Ilsa J. Bick | Xpresso Reads

Review: Drowning Instinct by Ilsa J. Bick

Posted by Giselle • 21 Comments

Drowning Instinct
Ilsa J. Bick
Release date: February 1st, 2012
by Lerner Publishing Group

There are stories where the girl gets her prince, and they live happily ever after. (This is not one of those stories.)

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

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

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

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

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

*A copy was provided by Lerner Publishing Group for review purposes*

Insane! This is the best word to describe Drowning Instinct. Insanely good. Insanely terrifying. I-n-s-a-n-e! Ever since I cracked the cover, I can’t stop thinking about this book. First, to analyze it, now, to figure out what the heck I’ve just read. It’s the type of book that you just plow through because it makes you so restless that you must keep reading and reading, all the while knowing, just knowing, that the storm is coming. So close it could be right on the next page. Really, it’s freaking brilliant! Even though I’m still dumbfounded by it. You’ll turn the last page, you’ll gasp, you’ll think, you’ll reminisce. Some may even read it again, though I doubt that would help. Don’t get me wrong, the book is far from confusing, it’s simply unreal. You just need to read it to understand. It’s also the the type of story best enjoyed when you know nothing about it going in. So all I’m going to tell you is this:

Jenna tells us her story. Scratch that. She tells the police her story by way of a tape recorder they give her so she can do it at her own pace. (The format is reminiscent of Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why). While she’s telling it, you feel so close to this character it’s like you’re connected to her. You can hear her intonations, feel the tone of her voice. On top of this, she sounds her age; she sounds like you’d expect her to sound. It makes her so real and most importantly: sincere. Jenna comes off as smart and flawed, she’s struggling to find herself. To find someone who will listen and care. Then she does: she finds Mitch- her teacher. We’re sent deep into Jenna’s thoughts and feelings during this story. So deep that we get easily confused as to who, exactly, is the victim here. Things that you thought you were against, don’t seem so wrong anymore. It’s not black and white; just like real life. Flawlessly weaved together, the multiple plot lines hypnotizes you so, that you don’t realize you’ve been holding your breath for 45 minutes frantically turning the pages. (What? you can’t hold your breath for that long? Well… you will LEARN!).

Do you get it yet? This book is intense! Intense, suspenseful, passionate- all masterfully put together into an incredibly, profound novel.