Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway : In Too Deep by Michelle Kemper Brownlow

NA books are often described as intense and emotional but this is one that truly warrants that description.Gracie, a junior in college in Memphis is innocent and sweet. Well she was until she met handsome, cocky, bad-boy Noah. The love she has for Noah is genuine and real however he takes it and twists it in to something ugly

Love should be patient and kind not angry and deceitful but that’s what Noah’s ‘love’for Gracie is. Can she find the strength to pull herself away or is she in too deep?I really enjoyed this book as I think emotional abuse is something most people come across at some stage in their life. Whether it is from a partner, a so called friend, a relative or a work colleague; it is all common and a universal problem that people will relate to. So it was good to see a book tackling this relevant and always topical issue.

It is hard not to like Gracie, she is lost, sinking, trying to find herself, trying to break free and failing time after time. It is also hard not to get impatient with Gracie as times. We have all had a friend who is in a disastrous relationship, who breaks up; cries on your shoulder, works through the pain and you feel relief that they will be ok. Maybe you even have a few girly nights out, have fun and you see your friend coming back to life. And then next thing she is back with the creep. And you get mad and swear that next time there is drama-rama, you want nothing to do with it. But you do because they are your friend and you won’t desert them. Well Gracie felt like that for me.

 

I hurt for her and for all women in that sort of relationship. And Gracie was lucky enough to have a male bestie –Jake- who was there for her and who was able to build her up time after time. Not all women are lucky enough to have such a great support system. I would like to have seen Gracie on her own more in the book even though I really enjoyed the romance with Jake. In Too Deep would have had a more empowering message if Gracie survived this on her own.

 

That’s just my personal opinion. And in other ways I’m glad Jake was in the book, he was a tower of strength and seemed like good fun too. Noah is the character everyone is going to hate. However there is good character development in that we do understand why he is the way he is and that a lot of his bullying ways come from fear. The book only slowly reveals the full extent of what is going on and how this bad boy is not one of those with a heart of gold. Far from it.

 

I enjoyed the writing style and thought that the author got the pacing of this book just right. It is emotionally intense but that is balanced out with scenes of college life and family life. The glimpses of Gracie’s parents and sister that we got hit the mark, not too much and not too little. It seemed just right for a college student who is pulling away from family a little and making her own mark on the world.

 

Giveaway Time for In Too Deep: