ARC Review: Drowning Instinct

Title: Drowning Instinct
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Genre: Contemporary/Social YA
Release Date: January 28, 2012


There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord's first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire.
There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain...magnetism.

And there are stories where it's hard to be sure who's a prince and who's a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.--Goodreads


I was a bit at a loss of words, and still probably do not have all my thoughts together properly, after reading Drowning Instinct.
It touches on a subject that while it was once very taboo… it may not be quite as scandalous as it once was. Why? Because in all honesty (and it’s a sad realization), we see this type of affair in reality so often in common life and it’s become a point now where it’s just not that shocking anymore. A teacher and a student? Do we gasp in surprise like we used to when stories come across the news of this nature nowadays? I don’t.


Perhaps this was why I was so in tune with the story, though. It was real and striking and it makes you think long after you finish reading.


This story touched on many social and life issues and it makes for a bit of an emotional ride. My only complaint is the characterization of the parents that seemed a bit under-developed. I kept wondering what it was exactly that made her call him “Psycho-Dad”. I wanted the author to show me more to back up this claim but I felt a bit lost in the translation and didn’t get the effect of it. There were unanswered questions left at the end as well that made me want more to the story… not exactly meaning a sequel, but the questions that were left hanging open that I felt should have been answered for less confusion.


Personally, I liked “Ashes” by Bick much better- a post-apocalyptic dystopian zombie type tale, but that is my own personal tastes really. I don’t normally read a lot of contemporary/social YA. I did find this engaging and I kept hanging on to her every word. The narration was stylistic.


And it will leave you thinking.


4 stars!