TITLE : Down The Shore
AUTHOR : T Torrest
Synopsis:
DOWN THE SHORE A rock-and-roll romantic comedy.
Livia Chadwick is a photographer by day and a self-proclaimed rock slut by night. Her dating life is a lackluster parade of evasive jerks and her boss is an unrelenting nightmare of a human being. What else can a girl do but rent a beach house with her girlfriends And blow off a little steam every weekend? But hey, she’s from Jersey. Barhopping down the shore all season is sort of mandatory. All is going according to plan… until she meets Jack.
Jack Tanner is a contractor-turned-musician in a small-town cover band suddenly thrust into the limelight. He’s already had enough of the rock-and-roll lifestyle, and groupies have never been his thing. Then again… there’s a gorgeous brunette in the audience tonight, checking him out with the most incredible green eyes he’s ever seen.
She's looking for a fling.
He's looking for forever.
It’s gonna be one helluva summer.
Set in the summer of 1995, Down the shore takes the reader on a tour through some of the Jersey shore’s hottest hot spots over one, sleepless, flannel-clad summer.
It’s a look back to a time when the music was groundbreaking, the rock clubs were king, and bar bands ruled the world.
READ WHEN YOU’RE IN THE MOOD FOR: Light, sexy, funny, romantic, and nostalgic.
***Not recommended for anyone under the age of 18, and/or any readers who are slut-shamers, guido sympathizers, beach haters or anti-music.
Other people who should walk away from this book immediately: Readers who have sticks up their butts about offensive language, those who don't like detailed sex scenes in their stories, idiots who think "Jersey Shore" has anything to do with actual New Jerseyans, and anyone who can't appreciate the mother-effing nineties.***
My Thoughts:
Down the Shore is a romantic love story set in the past. Livia is a strong willed woman who loves music. She sleeps with rock stars, but only for one night. She never starts relationships with them because of how she views their lifestyle. Instead she picks men to date based on what she thinks she wants and ends up dating nothing but losers.
Then she meets Jack. Jack Tanner is in a band and also happens to be friends with Livia's guy friends. His band plays at mostly smaller bars and performs many covers. They are local rock stars, but not in the big times. These two meet and what follows is a sweet, yet funny, romantic summer between the two.
I am going to be honest. When I went into reading this book, I was skeptical about if I was going to like it. Most rock star romance books tend to start to sound the same and I was worried that this would be true for this book as well. I have to say I was completely wrong in my original thoughts on this book. Down the Shore was amazing and different from most other rock star romances I have read so far.
Not only is it set in the past (1995 and 1996), but the main male character was not as much of a rock star as I thought he would have been. He still had a cocky attitude, but I also found him sweet and endearing most of the time. I also liked the role reversal in this book. Livia was the sex crazed one who didn’t want a relationship, while Jack wanted to take things slow and get to know her first.
I really liked the dynamics in this book. There were many subplots running alongside the main plot, but they didn’t take away any of the spotlight from the main plot in my opinion. Livia was spending the summer with her twin sister and friends and each one of those friends were included in a subplot in one way or another. While Livia and Jack were falling in love, these minor characters were also having the summer of their lives. I think it added to the ambiance of the story overall.
One of the major shockers of the book for me actually happened with one of the subplots.
I also really liked the way this book was narrated. It was almost like the main character was writing in a diary or talking to a friend. Some of the things she would say were just funny as heck.
**Spoilers in the next couple of paragraphs**
As for Jack and Livia, I think their love story was sweet. Livia was reluctant to give her heart to Jack and really made him work for it. After they meet in the bar and Livia attempts to have a quickie with him in a storage room, Jack stops her.
After a couple of encounters, Jack convinces Livia's sister, to get her to come to one of his shows so he can see her. Once there, they make an agreement. Livia will go on ten dates with Jack, but they will not have sex until the tenth date so that they can get to know each other. I really liked watching her fall for him and then to again see another role reversal when it got to the point where Jack couldn’t hold back sexually and Livia was the one making them take it slow. It showed that she began to understand Jacks desire to really care about the person he was going to be sleeping with. I think it also showed that she was letting her guard down and allowing him in her heart, which is a big step for Livia.
We watch them fall in love, which is great, but their breakup was even better. I expected the major conflict in the book to center around Jack and his rock star lifestyle. I really figured he would make a big mistake and it would be Livia doing the leaving. I was completely wrong and I loved every minute of it. Jack was the one that broke it off. He was making a mistake, of course, but it was nice to see that the book didn’t have to do with Livia catching Jack cheating or almost cheating. Although it alludes to that after the break up, it was not the cause of the break up. The break up scene itself was heart wrenching. I physically was tearing up and my heart ached for Livia. She finally fell in love with this man, but then things didn’t work out the way she wanted. We do not find out until much later as to why Jack really broke up with her.
Overall, I think this is an amazing love story. There were some slow parts that I could’ve done without, but other than that, it was a great book that I would recommend to others. I think the setting of the book alone with the time period the book is set in was a good choice to show this wonderful romance. I think this story shows that everyone makes mistakes and sometimes it takes someone to be patient and kind in order to help someone grow into the person they need to be. I think it shows friendship as well.
STAR RATINGS
Plot = 5/5
Characters = 5/5
Heat = 5/5
Writing Style = 4.5/5
Overall Rating = 4.5/5
Characters = 5/5
Heat = 5/5
Writing Style = 4.5/5
Overall Rating = 4.5/5
Some of my favorite parts of the story:
His hands slide around my waist as he pulls me closer against his body, and well, what do we have here? It seems Mr. Happy has decided to join us. – Livia and Jacks first interaction
I’ve never fallen in love before, but I’m starting to wonder if this is what it feels like. I’ve never had a stroke, either, but I imagine the symptoms are the same. – Livia thinking about how she feels about Jack
Captain Fingerbang reporting for duty! – Livia talking about Jack
But maybe everything in this world starts out a little rough around the edges and just needs someone to love it in order to make it truly beautiful. Maybe the most lasting things are so sturdy because they’ve been tested and restructured, tempered and reinforced. - Livia reflecting on life and her relationship with Jack.
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