Review: Lifesaving for Beginners

Lifesaving for Beginners by Ciara Geraghty

Format: Trade Paperback (ARC)
Pages: 560
Published: September 27, 2012
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Genre: Fiction

My Rating: 4.5/5

Summary (from amazon.com):

Kat Kavanagh is not in love. She has lots of friends, an ordinary job, and she never ever thinks about her past. This is Kat's story. None of it is true.

 

Milo McIntyre loves his mam, the peanut-butter-and-banana muffins at the Funky Banana cafe, and the lifesaving class he does after school. He never thinks about his future, until the day it changes forever. This is Milo's story. All of it is true.

 

And then there is the other story. The one with a twist of fate which somehow brings together a boy from Brighton and a woman in Dublin, and uncovers the truth once and for all. This is the story that's just about to begin ...

 

Review:

 

**NOTE: A copy of this book was provided for review by the publisher.  However, no compensations were made and this review reflects my honest thoughts and feelings.**

 

The tagline on this book pretty much says it all - "Just one day can change your life forever..."

 

When a book opens up with a tragic accident, it sets the overall note for the entire story.  Lifesaving for Beginners tells the tale through the eyes of two characters - Kat and Milo - who seem to be connected in a way that no one would ever imagine.  Once again, it has been proven that the format of toggling between characters and telling two parallel stories is my absolute favourite way to read a story.  While I will admit that some chapters end and leaving you wanting more IMMEDIATELY, knowing that it was only a chapter away did nothing but make me stay up later and read way more in a sitting than I ever intended.

Having two main characters that are so separated in age allows for readers of all ages to enjoy the book.  I loved reading about Milo and his family through the eyes of a nine-year old and on the opposite spectrum, enjoyed reading about Kat and the relationship she has with all of those around her.  I found each of them to be very worthy main characters and could have stood on their own.  As for the remaining characters, they all fit very well into the story and if I were to pick a favourite, it would have to be Ed, Kat's younger brother.

At each twist and turn in the story, I felt just a little more connected with the story and as though these people were MY people.  I wanted everything to turn out well in the end but Ciara Geraghty made me wait until the very last minute to find out if it would.

Overall, I am in love with this story and will definitely be picking up each of Ciara's other books.  I recommend it to absolutely everyone who enjoys a heart-warming story.