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A review by bporath
Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry
4.0
Learning to Swim is the story of Troy Chance, a freelance writer living in Lake Placid, New York. Troy is riding on a ferry to Vermont when she sees what she thinks is a child fall from another ferry. She jumps into the water after him, and that's how the story starts.
One of things I loved about LTS was the first scene. It felt like a very natural beginning, yet it was unique and intriguing. The rest of the book kept me hooked and turning the pages without being gimmicky.
The novel was perfectly plotted, and the pacing felt right throughout the whole story. There were elements of mystery among others, and I think the novel wrapped those up and ended brilliantly. (Definitely one of the best, twistiest, endings I've read in a while.)
Just like the plot, Troy's voice was intriguing and smooth. The tone matched up flawlessly with what was going on in the story, and that helped make this novel a page-turner.
Troy was complex, likeable, and easy to relate to. It was easy for me to imagine that I was Troy and I was experiencing the story throughout it. There were emotional subpots that Troy had to deal with, and they were interesting and just as page-turning as the main events of the story.
The other characters were all likeable and as developed as secondary characters should be, but I felt like Phillippe Dumond could have been more three-dimensional, since he was a major character. At times he was a little flat, and it was hard to describe even his personality. I think the book would have been richer with a little more character development.
I loved the different settings of the novel, especially since Lake Placid and the other cities in the novel are real places. In some novels the setting is just a piece of scenery, but in LTS, the setting helped the novel seem more lifelike, and it helped enhance the story.
The writing itself was excellent, and so was Troy's voice. She was funny at times, serious at others, and like I said above, very relatable.
Overall, LTS is a fantastic, compelling novel for both genders, teenagers and adults. I highly recommend it. (And I'm also really excited for the sequel!)
One of things I loved about LTS was the first scene. It felt like a very natural beginning, yet it was unique and intriguing. The rest of the book kept me hooked and turning the pages without being gimmicky.
The novel was perfectly plotted, and the pacing felt right throughout the whole story. There were elements of mystery among others, and I think the novel wrapped those up and ended brilliantly. (Definitely one of the best, twistiest, endings I've read in a while.)
Just like the plot, Troy's voice was intriguing and smooth. The tone matched up flawlessly with what was going on in the story, and that helped make this novel a page-turner.
Troy was complex, likeable, and easy to relate to. It was easy for me to imagine that I was Troy and I was experiencing the story throughout it. There were emotional subpots that Troy had to deal with, and they were interesting and just as page-turning as the main events of the story.
The other characters were all likeable and as developed as secondary characters should be, but I felt like Phillippe Dumond could have been more three-dimensional, since he was a major character. At times he was a little flat, and it was hard to describe even his personality. I think the book would have been richer with a little more character development.
I loved the different settings of the novel, especially since Lake Placid and the other cities in the novel are real places. In some novels the setting is just a piece of scenery, but in LTS, the setting helped the novel seem more lifelike, and it helped enhance the story.
The writing itself was excellent, and so was Troy's voice. She was funny at times, serious at others, and like I said above, very relatable.
Overall, LTS is a fantastic, compelling novel for both genders, teenagers and adults. I highly recommend it. (And I'm also really excited for the sequel!)