Review- Out of the Shallows by Samantha Young

Summary-

LIVE YOUNG. LIVE HARD. LOVE DEEP.
Charley and Jake’s story concludes in Out of the Shallows…

Somehow, after everything they’ve been through, Jake Caplin and Charley Redford made their way back to one another. But finding each other and staying together are two completely different things. 

When Charley’s world is flipped upside down, she begins to question the choices and decisions she’s made since her arrival in Edinburgh, and in an effort to grip onto what she holds most dear she believes she must sacrifice her love for Jake. 

Returning to the States for her senior year, Charley struggles to find peace and happiness. While everyone else seems to be finding themselves in college, Charley is terrified that, along with almost everything else that’s important to her, she’s lost herself. 

While friends and family deal with their own tumultuous lives, there is one person resolved to uncover the reason behind Charley’s sudden defection and unhappiness. Refusing to give up without a fight, Jake believes he is the only one who can truly understand what Charley is going through, and this time he’s determined to prove he’s there for her no matter what obstacles are thrown in their way.

However, as Charley strives to make it through the biggest personal journey of her life thus far, there is no guarantee that the woman she is becoming will still need Jake as much as the girl she once was did...

Review-

I am a huge fan of Samantha Young and I had loved Into the Deep so I was pretty excited for Out of the Shallows. Though I liked Out of the Shallows I must say that I was disappointed with it. It doesn't even compare to the standards at which Samantha Young usually writes. I had quite a few problems with the book so it was an okay read for me.

Firstly, the book starts off a few months after the events of Into the Deep but then it goes back again. There was waaay too much back and forth with the past and present. It was only a few months in between so there were times I got confused at which part I was. The transitions was not smooth and it seemed very much broken.

I had loved Charley in the previous book but in this one I really disliked her. Her reasons for not trusting Jake completely were understandable but there is a limit to everything. She was really self involved in this book somehow. She thought the world revolved around her actions and that irritated me. One more thing, "pact with God"?! No, just no. If you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about.

I liked Jake in this book. He was really in love with Charley and he was willing to work for her trust but she just didn't seem to be giving him a chance. There were some steamy scenes in the book but it lacked the swoon factor. The only part of the book I thoroughly enjoyed was Claudia and Beck's story. I really wish they'd gotten a book all to themselves but I was really into their story. It had much more depth than Jake and Charley's story.

We also get to see all the side characters again. I have to say Lowe remains my favorite. That guy is something else and I really hope we get a book for him someday. Out of the Shallows thoroughly lacked any conflict, which made the book kinda unnecessary. Samantha Young is a fabulous author but this one was a miss for me.

Review- Into The Deep by Samantha Young

Summary-

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…

Review-

I am a huge Samantha Young fan. I love New Adult. Combine these two things and I just had to read Into The Deep. It had all the elements I love in a book so I was super excited to get started. I actually really enjoyed Into The Deep, though On Dublin Street still remains my favorite. I know its not fair to compare these two cause they come from 2 completely different genres but I can't help it.

Charley is our main character. I loved her. She was very likeable and very easy to relate to. When Charley was sixteen Jake Chaplin moved to town and there was an instant connection between them. Just when things were perfect, a tragic incident leaves Jake and Charley's relationship broken. Jake moves away irrevocably changing Charley.

Now, 4 years later they meet again in Edinburgh and the past comes again to surface. Though Jake has a girlfriend now and Charley will never put herself out there again. As much as I loved Charley, Jake took time to grow on me. At first, he came of as a really selfish guy. But as all the angst and longing started coming out you could understand him.

The spark, the chemistry is present all along between Jake and Charley. Thankfully, there is no cheating present in the book but things really don't happen until after about 70%. We get a really good insight about how things were in the past between them and everything just makes you understand how it was for them.

I also loved the whole gang of friends. Especially Claudia and Beck. I really hope they sort things out between them. Even by the end of the book there are a ton of unresolved issues between Jake and Charley so there is another book, Out of the Shallows in the series. Samantha Young is awesome and Into The Deep made for a great New Adult read.