~ Dead Sea by Mia Kerick ~

 

Author: Mia Kerick

Title: Dead Sea

Series: Story Ballads 2 (can read as standalone)

Pages: 271

Release date: 2021 March 3

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Rating: ★★★★☆ (4,5)

Blurb: 

Kyle is a swaggering bully; Lenny strives to be invisible.
Kyle has been left alone in the world; Lenny is the world’s biggest loner.
When Kyle saves Lenny from drowning, their lives will never be the same.
After a brutal encounter with school bullies, Lenny swims out into the ocean, determined to let the current whisk him away. Next thing he knows the meanest kid in town is pulling him from the waves, promising to be his Dead Sea, and to never let him sink.

All Kyle wants is to get out of beach cleanup, is that too much to ask? So he goes for a swim, only to come upon the most epic “nobody” in the senior class drowning in a riptide. Lenny’s haunted gaze grips him, and Kyle makes the impulsive decision to save his life or die trying. And through this ordeal, Kyle and Lenny are transformed.

Kyle’s heroic act sets him on the straight and narrow, and he opens his heart to the young man he dragged from the ocean. Lenny changes too but is still unable to reveal the truth of his pain. While drowning in a sea of secrets, the reformed bully and wary victim fall in love. But staying afloat in the Dead Sea is not as simple as it seems.

Trigger warning: one character attempts unsuccessfully to die by suicide as is noted in the blurb, further discussion of death by suicide.

My review: 

Enjoyed reading the book, it was sweet and deep. 

Lenny and Kyle were two very different characters, but when they got close and got to know each other, it was clear that they are not so different. 

Lenny's character was unique and I liked everything about him. He was just a sweet kid who wanted to be loved for who he is. He likes dressing up, no matter the gender, and this is the way he express himself. And he is gay too, with no friends in the school. While there is Kyle, who is 'famous' in the school, who is a bully, but his family drama is a secret. No one knows that he will be kicked out of home after school ends. No one knows that he's starving all the time and has no money to buy food for himself. No one knows that he's gay and that he's more than he seems. 

Loved Kyle and Lenny together, they brought the best in each other. They became their best self when together, and I loved how hard Kyle tried for Lenny. Lenny was still afraid to show his true self, but Kyle was a rock for him. They were so adorable together, especially when Kyle worked hard for his money just to take Lenny on a date. It was the sweetest gesture ever. 

The ending was good, everyone got their HEA/HFN, I really enjoyed reading this book.