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 More reviews at Readers in Wonderland 
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 After I posted my review of The Truth About You & Me, a few comments came in talking about a book called DROWNING INSTINCT telling me to check it out. I added it to Goodreads, not expecting to get to it for awhile. But then people commented on my Goodreads feed telling me to read it-even on Twitter! After that, I knew this was a book I just had to pick up. Immediately. Peer pressure and all that. 
 This book is similar to The Truth About You & Me by way of subject matter and unique narration style, but these are two books that are so ridiculously different, in a good way. DROWNING INSTINCT makes you feel ALL the emotions, and the soul-ripping ending will leave you just sitting there for awhile repeating "What just happened?" over and over again. 
 "This is a fairy tale with teeth and claws." 
 Jenna's hasn't had the greatest go at life lately, and her parents are at the end of their rope when it comes to their marriage. Not to mention Jenna's brother left for Afghanistan so she has no one to talk to or be supported by. Until she meets Mr. Anderson, who is just the kind the person she could use as a source for encouragement. 
 "The grief in her green eyes slips then hardens and, for an instant, Pendleton sees the woman she has become and has no right being, not at sixteen." 
 The greatest thing about this book is that it can be interpreted so many ways. There is an open ending, but for once, that didn't bother. Sure, it leaves you with a lot of questions, but that it what makes the book so amazing, in my opinion. Is Mr. Anderson really a good guy? Why was he hiding so many things? You can only really guess the answers to these questions and create the ending for Jenna that you are happy with. 
 Besides making you feel so many emotions, another strong point of this book is the gorgeous writing. There are so many powerful quotes in this that really stick with you but my favorite was the one relating to the book's title: 
 "They call it the drowning instinct. It's when drowning doesn't look like drowning. ... you don't look like you're in trouble. You don't scream, but that's because you can't... You're just there..." 
 A must read for contemporary fans.