SHARK BAIT (Grab Your Pole 1) by Jenn Cooksey Review

SHARK BAIT (Grab Your Pole 1) by Jenn Cooksey-YA Contemporary Romance

Won book from Hackaroo's Reviews

Previously homeschooled Camie Ramsey is being shoved into the shark-infested waters of public high school, where even helium filled, penguin bespeckled arm floaties likely won’t help keep her inexperienced, fifteen-year old head above water in that rip current of hormones and emotions.Camie’s worldly wisdom might be severely lacking (i.e., the closest she’s come to being kissed was sitting too close to the TV whilst Jake Ryan leaned in to give Samantha that fateful 16th birthday kiss), but she does understand her only hope for survival is if she’s thrown some kind of “social” life preserver before she sinks like a freaking rock. However, what will her fate be when she endeavors to flag down the only lifeguard on duty, the enormously popular and ridiculously beautiful Tristan Daniels? The most sought after and virtually most unattainable guy in school who not only makes Camie’s heart flatline on a recurring basis, he’s also the one guy who seemingly doesn’t know she exists.Feeling like an inept piece of chum that could ultimately be swallowed by Jaws, can Camie get Tristan to rescue her from floundering in the treacherous deep, or is she destined to be Shark Bait?

My Take:

My friend Jessica at Hackaroo's Reviews reviewed this book recently and had a contest to win the book. Well, Jess sold me on the book in her review, so I entered and WON! Now, I've chatted with Jenn Cooksey on Twitter, but until Jess, hadn't heard of her book. I'm here to say....everyone needs to read this book! I really, truly, loved it. I'm blown away that this is a debut novel. This is only the third book I've read by a debut author that has seriously blown me away this year. 

There are many characters in the story, but I'm going to focus on lead characters first. Even though Cami is sixteen, I identified with her immediately. She's been homeschooled and is very mature for her age. When she moved to San Diego, she's pushed into the wonderful world of high school clicks and angst. Because Cami has a good head on her shoulder's, I felt like she handled it all well. She's really funny too. When Cami first sees Tristan, she's immediately in love. Now, I know some people aren't fans of insta love, but let's take a moment to remember high school and seeing a dreamy guy for the first time. Insta love. So, what's a girl to do in order to get the hottest guy in school to notice her? She becomes friends with his best girl friend Kate. A plan is made, and operation get Tristan begins. 

I must admit, while Tristan sounds like a dreamboat, I wasn't sure about him at first. It appears that he's playing hard to get, but I'm here to tell you, this guy is deeper than he may seem. Tristan doesn't put himself out there for just anyone, but he takes notice of Cami right away. Slowly, he works his way into her life. Once their feelings for each other come out, it's like watching fireworks. There is some serious chemistry between these two. Tristan has easily become of my favorite male leads. I can't wait to see what happens with these two as the series develops!

Now, the supporting characters kick butt! With the exception of Zack, I loved every character. I have hopes that as the series continues we will learn more about each one. In fact, I really can't wait to see what happens with Cami's sister Jilly as she gets older! She cracked me up! 

As I mentioned before, this is Jenn's first novel and I'm blown away by the writing. The story flow was so smooth and she captured my attention immediately. She created likable characters that you can identify with and fall in love with. I also appreciated all the pop culture references. They provided good visual in many different scenes. Thanks for that Jenn!

I'm literally chomping at the bit for the next book to release. I MUST know what is going to happen next. I have to say that there are some mature situations in the story, so I'd recommend this book to the over 16 crowd. If you are a fan of true love, pop culture, and just plain fun, this is a great book for you. 

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