I enjoyed this historical Titanic storyline. It does have a fanfic flair, but really it has to since it's based off of a true story. I like the lesbian retelling and the great descriptions that made me feel like I was watching a movie in my head. I look forward to more from this author, especially if she writes more historical fiction. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 stars. The synopsis and the gorgeous cover had me really looking forward to this book, and I’m happy to say I wasn’t disappointed!

POV character Penelope Fletcher (20, lesbian) is a relatable, complex heroine who’s easy to root for. She’s forced to move with her parents to the US, but would have rather stayed home in Scotland. To make matters worse, her traditional parents want her to find a husband in the States. Ruby Cole (lesbian?), Penelope’s Irish roommate on the Titanic, is a wonderful mix of fun, earnestness, wisdom, and snappish one-liners, and I loved her the moment she appeared on page. While of course this story leans toward insta-love due to the setting, I liked the romance and thought Penelope and Ruby were lovely together (though, more on this later). There are plenty of tender moments to swoon over, and damn, Ruby has game!!

I loved the details woven throughout, and I was constantly looking up Scottish-isms, historical terms, and pictures of various sections of the Titanic. Also, the horrific sinking of the ship is extremely well-written. The sensory details (the shock of the ship’s lean, the ice-cold water, the terrible sounds of a failing ship) and the passengers’ actions (becoming empowered to do anything to save their family, wanting to give up because of the sheer despair of it all, making peace with the fact that this day would likely be their last) created an immersive sense of despair. It felt like I myself was on the Titanic alongside Penelope, my anxiety growing alongside hers.

I have two main complaints about this book, most notably my confusion regarding Penelope’s parents. There was this really weird shift in their attitudes at one point, and I wish we had been given more context to understand this. Secondly, while the romance development is good given the number of days, I thought it could have been great! I wanted more yearning, more romantic angst, and more intellectual/emotional connection between the leads to make me more invested in their relationship. As it was, I really liked the couple, but I didn’t ache for them like I was hoping to.

Overall, despite my complaints, I enjoyed The Breath Between Waves and I’m anxiously awaiting Hamilton’s net book, Of Trust & Heart. I feel like Hamilton is an emerging star in sapphic historical romance and I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Content warnings are included at the beginning of the book.

I received an ARC from Entangled Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Entangled Publishing for the eARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.</i>

Since pre-teen me was obsessed with Titanic (both the movie and the actual shipwreck), you can imagine my delight when I found this sapphic romance set on this legendary ship which I wrote several essays on in school.
Here two second-class passengers who are booked to share a room plan to make the most of the journey and their time together, knowing that once the Titanic reaches New York they'll probably never see each other again and have to conform to their family's and society's expectations of marrying men and having children. Little do they know what awaits the supposedly unsinkable ship and how one night might change what they thought their future looked like.

This was a very quick, enjoyable read and though short it did provide a lot of depth to the characters, their motivations, and their relationship. I enjoyed that the focus was as much on life on the Titanic and the character's dreams and aspirations as it was on the tragedy itself. There were a few things that I felt didn't entirely make sense narratively but I don't want to go into too much detail here so to avoid spoilers on who makes it out of this tragedy alive and who doesn't. I was also a bit put off at first at the immediate attraction Penelope felt towards Ruby but thankfully this didn't result in dramatic love declarations while facing imminent death. Rather, it's made clear several times that it's not love (yet) but rather a beautiful possibility.

3.5 Stars
Sapphic, historical fiction and Irish love interest? We love that!

As an Irish bisexual girl, it was nice to see someone like me as the love interest in a book, nevermind that it is set on the tragedy that was the Titanic, lol.
While I loved the representation and the glimpses into classism and the strange and uncomfortable family dynamics that were normal for that time to predict (Penelope's family), this story moved so fast. I liked that for the titanic aspect, but the love story became too rush and it didn't give me enough time to enjoy it fully -I really loved them together, don't get me wrong, but I know that I could have been drawn in so much more with more pacing and time.

A fun and sexy romp gets serious when two passengers on the Titanic are, well, on the Titanic. I know the Titanic gets exploited a lot, but in this case I found it a great setting for the romance between two women sailing in second class, each being pressured to find a husband when what they really want is--after some ambiguity and caution--each other. So: like Titanic stuff? Like romance? This is for you.

It’s the Titanic just gay and better. It’s not a very long book but you still have time to connect with the characters and understand them. It was a great romance and i would recommend it for a sweet, short read.

"The Breath Between Waves": 4 ⭐

(Unpaid Review: thank you to @netgalley, @cahamilton and the publishers for allowing me to read this eArc copy in exchange for a review).

If you're looking for a book with wlw romance and titanic vibes, this one is for you!

Penelope and Ruby are the cutest sapphic couple in historical romance! When reading historical, it's hard to find a book with sapphic romance (other than Evelyn Hugo, for example) and this one was such a refreshing take on the original tale of the Titanic.

I really enjoyed the first half of the book, super descriptive and character oriented, since we see the mc's connecting with each other. But, then, there were some parts that were really intense and some reminded me of the movie, so I was a little confused by them, but overall, such a lovely read for summer!!

Good read. Early fun and lighthearted lust turns to increasingly mad dash to survive.

When Penelope and Ruby are paired as roommates for the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic, they quickly find they have a LOT in common - including the desire to make the most of their time at sea before the real world (and the expectation of marriage) return. As the two grow closer, the cataclysm of April 14/15 threatens to abruptly end their time together.

SPOILER NOTE: like all millennials who were traumatized by the end of the movie Titanic (1997), and anyone who knows the story of the Titanic, I had to cheat peak to be sure there would be an HEA - while both have a LOT of trauma/PTSD from the event, they do both survive.

**I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

The Breath Between Waves is NOT what I expected. I really wanted a nice, soft historical sapphic romance but from the very beginning, I felt annoyed by the main character and her unnerving sexual thoughts about her new roommate. I felt like the relationship between the two characters was not going to be explored and I was looking more for a slow paced, introspective kind of romance.

I did not finish the novel.

Okey, all you need to know about this book is that this is a sapphic romance retelling of the Titanic… Do I honestly need to say more? I mean, that was enough for me, and it definitely did not disappoint.

In The Breath Between Waves we follow the journey of Penelope and Ruby, two young girls traveling towards America, where they are expected to find a husband and become respectable wives and mothers. But, after finding themselves as roommates and deeper feelings developing between each other, they decided to make the best of this journey, make it their last adventure and create good memories before they get married off.

But, of course, tragedy strikes the Titanic (yes, we are looking at you iceberg) and their journey takes a completely different turn.

At the begging I would have love to see more about the developing romance between Penelope and Ruby, since everything feels a little rushed. But the moment tragedy strikes (or should I say iceberg? Yeah, bad joke. Sorry.). I feel that everything is perfect, referring to the writing, not the events, because that’s just sad ( it was at this moment that the crying starts btw). The way the author manages to represent this awful tragedy inside the pages is so well done that it really makes you feel as if you where there with the characters, all that desperation and fear. It literally broke me.

In general, this was a very fast and easy read, I devoured it in like two days, with a cute romance but also be prepared for a good dose of angst and to cry like crazy but… is a retelling of The Titanic, so why can we expect if not tears? Highly recommend this book.

I loved this concept so much as a Titanic stan, but have to admit the book didn't hold me the way I thought it would. I enjoyed pieces of it, but it felt a little too much like fanfiction for me to get into it.

When I requested this book I only saw a titanic inspired story and had no idea it was sapphic. But the fact that it was sapphic was an amazing suprise. It was a bit slow in the beginning, but eventually I rooted for the couple. This book also made me cry and tore my heart out and tramped on it.

i heard "sapphic titanic" and that was enough to make me immediately dive into this thrilling historical romance!

the (relatively slow) first half of the book establishes penelope and ruby, second class roommates aboard the titanic who both know they are doomed to marry men within the next few years. their romance blossoms quickly, and they both wish to enjoy their time together so they will have happy memories to last them through their future loveless marriages. very bleak.

one of my issues with the story is the instalove, which feels shallow and unbelievable toward the beginning. i can understand the necessity of things escalating quickly because, of course, the characters only have a few days together aboard the titanic. but it took a lot of effort to suspend my disbelief to accept that women of this era could stumble upon each other and fall into each others' arms so quickly.

but this is partially redeemed because the love story is ultimately very sweet. at times it feels more like lust than love, and i wish there was more depth to the relationship. but it gels better during the second half of the book, as the ship begins sinking and the drama and desperation are amped up.

the book is very well-researched with regard to titanic itself, and i appreciated the inclusion of old scottish slang. and many real people appear, which is always interesting in titanic fiction. penelope comes across thomas andrews, bruce ismay, guggenheim, officer lightoller, and more.

i will say that with so many references to various decks on the titanic, a simple map at the front of the book would be extremely helpful. even though i looked up some deck maps online while reading, it was sometimes hard to visualize where different locations are in relation to one another. there's a lot of detail in the novel, but i was sometimes confused about where exactly everyone was, and exactly how sunken the ship was at any given time. not sure if this is because of iffy writing, or if it was just me!

it also strikes me as odd that the book strikes so many of the same emotional spots as the 1997 movie. sneaking into a third class party, many of the little tragedies penelope witnesses, and [the way she goes down on the back of the ship but ultimately survives (hide spoiler)] all feel like they're rehashing the movie to some degree. obviously all post-1997 titanic media will be informed by the film, but some of these details gave me pause.

while the sapphic romance is one of the main selling points of the book, i also appreciate the focus on family relationships. while penelope's parents are distant, she still cares about them and is determined to find them before the ship sinks.

one of the most well-written parts of the breath between waves is the epilogue. [ten years later, penelope and ruby are together. they've managed not only to survive the sinking of the titanic, but to escape the cultural and family expectations that would have them each marry men. everything isn't roses - they are both haunted by nightmares of the sinking, and penelope has lost some toes to frostbite - but it's a happy ending nonetheless. it feels bittersweet and tender and believable, which is all really lovely. (hide spoiler)]

overall this isn't quite as stellar as i'd hoped. but i love the gay yearning, i'm a sucker for titanic drama, and i appreciate that hamilton put huge effort into researching the novel. if the sapphic titanic premise speaks to you, read this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.i heard "sapphic titanic" and that was enough to make me immediately dive into this thrilling historical romance!

the (relatively slow) first half of the book establishes penelope and ruby, second class roommates aboard the titanic who both know they are doomed to marry men within the next few years. their romance blossoms quickly, and they both wish to enjoy their time together so they will have happy memories to last them through their future loveless marriages. very bleak.

one of my issues with the story is the instalove, which feels shallow and unbelievable toward the beginning. i can understand the necessity of things escalating quickly because, of course, the characters only have a few days together aboard the titanic. but it took a lot of effort to suspend my disbelief to accept that women of this era could stumble upon each other and fall into each others' arms so quickly.

but this is partially redeemed because the love story is ultimately very sweet. at times it feels more like lust than love, and i wish there was more depth to the relationship. but it gels better during the second half of the book, as the ship begins sinking and the drama and desperation are amped up.

the book is very well-researched with regard to titanic itself, and i appreciated the inclusion of old scottish slang. and many real people appear, which is always interesting in titanic fiction. penelope comes across thomas andrews, bruce ismay, guggenheim, officer lightoller, and more.

i will say that with so many references to various decks on the titanic, a simple map at the front of the book would be extremely helpful. even though i looked up some deck maps online while reading, it was sometimes hard to visualize where different locations are in relation to one another. there's a lot of detail in the novel, but i was sometimes confused about where exactly everyone was, and exactly how sunken the ship was at any given time. not sure if this is because of iffy writing, or if it was just me!

it also strikes me as odd that the book strikes so many of the same emotional spots as the 1997 movie. sneaking into a third class party, many of the little tragedies penelope witnesses, and the way she goes down on the back of the ship but ultimately survives all feel like they're rehashing the movie to some degree. obviously all post-1997 titanic media will be informed by the film, but some of these details gave me pause.

while the sapphic romance is one of the main selling points of the book, i also appreciate the focus on family relationships. while penelope's parents are distant, she still cares about them and is determined to find them before the ship sinks.

one of the most well-written parts of the breath between waves is the epilogue. ten years later, penelope and ruby are together. they've managed not only to survive the sinking of the titanic, but to escape the cultural and family expectations that would have them each marry men. everything isn't roses - they are both haunted by nightmares of the sinking, and penelope has lost some toes to frostbite - but it's a happy ending nonetheless. it feels bittersweet and tender and believable, which is all really lovely.

overall this isn't quite as stellar as i'd hoped. but i love the gay yearning, i'm a sucker for titanic drama, and i appreciate that hamilton put huge effort into researching the novel. if the sapphic titanic premise speaks to you, read this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This had all the hallmarks to be one of my favourite books (hello sapphic tragedy). While I liked the premise and the concept of the book, it was the romance that fell flat for me. I found it hard to become invested in the characters and their romance, mostly because it seemed one dimensional and underdeveloped. Some parts of the writing took me out of the story, which was a shame since I did enjoy the setting of the titanic.

I liked reading about the ship and touring it but from an angle of someone who wants to know more, not someone who especially cares if the characters enjoy there time (if that makes sense?). Overall, I enjoyed the second part of the book much more than the first and if this was about two women, I probably would have rated lower.

3.5 stars. It was entertaining and I honestly sped right through it, but I'm not sure how well written it was. The romance was alright, I personally don't like insta-love, and had trouble believing Penelope and Ruby were so in love after knowing each other for like three days. I also didn't think either of them had any discernible personalities. The author tried to give them some backstory, but they both had the exact same motivations and situations, which was that they didn't want to get married to a man in America. What I really liked was how the sinking of the ship was written. The emotions of the characters and the atmosphere was very well portrayed, and I would say it was by far my favorite part of the book. I came into this book looking for a lesbian titanic romance, and that's what I got. I wasn't blown away, but I wasn't disappointed either.

3.5* – There are two parts to this book. The first was an okay read, not as exciting as I hoped for a Titanic romance. The pace felt slow, and I wasn’t sure where the story was supposed to be going. The relationships between the MCs and their families seemed in the way. Besides, the MCs jumped on each other after only a day, and you know I don’t mind instalust but it seemed a bit extreme. I got confused about whether they’d slept together that first night, since they mentioned kissing all night and touching over clothes but then one of them knew what the other’s skin looked like on her belly and thighs.

Then, around the 50% mark, came the first real intimate scene and it got me back into the story. It’s well-written, at once sweet and hot, and I started to care about the characters. Right on time too, as that’s when all hell broke loose. And the book suddenly picked up. The second half is much better than the first, fast-paced, dramatic and exciting until the end.

If the whole book had been written with the same energy, the same pace, the same tension, my rating would have been much higher. The fact that it’s a debut makes me want to keep an eye out for Charlotte Anne Hamilton’s future books.

I received a copy from the publisher and I am voluntarily leaving a review.

3.25 stars. I am always here for a Titanic drama with a sapphic twist. Some things worked really well for me in this version of the tragic sinking, but others didn't quite make it. This is a story about Penelope Fletcher and Ruby Cole, two young women going to America to start new lives, but they have a secret: they are lesbians. There's only a couple of minor points about the back stories of each of these young women but they both view the voyage as them moving into a cage.

I think one of the things that make media about the Titanic work is that they make you care about the ship. We all know what is going to happen, eventually, and we can care about the people on it, but it is just as important to get us to care about the ship. That's what made the Cameron movie work so well. He actually made me care about what happened to it, because it became a symbol for the majority of characters - or at the very least, it made you care about the nameless people you knew were not going to make it. With this one, it almost gets there. I did shed a couple of tears at the end, during the disaster and in the aftermath. Yet, I wasn't as invested in Penelope and Ruby during the lead up, nor did I really care about the ship or the rest of its ill-fated passengers. Like I said before, the ship became a vessel for the two young women's new beginnings; ones that they necessarily didn't want, but it didn't feel like the dread was there. Ruby tried to explain that she was looking for another woman to be around, and to feel satisfied for what could be the last time before she got married, but that feeling of dread at a future she didn't want was mostly just distant.

All the bones of a really great drama are here, and I enjoyed this take on love during a disaster a lot. I do wish that there was a little more time given to the ship itself and the ending. It felt a little rushed, and given that Ruby and Penelope still had some PTSD, it would have been nice to see them together, working through it. But overall, good enough in my book to recommend!

*I received this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5 stars!

TBBW was an emotional half romance, half survival drama. Judy and Penelope share a room aboard the Titanic, and quickly find themselves drawn to each other. Good thing this ship is unsinkable, right?

The romance half was lovely, sweet and complex, and the chemistry between the two leads was believable. The moments shared between them are earned, the conflict makes sense, and it wasn't frustrating as it can be in romances. Penelope in particular manages to change and grow even before hell really breaks loose. I loved this part of the book, even though I felt like the character voices were not quite as distinct as they could've been, and I had a hard time keeping track of the names of the side characters.

The survival half, AKA when the Titanic does what the Titanic is known for, were as tense, dramatic, and sad as one could expect. The scene with Frank and his father-in-law was particularly tense for me! However, this part was strangely enough where I faced some issues with the pacing, some parts feeling like they were dragging on; including the epilogue. However, I liked the ending in general terms.

All in all, an enjoyable read!

3,5/5

The Breath Between Waves is a sapphic romance set on the Titanic. As a lover of the 1997 movie and as someone who’s also interested in the true story of the ship, this was definitely a book for me. It fulfilled my expectations and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book as it gave me pretty much what I was hoping for.

The story is told from Penelope’s point of view, in the third person. It is heavily focused on the romantic aspect, but also develops the two girls’ backgrounds, especially their relationships with their families. I loved reading and discovering the ship through Penelope’s eyes, though at some point it got a bit overly romantic for my taste, a bit repetitive and I would’ve loved to see the girls do something different. That being said, I loved how the romance progressed. We know from the start that they only have limited time together, the characters know it too, and their relationship moves fast but doesn’t feel rushed at all. I loved how they got to spend a lot of time together, which justified the strong feelings and attachment, and made the way they admitted their feelings sound really honest and truthful. The two main characters were interesting people with their own personal stories, which really helped the romantic storyline and created strong foundations for the rest of the novel.

I thought the writing was okay but nothing that I absolutely loved. Some bits could’ve been more subtle, some things were shown and then explained when it was honestly not necessary. The overall was pretty good but didn’t give me all the feels I was expecting! For History lovers and readers who are into the true story of the Titanic, we meet a few famous characters like Ismay and Guggenheim, which I thought was nice. Elements from recent discoveries were also incorporated to make the sinking fit what we today believe happened to the Titanic. I’m not sure that everything was historically accurate but it was mostly believable. A few reactions during the sinking seemed a bit far-fetched but that didn’t keep me from enjoying the book.

Now, there were many similarities to the movie, which is probably what bothered me the most, but I also get that it’s quite personal and that other readers might not care about that. Ideally, I didn’t want to mention it in this review, I wish this book could stand on its own, but sadly that’s not really the case. I mean, I think James Cameron’s Titanic is a massive reference and to anyone creating around the ship’s story, it can be difficult not to take inspiration from it. After all, the movie’s popularity and success really renewed people’s interest in the 1912 tragedy. So there’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration, but I can see how that would annoy some readers. I managed to enjoy the similarities but also found myself wishing things were done differently. Among the aspects that felt very similar to Titanic, there were scenes and bits of dialogue that were basically the same. I clearly saw the scene where Rose and her family walk on the deck and talk about technical stuff, and mention the capacity of the lifeboats. Some turns of phrase felt like they were pulled from the movie. Some cinematographic things clearly inspired the writing of a few scenes too. I don’t think this is bad or considered plagiarism or anything, but there was a sort of in-between that prevented me from really vibing with this. As it was already a romance set on the Titanic, I would’ve maybe loved to see completely different situations for these characters. In terms of rhythm it’s also very similar to the film. The collision happens at around 50% of the book, and from that moment on the second half is pretty tense and fast-paced, which is to be expected because the ship is sinking. But in this half you get moments of action and others where you can take a little breath, and I thought these were organized a bit similarly to the movie. So really a lot of different little things that make this feel like it was maybe built using the film as reference. Titanic by James Cameron is not mentioned as an inspiration, a source, so… I don’t know? I’m a bit confused. Many of the activities and specific places and elements that are mentioned in the book are things that are focused on in the movie. I mean, the Titanic was a massive ship with many rooms and things to do or see, and I would’ve loved to have the characters explore other things than what Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio did already.

I really really loved the idea of this book, loved seeing girls fall in love with the Titanic as the backdrop, loved reading about this tragedy. The romance was cute, there were beautiful things in this book, but it also could’ve been so much better and I wish it would’ve gone further. I would recommend this novel to readers who love the movie Titanic and wish it were queer. If you haven’t seen the film, you might actually enjoy this more than I did and I encourage you to try this book!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for this eARC.

Content warnings (provided in the book): death of a loved one, death of a parent, drowning, corpses, shipwreck, vomiting, alcohol
Content warnings (additions): pregnancy, mentions of cancer, misogyny, graphic sex

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

I have to say I found this Titanic romance to be pretty weak in both of those departments, especially during the first half of the book.

The descriptions of the Titanic felt rather generic. It was essentially described by its color (something like, black on bottom with a red stripe and white on top and black smoke stacks) which seems like the least important detail. The other descriptions seemed like facts pulled from a reference book and didn’t really make sense for the two leads to know. Why would they know or care what materials the ship was made from, or how many feet in length the ship was, how much it weighed? We hardly got any information about things the layperson would have noticed, such as was the flooring wood or carpeted beneath their feet? How were the hallways lit? How wide were the passageways?

The setting is half the reason why I was interested in reading this title, but it didn’t even feel important until the ship began to sink. The leads spent so much time in their cabin that they might just as well have been in a prison cell. It really did not seem to matter where they were until disaster struck in the form of an iceberg.

I found that I really felt nothing towards the main characters, Penelope and Ruby. What I most enjoy in a romance is the meet-cute, then the blossoming of a romance before it burns. The friendship and courtship are what make a romance. But to me this story skipped all the good stuff and the two women immediately jumped to wanting to have sex with each other literally before they knew each other’s names. That made for a very boring couple for me. They had no chemistry, no bond. There was no actual relationship to speak of. They could have been any two women. What did they even find attractive about each other, besides their looks? Strict surface attraction does not make for an appealing couple in romance a novel. I had hoped for a whole lot more. This was not a couple I could root for.

I felt the couple and the setting were boring. There was a repetitive, uninteresting pattern throughout the entire book: 1. The girls are shocked by how late they are for lunch; 2. Penelope meets her parents for lunch and they disapprove of her tardiness; 3. It is stated that lunch was had then the girls returned to their rooms; repeat, ad nauseam. Why even bother mentioning the lunch breaks? Every second of each day does not need to be accounted for if nothing worth reading is happening. It was very dull to read that they went and ate and came back to their room, summed up in a single sentence most every time, then they would pick up an earlier conversation like the weird meal break had never happened.

The formula repeated when the girls met some third-class passengers who invited them to join them for nightly parties below deck. It is stated that they went and had a good time...then they just go right back to their room again. There was almost no description of the parties. Entire chapters could have been filled with excitement and drama and genuine threat of discovery, but we only got a few vague paragraphs. Even when they sneaked into first class to get a peek at the grand staircase was over in an instant. The author just skipped or glossed over every single thing that might have made this book interesting.

I felt no connection with the extraneous characters, either. Ruby’s family felt almost too large to remember everyone. If she had been traveling with her pregnant sister and brother-in-law, it would have been just fine. But adding other children and the babysitting felt so unnecessary. And Penelope’s parents just confused me. Her family was described as unloving and dysfunctional, a point which was proven when her father made the sexist comment that the workings of the ship weren’t important for a woman to know, and in the facts that her parents ignored her desires to attend college and instead were planning to force her to marry after forcing her to move to another continent. But then all of a sudden her parents were canoodling with each other, and praising and hugging and kissing her like they’re all very close. So Penelope deciding that she was wrong about her family the whole time made no sense, when it was already a proven fact that her father was sexist and her mother let him get away with it, and that they did not respect her opinions or let her decide anything about her own life. It just made no sense for them to do a 180 turnaround for no apparent reason or for Penelope to decide all the problems in the dysfunctional family had been of her own doing or in her own head.

The story only picked up for me when the boat was half-sunk. I continued to be bored in the early stages of the sinking, when the girls walked around the entire deck literally five times while searching for their families. There was no sense of impending doom or urgency, just another repetitive pattern that did not seem to serve any true purpose in the story, other than to kill time until the ship could sink.

For me the best part of the story was after Penelope was dunked into the frigid Atlantic. Although some elements seemed taken straight from James Cameron’s film (did Jack REALLY have to die, even in this novel?!), the way the group had to shift their weight on the lifeboat to keep it afloat was new and interesting information. The fact that Penelope got frostbite added a sense of realism. Her fight for her life was the best part of the story.

My least favorite part of the story was, sadly, the romance, or lack thereof. There was so much free time the leads could have spent romancing each other but instead they immediately fell in love at first sight but spent all of their alone time being sad about the relatives they missed. It felt like too much information for strangers to share, and made their interactions feel awkward and dull. There was no story to be found until the ship sank. The girls spent most of their time walking in and out out of their room and just having another morose discussion or a pointless, petty argument.

I’m really disappointed I couldn’t enjoy this one. Thank you for the chance to read it but it was just not for me.