Author:
Jennifer Lane
Publication Date:
March 27, 2012
Publisher:
Omnific Publishing
Format:
Paperback, 460 pages
Price:
CAD $18.95
Source:
An eBook was provided by ATOMR Book Blog Tours for review! Thank you!
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Description
Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He’s captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother’s crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father’s abuse, battered and alone.
Leo’s girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida’s top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there’s an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter–her father–is in prison for murder.
Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything’s on the line . . . streamline.
About The Author
People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn’t psychoanalyzing you right now. She’s already got too many voices in her head!
Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love and empathy. She is the author of the Conduct Series—romantic suspense for adult readers—and is currently at work on the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young adults, but she’s found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book.
Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.
LINKS Official Blog | Follow @JenLanebooks | Like Jennifer on Facebook
Review
If I had one word to describe Streamline, it would be dramatic. Everything that could go wrong does, and the consequences are problematic to say the least. We have Leo Scott, who is captain of the swimming team, boyfriend to Audrey, brother to Jason and son to Ina and James Scott. He’s the golden boy of school, well-liked, handsome and intelligent as well as athletic. In comes his father James who is a CO (Commanding Officer) of the US Navy, proud, violent and out of control, he keeps his son Leo on a tight leash. The violence starts and I finally heaved a sigh of relief when it ended. I must warn you some scenes are so detailed that I couldn’t help but skip it due to the brutality.
With the dark, there’s always the light and that comes in the form of Audrey. Smart, kind and completely devoted to Leo, she stands by him through the good and the bad. I felt they were practically married even if they were only high school seniors. Their love was definite and sweet. You could feel their love for each other leap across the pages. I loved it! Kudos to the ever intense story line that FINALLY picked up in the end. I saw it coming and you could just feel it unravel when all hell broke loose.
Jennifer Lane writes well and considering there are multiple characters it included multiple viewpoints which is unique in a YA novel. I did get confused as to which character was talking, who was thinking what, etc. Maybe if it was kept between two viewpoints it would have been simpler to read. I couldn’t remember all the characters names so that gave me a reason to flip back and find out who it was. That wasn’t so easy reading on my iPad, but I managed in the end. I also thought the book was rather long. Most chapters could have been shortened down because I believe it didn’t add significance to the story. A story full of teenage pregnancies, abortion, violence, mild rape, adultery, and you have yourselves a soap opera worth reading about. Streamline isn’t all about the trials of swimming, it’s much more deeper than that.
Rating 4/5
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Quotes
“You could never bring me down. Just seeing you brightens my day, every time.”—Leo (18)
“Friendship is the best kind of ship.”—Leo (45)
“What kind of mother failed to protect her child? What kind of mother stood by helplessly while her sweet, innocent son faced such brutality.”—Mary (174)
“Nobody wants to be friends with a cold, robotic machine who never shows any vulnerability or weakness.”—Ina (365)
Oh, carp. (Typo intended) It sounds like a major emotional roller coaster. Streamline definitely feels . . . so, so heartbreakingly, I-need-to-curl-up-in-a-corner-and-cry good. I don’t mind that the book’s a bit long, although the chapters being a bit too long may have a toll on my patience. Nevertheless, I feel like I need to read this!
Great review Giselle. I do agree that it was pretty long, but in the end it was all worth it. This definitely was a soap opera!
MaryAnn
Chapter by Chapter
Thanks for the lovely review, and for participating on the tour, Giselle! This book is indeed DRAMA.