Head Above Water Reviews
"First let me state that I'm not the biggest fan of romance/love stories, so I was slightly skeptical about taking on the task of reading this. However, from reading some of Benjamin Jones previous works, I knew that I was gonna be in for a treat. Within the first few pages I was instantly hooked! What followed was 33 chapters of pure genius with a little bit of something for everyone while still managing to stick to a main storyline! Mr. Jones truly does have a way with words. You would be foolish not to read Head Above Water or any of his other works!" - Demetrice Prince
"I have to tell you, I'm an avid reader and book clubber and I have never read a book like this. There's so much detail and imagination! I can appreciate that it was a love story sprinkled with a little science fiction. I'm not really into romance novels honestly, but this book worked for me; mostly because I could relate to the characters and bits and pieces of Darryl and Leena's relationship. Who hasn't been crazy in love at least once in their life?
I was able to imagine each and every character from the protagonists to the DLI employees. You did a great job making everyone's personalities seem so realistic. My favorite parts were the constant thoughts of Darryl and Leena. It was amazing how they were both thinking and feeling the same things almost simultaneously. Every thought was riddled with emotion and it made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next. The ending was an unexpected, but nice surprise! I totally was not prepared for that. At. All.
Overall I think you did an excellent job! There's love, drama, sex, dysfunction, death and the afterlife. What more can one ask for in one book." - Kim Bailey
Although I have read my fair share of romance novels, this one has a bit of fantasy/science fiction woven in and out of its pages. From the moment you start reading, you feel like you know how the book will end. Darryl and Leena are people you know, or even parts of yourself. When you're in love, you just do things that feel crazy. Darryl and Leena do "crazy" things, and in the end, the unexpected happens.
I recommend this book, even if you're not a regular romance genre reader. It has something for everyone. - Julie Harris
4 out of 5 stars for Head Above Water - "....In the end, love prevails, but the way it comes about its different than anything I've ever read. I won't give it away, but I know it is one of those things some will love and some will not. For me, it was bittersweet, but I still found the entire story to be both poignant and beautiful. There were definitely some moments that had me tearing up. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's definitely a book I could read again!" (read the full review by visiting http://theromancewritersreads.blogspot.com/2012/01/head-above-water-by-benjamin-jones.html ) - Elise Marion
4 out of 5 stars for Head Above Water - "...Wow, well, I don't really know where to begin with this review, except to say that this book is very original and it definitely surprised me in terms of how the story progressed and in terms of the almost experimental styling of the book.
This is not your everyday romance novel. Yes, it contains romance and is written well; the dialogue between the characters is fluid and realistic. All the characters are believable, and one thing this author suceeds in doing where many others fail, is in reminding us that we are all human and all capable of making wrong choices and hurting others inadvertently by our actions.
The two main characters Darryl and Leena are great examples of real people, people who will sometimes act from the heart, without thinking and this sometimes comes across as selfish behaviour; especially in Leena's case." - Maria Savva (read the full review by visiting https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114222)
"I have to tell you, I'm an avid reader and book clubber and I have never read a book like this. There's so much detail and imagination! I can appreciate that it was a love story sprinkled with a little science fiction. I'm not really into romance novels honestly, but this book worked for me; mostly because I could relate to the characters and bits and pieces of Darryl and Leena's relationship. Who hasn't been crazy in love at least once in their life?
I was able to imagine each and every character from the protagonists to the DLI employees. You did a great job making everyone's personalities seem so realistic. My favorite parts were the constant thoughts of Darryl and Leena. It was amazing how they were both thinking and feeling the same things almost simultaneously. Every thought was riddled with emotion and it made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next. The ending was an unexpected, but nice surprise! I totally was not prepared for that. At. All.
Overall I think you did an excellent job! There's love, drama, sex, dysfunction, death and the afterlife. What more can one ask for in one book." - Kim Bailey
Although I have read my fair share of romance novels, this one has a bit of fantasy/science fiction woven in and out of its pages. From the moment you start reading, you feel like you know how the book will end. Darryl and Leena are people you know, or even parts of yourself. When you're in love, you just do things that feel crazy. Darryl and Leena do "crazy" things, and in the end, the unexpected happens.
I recommend this book, even if you're not a regular romance genre reader. It has something for everyone. - Julie Harris
4 out of 5 stars for Head Above Water - "....In the end, love prevails, but the way it comes about its different than anything I've ever read. I won't give it away, but I know it is one of those things some will love and some will not. For me, it was bittersweet, but I still found the entire story to be both poignant and beautiful. There were definitely some moments that had me tearing up. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's definitely a book I could read again!" (read the full review by visiting http://theromancewritersreads.blogspot.com/2012/01/head-above-water-by-benjamin-jones.html ) - Elise Marion
4 out of 5 stars for Head Above Water - "...Wow, well, I don't really know where to begin with this review, except to say that this book is very original and it definitely surprised me in terms of how the story progressed and in terms of the almost experimental styling of the book.
This is not your everyday romance novel. Yes, it contains romance and is written well; the dialogue between the characters is fluid and realistic. All the characters are believable, and one thing this author suceeds in doing where many others fail, is in reminding us that we are all human and all capable of making wrong choices and hurting others inadvertently by our actions.
The two main characters Darryl and Leena are great examples of real people, people who will sometimes act from the heart, without thinking and this sometimes comes across as selfish behaviour; especially in Leena's case." - Maria Savva (read the full review by visiting https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/114222)