C Giovanni, Author

Overall 4.5 star

-Book Description: 3.5

-Cover: 4

-Plot: 4

-Creativity: 4

-Grammar: 4.5

-Simile Use: 4 (minimal usage)

-Description: 3

-Show Not Tell: 3.5

To the Sea is the debut novel of New Adult Author, Deidre Riordan Hall, and it will certainly leave you happy and with a smile on your face. The book description, honestly, did not draw me in. Perhaps, I have a small attention span, but with a description that long, I got lost somewhere in the middle. I like short, concise blurbs that draw me in. Still, something about it caught my attention. I wanted an easy read, so I clicked buy, and that was what I received. Not only that, but the cover is so pretty! Each cover in this series has an easy cohesiveness that draws you in. The novels each have warm covers, and you can imagine yourself there. The plot of this novel, is not like one I’ve read before. It was nice to read a New Adult novel that smoothly mixed the physical aspects of relationships, working life and captured human emotion so well. Many New Adult novels I’ve encountered focus on sexual expatiates that leave the other interactions feeling emotionless and dull, because that’s the core of the story. That was not the case with To the Sea. The one thing that felt slightly forced, at times, was the word choices for the inner monologue. The first chapter was filled with flowery words, and while they are a part of my own repertoire and make sense for the MC’s background, it left me with a feeling of trying too hard. It’s very clear that Ms. Hall is an extremely talented author, and, in my humble opinion, those ‘fancy’ words aren’t necessary. In fact, they distracted from the story and pulled me out of the novel at times. If you like books with a lot of description, then this book will be something you will love even more than I did. I don’t personally find a need to know exact details of the salad the character is eating, unless it’s important to the story line. That being said, the descriptions were well written, unique and were not similes or cliques; I just found myself skimming over many of them. Working directly with show not tell, the amount of description led to the lower rating here. Overall, this book demonstrated Ms. Hall’s writing skills, editing skills and ability to create an easy read the pulls at the heart strings. The book was the perfect balance of real life, lust and love, all which led me to say 4.5 stars. With a bit less description and more show not tell, this book could be a perfect 5 stars, but both of these are unique to my tastes. Now, pick up this book, and Find Your Bliss!