Into the Deep by Samantha Young

Narrated by Renee Chambliss

Into the Deep kicks off Samantha Young’s latest series, Into the Deep. True to the New Adult genre, the story is filled with hot young characters, snarky humor, and of course, angst. While Into the Deep does end with the hero and heroine together, their story is supposed to conclude in the sequel, Out of the Shallows (print version set for release April 2014).

Hot, witty, and emotionally honest, Charley Redford is a 20-year-old American on a year-long study abroad in Edinburgh with her best friend Claudia. At one of those college parties, Charley bumps into Jake Caplin, her first love at age 16 and from whom she realizes she has not moved on. The story then alternates between the past and present – the sweet highs and painful end of Jake and Charley’s former relationship, the present with Charley struggling to find resolution to that end, and accepting Jake’s apology and becoming friends. Jake has clearly moved on with a sweet girlfriend, but it is equally clear Jake and Charley’s chemistry and intense connection is still there.

Young love is all consuming, and the appropriately-named Ms. Young writes their deeply felt emotions very well. Jake, “You’re it for me. They write books about what we have.” Why Jake broke up with Charley, though, is not revealed until about 75% into the story. Partly because of this timing and first-person (Charley’s) narration, it’s hard to understand Jake and why someone as awesome as Charley is still so hung up on him. By the end, it’s just as hard not to feel as if the small-town drama in the past, love triangles, and friends drama in the present are contrived to keep Jake and Charley apart.

What does not feel contrived is the voice. Ms. Young so gets the thought patterns and plethora of feelings of young and new adults. She sucks you into their angst. And the book’s narrator, Ms. Chambliss, nails this generation’s voice. Her performance was fun and effortless especially in the dialogs. Ms. Chambliss’ portrayal of Charley’s snark (ala JLaw) was spot on. She also ably differentiated several male and female characters, and captures their American, Scottish, and British accents. I knew who was talking, and it made me want to hang out in the bar and soak the easy conversation and banter between the gang of friends.

Ms. Chambliss’ pacing was also just right. Her slightly breathy voice did take some getting used to. After a while, I appreciated how it enhanced the emotional and sexual tension as the story progressed.

I also wish Ms. Chambliss had chosen to distinguish the 16-year-old Jake and Charley from the new adults they are in the present. Perhaps there is no distinguishing them as written, however. In particular, Jake’s apparent thought patterns at age 20 seem the same as when he was 16. Perhaps the sequel will showcase him as hero to Charley’s Supergirl or at least show us Jake has figured out how to grow up!

Overall, this was a solid narration of a riveting but not quite satisfying New Adult book.

Megan

Narration:  B+

Book Content:  B-

Steam Factor:  For your burning ears only

Violence:  Minimal

Genre:  New Adult

Publisher:  Tantor Audio

Into the Deep was provided to AudioGals for review by Tantor Audio.