ARC Review of Into The Deep by Samantha Young!

Ok so first off it is NO secret that I am a HUGE Samantha Young fan. She is a Book Goddess to me. Moon Spell was the very first ebook ( yes very first bought on my iPhone ) I picked up and from there I became addicted to not only her but reading in general.

 

So when I had the opportunity to be one of the first to read her brand new book Into The Deep, I literally squealed like a little girl and jumped at the chance.

 

So here I am today with my review of Into The Deep by the Book Goddess herself Samantha Young. I only hope that my ramblings make sense and I don't embarrass myself too much =) 

 

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…

My Review:

I started Into The Deep well after I had enough coffee and excited energy in my system to power me through the night. Having been teased with the first couple of chapters via Samantha's blog, I knew that this was going to be an amazingly incredible read. Like a kid on Christmas, I couldn't wait to get started.

We start off by meeting Charley and her bestie Claudia. They just moved to Edinburgh for a study abroad program and after convincing Charley's mother that they had food to eat and argued that Scotland's chocolate was better than America's (that is still to be determined), they decide to explore thier new home for the year. Coming across a hottie putting up posters for "FREE BOOZE and snaks", the girls attend said party and Charley locks on to a profile that she could never forget: a familiar jawline, a straight Roman nose with a more than familiar beautiful smile that played upon familiar lips...her first love and the boy her broke her heart Jacob Caplin.

At this point, I have no idea why she rushed out of the party and why they broke up. I could only imagine it must've been a pretty big fight and that there are some unresolved issues there since her reaction to him speaks volumes and Jake's reaction to hearing her name and seeing her there in Scotland makes him go after her.

Charley's and Jake's story is told through dated memories and blends beautifully with present day events. From the first encounter at the bonfire to the first encounter in Edinburgh, I have love/hate feelings for him. His cockiness and bad boy image is definitely hot but makes you wanna slap the
sh-stuff out of him.

Thank the Book Gods for Lowe and Beck! Beck is Jake's best friend and an interesting guy. He doesn't do relationships but fancies Claudia. Do I see a book about them in the future... I hope so!

And then there's Lowe. Lowe is a friend of Jake's and definitely feels for Charley. He is like a buffer for her when it comes to being around Jake and his perfectly sweet girlfriend Melissa.

Melissa... I REALLY want to hate her but I can't. She knows all about Jake's history with Charley and is ok with it. Hell, she even tells Charley she wants to be friends! Samantha did this on purpose....to make me love Melissa's sweetness and ability to make me feel guilty for wanted to hate her.

Well played Miss Samantha...well played...

Into The Deep took me on an emotional rollercoaster full of first love, senseless tradegy, heart-wrenching heartache, anger, understanding and completeness. Of course there were hilarous bumps along the way that made me bury my face in my pillow and a few tissue worthy moments that had me sighing like a hopeless romantic. And the way it ended..... SO NOT NICE!!!



I want to share one of the strongest and most defining parts of the book for me:

-"From the moment we'd met, he'd dragged me into the deep, swearing to me he was in there with me. It was a lie. He'd waded back out to the shallows and left me to drown. Worse, he'd found a new deep elsewhere with some other girl."

This one statement made by Charley took my breath away and made me cry. I could feel the heartbreak in her thoughts towards Jake and Melissa. This is what makes Samantha a Book Goddess to me. That and :

-" I love everything about you." "Even my freakishly long big toe?"

I had to stifle my laugh with my pillow. This was not expected.


The one and only Pearl Jam song that came to mind was "Black".

Samantha is my all-time favourite author. She is the reason I am an avid reader, a blogger,  and yes a writer of sorts. No matter what genre or subject she writes about, it is pure magic. Her stories come to life right before your eyes and follow you into your dreams.

I truly hope you enjoy reading Into The Deep as much as I did and support her in every way you can!

Be sure to pick up your copy of Into The Deep on August 13th!

Click here to check out the first TWO chapters of Into The Deep!

Want more info on this incredible read? Check out the blog here and all of Samantha's works on her blog at http://www.samanthayoungbooks.com/