The Lifeguard

Aug 13, 2012 Jasprit rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: out-2012, arc-galley, read-in-2012

The Lifeguard was one of those books where I fell for the cover, it was gorgeous and so appealing and the synopsis made it sound like decent summer read too. However my initial assumptions were way off the mark.
The lifeguard started off with a bang, Sirena the main character goes out for a quick dip in the water as it’s so hot; however she gets swept away by the fast currents and bitten by something so sharp that before you know it she finds herself drowning. We’re basically left hanging here wi...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fall-winter-2012

It could be nostalgia but this book spoke to me.

Sirena goes to a beach town in Rhode Island for the summer while her parents get divorced. She is not sure how she will handle going back to a new life when she has to return to Texas. What she doesn't know is that she's beginning her new life in Rhode Island with new experiences, new people, and miracles without explanation. In the middle of it all is Pilot... often silent, savior, lifeguard Pilot. Sirena begins this new journey with him and what...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Wendy rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Nobody

Shelves: why-god-why, wtf

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 16, 2012 Bibliojunkies added it

It’s an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family’s splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her free-spirited aunt, it’s a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with him. Pilot. He’s the lifeguard.He’s the lifeguard with shamanic skills. He both saves Sirena and makes her feel lost at sea. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers
his mysterious – almost magical – gifts.

Come on ...how many of you are staring at...more It’s an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family’s splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her free-spirited aunt, it’s a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with him. Pilot. He’s the lifeguard.He’s the lifeguard with shamanic skills. He both saves Sirena and makes her feel lost at sea. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers
his mysterious – almost magical – gifts.

Come on ...how many of you are staring at this cover thinking, “I want to go to that beach!”. I feel exactly the same way after reading this romantic story about a magical summer. (By the way, my husband just saw it as he walked by and said, "Really?". I feigned disinterest.)

First off, it’s a relief to have a female protagonist who is thankfully devoid of any kind of teenage angst. Sirena is just your normal girl with a normal best friend and worries about normal things. The biggest drama in her life at the moment is that her parents are divorcing. They send her to her aunt's in Rhode Island while they remain in Texas to hash out the details of their divorce. Sirena takes it in stride. She’s almost practical as she processes these changes. And while I said she’s normal, that doesn’t mean that interesting things can’t happen.

During her stay, she meets a few people who leave an impression on her like Pilot, who spends endless days at the beach, you know, as lifeguards tend to do. She can’t escape him and is conflicted whenever she’s in his presence. She’s giddy being near him and also slightly self-conscious – it’s quite cute to watch. Sirena has an innocence about her that makes you nostalgic to be a seventeen year old again. You just want to wrap yourself up in that feeling. Then there’s also Antonio, an elderly man who sits on the beach every day and paints. He becomes a mentor to Sirena who is an artist herself. With him, she feels a reassuring calm and finds herself opening up to this stranger about the changes taking place in her life. It’s a wonderful friendship that gives her some anchor while she’s there for the summer.

At the urging of her Aunt Ellie, Sirena also starts volunteering at the local hospital thinking the routine will be good for her. This in particular becomes an important catalyst in her own personal growth as she encounters illness, sadness and healing.

There’s a part of The Lifeguard that reminds me of Anna and The French Kiss – you know that feeling of falling in love for the first time; those oh so awkward moments of trying to play it cool when you’re attracted to someone. Those instances made me smile. Then there are those other moments when she’s witness to “miracles”. And they all point to Pilot who sets her imagination on fire. And where Sirena is such a delightfully straightforward girl, Pilot is elusive. But after a few life-altering events, we share in her wonderment as she discovers who he is.

The Lifeguard is very enjoyable. It was a nice change in pace to read a story that's pleasant and relatively uncomplicated but still had mystery to it. I absolutely adore Sirena and I fell in love with Pilot. It's just one of those books where you feel good at the end and you're glad you read it. And if nothing else, it'll just make you even more anxious for a beautiful summer at the beach.

~ Bel(less)

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Aug 08, 2012 Sandi Layne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this on a whim as Amazon was having a Kindle e-book sale and I was trying to find a new swoony boy. (Laughing at Kassiah.) I was hoping for a sunny, beach-centered teen romance.

What we have here instead is different. There were hints of the paranormal in the summary and I was thinking "alien" or "future-boy" or something. Nope. That's not it. I won't spoil it here, but when I found out, I was not altogether surprised, but I was rather pleased.

The story comes to us through Sirena, Our H...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Tammy Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews

As I was headed to Burlington, Vermont for vacation, I thought bringing The Lifeguard would be the perfect light hearted summer read. It is a perfect summer read, but it is anything but light hearted.

Sirena is being shipped off to her Aunt Ellie’s house for the summer because her parents back in Texas are going through a divorce and they figured she would be better off away from all the troubles. She spends a lot of time wallowing in self-pity and feeling sorry for herself. Like no one has ever...more

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Jul 17, 2012 Ashlie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Lifeguard was nothing like I expected. It has such a great feeling of summer, but something else glistens in this book besides the sun on the water. I loved every character in this book. Sirena was convincing and her emotions and feelings were palpable. Pilot was mysterious and Antonio was perfection. He made you curious, but in a way that you felt should command respect, and not prying. He was talented and it was obvious, yet he had an air of humility that was gracing. I loved the scenes he...more The Lifeguard was nothing like I expected. It has such a great feeling of summer, but something else glistens in this book besides the sun on the water. I loved every character in this book. Sirena was convincing and her emotions and feelings were palpable. Pilot was mysterious and Antonio was perfection. He made you curious, but in a way that you felt should command respect, and not prying. He was talented and it was obvious, yet he had an air of humility that was gracing. I loved the scenes he was in because I wanted to be in his presence as long as possible. I usually don't feel that way about elderly characters :)

The plot of this story was so great, finally a different kind of summer read! I can't wait to read more from Deborah Blumenthal! I thought her writing was textured; there were so many elements that contributed to the whole picture. I really connected with Sirena (She was stuck in this town, alone, while her world at home fell apart. The lucky thing is that she was near the beach!) I found myself wanting to be friends with the other characters, even Sirena's aunt, Ellie, and her "boyfriend." The supporting cast and the setting was as warm as summer and just as inviting, the only problem was that it's not Sirena's real life, which I can definitely see being depressing.

There are a couple of seemingly random details I loved: Sirena volunteering at the hospital (nothing makes you fell better like serving others!) and the ghost that lives in her aunt's attic (where she sleeps! Eek!) that only comes out when it storms. There are more, but I can't remember them off the top of my head)

This was a story that felt so natural, like it just kind of shaped itself into being. The flow of the plot, the back and forth between Sirena's current perspective & her memories and her letters with her best friend (who is away at summer camp) were great. I loved how the plot was so subtle. There weren't any really huge plot twists, but the subtle revelations were timed well and written beautifully. And even though the plot shifts were subtle, they were powerful and it really created this marvelous design, touching the lives of many characters and connecting them in powerful, meaningful ways.

I'm rating The Lifeguard 4 STARS. This book really is something different. It's a good, fun one-sitting, one shot. It's a good reminder that we're all connected in some way. I hope you'll pick it up!
(less)

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Jun 26, 2012 kari rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, ya

Drama queen alert! Drama queen alert! WARNING! WARNING! Drama queen alert!
In all seriousness, am I being punked? Is this book real?
I know that the mysterious boy and the insta-love is what it's all about these days, but come the heck on. Are you kidding me? Where are the critical readers, the editors, the anyone helping this author create something that makes sense? I think she has been let down by her entire team to let something like this go to print. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. The...more Drama queen alert! Drama queen alert! WARNING! WARNING! Drama queen alert!
In all seriousness, am I being punked? Is this book real?
I know that the mysterious boy and the insta-love is what it's all about these days, but come the heck on. Are you kidding me? Where are the critical readers, the editors, the anyone helping this author create something that makes sense? I think she has been let down by her entire team to let something like this go to print. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. The author bio says her work has appeared in The Washington Post and Vogue. All I can say to that is she either dumbed it down a bunch because she's writing YA or no one cares about actual writing technique at those publications.
The sentence structure is choppy. The story is told in first person present and it seems every other sentence begins with I: I walked over to the window seat. I sat down. I looked at the sea through the bay window while sitting on the window seat. I-I-I-I-I-I-I which would be okay if her thoughts were anything you wanted to know. Most of all I wanted Sirena to simply shut it with her litany of woes.
This girl looks at and once locks eyes with the hottest boy in the world, who is so beautiful that we never get to know his personality in any way because she can't ever get past how wonderful he is to look at. THIS IS NOT A RELATIONSHIP! They don't have a conversation, but yet, she's totally obsessed with him. She has the audacity to be angry with him because he doesn't bow down and worship her when she shows up in a brand new bikini. Um, let's see now, he's WORKING! So maybe, I don't know, his attention should be on his very important job of keeping people at the beach safe and not give the new bikini his full attention while someone drowns. But, yes, go right ahead and have a pout-a-thon for yourself.
And then there's the whole parent's divorce which is why she comes to live with her aunt at the beach. It is oh woe is me, I have no home, I have no family, life sucks, my parents suck. Waah. Waah. Waah. But really, the whole divorce is merely a device to get Sirena somewhere new without parental control and meeting a new boy. That's it, the whole enchilada of the divorce. Doesn't really matter, other than to get her where the boy is. I didn't actually buy that she was so devastated by the divorce because even though she whines over it, there is so much drama over everything else that the divorce is simply drowned out.
For this whole book to work, you have to like Sirena and I didn't. I didn't care whether the hot mysterious boy liked her or not since I didn't find her interesting, I didn't know why he would have either.
She is handed a volunteer job at the hospital and she sees a little boy seriously injured and she feels so badly for him, that she must do something to fix him. Yeah, right. I get it, this is supposed to show me she has depth, but this little boy's injury is all about her, how it makes her feel, how much drama she can wring out of it for herself. Yeah, she's that kind of girl.
She steals something while convincing herself that somehow she has a right to do so. And there are no consequences for it, ever. She then does something stupid for no reason and is rescued. And then she does something idiotic for no reason, other than she is angry and it's too hot outside. Really? She waltzes into the ocean where there are sign posted saying stay out of the water due to dangerous rip tides, but she's just so stupid that she must just go in and dunk herself because then she'll feel better. How can I then feel any sympathy for what happens to her? I just really can't. She makes her own drama and then gets even more drama over the consequences. I just simply can't abide a character like this, making drama for themselves.
With four adults who object but don't stop her and, in fact, assit her, she leaves the hospital (where she has been near death, btw)without being released, because she must. She must go immediately to the beach to see the boy. She must. She must. So she is taken to the beach, wheeled to the edge of the sand it a wheelchair. Where did they get the wheelchair? They just have one sitting around? The steal it from the hospital? And then, Sirena must use crutches over the sand to get to the boy. Where did she get the crutches? They just have them sitting around? Did they steal them from the hospital, too? She falls and this is her actual words when one of the adults(who should know better) tries to help her: "You don't have to stand there watching me, for God's sake. Can't you just go for a drive or and come back later? I can get up by myself." She is the epitome of ungrateful and childish. She crutches her way over the sand, inch by inch, only so that the boy can pick her up and carry her back to the car. And then she goes home for a bit so she can then be taken back to the beach where she will laboriously crutch her pathetic way out to the boy again (he simply can't get her to leave him alone) so he can again carry her to the car.
There are some mysterious things which are explained, sort of, but really who cares? It's about her pursuit of the boy and that's all.
I give very few books one star and I'm sorry for doing this, but I don't know what is the actual point of this story. Whine and the world is your oyster?(less)

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Jun 10, 2012 Ravenous Biblioworm rated it 2 of 5 stars

Rating: 2/5

I went into this book expecting something rather different than what I encountered. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. Or it could be both. It was bad in this case but not because it wasn’t what I expected, but because it was not pull well together to make me believe Sirena’s, our protagonist, world. Even though this book was not what I expected it could have been great and I could have put down the book and sighed… well that was odd, but so good. That was not the case.

Sirena is...more Rating: 2/5

I went into this book expecting something rather different than what I encountered. It could be a good thing or a bad thing. Or it could be both. It was bad in this case but not because it wasn’t what I expected, but because it was not pull well together to make me believe Sirena’s, our protagonist, world. Even though this book was not what I expected it could have been great and I could have put down the book and sighed… well that was odd, but so good. That was not the case.

Sirena is a young girl in the midst of a bad break up between her parents. She had a lot on her plate and this was a perfect opportunity for Blumenthal to write a very compelling character for readers. Sirena was not compelling entirely. She was at the beginning. She was drowning in her own grievances about her parent’s break up – understandably so – and it didn’t come off as whiney. As soon as Pilot enters the picture, she becomes the girl I hate. The girl I wish would just die. The girl who makes me wish every damn girl in the world would just burn and die in agony a few hundred times over, who I wish for a fate worst than Hell. A girl who basically makes/reminds me of a certain “B” lettered girl (in both sense if you get my drift) in a certain glittery supernatural world. Sirena wallows in her self pity. She drowns herself – literally she tries to though the author makes it seems like she’s just challenging herself – to escape the pains of a guy not liking her and how crappy her life is. I’m sorry. I know countless young girls (and young men) who experienced and gone through bitter divorced parents and they are amazing. Their resolve is amazing. Their outlook for hope is astonishing. Sirena was not one of these kids. Yes, I know there are kids who are devastated by their parents’ divorce who turn to “bad” things and I wouldn’t mind that in this book. In fact, I didn’t mind the craziness in this book. I tolerated her angst because I sympathized with Sirena. I did up to the point until she decides to steal a picture from a gallery because of her unhealthy obsession. Until she began to make up excuses for herself for the theft to be okay. I was willing to put aside that bias but Sirena never redeems herself. There was not a moment of self realization… of, “I am better than this. I can get through this. I can do this. I am worth more than this.” Never. Not even once. Why should I feel sorry for her? Okay maybe she doesn’t want my pity, but why should I like her? I don’t and I won’t. Sure she went to the artist and confessed but the artist laughed it off. Convenient for Sirena. Almost believable on the artist’s part, which was a good thing I guess.

Throughout the book Sirena almost never attempts to do something worthwhile for herself of her own accord. She does things that she was directed to do by others (her aunt and by the author). I wanted to see the carefree Sirena at the beginning of the book who danced on the beach with her eyes closed throughout the book. I wanted to see glimpses of that version of her. I never did. Once the love interest,Pilot (yes that is his name), comes in she becomes an obessessed love-smitten idiot who only hates herself more because she doesn’t have the guy of her dream who can make her happy in the aftermath of an orgasm, who she can’t offer up her innocence in a tent (I didn’t make this up. Sirena does says this insane crap…. and it wouldn’t be so insane if she was likable or shattered by her parent’s divorce, but nope she’s was insane because suddenly a guy appears and never having said a word and only seeing him, she wants all these things).

There was one part of the novel that was likable, in the crap part of the story (after the first twenty or so pages – all parts after the first twenty pages are the toilet paper part of the story), was Sirena’s need to be near Cody, a child at the hospital her aunt made her volunteer at. Though the moments weren’t ever human enough to be touching, it was an attempt.

Another thing that bothered me about the book was its lack of details. I never get a good look at anyone in the book. The only person of any worth or value of description was … yes, Pilot. Boy do we get the dish load of details about him. He was the only person I could picture well. Everyone else were just blobs and blurs with no faces. I can hear them talk but not see them. The Aunt, Antonio, even Sirena herself. It seems Blumenthal forget that this story was about other people too and with Sirena’s obsession we only get a clear image of Pilot.

Setting details were okay. They were great but not bad. They did border on very good in instances, but Blumenthal relies on generics. Sirena goes to the beach. Everyone knows what a beach is, no need to describe it. Only it’s not true. There are different kinds of beaches. This beach was on Rhode Island whose average summer temperatures are in the low 70s. Yet, Sirena seems to be sweltering in heat on some days, which were over 90 degrees, but alas, I was willing to toss the detail off as it being a crazy summer of temperatures (barely able to).

Then there’s the paranormal. It comes out and punches you in the face, screaming, “You didn’t see that one coming!” There was no foreshadowing of the supernatural. It’s a hard thing to master: foreshadowing. Either your hints aren’t strong enough or they’re too strong. In this book’s case, not strong enough. There are mentions of ghosts, new age-like spiritualism, healers, to shamanism. All introduced much later in the story with no hints. When we do approach the subject, it’s done in passing conversation. The types of conversation you don’t take seriously, like small talk. Only later, as a reader you realize, “Oh, so that was real/serious?” The paranormal aspect was poorly incorporated.

Overall, if you like girls who mopes after a guy, who whines and demands attention but lack any self-confidence or will to fix her own outlook on life, who thinks she’s strong because she is saved by others and not by herself, who think the world revolves around her, this book is for you. In all seriousness, if this was solely a contemporary book, I think it would have been excellent. Or I would imagine it being so. I would have liked to see Sirena’s self discovery through her hard ships. It would have been an interesting read. But that was not how this book was written. We get a book that goes into too many directions, seemingly not knowing where to go and randomly striding places to fill pages to get to an end. The two aspects of Sirena’s life and the paranormal didn’t mesh well together.

Verdict: Skip. You want a book with a touch of magic and romance I got another recommendation.

Visit my book review blog at ravenousbiblioworm.wordpress.com/(less)

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Jun 09, 2012 Majibookshelf Juhina & Farah rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Lifeguard started off as the perfect contemporary I just needed. A troubled girl because of her parents divorce, a cute, actually perfect, lifeguard she meets at the beach, and the setting is the beach! THE BEACH! The problem is it kind of started to slow pace in the middle, which bored me for a significant part of the book.
The main protagonist, Sirena, is fine. She is just a normal girl, spending her summer at the beach with her aunt because her parents are getting a divorce. All her feelin...more

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May 18, 2012 cupcake rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm all about Young Adult literature. Seriously (or, as they say in Bumped and Thumped, for serious). And I'm not all that difficult to please. All I ask is for interesting characters and a story line that captivates me. I don't care if it's realistic or fantastic - just give me something. Please, for the love of Rowling, give me SOMETHING.

Which brings me to Deborah Blumenthal's The Lifeguard, which is so supremely frustrating that I want to reach into the book and smack someone. I'm not sure if...more

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May 17, 2012 Manda rated it 4 of 5 stars

When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was expecting a run of the mill story about a sad girl who goes off to the beach, meets a cute boy and they fall in “love” with each other. I generally enjoy books with that typical story line because they are cute and easy to read. That was not what I ended up reading in The Lifeguard.

First off, I loved Serena. She is a strong willed girl with an amazing voice. Deborah Blumenthal wrote such a funny character with Serena. Everything surrounding Ser...more When I first read the synopsis for this book, I was expecting a run of the mill story about a sad girl who goes off to the beach, meets a cute boy and they fall in “love” with each other. I generally enjoy books with that typical story line because they are cute and easy to read. That was not what I ended up reading in The Lifeguard.

First off, I loved Serena. She is a strong willed girl with an amazing voice. Deborah Blumenthal wrote such a funny character with Serena. Everything surrounding Serena’s character is just great. Her dialogue, inner and outer, was one of my favorite things about this book. There really wasn’t any moments when I was disappointed in who Serena was.

I also enjoyed every other character written for this story. I usually find a lot of unnecessary characters when I read YA fiction, and this was not the case with The Lifeguard. Everyone was greatly written and had a purpose for being a part of Serena’s life. You’ll adore each of them just as much as I did, especially Antonio, Marissa, and Pilot. Pilot is just incredibly dreamy and I found myself letting go of quite a few squees.

Now on to the storyline, I enjoyed this book a whole lot. It kept me reading from page one. I only have a couple issues with the plot that I have to point out. First off, I felt like there was a lot of moments that were discussed too quickly and some important factors were thrown in quickly and not given enough detail. I would have loved to know a bit more about Pilot toward the end of the book and I think Deborah Blumenthal could have gone into more details during some of the bigger moments. I felt at times that major plot points were being rushed and I would have liked to see a few things taken a step further.

Otherwise, this was a great read and I would recommend it to anyone into girly YA fiction. There is a bit of romance, a bit of paranormal and a bit of adventure. Like I said above, I think a few things could have been given more detail, but I guess I wasn’t left confused, so it was ok. Definitely one to check out and I will be surely reading more from this author.(less)

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Apr 22, 2012 Julie Barrett rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal
ISBN: 9781453247334
This book first appealed to me because of the water scene and then the words Rhode Island in the summary of the book. I am from there and wanted to read this to find out
if I knew of any place they spoke of. Love the water and the shells so this is a familiar scene to me.
The prologue starts out with her standing in the water, on the edge and the undertow making her fall, she can't get a hold of her footing, it's like quicksand and she ends up...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Charlotte Black rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, reading-romances-challenge

I've recently read a whole plethora of paranormals so I fancied a nice light romance for my next read. To fit the picture I chose The Lifeguard. A summer romance about a hot lifeguard. What could go wrong?

The background of the story is that Sirena has to move away for the summer while her parents sort out their divorce. They have to sell the family, Mum and Dad have to find new houses each, all the furniture to divide...you know, the messy stuff.

As a character, Sirena is full of anger, woe and e...more I've recently read a whole plethora of paranormals so I fancied a nice light romance for my next read. To fit the picture I chose The Lifeguard. A summer romance about a hot lifeguard. What could go wrong?

The background of the story is that Sirena has to move away for the summer while her parents sort out their divorce. They have to sell the family, Mum and Dad have to find new houses each, all the furniture to divide...you know, the messy stuff.

As a character, Sirena is full of anger, woe and everything else in between. I almost imagine her like a balloon full of water. Any moment she could pop and the result could be messy! In the beginning at Aunt Ellie's she's miserable, a little bored, a little ungrateful too to her Aunt, and incredibly unhappy. The writing tone captured is perfect. We see through various conversations how badly Sirena is coping. More so in letters written to her BFF (who we never meet). The letters provide our best insight into how Sirena is feeling, and what is exactly going on in her mind.

She meets Antonio, an 80-year-old artist and as Sirena is a budding artist herself, they get to talk, sit, and eventually paint together. Antonio is her guru, mentor, and message board all at the same time. He knows things, he understands and he heals her with his wise words.

Sirena's focus for much of the book is her utter adoration of Pilot, the lifeguard. I don't think I've ever read a book where the main character drools so much over a love interest. Pages and pages filled with descriptions about his ripped body, the blond of his hair and the green of his eyes. How aware she is of him whenever she visits the beach. In addition, how their eye contact stays fixed for paragraphs without breaking. Pilot is never truly unveiled to us in the character sense. For instance, I have no idea if he has a sense of humour because his sentences are few and far between. I have no idea about the clothes he wears when he isn't life guarding because we never hear about it.

Aunt Ellie and Will are great as characters and the addition of Mike being the friend/boyfriend of Ellie adds a bit of substance to the vision I have of her.

The story is written in present first person. Two things that stick out from the beginning are that the tone didn't change. At the start, Sirena is tremendously angry and this continues throughout. Even when she discovers Pilot and has her 'moments' with him, I never got the feeling she was happy and this didn't ring true. Even toward the end when the big (little) reveals were uncovered, the emotion didn't bubble over, in fact, it stayed flat. The second point that stuck out was the writing style. This is one of those vague books that hints of occurrences but then leaves you at the end of a chapter. For instance Pilot rescuing Sirena on a surfboard. They have this moment; he whispers her name after arching his back and then...end of chapter. That's it! We don't get any juicy stuff or even dialogue. It happened so often I actually got a little bored by the end. This is a harsh criticism but so many books I've read have this style. I don't know whether editors just cut, cut, cut away at the author’s manuscript and all that’s left is the bare bones. Alternatively, the author just felt we needed nothing more. However, I wanted more.

The supernatural featured as an odd addition to the story. In my opinion it was out of place and unnecessary. The back-story is never wholly discussed (writing style) and the shamanism's that could have given depth to the whole Pilot/Antonio phenomena just left us hanging.

Overall, this is a light, fluffy read. There is a lot of fluff. I enjoyed the story, it wasn't anything wow-worthy, and the settings of Rhode Island beach is a backdrop to draw you in. For any young adult facing a similar situation I'm sure there are lessons learned from reading this but apart from that it was just okay.

-CBx(less)

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Apr 02, 2012 Preet rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was definitely way different than I was thinking it would be. Not to say that it was misleading, just different. Right off the bat we're introduced to a plain old teen who moves to Rhode Island to start anew after a family break-up.

Being in a new surrounding she meets Pilot, a quiet lifeguard who rarely speaks. Honestly, I found his character to be annoying. I'm fine with quiet characters; I just didn't understand why he was. Sirena on the other hand is a decently likable character who...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The Lifeguard" written by Deborah Blumenthal is so much more than just the eye-candy shown on it's beautiful cover. Blumenthal's unique textured writing style fades you in and out of each chapter slowly weaving a magically multi-layered story. It is so breathtakingly real at times that you will swear you hear the rhythm of the waves rolling in.

Sixteen-year-old Sirena Shane is shipped off to Rhode Island to spend the summer with her free-spirited aunt, while back in Texas her parents hash out t...more "The Lifeguard" written by Deborah Blumenthal is so much more than just the eye-candy shown on it's beautiful cover. Blumenthal's unique textured writing style fades you in and out of each chapter slowly weaving a magically multi-layered story. It is so breathtakingly real at times that you will swear you hear the rhythm of the waves rolling in.

Sixteen-year-old Sirena Shane is shipped off to Rhode Island to spend the summer with her free-spirited aunt, while back in Texas her parents hash out the final details of their bitter separation. Sirena finds herself in a strange beach cottage where everything is not as it seems. So begins an unforgettable summer of overcoming sadness and finding strength in unexpected places.

Sirena learns that ghosts just might be real after all and volunteering, especially at a hospital is not as easy as it sounds. She also learns that an eighty-year-old artist can actually become a good friend and confidante. But nothing prepares her for the instant attraction she feels toward a certain beautiful green-eyed lifeguard named Pilot who not only saves her but at the same time makes her feel lost at sea. Oh yeah and to make things more interesting... he might just have some mystical powers.

The characters are rich and believable and have lots of depth. The setting is gorgeous and at times downright eery. The plot moves at a quick pace and will keep you turning the pages.

Having said that there is a reason that I did not give this book 5 stars. First, I wish that the secondary storyline which involves certain terrifying ghosts had been better resolved by the end of the book. Secondly, I felt the ending was a little too abrupt. I would have liked more of this wonderful romance that had finally begun between the two main characters. And lastly at times Sirena's attraction to Pilot bordered on crazy obsession and ended up sounding eerily similar to a certain crazy female character in the book that Pilot was bothered by. This was distracting for me and made me wonder why he didn't feel the same way about Sirena???

Still this is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel that I believe is well worth reading.
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Oct 20, 2012 Whitney rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, young-adult, read-in-2012

It's an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family's splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her free-spirited aunt, it's a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with him. Pilot. He's the lifeguard with shamanic skills. He both saves her and makes her feel lost at sea. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers his mysterious--almost magical--gifts.

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The thing I kept thinking after finishing this novel was that i...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Pygmy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, romance, youngadult

Torn between 2 and 3 stars.

I was expecting a summer-of-my-youth romance, which I got but...it took a turn for the supernatural with Brazilian/Amazonian hand wavy-primitive-mystical hoo-haa that...I just couldn't buy into. I like my magic more "scientific", if that makes sense...though I can appreciate how the author tried to keep the magic very understated rather than make it an obvious front-and-center supernatural story.

The lifeguard ended up not being what I hoped for....if any of you ever p...more

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Apr 22, 2012 Karla♥ rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: net-galley, published-2012, 2012-reads, chicklit, covers-me-like, le-handsome-guys, young-adult

Arrive the same. Leave different.

Back in Texas, Sirena's summer was unsettled so he parents who are getting a divorce planned on shipping her to Rhode Island and spend the summer with her aunt. She easily begins settling in Rhode Island with new friends and new surroundings. She spends most of her time drawing, painting, walking on the beach and enjoying the view of the on duty lifeguard. But despite those distractions, she still can't help but think about the present condition of her family. B...more Arrive the same. Leave different.

Back in Texas, Sirena's summer was unsettled so he parents who are getting a divorce planned on shipping her to Rhode Island and spend the summer with her aunt. She easily begins settling in Rhode Island with new friends and new surroundings. She spends most of her time drawing, painting, walking on the beach and enjoying the view of the on duty lifeguard. But despite those distractions, she still can't help but think about the present condition of her family. By the end of summer, they will no longer be a family.

After she literally runs into the gorgeous lifeguard, Pilot, she immediately feels a connection and can't stop thinking about him. Following this is a bunch of discoveries in between.

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I wasn't really quite sure what to expect upon reading this, I just found its synopsis pretty interesting and decided to give it a shot.

Sirena, was introduced as the story starts. She was a reagular teenage kid who suffers the difficulties of divorcing parents. She has a fun and laid-back atititude and I sometimes can't help but feel sad about her. The story just keeps giving me a dim perception about her and its seems that everything is just so sad with her.

Pilot was described as one hot guy who played as a lifeguard in this story. I never really did swoon over him, in fact at the beginning I find him annoying and irritating. As far as my reading was concerned, I'm pretty much aware that characters who acted annoying and irritating in a story always had a background story as to why they acted like that and Pilot is really one of those. He is keeping something from Serina. That certain mystery effect is enough for me to continue reading this. But one thing that really bothered me with Pilot's character is his relationship with his ex-girlfriend turned sister-like-friend , Adriana. I never really understand anything between them and I think it just adds more complication to the story.

The old man Antonio is the one I truly liked on this story. He was a very mysterious old man and has a certain power that could easily make people like him.

I started off with a good foot in reading this, but several chapters later, I begin to get lost and continue reading it just for the sake of finishing it and know the mystery behind it. I find reading the middle part a bit dragging since the events that happened feels random for me. The lifeguard has its own potential but it doesn't really appeal that much for me.But despite that, it was a unique and interesting. The story will give you things about infatuation, ghosts, separation and healing. I 'm pretty sure that readers who enjoys a little drama with a little twist of ghosts and supernatural will like this.

Thanks to Open Road Media & NetGalley for providing an advance copy for review.(less)

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Jan 25, 2012 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review:
The Lifeguard will leave you wanting more. It will keep you in it's clutches till the very last page, which ends sorta anti-climatically. I loved this book and if you want a feel good book, then you will too!! :)

Cover: Whew, did someone turn up the heat in here? Dang, if I had a body like that, and was a guy I would never wear a shirt. I would just walk around shirtless and be like, "Touch my abs, you know you want to!" LOL :)

Plot: The story started off a little slow and it slowly progre...more

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Oct 27, 2011 Jennifer Rinehart rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'm only a few chapters in and already, I'm super excited, like bad-things-will-happen-if-I-put-this-book-down kind of excitement. The last time I got this crazy about a romance is when I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles or maybe when I read Beautiful Disaster, possibly when I read The Iron Duke, eek, I have a tendency to go on and on. The point is I freaking love this book, so far, I really hope it doesn't lame out on me! Okay, enough for now, have to get back to reading! More review to...more I'm only a few chapters in and already, I'm super excited, like bad-things-will-happen-if-I-put-this-book-down kind of excitement. The last time I got this crazy about a romance is when I read Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles or maybe when I read Beautiful Disaster, possibly when I read The Iron Duke, eek, I have a tendency to go on and on. The point is I freaking love this book, so far, I really hope it doesn't lame out on me! Okay, enough for now, have to get back to reading! More review to follow . . .

Sad, sad news. The book explored well tread and boring lands. I am so disappointed right now, because the beginning was perfect!

Okay, so without giving away the plot, here's what really rattled my cage;

1. Instalove - Sirena runs into the lifeguard and is instantly smitten. This part was great, but the crush never turns into a real relationship. She doesn't have many moments with him and mostly spends her time watching him and being dazzled his golden skin, long blonde hair and manly build. He seems to have the same instalove too.

2. Ghosts, magical healing powers and mysterious stingrays - I love a good paranormal story. But for the paranormal elements to work, they have to be a real part of the plot, the characters can't be scared out of their ruffled panties one night by ghosties then hanging on the beach painting the next. It just doesn't make sense, why don't they move? Hire an exorcist? Wave some incense around or even seem the least bit disturbed the next morning?

3. Friendly dogs, old Men, injured children and volunteer work - When Sirena arrives at her aunt's beach cottage she's bleak and in my view, clinically depressed. She thinks about how broken her life is, ALL THE TIME, she shows little interest in anything but sleep and staring out windows, so Auntie throws the three best cures for depression at her, a sweet but mangy dog, an old man named Antonio who paints and a volunteer job at the local hospital. The old man is another case of Instalove - Sirena feels a bond to him that she doesn't understand. Often Sirena feels strange about things without any logical reason, she wonders about it but usually a friendly dog or the sexy lifeguard wander by to distract her from investigating said strange things. Her volunteer job at the hospital is pretty much the same deal, it's meant to diffuse her grief over her parents splitting up. Now, I don't mean to be insensitive, my parents didn't split up, they weren't together for long (crazy 70's) so I have nothing to compare this to, but it seems to me that she is going really nutty about parents divorce, she's seventeen, so she was only going to be at home for one year anyways, but she keeps getting maudlin thinking about her parents visiting her separately at college or possibly hooking up with other people, it just seems strange.

4. Paranormal elements are never fully explained. Worse, they just pop in at convenient times to save people. There's a weirdy talk between Sirena and the old painter guy Antonio that seems to imply sick people aren't really sick, they just think they are and a marketing plug for natural medicine and then, 'That's all Folks!' no more discussion.

5. Macking and stuff. If you like a guy and he takes you for an evening walk on the beach with some kissing and canoodling, do you, a) ask him about the gorgeous blonde he was cuddling with on the beach just days before, b) ask him about his grandpa or, c) tell him he's amazing. So the answer to this question really set me off.

6. Boring ending. After all of this, the ending was a bit of a letdown. The story seemed destined for it after the halfway point and then there was some silliness with a vengeful stingray that followed someone from far away and then, done, the end.

Frankly, I'm just not sure what else to say about this book, it seemed so good at first. I loved the lonely girl crushing on the godlike lifeguard, named Pilot, he was aloof, mysterious and so far out of her reach, it reminded me of my crush on an upperclassmen, the hopeless yearning, the fantasy of him actually noticing you, it was magical, but that part of the story faded away. Maybe throwing out all the supernatural and focusing on their coming together would save this book, because as is, it's too many fragments of a few stories stitched together by weirdly named characters and a contrived plot.
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Nov 28, 2012 Megan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Twilight Lovers

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal, nook-book, mystery, romance

I honestly don't know why I like this book so much. You'll see in my more detailed parts of the review that the book is lacking quite a bit of stuff, but for some reason, I really, really like it.

Back-Story: I purchased this as a nookbook during the Cyber Monday sales on a whim. It looked interesting and it didn't cost too much.

Review: Although this book is lacking quite a bit, I still for some reason really liked it.

Looks- The cover is eyecatching. Obviously if you're a girl, you're going to n...more

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May 25, 2012 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Adorable, semi chaotic and obsessed, this book was a quick and really good read. It made you think about things, why they happen and how history keeps repeating itself without even knowing it.

We meet Sirena, who was just shipped off to Rhode Island as her parents are at home dealing with their divorce and the selling of the house. They want her out of the way so they send her out to her aunts house in Rhode Island for the summer. Her best friend is at their usual spot at camp where Sirena would...more

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Jan 29, 2012 Stephanier76 rated it 4 of 5 stars

http://freak-ya-tastic.blogspot.com/2...

This book is a one shot I had the opportunity to read thanks to the publisher and Netgalley.

I don't really know how to qualify this book. Yes, it's a young-adult story that can easily be read by adults, yes there's a little romance in it and yes the main character is a teenager but you can't always put in neat folders every books you read.

I'm moved by Sirena – the main character – that is stubborn, complexe, lost and looking for her true self. She's living...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Kristin Hafling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

My Thoughts:
I received this book from the publisher from Netgalley in exchange for review.
This book really surprised me! I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get when I saw this one, thinking it would be a great read for the summer, I decided to check it out. I really enjoyed it, it was quick read for me finishing it in one day but, I wasn't expecting to like it so much, I was pleasantly suprised1
Our main character Sirena has gone to stay at her aunt's beachside home for the summer after find...more My Thoughts:
I received this book from the publisher from Netgalley in exchange for review.
This book really surprised me! I wasn't quite sure what I was going to get when I saw this one, thinking it would be a great read for the summer, I decided to check it out. I really enjoyed it, it was quick read for me finishing it in one day but, I wasn't expecting to like it so much, I was pleasantly suprised1
Our main character Sirena has gone to stay at her aunt's beachside home for the summer after finding out that her parents are getting divorced. Excited to be spending her summer at the beach she plans on becoming a strong swimmer and spending every day on the beach. While running along the beach she first encounters Pilot, the good-looking and magnetizing beach lifeguard.
Sirena was such an endearing main character, she is young and trying to deal with the fact that her parents are getting divorced and when she goes home at the end of the summer, her life is going to change. Throughout the book, you really saw how she began to mature and grow all thanks to this summer and the people she met along the way. Her aunt was such an awesome mentor for her in so many ways. Forcing Sirena to go to the local hospital and volunteer and not letting her get away with having an easy summer. The only thing that really disappointed me was how her relationship and feelings for the lifeguard were portrayed. She first meets Pilot when she is taking a run along the beach and almost steps on a sea anenomie. At first, I thought that it was just Sirena's first crush. Daydreaming about Pilot and how good looking he is. (something I think every teenage girl does) But, she eventually becomes completely obsessed with him after only having a few interactions with him. I kept wondering why she was completely enthralled with this guy when she barely knew him at all and it was seeming a little stalkerish. But, I was beginning to become curious of Pilot in the same ways that she was. Wondering who he was and picturing him in my own head. By the end of the book, you really see how much this one summer has changed her and how she has grown up. Learning so much about life and the things she wants from it, from the people she met over her one summer at the beach.
Overall, this book was a great summer read! A quick but, fast paced read that really kept my attention and I genuinely enjoyed completely. Although I wished the ending has a little bit more, it definitely made me want to go to the beach and meet a hot lifeguard myself! (A girl can dream right?) I recommend this one for anyone who loves a contemporary read with bits of fantasy and paranormal aspects thrown in. Check this one out!
Happy Reading!
Kristin
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Apr 18, 2012 Danica Page (One Page at a Time) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, asked-to-review, out-in-2012, romance, summer, relationships, young-adult, paranormal, family-issues, family-relations, coming-of-age

This is a condensed version of my review. To see my review in its entirety, please click here.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: First off I'd like to thank netgalley and the publisher of this book for giving me a chance to review this.

I went into this book after simply having read the cover and the synopsis. Plus, I'm a lifeguard so there was a big draw for me to read it. I was expecting this to be a beachy summer romance. And while it did take place on a beach and there was romance, this novel...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Melissa ( I rock peoples socks!) rated it 4 of 5 stars

~Rating: 3 and 1/2 Stars

Pilot. I just don't trust him. Like, he's a great guy but he was so secretive and quiet for a good chunk of the book. Then all the sudden: "Yeah, I do like you Sirena. I'll kiss you back." It took him for ever to realize it and to be honest, it bugged me. He also doesn't seem like a real genuine guy.

Sirena. She annoyed me. She's obsessed with Pilot, the uninterested lifeguard. It's like, GET A CLUE. She's so upset with her own life and problems... very whiny. All she want...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Wow...not what I was expecting, but everything I didn't expect to happen was there. This book drew to me because, well, the cover, the brief plot summary on the inside cover, and the possiblity of a sunny late-summer read. That was what I was expecting.

Sirena Shane arrives to her Aunt Ellie's beach cottage at the beginning of the summer, unsettled, dejected, and unhappy, but she won't leave that magical place with mysterious characters the same way. I like the lifeguard, Pilot, from the beginni...more

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Mar 05, 2012 Julie(Reading By The Beach) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-mar, netgalley

I received an ARC of this book through the publisher on Netgalley.

The recommended age for The Lifeguard is thirteen and up, I must agree that this is a perfect book for that age group. It was really cute, super sweet, but ultimately a little too young for me.

Sirena is a sixteen year old girl, and boy, does Deborah Blumenthal channel a sixteen year old with her writing! Sirena's thought process, her slight obsession, her anger with her parents. . . it all reminded me of being sixteen. Pilot is a...more

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May 22, 2012 Tonya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Good. Average. For YA fiction, this was a good book. I think young girls will enjoy it immensely, it is right on their level. A lot of babble, and writings between best friends that will have their attention. And a hot guy to boot.

A lot is going on in Sirena's life. Besides being a teenage girl, her parents are getting divorced so instead of sending her to camp this year, she gets to go to Rhode Island and stay with her aunt Ellie.

What Sirena didn't count on is being taken with Pilot, a local te...more

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Anyone read this? If so did you life it?	1	4	Aug 26, 2012 11:04am
Anyone read this? If so did you life it?	1	2	Aug 26, 2012 11:04am

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