Save Me by Jenny Elliott

Save Me by Jenny Elliott

Release Date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: Swoon Reads
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Paperback
Source: Pansing
Buy: Available at all good bookstores!
Goodreads ● Website

Something strange is going on in the tiny coastal town of Liberty, Oregon. Cara has never seen a whale swim close enough for her to touch it--let alone knock her into the freezing water. Fortunately, cute newcomer David is there to save her, and the rescue leads to a bond deeper than Cara ever imagined.

But then she learns something about David that changes everything, and Cara is devastated. She turns to her best friend for support, but Rachel has changed. She's suddenly into witchcraft, and is becoming dangerously obsessed with her new boyfriend….

Cara has lost her best friend, discovered that her soul mate is off limits, and has attracted the attention of a stalker. But she's not completely alone. Her mysterious, gorgeous new friend Garren is there to support her. But is Garren possibly too perfect?

Save Me was a book that kept on popping up on my Goodreads dashboard, so when I was offered a copy for review, I accepted. I mean, a gorgeous cover and the buzz was all it took. However, I didn’t really read the synopsis until I actually had the book in my hands. Immediately I knew that there was going to be some insta-love, possibly a love triangle, paranormal shenanigans–all which 13-year-old me would have loved. Present day me? Not so much. This book actually took me surprise though, because I ended up liking it more than I thought I would. Sure, there were really, really cheesy and some pretty bad moments, but I can’t deny that I did find this an intriguing book.

What I liked about Save Me was that it was old-school paranormal. I haven’t read a book about witches, angels, demons, and other various supernatural creatures in a LONG time. I mean, sure there have been a few here and there, but not with the typical plot line: girl finds guy (and falls in love super quickly), supernatural events occur, battle with evil, etc. etc. Say what you will, but it really takes me back to my earlier YA days, and now I’m left feeling a little nostalgic. The book’s pace was also pretty good and the writing kept me interested, so in general, this book wasn’t actually all too bad!

However, I did have a few problems here and there. Garren’s identity, for instance. It’s not much of a secret. I mean, it’s on the front cover, so I don’t really get why it was left till the end. While I did like his character, if I was Cara, I would have been a whole lot more suspicious of him. I mean, he gives her apples everyday, won’t tell her where they’re from, and keeps the core in a plastic ziplock bag instead of throwing it away...seems a bit odd right? There was a serious lack of questioning or shock from Cara, which annoyed me sometimes because if abnormal things are happening I would have at least been a bit freaked out. This girl? Accepts it like it is. Also, what was with all the whale-related stuff? It has absolutely NOTHING to do with the book other than how Cara and David get close to each other. If it had been part of the setting or like small mentions of Cara’s job, then sure, yeah, that would have been cool. The whales just seemed to take up an unnecessarily large amount of the plot. Finally, my biggest problem with this book: 

THE INSTA-LOVE *Dun Dun Dunnnn*.

Okay, it wasn’t too bad. But still, INSTA-LOVE. It was really one of those “I looked into his (name exotic eye-color here) eyes and felt my heart beat faster moments.” The only plus side to this whole thing was that the reason why their relationship is challenged has nothing to do with paranormal. No “omg you’re not a human” moments. Funny story actually: my sister and I were looking at this book and we both thought he would turn out to be part whale or that he turns into a whale at night, hehe. It would have totally made sense, considering how much whale-related stuff is in this book.

While I did have some problems with several aspects of this book, there’s no doubt that this was an intriguing book. I definitely recommend this one to those who long for another Twilight-esque book and, like me, want a little trip down memory lane to the days when YA books featured a paranormal love-triangle or supernatural(ly fast) relationship.

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Sasha at Pansing for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• Fallen by Lauren Kate ● Goodreads
• The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong ● Goodreads
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl ● Goodreads