3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a fun book! Sweet Waters by Julie Carobini, September 15, 2009
This review is from: Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel (Paperback)
Tara Sweet, a sensible, predictable, older sister had her life turned upside down when her Mother suddenly marries a very younger man and Tara's long time boyfriend dumps her. She never thought that she would be moving back to her hometown of Otter Bay, but before her Dad passed away he made her promise to return. With no ties to keep her in Missouri, and in hopes to relive some of the good memories of her youth, she takes off for Otter Bay.
Tara's mom leaves for her whirlwind honeymoon and her sister Liz moves to Manhattan. So Tara and her cousin try to find their way around. Upon arriving in Otter Bay Tara meets the sexy, firefighter Josh, but the longer she is in Otter Bay the more she finds disturbing information concerning her family's past. As Tara faces her past she is left questioning everything she has known. But through it all she learns to rely on the One who is faithful and who never changes.
I found this to be a fun book to read with a great message: God is there when life seems to be spinning out of control.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Sweet Waters Good Start in the Otter Bay Series, October 9, 2009
This review is from: Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel (Paperback)
Sweet Waters is Julie Carobini's third novel and she gets better with each one. This is the first in the Otter Bay series set in California. I read the book on my way to Gulf Shores, AL, last month but it is more than just a beach lit novel. It is hard to put it in one category. Anyway I loved the development of the characters as the book progresses and the light spiritual aspect in some of the characters lives. The author's descriptions make you feel like you are right there. My only gripe is the beginning felt a little slow but then the overall pace of the book is not fast. It is a book to be read and taken in slowly. So it is a sorta chick beach woman lit with a little romance. I look forward to rereading it and not just in the summer. I think it can be read and enjoyed any time of year. Recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not Your Typical Romance, September 14, 2009
This review is from: Sweet Waters: An Otter Bay Novel (Paperback)
The Story. Tara Sweet, oldest of three sisters, decides after the death of her father, her mother's remarriage, and the breakup with her boyfriend, to leave her midwest home and head for California where she remembers happy years as a small girl.
When she arrives in the town she has romanticized, however, she begins to unravel realities regarding her family that destabilize her world.
Add in a growing friendship with firefighter Josh Adams who has his own problems to work through and the friction between her and her sisters, and Tara's dream of recapturing the joy of her early years seems lost forever.
Strengths. The characters' voices are unique. From dinner-owner Peg to successful sister Mel and empathetic employer Nigel, each has a distinct voice.
These help create realistic, believable characters, another strength of the novel.
As is place. I feel as if I've been to Otter Bay because Carobini makes the setting come alive, a hard thing to do, in my opinion. Characters come alive by what they do and say. A setting comes alive by how the characters interact with it. Carobini does this well.
The story is interesting and tension abounds. Why is Peg so set against the Sweets? Are the snatches of history Tara begins to uncover true or are they lies?
There is also strong, believable, well-integrated Christianity. Many of the characters profess faith and some live it out while others don't. Some characters show no interest in God or "religion," and some act in overtly sinful ways. The variation makes the world seem more real and the faith of the faithful true.
Weaknesses. I've mentioned voice. I do think Carobini has a natural fresh voice and her characters pop off the page because of their distinct voices. I think I want more of that. Mel has a somewhat snarky voice but isn't particularly likable. Tara, however, is the sensible one and has the least distinct voice of all. I'd like to see her stand out from the crowd more. But then, she wouldn't be Tara. So it's a curious point.
Another one is that this book is labeled Christian fiction/romance, and certainly B&H is known for its romance. However, this book is not your typical romance. I'd say it has romance in it, but it isn't a romance. Someone picking the book up expecting to find a typical boy-meet-girl, yada-yada-yada story, may be disappointed.
I wasn't. Rather, I was pleased with the depth and insight and character growth, with a little romance along the way as a nice bit of spice.
Recommendation. This book came out in August with a "Pure summer, pure enjoyment" marketing tag. Don't be fooled into thinking that Sweet Waters is nothing but light, summer entertainment. This is a quality book and an enjoyable story, in the fall and winter and spring as much as in the summer. I highly recommend this book to women looking for a good story.
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