The Hazards of Skinny Dipping

If I could give half stars I would, but since I was feeling generous I rounded up. I really wanted to like this book. I tried real hard and even forced myself to finish it. The main character's personality was really dry. I feel like everyone mentioning how feisty and whatnot she was was only a poor attempt of giving her an actual personality. She comes off and annoying and flakey. Even after finding love, nothing about it was convincing. The supporting characters had more personality than the heroin did. Maybe it really only deserves 2 stars. Read it if you want, but this book is definitely a pass.

I love this book.

It was kinda short, but good! I couldn't put it down.

When Juliet's cousin essentially dares her to break out of her shell and take a few risks before she heads off to college, she has no idea what she's gotten herself into. A few beers, a night at a bar, and a kiss with a stranger don't seem so bad, but skinny dipping? Of course someone caught her at it! But the guy she's had a crush on for years, the unexpected partner in her skinny dipping adventure isn't quite as perfect as she'd dreamed he was, and while he doesn't completely turn his back on her after their night together, she kind of wishes she would. Especially now that she's met Reed. But... There was a certain lack of connection throughout the book. While looking through Juliet's eyes, it was easy to understand what was going on, but I didn't really feel it. In fact, I would venture to say that the most I felt was sympathy for the utterly clueless and selfish Dylan, and that wasn't really the point of the story. The Verdict: At first, I just felt kind of sorry for Dylan. I mean, he was just completely clueless! The way he talked to Juliet seemed rude at times, but I assumed that was because he was so used to girls throwing themselves at him that he didn't have much skill in actually trying to pursue a girl like Juliet. And he did really seem to like her, wanting her to sleep next to him, acknowledging when everyone's assumptions about their sleeping together embarrassed her. But then he'd just be all disrespectful and borderline rude again. It's no wonder she wasn't following him around like a lost puppy. But I have to say I was also a bit annoyed with Juliet. Dylan was incredibly self-centered, not like he didn't care about Juliet's feelings but more like he wasn't even aware they existed. And Juliet, since she'd been crushing on him for ages and had built him up to some kind of fantasy man in her head, more often than not allowed him to push her around. Things never got abusive, really, but their scenes together were frustrating. Granted, Juliet's young, and eighteen-year-olds don't necessarily have a lot of wisdom when it comes to guys, but she knew she wasn't really all that happy, and still she went along with him. Reed, of course, was really sweet and funny. And when their romance finally had a chance, I was happy to expect something more. However, for all their interactions and the fun they had together, I still didn't really connect with them. My favorite stories are the ones where I almost feel like I am the main character, and my emotions tumble around along with hers. But in The Hazards of Skinny Dipping, it felt more like I was watching from the outside, being told about emotions and sometimes getting a glimpse of them but never really feeling them myself. It's still a cute, fairly quick read, and the sex scenes aren't overly graphic, so I'd say it's just about perfect for the seventeen or eighteen year old reader.

Despite some flaws, I generally enjoyed this story. It's hard to find literature set at a college, so just being able to relate to the setting was a big plus for me. *spoilers* My biggest issue was with the Juliet/Dylan relationship. It would be one thing for him to have an controlling and abusive personality and for her to be blind to it, choosing to look at his good qualities. But she is very clearly aware of his awfulness; nearly every thought she has about him is negative, every interaction filled with dread. I'm pretty sure the only positive thought about Dylan he shares with the reader is that he's a good kisser, but even that is always followed by terrible sex. How did she date him for so long? What's worse, the event that leads to their breakup is definitely not the worst thing he's done, so it's confusing why that event is what pushes her over the edge, although the reader is grateful that it does. Thankfully, the book is redeemed by Juliet's relationship with Reed. My only complaint is the scene where they finally got together was a tad rushed, I was loving the tension and would have loved for it to be stretched a little further. It felt like they went from "will they/won't they" to "of course this was going to happen" two sentences of dialogue. Despite a rough beginning, this book is worth the sweet ending.

I didn't have great expectations for this book but was pleasantly surprised. It was a cute story! And a quick read.

Juliet was a major let down. For such a spunky girl she was really dumb. Dylan was almost nauseating to read at times and Juliet reaction to him was even worse. I expected more from this author from reading her other work. Don't let the sample fool you girls. If your into a delusion heroin this is the book for you. If you enjoy a strong spit fire female lead Juliet will make you wanna pull your hair out. Nothing worse then a character complaining about bad sex and having to constantly read bad sex scenes over and over. Save the three bucks ladies!

I so wanted to like this book. The description made it sound like a light and humorous summer read, so I grabbed a preview. The opening chapter was interesting, so I bought the full book. Unfortunately, I had to force myself to finish it. The only thing I liked about this book was the character Reed. He was the only character with any substance, if you can ignore the sob story. The main character and narrator, Juliet, had little personality. Everyone kept telling her how awesome and funny and feisty she was, but I didn't see that in her actions at all. I was also extremely disturbed by her first love interest, and her complete lack of reaction toward his abusive and controlling behavior. It was as if the main character was a ghost and the story simply moved through her. Things got better as she started dating Reed. I wish the author had put as much thought into the other characters as she did into Reed. Still, I found the main character hollow and, at most, whiny. The twist was interesting. I didn't see that coming. The ending, however, was so easy and lacking conflict. I saw it coming, but also was surprised at how quickly things were resolved. I was also annoyed, yet again, by the main character's lack of feistiness that everyone kept insisting was her trademark. She simply let everything happen to her, and by the end of the book, I didn't see any development in her. She was still just as one-dimensional, but with a better boyfriend. I would have liked the full-circle ending much better if it hadn't rung so false and random. I really wanted to like this book, because the author is very popular in her genre and I've heard so many good things about her books. Unfortunately, t just left me cold.

A sweet little story that I really enjoyed reading. Flew threw it.

Great story loved it!