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Dive Smack
Theo Mackey only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match.
Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.
But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make him question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone—including himself.
Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A's and solid friends, he's only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.
But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make him question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone—including himself.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 2018
About the author
Demetra Brodsky
2 books199 followersDemetra Brodsky is the author of Last Girls, a 2021 International Thriller Writers Finalist for Best Young Adult Book, one of CNN Underscored’s Best Books of May 2020, a 2021 Kansas National Education Association (KNEA) Reading Circle Commission Recommended Title, and a finalist for the 2022-2023 Black-eyed Susan Award. Dive Smack, her debut novel, is a 2018 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection, ALAN Pick (The Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of NCTE), and a Spring/Summer 2018 Publishers Marketplace Buzz Book for Young Adults. She is the proud daughter of Greek immigrants and has a profound appreciation for personal histories and travel. She lives in Southern California with her partner and two adorable rescue dogs. Say hi on social media.
Instagram: @demetrabrodskybooks
Website: demetrabrodsky.com
Instagram: @demetrabrodskybooks
Website: demetrabrodsky.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
September 11, 2018
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Review DIVE SMACK here
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DIVE SMACK IS OUT NOW! Order it here: https://www.demetrabrodsky.com/books/
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So, it’s a week after I finished Dive Smack and trying to put together coherent words is still a challenge. WHAT the heck when do I get my heart back?
Here’s what I loved about #DIVESMACK (basically everything):
1. Characters you can’t forget. Thrillers are at their best for me when they’re character first. When I’m looking for thrill, I want to be inside the character’s heads, feeling what they’re feeling, questioning what they’re questioning. Dive Smack puts the characters front and center; Theo’s voice is clear through the story.
2. An interesting parallel with diving and Theo’s life. Demetra starts every chapter with a dive term that directly correlates to the piece of the story that unfolds within. This adds intrigue and also builds the reader’s sense of what Theo is experiencing.
3. The build toward the unraveling. As the story progresses, you become completely unnerved. My skin was crawling all the way through the end.
4. Psychology that will make you rethink everything you knew. I can’t say a lot about how the psychological aspect of the story unfolds but you find out quickly that not everything is what it seems. It’s like not what you assume, either.
5. A satisfying ending. The end never felt rushed or unbelievable. I appreciate that my questions were answered!
PS - we all need a Chip in our lives. #YouGotThis <3
Review DIVE SMACK here
- - - -
DIVE SMACK IS OUT NOW! Order it here: https://www.demetrabrodsky.com/books/
- - - -
So, it’s a week after I finished Dive Smack and trying to put together coherent words is still a challenge. WHAT the heck when do I get my heart back?
Here’s what I loved about #DIVESMACK (basically everything):
1. Characters you can’t forget. Thrillers are at their best for me when they’re character first. When I’m looking for thrill, I want to be inside the character’s heads, feeling what they’re feeling, questioning what they’re questioning. Dive Smack puts the characters front and center; Theo’s voice is clear through the story.
2. An interesting parallel with diving and Theo’s life. Demetra starts every chapter with a dive term that directly correlates to the piece of the story that unfolds within. This adds intrigue and also builds the reader’s sense of what Theo is experiencing.
3. The build toward the unraveling. As the story progresses, you become completely unnerved. My skin was crawling all the way through the end.
4. Psychology that will make you rethink everything you knew. I can’t say a lot about how the psychological aspect of the story unfolds but you find out quickly that not everything is what it seems. It’s like not what you assume, either.
5. A satisfying ending. The end never felt rushed or unbelievable. I appreciate that my questions were answered!
PS - we all need a Chip in our lives. #YouGotThis <3
September 11, 2018
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 2.5 stars.
Dive Smack by Demetra Brodsky is a solid debut novel, one which tells an easy to follow story filled with enough mystery, suspense, and supernatural elements to keep readers turning the pages.
Theo is a high school kid dealing with a lot of stress. His normal teen issues like school projects and a burning desire to gain a scholarship to Stanford University complicated by the fact he is an orphan. (His mother having died years ago in a house fire, and his dad passing away from a heart attack a year ago.) Theo now living with his grandfather, who has become a heavy drinker since his son’s death and emotionally unavailable.
The only support structure our young man has is his best friend Chip, his teammates on the school diving team, a girl named Iris he is definitely attracted to, and his Uncle Phil (not really his biological uncle but his dad’s best friend) who is also his treating psychologist. These people and the Adderall he constantly takes helping Theo cope with a reality marred by unresolved grief and an unspoken fear that he was the one who started the house fire which killed his mom and, ultimately, caused his dad’s death.
But just like it only takes a spark to ignite a fire, it only takes a family history project at school to set Theo’s fragile existence a blaze. His and his partner Iris’s harmless investigation into their families’ pasts leading to Theo having dreams of unremembered events, uncovering unknown facts, and, finally, learning horrible truths that lead to a final revelations which changes everything!
Probably the most enjoyable thing about this story for me was the mystery elements. I thought Demetra Brodsky wove her clues into the ongoing narrative skillfully and for maximum effect, never giving them too much of the spotlight, and allowing the suspense to build organically. This mystery driving my personal desire to finish Dive Smack to gain the answers to all my questions. The conclusion a fitting wrap up for Theo’s story.
As for criticisms, they are a bit more lengthy, but I’m not going to belabor my dislikes. Basically, I found the first half of the book to be rather slow moving, tedious at times, and rather dull; loads of buildup without any real excitement, if you will. This probably had something to do with the amount of time spent detailing Theo’s diving; a sport which I personally don’t find very interesting, but others might. I also never warmed to Theo as a protagonist, finding him to be a really difficult character to empathize with or even like. I also felt that there really wasn’t any thrills in this book, at all. Definitely, the mystery and hints of the supernatural are there, but thrills . . . No, not very many of those anywhere.
Overall, Dive Smack is an entertaining book which uses its clues, questions, and mysteries to keep afloat what would otherwise be a rather ho-hum affair. I did enjoy my time spent with this story, and I do believe others might enjoy it much more than I did, finding in Theo a modern teen in whom they can empathize.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
My rating is 2.5 stars.
Dive Smack by Demetra Brodsky is a solid debut novel, one which tells an easy to follow story filled with enough mystery, suspense, and supernatural elements to keep readers turning the pages.
Theo is a high school kid dealing with a lot of stress. His normal teen issues like school projects and a burning desire to gain a scholarship to Stanford University complicated by the fact he is an orphan. (His mother having died years ago in a house fire, and his dad passing away from a heart attack a year ago.) Theo now living with his grandfather, who has become a heavy drinker since his son’s death and emotionally unavailable.
The only support structure our young man has is his best friend Chip, his teammates on the school diving team, a girl named Iris he is definitely attracted to, and his Uncle Phil (not really his biological uncle but his dad’s best friend) who is also his treating psychologist. These people and the Adderall he constantly takes helping Theo cope with a reality marred by unresolved grief and an unspoken fear that he was the one who started the house fire which killed his mom and, ultimately, caused his dad’s death.
But just like it only takes a spark to ignite a fire, it only takes a family history project at school to set Theo’s fragile existence a blaze. His and his partner Iris’s harmless investigation into their families’ pasts leading to Theo having dreams of unremembered events, uncovering unknown facts, and, finally, learning horrible truths that lead to a final revelations which changes everything!
Probably the most enjoyable thing about this story for me was the mystery elements. I thought Demetra Brodsky wove her clues into the ongoing narrative skillfully and for maximum effect, never giving them too much of the spotlight, and allowing the suspense to build organically. This mystery driving my personal desire to finish Dive Smack to gain the answers to all my questions. The conclusion a fitting wrap up for Theo’s story.
As for criticisms, they are a bit more lengthy, but I’m not going to belabor my dislikes. Basically, I found the first half of the book to be rather slow moving, tedious at times, and rather dull; loads of buildup without any real excitement, if you will. This probably had something to do with the amount of time spent detailing Theo’s diving; a sport which I personally don’t find very interesting, but others might. I also never warmed to Theo as a protagonist, finding him to be a really difficult character to empathize with or even like. I also felt that there really wasn’t any thrills in this book, at all. Definitely, the mystery and hints of the supernatural are there, but thrills . . . No, not very many of those anywhere.
Overall, Dive Smack is an entertaining book which uses its clues, questions, and mysteries to keep afloat what would otherwise be a rather ho-hum affair. I did enjoy my time spent with this story, and I do believe others might enjoy it much more than I did, finding in Theo a modern teen in whom they can empathize.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.
August 16, 2018
4.5 stars :D
June 21, 2018
4 stars
I really enjoyed reading this one! It was a very solid debut, and only got better as I read on.
I'm going to treat this review like ripping off the bandaid, taking care of the few meh things first, before jumping on all the positives (and there's a lot of them--positives that is).
There were a total of two things that I wasn't too fond of, in the scope of the billion other things I loved.
1. The first half was slower than I wanted it to be. Maybe I have a short attention span. Maybe I wasn't invested yet. But I feel like Brodsky didn't whet our appetites enough in the beginning and add enough intrigue at the start to make me really feel invested in the novel. It took a lot longer to start, but once I got to the halfway point, I was eating this book up like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The second half was sooo worth it.
2. The premise needed a little more basis and background. As much as I like how Theo learns all these things about himself, I just felt like what spurred it on (a school project on family) didn't have enough backing to it and felt kind of weak and out of the blue despite it being the sole reason this book exists. Without the project, this wouldn't really be happening. So I wanted more discourse on just why the project exists and how it's important.
Despite both of these, I still really enjoyed the book. There were just so many good things to it.
It was absolutely thrilling by the end. I am so surprised by how invested I got in this novel, and I definitely didn't expect that! There was so much going on that you don't realize during the first half, but things are slowly revealed and you become more and more suspicious of some characters, and it was all so intriguing.
Brodsky totally rocked the thriller/mystery aspect of this novel, and it was my absolute favorite part of reading this book! There are so many clues Brodsky leaves in the first half, but it's a shame that you don't know they're clues until the second half because they're all important, yet less intriguing when you don't suspect anything.
Besides this, I really enjoyed the other aspects of the premise. I found it really cool to read about Theo, a diver, as I've never read many books featuring this sport before. But I really love how Theo's performance in diving was a sort of parallel to how disastrous his life was at the moment. Plus, it's still a very important part to the plot.
Also, it has a male narrator. Now, I really love my girls, but it was cool to see a male narrator and more importantly, male friendships that weren't pissing contests! Theo and Chip were such great friends and I really liked seeing their supportive dynamic. Even Theo and the rest of the team & rival team had some decent interactions, which was really positive to see.
(Now I just need a male reader to tell me if this is accurate.)
Plus, family! I love how important family was to this novel, and was definitely torn over a couple members in this book. Theo's kind of lost without his family, and seeing his journey to building relationships and finding new people (surrogate or not) to have as a family was really enjoyable.
Overall, I really liked reading Dive Smack, especially for the mystery, and totally recommend! Seriously, stick it through at least past halfway, because I assure you the mystery is worth it!
Thank you so much to Tor Teen and Jean Book Nerd for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
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I really enjoyed reading this one! It was a very solid debut, and only got better as I read on.
I'm going to treat this review like ripping off the bandaid, taking care of the few meh things first, before jumping on all the positives (and there's a lot of them--positives that is).
There were a total of two things that I wasn't too fond of, in the scope of the billion other things I loved.
1. The first half was slower than I wanted it to be. Maybe I have a short attention span. Maybe I wasn't invested yet. But I feel like Brodsky didn't whet our appetites enough in the beginning and add enough intrigue at the start to make me really feel invested in the novel. It took a lot longer to start, but once I got to the halfway point, I was eating this book up like it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The second half was sooo worth it.
2. The premise needed a little more basis and background. As much as I like how Theo learns all these things about himself, I just felt like what spurred it on (a school project on family) didn't have enough backing to it and felt kind of weak and out of the blue despite it being the sole reason this book exists. Without the project, this wouldn't really be happening. So I wanted more discourse on just why the project exists and how it's important.
Despite both of these, I still really enjoyed the book. There were just so many good things to it.
It was absolutely thrilling by the end. I am so surprised by how invested I got in this novel, and I definitely didn't expect that! There was so much going on that you don't realize during the first half, but things are slowly revealed and you become more and more suspicious of some characters, and it was all so intriguing.
Brodsky totally rocked the thriller/mystery aspect of this novel, and it was my absolute favorite part of reading this book! There are so many clues Brodsky leaves in the first half, but it's a shame that you don't know they're clues until the second half because they're all important, yet less intriguing when you don't suspect anything.
Besides this, I really enjoyed the other aspects of the premise. I found it really cool to read about Theo, a diver, as I've never read many books featuring this sport before. But I really love how Theo's performance in diving was a sort of parallel to how disastrous his life was at the moment. Plus, it's still a very important part to the plot.
Also, it has a male narrator. Now, I really love my girls, but it was cool to see a male narrator and more importantly, male friendships that weren't pissing contests! Theo and Chip were such great friends and I really liked seeing their supportive dynamic. Even Theo and the rest of the team & rival team had some decent interactions, which was really positive to see.
(Now I just need a male reader to tell me if this is accurate.)
Plus, family! I love how important family was to this novel, and was definitely torn over a couple members in this book. Theo's kind of lost without his family, and seeing his journey to building relationships and finding new people (surrogate or not) to have as a family was really enjoyable.
Overall, I really liked reading Dive Smack, especially for the mystery, and totally recommend! Seriously, stick it through at least past halfway, because I assure you the mystery is worth it!
Thank you so much to Tor Teen and Jean Book Nerd for providing me with an advance reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!
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July 5, 2018
This was a great debut that was hard to put down!
Theo lives with his grandpa (GP). His mom was killed in a fire when he was younger. A fire that he started. His father had a heart attack and died a year ago, too. GP has been coping with the death by being drunk all the time. Theo's "Uncle Phil" is a doctor that has been treating him. He's not really his uncle, but his dad's best friend. Phil has been giving Theo medicine to help him focus. Theo is a diver and is trying to get a scholarship to Stanford.
Theo has started having some memories from the past. None of it makes sense. He's also having weird visions. He starts dating Iris during this time. She lost her mom the year before. Iris reads cards and can see things that normal people can't. She starts helping Theo and his best friend, Chip, find out what really happened in the past.
The book is full of twists. Some of them were fairly easy to figure out, but they just kept coming. The second half of the book is super hard to put down.
I thought the dive terms at the beginning of each chapter was really cool and unique. I know nothing about diving, but I found myself looking forward to each of those. I liked Theo a lot, but Chip, Amy, and Iris were favorites.
I gave this book 4 1/2 stars. I will definitely check out Demetra's next book.
Theo lives with his grandpa (GP). His mom was killed in a fire when he was younger. A fire that he started. His father had a heart attack and died a year ago, too. GP has been coping with the death by being drunk all the time. Theo's "Uncle Phil" is a doctor that has been treating him. He's not really his uncle, but his dad's best friend. Phil has been giving Theo medicine to help him focus. Theo is a diver and is trying to get a scholarship to Stanford.
Theo has started having some memories from the past. None of it makes sense. He's also having weird visions. He starts dating Iris during this time. She lost her mom the year before. Iris reads cards and can see things that normal people can't. She starts helping Theo and his best friend, Chip, find out what really happened in the past.
The book is full of twists. Some of them were fairly easy to figure out, but they just kept coming. The second half of the book is super hard to put down.
I thought the dive terms at the beginning of each chapter was really cool and unique. I know nothing about diving, but I found myself looking forward to each of those. I liked Theo a lot, but Chip, Amy, and Iris were favorites.
I gave this book 4 1/2 stars. I will definitely check out Demetra's next book.
June 18, 2018
4.5 stars!
This was one heck of a wild ride. I enjoyed every single moment of this thriller.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy to review! ❤️
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Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
This thriller had me on the edge of my seat just flipping pages as fast as I could. Masterfully written and so well executed. This is one book you want on your TBR if it isn’t already.
Short recap: Theo Mackey knows two things – he started the fire that killed his mother and has to live with that every day of his life and that he is a dang good diver. Everyone that knows Theo knows what happened but they do not hold it against him, nor do they bring it up. But once Theo started a family tree project for school, he slowly starts to discover secrets within his family that were never meant to see the light of day.
This story completely threw me for a loop in the best possible way. I don’t know jack or squat about diving but was able to follow this story with no problem. The header of each chapter gave the definition something to do with diving and also tied into each chapter. Talk about brilliant! When I was done with this book, I had to remind myself this was the author’s debut novel. I would never have known because she writes like she has been doing this for a very long time.
The characters within this novel are so deeply developed and wonderfully complex. Nobody and nothing is quite who they seem so I had to always question everyone and everything. Theo was going through a bloody nightmare, dealing with his alcoholic grandfather (who is also his legal guardian), his Not His G-D Uncle Phil, someone leaving cryptic notes on his truck, someone from a rival school trying to psyche him out before the big competition, and a potential love interest. On top of that, he may or may not be seeing things… visions and flashbacks.That’s a lot for a teenage boy (or any grown adult). At first I did not like his grandfather but he quickly grew on me. That salty old man was like a Transformer – more than meets the eye. The rest of the characters, including the love interest, Iris, really helped to round out the cast. There are several minor characters that I won’t get into great detail about because I want you to read the book.
I will not be able to say enough good things about this story. It really was a fast paced, thrilling adventure with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Even once I got to the end, I wanted more. If you are on the fence about this one, I’m here to push you to the side that tells you to read it. You won’t regret it!
This was one heck of a wild ride. I enjoyed every single moment of this thriller.
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a finished copy to review! ❤️
---------------
Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...
This thriller had me on the edge of my seat just flipping pages as fast as I could. Masterfully written and so well executed. This is one book you want on your TBR if it isn’t already.
Short recap: Theo Mackey knows two things – he started the fire that killed his mother and has to live with that every day of his life and that he is a dang good diver. Everyone that knows Theo knows what happened but they do not hold it against him, nor do they bring it up. But once Theo started a family tree project for school, he slowly starts to discover secrets within his family that were never meant to see the light of day.
This story completely threw me for a loop in the best possible way. I don’t know jack or squat about diving but was able to follow this story with no problem. The header of each chapter gave the definition something to do with diving and also tied into each chapter. Talk about brilliant! When I was done with this book, I had to remind myself this was the author’s debut novel. I would never have known because she writes like she has been doing this for a very long time.
The characters within this novel are so deeply developed and wonderfully complex. Nobody and nothing is quite who they seem so I had to always question everyone and everything. Theo was going through a bloody nightmare, dealing with his alcoholic grandfather (who is also his legal guardian), his Not His G-D Uncle Phil, someone leaving cryptic notes on his truck, someone from a rival school trying to psyche him out before the big competition, and a potential love interest. On top of that, he may or may not be seeing things… visions and flashbacks.That’s a lot for a teenage boy (or any grown adult). At first I did not like his grandfather but he quickly grew on me. That salty old man was like a Transformer – more than meets the eye. The rest of the characters, including the love interest, Iris, really helped to round out the cast. There are several minor characters that I won’t get into great detail about because I want you to read the book.
I will not be able to say enough good things about this story. It really was a fast paced, thrilling adventure with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. Even once I got to the end, I wanted more. If you are on the fence about this one, I’m here to push you to the side that tells you to read it. You won’t regret it!
April 6, 2018
Dive Smack by Demetra Brodsky was phenomenal. I received an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. I’ll try to leave a spoiler free one here because you should buy it and see for yourself. :)
I’ll start this by saying I’m a picky reader. If a book doesn’t capture my interest from the beginning, I usually just put it aside and forget about it, along with the 100 other books I’ll eventually “get around to.”
Theo’s voice is loud and clear, jumping off the page in an authentic and believable manner right from the opening scene with his best friend Chip, and continues throughout the book as I got to know his character. I want to nominate Chip for some kind of best friend in fiction award because he’s witty, a little bit crude, but all around amazing. His support for Theo is unfaltering throughout the story and the ‘bromance’ between the two of them feels so completely genuine, it’s impossible not to smile at their interactions with each other on the pages.
The reader becomes immersed in the mystery of Theo and his family history early on when he’s assigned a class project about his family tree with very little information to go on, or resources to access information.
Enter Iris, fellow family tree project doer, aspiring journalist, Theo’s love interest and all around badass-tattooed-nerd-girl with some surreal tricks up her sleeve. Hard to say much about Iris without spoiling the book, but I LOVED her character because she’s smart, doesn’t mince words and despite going through some tough stuff of her own, she manages to ground Theo, even when both of their secrets come to the surface and their lives start to unravel.
Dive Smack is a fast-paced, page turner of a book, filled with some witty humor, a hint of romance and more twists and turns than any dive out there!
I recommend this story. It was a 5 star read for me.
I’ll start this by saying I’m a picky reader. If a book doesn’t capture my interest from the beginning, I usually just put it aside and forget about it, along with the 100 other books I’ll eventually “get around to.”
Theo’s voice is loud and clear, jumping off the page in an authentic and believable manner right from the opening scene with his best friend Chip, and continues throughout the book as I got to know his character. I want to nominate Chip for some kind of best friend in fiction award because he’s witty, a little bit crude, but all around amazing. His support for Theo is unfaltering throughout the story and the ‘bromance’ between the two of them feels so completely genuine, it’s impossible not to smile at their interactions with each other on the pages.
The reader becomes immersed in the mystery of Theo and his family history early on when he’s assigned a class project about his family tree with very little information to go on, or resources to access information.
Enter Iris, fellow family tree project doer, aspiring journalist, Theo’s love interest and all around badass-tattooed-nerd-girl with some surreal tricks up her sleeve. Hard to say much about Iris without spoiling the book, but I LOVED her character because she’s smart, doesn’t mince words and despite going through some tough stuff of her own, she manages to ground Theo, even when both of their secrets come to the surface and their lives start to unravel.
Dive Smack is a fast-paced, page turner of a book, filled with some witty humor, a hint of romance and more twists and turns than any dive out there!
I recommend this story. It was a 5 star read for me.
June 19, 2018
DIVESMACK is out today!! Happy Book Birthday!!! Go forth and buy your copy. :)
I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this amazing book and that it was I base my review upon
Theo Mackey knows only one thing about the fire that killed his mother, and that's that he lit the match. He can't remember anything else about that night. New memories begin t0 surface and he begins to question all he knows about that night.
I haven't read a thriller in quite awhile and I really enjoyed this one! I absolutely love Theo and all of the other characters in this book, like Chip and Iris. I loved the fact that it is set in my home state of Massachusetts and that I could recognize the settings and the nods from the author who grew up here as well. I love how Demetra made the story easy to follow for someone who doesn't know much about swimming. I found myself drawn into the world and characters and trying to figure things out. I love when a book keeps you guessing and wondering.
This was an incredible debut novel, which I gave 5/5 stars! The story was wonderfully written and engaging. If you're looking for a YA thriller, definitely add this one to your TBR. I can't wait for my finished copy!
I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this amazing book and that it was I base my review upon
Theo Mackey knows only one thing about the fire that killed his mother, and that's that he lit the match. He can't remember anything else about that night. New memories begin t0 surface and he begins to question all he knows about that night.
I haven't read a thriller in quite awhile and I really enjoyed this one! I absolutely love Theo and all of the other characters in this book, like Chip and Iris. I loved the fact that it is set in my home state of Massachusetts and that I could recognize the settings and the nods from the author who grew up here as well. I love how Demetra made the story easy to follow for someone who doesn't know much about swimming. I found myself drawn into the world and characters and trying to figure things out. I love when a book keeps you guessing and wondering.
This was an incredible debut novel, which I gave 5/5 stars! The story was wonderfully written and engaging. If you're looking for a YA thriller, definitely add this one to your TBR. I can't wait for my finished copy!
August 7, 2018
I'm not normally a reader of Young Adult magical realism. But having read Maggie Stiefvater's work opened me to that subgenre. I'm glad it did, because Dive Smack was a literary smack to the head in the best possible way. It offers interesting characters you love (or hate), and a clever page-turning plot. You don't have to be a fan of competitive diving to find this story compelling. Do yourself a favor and get a copy!
July 16, 2018
*Full blog tour post can be found here:
http://kamoorephoto.booklikes.com
So it was quite easy to give this twisty and exciting psychological YA thriller a 5-star review. It has been harder to put into words every single thing as to why, because I was so taken by surprise by Demetra’s brilliant debut novel. It seems as though from the moment I laid eyes on the beautiful cover for ‘Dive Smack’ (the flames above a young man plunging into the water), I needed to read it. And then I was immediately lost inside this book from the opening two quotes, particularly this one from Carl Jung,
"Your vision will become clear when you look inside your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."
What a way to start the book!
If you read the synopsis of the book above, you'll know by now that it’s about Theo Mackey, a high school springboard diver who has had both of his parents pass away tragically, and then he starts to question the memories he has of the fire that killed his mom, particularly as new ones surface as he researches a family project for school. Theo luckily has some great friends he can count on, but he lives with his alcoholic grandfather (GP), and he's starting to find his home life and new stressors are affecting his usually perfect diving, something he can’t afford to screw up, being the captain of Team Monarch. And the big school family project is what really starts to mess with Theo’s understanding of the fire, his family, and this makes him question what’s going on in his head. It seems he’s gradually losing his grip. That’s really what leads him to get more help from Dr. Maddox, a family friend and psychiatrist.
*Note: I’m leaving a LOT of story/plot out, so there are no spoilers.
Now that’s a very basic overview of what you are getting yourself into with this, but it goes from being a book about this likable guy on the diving team at a high school (and I now know so much more about springboard diving beyond my watching the Olympics every four years), to being a very clever, psychological thriller with details and twists I never expected. Demetra has employed some very clever writing devices that make this a standout: I love the way she begins each chapter with a diving term that correlates to the part of the story that it contains (note that Dive Smack is pretty painful), which is absolute genius. Her writing is also very fluid, and weaving interludes with the past and other ‘voices’ are done seamlessly. Also, since this is a thriller, the pacing builds up steadily to an eventual crescendo, within an ending where all the tense energy flows throughout the end chapters.
Theo is such a well-fleshed out character (as are Chip, Iris, Amy, and others), that you really get a feel for who this guy is; Demetra has created so many endearing things about about him, that you can’t help but root for him the whole way through: we know he has two moles on his face, his car is called Bumblebee after the Transformer, he likes classic rock, and of course, he's an orphan. And he likes to use puns.
But the real treat in this book is how it ropes you in (it gets better and better the deeper you dive in: pun intended), how it becomes way more than a book about a few high schoolers; it becomes about a sensitive young man uncovering his past and the deception that is swirling around him. Then the massive and very dark twist at the end takes the reader, and Theo, by surprise, making this precisely what earns this book its top marks. It left me tearful, it made me laugh, AND gasp. I can’t wait to see what comes from Demetra next, especially if it’s another thriller as riveting and original as this one.
*And just so you know - Dive Smack: When a diver under or over rotates or twists on a dive, hitting the water with enough force to cause pain or physical injury.
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So it was quite easy to give this twisty and exciting psychological YA thriller a 5-star review. It has been harder to put into words every single thing as to why, because I was so taken by surprise by Demetra’s brilliant debut novel. It seems as though from the moment I laid eyes on the beautiful cover for ‘Dive Smack’ (the flames above a young man plunging into the water), I needed to read it. And then I was immediately lost inside this book from the opening two quotes, particularly this one from Carl Jung,
"Your vision will become clear when you look inside your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."
What a way to start the book!
If you read the synopsis of the book above, you'll know by now that it’s about Theo Mackey, a high school springboard diver who has had both of his parents pass away tragically, and then he starts to question the memories he has of the fire that killed his mom, particularly as new ones surface as he researches a family project for school. Theo luckily has some great friends he can count on, but he lives with his alcoholic grandfather (GP), and he's starting to find his home life and new stressors are affecting his usually perfect diving, something he can’t afford to screw up, being the captain of Team Monarch. And the big school family project is what really starts to mess with Theo’s understanding of the fire, his family, and this makes him question what’s going on in his head. It seems he’s gradually losing his grip. That’s really what leads him to get more help from Dr. Maddox, a family friend and psychiatrist.
*Note: I’m leaving a LOT of story/plot out, so there are no spoilers.
Now that’s a very basic overview of what you are getting yourself into with this, but it goes from being a book about this likable guy on the diving team at a high school (and I now know so much more about springboard diving beyond my watching the Olympics every four years), to being a very clever, psychological thriller with details and twists I never expected. Demetra has employed some very clever writing devices that make this a standout: I love the way she begins each chapter with a diving term that correlates to the part of the story that it contains (note that Dive Smack is pretty painful), which is absolute genius. Her writing is also very fluid, and weaving interludes with the past and other ‘voices’ are done seamlessly. Also, since this is a thriller, the pacing builds up steadily to an eventual crescendo, within an ending where all the tense energy flows throughout the end chapters.
Theo is such a well-fleshed out character (as are Chip, Iris, Amy, and others), that you really get a feel for who this guy is; Demetra has created so many endearing things about about him, that you can’t help but root for him the whole way through: we know he has two moles on his face, his car is called Bumblebee after the Transformer, he likes classic rock, and of course, he's an orphan. And he likes to use puns.
But the real treat in this book is how it ropes you in (it gets better and better the deeper you dive in: pun intended), how it becomes way more than a book about a few high schoolers; it becomes about a sensitive young man uncovering his past and the deception that is swirling around him. Then the massive and very dark twist at the end takes the reader, and Theo, by surprise, making this precisely what earns this book its top marks. It left me tearful, it made me laugh, AND gasp. I can’t wait to see what comes from Demetra next, especially if it’s another thriller as riveting and original as this one.
*And just so you know - Dive Smack: When a diver under or over rotates or twists on a dive, hitting the water with enough force to cause pain or physical injury.
January 22, 2018
OH MY GOSH. I don't even know where to start. I was so excited to read an advanced copy of this novel and WAS NOT disappointed. The mystery of what happened the night that Theo's mom died was woven through the book in a skillful way from the beginning. But it wasn't all tension and drama because he is still a teenager. He's in school and on the diving team, trying to perfect that 5337D. It was the perfect mix of normal teenage shenanigans (and that lovely teenage love) and the craziness that is going on with Theo. The twist at the end blew my mind a little and after I had closed the book - I sat there putting all the pieces together in my head. This debut is amazing. Theo is the kind of kid who I think we can all see ourselves in. He's amazing. This book is amazing. GO PREORDER IT NOW, it comes out June 19, 2018.
April 23, 2020
Where do I begin with this book? I have just finished reading it and cannot find the words to describe how I feel. First, I will say that this book is absolutely phenomenal. The story is fast-paced and keeps you on the edge of your seat. The plot twists that happen throughout the book keep you guessing until the very end. The writing is wonderful. All around this book is fantastic. Who knew a book about a teenage diver could make you feel so many things? Definitely a must-read!
June 19, 2018
Holy s--t, what a thrilling debut. Late in the game, when most psychological thrillers start to fall apart, this one picks up speed. Apart from engineering sly twists and turns, the author draws truly compelling, complex, true-to-life characters. You will NOT forget Theo or his quest to understand what happened one fateful night.
September 20, 2018
Dive Smack was so much fun: all the sports lingo and boy-friendship drama of a Chris Crutcher classic paired with the mind-bending intrigue and paranormal suspense of Donnie Darko and Twin Peaks. Teens readers will absolutely love this page-turner. Demetra Brodsky nails it!
September 20, 2018
Check out 5 Reasons why you should read Dive Smack! Dive Smack is now available!
This is a great thriller with all the twists and turns you are craving!
This is a great thriller with all the twists and turns you are craving!
June 28, 2018
Theo feels responsible for his mothers death, after all he did light the match, and he sorta feels responsible for his fathers one too, he had a heart attack while driving and Theo thinks it was from the stress of losing his mother in the fire. But he can't remember exactly what happened that night!
When he is assigned a family history project and starts to delve deeper into his past, things start coming back to him in pieces and he realises that some things are better left locked away.
I have zero knowledge about diving or anything related to swimming, I'm actually quite afraid of water, but this sounded too good to pass up, so I eagerly dived in when I got it. This was a truly surprising read!! Its chock full of suspense, family drama, and twists and turns. It was actually a shock to see that this was a debut author because it was so well written and developed. You can usually tell when a book is the authors first one, but not so here.
The plot was fast paced and exciting. The author put a lot of research into diving and everything that comes with it, and it showed. She explained everything just enough so as not to get bogged down in excess terms, and not to make it too boring. It was the perfect blend of sports and suspense.
The characters were all well developed. Theo did a lot of growing during the book and I really liked his character. He has a lot to deal with and instead of putting his grief into something destructive, he embraces his love of diving. His best friend Chip was awesome too!!!
In all, this was a great read. It was fast paced, entertaining and held my attention till the end. I'm thinking we can expect great things from this author and I look forward to more from her.
When he is assigned a family history project and starts to delve deeper into his past, things start coming back to him in pieces and he realises that some things are better left locked away.
I have zero knowledge about diving or anything related to swimming, I'm actually quite afraid of water, but this sounded too good to pass up, so I eagerly dived in when I got it. This was a truly surprising read!! Its chock full of suspense, family drama, and twists and turns. It was actually a shock to see that this was a debut author because it was so well written and developed. You can usually tell when a book is the authors first one, but not so here.
The plot was fast paced and exciting. The author put a lot of research into diving and everything that comes with it, and it showed. She explained everything just enough so as not to get bogged down in excess terms, and not to make it too boring. It was the perfect blend of sports and suspense.
The characters were all well developed. Theo did a lot of growing during the book and I really liked his character. He has a lot to deal with and instead of putting his grief into something destructive, he embraces his love of diving. His best friend Chip was awesome too!!!
In all, this was a great read. It was fast paced, entertaining and held my attention till the end. I'm thinking we can expect great things from this author and I look forward to more from her.
March 4, 2018
Badass. This book is fantastic. The characters are perfectly and accurately written and this story had me guessing the entire time. And chip may be the best YA best friend out there! I think his humor was what won me over early on, and the twists at the end helped make this one of my favorite YA books of the year. This is an author to look out for. She knows how to write effin good thrillers, people. 📚🙌🏻
June 26, 2018
'Dive Smack' is a fantastic new young adult thriller than will leave readers guessing until the very end. This is one of my favorite genres and it takes quite a bit to impress me anymore, but this book had some great twists I didn't see coming and the mystery really kept me guessing. The plot was well written and had a quick pace, so I ended up flying through the entire book in one sitting. Every aspect of the novel was well done and I was incredibly surprised when I found out this is the author's debut. I never would have guessed and I'm definitely going to be keeping my eye out for her next book.
The characters were all well rounded, especially Theo, the main character. Even the secondary characters were distinct and complex, which gives the novel a more realistic feel. I liked getting to know Theo - his past, his family and history, the strange occurrences and memories that keep rising to the surface, and everything in between. Of course, there was some romance in the book and I liked watching Theo's relationship with Iris grow throughout the story. One of the major aspects of the novel that I want to mention is the writing style. This is always a huge deal for me - it can make or break a book for me. My favorite is the first person point of view because of the deep personal connection the reader can have with the narrator. In this case, the author used the first person POV and told the story from Theo's perspective. This was a fantastic choice, in my opinion, and a great way to tell this story. I definitely recommend it for fans of YA thrillers, mystery, suspense, contemporary fiction, and romance.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
The characters were all well rounded, especially Theo, the main character. Even the secondary characters were distinct and complex, which gives the novel a more realistic feel. I liked getting to know Theo - his past, his family and history, the strange occurrences and memories that keep rising to the surface, and everything in between. Of course, there was some romance in the book and I liked watching Theo's relationship with Iris grow throughout the story. One of the major aspects of the novel that I want to mention is the writing style. This is always a huge deal for me - it can make or break a book for me. My favorite is the first person point of view because of the deep personal connection the reader can have with the narrator. In this case, the author used the first person POV and told the story from Theo's perspective. This was a fantastic choice, in my opinion, and a great way to tell this story. I definitely recommend it for fans of YA thrillers, mystery, suspense, contemporary fiction, and romance.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2018
I love the author's use of dive terms to highlight themes in each chapter of this original YA thriller that adds a touch of the paranormal. It's not common to have a book with one POV character that's also male, and I enjoyed this element a lot. This book hits all the right notes: tension, a great who-done-it, that bit of metaphysical paranormal, and characters I was able to root for. An all around fun read.
June 22, 2018
Suspense is a difficult feat to accomplish, and surprise is perhaps the most difficult. Somehow, Demetra Brodsky manages to accomplish both, and does so while introducing us to characters that are not only hella cool, but also crazy smart and people I wish I could hang out with in real life... even if I’m not sure I could hang.
September 1, 2020
This one kind of took me on a ride and I really enjoyed it - but I didn't know that I enjoyed it until it ended. That's how wrapped up in the mystery I was.
Dive Smack is the story of Theo Mackey, star diver, but haunted by the deaths of both his parents. His only living relative is his grandfather who likes to spend most of his days drunk and because of this Theo spends most of his time at his best friends house, or hanging out with his "Uncle" Phil. When a school project has Theo starting to look into his past, memories start flooding to the surface - memories that Theo hid. And he starts to question what is real and what isn't.
This book was just full of surprises. While I guessed two of the major ones, I still found myself as surprised as Theo at the turn of events. There was a heaviness to the story that I didn't expect and I felt bad for Theo. He wanted to know more about his parents, but seemed to hit a roadblock at every turn. And then he started to get paranoid and saw almost everyone as his enemy - which didn't help matters. But I liked Theo. I never really connected with him, but I could understand his frustrations. I also loved his best friend, Chip, who was just game for anything and pretty much the epitome of best friends.
Coming into this, I knew nothing about diving. And while it's not something that I really cared to learn about, Brodsky did her research on the sport. I liked how each chapter began with a diving term and it was fun to see how that corresponded to the chapter. I know some reviews said that there may have been too much dive talk, but that felt real to Theo considering diving was his life.
I will admit there were a few aspects that were a little far reach, but I went with it and was ultimately entertained. I look forward to what Brodsky has in the future as both books that I've read from her have been very unique.
Dive Smack is the story of Theo Mackey, star diver, but haunted by the deaths of both his parents. His only living relative is his grandfather who likes to spend most of his days drunk and because of this Theo spends most of his time at his best friends house, or hanging out with his "Uncle" Phil. When a school project has Theo starting to look into his past, memories start flooding to the surface - memories that Theo hid. And he starts to question what is real and what isn't.
This book was just full of surprises. While I guessed two of the major ones, I still found myself as surprised as Theo at the turn of events. There was a heaviness to the story that I didn't expect and I felt bad for Theo. He wanted to know more about his parents, but seemed to hit a roadblock at every turn. And then he started to get paranoid and saw almost everyone as his enemy - which didn't help matters. But I liked Theo. I never really connected with him, but I could understand his frustrations. I also loved his best friend, Chip, who was just game for anything and pretty much the epitome of best friends.
Coming into this, I knew nothing about diving. And while it's not something that I really cared to learn about, Brodsky did her research on the sport. I liked how each chapter began with a diving term and it was fun to see how that corresponded to the chapter. I know some reviews said that there may have been too much dive talk, but that felt real to Theo considering diving was his life.
I will admit there were a few aspects that were a little far reach, but I went with it and was ultimately entertained. I look forward to what Brodsky has in the future as both books that I've read from her have been very unique.
January 31, 2020
I can’t express in words how much I adore this book. I also can’t pinpoint exactly what grabs at my heart so much — the characters, the interesting dive terms and how they relate to what Theo is currently experiencing, or the mystery and it’s many intricate, oniony layers. All I know is that Dive Smack was a phenomenal debut, and I loved it just as much (if not more) reading it a second time.
Theo Mackey is one of my favorite protagonists in recent memory — coming from a tragic past, he’s just a kid trying to be as normal as possible all the while grappling with the guilt and the constant reminders of all that he’s lost. It’s been several years since the accident that took his mother and eventually his father, but time hasn’t lessened any of his feelings. He’s managed to block out much of what occurred during that time, but things are slowly coming back into focus and he’s starting to remember things from that night. Or at least he thinks he is. He can’t be sure because as soon as he starts to remember, everything around him unravels until he doesn’t know what’s real and what’s imagined, who’s on his side and who isn’t.
Dive Smack was heavy on the psychological twisting, where even I started to question my own sanity. And just when I thought I had something figured out, the twists jump out to let me know just how incredibly wrong I was and will continue to be. Everything about Dive Smack hit so many high notes for me — the characters, the twists and the mystery, the friendships, the heartbreak. It’s certainly a book that’s landed solidly on my favorites shelf and I’m so thrilled to have found a new auto-buy author. Highly recommended for anyone that loves a good twisty mystery, and believe me when I say that this one is definitely of the twisty sort.
Theo Mackey is one of my favorite protagonists in recent memory — coming from a tragic past, he’s just a kid trying to be as normal as possible all the while grappling with the guilt and the constant reminders of all that he’s lost. It’s been several years since the accident that took his mother and eventually his father, but time hasn’t lessened any of his feelings. He’s managed to block out much of what occurred during that time, but things are slowly coming back into focus and he’s starting to remember things from that night. Or at least he thinks he is. He can’t be sure because as soon as he starts to remember, everything around him unravels until he doesn’t know what’s real and what’s imagined, who’s on his side and who isn’t.
Dive Smack was heavy on the psychological twisting, where even I started to question my own sanity. And just when I thought I had something figured out, the twists jump out to let me know just how incredibly wrong I was and will continue to be. Everything about Dive Smack hit so many high notes for me — the characters, the twists and the mystery, the friendships, the heartbreak. It’s certainly a book that’s landed solidly on my favorites shelf and I’m so thrilled to have found a new auto-buy author. Highly recommended for anyone that loves a good twisty mystery, and believe me when I say that this one is definitely of the twisty sort.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2018
3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/08/26/...
Theo Mackey is a driven athlete, as the captain of his high school diving team. Outwardly, he also appears to be just your average hard-working student, pulling straight A’s and earning the respect of the faculty and his friends. But what most people don’t know is that Theo is in fact dealing with a lot of issues at home and in his personal life. Suffering from amnesia, he can’t recall the events of the night his mother died, only that he was the one who lit the match that started the house fire that killed her. Shortly afterward, his father also passed away from a sudden heart attack. Now he lives with his grandfather, who is often aloof and drinks too much. Theo also frequently seeks the support of his Uncle Phil, who is not actually his uncle but was a very close friend of his father’s. As a psychiatrist, Uncle Phil sometimes treats Theo and prescribes him medication to help him focus in school and in sports.
As graduation draws nearer, Theo is under even more stress as he works towards perfecting his dive in order to secure a scholarship to Stanford. However, a social studies project in which he and his crush Iris are partnered up to research their family history is suddenly making memories rush back to the surface. Gradually, Theo remembers more and more from the night of the fire, and realizes that the people closest to him have not been entirely truthful with the facts. The shocking revelations are sending him further into a spiral of confusion and paranoia, affecting his diving performance. With Iris’s help, Theo must now try to unravel the secrets of his newfound memories and piece together the puzzle of what really happened the night his mom died.
For a thriller, Dive Smack was lacking in the thrilling department, which is probably the only major criticism I have to level against this novel. In fact, I found the first half to be rather slow and uneventful, and the failure of the plot to hook me right away probably affected my feelings for the rest. But from a mystery point of view, I thought the story had a lot to offer, especially since the author uses its first half to tease all kinds of questions for the reader. What was Theo doing with matches that fateful night of the fire? Who is Uncle Phil and what was the real nature behind his relationship with Theo’s parents? What’s with the protagonist’s visions and the flashes of memories that may or may not be more than they seem? Amnesia stories can be tricky, but the best ones are those that create doubt and make the reader question reality. A hint at the supernatural (or at least the possibility of it) also helped in this case.
To the book’s credit, the pacing also picked up in the second half, and my interest was piqued along with it. Gradually, the plot threads started to come together to form a clearer picture, revealing a lot of secrets about Theo’s family history. While these developments didn’t quite make up for the duller start, the build-up eventually culminates into a climax that was at least worth the time investment. Also, the diving. I really enjoyed the story’s focus on the sport and getting to learn more about techniques and terminology.
However, a few other things kept gnawing at me, one of them being my dislike for the protagonist. Granted, he has a massive chip on his should because of his past, but in general Theo struck me as someone very unpleasant to be around. He’s irritable and snappish to others, especially to a rival on his team who hasn’t done anything to deserve it other than show better skill at diving. Seething jealousy isn’t exactly a good look for anyone, and Theo wears it particularly badly. And if he was truly that serious about the competition and earning a scholarship, he’d lay off the weed. I also wasn’t too keen on his relationship with Iris. To be honest, I found it much more interesting to learn about her character backstory (even before the bombshell reveals about her) than to follow the romance between her and Theo. That said, I liked that the romantic drama was relatively understated and didn’t distract.
In sum, I have some mixed feelings about this one, but my impressions are overall positive. Dive Smack is pretty solid for a debut in terms of writing and plotting, stumbling just a bit when it comes to pacing. It’s not so much the heart-stopping thriller I was expecting from the blurb, but it’s still a reasonably good mystery with plenty of surprises and intrigue.
Theo Mackey is a driven athlete, as the captain of his high school diving team. Outwardly, he also appears to be just your average hard-working student, pulling straight A’s and earning the respect of the faculty and his friends. But what most people don’t know is that Theo is in fact dealing with a lot of issues at home and in his personal life. Suffering from amnesia, he can’t recall the events of the night his mother died, only that he was the one who lit the match that started the house fire that killed her. Shortly afterward, his father also passed away from a sudden heart attack. Now he lives with his grandfather, who is often aloof and drinks too much. Theo also frequently seeks the support of his Uncle Phil, who is not actually his uncle but was a very close friend of his father’s. As a psychiatrist, Uncle Phil sometimes treats Theo and prescribes him medication to help him focus in school and in sports.
As graduation draws nearer, Theo is under even more stress as he works towards perfecting his dive in order to secure a scholarship to Stanford. However, a social studies project in which he and his crush Iris are partnered up to research their family history is suddenly making memories rush back to the surface. Gradually, Theo remembers more and more from the night of the fire, and realizes that the people closest to him have not been entirely truthful with the facts. The shocking revelations are sending him further into a spiral of confusion and paranoia, affecting his diving performance. With Iris’s help, Theo must now try to unravel the secrets of his newfound memories and piece together the puzzle of what really happened the night his mom died.
For a thriller, Dive Smack was lacking in the thrilling department, which is probably the only major criticism I have to level against this novel. In fact, I found the first half to be rather slow and uneventful, and the failure of the plot to hook me right away probably affected my feelings for the rest. But from a mystery point of view, I thought the story had a lot to offer, especially since the author uses its first half to tease all kinds of questions for the reader. What was Theo doing with matches that fateful night of the fire? Who is Uncle Phil and what was the real nature behind his relationship with Theo’s parents? What’s with the protagonist’s visions and the flashes of memories that may or may not be more than they seem? Amnesia stories can be tricky, but the best ones are those that create doubt and make the reader question reality. A hint at the supernatural (or at least the possibility of it) also helped in this case.
To the book’s credit, the pacing also picked up in the second half, and my interest was piqued along with it. Gradually, the plot threads started to come together to form a clearer picture, revealing a lot of secrets about Theo’s family history. While these developments didn’t quite make up for the duller start, the build-up eventually culminates into a climax that was at least worth the time investment. Also, the diving. I really enjoyed the story’s focus on the sport and getting to learn more about techniques and terminology.
However, a few other things kept gnawing at me, one of them being my dislike for the protagonist. Granted, he has a massive chip on his should because of his past, but in general Theo struck me as someone very unpleasant to be around. He’s irritable and snappish to others, especially to a rival on his team who hasn’t done anything to deserve it other than show better skill at diving. Seething jealousy isn’t exactly a good look for anyone, and Theo wears it particularly badly. And if he was truly that serious about the competition and earning a scholarship, he’d lay off the weed. I also wasn’t too keen on his relationship with Iris. To be honest, I found it much more interesting to learn about her character backstory (even before the bombshell reveals about her) than to follow the romance between her and Theo. That said, I liked that the romantic drama was relatively understated and didn’t distract.
In sum, I have some mixed feelings about this one, but my impressions are overall positive. Dive Smack is pretty solid for a debut in terms of writing and plotting, stumbling just a bit when it comes to pacing. It’s not so much the heart-stopping thriller I was expecting from the blurb, but it’s still a reasonably good mystery with plenty of surprises and intrigue.
June 16, 2018
*I received this book for free, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!*
Dive Smack was one of my most anticipated releases and literally jumped at the opportunity to read and review it, because it sounded like something I'd never read about before. The premise is extremely fascinating and even though it start off a bit slower than I would've liked, it picked up after the first couple of chapters and kept me on the edge throughout it! It was a truly enjoyable read, which gave a different and intriguing spin on the Contemporary Genre! It also spiced things up with the Mystery aspect and how suspenseful it made the story itself!
I absolutely loved the fact that the novel was told in Theo's POV. I haven't come across a lot of Contemporaries that are told in the male character's perspective exclusively so, this was definitely a breath of fresh air for me. It was more unique because of the fact that, I don't encounter it as often as I'd like it books so, it made the experience of reading Dive Smack even better! Right from the beginning of the novel, his voice was clear and determined, making him sound more mature than his age. The mystery is kind of introduced when one of his class assignments about his family tree, sparks questions he has no answers for and thus begins the journey to discovering more about himself and unraveling the truth of his past. His character was quite believable and more than easy to relate to, since he's a teenager that's going through some very dark times, perfectly described by the author throughout the novel and becoming even more vivid as the story progresses! He's also very likable from the beginning of the book and his character development is more than well thought out and executed. His friendship with Chip was another thing I immensely enjoyed while reading the book, since having supportive friends that stay with you through thick and thin is extremely important and very hard to find nowadays. Chip's loyalty was hard to ignore and his believe in Theo never faltered, a fact that made him and the bond they shared even more authentic!
Moving on to the love interest, Iris. She was phenomenal! The combination of tattooed nerd girl that's a complete bad ass was quite the surprise everyone! Color me impressed! She was basically her own person and I truly admired her for it! She has her secrets too, a fact that makes her as fascinating as our main character but, never lets her demons get in the way of her standing by Theo and grounding him when he needed it the most! She was a truly inspiring character that bloomed in front of my eyes and made things so much more interesting and exciting to read!
Another fact I personally greatly appreciated, is how the romance never overshadowed the rest of the story. I feel like many authors that decide to include the mystery aspect in YA Contemporaries to be specific, kind of make it more about the Romance than the Mystery itself because they get carried away but thankfully, that was not the case with Dive Smack. Even though the chemistry between Theo and Iris was there, it didn't really take anything away from everything that was going on in the novel. On the contrary, it added more to it by keeping it realistic and relatable!
Moreover, the writing was great for a debut novel and I really loved how the author decided to built such a well thought out plot on top of such an interesting premise! It does have its twists and turns, which I wasn't really expecting, something that made it even more suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. As I've already mentioned at the beginning of this review, the only reason I didn't give Dive Smack a five star rating was because of how slow paced it was at the beginning. What followed after that definitely made up for it though so, I don't really have anything else to say about it! Overall, this was such a fun read that definitely picked up and became more interesting as the story progressed! It was a page turner for sure and it's more than worth reading, if you enjoy YA Contemporaries with a Mystery twist!
Dive Smack was one of my most anticipated releases and literally jumped at the opportunity to read and review it, because it sounded like something I'd never read about before. The premise is extremely fascinating and even though it start off a bit slower than I would've liked, it picked up after the first couple of chapters and kept me on the edge throughout it! It was a truly enjoyable read, which gave a different and intriguing spin on the Contemporary Genre! It also spiced things up with the Mystery aspect and how suspenseful it made the story itself!
I absolutely loved the fact that the novel was told in Theo's POV. I haven't come across a lot of Contemporaries that are told in the male character's perspective exclusively so, this was definitely a breath of fresh air for me. It was more unique because of the fact that, I don't encounter it as often as I'd like it books so, it made the experience of reading Dive Smack even better! Right from the beginning of the novel, his voice was clear and determined, making him sound more mature than his age. The mystery is kind of introduced when one of his class assignments about his family tree, sparks questions he has no answers for and thus begins the journey to discovering more about himself and unraveling the truth of his past. His character was quite believable and more than easy to relate to, since he's a teenager that's going through some very dark times, perfectly described by the author throughout the novel and becoming even more vivid as the story progresses! He's also very likable from the beginning of the book and his character development is more than well thought out and executed. His friendship with Chip was another thing I immensely enjoyed while reading the book, since having supportive friends that stay with you through thick and thin is extremely important and very hard to find nowadays. Chip's loyalty was hard to ignore and his believe in Theo never faltered, a fact that made him and the bond they shared even more authentic!
Moving on to the love interest, Iris. She was phenomenal! The combination of tattooed nerd girl that's a complete bad ass was quite the surprise everyone! Color me impressed! She was basically her own person and I truly admired her for it! She has her secrets too, a fact that makes her as fascinating as our main character but, never lets her demons get in the way of her standing by Theo and grounding him when he needed it the most! She was a truly inspiring character that bloomed in front of my eyes and made things so much more interesting and exciting to read!
Another fact I personally greatly appreciated, is how the romance never overshadowed the rest of the story. I feel like many authors that decide to include the mystery aspect in YA Contemporaries to be specific, kind of make it more about the Romance than the Mystery itself because they get carried away but thankfully, that was not the case with Dive Smack. Even though the chemistry between Theo and Iris was there, it didn't really take anything away from everything that was going on in the novel. On the contrary, it added more to it by keeping it realistic and relatable!
Moreover, the writing was great for a debut novel and I really loved how the author decided to built such a well thought out plot on top of such an interesting premise! It does have its twists and turns, which I wasn't really expecting, something that made it even more suspenseful and kept me on the edge of my seat. As I've already mentioned at the beginning of this review, the only reason I didn't give Dive Smack a five star rating was because of how slow paced it was at the beginning. What followed after that definitely made up for it though so, I don't really have anything else to say about it! Overall, this was such a fun read that definitely picked up and became more interesting as the story progressed! It was a page turner for sure and it's more than worth reading, if you enjoy YA Contemporaries with a Mystery twist!
November 1, 2022
*Overdrive app *
Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story: 5 stars 🌟
---
Really enjoyed this one 👌 😀
Twisty, turny, a touch of sci fi..happy reader:)
Eagerly awaiting her next 📖 book!
Head hurts so may add more thoughts later.
Narration: 4 stars 🌟
Story: 5 stars 🌟
---
Really enjoyed this one 👌 😀
Twisty, turny, a touch of sci fi..happy reader:)
Eagerly awaiting her next 📖 book!
Head hurts so may add more thoughts later.
June 24, 2018
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. All the thoughts below are my own*
Described as Teen Wolf meets Barry Lyga and E. Lockhart, Dive Smack tells the story of Theo Mackey, a competitive diver who only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match. Though he knows it was an accident, the fire still killed his mother and set his father on the path to his own death. Yet, Theo still can’t quite remember the specifics of that night. At first, he doesn’t care because his life is only looking up, but when a school project brings up new memories, he begins to question what he really knows.
After being on a straight YA fantasy diet for the past few months, this twisty psychological contemporary completely blew me away. For one thing, the use of diving terminology was frequent throughout the book. Yet despite me knowing absolutely nothing about diving, I was completely surprised at how interested I was in it. And not only was the use of diving terminology educational, it also worked SUPER WELL with the story. I never even imagined that I would enjoy reading about sports so much!
As a thriller, one of the main parts of making it a great story is how, despite foreshadowing, you can’t see the twist. And boy did this book deliver that. Paired with the author’s enchanting writing style that pulls readers in with ease, Theo’s story hypnotizes readers with hints of twists and devious foreshadowing. The author also includes bits of the past which enhances the story as it adds to Theo’s confusion about what really happened that night with the fire.
One of my favorite parts of this book were the characters. When I began reading it, I figured that Theo would just be another teenage boy who’s moody and only thinks about getting girls. And when I read about his friend Chip, I also believed that he would be the typical quirky best friend. I have never been more wrong about a character assessment in my life! The author did an amazing job creating all the characters into their own people and doing it with such finesse that they seemed real. Even characters that only appeared a few times were filled with enough detail to make them seem important. Readers would enjoy this aspect so much because by creating fleshed out characters like Theo, Chip, Iris, Uncle Phil, and so many others, it is harder to figure out exactly who (or what) might be involved in the plot twist.
This book is by far one that has surpassed my expectations. If you love twisty small town mysteries that take you to the trenches of high school (but in a good way), you will love Dive Smack! Fans of Riverdale will also enjoy this book for its twist which readers will never see coming.
Described as Teen Wolf meets Barry Lyga and E. Lockhart, Dive Smack tells the story of Theo Mackey, a competitive diver who only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match. Though he knows it was an accident, the fire still killed his mother and set his father on the path to his own death. Yet, Theo still can’t quite remember the specifics of that night. At first, he doesn’t care because his life is only looking up, but when a school project brings up new memories, he begins to question what he really knows.
After being on a straight YA fantasy diet for the past few months, this twisty psychological contemporary completely blew me away. For one thing, the use of diving terminology was frequent throughout the book. Yet despite me knowing absolutely nothing about diving, I was completely surprised at how interested I was in it. And not only was the use of diving terminology educational, it also worked SUPER WELL with the story. I never even imagined that I would enjoy reading about sports so much!
As a thriller, one of the main parts of making it a great story is how, despite foreshadowing, you can’t see the twist. And boy did this book deliver that. Paired with the author’s enchanting writing style that pulls readers in with ease, Theo’s story hypnotizes readers with hints of twists and devious foreshadowing. The author also includes bits of the past which enhances the story as it adds to Theo’s confusion about what really happened that night with the fire.
One of my favorite parts of this book were the characters. When I began reading it, I figured that Theo would just be another teenage boy who’s moody and only thinks about getting girls. And when I read about his friend Chip, I also believed that he would be the typical quirky best friend. I have never been more wrong about a character assessment in my life! The author did an amazing job creating all the characters into their own people and doing it with such finesse that they seemed real. Even characters that only appeared a few times were filled with enough detail to make them seem important. Readers would enjoy this aspect so much because by creating fleshed out characters like Theo, Chip, Iris, Uncle Phil, and so many others, it is harder to figure out exactly who (or what) might be involved in the plot twist.
This book is by far one that has surpassed my expectations. If you love twisty small town mysteries that take you to the trenches of high school (but in a good way), you will love Dive Smack! Fans of Riverdale will also enjoy this book for its twist which readers will never see coming.
October 2, 2018
I had heard nothing but good things about this book and I know several people who have it on the top ten of 2018 list. Needless to say, I was excited to read it.
I liked Theo well enough. I liked his passion for diving and his tenacity in trying to figure things out. Sadly, I never quite settled into his inner monologue or the rhythm of the story. Chip and Iris were decent secondary characters, but they both felt like they weren’t fleshed out enough.
Plot wise, it was okay. I never had a sense of urgency or suspense and even though I was intrigued, I wasn’t quite captivated. I figured out one part of the huge twist and the other reveals were just meh to me. Everything was slow slow slow until the last 30 pages and then it was full speed and a nice, wrapped up ending.
Overall, it was an interesting premise, but lacked the tension and mindfuckery I was expecting. I am eager to see what Demetra does next.
I liked Theo well enough. I liked his passion for diving and his tenacity in trying to figure things out. Sadly, I never quite settled into his inner monologue or the rhythm of the story. Chip and Iris were decent secondary characters, but they both felt like they weren’t fleshed out enough.
Plot wise, it was okay. I never had a sense of urgency or suspense and even though I was intrigued, I wasn’t quite captivated. I figured out one part of the huge twist and the other reveals were just meh to me. Everything was slow slow slow until the last 30 pages and then it was full speed and a nice, wrapped up ending.
Overall, it was an interesting premise, but lacked the tension and mindfuckery I was expecting. I am eager to see what Demetra does next.
June 17, 2018
4.5 stars
Theo hasn't had an easy time. Losing both his mom and dad in a short amount of time is difficult. Add a grandfather who drinks and hides away in a room and your life gets harder. He's always had an uncle that looks out for him though, even though he's not actually family. Theo also thinks he actually lit the match that started the fire his mother was killed in. This situation is hard though, because he doesn't remember much. He's had help, medication and hypnotizing, but his brain is still blocking out everything. Slowly he starts to remember everything and that's when it gets interesting. His only problem is, the memories start appearing when he's trying to dive or even just walk down the street. The concept of this book is so intersting! At first I just though Theo was a kid who was dealing with a lot of stress after losing his parents, but come to find out there's so much more. Not only have memories started returning of things he doesn't expect, but things start happening after he sees them too. His uncle starts acting suspicious and it's not helping how he feels. I loved how even though this book goes pretty slow it stays really interesting. In the course of only a few events we learn so much about Theo and his family. I had a feeling something wasn't right, but I love that I couldn't figure it out right away. Not only is there more to his family's story, but also to some people he's grown close to. Besides an interesting book about diving, we get a book full of family secrets and mysteries. The only reason this book didn't get five stars is that I would've loved to have known just a little bit more about his family past and other events. In a standalone that can be hard and the book was still really good. I'm sad that this is only going to be a standalone. It would've been interesting to see what happens to the characters after the events that went down near the end of the book. Demetra Brodsky is an author to keep an eye on!
Theo hasn't had an easy time. Losing both his mom and dad in a short amount of time is difficult. Add a grandfather who drinks and hides away in a room and your life gets harder. He's always had an uncle that looks out for him though, even though he's not actually family. Theo also thinks he actually lit the match that started the fire his mother was killed in. This situation is hard though, because he doesn't remember much. He's had help, medication and hypnotizing, but his brain is still blocking out everything. Slowly he starts to remember everything and that's when it gets interesting. His only problem is, the memories start appearing when he's trying to dive or even just walk down the street. The concept of this book is so intersting! At first I just though Theo was a kid who was dealing with a lot of stress after losing his parents, but come to find out there's so much more. Not only have memories started returning of things he doesn't expect, but things start happening after he sees them too. His uncle starts acting suspicious and it's not helping how he feels. I loved how even though this book goes pretty slow it stays really interesting. In the course of only a few events we learn so much about Theo and his family. I had a feeling something wasn't right, but I love that I couldn't figure it out right away. Not only is there more to his family's story, but also to some people he's grown close to. Besides an interesting book about diving, we get a book full of family secrets and mysteries. The only reason this book didn't get five stars is that I would've loved to have known just a little bit more about his family past and other events. In a standalone that can be hard and the book was still really good. I'm sad that this is only going to be a standalone. It would've been interesting to see what happens to the characters after the events that went down near the end of the book. Demetra Brodsky is an author to keep an eye on!
October 28, 2018
I’m really behind on my reviews so don’t mind me. This book was released in June and I finished it a few weeks ago. It was one my June Anticipated Releases post and it didn’t disappoint. The only reason it didn’t get a five star rating was because I didn’t end up on the ground rolling around sobbing or fighting off the angst. So it got the 4 star rating which coming from me isn’t a bad rating at all.
I had a lot of good impressions from the books because I ended up chatting with Demetra Brodsky on twitter while I was reading the book and she was so cute. I love talking to author, especially debut author because they are all just so excited to have a book out in the world and its adorable.
So lets get down to business.
This book is about a kids on a swim team. Theo was literally the sweet All American Dive Captain we all wanted to date in high school. (Like hello swimmer’s body.) He’s this fantastic kid that lost both of his parents, but still made it through okay because he has such a solid support system. His best friend Chip, is the perfect, cocky comic relief that I love. He was loyal to Theo, but didn’t let him wallow in his self pity like the true friend he was.
I think what I liked the most about these characters was that none of them were stereotypical. They all had qualities that made them lovable and relatable , but they all had their own quirks that made them different. Iris was probably the most interesting character. Just the fact that her Romani mother taught her to read tarot cards made me love her, along with her love of journalism. She was just kind of a unique character.
Two characters I wished I had gotten more background on in the books was GP and Curtis. I wanted to know what their relationship to each other was beyond Curtis basically just being GP sponsor. Curtis seemed like the uncle figure Theo deserved, so I wish he had gotten more page time.
Divesmack is a really easy read. The writing is wholesome and not overly poetic. It really fits the plot and the story. It was easy to get into the story because it felt like you were actually in the brain of a seventeen year old boy and it wasn’t over dramatized or written in beautiful pose. The writing fit the story which helped keep the pace moving along so that you don’t lose interest.
The plot of this book was actually not at all what I thought it was going to be. And I mean that in a good way. I knew it was going to be a book about a kid uncovering his dark family secrets which I am 100% here for. I love books with mysteries that slowly get uncovered throughout the story. It turned out to be so much more than that though and all the of the plot lines were woven so closely together that they made a perfect web. It was a really solid story line and I really enjoyed it.
I really did enjoy this book and I hope to see more books from Demetra Brodsky in the future. She’s such a sweet heart and she really does have a talent for story telling. Until next time bookworms.
Happy Reading,
Emily
I had a lot of good impressions from the books because I ended up chatting with Demetra Brodsky on twitter while I was reading the book and she was so cute. I love talking to author, especially debut author because they are all just so excited to have a book out in the world and its adorable.
So lets get down to business.
This book is about a kids on a swim team. Theo was literally the sweet All American Dive Captain we all wanted to date in high school. (Like hello swimmer’s body.) He’s this fantastic kid that lost both of his parents, but still made it through okay because he has such a solid support system. His best friend Chip, is the perfect, cocky comic relief that I love. He was loyal to Theo, but didn’t let him wallow in his self pity like the true friend he was.
I think what I liked the most about these characters was that none of them were stereotypical. They all had qualities that made them lovable and relatable , but they all had their own quirks that made them different. Iris was probably the most interesting character. Just the fact that her Romani mother taught her to read tarot cards made me love her, along with her love of journalism. She was just kind of a unique character.
Two characters I wished I had gotten more background on in the books was GP and Curtis. I wanted to know what their relationship to each other was beyond Curtis basically just being GP sponsor. Curtis seemed like the uncle figure Theo deserved, so I wish he had gotten more page time.
Divesmack is a really easy read. The writing is wholesome and not overly poetic. It really fits the plot and the story. It was easy to get into the story because it felt like you were actually in the brain of a seventeen year old boy and it wasn’t over dramatized or written in beautiful pose. The writing fit the story which helped keep the pace moving along so that you don’t lose interest.
The plot of this book was actually not at all what I thought it was going to be. And I mean that in a good way. I knew it was going to be a book about a kid uncovering his dark family secrets which I am 100% here for. I love books with mysteries that slowly get uncovered throughout the story. It turned out to be so much more than that though and all the of the plot lines were woven so closely together that they made a perfect web. It was a really solid story line and I really enjoyed it.
I really did enjoy this book and I hope to see more books from Demetra Brodsky in the future. She’s such a sweet heart and she really does have a talent for story telling. Until next time bookworms.
Happy Reading,
Emily
July 10, 2018
Mon avis en Français
My English review
This cover is sublime and the synopsis made me want to discover the story!
This is the first novel I read in the swim context and especially about diving but I think it was something very interesting. This is how we discover the captain, Theo Mackey, upset by his past. His mother died in a fire and his father also died shortly after. So yes, diving is everything for him, especially when you know that he lives with an alcoholic grandfather, but with the support of a friend and an uncle who is not really his uncle. Yet his life is going to be completely upset down when a project at school forces him to immerse himself in family history. He probably did not expect so many revelations!
I found that the ideas in this novel were very interesting and original and I was not expecting this paranormal little side behind the story. Theo is determined to find out who his mother was and to find the memories he thought were lost so far. Yet that’s also what will make him take another look at the people around him.
Yes, it was an interesting reading, different from what I expected and I’m curious to read more about the author!
My English review
This cover is sublime and the synopsis made me want to discover the story!
This is the first novel I read in the swim context and especially about diving but I think it was something very interesting. This is how we discover the captain, Theo Mackey, upset by his past. His mother died in a fire and his father also died shortly after. So yes, diving is everything for him, especially when you know that he lives with an alcoholic grandfather, but with the support of a friend and an uncle who is not really his uncle. Yet his life is going to be completely upset down when a project at school forces him to immerse himself in family history. He probably did not expect so many revelations!
I found that the ideas in this novel were very interesting and original and I was not expecting this paranormal little side behind the story. Theo is determined to find out who his mother was and to find the memories he thought were lost so far. Yet that’s also what will make him take another look at the people around him.
Yes, it was an interesting reading, different from what I expected and I’m curious to read more about the author!
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