Neurotic Thoughts - Drowning Instinct Book Review

Drowning Instinct
Author: Ilsa J. Bick
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Genre: YA Dark  Contemporary
Published By: Lerner Publishing Group
Source: Lerner Publishing Group and NetGalley
Summary from Goodreads: 
There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

Jenna Lord’s first sixteen years were not exactly a fairytale. Her father is a controlling psycho and her mother is a drunk. She used to count on her older brother—until he shipped off to Afghanistan. And then, of course, there was the time she almost died in a fire. 

There are stories where the monster gets the girl, and we all shed tears for his innocent victim. (This is not one of those stories either.)

Mitch Anderson is many things: A dedicated teacher and coach. A caring husband. A man with a certain... magnetism. 

And there are stories where it’s hard to be sure who’s a prince and who’s a monster, who is a victim and who should live happily ever after. (These are the most interesting stories of all.)

Drowning Instinct is a novel of pain, deception, desperation, and love against the odds—and the rules.

My Thoughts:
When the summary mentions that this is not a fairy tale that ends happily ever after, they are not kidding nor are they exaggerating. This book is dark, emotional and had me questioning myself, and what I thought I believed about the characters and what they were doing the whole book. 


When I first started reading Drowning Instinct I wasn't sure I was going to like it. The writing style felt off because of the way Jenna is recording the story for a police officer. Once I got used to it though I stopped noticing it except for at the beginning of the chapters. To say I was drawn into this story is an understatement. You won't want to put this one down until you have all the facts.


Now I must tell you that I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in than what you read in the above Goodreads summary. I truly believe that that is the best way to go into reading this book. Not knowing a damn thing about it. Because discovering every crazy unimaginable scenario that happens as it happens will be the "blow you away" factor to this book. Trust me, you might be reading this review thinking "but she didn't tell me anything about the book" that is definitely what you want though. This is one of those books that I will think about again and again and one day might even have to read again.


I will tell you this, Drowning Instinct is definitely worth reading. Reading this is like riding a gripping, crazy insane, frustrating, emotional roller coaster and it's worth every second. 


Warning: There are some HEAVY issues brought up in this book. I would recommend it to the more mature YA readers out there.