Couldn't finish

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mikalynm Avatar

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The Sea is Salt and So Am I was so promising. And that cover! But, alas, it was not to be. First off, this is a pretty long book for being YA. Secondly, it is a very character driven book, which isn't usually typical of a YA book either.
Off the bat none of the main characters are very likeable, especially Harlow. She's overbearing, selfish, and insensitive. Ellis, her "best friend" and Tommy's twin, is also selfish. He's dishonest, fleeting, and also selfish. There really isn't much to the plot, it seems like the problems of the seaside town are on the back burner as something to reference, but nothing really happens. The characters don't grow, they just get increasingly more and more unlikeable. Tommy's depression is treated like it's a 5 year old stomping around for attention, even though he attempted suicide. Ellis doesn't seem to care, neither does Harlow. Instead she decides to feel sorry for him and makeout with him in secret so that he feels better about himself and won't be depressed anymore. Seriously? I couldn't finish this, because nothing was happening, and the characters were irredeemable, even for teenagers. It had no plot pushing it forward, and no growth.