Book Review: September Girls by Bennett Madison

By: Bennett Madison
Published by: Harper Teen
To Be Released on: May 21st, 2013
Source: arc from publisher to review
0 Stars: Did Not Finish
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When Sam's dad whisks him and his brother off to a remote beach town for the summer, he's all for it-- at first. Sam soon realizes, though, that this place is anything but ordinary. Time seems to slow down around here, and everywhere he looks, there are beautiful blond girls. Girls who seem inexplicably drawn to him. 

Then Sam meets DeeDee, one of the Girls, and she's different from the others. Just as he starts to fall for her, she pulls away, leaving him more confused than ever. He knows that if he's going to get her back, he'll have to uncover the secret of this beach and the girls who live here

There was been some exciting hype about September Girls. Just in time for summer, a book with a cover that pulls me in, a premise that promises a hot summer romance, and mermaids! How can I say no to that right? Plus it's written from a guy's point of view, with a male main character. I'm hooked, and I want more.

This pains me to write, because I have reviewed very few books I didn't like or I didn't finish, but this sadly falls under that category. First, I like the cover. LIke I mentioned above, I liked the premise of the book. September Girls sounded like a good Summer read that was about romance, first loves, and mermaids. That wasn't really what I got out of the chapters I read. Yes, there are mermaids in this book, and I did like that the story alternates between the main character Sam, and the mermaids voice, but I couldn't keep up with all the F bombs and talk of getting laid or jacking off. Sorry, being blunt and taking it right out of the book. I'm someone who does not mind a few curse words in a book, or dropping a f-word hear or there, but I do have an issue with over using the f-word, and it was used A LOT.

The other issue I have, is the jacking off, getting laid talk. Yes, I get they are guys, and yes I know this is something teenage guys talk about a lot, do, whatever. I don't care to read about it in a YA book as often as it was mentioned within the first 7 chapters. I want to get to know the characters not read over and over again how often Sam likes to us the F-word and that his brother wants to get him laid. I do want to point out that I did want to feel for Sam, who's coping with a mother who has left him, a Dad who's not really there. The start to his summer wasn't looking like it was going to get any better, but now that his older brother has come back for the Summer, and there are these hot girls every where, Sam's Summer might be better than he thought it was going to be.

If I had made some sort of connection with Sam in the beginning, than maybe I would have read more of the story despite the things that totally turned me off with the book, but I never got that connection like I wanted from the author. Now this story might get better as the book goes, and it might have some great characters, but it definitely was not a book I enjoyed. I rarely stop reading a book, but this is one book I couldn't finish, which is why I'm also not rating it. I made it almost to chapter 7 and had to stop reading it. It really wasn't my cup of tea at all. It's not that the writing was all that bad, it just wasn't for my taste. Now someone else who doesn't mind all this might like the book.

I'm disappointed this book didn't live up to the hype I excepted it to be. The down side to reviewing is to post a review for a book that I can't say I loved or enjoyed or it was good. BUT again, just because I didn't love it, doesn't mean someone else won't. With the way this book was written, and the ages of the characters I felt this was a book that was much better suited as a New Adult than a YA.