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Local Girl Swept Away
Stark, uncompromising, seductive, beautiful - this describes the tourist town of Cape Cod, where a young woman's body remains to be found. Three friends struggle to come to terms with their missing leader and with the secrets each endeavor to hide.
Set in the Cape Cod village of Provincetown, Massachusetts, this is the story about 17-year-old Jackie's struggle to overcome her grief and confusion after her best friend is carried out to sea during a storm. Lorna had been the dynamic leader of a tight-knit group of four friends - Jackie, Lucas and Finn - and her disappearance changes the dynamics between the surviving three. Jackie is still hiding her feelings for Finn, who had been Lorna's boyfriend, and Lucas has withdrawn to the point where Jackie wonders if he is keeping a secret even larger than her own. Meanwhile the future looms, and Jackie fears leaving the only life she has known.
Set in the Cape Cod village of Provincetown, Massachusetts, this is the story about 17-year-old Jackie's struggle to overcome her grief and confusion after her best friend is carried out to sea during a storm. Lorna had been the dynamic leader of a tight-knit group of four friends - Jackie, Lucas and Finn - and her disappearance changes the dynamics between the surviving three. Jackie is still hiding her feelings for Finn, who had been Lorna's boyfriend, and Lucas has withdrawn to the point where Jackie wonders if he is keeping a secret even larger than her own. Meanwhile the future looms, and Jackie fears leaving the only life she has known.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published June 15, 2016
9 people are currently reading
865 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Wittlinger
34 books271 followersEllen Wittlinger is the critically acclaimed author of 15 young adult novels including Parrotfish, Heart on My Sleeve, Love & Lies: Marisol's Story, Razzle, What's in a Name, and Hard Love (an American Library Association Michael L. Printz Honor Book, a Lambda Literary Award winner, and a Booklist Editors' Choice). She has a bachelor's degree from Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop. A former children's librarian, she lives with her husband in western Massachusetts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
January 10, 2019
Four best friends
One terrible accident
Then she was swept away.
With their friend missing everyone is divided and puts a strain on the remamining friends.
It was easy and light and I wanted deeper drama and action. More mysteries.
One terrible accident
Then she was swept away.
With their friend missing everyone is divided and puts a strain on the remamining friends.
It was easy and light and I wanted deeper drama and action. More mysteries.
August 25, 2018
This was a really good mystery / thriller. A girl is swept out to sea when she slips off the breakwater in a storm. All of her friends see it happen. One tries to save her and fails. Of course, not everything is as it seems. The friends struggle with their grief and guilt in different ways. And then the secrets start to be revealed. There is a lot more going on in this small town on the Cape (it's P-town, but it seems small to the locals). The biggest secret of all is the one you least expect and it turns all of their lives upside down. I liked the characters, especially the narrator. The story is well written. It will suck you right in. I definitely recommend it.
June 17, 2016
ORIGINAL REVIEW AND GIVEAWAY POSTED AT www.martasbookshelf.blogspot.com
When I went to the post office to pick up a package I had no idea what contained, I did not know I would end up loving it so much. Local Girl Swept Away was sent to me in exchange for an honest review on my blog, so I want to thank the amazing people over at Merit Press for gifting me with such a beautiful and emotional story.
After Lorna's accident, we follow our main character, Jackie, through her grief, fighting off her own demons, trying to get over her best friend's death, but, at the same time, frightened to move on and forget about her. It was really horrifying to read about losing a friend from a very close point of view. However, we also see her grow out of her ashes when she finds an old friendship she did not even realise she had lost. That friendship will make her see and evaluate her life in perspective.
That friendship established between Jackie and an old friend of hers, is a great life lesson... We sometimes think something is a certain way just because we never try to look at it from a different point of view. And it turns out that a lot of times we think we know someone, and we are actually completely wrong.
This novel talks about friendship, its power to destroy someone's individuality, and its opposite power to save those who are stuck in a very bad place. Some friendships are built out of need and hope to find something better, but we seldom realise we can be losing some hopeful and bright part of us in our way to get there.
Jackie and Finn, Lorna's boyfriend, hold on to each other and try to make their way back to their rested and happy lives, but it gets quite complicated. Mostly because getting over the death of a loved one is hard itself, but partly because developing feelings towards each other may be as destructive as Lorna's death. As hard as Jackie fights her all-time-feelings for Finn, she can not help but feel hopeful now that her flawless, wild and pretty best friend is not there anymore. And that makes her feel guilty, and might end up cracking her, as well as Finn.
As of Lucas, he acts all weird, and this two other friends do not understand. There are a lot of things they do not understand, such as how it was possible for Lorna to fall into the sea.
This novel is led by not only a touching protagonist and a well-developed group of friends, but also the undeniable mystery feeling, the lack of certainty about past events... It makes you think and wonder, make up possible answers to your own unanswered questions... Simply great.
There are twists here and there, jaw-dropping confessions, secrets, truths... The author did an amazing job keeping the tension and the need to never put the book down. I went to sleep after hours of reading and could only wish for free time the next morning to pick it up again.
Apart of the drama within the pages, there is also a very special and encouraging message: fight for the life you want. Jackie has always dreamt about becoming an artist, taking pictures being her favourite hobby, but everyone seems to think artists do not have the future she deserves. Finn's mother, an artist herself, loves Jackie and her talent, so she helps her and supports her every decision... Among the pain blinding Jackie since Lorna's death, she finds art to be her anchor, and she holds on to it with her life, determined to show everyone that it does not matter what they all think of her, she will fight for her dreams.
I really hope the author writes a sequel, or at least an epilogue, because I am starting to miss the characters, and I still can not believe how nerve-wrecking and frustrating it was to read the last few pages. I got incredibly attached to most of them, and I blame it all on the great and phenomenal way of creating such realistic people and emotional situations.
Friendship, love, family, grief, hope, confusion... all in Ellen Wittlinger's latest novel. Blurbed by John Green, this author's style will leave you breathless and speechless.
When I went to the post office to pick up a package I had no idea what contained, I did not know I would end up loving it so much. Local Girl Swept Away was sent to me in exchange for an honest review on my blog, so I want to thank the amazing people over at Merit Press for gifting me with such a beautiful and emotional story.
After Lorna's accident, we follow our main character, Jackie, through her grief, fighting off her own demons, trying to get over her best friend's death, but, at the same time, frightened to move on and forget about her. It was really horrifying to read about losing a friend from a very close point of view. However, we also see her grow out of her ashes when she finds an old friendship she did not even realise she had lost. That friendship will make her see and evaluate her life in perspective.
That friendship established between Jackie and an old friend of hers, is a great life lesson... We sometimes think something is a certain way just because we never try to look at it from a different point of view. And it turns out that a lot of times we think we know someone, and we are actually completely wrong.
This novel talks about friendship, its power to destroy someone's individuality, and its opposite power to save those who are stuck in a very bad place. Some friendships are built out of need and hope to find something better, but we seldom realise we can be losing some hopeful and bright part of us in our way to get there.
Jackie and Finn, Lorna's boyfriend, hold on to each other and try to make their way back to their rested and happy lives, but it gets quite complicated. Mostly because getting over the death of a loved one is hard itself, but partly because developing feelings towards each other may be as destructive as Lorna's death. As hard as Jackie fights her all-time-feelings for Finn, she can not help but feel hopeful now that her flawless, wild and pretty best friend is not there anymore. And that makes her feel guilty, and might end up cracking her, as well as Finn.
As of Lucas, he acts all weird, and this two other friends do not understand. There are a lot of things they do not understand, such as how it was possible for Lorna to fall into the sea.
This novel is led by not only a touching protagonist and a well-developed group of friends, but also the undeniable mystery feeling, the lack of certainty about past events... It makes you think and wonder, make up possible answers to your own unanswered questions... Simply great.
There are twists here and there, jaw-dropping confessions, secrets, truths... The author did an amazing job keeping the tension and the need to never put the book down. I went to sleep after hours of reading and could only wish for free time the next morning to pick it up again.
Apart of the drama within the pages, there is also a very special and encouraging message: fight for the life you want. Jackie has always dreamt about becoming an artist, taking pictures being her favourite hobby, but everyone seems to think artists do not have the future she deserves. Finn's mother, an artist herself, loves Jackie and her talent, so she helps her and supports her every decision... Among the pain blinding Jackie since Lorna's death, she finds art to be her anchor, and she holds on to it with her life, determined to show everyone that it does not matter what they all think of her, she will fight for her dreams.
I really hope the author writes a sequel, or at least an epilogue, because I am starting to miss the characters, and I still can not believe how nerve-wrecking and frustrating it was to read the last few pages. I got incredibly attached to most of them, and I blame it all on the great and phenomenal way of creating such realistic people and emotional situations.
Friendship, love, family, grief, hope, confusion... all in Ellen Wittlinger's latest novel. Blurbed by John Green, this author's style will leave you breathless and speechless.
July 15, 2016
2 1/2 stars.
I received this book curtesy of MeritPress.
"I was a kind of tourist, looking for the remains of my life, taking photos of what we left behind".
Without a doubt Ellen Wittlinger is a talented writer; she is able to manipulate words to capture a lot of beauty. I appreciate that.
And the way she describes Provincetown - Wittlinger is a true master when it comes to setting! Her descriptions made the place so authentic, so real. Perhaps it is because I live in a costal town in Massachusetts as well, but I was able to picture everything so clearly. It was very evident that Wittlinger knew and loved Provincetown and had not just half-heartedly researched the place in a rush to start writing the story. I really appreciate that.
But the characters - they fell so flat for me. Personally, characters make or break a book. Most of my favorite books became so because I loved the characters so much I would feel practically giddy at times. I had no such connection to the characters in this book. Occasionally I liked them, sometimes they infuriated me (Finn in the whole first half of the story), but most of the time I felt largely indifferent. And unfortunately, once I stopped caring about the characters I very quickly stopped caring about what happened to the characters.
In essence, I stopped caring about the plot.
With each plot twist (which the book is chock full of!) I often found it comical rather than shocking because I did not have that deep-set connection to the characters. To me the story just kept escalating to the point that I felt as though I was reading a melodrama or a much better written version of Pretty Little Liars.
Overall, I was impressed with Ellen Wittlinger's writing and I would be willing to read another story of hers but this particular novel - with its characters and plot - did not do it for me.
I received this book curtesy of MeritPress.
"I was a kind of tourist, looking for the remains of my life, taking photos of what we left behind".
Without a doubt Ellen Wittlinger is a talented writer; she is able to manipulate words to capture a lot of beauty. I appreciate that.
And the way she describes Provincetown - Wittlinger is a true master when it comes to setting! Her descriptions made the place so authentic, so real. Perhaps it is because I live in a costal town in Massachusetts as well, but I was able to picture everything so clearly. It was very evident that Wittlinger knew and loved Provincetown and had not just half-heartedly researched the place in a rush to start writing the story. I really appreciate that.
But the characters - they fell so flat for me. Personally, characters make or break a book. Most of my favorite books became so because I loved the characters so much I would feel practically giddy at times. I had no such connection to the characters in this book. Occasionally I liked them, sometimes they infuriated me (Finn in the whole first half of the story), but most of the time I felt largely indifferent. And unfortunately, once I stopped caring about the characters I very quickly stopped caring about what happened to the characters.
In essence, I stopped caring about the plot.
With each plot twist (which the book is chock full of!) I often found it comical rather than shocking because I did not have that deep-set connection to the characters. To me the story just kept escalating to the point that I felt as though I was reading a melodrama or a much better written version of Pretty Little Liars.
Overall, I was impressed with Ellen Wittlinger's writing and I would be willing to read another story of hers but this particular novel - with its characters and plot - did not do it for me.
August 30, 2016
Jackie, Lucas and Finn are on the breakwater when their friend, Lorna, is swept away. Her body is never found and the repercussions for the three teenagers are evident.
Life goes on, but those left behind slowly learn more about themselves and their shared relationship. There are a lot of complications, and some unexpected moments.
Jackie, Finn and Lucas all seem very naive. As the novel progresses they develop in confidence, and slowly come to terms with how their lives have changed.
The character of Lorna was incredibly selfish, and I couldn't quite understand how she had such a hold over people. It was kind of obvious what was going on, but the author explores friendship and self-identity without straying too far into unbelievable writing.
Thanks to edelweiss and the publishers for the advance copy.
Life goes on, but those left behind slowly learn more about themselves and their shared relationship. There are a lot of complications, and some unexpected moments.
Jackie, Finn and Lucas all seem very naive. As the novel progresses they develop in confidence, and slowly come to terms with how their lives have changed.
The character of Lorna was incredibly selfish, and I couldn't quite understand how she had such a hold over people. It was kind of obvious what was going on, but the author explores friendship and self-identity without straying too far into unbelievable writing.
Thanks to edelweiss and the publishers for the advance copy.
July 24, 2016
This book was beautiful, an examination of the power people can wield over others and how one event can thoroughly rock the reality of a friendship. Set in the beautiful wilds of Provincetown, the sea and art are just as much characters in this story as the humans. Wittlinger once again crafts a lyrical and real contemporary novel.
August 13, 2016
This was so disappointing. Maybe it's because I've lost a friend to the ocean and expected some emotional impact from this but Local Girl Swept Away just didn't deliver. Instead, it was completely predictable with characters who were just naive as hell.
August 16, 2016
A wonderful book full of life both good and bad. YA.
April 22, 2017
Good beginning but began to feel forced (esp the dialogue) when the character of Char was introduced. The thought of a 17 year old making out with a 30-year old should have raised the ick factor more.
August 4, 2017
Not to give anything away, but I was disappointed at the ending. I know not everything can end happily but this ending made me really sad for some reason.
Read
March 28, 2017Intense novel, that Jackie has to travel through loss and disillusionment to make sense of her own future.
June 15, 2016
Thanks to MeritPress for providing me a copy of this book.
I like this book. It was set in Provincetown, and it felt real. The tourists, the weather, and the people all felt authentic. The author is from Massachusetts, so it makes sense that she was able to write about it so well.
The characters were an emotional roller coaster. Over the course of the book the way you see them changes completely. Details are revealed about them, and as secrets come to light everything you feel about them changes. I sometimes felt like i didn't know a lot about Jackie, but she grew on me by the end of the book. I enjoyed watching her grow away from the memory of Lorna and start to become her own person. .
I liked how the few gay characters were casually put in without making a big deal of it. Provincetown has LGBT people living there, and it's not a big deal. It's completely normal for Lucas to have two dads, and it is presented that way.
This book is a bit slow at times, but a few well placed plot twists made this book easy to read quickly.
I like this book. It was set in Provincetown, and it felt real. The tourists, the weather, and the people all felt authentic. The author is from Massachusetts, so it makes sense that she was able to write about it so well.
The characters were an emotional roller coaster. Over the course of the book the way you see them changes completely. Details are revealed about them, and as secrets come to light everything you feel about them changes. I sometimes felt like i didn't know a lot about Jackie, but she grew on me by the end of the book. I enjoyed watching her grow away from the memory of Lorna and start to become her own person. .
I liked how the few gay characters were casually put in without making a big deal of it. Provincetown has LGBT people living there, and it's not a big deal. It's completely normal for Lucas to have two dads, and it is presented that way.
This book is a bit slow at times, but a few well placed plot twists made this book easy to read quickly.
October 21, 2016
The opening grabs you, as a young woman is washed out to sea. The setting is great, Provincetown, a favorite summer stop. But then it just rambled on as the friends are left in the aftermath of Lorna's disappearance. I didn't enjoy the narration too much. I listened half way through and didn't care enough about the characters to stick around and find out what happened. Other books are waiting.
December 8, 2016
When i hit the water, I'd swim for my life
February 13, 2018
Local Girl Swept Away by Ellen WIilinger is a YA book which tells the compelling story of four teens who have been close friends since childhood. Lorna, Finn, Lucas, and Jackie have been steadfast friends through both good and bad times, but when Lorna, who is basically the heart of the group is swept out to sea by a storm, the remaining three friends drift apart and a chasm develops between them. Can their friendship survive without the vivacious Lorna? The story it told from the prospective of Jackie, who has always adored Lorna, but begins to realize that she was less than perfect in many ways. Jackie is also struggling with her feelings for Finn, who had been Lorna's boyfriend, but for whom Jackie had always had a secret crush and her feelings for Cooper, a thirty year old she encounters at the local art gallery owned by Finn's parents. The book is well written and while the characters could have been developed somewhat more fully, the reader does get a sense of each character. Jackie struggles to develop her own personality and become her own person now that she is out of the shadow of Lorna, but then something happens that begins to leave the future of all four friends in doubt. Will they be able to overcome loss and disillusion to make sense of all that has happened and to face the future with optimism?
February 4, 2024
Four best friends outshined by a daring redhead whose life is more troubled then the others. During a storm, their fearless leader, Lorna disappears under the waves they have known their whole lives.
As they navigate without the person they all idolize so much, Fin grieves losing his girlfriend, Lucas runs off to “clear his mind”, we follow Jackie”s story. Jackie’s stumbles upon through every day life struggling to understand her emotions and tries to unravel all her thoughts and feelings, while leaning on her talent and building the life she’s most passionate about.
Once Fin, Jackie, and Lucas start to move on with their lives, there will be a turn of events and everyone finds out that Lorna has more secrets then anyone could imagine. Those who love Lorna most, well let’s just say their lives are going to be turned upside down.
As they navigate without the person they all idolize so much, Fin grieves losing his girlfriend, Lucas runs off to “clear his mind”, we follow Jackie”s story. Jackie’s stumbles upon through every day life struggling to understand her emotions and tries to unravel all her thoughts and feelings, while leaning on her talent and building the life she’s most passionate about.
Once Fin, Jackie, and Lucas start to move on with their lives, there will be a turn of events and everyone finds out that Lorna has more secrets then anyone could imagine. Those who love Lorna most, well let’s just say their lives are going to be turned upside down.
June 10, 2017
4/5🌊
This book was so much better than expected! When I read the back, I was concerned because it seemed to just be a romance novel, but I was pleasantly surprised! While there was romance, it wasn't one of those "she loves him, he loves another, then he realizes the love of his life was in front of him the entire time" books, but there was not only romance, but also betrayal and some twists. Wittlinger foreshadows most of his plot twists so you can guess, but the reader can never be sure. There were multiple times my jaw dropped and I had to put the book down and talk to my sister about it. I love how the ending is not the happy ending you expect, but it's still a happy ending.
This book was so much better than expected! When I read the back, I was concerned because it seemed to just be a romance novel, but I was pleasantly surprised! While there was romance, it wasn't one of those "she loves him, he loves another, then he realizes the love of his life was in front of him the entire time" books, but there was not only romance, but also betrayal and some twists. Wittlinger foreshadows most of his plot twists so you can guess, but the reader can never be sure. There were multiple times my jaw dropped and I had to put the book down and talk to my sister about it. I love how the ending is not the happy ending you expect, but it's still a happy ending.
March 27, 2017
Lorna, a charismatic leader of a group of friends, falls into the sea and disappears. Her boyfriend can't seem to get over it, but Jackie, her best friend, eventually renews an old friendship and pursues her interest in art and photography. When the other member of their group, Lucas, returns after a summer at camp with a shocking revelation and Jackie's renewed friend, Charlotte, reminds Lorna of how she was dropped, the other friends check all their memories of Lorna. Who was Lorna? Was she just a free spirit or an evil manipulator?
August 9, 2018
The main characters in this book are teenagers, but I am not sure if that makes it "officially" a YA book. I didn't think so (or I'm rationalizing because I'm trying to avoid YA fiction). The characters were so well written and complex. The relationships were pretty nuanced even by adult fiction standards. Reading as an adult you can definitely see where much of the book is going ("that won't end well") but it was still a wonderful read.
July 4, 2023
4 best friends living in the seaside town of Cape Cod. During a storm they decide to go out on the breakers then one of them falls in to never be found. The 3 remaining friends are heartbroken and spend the next 4 months grieving their lost friend.
I loved Cape Cod as the background to the story. Definitely took me back to what it was like to be a teenager in the last years of high school and all of the things that seemed so important to me at the time.
I loved Cape Cod as the background to the story. Definitely took me back to what it was like to be a teenager in the last years of high school and all of the things that seemed so important to me at the time.
August 20, 2017
I am tossed (no pun intended) at what to rate this --- I could put it at a Five, but it isn't my favorite Wittliner book.. probably a 4.4
the book centers around a girl who gets swepted away in the ocean during a storm
What happens is both guessable, but not in a cliché way... so it isn't totally new, but is.
It has some really great interaction between the characters
the book centers around a girl who gets swepted away in the ocean during a storm
What happens is both guessable, but not in a cliché way... so it isn't totally new, but is.
It has some really great interaction between the characters
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 2, 2020
It’s a story of 4 best friends and one accident that puts strain and pressure on the relationships. It was light and easy to read. I flew past the last half of the book where it all comes out and it was good.
January 18, 2017
High School Level due to content. When someone in your group that has dominated it when they are alive can they still do it after they are dead?
May 23, 2017
I loved the first half of the book, but the revelations of the second half undid that for me.
November 10, 2017
This book had me mind blown loved every twist and turn
January 30, 2019
Interesting story... It seemed like they dragged it out at times but it made sense in the end.
April 8, 2019
A Wonderful Story, Lots of twists and turns by far one of my favourites
January 3, 2021
Very so-so.
February 6, 2021
Much teenage angst. Still it held my interest.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews