I'm back today with my post on the blog tour for The Summer I Drowned by Taylor Hale, a new book out May 26th from Wattpad Books. I have a fun Q&A with the author, as well as my review down below. The Book and its AuthorFive years after almost drowning, Olivia Cathart returns home to Caldwell Beach determined to face her fears and take some risks—not just by swimming, but by opening her heart. Hoping to rekindle her friendships, she’s excited about a carefree summer with her best friends Keely and Miles. But life in the sleepy town has changed, and no one and nothing is as it seems. When a series of startling crimes threaten Olivia’s fragile state, she is plunged into a terrifying game of cat and mouse. Her only solace from the chaos is West, Miles’s disowned and ruggedly handsome brother, but even he can’t answer the question on everyone’s minds—is Olivia really in danger or is it simply all in her head? Taylor Hale was born in Southwestern Ontario, and started writing on Wattpad in 2015. When she isn’t writing, she can be found bartending at a live music venue, and thinking up her next idea. The Summer I Drowned is her first novel. Q&A with Taylor Hale!Question: What inspired you to write The Summer I Drowned? Taylor Hale: Oddly enough, it was the name of a candle - “Sea Glass.” I thought it would make a pretty title for a story set in a beach town, maybe a romance. However, the title of the story evolved as the story itself did! Q: What struggles did you face when writing this book? How did you go about using details from Olivia’s past to inform her present narrative? TH: Getting into Olivia’s mental state was definitely a challenge, and a bit of a dark place to be writing from. I wanted to write her as someone who is constantly reminded of her past due to not only her trauma, but her emotional attachments to the people and places in the story. I think both her traumatic memories and her positive memories from Caldwell Beach shape who she is and how she sees the world throughout the story. Q: In the book, Olivia struggles with trauma and PTSD. What do you hope young readers will take away from the ways Olivia copes with her mental health? TH: I hope they will feel less alone. I also hope they will see it’s okay to ask for help, or to accept help when it’s offered—it isn’t a weakness, it’s a strength. Q: How does The Summer I Drowned stand out from other books of the same genre? What do you hope to bring to young adult fiction? TH: I think THE SUMMER I DROWNED stands out in the sense that it has an element of thriller to it, but is very much a YA Contemporary story that focuses on friendships, relationships, and growing up. I hope to bring fresh and unique stories that someone, somewhere can relate to, even in a small way. More than anything, I hope my stories provide solace to those who need it. Q: When you started using Wattpad, did you ever anticipate becoming a published author? TH: Not really, no! I knew nothing about the industry or how people even get published. However, after being on the platform for a while, I quickly realized that writing was my calling. Q: What advice would you give to young writers who are inspired by your writing? TH: Writing is a craft that takes time and practice. Allow yourself room to “suck” — everyone starts somewhere. Give it time and patience and be kind to yourself when you feel your writing isn’t quite up to par; you’ll have time to fix things later. Getting words on the page is the most important first step. ReviewThank you to Wattpad Books for sending me a copy in exchange for my honest review.
If you’re looking for a horror story to keep you awake on a hot summer night… cue The Summer I Drowned! I read this book in a single afternoon (I actually think it might be the first real horror book I’ve ever read?) and I was thoroughly creeped out. The scare factor is actually pretty high here—mysterious animal killings plague the town Olivia returns to, and none of the characters seem like plausible suspects, which only means any of them could have a secret motivation! Olivia struggles with PTSD and night terrors after a summer where she nearly drowned, so returning to the place it happened dredged up some fears and old mindsets for her. I was interested in a horror book’s portrayal of mental health and PTSD, where part of the terror is Olivia’s uncertainty whether or not she can trust her mind. I think this is an interesting angle to pursue, and perhaps differentiates the book from other thrillers. One minor quirk: I really disliked Olivia’s relationships with everyone around her. Her unwillingness to compromise and bland personality (I have no idea what kind of person she is, outside of her mental health struggles) made it a bit hard for me to empathize with her, but I was able to keep reading regardless. The book kind of… reads like a CW drama? My biggest annoyance with The Summer I Drowned was that I didn’t actually like any of the characters besides (mostly) Olivia. Keely, her best friend, seemed more interested in drinking and partying than being Olivia’s friend. Miles and West were both overprotective and tense around her. Their sister, Faye, was framed as a mean-girl character from the beginning who ignored Olivia’s trauma. I didn’t really have cause to care about any of their stories because they had few redeeming qualities from the outset. I’m giving The Summer I Drowned 3/5 stars because of this—still a recommended short read, but I couldn’t engage with anyone else’s storyline.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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