Streamline [Print] [Paperback]

Jennifer Lane (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2012

Seems like Leo Scott has it all: looks, brains, and athletic talent. He's captain of his high school swim team with a bright future in college and beyond. But Leo has secrets. His mother's crippling car accident has devastated his family and left Leo to deal with his father's abuse, battered and alone. Leo's girlfriend Audrey Rose is poised for her own share of success. As one of Florida's top high school swimmers, Audrey dreams of college swimming stardom. But there's an obstacle to her glorious rise to the top. Her number-one supporter-her father-is in prison for murder. Part murder mystery, part tale of young love in a military family, this gripping story takes readers on a journey from Pensacola to Annapolis. Leo and Audrey must band together to rise above the adversity they encounter and find their true selves in the process. When everything's on the line . . . streamline.

Product Details

• Paperback: 460 pages
• Publisher: Omnific Publishing; 1ST edition (March 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193630502X
• ISBN-13: 978-1936305025
• Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.4 x 8.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,462,469 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

People fascinate the psychologist/author (psycho author) known as Jennifer Lane. Her therapy clients talk to her all day long about their dreams and secrets, and her characters tell her their stories at night. Jen delights in peeling away the layers to scrutinize their psyches and emotions. But please rest assured, dear reader, she isn't psychoanalyzing you right now. She's already got too many voices in her head!

Stories of redemption interest Jen the most, especially the healing power of love and empathy. She is the author of The CONduct Series---romantic suspense for adult readers---and is currently at work on the third and final installment: On Best Behavior. Streamline is her first foray into writing for young adults, but she's found this sort of writing even more fun. A former college swimmer, Jen was able to put a lot of her own experiences into this book.

Whether writing or reading, Jen loves stories that make her laugh and cry. In her spare time she enjoys exercising, attending book club, and hanging out with her sisters and their families in Chicago and Hilton Head.

With Good Behavior was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for 2010 Romance of the Year.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A gripping, harrowing, and well thought out story with great characters and a mystery to boot! October 10, 2012

By Christina (Ensconced in YA) TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

I was asked by the author to read and review this book. This does not bias my review.

Streamline by Jennifer Lane is not my typical YA read. I don't usually pick up contemporaries, but am totally not adverse to them especially when they are done well. Streamline focuses on Leon Scott, a high school guy who seems to have it all: he has the perfect girlfriend, he's a top swimmer and captain of his team, he is in great physical shape and effortlessly does well at school. However, his life has a dark side--his father is a military man and because of some life events and bad choices, has turned to abusing his family emotionally and physically. For the first half, we live through Leon's eyes, becoming a swimmer and going to his meets, but also following him home, and watching the horrible abuse at his home. The next half shows Leon overcoming some difficulties at home and going to military school. All throughout this story winds a mystery-- his girlfriend's father is imprisoned for a murder-- but did he really murder anyone?

This book is a long one, and you have to be dedicated for the ride to come. But it's worth it. The first half may have seemed a little too long in the build up, but I did enjoy learning about being on a swimming team, what the practices are like, and so forth. I can see how people immersed in this world would really delight in this part. I wasn't sure how the story of Leon and his dad's conflicted relationship would go-- at some times, I wondered if it would end up being too trite. But the second half really made this book worth going the distance (no pun intended). Lane is a psychologist and it shows-- the moments between Leon and his psychologist were amazing.... I felt like I was in the room getting therapy with Leon, seeing into his inner mind and watching him discover aspects to his own personality that he never understood. At the same time, I enjoyed watching the mystery finally unfolding and coming to a pounding climax. While I thought the characters were well thought out and three dimensional, even Leon's father, I sometimes thought there were too many of them. Also, the ending seemed almost too easy, where everything fit exactly in the right place and they lived happily ever after. Life is messy, and doesn't always work out the way we want it-- and that's okay, we learn and grow. I felt that this book wanted to say that, but in the end, may have taken the easy way out.

That said, I enjoyed the journey with these characters, loved learning about swimming, and particularly loved the scenes between Leon and the psychologist. I know this is Lane's first YA book, but she has great promise in this genre. Read more ›

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! March 17, 2013

By D. Chapman

Format:Kindle Edition

What an emotional journey! I don't think I have ever cried over a character so much in my life. It got to the point where I was asking "What could happen next?" and inevitably something would happen that would make me sad again.

The story is mostly about a high school student named Leo. He and his girlfriend Aubrey are on the swim team. Both of them have very different family lives. Aubrey's dad is in a military prison for committing a murder that he doesn't remember doing because he was drunk. Leo's dad is in the Navy and the way he keeps his sons in line is by beating them. Leo's older brother Jason has already left so it is just Leo who has to deal with the abuse whenever he gets out of line. In order to help him deal with the pain Leo becomes addicted to his mom's pain pills.

While their dad is out of town, Jason comes home for a visit. He accidently discovers Leo's addiction and along with their mom, tries to get Leo the help he needs. Unfortunately Their dad finds out and comes home sooner than expected...

This book cover a lot of the issues teens and adults are facing now: drugs, child abuse, rape, alcohol, murder, abortion, miscarriage, affairs, attempted suicide and more. It also covers important things like love and forgiveness. This touching story really shows that in the end you can make the right decisions and you can move on from your past.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars The Autumn Review for Streamline May 6, 2012

By The Autumn Review

Format:Kindle Edition

My Summary:
Leo Scott and Audrey Rose have been dating for two years. They met in school and are both accomplished swimmers on the swim team. They are both trying for college scholarships. The problem is that their family lives seem to keep getting in the way and creating massive stress. Both Leo and Audrey come from military families. Leo's father is physically abusive and Leo has always managed to keep that a secret. Then there's Audrey, who's father is in prison for a murder he doesn't remember. Leo and Audrey learn to rely on each other and their relationship becomes much stronger in the process. So many things happen to pose challenges for these two, but can they make it through to the finish in one piece?

My Take:
When I saw the cover of the book and the title, I'm not sure I even read the description before signing on. As a former swimmer and current swim coach, I knew I would have a connection to this book in some way. Boy was I right! I'm so glad that I signed on for this tour. Not only did I find a fantastic story, but it's always fun for me to chat with other people who have a passion for swimming. Grab your box of tissues though. This is an intense story.

There are so many things that I liked about this story, but I'm going to start with the swimming. I LOVED all of the swimming parts of the story. I felt the rush that they felt while racing, could picture exactly what they were doing, and of course am familiar with all the terminology. Even if you aren't a swimmer, you will still appreciate and follow along with that aspect of the story. Swimmers are very disciplined in their sport. Training can be intense, and YES, we do shave our whole bodies for big races. I loved the little details and that made me feel a part of their lives....

Now, moving on to the characters. I'm going to start with Audrey. I like her. She's a sweet girl with an air of naivety about her that I find endearing. She's very focused on school and swimming. I found a connection with her there. I love that she never gave up hope for her father and trusted her instincts. Audrey could have easily walked away from Leo on many different occasions, but she didn't. I admire the fact that a girl that young could find the tenacity to stand by him despite what was happening in her own life. That truly proved to me that she loved him deeply.

Leo...Leo...Leo. I really fell for Leo. To me, Streamline is Leo's story more than anything else. He is such a sweet guy and has a tremendous amount of determination to succeed. The problem was, he did it for his father instead of for himself. Until he finally started to break through that mold, he was stuck. URGH... his father, CS, is terrible. His nick names were well deserved. Yes, Leo was a good student; yes, he was a fantastic swimmer; yes, he had a great girlfriend. I'm just not sure he could really enjoy those things in his life though, while he was under his dad's thumb. I really don't want to reveal anything from the story, but man oh man this kid has been through a ton in his life. The amount of pressure his father put on his shoulders, was literally unbearable for Leo. He turned to outside resources to cope and to manage his literal pain. What I admire though, is that in every difficult situation, he found a way out; whether it was through his own resources or through the help of others. Lastly, I adore they way he loves Audrey. Their relationship was so sweet.

Clearly you can see that I developed quite a connection to this story and these characters. Here's what I will tell you though. This book was extremely difficult for me to read. I had to put it down and walk away from it on more than one occasion. The reason being, there are very serious issues and situations that are discussed. From addiction to abuse, the whole track has been run. It's a long story too, so breaks were needed to get through it and keep myself from turning into a slobbery mess. Am I glad I read it? Absolutely. Would I recommend this book to others? Absolutely. Would I re-read it? I don't think my heart could handle it. I did enjoy the writing style and the flow was smooth. There were a few parts to the story that I wasn't sure needed to be in place, but that's just my opinion.

My overall/final thoughts are that this is a truly touching story. It's more than I expected it to be. Even though there is a romantic relationship in the story, I didn't feel that that was what the story was about. So, I would say pick this book if you are looking for an amazing story of self discovery, personal triumph, justice, a little mystery, and a touch of romance. Really...truly...a remarkable read.
[...] Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Streamline is AMAZING and HEARTFELT! A MUST READ! March 28, 2012

By Tee

Format:Kindle Edition

I would like to thank Jen for sending me an ARC copy of Streamline. I loved the cover the minute I saw it. I am a huge fan of the men and women that serve our country through the Navy or the Army. So when I heard it was about two families from the Navy I just had to read it. I am also a very HUGE water baby! I love to spend time in the pool and on the beach in the summer. Those two elements had me jumping for joy!

As I opened the book and started reading I was BLOWN AWAY by what was going on. Streamline is about love, loss, betrayal, abuse and coming full circle to learn to love again. I really don't know where to begin without saying anything to spoilerish. So here goes my best attempts to try and not spoil it. I will say I am SO Team Leo! He is the man!

Leo and Audrey both come from a military family. Leo's father is a Commander and Audrey's father is a LT who is in the Brig (Military Prison) for murder. Together both Leo and Audrey will go on a roller coaster of a ride. Leo will endure heartache and loss andmust work through his feelings towards his abuser. Audrey will have to fight to keep her family and she will have to help Leo through his tough times.

Leo and Audrey are both looking to find the true murderer in order to set things right. Audrey knows deep down her father is not a murderer and Leo will do everything in his power to prove she is right. In the process of finding the murderer Leo will have to make the gut wrentching decision to lose the one thing he has loved and wanted all his life to prove that Audrey's father is no murderer.

Will Leo be able to catch the murderer and bring them to justice or will the murderer take Leo down? What will Audrey do when her relationship with her father is threatened?... Through it all they will have to hold on to each other to get through it and once the dust settles where will they be?

Come along for a ride of the lifetime. With murder and abuse at the forefront of this story it will pull at your heart and your heart will go out to Leo. Abuse is any form is never okay but for a parent to abuse a child is unspeakable! See how Leo digs deep within himself to rid himself of the monster who is abusing him.

I had the plaesure of interviewing Leo and Audrey on my blog and man oh man are those two a lot of fun! Click on the link to read the interview [...]... Read more ›