Teardrop
By Lauren Kate
Release Date: October 22, 2013
Source: Publisher
Summary: Never, ever cry...Seventeen-year-old Eureka won't let anyone close enough to feel her pain. After her mother was killed in a freak accident, the things she used to love hold no meaning. She wants to escape, but one thing holds her back: Ander, the boy who is everywhere she goes, whose turquoise eyes are like the ocean.
And then Eureka uncovers an ancient tale of romance and heartbreak, about a girl who cried an entire continent into the sea. Suddenly her mother's death and Ander's appearance seem connected, and her life takes on dark undercurrents that don't make sense.
Can everything you love be washed away?
Review: Wow, this book. I was extremely wary going in after reading so many negative reviews on Goodreads. And I'm talking super negative reviews that are for some reason the most popular ones (first ones to show up) on Goodreads. After finishing Teardrop in one day, though, I can't help but wonder if we were even reading the same book…because I absolutely loved it!
After her mother dies when a tidal wave takes out their car, 17-year-old Eureka just don't know how to care about life anymore. The things she once loved and enjoyed seem meaningless now without her mother in the world beside her. The day Ander literally crashes into her life, though, her world is turned upside. The mysterious boy with eyes like the ocean is so captivating, yet Eureka can't explain why. She also can't explain the three objects her mother left her in her will, or why it seems like her mother had more secrets than Eureka had ever thought possible. What was her mother hiding? LIttle does Eureka know, those secrets will change her life forever.
I loved this book. What more can I say? Yes, the beginning was a little bit slow going in, but once things picked up I just couldn't stop reading! I read all 441 pages of this book in one day because I couldn't bear to put it down. I think the fact that this story was so mysterious and unique was why I had to keep on reading. There are so many details and secrets that are hinted at, but the actually answers don't even come close to being revealed until the end. Even then, you're left with even more questions that you're dying to have answered when the second book comes out in 2014.
I have to admit, though, Ander was by far my favorite part of this book. Ever since he narrated the prologue, only to shift into the shadows of the book as the rest of the plot was a 3rd person narration, I was captivated by him. Ander is such an intriguing, not to mention passionate, character that I got excited every time Eureka would run into him in the book. And by the end, I was a complete goner for him. I don't want to spoil too much, but Ander is definitely a character that made this book worth reading.
Another factor I loved about this book, aside from the gorgeous Ander, was the world Lauren Kate created that goes far beyond the life Eureka has been living. While we only get a glimpse into that world, it seems so magical and intriguing, and I can't wait to learn more about what Eureka and Ander uncover about it in the next book. I also loved the added story in the book Eureka received from her mom, and how perfectly it fit into the regular plot of this story. Normally when other stories are told within a book I'm reading, I'm bored and skim through those parts. The story Eureka discovers, though, is so enchanting and intriguing on it's own, and I loved every time a new part was revealed.
As you can tell, I loved this book. I flew through the chapters and was eager to figure out what would happen next to Eureka and what new secrets would be revealed about this mysterious world that was affecting Eureka's life. There were so many emotions felt through the characters and I loved all of them, from Eureka's dad and twin half-siblings to her two best friends Cat and Brooks. Oh, and don't forget Ander! I loved the originality Lauren Kate brings in her novel, and I'd definitely recommend you go out and find yourself a copy of Teardrop right now. While the beginning takes a little while to pick up, it's definitely worth the amazing story you find yourself completely immersed in at the end.
