REVIEW: The Light Over Broken Tide by Holly Ducarte @hollyducarte
The Light Over Broken Tide
by Holly Ducarte
Big hug and a thank you to the author for this copy in return for my honest opinion.
It is my honor and privilege to have been a part!
This debut novel is one to keep your eye out for!
See my Q&A with her HERE.
Publisher: Black Ladder Publishing
Publishing: March 2018
Pages: 250
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Paperback
Stand alone
Goodreads Synopsis:
Out of the blue, Rebecca Stafford’s Father arrives to parent her after years of absence. He then extracts her last bit of normalcy by moving them to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The shocking news plunges Rebecca into a despair that brings about an otherworldly encounter; she begins to have visions of her deceased Mom.
Uncertain whether what she sees is reality or the product of a troubled mind, Rebecca searches for an anchor to keep her from drifting in the new coastal town. She clings to Shawn, the eccentric, spritely boy-next-door promising adventures…with surprises of his own, involving an Irish legend and a hidden lighthouse. This brings on a whole new dimension to Rebecca’s visions, and sparks feverish romance between her and Shawn. A bond eventually threatened by forces beyond her control, sending her spiraling into dark, stormy places, leaving her to wonder how broken a mind can get.
My Review:
I've been well aware of Holly Ducarte's talents just from watching her Instagram page. She's a beautiful poet, a talented singer and now she has graced us with her debut novel, The Light Over Broken Tide. Is there nothing that Holly can't do?
The opening lines draw you right in. "We're all like paper dolls. Happiest when linked to another, often unaware of our flimsiness. So easily torn. What happens when we reach out to find there's no one there to hold our hand? I'll tell you what happens; we blow away into uncertain air, then desperately search for anything to pull us out of the chaos." From here there was no turning back.
Right off the bat I had a hard time dealing with Rebecca. So ungrateful, rebellious and rude to her father. I wanted to shake her a couple of times. Then I sat back and realized that hey, she just lost her mother, a father she barely knows comes back into her life and then whisks her away from everything she knows. Yeah, I'd be pretty pissed off too. As I grew to understand her, I had so much empathy for her. I remember all too well the feeling of being sixteen, the feeling of that very first love and thinking I knew everything. Ah Becky, I've been there. I feel ya girl, I really do.
I loved bringing in a local legend and putting them on an adventure. References to Peter Pan were super cute and her blind loyalty to Shawn was very realistic. She so desperately wanted him to rescue her from her father, her mother's death.... herself. He became her Peter Pan - someone to whisk her away from her problems like the story does when she reads it. I do think that my favorite character was Andy, her father. He has certainly made his fair share of mistakes but family is family and damn if he's not giving it his all!
Look you guys, this is a fairly somber read with the issues it tackles and Holly's talented writing really shines in this book. This is a story of first love, adventure, forgiveness, mental health, grief and letting go. Sixteen is hard. First loves are hard. Ands sometimes... just breathing is hard. The level of care Holly uses in tackling these strong issues is done intelligently and you can see traces of her poetic mind sprinkled throughout. This is not your typical YA novel and I suggest you put this on your radar. I look forward to more from Ducarte.
★★★★
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