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Edgewater

Courtney Sheinmel (Goodreads Author)

3.68 · Rating details · 553 ratings · 132 reviews

Lorrie Hollander used to be a rich girl, but now she's lost everything because of the secrets and lies of the people around her. It's been 12 years since Lorrie's mother skipped town and left Lorrie in the care of her unstable aunt Gigi. Together they live in a neglected, decrepit mansion called Edgewater, the eyesore in a town of extraordinary wealth and privilege. Then ...more

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Kindle Edition, 336 pages

Published September 8th 2015 by Abrams/Amulet

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· 553 ratings · 132 reviews

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Sep 04, 2015 Maja (The Nocturnal Library) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary-fiction, incredibly-stupid-choices, own-a-dtb, abrams, reviewed-in-2015, arc-2015

Reminiscent of the TV series Scandal in several aspects, Courtney Sheinmel’s YA debut novel Edgewater brings a lush atmosphere, romance, political intrigue, and deeply buried secrets.

Lorrie’s life is all about keeping up appearances and living the life she feels entitled to, even though it’s fairly obvious that she doesn’t quite belong among the rich and carefree. On the surface, it seems quite shallow, but there’s more to Lorrie’s efforts than that. Abandoned by both her parents and left in the care of a flaky, possibly bipolar aunt, Lorrie sees boarding schools and riding camps as an escape from her shameful family and her embarrassing home. The family estate, Edgewater, was once an awe-inspiring house, but now it’s in ruins and completely out of control. Lorrie is deeply ashamed of her circumstances and her only goal for years has been to hide the downfall of her family however she can. When the funds finally dry up completely, Lorrie has to adjust her worldview, but just then, long ago buried secrets start coming to light. It seems that both her family and that of Charlie Copeland, political prince and Lorrie’s crush, have something awful to hide.

Edgewater may be Courtney Sheinmel’s debut YA novel, but she has plenty of other works behind her, and she already honed her writer’s voice into something gentle and distinctive, beautiful yet unobtrusive. Her style is fairly simplistic and clear, but it still manages to surprise and impress with a particularly clever turn of phrase or an unexpected epithet. Even more importantly, her sentences are saturated with emotions, Lorrie’s shame in particular screaming at us from every page.

If I were to offer any constructive criticism, it would be about secondary characters, which, on occasion, seemed a bit cartoonish and over the top. A lot more could have been accomplished by focusing more on Gigi and Susannah and less on the romance and Lorrie’s friendship with Lennox. I felt that those two characters in particular had more to give and I was disappointed that they weren’t used to their full potential.

Otherwise, though, Edgewater was a breath of fresh air that pushed me right back into reading YA after growing tired of it in late spring. It’s not your average contemporary YA and not just another mystery. It jumps skillfully back and forth between genres and enchants with depth of emotion and its rich atmosphere.
...more

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Nov 11, 2014 Shannon (It Starts At Midnight) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 2015, september-2015, read-for-review

This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
It wasn't that Edgewater was a bad book, it's just that it wasn't a good one either. It was fine, I guess. But I am not reading a book for "fine, I guess", I want to read a story, I want to have feeling evoked, I want to take a journey. I still am not all that sure what the point of this book even was. Lorrie was also "fine, I guess", though not particularly memorable. She wasn't awful either, so that was good. Her family was a weird This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight
It wasn't that Edgewater was a bad book, it's just that it wasn't a good one either. It was fine, I guess. But I am not reading a book for "fine, I guess", I want to read a story, I want to have feeling evoked, I want to take a journey. I still am not all that sure what the point of this book even was. Lorrie was also "fine, I guess", though not particularly memorable. She wasn't awful either, so that was good. Her family was a weird mess, and I kind of don't understand how some type of child protective services wasn't involved? Their house was a disaster, they had no electricity, water, phone service, food... and the state of the house was clear to passersby, so... what gives?

So the family was a trainwreck, and the parents were off Parents-in-YA Syndrome-ing. Lorrie had a friend named... something unremarkable, and they ended up befriending Charlie, the son of some Kennedyesque senator. They (of course) hit it off almost immediately, because why wouldn't they? They both have the personalities of drywall, so I see the appeal. ::side-eye:: Again, none of these characters pissed me off, they just didn't make me feel much of anything.

There's a side plot about a horse. I think Orion may have been my favorite character. I even remembered his name, so that's kind of a big deal. Of course, since Lorrie's family can't afford water and electricity, they probably don't exactly have tons of extra cash for her dreams of equestrianism, so this presents a problem for Lorrie. I did worry about her, because Orion was kind of her "thing". I... don't know if she had any other "things" except maybe hiding poverty and being surly?
Anyway, the plot moves pretty slowly, which I don't always mind as long as the characters were keeping my interest. Which they weren't, so I kind of minded. There were a few bigger plot twists which I guess might surprise some people, but I saw pretty much all of it coming.

Bottom Line: I feel like I am the black sheep here, because a lot of people on Goodreads seem to like this one. Like I said, I didn't hate it, I just have absolutely no emotions toward it in general.

**Copy provided from publisher for review ...more

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Jun 23, 2015 Kai rated it it was amazing

Edgewater is about Lorrie Hollander, who hates her mother for leaving Lorrie and her sister with their unstable aunt Gigi, in a run-down mansion in Long Island, NY. Wanting to escape being home with her family, Lorrie uses the trust fund her mom left to be away at boarding school and horse camp. But one day the trust fund mysteriously disappears, and Lorrie is forced home. At least she has her best friend Lennox to hang out with, along with a new friend, Charlie. Charlie is the son of a famous ...more

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Jun 09, 2015 Katie rated it it was amazing

Recommends it for: fans of WE WERE LIARS, young adults, horse lovers

I finished reading Edgewater last night and was late to a party because once I got about 50 pages from the end, I just couldn't put it down. (I know people say that as a throwaway expression for any good book, but I mean it literally.) From the amazingness of EDGEWATER, you would have no idea that Courtney Sheinmel hasn't been writing YA her whole career. It is face-paced, exciting, and feels so real. Unlike so much YA, EDGEWATER isn't just the story of a relationship between a girl and a guy. ...more

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May 18, 2015 Laura L rated it it was amazing

This book is like Scandal and Grey Gardens rolled together, and I totally didn't expect the end. LOVED this one!

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Aug 11, 2015 Logan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I couldn't wait to read Courtney Sheinmel's Edgewater. My children have read all of her Stella Batts' series and while I have read her middle years books (Positively is amazing!), I was excited to see her take on an older audience. Edgewater is beautifully written; it is rich with detail, so much so that I saw the images playing in the movie screen in my mind. The story is compelling, thought provoking, and explores the complicated subjects of money, love, politics, and shame. I could not put it ...more

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Aug 10, 2015 Christine Whelan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

If you liked Grey Gardens, you will LOVE this book!

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Jul 31, 2015 Katie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: addictive-reads

The bond between a girl and her horse. This is a bond that not many people can understand or would even want to understand. Growing up riding horses and having my Paint Mare as my best friend - I understand oh so well how deeply connected a girl and her horse are.

Edgewater is a Young Adult novel, which touches on so many topics young girls go through while trying to "find" themselves.

Lorrie was used to living the life of the rich - memories of her mother abandoning her and her sister flood her ...more

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Aug 06, 2015 Tee loves Kyle Jacobson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: around-the-world-arc-tours, 2015-arc, 2015-new-release, july-2015

Man oh man I did not expect this book to be what it was. I mean there is mystery, suspense, lies and hidden truths.

This story starts out with Lorrie living her dreams by going to Boarding school and having the life. Then one day the money is gone and she is sent to live with her estranged mother and aunt Gigi in a rich town full of mansions and money only she will be living in a neglected mansion that is falling apart. The mansion is called Edgewater because it once was beautiful but is now the ...more

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Jun 25, 2015 Amy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This riches-to-rags story was riveting from beginning to end. Lorrie Hollander's home in a tony Long Island town used to be the kind of house people envied. But since Lorrie's mother skipped town, and left her children in the incapable hands of their aunt Gigi, everything has turned to shambles. Lorrie's younger sister doesn't seem to mind the chaos; in fact, she thrives on it. But Lorrie herself doesn't want anyone to know the truth about where she lives -- not her best friend, and certainly ...more

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Aug 04, 2015 Altana Elings-Haynie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

As an equestrian, I found this book to be so authentic and honest. Although, I think non-equestrians would love it as well. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone -- my favorite read of 2015!

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Jul 10, 2015 Bri rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, stand-alone-novel, realistic-fiction, 2015, 2015-release, arc-physical

I really enjoyed this book. It was sort of a mix between realistic fiction and mystery and in my opinion it was very unique. Full of secrets, I needed to know answers and couldn't read fast enough!

The plot moved sort of slow at a few points, but once I got past them I couldn't put it down. Overall it was fast-paced though and I loved how descriptive the writing style was. I will definitely be reading more by this author!

At first I really didn't trust Charlie, I didn't really know if he truly ...more

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May 21, 2015 Joannah Keats rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, ebooks

Edgewater hooked me from the first chapter. I have always been a sucker for stories about how the "other half" live, and thus I was drawn in by imagining a life of huge NY mansions, boarding schools, celebrity boys, and of course – owning a horse to bring to riding camp.

The mysteries and twists Sheinmel includes are bonus material. Certain elements may be predictable to some readers, but many of them I simply did not see coming. I appreciate an author with the ability to still surprise me.

...more

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May 17, 2015 fee rated it really liked it

Shelves: advanced-reader-copies, 2015-challenge

4.5/5

I found this book absolutely brilliant, The only reason I dropped half a star was due to the ending.

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May 11, 2015 Rebekkah Koons rated it really liked it

Edgewater, by Courtney Sheinmel, is a beautifully written story about a girl named Lorrie Hollander, who is used to living a life with money and spending her time at her fancy equestrian camp during summer and the prestigious Hillyer Academy during the school year. At camp, she’s an advanced horse rider with her own horse, Orion, surrounded by her equally wealthy friends. Little do her friends know, Lorrie is about to become broke and will be forced to move back home to her aunt’s decrepit Edgewater, by Courtney Sheinmel, is a beautifully written story about a girl named Lorrie Hollander, who is used to living a life with money and spending her time at her fancy equestrian camp during summer and the prestigious Hillyer Academy during the school year. At camp, she’s an advanced horse rider with her own horse, Orion, surrounded by her equally wealthy friends. Little do her friends know, Lorrie is about to become broke and will be forced to move back home to her aunt’s decrepit mansion called Edgewater. Once Lorrie returns to Edgewater, she realizes she must not only figure out where her aunt hid her trust fund money, but how to pay all her bills, so she can return to Camp with Orion and to boarding school for her senior year. In order to accomplish this, she has to face the family she desperately wanted to leave behind.

As Lorrie returns to her hometown to clear up her money issues, she realizes her aunt is not mentally capable of taking care of her trust fund anymore. Further, her sister is living in a delusional world, with her freeloading boyfriend, while their family home goes to ruin. Lorrie is forced to face herself, convinced she is not like her rich, snobby friends, but also not like her irresponsible aunt and mother–who abandoned both daughters to live with her boyfriend in London. What Lorrie thinks will be a simple fix turns into an epiphany. The perfect world she tried to create for herself begins to crumble around her as she investigates her family’s financial problems.

Courtney Sheinmel is an extremely talented writer. The way she uses words to describe the beach town Lorrie is from and various other locations, allows you to picture it perfectly in your head. The reader becomes lost in her words and the story itself. The beginning was just right, giving you enough information to keep you from getting lost, while creating enough intrigue to keep you reading.

I stayed up well into the early morning finishing this book, hooked by the depth of Sheinmel’s characters. I was especially impressed with Lorrie, whose inner conflict–between saving face and looking the “rich girl” part, and the empathy she had for her aunt and sister–was a constant struggle for her throughout the story. This tension showed in every interaction she had with the novel’s characters, including her beloved horse. I would suggest pre-ordering this book now if you like a story with complex character relationships, beautiful settings, mystery, or a love for horses. ...more

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Sep 24, 2015 Once rated it liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars

This is not typically the kind of book I’d first go for, to be honest. I am more of a fantasy, supernatural, sci-fi –basically anything unrealistic –kind of gal, but I admit this book caught me by surprise. Probably because I was able to identify so much with the main character, Lorrie, who is a very mature (although sometimes too strict) 17 year-old girl. I was able to identify with her so much because I share her love for organization, cleanliness, and horses –and because I was a 3.5 stars

This is not typically the kind of book I’d first go for, to be honest. I am more of a fantasy, supernatural, sci-fi –basically anything unrealistic –kind of gal, but I admit this book caught me by surprise. Probably because I was able to identify so much with the main character, Lorrie, who is a very mature (although sometimes too strict) 17 year-old girl. I was able to identify with her so much because I share her love for organization, cleanliness, and horses –and because I was a little strict and stuck up at her age as well.

Lorrie’s family used to have a lot of money and she, her younger sister Susannah, and their aunt-turned-guardian Gigi live in the mansion called Edgewater left by her grandfather after her mother abandoned them. The problem is that Gigi had her priorities completely wrong and would spend thousands of dollars in Louboutin shoes and birthday parties for her, yet the house was in complete decay (so much so it was considered the eyesore of the very rich town they lived in). I’m surprise child services were never called on her! She wasn’t a bad person; she was just a 13-year-old girl inside the body of an adult, who obviously suffered from Major Depressive Disorder. At least she tried her hardest to be a good aunt! Anyway, when Lorrie realizes they have literally no money left, that’s when everything starts to go wrong for her and she takes the responsibility of the bills on her shoulders, without telling anyone.

This book became a page-turner for me because the author was able to pull me in from the first page and I really wanted to find out what the mystery behind Lorrie’s mother was, along with what the connection between Lorrie’s and her love interest’s (Charlie Copeland) families was. This book is easy to relate to –even if you’ve never been rich like all of the characters in the story are –because the things some of them go through are things many have gone through, and because they’re so real. I know for sure I’ve been in Lorrie’s shoes more than once and have to be the one to help out my family.

Anyway, if you want to read a story in which there’s some mystery, love, and lots of love for animals, then this book is for you. It’s a cute story that could be a light and easy read for anyone. - Taimara ...more

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Sep 05, 2015 Leanna (daisychainbooks) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Grey Gardens meets Scandal via The O.C. in Edgewater, Courtney Sheinmel’s YA debut. Beautifully written and compelling throughout, Edgewater, named after the dilapidated mansion which houses our heroine, is a late-night guilty-pleasure Soap Opera in book form. Shocking drama, dashingly handsome hunks, political intrigue and family secrets are the page-turning order of the day!

Lorrie Hollander has never had to worry about money. Ever since her mother left to start a new life with her boyfriend ...more

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Jun 22, 2015 J. E. S. rated it it was amazing

This was a a compelling and complex book that kept me up late reading. Highly recommended.

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Sep 22, 2015 Danielle rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Read more reviews at What Danielle Did Next

4.5 stars

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a sucker for stories about how the "other half" live. Glimpses into the most exclusive communities, with unimaginable riches, memberships to country clubs and wardrobes spilling open with the finest Couture Paris and Milan has to offer are the perfect escape for me. When I read the blurb for EDGEWATER and realised it was a Riches to Rags story reminiscent of the tragic GREY GARDENS, I know it would be right up Read more reviews at What Danielle Did Next

4.5 stars

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm a sucker for stories about how the "other half" live. Glimpses into the most exclusive communities, with unimaginable riches, memberships to country clubs and wardrobes spilling open with the finest Couture Paris and Milan has to offer are the perfect escape for me. When I read the blurb for EDGEWATER and realised it was a Riches to Rags story reminiscent of the tragic GREY GARDENS, I know it would be right up my street. Part Gossip Girl and Dynasty with a sprinkle of Scandal and The O.C thrown into the mix, EDGEWATER ticked all my boxes. Mystery and romance, with a brave and likeable heroine and an amazing story that kept me enthralled from start to finish, this was definitely one of my favourite reads this year.

Lorrie Hollander lives in "that" house. Part of the exclusive, privileged town of Idlewild, Long Island - surrounded by mansions decorated in sheer opulence and grandeur - stands Edgewater. Once a symbol of wealth and prestige, it is now the eyesore of the community. Decaying, filthy and home to several creatures carrying disease, Edgewater represents everything wrong with Lorrie's life. Neglected by her guardian - Aunt Gigi whose grasp on reality diminishes with each passing day, Lorrie's only comfort is her trust fund that allows her to escape to the best prep school on the East Coast and spend summers riding her beloved horse Orion at an exclusive riding camp. When Lorrie is called into the office and told her stay is no longer viable due to insufficient funds, Lorrie finds herself back at Edgewater for the summer and quickly realises just how dire the situation is. With no place to escape to, Lorrie is forced to confront the mismanagement of their estate by Gigi, the psychological effects it has had on her younger sister Susannah and the hopelessness she feels with every passing moment living in a sprawling wasteland that feels more like a prison.

Throw in Charlie Copeland, son of a Senator and heir to a political dynasty to rival The Kennedys, who has taken a fancy to Lorrie, she feels like she's running out of time. Desperate to save her family whilst pursuing the mutual attraction with Charlie and figuring out a way to keep him from finding out she’s one of "those Hollanders", Lorrie finds herself pulled into an old family mystery that if revealed could bring down the fragile house of cards the families of America's most privileged postcode have sought to keep stable. Full of beautiful imagery, searing emotion and fabulous storytelling, EDGEWATER is a truly special book.

Beautifully written, with lush description EDGEWATER flowed easily and never faltered. I loved how real and flawed Lorrie was. My heart broke with her as I walked beside her on her emotional journey and I definitely shed a tear on more than one occasion as Sheinmel pulls no punches and brings home just what a haunting loss Lorrie and her sister have been subjected to with both the absence of an adult to raise them but also to protect them and keep them safe. There are a lot of serious issues raised in this book and Sheinmel does a great job of balancing their inclusion within the story without letting them overwhelm the plot and equally without the graveness of the subject matter being brushed over. The inclusion of the politics really added an extra dimension to the story and kept me hooked, constantly eager to know more. I loved the romance between Lorrie and Charlie however I would like to have seen more development of it as by the end I felt I didn't know enough about Charlie to truly invest in his character. The ending seemed a little rushed and I would have loved to have seen more of the secondary characters and discovered how they coped with the revelations that unfolded. Overall, the story was fantastic and my gripes are minor.

EDGEWATER is an engaging YA novel, that will be loved by teens and adults alike. Honest, elegantly crafted, with characters that will capture your heart and stay with you long after you reluctantly close the book, EGDEWATER is a simply terrific read. ...more

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Jul 29, 2015 Cynthia (Bingeing On Books) rated it did not like it

Shelves: one-star, arcs

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Am I missing something with this book? Most of the reviews on here are four stars and so many people are calling this a brilliant book. I am going to be the black sheep, I guess. Lorrie is dealing with money problems. Her mom left her and her sister years before and also left a financial trust to be run by their aunt Gigi. For most of the book, I wanted to strangle Gigi, as well as Lorrie's sister Susannah. Their mansion was filthy I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

Am I missing something with this book? Most of the reviews on here are four stars and so many people are calling this a brilliant book. I am going to be the black sheep, I guess. Lorrie is dealing with money problems. Her mom left her and her sister years before and also left a financial trust to be run by their aunt Gigi. For most of the book, I wanted to strangle Gigi, as well as Lorrie's sister Susannah. Their mansion was filthy and crawling with rodents and neither of them seemed to care. Gig just seemed oblivious to the financial problems. Lorrie tried to gain control over the trust, but Gigi says she changed banks and won't tell her which one. Then the power and water and phones all get shut off and STILL Gigi is living in dream land. WTH?!? For most of the book, I also was cursing the whole "absentee parent" syndrome that seems to plague most teens within YA literature. I mean, both parents just disappear and Gigi is not really a worthy guardian so they may as well be alone. Towards the end of the book, there was an explanation for why the mom left. There was also an explanation given for the dad leaving, but I still didn't understand that one. The reason for the dad leaving was ridiculous and completely unbelievable.

Let's talk about the characters: Lorrie was very bland and so was Charlie. Charlie is the son of a senator whom she falls for after a day. Granted, they don't confess their undying love, but she does start wondering what his favorite condiment is and obsesses over other stupid details after a couple of hours with him. I wouldn't necessarily have minded except for the fact that Charlie was so DULL. There was no chemistry and no reason why Lorrie should have fallen so hard for him. They had a handful of conversations and all of them just about put me to sleep.

Now let's talk about that "shocking" ending. Were there a few parts of it that were a surprise? Sure. But I actually saw the rest of it coming within the first 15% of the book. And this is coming from someone who almost never sees anything coming. I am clueless when it comes to these things. So believe me when I say that if I guessed it, then you can too. And the way part of the secret was discovered was so completely predictable as well. After all the secrets came out, it's like the author just gave up. We were given brief summaries of what happened to everyone within the span of a few pages. That part was as boring as the characters.

I just would not recommend this book. ...more

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Jun 16, 2015 Ms. Yingling rated it liked it · review of another edition

E ARC from Netgalley.com

Lorrie is sent home early from a posh equestrian camp because her aunt has not paid the bills. When Lorrie gets home, she finds her younger sister, Savannah, left to her own devices while her aunt is being depressed and not taking care of either financial matters or the girls. Lorrie manages to get a job at a local stable, hoping to get enough money to get her horse sent home, but things are even worse than she imagined. When she goes to the bank, there is no trust fund. ...more

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Jun 22, 2015 Edith rated it really liked it

My review as posted on netgalley: This was such a wonderful book! From the beginning to the end, I loved every minute of it.

This book told of love, of loss, of circumstances we cannot control, of manipulation, of being forced into roles you might not have chosen for yourself, of loyalty, of embarrassment, and especially of wealth not shielding you from the unpleasantness and pains life could bring your way.

The book was well written. The characters were complex and developed. The story line ...more

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Oct 30, 2015 Julia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I highly enjoyed this book even more than I expected.
Though I kind of guessed some of the plot twist it was still pretty good.
It was kinda hard to get into but after the first 70 pages it picked up speed and was easy to read.

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Aug 14, 2015 Kirsty-Marie Jones rated it really liked it · review of another edition

(3.5) Figured out the first twist, but the second was good.

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Jan 17, 2018 Emma added it · review of another edition

Edgewater by Courtney Sheinmel is a very entertaining book which was published in 2015. This book contains plots twist that will have you on the edge of your seat. Lorrie Hollander is the main character in this book and she was a very privileged and spent her time at a camp for advanced horseback riders. She was just like normal teenage girls, well she had a bit of an issue with her mom. Her mom had walked out on them and she hadn't seen her in several years. Using the money from her trust Edgewater by Courtney Sheinmel is a very entertaining book which was published in 2015. This book contains plots twist that will have you on the edge of your seat. Lorrie Hollander is the main character in this book and she was a very privileged and spent her time at a camp for advanced horseback riders. She was just like normal teenage girls, well she had a bit of an issue with her mom. Her mom had walked out on them and she hadn't seen her in several years. Using the money from her trust funds, Lorrie was able to be just like the other girls at the camp, even if she knew she was far from that. Her Aunt Gigi had been taking care of Lorrie and was making sure that her bills to the boarding school were paid off. It wasn't rare if Gigi had fallen behind on paying the bills and was a couple of days late, but that wasn't the issue this time. Lorrie soon realized that her Aunt had fallen behind the deadlines and the school was forced to kick Lorrie out. She then returned to Edgewater where her sister and aunt were. When coming back to this town, Lorrie was starting to unravel things about her moms past and her entire family. While being in town she made friends with Charlie but doesn't want to get too close because she didn't want other people knowing her families past. Little did she know her family wasn't the only family with deep secrets. Lorrie goes through this journey on rediscovering who she really is and the history of her family. The main character Lorrie is the most developed character and I think many people who have had trouble with finding out who their family really is can relate to her. Also, when meeting new people she doesn't want to get too close to them and have them judge her on the past that her family has had, which I think for many people can be scary to open up to people about. This is a very enjoyable book to read and if you like a good mystery book this is defiantly a one to read. The plot of this book is not like others have a read, except for the fact that everybody has a past good or bad. It's about Lorrie's past that makes this book so interesting and how the author lets the readers keep uncovering piece by piece the story behind Lorrie's family. The main lesson you can learn from this book is that you don't know what every person is going through you only know how much they let on. Some people act as if their life is perfect but really they have far from a perfect life. I would recommend this book for high schools because they can relate to the main character a lot, and since it is a strong female lead I would only recommend this book to women.

...more

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Jun 03, 2015 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc

Lately, I’ve switched almost entirely over to mini-reviews. It’s sort of overwhelming how many reviews there are for most things, and I didn’t want to add more to the noise than felt right. Edgewater gets a full review because a) it was a great surprise and b) I’ve not heard any hype about it all. So this is my announcement: Edgewater is good, and, if it wasn’t on your to-read list, maybe it should be.

From the blurb, I wasn’t really that interested in Edgewater. If you’re wondering why I picked Lately, I’ve switched almost entirely over to mini-reviews. It’s sort of overwhelming how many reviews there are for most things, and I didn’t want to add more to the noise than felt right. Edgewater gets a full review because a) it was a great surprise and b) I’ve not heard any hype about it all. So this is my announcement: Edgewater is good, and, if it wasn’t on your to-read list, maybe it should be.

From the blurb, I wasn’t really that interested in Edgewater. If you’re wondering why I picked it up at BEA, it was partly because it was there and partly because I like to allow for surprises like this one. There’s something really lovely about going into a book with zero expectations and finding a diamond in the rough.

Edgewater reminds me most of I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, a classic YA fans should definitely read. And then they should watch the movie. Both feature girls in messed up families living in a once-marvelous home. Lorrie’s home, Edgewater, used to be the nicest home in an area of mansions, but now it’s more disgusting than many of the homes you’d see on Hoarders. Seriously, during the first scene, a cat pees in the stairwell because that’s just how things are there. And, no, that doesn’t get cleaned up.

Lorrie dealt with her fucked up home life by running away from it: to boarding school and horseback-riding camp. The money left for the daughters by her mother before she ran off to Europe with her lover, leaving them with flighty Aunt Gigi as a guardian, was enough for Lorrie to keep up appearances. It was not enough to keep Edgewater from crumbling into disrepair and lbr biohazard status.

When Aunt Gigi fails to transfer the month’s money into her account, Lorrie finds herself summarily kicked out of horseback riding camp. She has to borrow money from her best friend Lennox to even get a flight home, and she has to leave her precious horse Orion behind until she finds money to pay for his shipment.

Edgewater could easily have felt like a poor little rich kid book, but it really didn’t. Lorrie’s home life is so completely fucked up, with the sanity of both her sister and aunt seeming a bit questionable. I don’t want to delve into the plot stuff too much, but I really liked the way Sheinmel resolved things; things are less black and white than I expected, which was really refreshing.

Obviously I love Orion a lot. The scenes where Lorrie was with Orion were the most emotional ones for me. Like Lorrie, I’ve always been obsessed with horses, though I never had my own. As with the dilapidated home, Sheinmel’s descriptions really bring the scene to vibrant life. She even manages to make mucking out stalls not sound that terrible, because to Lorrie it isn’t; it’s part of having and loving a horse.

The romance was a bit on the meh side, coming a bit too fast for my taste, though I wouldn’t call it instalove. There just wasn’t enough of a connection for me to care about it too much. I do, however, really appreciate Lorrie’s friendship with Lennox. Lorrie’s keeping a lot of secrets and does a lot of bad friend things, but their friendship is a strong one. In YA, there’s often a dearth of these solid friendships, so it’s nice to see. I also liked that they did fight and work through things, because friends do fight and a friendship is only strong if you can work through those times.

Sitting at home on the couch on Labor Day, I read through Edgewater in just a couple of hours. There was something so compelling about it that kept me from putting it down. ...more

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Aug 05, 2015 Justin rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was completely captivated by Edgewater. Courtney isn’t new to writing books, but she is new to YA with Edgewater marking her debut. It’s always great to see a debut YA author come out of the gates strongly. Edgewater is a fantastic debut for a wide variety of different reasons, some of which I will discuss in this review. Others, you will have to read the book to experience.

First off I want to quickly discuss the story.. It’s a contemporary, which naturally leads many people to expect certain I was completely captivated by Edgewater. Courtney isn’t new to writing books, but she is new to YA with Edgewater marking her debut. It’s always great to see a debut YA author come out of the gates strongly. Edgewater is a fantastic debut for a wide variety of different reasons, some of which I will discuss in this review. Others, you will have to read the book to experience.

First off I want to quickly discuss the story.. It’s a contemporary, which naturally leads many people to expect certain things out of a book. It’s the mystery aspect of the book that really thrives, at least for me as a reader. It was an interesting story, with some pretty weird and unique situations. It’s hard to wrap my head around Lorrie’s family. I could have an insanely long discussion around Lorrie and her family, but I want to leave that for you to experience when you get a chance to dive into the book.

I already started talking a little about the characters, but there is so much to talk about. I love the fact that there is so much detail put into the characters. At times, the development could be a little slow. But once you put everything together, it’s easy to see how well written the characters are. Especially Lorrie and her family, like I had mentioned above. You can’t forget about all of the side characters either. They definitely play important roles and I think you will be surprised with just how memorable they can be.

When you start working your way through Edgewater, I will be incredibly surprised if you can piece things together quickly. Courtney does an amazing job throwing in twists throughout the book to help the story fresh and interesting. It also assists in making the book a lot of fun to read. My advice, would to go into with an open mind. Don’t set out to answer everything early on. Read the book, and let things slowly come to you as you get further and further into the book. I can promise it will make the experience a lot more fun.

Edgewater is one of the better books I have read this year, and I honestly wouldn’t consider it being something that was really over the top in any way. As far as story goes, I would say it’s a pretty average book. But the phenomenal writing behind the story is what makes the book shine, and hopefully you will get the same great experience out of it that I did.
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Feb 13, 2016 Aoife rated it really liked it

Shelves: horses, ya, mystery, kindle

3.5 stars

I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest feedback.

Lorrie lives in a dilapidated mansion with her aunt and sister. All Lorrie cares about in the world is making something of herself and her horse Orion but when money suddenly becomes tighter than usual, Lorrie has to start investigating matters and try to save everything in the process.

I enjoyed this for the most part. I liked Lorrie and her personality, and I definitely loved all ...more

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Sep 06, 2015 SJH (A Dream of Books) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, for-review, contemporary-ya, mystery

I found this book very slow. I got about half-way through and then realised that nothing had really happened yet. Although I've seen some great reviews for this title and it did sound promising beforehand, I have come to the conclusion that it just wasn't for me.

The story is about a teenager called Lorrie, who used to live a life of privilege and riches before her family end up losing all their money. Abandoned by her mother, Lorrie and her sister live with their Aunt Gigi in their now ...more

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Jul 06, 2015 Nicole rated it really liked it

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I picked this book up because the description sounded like this was set in a mix of Grey Gardens and Mrs. Havisham's house, and I wasn't far off the mark. This looming disaster of a house and its strange inhabitants are a large part of the conflict for Lorrie, the protagonist. They are also representative of her internal conflict which is fueled by the disorder created by a snarled web of secrets that she has to ...more

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About Courtney Sheinmel

Courtney Sheinmel

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Born in California. Raised in New York. Went to law school, now write full time. Love: long walks, fresh notebooks, the smell of brownies, pomegranate seeds. Don't love: yogurt, spam (the email kind, and the food kind), deep water, deserted city streets.

My new middle grade series, The Kindness Club, debuts this fall. Look for book 1, CHLOE ON THE BRIGHT SIDE, on November 1, 2016.

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