solid suspenseful thriller/drama about how a girl's disappearance affects her best friends and her boyfriend. It's dark, with a very well-depicted coastal town setting and lots of relationship drama that I don't want to spoil here. Good twists and surprises. Also lots of emotions. Some swearing but no f-bombs.
rae1019's review against another edition
4.0
4/5🌊
This book was so much better than expected! When I read the back, I was concerned because it seemed to just be a romance novel, but I was pleasantly surprised! While there was romance, it wasn't one of those "she loves him, he loves another, then he realizes the love of his life was in front of him the entire time" books, but there was not only romance, but also betrayal and some twists. Wittlinger foreshadows most of his plot twists so you can guess, but the reader can never be sure. There were multiple times my jaw dropped and I had to put the book down and talk to my sister about it. I love how the ending is not the happy ending you expect, but it's still a happy ending.
This book was so much better than expected! When I read the back, I was concerned because it seemed to just be a romance novel, but I was pleasantly surprised! While there was romance, it wasn't one of those "she loves him, he loves another, then he realizes the love of his life was in front of him the entire time" books, but there was not only romance, but also betrayal and some twists. Wittlinger foreshadows most of his plot twists so you can guess, but the reader can never be sure. There were multiple times my jaw dropped and I had to put the book down and talk to my sister about it. I love how the ending is not the happy ending you expect, but it's still a happy ending.
spex's review against another edition
3.0
I love EW, but this one seemed a little predictable and pat.
elisquared's review against another edition
5.0
This book was beautiful, an examination of the power people can wield over others and how one event can thoroughly rock the reality of a friendship. Set in the beautiful wilds of Provincetown, the sea and art are just as much characters in this story as the humans. Wittlinger once again crafts a lyrical and real contemporary novel.
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