The Otherworld was a great read. I burned through it in a weekend and really enjoyed it. The characters were captivating and the guys had a bit of an Edward/Jacob vibe which appealed to me. The only reason I dropped a star was because of the many uses of "Christ" and "God" as swear words. That really rubs me the wrong way and I would have enjoyed the book so much more without them. Other than that, it was a great book and I continue to enjoy Abbie Emmons as an author.

This is going to be a hard review to write because I love the author and have been excited about this novel for quite some time. I wanted to love this book. I really did. Through the first 30% of this novel, I was sure this was going to be a five-star review, but things started plummeting downhill from there.


THEMES & MESSAGES:
I loved how the themes were explored in this novel through the different characters' perspectives. It was very beautifully crafted and written overall, and I enjoyed the underlying metaphors and philosophy. I also love the idea of the butterfly effect and how that was woven throughout the narrative.

However, the main complaint I have with the themes is how families were portrayed. I was expecting to see heartwarming and wholesome family dynamics such as the ones in Emmon's debut novel 100 Days of Sunlight. While I realize that every family is different, none of the dynamics in this book were healthy. Jack idolizes his brother Adam to the point where it drives him to make poor decisions and shun responsibility. It also seems that conflict is never resolved between them. It sort of just... disappears so the story can end happily. It's also worth mentioning that conflict and confrontation are not handled well either. Characters blow up at one another. There's cussing, screaming, physical fighting, and so much manipulation. Yes, there's eventual reconciliation between parent/child relationships, but there was never true repentance or healing between them.

There's also an underlying message that says to "follow your heart", which I disagreed with. We should not be following our hearts for "the heart is deceitful above all things..." (Jeremiah 17:9). Instead we should be seeking after Christ and His wisdom (Galatians 5:25). Unfortunately, the characters in this novel do follow their hearts and are lead purely by their emotions and romantic attractions. This, I think, is what caused so many problems in The Otherworld.


CHARACTERS:
ORCA: I felt I knew Orca well from the first page and understood her internal conflict. I loved how her personality was well established and how she was whimsical and poetic in her thinking and speaking. I related to her in that way. However, she seemed very immature to me in the way she insisted on exploring the mainland when, in reality, she had no experience or knowledge of the world whatsoever. Her mindset of "I'm strong enough to handle the world without help" felt prideful to me and proved that she WASN'T in a place of humility or maturity to handle the world. Orca, to me, seemed presumptuous in her mindset and actions. While I understand why she was this way, due to her inner struggles, it did not make me like or trust her as a character. She seemed to me that she was also setting herself up for abuse in serious ways through her age-gap romance with Adam, the way she interacted with Jack, and her refusal to accept help or concern from others. Her character arc did not come full circle, nor did she end up gaining a heart of humility or understanding of her errors in the end. Yes, she did reconcile with her father, but it was very rushed and she only did so because she got what she wanted (a marriage proposal to the guy she's known for hardly a month). The way she fell for Adam also felt immature and unrealistic to me. Nobody falls that deeply in love within three days. That's not how love works. Orca made decisions purely on emotion and passionate feelings rather than maturity, wisdom, and logic. On a more positive note, Orca's emotions were well-written and raw. I always knew exactly what she was feeling and why, even if I disagreed with the majority of her choices.

ADAM: I liked Adam for the majority of the novel. However, I felt aside from his internal conflict related to his feelings for Orca, he lacked depth as a character. Don't get me wrong, I loved the philosophy and poetry woven in, but that and being more introverted than everyone else seemed to be Adam's only character traits. I also thought it quite immature the way Adam tried to get Orca to stop feeling for him. Instead of setting a healthy boundary and communicating with Orca, he pretended he wasn't in love with her, but then behind everyone's back, continued to make out with her and touch her in ways that were not appropriate for the context of the relationship or their age difference (Orca is still a teenager and Adam is almost thirty years old).

JACK: The main issue I had with Jack was how disrespectful he was to everyone in the novel (more specifically, his brother, authority figures, and girls). He was very inconsiderate and irresponsible, and, like Orca, seemed to be led solely by whatever felt good at the moment. Aside from the way he played with and used girls, I did like how Emmons completed his character arc and gave him a good ending. He made me laugh out loud quite a few times, and before he met Orca, he was my favorite character. I also love how Emmons wrote grief through Jack. It was very raw, realistic, and deep.

As far as side characters go, Orca's dad was a very interesting and complex character. I found myself both frustrated by and sympathizing with him. Though I did disagree with some of his actions, I felt for him and his motivations were understandable.


WRITING STYLE:
Emmon's prose is breathtaking. I adored her word choices and the lilting, colorful quality of her writing. It was perfect for the type of story this is — whimsical and fairytale-like. Especially in the first half of the novel, I was just soaking up all the beautiful language and literary tone carried throughout the story.


SPIRITUAL ASPECTS:
None that I noticed.


VIOLENCE:
Violence is minimal. Adam and Jack get into a fistfight that doesn't end well. Adam is in a plane crash that, in other circumstances, would have killed him. He comes out severely bruised and with broken ribs.


SEXUAL CONTENT & ROMANCE:
I was aware of some of the sexual content before reading this novel since the author provided me with a content guide. However, it ended up being way more graphic and frequent than I was comfortable with.

I lost track of how many times Orca and Adam kissed, but it was at least ten times throughout the book, plus two lengthy make-outs. In one scene, Orca lies directly on top of Adam, and in another, she wraps her legs around his waist as they kiss. This all takes place in the context of only knowing each other for less than two weeks.

Orca idolizes Adam and obsesses over him. In one part of the book Orca outright states that she will never be complete without Adam's love. This is not the dynamic of a Godly, healthy relationship. It's just the opposite. Orca's infatuation with Adam felt very immature to me, especially considering that he was the first boy she's ever seen.

When Orca brings an injured Adam into her lighthouse, she takes off his wet clothes to give him the medical attention he needs, thus seeing him naked and staring with curiosity at his body. While it wasn't graphic, this scene still bothered me quite a bit. It was about this point of the book that I considered not finishing.

Orca tells Adam that she wants to make babies with him and the two are discussing marriage after knowing one another for a maximum of three weeks. Adam tells Orca a Greek myth about two lovers who would swim across the ocean to make love every night, which he likened to their own romance.

Orca and Jack almost kiss a few times and Jack kisses her once without permission. There is frequent touching between these two, and it's clear that Jack is very much interested in Orca. Unbeknownst to Jack, Orca and Adam are already together. Orca, however, doesn't even bat an eyelash at Jack's continual displays of affection. This really really bothered me. If she was so in love with Adam, why was she willfully messing around with his brother?

Jack has Orca buy and wear a bikini that barely covers her when they go out in the boat, saying she'll look sexy and otherworldly in it. At that point in the book, the romance began to feel dirty and repetitive instead of innocent and beautiful because of how physical the characters were with one another so soon. There was no natural progression of the romance, nor were there any stakes because for all of the characters, it was "love at first sight".


LANGUAGE & PROFANITY:
The profanity was the one thing I wasn't fond of in 100 Days of Sunlight, so I was hoping it wouldn't be present in The Otherworld. The language ended up being much worse.

Sh**, a**, d**n, h**l, and frick were used frequently. I lost count of how many times God's name was used in vain, though I counted thirty instances in only 50% of the book (including the misuse of Jesus' name and God's name coupled with d**n). It was very offensive and unnecessary, distracting me from the story.


DRUG & ALCOHOL CONTENT:
Jack, when angry, leaves for the night and comes home with a hangover. It's mentioned how he used to drink and party back in high school. Adam recalls having to pull over and let Jack throw up after getting drunk.


WRAP UP:
I hesitated to write a negative review and dock as many stars as I did since I love Abbie Emmons and her previous books. I believe this story had potential, and I do feel that with a few more revisions, this novel could have been five stars for me. The literary writing blew me away and loved the concept, but the content and the way romance was portrayed were disappointing. Especially for a YA novel that's marketed as age appropriate.

Orca is just 18 and isolated on an island with her father as the lighthouse keeper. She calls the mainland The Otherworld. She’s never been off the island.

When she finds a backpack washed up on shore, she’s finds a cellphone and calls someone listed as Superman. She connects with Jack. He tells her his brother’s, Adam, plane was crashed in the ocean. She searches the island. Adam eventually finds the lighthouse, Orca nurses Adam back to health, they fall in love and she visits Adam and Jacks family on the mainland and experiences The Otherworld.

There’s a lot packed into this novel.

I felt there were a few things that didn’t add up. I understand it took place back in 1997, but a cell phone in a
waterproof backpack was totally dry and charged up when found days later, mix cassette tapes, and the repeating of scenes in different character pov’s.

If you could suspend your belief about all of the above, it wasn’t a bad book just a bit slow for me personally. I really wanted to love it based on the synopsis.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Very disappointed in the lack of depth regarding the romance between Orca and Adam (and really also between Orca and Jack). It was unrealistic and rushed, and the one character I was certain about liking (Jack) turned into a jerk. Who "loves" someone after only knowing them for 3 days? I am giving it more than one star only because I enjoyed the beginning of The Otherworld. Not the author's best work at all.

After a couple days, I’ve finally gathered all my thoughts, and I have A LOT. So, buckle up, because this is a long review, and there might be spoilers, so read at your own digression.

.

It really pains me to say this, but this book is a solid two star read for me. And I don’t think I’ve ever rated a book this low. Starting out, I loved the story! But around 25% of the way through, things started falling apart for me.

I don’t really know what I was expecting. I read the blurb (obviously), and I knew exactly what the content would be going into it (although Abbie definitely updated the content guide, so it doesn’t look quite the same as it did when I requested) but I wasn’t expecting this.
Let me break it down. Starting with characters.

ORCA: She was a really lovely character, and I resonated a lot with her! Her emotions were so well written, as was her personality and thought process. I did not like how immature she was, both in her thinking and in her actions. Yes, she’s lived on a remote island with only her father and dog all her life, but I feel that’s not excuse enough. Besides that, it felt like her character arc never concluded. She changed a little, but it felt a bit flat. Another thing (which lots of other reviewers commented on) was the way Orca is described by the guys: pure, unpolluted and innocent; in other words, not-like-other-girls. And I agree because she is. She grew up on an island all alone and knows nothing about the world! But it was forced upon you to see her this way, and I didn’t like that at all.

ADAM: It took me a while to decide whether I liked him or not, but he turned out to be a great character. He had a maturity none of the other characters had (at least for me) but at the same time, he was pretty immature too, especially in the way he handled his feelings for Orca. It’s not healthy to just suppress and hide them others, yet still keep acting on them!
JACK: He was likable for the first 20% of the novel, and then I just HATED him! He was selfish, immature, shallow, irresponsible, inconsiderate—I think you get the idea. I will admit he made me laugh a couple times, and his character arc had a good ending, but that’s all he has going for him, frankly.

OTHER CHARACTERS: I feel it’s only right to mention Orca’s dad, and I will say that he is a very complex character. I can understand and sympathize with his motives, even though his actions were wrong. He did not deserve to be the villain.

ROMANCE: The content guide mentioned this, and yes, technically there was nothing more than kissing, but it was very graphic and more often than I was comfortable with.
Adam and Orca kissed more times than I could count, and this takes place within the three weeks that they know each other. She completely idolizes him and is “in love” with him after only three days! And her “love” is described in such a way that it feels more like a crush, which it very possibly is, considering that Adam is the first boy she’s ever laid eyes on!

When Orca finds injured Adam, she brings him to the lighthouse and has to take off his wet clothes to give him medical care. Although it’s not described in depth, Orca is fascinated by Adam’s body. This scene made me really uncomfortable, and I don’t feel it was necessary to include it at all.
Jack and Orca almost kiss a couple times, and Jack kisses her once without permission. Throughout the story it’s made really clear that Jack is really interested in Orca, and he gives her a lot of affection/attention, but not once does Orca dissuade him even though Orca and Adam are basically already together. Jack also buys Orca a bikini that barely covers her (the book’s words, not mine) and he describes her as “sexy and otherworldly”. As another reviewer pointed out, the romance started feeling dirty from here.

Something else that felt gross/weird for me was Orca telling Adam she wanted to make babies with him. It wasn’t the idea of this that put me off (perfectly natural for a couple to want babies together), but it more the way it was said and the fact they only knew each other for three weeks. Adam also reads Orca a Greek myth about two lovers who would swim across the ocean each night to make love and compares it to their romance.

LANGUAGE AND PROFANITY: This bothered me a lot too. I knew there would be language, but it was WAY too much. In Jack and Adam’s POVs, there is a curse or profanity multiple times per page. I felt this was completely unnecessary, and it distracted me from the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I loved the premise of this story, and I feel like it could have been (and certainly will be to some readers) an amazing book. But for me, it just didn’t make the cut. I love Abbie Emmons, her YouTube videos, and her other books, so this is not an attack against her person. I simply feel the story isn’t what it could be, or, sadly, what Abbie made it out to be.
I wish her all the best with her writing career and the launch of this book. I look forward with hope to her future publications.

This was such a fast, enjoyable read. Abbie weaves together a lush, vivid world that you can dive into, and never want to leave. Abbie’s craft shines through with her prose and descriptions. It’s part of what makes this book so beautiful. I’m a sucker for multiple points of view and The Other World had three! Abbie did a wonderful job showing each character’s perspective and I never had any trouble keeping track of everyone/everything. The romance between Adam and Orca is sweet and not graphic, which made it delightful to read. The only reason I’m giving it four stars is because I didn’t care for the profanity.

**Thank you to Netgalley and Abbie Emmons for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely fascinating. I loved so many different aspects of the novel: the characters, the setting, some of the amazing quotes. The nature Adam and Jack have with each other, how Adam paves the way while Jack has to follow. The age gap between the brothers and how that causes them to think differently. I could write an essay on the brothers alone. And then Orca, her naïveté and how that affects the story as well.
I find it a bit difficult to explain it all without spoiling, but it is amazing. I love it so much. Define you worth a read.

1.5/5 Stars

This review is based on my opinion which, it should go without saying, you are more than entitled to disagree with. If you loved this book, great! I’m happy for you and glad you had a positive reading experience. We can agree to disagree. Further, I can only imagine the amount of work that goes into writing a novel, and it is never my intention to devalue or dismiss the effort that writers put into their books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Abbie Emmons for providing me with an ARC of The Otherworld in exchange for an honest review.

TL;DR: I had a lot of issues with the book, but my big one boils down to this: I felt that the age-gap between the love interests in this book was unnecessary and created a problematic power imbalance in their relationship. Further, the romance felt rushed, the love triangle didn’t hold any tension in my view, and I didn’t root for either of the MC’s love interests. I’m sure this book will resonate with someone, but it definitely wasn’t for me.

My full review is below:

(Minor Spoilers Ahead)

I’ve put off writing this review for far too long, and now I’m not sure how to start. I suppose I’ll begin by saying that I really wanted to love this book. After reading Abbie Emmons’ debut novel (100 Days of Sunlight) two years ago, I looked eagerly for more of her work, and I was very excited when I heard about her upcoming release, The Otherworld. Unfortunately, my high hopes dwindled the further I got into this story, and by about the halfway mark, I could predict both the ending and how I would feel about it (spoiler alert: not good).

The story follows Orca Monroe, who has spent her entire life on a remote island, with only her father and her dog for company. Her lifelong dream is to see the mainland (which she calls “the other world”) but she is forbidden from doing so by her overprotective, verging-on-abusive, father. Just as it seems that Orca’s dream might never come true, the Stevenson brothers quite literally crash into her life, offering her a taste of the life and love (?) that lies beyond her island.

The premise of this book hinges on eighteen year-old Orca falling in love with the elder Stevenson brother, Adam. Adam is a twenty-eight year old bush pilot who ends up stranded on the island after his plane crashes nearby (Orca’s father is on a convenient trip to the mainland when this happens). With a storm raging, there’s no way for Adam to get home, or for Orca’s father to return to the island, which leaves Orca and Adam alone, together, for three days.

Something’s in the air. But if you ask me, it’s not love.

The three days Adam and Orca spend together are hardly enough time for them to scratch the surface of a friendship, let alone any sort of deep romantic connection. In spite of this, they both end their cabin-fever fueled isolation ready to declare their undying love for each other, which I found problematic on so many levels.

I suppose, from Orca’s perspective, it’s at least believable. She’s been imprisoned on an island for the first eighteen years of her life, so perhaps she would become infatuated with the first man she claps eyes on. Does it make her seem naïve and immature? Sure. But who wouldn’t be naïve and immature with such limited life experience?

Adam, on the other hand, is one great big bouquet of red flags. He’s a full grown, allegedly mature man, who should, at a bare minimum, understand the difference between love and lust. But after three days, a couple of vague conversations about the butterfly effect, and one kiss under the stars, this guy is convinced he’s found his soulmate. To me, it’s a very shaky foundation to build this so-called romance on.

As if the insta-love isn’t bad enough, this book takes things from unbelievable to straight-up problematic, by setting the love interests a decade apart in age, for no apparent reason. Adam could have been younger, or Orca could have been older, and it would have made almost no difference to the plot of this book. The age gap here felt unnecessary, and I’m not sure why the author decided to include this element.

To make matters worse, Adam himself acknowledges that the age-gap between him and Orca is problematic, especially given her sheltered upbringing and inexperience. He acknowledges the power imbalance it creates between them, he admits to himself that he probably shouldn’t indulge his feelings—and then he pursues her anyway.

I almost stopped reading at this point, because I was so put off by what seemed to be the central relationship of the book.

Which brings us to Jack Stevenson. Jack is Adam’s younger brother, a hotheaded eighteen-year-old who’s presented as the third point of our love triangle. For the first part of the book, Jack was probably my favourite character. I thought his over-the-phone meeting with Orca was humorous and cute, and I was excited to read more of their relationship. Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived. As soon as Adam enters the scene, you know that Jack doesn’t stand a chance. Orca and Adam are set up as “soulmates”, while Jack’s attachment to Orca is painted as an immature, superficial infatuation—and his feelings never seem to develop into anything deeper. As the book progresses, it feels like the author attempts to highlight Adam’s “maturity” by playing up Jack’s immaturity. But far from making me like Adam more, this just made me dislike Jack too.

Jack is never taken seriously as a love interest in this book, not by Orca or by the author. I felt no tension whatsoever in this love triangle, and I never once doubted that Orca would end up with Adam (although I did root firmly against it).

The romance in this book was a fatal misfire for me. I wanted to root for the protagonists, but I found their relationship fundamentally problematic, and I could not get past it.

Now, moving on to my smaller complaints.

The male love interests (yes, both of them) frequently compare Orca to “other girls”. They refer to “other girls” as if all other girls can be homogenized into one contemptible, inferior group who “wear makeup” and “worry about their diets when eating pizza” (both are things Orca is applauded for not doing). This promotes harmful stereotypes about women, and far from making Orca seem special, it makes both Stevenson brothers seem misogynist and narrow-minded. At one point, one of them even explicitly refers to Orca as being “not like other girls”, which prompted me to groan out loud. This kind of casual sexism is so frustrating to read, and I don’t know why it was part of this book.

Another complaint for me is an overall lack of nuance in this story. Orca’s predicament could have been a jumping off point to talk about blind loyalty, manipulation, and the importance of thinking for yourself, but instead, it’s all just an elaborate set up for the problematic love story outlined above. Orca’s father, in particular, is a character that I felt needed much more delicate handling than he was given. This character, I think, is indisputably morally grey. He’s not a cartoonishly cruel villain, but his decision to keep Orca on the island against her wishes is concerning to say the least. In spite of this, all of the other characters in this book seem to either grossly overreact or underreact to his actions. Jack, the younger brother, overreacts, treating Orca like a damsel that needs rescuing from her evil captor. Adam positions himself on the opposite end of the spectrum, and basically refuses to criticize Orca’s father, for fear of driving a wedge into Orca’s family. This dichotomy felt very forced, and as a result, neither reaction felt appropriate or realistic.

Finally, the ending (which I won’t spoil here) was a cherry on top of this very messy cake: far from leaving me satisfied as a reader, it made me feel quite unsettled, and even concerned, about our main character.

In spite of all of these issues, there were things I could appreciate about this book. I finished it in less than a week, which I think speaks to Abbie Emmons’ skill as a writer. I thought the pacing was great, and I enjoyed the atmospheric setting. Further, each character had a unique voice, and I thought some parts of this book were genuinely humorous. I just wish these moments of enjoyment hadn’t been overshadowed by the big-picture problems I’ve described.

In conclusion, The Otherworld was not for me. The relationships in this book struck me as fundamentally problematic, and made it impossible for me to fully immerse myself in the story.

"The Otherworld" ist ein unterhaltsamer, kurzweiliger Roman, der sowohl für junge Erwachsene wie Teenager ideal geeignet ist. Ihre Figuren sind lebensfroh und schauen aufgeweckt in die Welt, die nicht immer nur Gutes für sie bereithält. Dabei lassen sich viele Parallelen zwischen "100 Days of Sunlight", them Erst-Werk der Autorin, und "The Otherworld" finden. Insbesondere die lockere Beziehung zwischen Adam und Orca erinnert an Tessa und Weston. Wie auch dort ergänzen sich die Blickwinkel der zwei Hauptfiguren durch die abwechselnde Sichtweise, aus der geschrieben wird.
Orca ist eine junge Frau, die nichts anderes als die kleine Insel kennt, auf der sie alleine mit ihrem Vater wohnt. Adam dagegen ist als Pilot ein weltgewandter junger Mann, der jedoch in sich gekehrter lebt als Orca.
Indem die Figuren jeweils in die Welt des anderen eintauchen, gelingt es Emmons, dass die Figuren einander tatsächlich "sehen".
Ein Werk, das für Verständnis und Offenheit gegenüber dem Frenden wirbt.

Einziges Manko ist, dass die angedeuteten härteren Themen wie z.B. die Kontrollsucht des Vaters nicht tiefer problematisiert werden.. Das würde aber auch den Rahmen des Buches wohl sprengen. Dies ließe sich aber im Rahmen von z.B. einer Unterrichtseinheit gut aufgreifen, sollte man es z.B. als Schullektüre wählen.

The Otherworld is a story both deep and sweet, with fantastic character development. I wish I could have been obsessed with it as a teen, but even now, it got me thinking about it days later.

5 Stars

In a word, this book is comforting. It's a bit slower paced than I typically read, but it was far from boring. I never had trouble picking this book back up after I started it, since the characters were unique and engaging. Its a book that takes its time, which keeps it from feeling rushed and gives each character and moment adequate time to shine.

The atmosphere of this book is beautiful. It fully immerses you in every setting without heavy description. I loved the nostalgia of the 90s setting, it makes the book feel like a time capsule.

The themes were really thoughtfully presented as well, and I think there is a lot of messages that the world really needs to hear. I love that the characters discover things along with the readers, so it doesn't feel preachy. It just feels like you're going on a journey with these characters as they learn how to become better people and go after what they need in life.

Initially, I was skeptical of the love triangle. I typically hate love triangles in books, I feel like they take away from the characters and the plot rather than contributing to it, and I feel like typically the characters all make really stupid decisions and use the love triangle as an excuse. However, this book has become the one exception to my 'no love triangles' rule. It truly felt like the love triangle was instrumental in each character's arc. I didn't feel the need to pick a side, I didn't hate any of the characters because of the polarization that typically comes with love triangles, and I was really happy with the way it worked itself out.

As a huge fan of 100 Days of Sunlight, Abbie Emmons' debut novel, I was a bit worried about how they would compare. They are both beautiful stories, and they're both stories I feel the world needed to hear. They're also incredibly different. Different atmospheres, totally unique characters, different messages. I will continue to reread both for a very long time.

I'm very excited to reread this book, since I feel like that is where this book will shine the most. When I can return to it on a lazy Saturday or a rainy afternoon. When I know what happens but I just want to immerse myself in the world and characters once again. Its such a cozy read, and I have no doubt that its one I will be picking up again and again.

The care and dedication that Abbie Emmons put into writing this book is clear in every page, and I look forward to my physical copy coming in the mail so that it can claim its rightful space on my bookshelf.

~I was given an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own~

A Review of "The Other world" by Abbie Emmons

I would like to start my review by expressing my gratitude to Netgalley and Abbie Emmons for providing me with an ARC copy of "The Otherworld" in exchange for an honest review. As a long-time follower of Abbie's YouTube channel and podcast with her sister, Kate, I was thrilled to be a part of the ARC team.

Before diving into the review, I want to mention that regardless of the genre, I always support Abbie's work due to the invaluable writing lessons she has shared over the years. "The Otherworld" falls into the YA/teen/PG-13 category, and Abbie did an outstanding job of providing a content guide that outlines any potentially sensitive elements, such as curse words and romantic scenes.

I was disheartened to see that many other ARC reviews primarily focused on the appropriateness of language and content, when Abbie had already addressed these concerns in advance. As a result, I want to emphasize that my evaluation is based on the story's merit, not personal genre preferences. It's important to remember that opinions on stories are subjective; what some may love, others may dislike, and that's perfectly fine. As an author myself, I always keep this in mind when evaluating someone else's work. Each opinion is subjective and should be respected as such, considering the effort and dedication invested in creating art.

Now, let's discuss the aspects of "The Otherworld" that I truly enjoyed:

1. Orca's uniqueness and compelling character.
2. The concept of instant attraction, which resonated with my own personal experiences.
3. Orca's strength and independence, which added depth to her character.
4. The portrayal of living off the land, which enhanced the story's authenticity.
5. The captivating setting and vivid imagery, allowing me to immerse myself in the story.
6. Realistic dialogue that brought the characters to life.
7. The subtle yet enchanting Rapunzel vibes.
8. The exploration of forbidden love and its complexities.
9. The compelling dynamics within the family relationships.

Moving on to aspects that didn't resonate with me as much:

1. The presence of age gaps, particularly when Orca is still a teenager, although it was handled well and didn't make me uncomfortable.
2. Love triangles in general, though I must commend Abbie for executing it skillfully. Despite the age gap, I found myself rooting for Adam.

Overall, "The Otherworld" was an enchanting read that transported me into its imaginative world. The scenes were vividly depicted, and the setting was absolutely mesmerizing. The hook at the beginning was fantastic, instantly captivating my attention as I followed Jack's journey to find his brother. I was particularly drawn to Jack after their heartfelt phone conversation, though as the story progressed, I did feel a sense of frustration with him. Abbie expertly showcased the contrasting characteristics and maturity levels between the two brothers based on their ages.

Over all, "The Otherworld" is a captivating and imaginative story that held my attention throughout. Abbie Emmons' skillful storytelling and evocative descriptions painted a vivid picture in my mind. I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy immersive tales of love, family dynamics, and enchanting settings.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. I loved 100 Days of Sunlight. But sadly, this book and characters weren't for me.

Orca was both immature and wise beyond her years, while also being "not like other girls".

Adam was too old for her, especially she she was only newly 18 and he was 28. If she was older, a ten year age gap wouldn't be so bad, but I really do think their romance moved too fast (from meeting to engaged in probably less than a month).

Jack was arrogant, constantly smirking, hot headed, and thinking girls are just waiting to fall for him. This sometimes work, but not this time.

Plus, the whole story relies heavily on miscommunication, which is one of my least favorite tropes. People really need to talk to each rather than assuming or just not talking.

I'm not saying you won't like the book. It just wasn't for me. Also, a good amount of cursing and some mentions of "making love".

The Otherworld by Abbie Emmons was one of the most immersive stories I have read in quite some time. I was swept away into a world in the Pacific Northwest in the 1990s.
It was a world both different and oddly nostalgic and familiar to me.
At first, I thought Orca’s background and sheltered life would be unbelievable. However, as I got to know her and her father and the deep dynamic between them, it became more understandable why they lived so isolated.
There were twists and turns in this story that I never expected. These surprises not only kept me always wanting to read one more chapter, they also added a richness to the storyline that explained a lot of the motivations of the characters.
Another aspect of this book that I really enjoyed was the great, believable dialogue. It helped me as the reader tap into each character’s unique voice and uncover different facets of their personality. The dialogue also served to propel the storyline forward effectively, which is a main component of effective dialogue.
The overall flow of this book was also very good. This made for ease of reading. This book is not really based on external action scenes to move it forward. What makes this story such a page-turner is the wonderful depiction of each character’s internal struggles, their interactions with each other, and how it all comes together to ultimately allow them to grow both internally and also in their relationships with each other.
This is the first book I have ever read by author Abbie Emmons. I am very impressed by her masterful character development. It made me keep wanting to read more to see how the characters, and the story, unfolded. The characters were so multi-dynamic that I believe an entire book could be written about each one of them individually.
This book is an engaging, immersive experience filled with 90s nostalgia, great characters, a love triangle and even an adorable dog. I highly recommend this read!

This book was amazing. Truly, my comfort book. BUT. It was pretty obvious who Orca would have chosen between the two brothers. I wish there was that suspense, that equal level that makes you keep thinking who she will choose but that factor wasn't there but other than that the most beautiful book I have read.

I want to thank Abbie and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this novel before the release date in exchange for an honest review.

After reading 100 Days of Sunlight – Which I enjoyed reading – I was excited about this new story. The description really hooked me up: a remote island during summer, an historical novel set in 1997, a missing pilot, … Everything seemed very promising! After reading it, I can confirm that this book was indeed a cozy read. I wish I could go to Orca’s Island and hang out with her and Lucius!
But, even if I enjoyed my reading, I was not fully convinced by some aspects of the book, which explains the 3-star rating:

- I liked the first part on the Island but once Orca moved to the mainland, I wasn’t as involved in the story as in the previous part. I felt there was something missing.
- I didn’t like Jack. He seemed interesting in the first part of the novel, but in the second part, he was immature and annoying. And he was a jerk to Orca. Reading his point of view was painful.
- The love story was too predictable and made Jack’s point of view kind of useless. I also didn’t find it believable and realistic. Adam and Orca fell in love after only 3 days spent together. It seemed unnatural. The love story is also a bit rushed in the second and third part of the book, in my opinion. After just a little time spent together, they are already thinking about getting married and having children. In the end, they barely know each other.
Another thing that disturbed me : the age gap. Orca is 18 years old and just entering adulthood while Adam is 28, my age. That didn’t feel quite right.

Let’s end with some good aspects of the novel :

- I liked Orca. I know she sometimes seemed a bit too naive but it made sense when you look at her personal story. And I still found her adorable. I liked seeing her discover all the novelties of the Otherworld.
- I liked the family story and the quest for answers while in the mainland. This part was by far, way more interesting than the love story itself (just my opinion).
- The writing. Especially in the beginning of the book. Abbie has a talent for beautiful descriptions, dynamic dialogues and she’s a good storyteller.
Like for example:
“Season after season, year after year, the Otherworld remained a mystery. The only evidence that it existed at all lay in the ropes and the wax and the knives.
And the pinpricks of light.
And the look in Papa’s eyes when he remembered it.”
How beautiful!
- Finally, as I said previously, I liked the part that takes place on the island. The description of it and of Orca’s daily life made me want to move in with her. I really enjoyed it.

In the end, I have mixed feelings about this novel. I loved some parts and hated others. I still believe it is a nice cozy read and I am grateful to have been able to read it before publication.

First off, I just want to say thank you to Abbie for the ARC I received through NetGalley ♡ Now an honest review!

I've been dreaming of reading this since I first heard Abbie mention "the lighthouse book" on her channel a few years back. Even when I knew nothing about it, I just had this feeling that I would really enjoy it and I couldn't wait to see what the story would end up looking like. And I did really like it!

Overall, this book is the perfect cozy, low-stakes romance I was in the mood for. While the plot was definitely very interesting, it didn't stress me out (except for a particular punchy punchy scene that made me gasp outloud in my coffee shop because I was so shook) and it felt like watching a wholesome movie on a big comfy couch. And the PNW vibes? Chef's kiss.

If you're interested in a full review, I have one up on my blog!

And if you must know, I'm team Jack ;)

https://veryrosemaryreads.com/the-otherworld-by-abbie-emmons-book-review/

a huge thank you to NetGalley and Abbie Emmons for sending me an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

"I know exactly what it is. I feel it burning inside me with the violence to destroy a forest fire. Destroying me.
The butterfly setting off a hurricane.”

I really wanted to love this book! I am a fan of Abbie and have learned a lot from her about writing my own novels.

To start on a positive note, I really loved the setting Emmons set up at the beginning of this book. Orca’s lighthouse and island felt so real to me! I found myself wanting to experience the setting myself and curl up with a book during a storm. Additionally, I loved the initial premise. If you are a fan of The Little Mermaid, Tangled, or The Summer I Turned Pretty, I think you would agree with me! Orca and Adam’s introduction had me kicking my feet and squealing. The soulmate-ism in this book was palpable and that’s one of my favorite tropes! The angst truly had me in a chokehold in some scenes. Throughout the entirety I found myself experiencing strong emotions, whether it was love, anger, annoyance or excitement. Regardless of if I enjoyed these emotions or not, they are a testament to Emmons’ skill as an author.

Now for my critiques. I think a major reason why I didn’t fall in love with this book is because nothing fully convinced me to. To begin with, I wasn’t fully convinced by the characters themselves. I felt like a lot of them were written as stencils or in support of the plot. I was actually quite surprised by this, as Emmons seems to have nailed the true need to establish internal conflict in her novels. My favorite thing to read is a complex, multifaceted character, but these characters fell flat in my opinion.

Adam Stevenson was too perfect for my liking. I adore strong male characters that are chivalrous and do the right thing. We need more representation of men that are simply good men, as they are so hard to find in real life in society. While he did have me swooning at times, Adam’s perfection was overall too surface level for me. His perfection and superiority almost appeared to be a result of his age, which is the complete wrong message to be sending to anyone anywhere. His flaws were not brought up very much in the book, and when they were, they were dismissed by multiple characters. In my opinion, there was no reason that the age gap needed to be as large or as prevalent as this book made it to be. Adam could have been 22 or 23 and this would have felt a lot more comfortable while still making the distinction that Adam was knowledgeable and held more wisdom than other characters simply because he had lived through more.

Now for Jack “I invented fun,” Stevenson (“My little hometown” my ass. He’s the epitome of Ken and his mojo dojo casa house). Oh little Jackie. I have a soft spot for this kid even though (or maybe on account of?) he appeared too ridiculous or immature at times and was clearly used to add tension to Adam and Orca’s relationship. While he loves and looks up to his brother, Jack’s entire personality is that he feels inferior to Adam (which, might I add, is more than Jeremiah Fisher would ever admit). Every love triangle with brothers that I have read puts the younger brother into a box and categorizes them as someone who will never be as good as their older brother. I would love to read a love triangle where the younger brother is strong and actually mature, not this negative stereotype that is perpetuated for the sake of creating angst. There was a certain point throughout the book that Jack got so ridiculous that I found him funny and laughed out loud, thinking, “this cannot be real.” I found myself sometimes rooting for Jack even when I didn’t like him as a person. Just for kicks and giggles.

As for our leading lady Orca Monroe, I wasn’t fully convinced that she was really as wise as she was described to be. Some parts had me narrowing my eyes, asking myself if people would really behave the way Orca did if they were in her situation and had her limited knowledge of how to interact with people and the real world. I’m not convinced that they would have acted the way Orca did. Multiple times Orca is described, both verbatim and loosely, to be the epitome of “she’s not like other girls” and I just found that to be an extremely dull and unoriginal way to characterize a female lead, not to mention condescending and redundant.

Point blank, all of our main characters largely mess up, but instead of it adding to their humanity and complexity, I just found their mistakes to be either: inadmissible, immature, inconsistent, or not quite worth my time.

As for the romance, a lot of it felt juvenile, which, again, was extremely inconsistent with how the characters were described. I wasn’t convinced that Orca and her love interest truly loved each other. This made it extremely hard to be invested in the story and in their relationship. I also wasn’t convinced that the other brother was actually in love with Orca.

All this said, when I was able to put the critiques out of my mind, I really did enjoy reading. This book was thoroughly annotated; I had a lot of opinions on what the characters said, did and felt, which I guess is better than being indifferent. I think I would have enjoyed The Otherworld more if I just accepted it for what it was (not the greatest love story of all time) and just viewed it as entertainment. And the angst did have me falling to my knees and pounding my fist on the table. This is one of those books that I truly think you should try for yourself. You may love it! (:

Let me just start by saying that Abbie definitely LOVES Rapunzel, you can see the similarities in the plot, characters and conflicts. It felt like a modern version of the princess story. And I also like Rapunzel, so it was amazing to see it made into something more ‘today.’ (Despite taking place in the late 90’s).
This book was such a great beach read! The writing and the descriptions of the world around the main characters (especially with Orca on the Island in the first part) were so summery and magical. I absolutely adored exploring the island and the lighthouse with Orca within the first 100 pages. I loved the mystery aspect of this novel—within part one—where Adam crashes his plane and Orca has to go out looking for him. I mean, obviously, we know that we are going to find him, it’s just a matter of when and the suspense kills.
I enjoyed taking time out of my day to go onto Netgalley with my window open to listen to the rain while I disassociated with the real world to escape to the island. The experience was truly ethereal…At least for a while.
So, the first part of the book was amazing and exciting and whimsical. It had all of the qualities I usually like in a book: good internal and external conflict, layered characters, and a fantasy-like feel. However, the second and third parts of the book were where it kind of fell flat for me. This is where we get to learn more about the so-called ‘Otherworld’ that Orca has always dreamt of visiting. (The mainland). And yes, there are still great descriptions of the world which make it truly come to life, I read books to have a break from the real world, so I don’t enjoy reading about big cities and pizza and arcades, even if it's through the eyes of a character who has never seen such things before.
I’ve got to say I never saw that plot twist with Orca’s mother happening. But when Orca and Adam go to visit her and we get to hear her side of the story—why she left Orca and her father—it shines a new light on Lawrence Monroe. Orca’s mother never wanted children and had Orca, thought it was an accident and then over time slowly realized that it wasn’t, that Lawrence planned it…like I’m sorry but I’m pretty sure that’s very illegal…
Lawrence is never really portrayed as a bad person, despite this. Not to mention that after Orca turns 18 and is a legal adult, he tries to keep her on the island against her will. It’s played off as ‘oh he’s just hurt and acting off of his emotions and past trauma’…but that doesn’t make the myriad of bad things that he did right.
As for the romance, in the first part of the novel I enjoyed it. It was a little sappy for my taste, but other than that quite well written. (It does occur over three days, but how Abbie writes about it makes it seem like a lot longer). There is a ten-year age gap which takes a little getting used to, but the two characters work well together and are both consenting adults.
This novel is marketed as a love triangle, but in truth I don’t see it. I get that Jack—throughout the entire book—is trying to pursue Ocra, but I could always see that she was going to choose Adam. I mean, there are multiple instances where Jack tried to make a move on Orca, but she refuses him because she simply doesn’t feel the same for him as he does for her.
In short, this book was good. If you overlook all of the controversies with Orca’s parents, there is a good plot and conflicted characters. Not a bad book, it just isn’t my novel of the year.

It’s been a few days since I’ve finished reading this book and I’m still struggling to decide what rating to award it. I’m still a little bit torn between a one and a two, mostly because of writing and just overall plot, which I’ll explain (as much as Goodreads allows) below.

But first things first: thank you to Netgalley and Abbie for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review. Having heard about it from my friend who is a big fan of Abbie’s writing vlogs, I was definitely looking forward to it.

You can mostly guess how my experience looked like based on the first few lines, however, I hope you’ll still have the patience to go through the entire post and see exactly why that is. So let’s dive in! (Full review with spoilers on goodreads!)

THE COVER
Blue is definitely my favorite color and having this as an accented top behind the title made me a little happy. What Abbie did with the cover design was definitely a nice surprise, and the title’s typesetting was interesting as well. However, if I were to just come across this book in a store or library, I wouldn’t have picked it up. It doesn’t stand out much due to the lack of contrasting colors or points of interest.

THE TITLE
Looking back at the plot, the title seems rather unfitting. Simply based on it, I’d have expected some sort of exploration of the mainland, some sort of conflict that would bring the mainland forward and accent it. Instead, it was only presented as an obsession our main girl has, due to her circumstances. The marvel and highlights that I was expecting to see coming from Orca in relation to the “Otherworld” thus fell short.

THE PLOT
The storyline, overall, is rather simple: Orca, a girl who has just turned 18, lives on a small island with her father, a light keeper. Naturally, the young girl has no “real life experience” and all she relies on is her knowledge from the few books her father allowed her to read, daily observations and morning walks on the beach. Of course, having lived in isolation, while looking through the spyglass at the world revolving around the lighthouse on the island, the girl gets curious of what she continuously calls “the Otherworld”. Then, one day, while her father is away, on a short trip to resolve some administrative matters, Orca finds a small backpack containing a cellphone, a compass and a journal on the shore. As you might expect, the phone is fully functional and it begins ringing in the evening. On the other end of the line, the desperate brother of the owner tries to figure out what happened to his sibling—is he dead or alive?

There’s a lot going on and, at the same time, nothing much.

After a while, Orca leaves the island.

THE CHARACTERS & NARRATIVE VOICE
There are three main characters and Abbie goes around exploring each of their point of views by writing from a first person perspective. However, this turns out to be rather ineffective since all the character voices sound rather similar. I strongly believe this would have been more effective if told from a third point of view, instead of moving from one character to another and telling about the events around them.

In any case, we have Orca, who has just turned 18. Definitely an interesting name, but with no background for it. I’d have honestly loved to see how her name was picked, what the history behind it was. She’s mostly cheerful and very talkative. She has a dog, Lucius, and loves her shells on the beach. She also talks about things like she doesn’t know them, but on the other hand, she admits to knowing them.

Then, we have Jack, the younger brother; also 18. He’s a rebellious teen with lots of dating experience, mostly known for his flings (just implied, there is no antagonist or conflict coming from this direction). Owns a Mustang and a cellphone (and a bomber jacket). The way he looks and talks about Orca didn’t even scratch the surface of love. Although he did try to be romantic, he still ended up objectifying the girl.

Finally, there’s Adam, the older brother. He’s a 28 year old pilot and the owner of the flip phone Orca finds. Being the older brother, he is mostly on the giving side. More introverted and prefers philosophical talks. Owns two planes and a truck (and a bomber jacket). He, too, had some romantic experiences, however none came to be. There is no love rival coming from him either. Similarly to his brother, objectifies the girl.

THE GOALS AND MOTIVATIONS BEHIND THE PLOT
These were very unclear. I originally thought we’d get to explore the mainland, live through Orca’s excitement and end up seeing everything in a new light by the end of the book. Instead, we got a little bit of everything: we go to the mainland, get through the mainstream with no excitement, discover old family secrets, all these while witnessing a 28-year-old secretly making out with a girl ten years younger than him.

THE WRITING
There’s a lot of “tell, don’t show” going on, and the main focus are the actions of the characters (e.g. I laughed, I left the island, “Lucius, come”, we kissed, I called, I killed the engine etc.), however, there are a few instances of nicely described environments too.

On the other hand, some of the conversations are okay, while most of them seem choppy, especially when it comes to philosophy, talking about the butterfly effect, or Orca’s explaining of events, where she word-vomits.

To take it further, I was very much bothered by the repetitions and the descriptions of irrelevant objects (like that one bomber jacket! Especially in sentences like “I grabbed my bomber jacket” uttered specifically by the two guys). Orca also missed a lot of vocabulary, her main objectives and nouns being “the Otherworld”, “otherworldly” and “love”. Finally, there are a lot of italics used for emphasis, and at times, it looks like the reader is… lacking understanding or the ability to read the way the scene should be read. Honestly, overuse damages the goods.

REALISM
Overall, most character actions or situations seemed unrealistic and forced for the sake of having a plot going on. For example, see the final chapters of the book.

The romantic aspect is also rather hard to believe, especially since all characters experience some sort of insta-love and all they express throughout the book is something closer to lust. No action truly indicates the care and the more tender aspects of love. Just some sort of carnal desire and random fluffy moments.

Lastly, there’s also that mention of the Stevensons being more on the average / poor side of life, though they all have their own house, two planes, at least two cars, flip phones, bomber jackets and all the other stuff, while also still affording to take Orca out on dates and buying her swimsuits.

There are a lot more instances that I could talk about, however, I feel this has already become rather long, so I will stop it here. At least for now.