• Left Drowning

  • Left Drowning, Book 1
  • By: Jessica Park
  • Narrated by: Arielle DeLisle
  • Length: 13 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,302 ratings)

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Left Drowning  By  cover art

Left Drowning

By: Jessica Park
Narrated by: Arielle DeLisle
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Publisher's summary

What does it take to rise from life's depths, swim against the current, and breathe?

Weighted down by the loss of her parents, Blythe McGuire struggles to keep her head above water as she trudges through her last year at Matthews College. Then a chance meeting sends Blythe crashing into something she doesn't expect - an undeniable attraction to a dark-haired senior named Chris Shepherd, whose past may be even more complicated than her own. As their relationship deepens, Chris pulls Blythe out of the stupor she's been in since the night a fire took half her family. She begins to heal, and even, haltingly, to love this guy who helps her find new paths to pleasure and self-discovery. But as Blythe moves into calmer waters, she realizes Chris is the one still strangled by his family's traumatic history. As dark currents threaten to pull him under, Blythe may be the only person who can keep him from drowning.

This audiobook is intended for mature audiences due to strong language and sexual content.

Note: Due to mature content recommended for Ages 17+

©2013 Jessica Park (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

What listeners say about Left Drowning

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Applauds for Left Drowning

Let it be known that this is getting like a 4.75 stars instead of what is shown as a 4. Hopefully, Audible will offer it's customer base the ability to fraction stars in the new look. Anyway, this is a powerful story of the struggle to deal with, work through, handle, manage or otherwise grow through not only tragic loss (Blythe's parents) but also unspeakable abuse (Christopher's family). How their lives cross paths, only to grow together, fall apart and move forward is a beautifully conceived story full of twists and turns that will have your heart racing and your emotions at the surface. The ONLY issue (which prevented the full on 5 stars) FOR ME was the over-done sexual encounters. After the first 10 or so, it got old and felt gratuitous; how many times do I need to read Christopher say "I want to hear you come" before it gets redundant and meaningless. Don't get me wrong, I'm no prude and enjoy erotic and sensual encounters a LOT but this was just over the top. With such a strong STORY of loss, love, loss, love and redemption, the sexual abundance did not add substance or meaning. This story was extremely moving and so beautifully crafted, don't let my wariness of the sexual content stop you from listening to it. Heck, I listened ALL NIGHT long to finish it--just could NOT stop until the story was done.

The characters of Blythe, Christopher, Sabin (perhaps my favorite character), Estelle, and Eric were so richly written and performed, I felt like I knew them and ached so for them.

About the narrator, reader, performer...Arielle DeLisle, well, I have one word for her. MAGNIFICENT. She handled many voices with ease, individuality, emotion, depth, believability and substance. As we who are devotees of the spoken book, the narrator can make or break. In this instance, Ms. DeLisle ABSOLUTELY MADE this book.

This is a very very worthy read.

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55 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

50% Story...50% Sex

Would you try another book from Jessica Park and/or Arielle DeLisle?

No

What could Jessica Park have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Way less sex, swearing & anger towards God

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

All three....mostly disappointment...had to fast forward through 50% of the chapters just to get to the story and past all the long nonstop sex scenes

Any additional comments?

To bad the Author had to fall back on sex to fill her story & draw readers....it could have been so much better! Waste of my money....unless thats what you like!

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28 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Main characters were just pathetic

This audiobook felt like it took forever. I couldn't wait for it to be over. While the narration was okay, the story was just awful. I am hard pressed to find 2 main characters that I wished went their separate ways at the end of the book. I didn't buy into their relationship at all. What a disappointing book to listen to after Flat out love.

Blythe McGuire is going through the motion of college, trying her best not to let her depression get the best of her. Blythe and her brother James lost their parents in a tragedy and the loss threw her in a tailspin.

Blythe's senior year she met Christopher Shepherd, a guy who seemed to understand and share her pain. Chris also lost his mother in a tragic accident and these two lonely hearts connected...or so Blythe thought.
See Chris told Blythe he doesn't do relationships, and Blythe thought she could handle the friends with benefits. But feelings emerged as they often do in these types of relationships. What will Blythe do when she knows Christopher isn't the "settling down" type?

My issue with this book was that Blythe was (besides being generally pathetic) emotionally all over the place. First of all, Blythe would tell Chris she wasn't looking for a boyfriend or a commitment, but in the next sentence, she would say that her and Chris are so connected. Blythe said she didn't believe in marriage, next breath Chris and my time will come. She was just so emotionally unstable. I felt like she couldn't tell lust from love.
Christopher was such a douchebag. He was a liar and a cheat, his reasons just were not good enough for his behavior.
Blythe's chasing after someone who was supposed to be a friend and treated her so callously, when she claimed she had grown stronger just perplexed me. He was just a user and bad guy to me. A lot of people had abusive parents but they don't treat people and lie by omission like he did. His behavior was appalling and disrespectful of a friendship.

I am so thankful I read Flat Out Love, Flat out Matt or I would have thought this author was a mediocre writer. Her characters in this book were not developed well and hard to like. I was truly disappointed with this one.

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22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

OMG...Can't find the correct words to describe

Heart-stoppingly beautiful. From the start, my thoughts were spot on the moment I heard the 1st story. My thoughts were so inline and I didn't even know it. Which was quite surprising in the end.

But, this was really intense. Both stories were very sad, but Chris' story was more than I could take. Yet...it all worked out in the end. Couldn't ask for anything more, honestly.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Tragic meets eortica

What did you like best about this story?

The family bond, helping each other get through tough life changing turmoil.

Any additional comments?

There are serious intimate sexual details described in the book. For me bordered on too much.

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15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Like E.L. James writing John Irving fan fiction

If you loved Flat Out Love, think twice before reading this title. I found the story ridiculous.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Emotional Roller Coaster will Leave you in Tears

What made the experience of listening to Left Drowning the most enjoyable?

The narrator was incredible and I felt every emotion of this story.

What did you like best about this story?

The storyline and every character in it.

What does Arielle DeLisle bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The way she brings this story to life and every heart felt emotion is even more heartbreaking.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Left Drowning bring out the tears.

Any additional comments?

This is the second time I have read this book. This time I could feel all the many character's emotions, which were raw. The pain they felt was unbearable and the struggles they had to overcome is unbelievable. The main characters had the worse problems but somehow they came out of this story and not drown in their pain. Blythe and Chris has this special connection they didn't know they had until the very end. In the end, it was this connection that pulled them out of their drowning past so the could breathe again. I listened to the audiobook and the narrater of this audiobook was so awesome that when she told parts of the story where the pain and suffering were let known, your heart would beat fast, tears would flow and she made every emotion come alive. I was totally emotional wreck listening to this story being read to me. I thought I understood this book the first time and I did, but the way the narrator brings it to life is a whole other story. Loved this tragic storyline and it may not be for everyone but I got it and felt it deeply. If you haven't listened to this audiobook you should and have a box of kleenex's beside you at all times. Love this author's writing and if you have read her other works just remember this one is different, but awesome in it's own way.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Both heartbreaking and heartwarming

This was not the story I was expecting when I started but I was amazed by it. Very rarely do I find a book /narrator combo that takes my heart and refuses to let go. I experienced every moment along with the characters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Perfection

I love Jessica Park. She is an author after my own heart, which is why I probably follow her on Facebook and laugh hysterically at 95% of her posts. Truth be told, she writes the way she posts and for me that translates into very real characters who are incredibly flawed and messy and all the more beautiful.

Arielle DeLisle seemed to channel Jessica in her narration. As I listened, I felt like I was really there on the beach or running on campus. Her ability to bring such great writing to life is an incredible talent.

Well done!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Hope....

Any additional comments?

All the characters were great. Well written with great peeks that keep you wondering What??? Why??? The Stevens family is so much like a lot of families though out the world and it's great how you can always count on never being in control. Great love scene's and graphic enough to make you feel as if you were there. Jessica Park and Arielle De Lisle both did a great job!

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