Review: The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal

The Lifeguard
By: Deborah Blumenthal
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co
Published: March 1, 2012
Genre: YA
Rating:

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It’s an unsettled summer for Sirena. Back in Texas, her family’s splitting apart, but here in Rhode Island, at the cottage of her aunt, it’s a different world. There are long days at the beach and intriguing encounters with Pilot, the lifeguard with shamanic skills. Sirena explores her obsession with Pilot and discovers his mysterious–almost magical–gifts.

 

 

1thoughts
I have mixed feelings about this book. It started off slow with Sirena being shipped out to her aunt’s while her parents separate and go through a divorce. The first half of the book is her worrying over what life will be like when she goes back to not one home but two split between her parents. That part was a little dragging for me but then Sirena becomes stalkerish over the lifeguard, Pilot, things started to get uncomfortable. She buys a new bikini to wear at the beach so that he notices her and steals a painting of him at an art gallery that was painted by a local artist, who just so happens to be her friend/ Pilot’s grandfather. She went from being a normal teenage girl to crossing over to creeper’ville. She didn’t act like any 17 year old I ever knew. I just thought that some of the things that she did and the thoughts that she had were a bit far fetched and shallow to me.

Pilot on the other hand seemed be give off mixed signals to Sirena. One minute it would seem as if he was flirting with her and then at their next encounter be really standoff-ish. He also has this weird relationship with this girl who used to be his girlfriend but is now more like a sister to him. There were a couple of times in the book where they seemed to be acting as more than just what one would think of as a brother and sister bond. But regardless he was still an interesting character to read about.

However, once Sirena almost dies she seems to calm down some and that was when I really got invested in the story. That is when you find out that Pilot is a shaman and that he can heal people. The two of them start to become really close and he opens up a little bit more. He not only talks about his shaman powers but shows her a little bit of what he can do.

All in all it was a good YA read but I did have quite a few issues with it.
 
 
1favequote
“PMS is up there with ghosts in turning you into someone you don’t want to be.”

kRISTIN

3 Thoughts on “Review: The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal

  1. Great review, I’ve read lots of mixed feelings about this book but part of me still wants to read it!

  2. This one doesn’t sound so great. I think I’ll pass.

  3. Haven’t heard of this book before. After reading your review (and mixed feelings) I think I might also pass. Sirena seems a little too crazed for my liking! Thanks for the honesty in the review =)

    Kristan @ Lost Amongst the Shelves

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