Pulled UnderAuthor: Michelle Dalton
Published by: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: May 6, 2014
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
A shy teen befriends an attractive beach town tourist in this refreshing summertime romance, in the tradition of Sixteenth Summer and Seventeenth Summer.
In the small town of Pearl Beach, Florida, Izzy Lucas needs only her surfboard and the water to be completely happy. She wants nothing to do with parties, popularity contests, or showing her face around the clichéd touristy hangouts. Izzy’s tight group of coworkers at the local surf shop have tried relentlessly to break shy Izzy out of her (sea)shell. But Izzy isn’t interested…until the day Ben Barker walks into the store.
Ben’s from the city. He’s cute, charming, and wants her help adjusting to beach town culture. As the weeks of surfing lessons and pizza shack visits fly by, Izzy and Ben realize their attraction goes beyond mere friendship. But Ben is only in town for three months, and Izzy wonders if this amazing guy is worth stepping out of her comfort zone for what might be the perfect summer romance—or her first heartbreak.
Aww, sweet summer romance, how could I pass it up. I have to say, I’m impressed with Pulled Under. This is the type of book that could easily be read and enjoyed by people of all ages. It has a lot to offer if you want a nice summer read.
Izzy – The girl is such a delight! She’s a regular 16-year-old girl who is smart, funny and has a good head on her shoulders. She isn’t one of those characters that have heavy issues or full of angst. Izzy is on the shy side when it comes to having a lot of attention on her, but it was great to see her growth and come out of her shell more.
Romance – It was sweet and innocent. Ben is only staying in Pearl Beach for the summer, and then it’s back to Wisconsin. I really liked him; he’s sweet and a little silly. He was really supportive and encouraging of Izzy, pushing her to put herself out there a little more. There is the tiniest bit of drama, but it is done very well and something I would expect. It’s also a clean read with only a couple of kisses, which was actually really nice. And even though Izzy and Ben’s summer romance is the basis of the book, it doesn’t take over and become the only thing to focus on.
Girl Power – The friendships between Izzy, Sophie, and Nicole was a huge factor in this book and I loved how much they were there for each other. All three work at a surf shop that is operated by two sisters. The whole group, the vibe of the people and the shop was very positive. There’s no backstabbing between them, no lame drama, just girls supporting each other. A wonderful sisterhood I wish was found in more YA.
Family – Izzy’s family also plays a big role. I don’t usually mind the absent parents in YA because the stories aren’t necessarily about them, but Izzy’s parents were highlights of the book. Her dad is a total ham, and is probably my favorite character. Their relationship with Izzy, especially the dad’s, was so much fun and just all around great.
Surfing – Izzy and her friends are surfers. What I liked was it wasn’t just said, there was a lot of action to back it up and a really cool storyline involving the whole surfing aspect.
Overall, Pulled Under was a wonderful book that I enjoyed quite a bit. It’s definitely a recommended read from me.
Oh this sounds sweet. Summer love, surfing and friends. .perfect
Tis a sweet one. 🙂
Pulled Under sounds like a sweet read Christy. It’s nice to pick up a read that is not tpp heavy with issues. And I like how Izzy’s family play a part in it. Great review!!
Naomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace
Her family was one of the best things about it.
That settles it then, this will be yet another book I need to add to my TBR pile. Would you stop making my hill into a mountain please? I don’t think my poor wallet can take anymore. 😛
So glad you are finding and reading all these fantastic reads perfect for this time of year Christy!
Ha. It’s a sickness and we are enablers.
Yay for no girly, backstabbing, bitchy drama. Nowadays I just don’t have the patience to read about queen bees and cliques anymore! I’m in a bit of a book slump right now so I think this might actually help me get out of it. Sometimes a clean, sweet romance is exactly what you need. Great review Christy! 🙂
It really was a nice book. 🙂
Love the sound of this one Christy! It seems like the perfect summer vacation read, so I’m adding it to my list to take with me when I have some time off in a couple months. I adore those sweet romances that have just a few kisses and are full of adorableness:) Thanks for the recommendation!
It certainly was adorable. 🙂
It sounds like a wonderfully sweet read. Great review.
I really liked it. 🙂
aww you are right, this looks like a swoon worthy sweet summer romance <3 I am going to have to try this one since I won't be making the beach this year 🙁
It’s an all around good book. 🙂
Awww! I love sweet summer surfer reads, especially this time of the year. Awesome review, Christy!
Definitely the right time of year to read it. 🙂
I’ve been allover the summer reads lately so I’ll have to try to see if I can fit this in, it sounds great!
I actually thought of you when I read this and thought it would be something you’d like and could even recommend to the younger crowd.
Oh everything sounds nice and sweet, I love that. I think it’s perfect to read a book like that from time to time to have something light and cute. Thank you for the lovely review.
It’s definitely a more light, feel-good book.
Glad this ended up being a good read for you. I just didn’t think it would be good when I saw it. MY god what has happened to you? You are getting all soft and fluffy on me.
*sigh* I know, I know … I need to get back in touch with the dark side.
Strong female friendships in books are very important to me, so I’m glad you pointed that out, Christy. A great summer read sounds absolutely perfect right now. Thanks for the review!
I was really happy to see it in this age group too, instead of all the mean girl acts.
Aw it sounds wonderful Christy! (and so loving that cover) Izzy sounds like a heroine I would really enjoy and yay for some girl power. Always fun when you get to see those type of relationships as well.
It was. Definitely a good surprise.
Aww! This sounds a lot like the book I just review when it comes to the innocence and the sweetness of the story. I get lost sometimes is this type of book. It’s a welcome change from all the naughty reads I normally do…lol. I’ll keep this mind.
Thanks!
This was really good and … healthy. lol – that sounds funny, but the characters and relationships were just very well done.
So happy you liked it but it just sounds kind of boring to me. Or maybe I am just not into summer reads right now.
lol – well, it is tame. But the storyline that involves the surfing and the relationship was a lot of fun. I would love to buy this for all the teen girls.
All of those things make me happy, but girl power and surfing in particular are MAJOR sell points for me. Great review, Christy! Will definitely check this one out 😉
The whole surfing aspect was great, it’s obvious the author knows her stuff. I think the author got everything right when it comes to healthy characters and relationship, plus making it GOOD.
Sounds like a really sweet and easy read Christy with very likable characters. Thanks for sharing 😉
Very likable characters. 🙂
I will definitely see about getting this author ordered in at our library!!! Sounds like a great series/book to recommend 😀 You DO know I use you guys for that, right?! 😉 And I love how you wrote your review – awesome!
Yes, do it! This is one I’d HIGHLY recommend for that, especially this time of year. It’s a stand-alone, but I’m sure the other books by this author would be great too.
I’ve started putting my summer reading list together, and this book sounds like a great candidate. Plus, I’m a snowboarder so I think I’d enjoy the surfing aspects of this story. Great review!
I’m really impressed with how good it was.
YES! I need this one just for the family and friends aspect. There does need to be more of that in YA. So agree with you! Great review. This one is going on my wishlist.
It is a really good book, very refreshing to the YA genre.
Pulled Under sounds great! I love sweet romances, and sometimes it’s nice to read a story without a lot of angst or drama. I enjoy stories with strong friendships and close families. This sounds like a story I would enjoy! Great Review Christy!
I enjoyed the last couple of books from this series, so I have no doubt I would enjoy this one too. I mean, thanks to your glowing review, that is. 🙂
Ohh, okay! I thought that this was the actual book, Sixteenth Summer, which I’ve read a few years ago and I actually found it pretty decent. Awesome review for this novella, I’ll have to give this one a try!