Riptide

★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

304 pages

What’s it about?

Fifteen years pass before Kimmy and Erin Devine both end up back in the Jersey Shore town they grew up in.  Although they both left with no plans to return, they are too concerned about their parents not to come back.  But they have way too much history in this town. When a body is found near the shore it triggers all kinds of events.

What did it make me think about?

Family.

Should I read it?

Well, I should say that Colleen McKeegan is a friend’s daughter- but I am remaining impartial! So I really enjoyed this one.  The story goes back and forth in time.  After the first third of the book I found myself wanting to know what had happened in the past, and what was going to happen in the present.  It is a combination of well-drawn characters and good plotting. There were a few things that bothered me about the story.  First and foremost- these teenagers are having a lot of sex!  Also, some of the situations seemed highly implausible- and I didn’t like a lot of Kimmy and Erin’s choices (did I mention they are having a lot of sex…). There choices almost made her two main characters unlikable (but not quite) so it still worked.  And that last chapter- most implausible, but it certainly fits into the suspense-thriller “who knows what could happen” genre. This one is worth reading for some light Jersey Shore romance with suspense and family drama thrown in.  Just ignore the implausible and appreciate the story. I will look forward to Colleen McKeegan’s next book!

A passage I marked

“Peter Cameron had been missing for a few hours when they found his body floating near the 97th Street Jetty.”