{REVIEW} THE OTHER FISH IN THE SEA (GRAB YOUR POLE #2) by JENN COOKSEY

Series: Grab Your Pole #2
Genre: Mature Young Adult Contemporary
Publisher: self-published
Publication Date:
Format: eARC
Pages:
Source: Received from author for review

Coming in spring 2013!

Camie and Tristan are back and so are their friends! Dive deeper into the lives of the GYP gang with The Other Fish in the Sea, the second installment in the Grab Your Pole Series by Jenn Cooksey.

Alright. Let me just go on ahead and make a couple things perfectly clear.

1) Jenn Cooksey is an absolute writing genius.

2) As much as I loved Shark Bait (believe me, it's a hardcore love), I can say with complete assurance that I loved The Other Fish in the Sea even more.

To be honest, this is one of the most difficult reviews I've written. I have so much to say, but I am terrified of spoiling both books one and two. And honestly, I've been over this with Autumn at Autumn Review multiple times, and we've both concluded that nothing we can say in our reviews will justify just how truly special this series is. You have to read it to understand.

Now, I can sit here and say the characters were endearing, engaging and I love them to pieces. And I can also say that the story was surprising, heartbreaking, magical, and flat-out perfect as they come. Both statements are true to my experience. But still, those statements only touch the edge of what I believe to be true of the Grab Your Pole series.

The Other Fish in the Sea is a larger story than Shark Bait. Cooksey took what I only suspected to be supporting characters, and made the story theirs, as well. This book is told not only from Camie's point-of-view, but also Kate, Melissa, and Jillian's. What I learned about these girls made me gasp, smile, fist pump, and cry. Sometimes the tears were from happiness, a bittersweet moment, but also of the worst kind of heartbreak. Don't jump to conclusions, though. I was continually surprised by the events of the story.

And the boys. Sa-woon. Not only do we have the uber-hottie Tristan Daniels, but his friends are also part of the larger story. "Dear" Jeff, "Lonely" Pete, all play bigger roles. And can I just say, these boys are an absolute riot. All extremely aggressive (in a good way!), lovable, hilarious, and loyal guys, these boys are the kind of guys I want my son to be and my daughter to date. Now, that's not to say that they're perfect, but they are good boys, and they work hard to be the kind of guys their girls deserve. And...I'm not naming names, for fear of spoilage and death by author, but there's a darkhorse in the story who has sort of won my heart.  I have to keep my love a secret for now, but: You keep being awesome, you sexy bitch!

The thing is, these books are real as the get. Camie, Tristan and the rest of the gang are not delivered a cake walk. Mistakes are made, conclusions are jumped to, angry words are spoken. And sometimes, it's almost more than they (really, I) can take. I have to say, these characters, particularly Tristan and Camie really mess up. But you know what, that is realistic for people their age. This is the first time either of them have ever dealt with emotions of this magnitude. If you think about it, Camie is pretty young and has lived a very sheltered life. She's not naive, but she does have a lot of growing up to do. And not only is she dealing with first love, but it's with a guy like Tristan. I've never really considered Tristan to be a "bad boy", more of an overly-blessed, kind of spoiled, good guy. And though he is very mature, deep, and responsible, he is still learning to be in a relationship for the first time. These two are dynamite when pushed. They fight, hard. But they also love hard, too. And there are times when they both made me so frustrated and hurt that I wanted to sit them down and slap some sense into them, to tell them to communicate. But they are growing up. And I have to say, keep the big picture in mind. Tristan and Camie have are young and have a lot to learn about love. But I can also say that their moments of connection or of simply having fun were just beautiful and so much fun to read.

 Lessons have to be learned. Decisions must be made. Trust must be granted. Happy endings must be earned. The road to true love is bumpy as hell, and these kids better put on some padding.

I'm a "feelings" reader. I base my love for a book by how much I am consumed by the story, by how much I smile, laugh, cry, and pull my hair out. By those accounts, The Other Fish in the Sea is perfection. And I can honestly honestly say that it stands up as an all-time favorite.


Favorite Quotes:

“Thanks for rilin’ her up for me, I might owe you.” Seriously, he thanked them. See what Jillian and I meant about not being able to handle the reins?

I smacked him a couple times, which just made it worse because he sighed whimsically (Yeah, whimsically.) and said, “Ahhh, I just love foreplay.” Then he picked me up in the way that’s become kind of normal for us—you know, the backwards piggy-back way—and as he turned to carry me away he said, “Come on Baby, let’s go fight and find out how much I owe ‘em.”

“But I don’t wanna fight,” I pouted and laid my head on his shoulder.

“Well that’s okay, Baby, we don’t have to fight…how ‘bout finding out what a phenomenal bunkmate I am instead?” 

 

 

“Camie, for the love of God, would you please do something about him…I don’t think he’s gone this long and it’s making me nervous...and I’m not very photogenic.”

Tristan took a picture of me this morning that revealed I’m not very photogenic either so I feel for Pete. “Welcome to my world…what you need to do is keep him away from cameras of all kinds and get him to agree to boundaries. He’s pretty good about sticking to them. Well, most of the time. Sometimes. Alright, only occasionally…you know what, Pete? You’re screwed.” 

 

 

Jeff: “Aw Katy…you know I hate watchin’ you try clothes on…” (We hear Jeff make a feeble attempt to cover the mouthpiece and then he said,Dude, you have like five minutes to learn how to answer does this make me look fat without pissing your girlfriend off… and Tristan’s response of aw fuck.)

Kate: “I know, but this won’t be that bad, I promise.”
Jeff: “Yeah, yeah…where are you?”

Kate: “Victoria’s (We hear the sound of a chair being scraped backwards and most likely hitting the ground and then Tristan yelped, Ouch! You’re pulling my hair not my shirt, you fuck!) Secret.”

Jeff: “We’re on our way!” (Before the phone is disconnected we hear Jeff tell Tristan where it is he’s dragging him and then two pairs of feet pounding on the concrete.)

 

 

   He didn’t say anything but he gave me a squeeze and a sweet kiss on my forehead before nestling me closer against him and then, finally, we were both able to fall asleep. And as I did, the delicate sound of sprinkling rain pattering the world outside made me think about the fresh blooms and new leaves I would no doubt see on the plants and it reminded me that after every storm there will inevitably be new growth and that isn’t something to fear, but something to welcome and look forward to, and really, something to be in awe of.

 

The Grab Your Pole Series

 

(click on cover for GoodReads page)

 

My Review of Shark Bait

 

Purchase Shark Bait at

Amazon (only $0.99)  |  Barnes & Noble

 

About the author:

Jenn Cooksey is a Southern California girl born and bred, and proudly boasts being a member of Grossmont High School's alumni.
She currently resides in the 7th Ring of Hell (aka; Arizona) with her husband (whom she married on a dare while in Las Vegas), their three daughters, and more pets than she has the patience to count.
Aside from her husband and one cat, everyone living under the Cooksey's roof is female. She's sure her husband will be not only be awarded sainthood when he kicks the bucket, but that Jesus will welcome him into heaven with a beer and a congratulatory high-five.
She also believes that Bacon should be capitalized. Always.

You can learn more about Jenn and her books at:
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