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The Lifeboat Clique
Mean Girls meets Life of Pi in this darkly humorous, compulsively readable teen novel that’s perfect for fans of Libba Bray and Andrew Smith. A hilariously dark and twisted story that sparkles with a remarkably fresh voice, The Lifeboat Clique is Kathy Parks's irreverent yet insightful novel about how to survive in the most unthinkable circumstances.
Some people might say that Denver has a death wish. Why else would she dare to sneak into a Malibu beach party where she’d be surrounded by enemies?
Oh yeah. Croix. Denver never thought in a million years he’d ask her out, but who is she to question this miracle of fate?
Well, that isn’t the only surprise fate has in store.
During the party a tsunami hits the coast of California, and Denver and a handful of others escape death and are swept out to sea. Of course, one of her fellow castaways is none other than her ex-BFF, Abigail, who can barely stand the sight of her.
Trapped on a small boat with the most popular kids in school and waiting to be rescued, Denver wonders what might kill her first—dehydration, sunstroke, or the girl she used to think of as a sister?
Some people might say that Denver has a death wish. Why else would she dare to sneak into a Malibu beach party where she’d be surrounded by enemies?
Oh yeah. Croix. Denver never thought in a million years he’d ask her out, but who is she to question this miracle of fate?
Well, that isn’t the only surprise fate has in store.
During the party a tsunami hits the coast of California, and Denver and a handful of others escape death and are swept out to sea. Of course, one of her fellow castaways is none other than her ex-BFF, Abigail, who can barely stand the sight of her.
Trapped on a small boat with the most popular kids in school and waiting to be rescued, Denver wonders what might kill her first—dehydration, sunstroke, or the girl she used to think of as a sister?
8 pages, Audiobook
First published March 1, 2016
About the author
Kathy Parks
2 books87 followersHi, I’m Kathy Parks, author of The Lifeboat Clique. (Katherine Tegen Books, March 1 2016)
It’s about Denver Reynolds, an outcast at her high school, who ends up in a lifeboat with the popular kids who hate her.
It’s Mean Girls meets Life of Pi!
I live near the beach in Carpinteria, California with my husband and two cats.
I love questions and meeting other authors.
Hope you’ll check out The Lifeboat Clique!
It’s about Denver Reynolds, an outcast at her high school, who ends up in a lifeboat with the popular kids who hate her.
It’s Mean Girls meets Life of Pi!
I live near the beach in Carpinteria, California with my husband and two cats.
I love questions and meeting other authors.
Hope you’ll check out The Lifeboat Clique!
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 384 reviews
May 10, 2016
The Lifeboat Clique is a really fun read that combines dark humor with the whole survival aspect. It’s been described as Mean Girls meets Life of Pi, which I completely agree. I found myself laughing out loud at several parts, while also cringing in anticipation of the disaster our characters go through. It’s a relatively quick read that truly feels like a unique piece of young adult contemporary fiction with a plot that feels fresh.
The book follows Denver Reynolds, a girl who moved to LA with her family four years ago. She became best friend with Abigail until that all came crashing down. Our story picks up with the two basically as enemies. Abigail claims Denver ruined her life and turned the whole school against Denver. So Denver is your typical outcast just trying to survive high school. If only she realized her main concern should have been surviving a tsunami wave.
When the wave crashes the party, Denver ends up floating out to open sea with four very unlikely people - the “cool kids.” Abigail is one of them, of course. There are two differing storylines going on throughout. One is telling us what happened throughout Denver and Abigail’s friendship and why they had their falling out. The other is about the group’s survival.
There were moments very reminiscent of Mean Girls, like where the book goes into the social hierarchy of high school and the seating chart of the cafeteria. In fact, the dark humor reminded me of Heathers. The whole outcast aspect actually reminded me of Veronica Mars. In ways, Denver has the snark of Veronica.
If you’re looking for a fun, quick read, don’t hesitate to get The Lifeboat Clique. It will have you laughing out loud.
The book follows Denver Reynolds, a girl who moved to LA with her family four years ago. She became best friend with Abigail until that all came crashing down. Our story picks up with the two basically as enemies. Abigail claims Denver ruined her life and turned the whole school against Denver. So Denver is your typical outcast just trying to survive high school. If only she realized her main concern should have been surviving a tsunami wave.
When the wave crashes the party, Denver ends up floating out to open sea with four very unlikely people - the “cool kids.” Abigail is one of them, of course. There are two differing storylines going on throughout. One is telling us what happened throughout Denver and Abigail’s friendship and why they had their falling out. The other is about the group’s survival.
There were moments very reminiscent of Mean Girls, like where the book goes into the social hierarchy of high school and the seating chart of the cafeteria. In fact, the dark humor reminded me of Heathers. The whole outcast aspect actually reminded me of Veronica Mars. In ways, Denver has the snark of Veronica.
If you’re looking for a fun, quick read, don’t hesitate to get The Lifeboat Clique. It will have you laughing out loud.
January 13, 2018
DNF @ 40%
I’m sitting here scrolling through tens of 4 and 5 star reviews for this book and I feel like I’m on mars bc well…this book is BAD To put it bluntly and I hella don’t relate
I mean its an interesting enough idea but….just….no.
Uhhghghgggghhhh where do I start?
So much bloody drama. Like a tsunami just swept them out into the sea and theyre about to drown but theyre literally fighting over the dumbest, pettiest things ever like I can’t, I physically feel my brain cells exiting existence.
Denver is such a limp noodle. Honestly she’s //not like other girls// (that’s literally what this guy tells her) and she thinks shes better than everyone else and she’s so unique and not clique and basically it makes me wanna stab myself with a plastic spoon.
Like I get you hate her but….really??? are you 4??
The humour is AWFUL in my honest, unprofessional opinion. Like it will have me laughing in a face-palm-i-cant-believe-someone-just-said-something-so-dumb-let-me-leave-earth
It’s boring??? The writing is so…unprofessional ??? juvenile ?? annoying ?? I honestly tried to read more but my eyelids are calling it quits for today
Basically, I have abandoned the thought of even being able to enjoy this book, bc really it is not for me, and I don’t think I should suffer any longer. But hey the rest of the world seemed to like it so ?? there’s that!
1 star. Meh.
I’m sitting here scrolling through tens of 4 and 5 star reviews for this book and I feel like I’m on mars bc well…this book is BAD
I mean its an interesting enough idea but….just….no.
Uhhghghgggghhhh where do I start?
So much bloody drama. Like a tsunami just swept them out into the sea and theyre about to drown but theyre literally fighting over the dumbest, pettiest things ever like I can’t, I physically feel my brain cells exiting existence.
Denver is such a limp noodle. Honestly she’s //not like other girls// (that’s literally what this guy tells her) and she thinks shes better than everyone else and she’s so unique and not clique and basically it makes me wanna stab myself with a plastic spoon.
Madison Cutler, budding alcoholic, probable bulimic, definite boob-jobber, and total cool kid.
Like I get you hate her but….really??? are you 4??
The humour is AWFUL in my honest, unprofessional opinion. Like it will have me laughing in a face-palm-i-cant-believe-someone-just-said-something-so-dumb-let-me-leave-earth
It’s boring??? The writing is so…unprofessional ??? juvenile ?? annoying ?? I honestly tried to read more but my eyelids are calling it quits for today
Basically, I have abandoned the thought of even being able to enjoy this book, bc really it is not for me, and I don’t think I should suffer any longer. But hey the rest of the world seemed to like it so ?? there’s that!
1 star. Meh.
December 19, 2015
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)
This was a good survival story, about a bunch of kids swept away by a tsunami.
Denver was quite a strong character, and it was pretty handy that she knew some stuff about survival, I wouldn’t have coped as well as she did, and neither would the other characters. The other characters in this were mean-girls, and I felt quite sorry for Denver in the way she got stuck with them.
The storyline in this was about 5 teenagers washed away during a tsunami off the coast of LA, and their subsequent fight to survive. We also got a bit of a mystery going on about the reason why Denver and Abigail were no longer friends, which made things a bit more interesting.
There was a little bit of romance, but only a little bit.
The ending to this was pretty good, and it was interesting to see who would survive.
6.5 out of 10
“I, Denver Reynolds, would survive.”
This was a good survival story, about a bunch of kids swept away by a tsunami.
Denver was quite a strong character, and it was pretty handy that she knew some stuff about survival, I wouldn’t have coped as well as she did, and neither would the other characters. The other characters in this were mean-girls, and I felt quite sorry for Denver in the way she got stuck with them.
The storyline in this was about 5 teenagers washed away during a tsunami off the coast of LA, and their subsequent fight to survive. We also got a bit of a mystery going on about the reason why Denver and Abigail were no longer friends, which made things a bit more interesting.
There was a little bit of romance, but only a little bit.
The ending to this was pretty good, and it was interesting to see who would survive.
6.5 out of 10
March 10, 2016
“Be so good they can't ignore you.”
----Steve Martin
Kathy Parks, an American author, pens her debut novel, The Lifeboat Clique that narrates the story of a high school girl who is an outcast among her friends circle, thus listing her among the unpopular kids in her high school, but when she sneaks into a party into a beach house party with the cool kids, little did she knew that her her status of being unpopular i soon going to be challenged by those uppity popular kids.
Synopsis:
Some people might say that Denver had a death wish. Why else would she have dared to sneak into a Malibu beach party where she’d be surrounded by enemies, namely including her ex-BFF Abigail?
Oh yeah. Croix. Denver never thought in a million years he’d ask her out, but who was she to question this miracle of fate? Well, that wasn’t the only surprise fate had in store.
During the party a tsunami hit the coast of California, wiping out everything in its path. Denver and a handful of others escaped death by holding onto the roof of the house and were swept out to sea. Of course, one of her fellow castaways was none other than Abigail, who could barely stand the sight of her.
Now that she’s floating in the ocean, stuck on a small boat with the most popular kids in school and waiting to be rescued, Denver wonders what might kill her first-dehydration, sunstroke, or the girl she used to think of as a sister?
Denver, a high school teenager and an outcast among her friends, sneaks into a Malibu beach house party with the cool and popular kids of her school. She had no wish to attend this stupid party, but only because of her crush, Croix, who invited her to attend this party whom she couldn't afford to say no. When the party was in full swing, an unpredictable tsunami wave hit this beach house and washed away everything along with its tide. Most of Denver's schoolmates died when the wave hit the house, but luckily Denver along with a bunch of popular bitchy girls and a jock, rescued themselves somehow by holding onto an abandoned boat. From there, their fight began as one after another hurdles were thrown onto their faces, and under such a situation, they can only hold onto each other instead of out-casting and judging Denver.
Firstly, the book's cover is pretty and eye-catchy, especially, it justifies the story line quite strongly. The author's writing style is quite charming layered with funny anecdotes and emotions. the narrative is light and quite relatable and the author has strikingly captured the voices of young teenagers-be it an outcast or an uppity mean girl. What goes in and around high schools are pretty well projected into this story thus giving the readers a vivid and real-life experience into the lives of 21st century teenagers. The pacing of the book is really fast as I devoured this story within few hours only. The story is so hilarious, considering the fact that this is a survival story that involves a lot of death, that at times, I was laughing so hard that I could feel tears in my eyes. Yes definitely, it's a version of Mean Girls meeting The Life of Pi kinda drama.
The story line is fresh and unique as it features a high school kids' tsunami surviving drama. But the story line is largely based on Denver and her ex-BFF, Abigail's sisterly relationship which has gone cold with time and problems. The chapters are divided into the past and present- the present with the fight for survival and the past with Denver and Abigail's new-found friendship, 4 years ago when Denver moved to LA with her parents.
The characters are all quite well-developed and are realistic. The author has projected the main character, Denver, with an honest voice, who is sharper than her fellow friends and knows a great deal about survival strategies, brave and the one thing that made me fall for Denver is her attitude towards bullying and negative judgments about her. Denver stayed calm and answered back with a witty comment, when those mean girls showered her with such negative judgement. Abigail is thoroughly mean and her hate towards Denver is evident from her demeanor.
The book deals a lot with teenagers who are being outcasted among their peers, the seating area in cafeteria which is largely based on a teenager's "cool" status. And these things are highlighted with lots of dark humor without making the readers feels sorry for anyone, and Denver is an epitome of a modern outcast teenager, who knows that she has to find her voice for herself and no one can do that on her behalf. She tried to be funny all the time, yet people hated her because of an old rumor spread by her ex-BFF, Abigail.
Overall, this is a fun read that is perfect for a summer afternoon as this young adult story has all the elements of enjoyment to leave the readers entertained till the very last page.
Verdict: Want a good laugh? Pick a copy of this book for sure.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Kathy Parks, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
----Steve Martin
Kathy Parks, an American author, pens her debut novel, The Lifeboat Clique that narrates the story of a high school girl who is an outcast among her friends circle, thus listing her among the unpopular kids in her high school, but when she sneaks into a party into a beach house party with the cool kids, little did she knew that her her status of being unpopular i soon going to be challenged by those uppity popular kids.
Synopsis:
Some people might say that Denver had a death wish. Why else would she have dared to sneak into a Malibu beach party where she’d be surrounded by enemies, namely including her ex-BFF Abigail?
Oh yeah. Croix. Denver never thought in a million years he’d ask her out, but who was she to question this miracle of fate? Well, that wasn’t the only surprise fate had in store.
During the party a tsunami hit the coast of California, wiping out everything in its path. Denver and a handful of others escaped death by holding onto the roof of the house and were swept out to sea. Of course, one of her fellow castaways was none other than Abigail, who could barely stand the sight of her.
Now that she’s floating in the ocean, stuck on a small boat with the most popular kids in school and waiting to be rescued, Denver wonders what might kill her first-dehydration, sunstroke, or the girl she used to think of as a sister?
Denver, a high school teenager and an outcast among her friends, sneaks into a Malibu beach house party with the cool and popular kids of her school. She had no wish to attend this stupid party, but only because of her crush, Croix, who invited her to attend this party whom she couldn't afford to say no. When the party was in full swing, an unpredictable tsunami wave hit this beach house and washed away everything along with its tide. Most of Denver's schoolmates died when the wave hit the house, but luckily Denver along with a bunch of popular bitchy girls and a jock, rescued themselves somehow by holding onto an abandoned boat. From there, their fight began as one after another hurdles were thrown onto their faces, and under such a situation, they can only hold onto each other instead of out-casting and judging Denver.
Firstly, the book's cover is pretty and eye-catchy, especially, it justifies the story line quite strongly. The author's writing style is quite charming layered with funny anecdotes and emotions. the narrative is light and quite relatable and the author has strikingly captured the voices of young teenagers-be it an outcast or an uppity mean girl. What goes in and around high schools are pretty well projected into this story thus giving the readers a vivid and real-life experience into the lives of 21st century teenagers. The pacing of the book is really fast as I devoured this story within few hours only. The story is so hilarious, considering the fact that this is a survival story that involves a lot of death, that at times, I was laughing so hard that I could feel tears in my eyes. Yes definitely, it's a version of Mean Girls meeting The Life of Pi kinda drama.
The story line is fresh and unique as it features a high school kids' tsunami surviving drama. But the story line is largely based on Denver and her ex-BFF, Abigail's sisterly relationship which has gone cold with time and problems. The chapters are divided into the past and present- the present with the fight for survival and the past with Denver and Abigail's new-found friendship, 4 years ago when Denver moved to LA with her parents.
The characters are all quite well-developed and are realistic. The author has projected the main character, Denver, with an honest voice, who is sharper than her fellow friends and knows a great deal about survival strategies, brave and the one thing that made me fall for Denver is her attitude towards bullying and negative judgments about her. Denver stayed calm and answered back with a witty comment, when those mean girls showered her with such negative judgement. Abigail is thoroughly mean and her hate towards Denver is evident from her demeanor.
The book deals a lot with teenagers who are being outcasted among their peers, the seating area in cafeteria which is largely based on a teenager's "cool" status. And these things are highlighted with lots of dark humor without making the readers feels sorry for anyone, and Denver is an epitome of a modern outcast teenager, who knows that she has to find her voice for herself and no one can do that on her behalf. She tried to be funny all the time, yet people hated her because of an old rumor spread by her ex-BFF, Abigail.
Overall, this is a fun read that is perfect for a summer afternoon as this young adult story has all the elements of enjoyment to leave the readers entertained till the very last page.
Verdict: Want a good laugh? Pick a copy of this book for sure.
Courtesy: Thanks to the author, Kathy Parks, for giving me an opportunity to read and review this book.
September 1, 2015
If Veronica Mars was stranded on a lifeboat with a handful of 09ers, this is what would happen.
If you don't get that reference ... My heart is sad for you.
THE LIFEBOAT CLIQUE is one of the funnest, wittiest, snarkiest books I've read in years. Denver is a powerhouse main character with a dry wit and comedic timing that will have any reader giggling and smiling.
When Denver crashes a cool kids party in Malibu the night an earthquake hits and triggers a tsunami, she never expected to be stranded on a lifeboat with her former BFF turned mortal nemesis, Abigail, Abigail's two lackey mean girls, and one very intuitive but chill surfer boy.
As they fight to survive and not lose hope, you will cheer with them, cry with them and laugh with them. Denver never loses her spirit and that is what drives this book. Her tenacity and fierceness is something we can all strive for.
If you don't get that reference ... My heart is sad for you.
THE LIFEBOAT CLIQUE is one of the funnest, wittiest, snarkiest books I've read in years. Denver is a powerhouse main character with a dry wit and comedic timing that will have any reader giggling and smiling.
When Denver crashes a cool kids party in Malibu the night an earthquake hits and triggers a tsunami, she never expected to be stranded on a lifeboat with her former BFF turned mortal nemesis, Abigail, Abigail's two lackey mean girls, and one very intuitive but chill surfer boy.
As they fight to survive and not lose hope, you will cheer with them, cry with them and laugh with them. Denver never loses her spirit and that is what drives this book. Her tenacity and fierceness is something we can all strive for.
January 12, 2016
Is it weird to say this book was a lot of fun? Even though it was filled with tragedy and death, there was humour all throughout it. There were also some really beautiful moments. A solid book, which I couldn't put down and finished in one sitting.
June 4, 2016
4.5 Stars. Not a forever favorite, but a solid dark comedy!
"Trevor Dunham talked quite a bit about his man part just before he drowned."
I gotta say, this book was love at first sentence-sight.
I was super excited for this because it's so rare that I find a dark comedy in YA, especially one with a premise that interests me. This book definitely had the premise. What would you do if you were stuck on a broken-down boat in the middle of the Pacific w/ a bunch of kids you hate? It would be nice to think that you'd all just forget about your differences and Kumbaya and stuff, but would that REALLY happen?? Well, on this boat it definitely did not!
I think that adding comedy and lightness to a life/death situation can be really tricky to pull off, and I was so happy that it was done to perfection here. It was silly and funny in parts (mostly flashbacks), totally sad and serious in others (mostly when life/death situations happened), and had a great use of satire in the everyday things that happened on the boat.
Right away, I loved Denver. She was equal parts funny, snippy, and smart. She was all-alone after being dumped by BFF Abigail, and yet I didn't find her bitter. I think she wanted her friend back, but she didn't become an angry person over it (as I surely would have). I also loved how resourceful she was. She was always thinking and it saved their butts more than once. The other characters were like a Regina/Gretchen/Karen-mix and surfer-dude who wasn't near as annoying as I first thought he would be. This book is a total character book, so if you're not feeling the characters, you won't be feeling this book.
The BEST part was that-- SURPRISE, this book has heart!! I really found a touching story in all the high school drama and mean girl antics. And there was a surprise thing that happened before the ending. I totally did not see this one really big revelation coming. It wasn't shocking in the way I was expecting either (I was expecting dark comedy stuff, and I got real-life realities). My only real let-down was I didn't love the ending. I don't like "lessons" in general, but I especially didn't like it when the lesson was something really frustrating. Although some good things happened, it still gave me a really downer-vibe. This story is not going to be one of my life-long favorites, but it's definitely up there on my fave 2016 books list.
OVERALL: I loved this dark comedy that featured an unpopular girl trapped on a boat w/ popular people that hate her during a natural disaster. It was funny, but also truthful and emotional at times. I loved the characters (which is really what this book is all about) and can't wait to read more by Kathy Parks!
My Blog:
"Trevor Dunham talked quite a bit about his man part just before he drowned."
I gotta say, this book was love at first sentence-sight.
I was super excited for this because it's so rare that I find a dark comedy in YA, especially one with a premise that interests me. This book definitely had the premise. What would you do if you were stuck on a broken-down boat in the middle of the Pacific w/ a bunch of kids you hate? It would be nice to think that you'd all just forget about your differences and Kumbaya and stuff, but would that REALLY happen?? Well, on this boat it definitely did not!
I think that adding comedy and lightness to a life/death situation can be really tricky to pull off, and I was so happy that it was done to perfection here. It was silly and funny in parts (mostly flashbacks), totally sad and serious in others (mostly when life/death situations happened), and had a great use of satire in the everyday things that happened on the boat.
Right away, I loved Denver. She was equal parts funny, snippy, and smart. She was all-alone after being dumped by BFF Abigail, and yet I didn't find her bitter. I think she wanted her friend back, but she didn't become an angry person over it (as I surely would have). I also loved how resourceful she was. She was always thinking and it saved their butts more than once. The other characters were like a Regina/Gretchen/Karen-mix and surfer-dude who wasn't near as annoying as I first thought he would be. This book is a total character book, so if you're not feeling the characters, you won't be feeling this book.
The BEST part was that-- SURPRISE, this book has heart!! I really found a touching story in all the high school drama and mean girl antics. And there was a surprise thing that happened before the ending. I totally did not see this one really big revelation coming. It wasn't shocking in the way I was expecting either (I was expecting dark comedy stuff, and I got real-life realities). My only real let-down was I didn't love the ending. I don't like "lessons" in general, but I especially didn't like it when the lesson was something really frustrating. Although some good things happened, it still gave me a really downer-vibe. This story is not going to be one of my life-long favorites, but it's definitely up there on my fave 2016 books list.
OVERALL: I loved this dark comedy that featured an unpopular girl trapped on a boat w/ popular people that hate her during a natural disaster. It was funny, but also truthful and emotional at times. I loved the characters (which is really what this book is all about) and can't wait to read more by Kathy Parks!
My Blog:
July 8, 2016
I can definitely see how this book wouldn't sit well with some people. The humor is dark, and I'd say if you're not into death being matched with a comical tone, maybe skip this one.
If you took the cast of Mean Girls and placed them in a life-or-death situation, you'd get The Lifeboat Clique. After an earthquake disrupts a high school party, Denver finds herself trapped in the middle of the ocean with a drumming stoner and the cruelest, most popular girls in school, including her ex-best friend, Abigail.
It's just like any other dramatic unraveling of past friendships we see in YA. BUT they're literally roasting to death in the middle of the ocean, with practically zero supplies, and only the underwire of a bra to catch fish. I'll take this over a cafeteria cat fight any day. It was brilliant.
Interwoven between the fight for survival, there's flashbacks featuring Denver and Abigail that slowly explain what caused their relationship to go south. At it's core, aside from all the humor, this book centers around friendship and the essence of popularity. And just to put it out there, there's practically zero romance, despite what the synopsis may suggest.
I had a lot of fun with this one. It's a little silly, a little crude, but in my opinion, hilariously weird.
If you took the cast of Mean Girls and placed them in a life-or-death situation, you'd get The Lifeboat Clique. After an earthquake disrupts a high school party, Denver finds herself trapped in the middle of the ocean with a drumming stoner and the cruelest, most popular girls in school, including her ex-best friend, Abigail.
It's just like any other dramatic unraveling of past friendships we see in YA. BUT they're literally roasting to death in the middle of the ocean, with practically zero supplies, and only the underwire of a bra to catch fish. I'll take this over a cafeteria cat fight any day. It was brilliant.
Interwoven between the fight for survival, there's flashbacks featuring Denver and Abigail that slowly explain what caused their relationship to go south. At it's core, aside from all the humor, this book centers around friendship and the essence of popularity. And just to put it out there, there's practically zero romance, despite what the synopsis may suggest.
I had a lot of fun with this one. It's a little silly, a little crude, but in my opinion, hilariously weird.
March 30, 2016
Hard Pass. Don't do it...especially the audio book.
August 29, 2015
Want more reviews, discussions and fun-filled posts? Check out my book blog, Out of Time.
Pitched as "Mean Girls meets Life of Pi," how could I not want to read this? Admittedly, its a quirky combination but it worked so well! - Nova @ Out of Time
The plot follows a girl named Denver who's stuck in a boat with a bunch of the popular people in her school. I want to say, before you read this, keep in mind that it's meant to be satirical. A lot of it is stereotypical and in any other situation, it would be a complaint but I found it humorous in addition to the plot.
Denver is a lot like me so I was able to relate to her. She has a very sarcastic personality but she uses intelligent sarcasm [like metaphors and SAT words] so the meanings usually go over peoples' heads when she makes fun of them. I wonder what it says about me that I usually have the same problem. Denver is probably one of my all time favorite main characters because I was able to relate to her so well.
If you've seen Mean Girls, the dynamic between outcast Denver and mean girl Abigail was like Regina George and Janis Ian [only that no one gets hit by a bus and there's a lot more interaction between the two.] The plot also jumps around from present to past, each past memory giving more context to the reason Denver and Abigail's relationship went south. It wasn't anything shocking but it also wasn't something I'd be able to guess. The reason I really enjoyed that part was because it wasn't a misunderstanding in which no one was guilty. I hate those. In this book, someone was guilty and I loved that because it showed fault to the characters.
There are some moments of this book that I felt were unnecessary. For example, one/two characters that were offed for what I feel was no reason. The problem is that the story is about Denver and Abigail. Every other character was irrelevant. While there were five on the lifeboat, the other three provided entertainment and the occasional banter but not much else. The story would've gone on with or without them.
The other part of the story involved their chronicles of survival. This included eating stuff that would make me green. Weird part is that while I was reading, I didn't really get that "grossed out" feeling. I've seen Life of Pi so that aspect was pretty similar. They were pretty resourceful, though - using an earring as a fishing hook. The survival part wasn't very large, though. It was just there to make the story more believable, as most of it wasn't even set on the book, it was set in the past.
Despite all of this, I did enjoy this book. I loved reading about Abigail and Denver and more importantly, I enjoyed the ending. It was real. In a book like this, in a movie like Mean Girls, I expected the ending to be something like an ABC Family special. Listen guys, I can take satire but I don't think I can take the amount of cheese that I thought I'd be getting. Instead, the author surprised me by giving a realistic and funny end to a story.
If you want something just for fun that you don't have to take too seriously, give this one a try! If you like sarcastic main characters who don't fit in with the "popular crowd," you might connect with Denver. Also if the idea of Life of Pi and Mean Girls made you laugh, caught your interest, trust that interest!
Pitched as "Mean Girls meets Life of Pi," how could I not want to read this? Admittedly, its a quirky combination but it worked so well! - Nova @ Out of Time
The plot follows a girl named Denver who's stuck in a boat with a bunch of the popular people in her school. I want to say, before you read this, keep in mind that it's meant to be satirical. A lot of it is stereotypical and in any other situation, it would be a complaint but I found it humorous in addition to the plot.
Denver is a lot like me so I was able to relate to her. She has a very sarcastic personality but she uses intelligent sarcasm [like metaphors and SAT words] so the meanings usually go over peoples' heads when she makes fun of them. I wonder what it says about me that I usually have the same problem. Denver is probably one of my all time favorite main characters because I was able to relate to her so well.
If you've seen Mean Girls, the dynamic between outcast Denver and mean girl Abigail was like Regina George and Janis Ian [only that no one gets hit by a bus and there's a lot more interaction between the two.] The plot also jumps around from present to past, each past memory giving more context to the reason Denver and Abigail's relationship went south. It wasn't anything shocking but it also wasn't something I'd be able to guess. The reason I really enjoyed that part was because it wasn't a misunderstanding in which no one was guilty. I hate those. In this book, someone was guilty and I loved that because it showed fault to the characters.
There are some moments of this book that I felt were unnecessary. For example, one/two characters that were offed for what I feel was no reason. The problem is that the story is about Denver and Abigail. Every other character was irrelevant. While there were five on the lifeboat, the other three provided entertainment and the occasional banter but not much else. The story would've gone on with or without them.
The other part of the story involved their chronicles of survival. This included eating stuff that would make me green. Weird part is that while I was reading, I didn't really get that "grossed out" feeling. I've seen Life of Pi so that aspect was pretty similar. They were pretty resourceful, though - using an earring as a fishing hook. The survival part wasn't very large, though. It was just there to make the story more believable, as most of it wasn't even set on the book, it was set in the past.
Despite all of this, I did enjoy this book. I loved reading about Abigail and Denver and more importantly, I enjoyed the ending. It was real. In a book like this, in a movie like Mean Girls, I expected the ending to be something like an ABC Family special. Listen guys, I can take satire but I don't think I can take the amount of cheese that I thought I'd be getting. Instead, the author surprised me by giving a realistic and funny end to a story.
If you want something just for fun that you don't have to take too seriously, give this one a try! If you like sarcastic main characters who don't fit in with the "popular crowd," you might connect with Denver. Also if the idea of Life of Pi and Mean Girls made you laugh, caught your interest, trust that interest!
July 25, 2017
2.5 stars
One-dimensional characters. A judgmental and annoying protagonist. Unrealistic dialogue...
This book was not what I expected. It focused more on the past than their actual survival. A past that was particularly boring.
But here, let me be a little more specific.
Denver hates her ex-bestie, Abigail. Abigail, apparently, turned into a traitorous bitch after becoming popular. Denver is The Unpopular Saint Who Never Does Anything Wrong...except maliciously judge those around her. When we actually find out why Abigail and Denver aren't friends anymore, we realize that Denver was the one at fault...yet she continually plays herself off as the "victim."
Sure, Abigail is a bitch. But so are you Denver!
When will the bitchy popular kids trope die?? This is nothing like reality, at least from my experience. Sure, people are mean, but that is not exclusive to the "popular" kids, and being mean and popular are not mutually exclusive.
Overall, not a great book. Would definitely not recommend.
One-dimensional characters. A judgmental and annoying protagonist. Unrealistic dialogue...
This book was not what I expected. It focused more on the past than their actual survival. A past that was particularly boring.
But here, let me be a little more specific.
Denver hates her ex-bestie, Abigail. Abigail, apparently, turned into a traitorous bitch after becoming popular. Denver is The Unpopular Saint Who Never Does Anything Wrong...except maliciously judge those around her. When we actually find out why Abigail and Denver aren't friends anymore, we realize that Denver was the one at fault...yet she continually plays herself off as the "victim."
Sure, Abigail is a bitch. But so are you Denver!
When will the bitchy popular kids trope die?? This is nothing like reality, at least from my experience. Sure, people are mean, but that is not exclusive to the "popular" kids, and being mean and popular are not mutually exclusive.
Overall, not a great book. Would definitely not recommend.
December 7, 2016
A fabulous book! Could have easily gotten boring but didn't! The main character was also very sassy and sarcastic, which I loved.
Review soon!
Review soon!
March 21, 2016
Full Review can be found at http://thegraduatedbookworm.blogspot.ca/
Alright, so let me start off by saying a big Thank-You to Harper Collins Canada for sending me a copy of The Lifeboat Clique to review.
So right off the bat you go into Denver who is a total outcast, that used to have an amazing best friend Abigail. Of course one night changed all of that, and now the two can't stand to be in the same room with one another! Of course it's not as easy as they think it will be when they are stranded on a boat together...
The few things that really got to me in the story, was that I eventually found Denver to be the girl who did obsess about herself. Why all the girls hated her, or that everything started to be all about her, whether it was her fault or it happened to her, and I just kind of didn't really want to listen to her complain about things or talk about the past in the way she did.
The story was very fast paced, and if I didn't have so many things happening in a day, it would have been finished in one sitting! I found it to be really witty and funny with the little comments here and there.
I did really like that as the story went on you go from the past to present, to get a better understanding of what really happened to Denver and Abigail before the Tsunami hit. I think that it was really well written, and you get more and more of the puzzle pieces to understand more about the two who used to be inseparable. I kind of wished that there was more talk about the present rather than the past, because I felt like you missed out a little on it.
Overall I did really like the book. I found that there were a lot of topics being discussed in it that makes anyone of any age really think. I know they say that in high school there are always going to be cliques, but to be honest, there will always be cliques everywhere in the world, whether you're in school or not! It's something that just happens, and you are sometimes forced to deal with it, or you just accept it...Just like Denver.
Alright, so let me start off by saying a big Thank-You to Harper Collins Canada for sending me a copy of The Lifeboat Clique to review.
So right off the bat you go into Denver who is a total outcast, that used to have an amazing best friend Abigail. Of course one night changed all of that, and now the two can't stand to be in the same room with one another! Of course it's not as easy as they think it will be when they are stranded on a boat together...
The few things that really got to me in the story, was that I eventually found Denver to be the girl who did obsess about herself. Why all the girls hated her, or that everything started to be all about her, whether it was her fault or it happened to her, and I just kind of didn't really want to listen to her complain about things or talk about the past in the way she did.
The story was very fast paced, and if I didn't have so many things happening in a day, it would have been finished in one sitting! I found it to be really witty and funny with the little comments here and there.
I did really like that as the story went on you go from the past to present, to get a better understanding of what really happened to Denver and Abigail before the Tsunami hit. I think that it was really well written, and you get more and more of the puzzle pieces to understand more about the two who used to be inseparable. I kind of wished that there was more talk about the present rather than the past, because I felt like you missed out a little on it.
Overall I did really like the book. I found that there were a lot of topics being discussed in it that makes anyone of any age really think. I know they say that in high school there are always going to be cliques, but to be honest, there will always be cliques everywhere in the world, whether you're in school or not! It's something that just happens, and you are sometimes forced to deal with it, or you just accept it...Just like Denver.
January 24, 2019
3.5 stars
For the most part I enjoyed the reading experience of this, but my biggest problem was the tone shift. I was sold on this being an irreverently funny story about some highschoolers who end up stranded on a life boat, and for the most part that's what I got. However, there were times when the book seemed to take itself too seriously, which is where it lost me. We would get snarky comments from the main character suddenly turning into a deep monologue about how we all need to be nice to each other. For me, that just didn't work. Also the way the book is set up with basically all of the characters being archetypes made it seem even more like it was set up to be this funny book, not a giant lesson™
Overall I did enjoy it, even though the main character is pretty annoying.
For the most part I enjoyed the reading experience of this, but my biggest problem was the tone shift. I was sold on this being an irreverently funny story about some highschoolers who end up stranded on a life boat, and for the most part that's what I got. However, there were times when the book seemed to take itself too seriously, which is where it lost me. We would get snarky comments from the main character suddenly turning into a deep monologue about how we all need to be nice to each other. For me, that just didn't work. Also the way the book is set up with basically all of the characters being archetypes made it seem even more like it was set up to be this funny book, not a giant lesson™
Overall I did enjoy it, even though the main character is pretty annoying.
November 30, 2015
Darkly funny book - best comparison I've seen thus far is Veronica Mars meets Heathers!
Likely a 4.5 star read ... felt that it faltered a little near the end, but really liked how Denver came into her own and realized that she was truly a survivor. Great metaphor for high school in general.
Likely a 4.5 star read ... felt that it faltered a little near the end, but really liked how Denver came into her own and realized that she was truly a survivor. Great metaphor for high school in general.
August 17, 2016
I really enjoyed this one! Kept me hooked throughout. And it was funny!
December 26, 2015
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
I was very hesitant about this book until I saw that it was pitched as "Mean Girls meets Life of Pi" though I wasn't a fan of Life of Pi and I am a big fan of Mean Girls. The Lifeboat Clique is witty, highly entertaining and a lesson about stereotypes that is a quick read you won't regret picking up.
After a falling out with her best friend Abigail, Denver is an outcast. Though not content with this Denver keeps her head down and just goes through everyday just trying to get through high school. That is until Croix asks her to a party that Abigail is hosting. Hesitant because she isn't well liked, Denver goes because she longs for a chance of normalcy in her life. Little did she expect to be washed out to sea. The first step was surviving the tsunami that hit California was the roof, but her next step is now surviving on a boat with four of the most popular people in school, one being her ex-best friend.
Denver is extremely witty and funny. There were several times that I laughed out loud at the things she said. In my high school we really have no social standings of who is popular, we all just intermingle together. (Of course there are people that think they are "popular" but they aren't) But in Denver's it is broken up by the popular kids, jocks, nerds, ect. The popular kids look down their noses on the kids who aren't popular. Once upon a time Abigail wasn't popular, but after her falling out with Denver she earned her seat that the popular table. I felt for Denver in loosing someone who was like a sister to her, it was devastating.
The other two girls on the boat remind me of Karen from Mean Girls. They are the stereotypical sidekicks that really aren't that intelligent. The are materialistic and rude to Denver. At first I hated both girls, and I could understand Denver's hatred too. But as the story goes on you couldn't help but like these girls. They would say things that would have me shaking my head and snickering at the same time. But the main thing is that they learned a lesson on that boat.
Though I loved the quirkiness of this book it does bring up some serious points. "A person is a person no matter how small." And it is a shame that it took something as devastating as the death of most of their friends for the popular girls to realize that they are't much different from everyone else. Its a simple word that makes them different. I liked how Denver and Abigail in the end try to make a point that none of the stereotypes matter. Even though they didn't get through to many people, they learned a lesson just like everyone else in what is now called The Lifeboat Clique.
Overall I really enjoyed The Lifeboat Clique. It was both entertaining and serious, but taught a valuable lesson. I am looking forward to Parks next works. This book is highly recommended for the fans of Mean Girls and Life of Pi alike, but also someone who is looking for a quick fun read.
I was very hesitant about this book until I saw that it was pitched as "Mean Girls meets Life of Pi" though I wasn't a fan of Life of Pi and I am a big fan of Mean Girls. The Lifeboat Clique is witty, highly entertaining and a lesson about stereotypes that is a quick read you won't regret picking up.
After a falling out with her best friend Abigail, Denver is an outcast. Though not content with this Denver keeps her head down and just goes through everyday just trying to get through high school. That is until Croix asks her to a party that Abigail is hosting. Hesitant because she isn't well liked, Denver goes because she longs for a chance of normalcy in her life. Little did she expect to be washed out to sea. The first step was surviving the tsunami that hit California was the roof, but her next step is now surviving on a boat with four of the most popular people in school, one being her ex-best friend.
Denver is extremely witty and funny. There were several times that I laughed out loud at the things she said. In my high school we really have no social standings of who is popular, we all just intermingle together. (Of course there are people that think they are "popular" but they aren't) But in Denver's it is broken up by the popular kids, jocks, nerds, ect. The popular kids look down their noses on the kids who aren't popular. Once upon a time Abigail wasn't popular, but after her falling out with Denver she earned her seat that the popular table. I felt for Denver in loosing someone who was like a sister to her, it was devastating.
The other two girls on the boat remind me of Karen from Mean Girls. They are the stereotypical sidekicks that really aren't that intelligent. The are materialistic and rude to Denver. At first I hated both girls, and I could understand Denver's hatred too. But as the story goes on you couldn't help but like these girls. They would say things that would have me shaking my head and snickering at the same time. But the main thing is that they learned a lesson on that boat.
Though I loved the quirkiness of this book it does bring up some serious points. "A person is a person no matter how small." And it is a shame that it took something as devastating as the death of most of their friends for the popular girls to realize that they are't much different from everyone else. Its a simple word that makes them different. I liked how Denver and Abigail in the end try to make a point that none of the stereotypes matter. Even though they didn't get through to many people, they learned a lesson just like everyone else in what is now called The Lifeboat Clique.
Overall I really enjoyed The Lifeboat Clique. It was both entertaining and serious, but taught a valuable lesson. I am looking forward to Parks next works. This book is highly recommended for the fans of Mean Girls and Life of Pi alike, but also someone who is looking for a quick fun read.
February 14, 2016
The only reason Denver showed up at her ex-best friend's party was because of Croix . He asked if she was going, he wanted her there, so Denver braved the ridicule and hatred of the popular crowd and showed up. Worst decision ever. During the party, a tsunami hits and Denver finds herself floating out to sea, stranded with a few of the popular kids who hate her - including her former best friend Abigail.
Going into this one, this seemed like the type of book I could end up enjoying. It seemed like it would be a lighter read, even with the disaster aspect, due to the humour and I was hopeful for a Breakfast Club type feel. I thought it did a good job contrasting the dark humour and lighter tone with the serious, life-endangering situation the teens found themselves in.
I liked Denver's voice as the main character of the book. She had a bit of survival knowledge from watching things like the Discovery channel or reading books but she didn't turn into an expert survivalist just because the situation needed her to. She wasn't afraid to speak up for herself when she knew what to do, even though it meant arguing with the others in the boat, and I loved her dry, sarcastic comments through the book. Her voice reminded me of Veronica Mars in a lot of ways and that's always a plus for me.
Along with the survival aspect of the plot, there was also the mystery of what happened between Denver and Abigail that caused their friendship to break up. There were flashbacks so we saw how their friendship progressed, where it started to change, and finally what the big event was that tore them apart. The flashbacks also helped develop the two girls as characters since there wasn't a lot of developing happening in the present, especially for the other three teens on the boat. For the most part, they were just there. There was the jock and the two sidekicks of the main mean girl. There were a few moments of insights into each one but not enough for them to feel like fully developed characters in their own right.
Even with its light tone and humour, the book brought up a lot of good points about social structure in high school and its pointlessness and did so without feeling like an after-school special. I would have liked more depth in the other characters but overall, it was a surprisingly fun read for such a dark plot.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Going into this one, this seemed like the type of book I could end up enjoying. It seemed like it would be a lighter read, even with the disaster aspect, due to the humour and I was hopeful for a Breakfast Club type feel. I thought it did a good job contrasting the dark humour and lighter tone with the serious, life-endangering situation the teens found themselves in.
I liked Denver's voice as the main character of the book. She had a bit of survival knowledge from watching things like the Discovery channel or reading books but she didn't turn into an expert survivalist just because the situation needed her to. She wasn't afraid to speak up for herself when she knew what to do, even though it meant arguing with the others in the boat, and I loved her dry, sarcastic comments through the book. Her voice reminded me of Veronica Mars in a lot of ways and that's always a plus for me.
Along with the survival aspect of the plot, there was also the mystery of what happened between Denver and Abigail that caused their friendship to break up. There were flashbacks so we saw how their friendship progressed, where it started to change, and finally what the big event was that tore them apart. The flashbacks also helped develop the two girls as characters since there wasn't a lot of developing happening in the present, especially for the other three teens on the boat. For the most part, they were just there. There was the jock and the two sidekicks of the main mean girl. There were a few moments of insights into each one but not enough for them to feel like fully developed characters in their own right.
Even with its light tone and humour, the book brought up a lot of good points about social structure in high school and its pointlessness and did so without feeling like an after-school special. I would have liked more depth in the other characters but overall, it was a surprisingly fun read for such a dark plot.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 6, 2024
I watched a Epic read vlog where they were talking about the first lines in books. "Trevor Dunham talked quite a bit about his man part just before he drowned." After they said that I went out and bought a copy. When I say I bought a copy I actually purchased it in hardcover, ecopy and audible. I cracked it open yesterday and I am already done. It was a easy story to devour and it left me feeling complete. The characters were easy to apply to people in your life or people you have met along your travels. The story was unique, funny, hopeful and sad. There were moments that I found myself laughing and crying in the matter of minutes. This was the perfect book to get you out of any reading slump. It was well written and the lessons that are learned can be applied to your life. It makes you think and try not to take things for granted.
My favorite character was Denver. Her voice was perfect to tell the story of the Lifeboat Clique. She was a complex character that inspire hope inside of me. I loved how funny she was and all the big words she used. I can't wait to share Denver with all of my friends because she is the type of character that needs to be in everyone's life. She is strong and sassy and the type of girl you want as your best friend.
I normally talk about my favorite moment at this point but I can't do that. It isn't because I don't want to give away any spoilers but it is because I just couldn't pick. All the pages were my favorite and I find increasingly difficult to determine which moment I liked over the next. I have to say that this is probably one of most favorite standalone YA books I have ever read. I loved the beginning and loved how the flashbacks were perfectly woven into the story. It made everything make sense and kept you hooked. I was at work last night and found myself sneaking away in to dark corners to finish the next chapter.
I will recommend this book to all of my friends. I'm actually I got a guy at work who hates to read interested enough to pick up a copy and that is saying something. I plan on sharing it with anyone who needs a little hope and adventure in their life.
My favorite character was Denver. Her voice was perfect to tell the story of the Lifeboat Clique. She was a complex character that inspire hope inside of me. I loved how funny she was and all the big words she used. I can't wait to share Denver with all of my friends because she is the type of character that needs to be in everyone's life. She is strong and sassy and the type of girl you want as your best friend.
I normally talk about my favorite moment at this point but I can't do that. It isn't because I don't want to give away any spoilers but it is because I just couldn't pick. All the pages were my favorite and I find increasingly difficult to determine which moment I liked over the next. I have to say that this is probably one of most favorite standalone YA books I have ever read. I loved the beginning and loved how the flashbacks were perfectly woven into the story. It made everything make sense and kept you hooked. I was at work last night and found myself sneaking away in to dark corners to finish the next chapter.
I will recommend this book to all of my friends. I'm actually I got a guy at work who hates to read interested enough to pick up a copy and that is saying something. I plan on sharing it with anyone who needs a little hope and adventure in their life.
July 22, 2016
I'm very surprised that I didn't give up on this book, because it was boring. All the reviews I see of this book say how funny it is, yet I don't feel like I cracked a smile once. In fact, the only reason it's getting two stars instead of one is because it at least kept my attention. I just didn't care about any of the characters, except maybe Hayley. I was sick of the petty drama and the "because we learned to get along EVERYONE should get along!" at the end.
Also, I listened to the audiobook: 1) The author sounded like Jan Brady when she did Hayley's voice, and she was a good voice actress. She also kept me listening. 2) I was surprised to see that Croix's name was spelled like it is. Listening to the book, I kept thinking "Croy". And seeing it spelled the way it is makes me want to pronounce it "quah".
Also, I listened to the audiobook: 1) The author sounded like Jan Brady when she did Hayley's voice, and she was a good voice actress. She also kept me listening. 2) I was surprised to see that Croix's name was spelled like it is. Listening to the book, I kept thinking "Croy". And seeing it spelled the way it is makes me want to pronounce it "quah".
December 17, 2015
This book was SO MUCH FUN!!!! A cross between the dark/snark humor of Heathers (1988 movie) and Veronica Mars. Hannah @ Irish Banana said it best "if Veronica Mars was stuck on a boat with the '09ers"... yup, exactly! I do think you need to go into this novel knowing it's satirish and super snarky and to just have fun with it. This is not a terribly deep book and it was the perfect read while I was struggling through final papers at the end of the semester. I would definitely read another book by Kathy Parks!
Read
December 22, 2015This was fun! A little surrealist, a little survivalist, and one of the funniest books I've read in a while.
September 20, 2016
"Trevor Dunham talked quite a bit about his man part just before he drowned."
That is the opening line to Kathy Parks’ The Lifeboat Clique.
Yeah.
I thought, after reading the first pages of this book, I was going to love it. Those first pages had some vibrantly funny moments, and the language sort of excited me at first. But then it steadfastly got on my nerves like my little brother sometimes does and I was ready to give up on it altogether.
Here’s the thing, it reads like a novel draft. I’m a writer and spend a fair amount of my time beta-reading other writers’ novels. This read like one of those novels. I kept finding places where a paragraph was unnecessary, an adverb slowed a sentence down, a character said something that seemed very out of character, etc.
And It seemed very unprofessional to me.
Our author, Kathy, has a very particular way of writing, one that I think she’ll be able to tame in order to write a book that doesn’t seem so spazzy. Even though this is one of five books she’s put out into the world.
Don’t get me wrong, I think there are specific readers who will enjoy this book. It’s not unenjoyable, it has great moments, but it didn’t have enough to move me.
So basically, The Lifeboat Clique follows Denver Reynolds as she goes to her very first party in Malibu, which is thrown by her ex-best friend Abigail, to meet a boy from school. A tsunami strikes the coast and washes Denver, Abigail, Abigail’s obnoxious friends, and Trevor–a popular boy–out to sea, where they struggle for their lives and hash over the cruel world of high school.
Great idea. Great. And I love the cover.
The writing just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t find that the book had a whole lot of meaning. It tries really hard to make it seem like it stands for “No matter what happens to you in life, if you’re ripped out into the middle of the sea, your social status in high school can’t keep you alive,” but it doesn’t. It sort of goes around and around and around and by the end what it’s really saying is social status is useless but nobody is ever gonna let it go and thanks for reading this book.
I get it. I get what she’s saying. I just didn’t find a lot of worth in it. I felt like I wasted my time.
Here’s what I liked about this book:
The premise
It’s a great idea, I can’t deny it. I barely read three words of the description on the inside flap before I was marching to the cashier in Barnes & Noble.
Washing a bunch of teens who hate each other out into the middle of the ocean? Sign me up.
The main character
Denver was a great character. She’s funny, annoyingly smart, very in tune, self-aware, and most importantly, independent. I found her to be an absolute breath of fresh air.
She defied the social norms and sort of looked at everything around her with this undocumented perspective I’d like to read more of. It’s too bad the story hadn’t been riddled with so many cliches, thus making her seem like every other girl on the block.
The drama
I expected about as much of the drama as I didn’t expect. If that makes sense. This book is centered around a friendship that fell apart between our main character and Abigail. It’s nice to read about a crumbling friendship for once when every book seems to be overpopulated by romance.
The trace amounts of romance
I don’t want to give it away, because it is a definite sweet side to the book, one it desperately needed, one that gave it a little more life, but it was a great add in that kept me reading.
The intro
I loved the first, like, fifty pages of this book up until they were washed out to sea. I loved the description of the party, how hopelessly awkward Denver was, how she really didn’t care but also cared a lot, I loved the passing moments of understanding between her and her crush, and I loved the drama of the wave hitting the Malibu mansion and reading as it picked off a bunch of shitty teenagers one by one.
What I didn’t like about the book:
The side characters’ “things”
So each character has a “thing,” so to speak. Abigail has this stupid accent that read totally wrong. Hayley talks in long run-on sentences that don’t make any sense and made me hate her as a character. Trevor drums on his leg for some unknown reason. And Sienna is just such a bitch, it’s hard to believe.
The drama
I liked parts of the drama and hated parts of the drama. Some of it was unexpected, some of it made my eyes roll back in my head because it was so overdone. We get it, *SPOILER ALERT* drunk girls and cameras don’t mix.
The clichés
This book is riddled with clichés and it’s a totally unique concept. You know the clichés are bad if the concept wasn’t enough to counteract them.
The language
It was cool for fifty pages. That’s it. Then it just got on my fucking nerves.
"I had always been unsure about God, who he was and what form he took. Did God have a beard? On which side did he part his hair? Was his hair white, and would he ever consider using Grecian Formula? That was the problem with God. I couldn’t think of him without thinking of a million questions. Like, why did he make the color burnt orange, the ugliest color on Earth? God could have prevented burnt orange, but he just stood by and let it happen."
Uh. Okay. Burnt orange really isn’t that bad lol. And for the love of this God, break up some of your paragraphs.
The ending
It sucked. That’s all I’m going to say about it.
The thing about books like these–tragic and funny–is they’re very hard to execute well. For instance, this sort of read like it was trying to be Me and Earl and the Dying Girl in a different form. This book actually has a quote from Jesse Andrews–the author of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl–on the cover.
“A savagely funny book.”
Yeah, it is funny in parts. But I think it could have been done better. It’s hard to mix tragedy with humor. It’s hard to create a plot that is enticing enough to keep the reader hooked. I didn’t think the backstory and flashbacks, which are what keeps this book moving, were enough to make me feel any type of way about this novel.
I’m completely neutral.
That being said, I can’t recommend.
That is the opening line to Kathy Parks’ The Lifeboat Clique.
Yeah.
I thought, after reading the first pages of this book, I was going to love it. Those first pages had some vibrantly funny moments, and the language sort of excited me at first. But then it steadfastly got on my nerves like my little brother sometimes does and I was ready to give up on it altogether.
Here’s the thing, it reads like a novel draft. I’m a writer and spend a fair amount of my time beta-reading other writers’ novels. This read like one of those novels. I kept finding places where a paragraph was unnecessary, an adverb slowed a sentence down, a character said something that seemed very out of character, etc.
And It seemed very unprofessional to me.
Our author, Kathy, has a very particular way of writing, one that I think she’ll be able to tame in order to write a book that doesn’t seem so spazzy. Even though this is one of five books she’s put out into the world.
Don’t get me wrong, I think there are specific readers who will enjoy this book. It’s not unenjoyable, it has great moments, but it didn’t have enough to move me.
So basically, The Lifeboat Clique follows Denver Reynolds as she goes to her very first party in Malibu, which is thrown by her ex-best friend Abigail, to meet a boy from school. A tsunami strikes the coast and washes Denver, Abigail, Abigail’s obnoxious friends, and Trevor–a popular boy–out to sea, where they struggle for their lives and hash over the cruel world of high school.
Great idea. Great. And I love the cover.
The writing just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t find that the book had a whole lot of meaning. It tries really hard to make it seem like it stands for “No matter what happens to you in life, if you’re ripped out into the middle of the sea, your social status in high school can’t keep you alive,” but it doesn’t. It sort of goes around and around and around and by the end what it’s really saying is social status is useless but nobody is ever gonna let it go and thanks for reading this book.
I get it. I get what she’s saying. I just didn’t find a lot of worth in it. I felt like I wasted my time.
Here’s what I liked about this book:
The premise
It’s a great idea, I can’t deny it. I barely read three words of the description on the inside flap before I was marching to the cashier in Barnes & Noble.
Washing a bunch of teens who hate each other out into the middle of the ocean? Sign me up.
The main character
Denver was a great character. She’s funny, annoyingly smart, very in tune, self-aware, and most importantly, independent. I found her to be an absolute breath of fresh air.
She defied the social norms and sort of looked at everything around her with this undocumented perspective I’d like to read more of. It’s too bad the story hadn’t been riddled with so many cliches, thus making her seem like every other girl on the block.
The drama
I expected about as much of the drama as I didn’t expect. If that makes sense. This book is centered around a friendship that fell apart between our main character and Abigail. It’s nice to read about a crumbling friendship for once when every book seems to be overpopulated by romance.
The trace amounts of romance
I don’t want to give it away, because it is a definite sweet side to the book, one it desperately needed, one that gave it a little more life, but it was a great add in that kept me reading.
The intro
I loved the first, like, fifty pages of this book up until they were washed out to sea. I loved the description of the party, how hopelessly awkward Denver was, how she really didn’t care but also cared a lot, I loved the passing moments of understanding between her and her crush, and I loved the drama of the wave hitting the Malibu mansion and reading as it picked off a bunch of shitty teenagers one by one.
What I didn’t like about the book:
The side characters’ “things”
So each character has a “thing,” so to speak. Abigail has this stupid accent that read totally wrong. Hayley talks in long run-on sentences that don’t make any sense and made me hate her as a character. Trevor drums on his leg for some unknown reason. And Sienna is just such a bitch, it’s hard to believe.
The drama
I liked parts of the drama and hated parts of the drama. Some of it was unexpected, some of it made my eyes roll back in my head because it was so overdone. We get it, *SPOILER ALERT* drunk girls and cameras don’t mix.
The clichés
This book is riddled with clichés and it’s a totally unique concept. You know the clichés are bad if the concept wasn’t enough to counteract them.
The language
It was cool for fifty pages. That’s it. Then it just got on my fucking nerves.
"I had always been unsure about God, who he was and what form he took. Did God have a beard? On which side did he part his hair? Was his hair white, and would he ever consider using Grecian Formula? That was the problem with God. I couldn’t think of him without thinking of a million questions. Like, why did he make the color burnt orange, the ugliest color on Earth? God could have prevented burnt orange, but he just stood by and let it happen."
Uh. Okay. Burnt orange really isn’t that bad lol. And for the love of this God, break up some of your paragraphs.
The ending
It sucked. That’s all I’m going to say about it.
The thing about books like these–tragic and funny–is they’re very hard to execute well. For instance, this sort of read like it was trying to be Me and Earl and the Dying Girl in a different form. This book actually has a quote from Jesse Andrews–the author of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl–on the cover.
“A savagely funny book.”
Yeah, it is funny in parts. But I think it could have been done better. It’s hard to mix tragedy with humor. It’s hard to create a plot that is enticing enough to keep the reader hooked. I didn’t think the backstory and flashbacks, which are what keeps this book moving, were enough to make me feel any type of way about this novel.
I’m completely neutral.
That being said, I can’t recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2022
4.5📚
What stood out to me in The Lifeboat Clique was the focus on the ebbs and flows in friendship. It highlights how the security and intimacy of friendship can be damaged due to factors within and outside of one's control. Friendships can sometimes fizzle or come to a complete halt. However, there's hope in clearing up misunderstandings, agreeing to disagree, choosing to love, and lots of apologizing.
This book reminded me of Amy Schumer's "Life & Beth." If you like this book, I recommend the show (on Hulu).
What stood out to me in The Lifeboat Clique was the focus on the ebbs and flows in friendship. It highlights how the security and intimacy of friendship can be damaged due to factors within and outside of one's control. Friendships can sometimes fizzle or come to a complete halt. However, there's hope in clearing up misunderstandings, agreeing to disagree, choosing to love, and lots of apologizing.
This book reminded me of Amy Schumer's "Life & Beth." If you like this book, I recommend the show (on Hulu).
April 9, 2018
I was enjoying it until it decided to hit me with the moral over the head over and over again. However, "¡Mi amiga está en la playa!" Made me laugh aloud. People looked at me weird. Oh well.
December 16, 2017
Another book with a sense of humour that simply isn't my own. Also, at one point there's a sentence that goes something along the lines of "I jump up and down, waving my spear like a native" while on a deserted island, which rubbed me the wrong way.
July 25, 2023
This was a funny little dramatic story. Interesting yet boring at times. I found every single character insufferable.
April 3, 2024
Was suppose to read this for realmathon, but I guess it will be for the magical readathon instead.
Just a cute, fun, easy teenager version of Life of Pi. I enjoyed it. <3
Just a cute, fun, easy teenager version of Life of Pi. I enjoyed it. <3
August 27, 2018
"You deserve to drown because you aren't popular in school." No, this isn't
a direct quote, but it might as well be. Seriously, how strong a bias can one person have against somebody who isn't a carbon copy of their self? The majority of The Lifeboat Clique had me constantly asking that question (along with many others, such as "Why?")
At the beginning of the book, many of the more popular kids merely didn't like the main character Denver, which was fine. But once she is stranded in the ocean after a tsunami hits a party she was at, this supposed hatred is taken to an extreme. Who in their right mind would care about whether or not somebody was your friend two weeks ago if during those past two weeks you were floating around blindly with limited food and water?
But in the same sense that the popular kids believe they're better than Denver, Denver believes she's better than the popular kids. She thinks, speaks, and breathes, "I'm superior to you airheads." But, now that I consider it, having a personality like that definitely would not make anyone want to be stranded, about to die, with you.
Another issue with the book was that characters were killed off quickly and unnecessarily. The first death was understandable, I suppose. But only in the sense that a character needed to die to add intensity to the story. But having that character rant on and on about his penis (which he named, might I add) and then dive into the ocean, never to be seen again, seems exceptionally idiotic. The other two deaths were definitely not needed. They happened extremely suddenly and were clearly only there so that Denver could be left alone with her "ex-BFF" and miraculously become friends again. They could've easily still have become friends with the two other girls still there.
Despite all the negative parts I've commented on, there were two things that I liked. The first was when Denver was describing one girl as having "the personality of a slowly turning rotisserie chicken." Many people here on Goodreads say that the book was full of "laugh-out-loud humor," but that was the only joke in the book I found to be truly funny.
The other positive element is part of the ending. The two characters left alive at the end told their story to national television and were hoping that it would inspire people in some sort. These two characters were shocked to find out that their story impacted nobody. After an entire book of people acting insanely unreasonably, this was a breath of fresh air. Of course nobody is going to become a better person after one five-minute interview. Pointing this small point out was the closest the book came to being realistic. Who knew that the main characters could be so much faker than every other character who was never even mentioned?
This is why I give the book two stars. The ending of a book matters a lot, so having an ending that felt somewhat real helped push me to give it more than the minimum. It also wasn't boring. Even if most of it was strange and impractical (seriously, who has several daily self-deprecating conversations with their cat?), at least it was somewhat entertaining. All in all, I give it two stars and I do not recommend it to anybody.
a direct quote, but it might as well be. Seriously, how strong a bias can one person have against somebody who isn't a carbon copy of their self? The majority of The Lifeboat Clique had me constantly asking that question (along with many others, such as "Why?")
At the beginning of the book, many of the more popular kids merely didn't like the main character Denver, which was fine. But once she is stranded in the ocean after a tsunami hits a party she was at, this supposed hatred is taken to an extreme. Who in their right mind would care about whether or not somebody was your friend two weeks ago if during those past two weeks you were floating around blindly with limited food and water?
But in the same sense that the popular kids believe they're better than Denver, Denver believes she's better than the popular kids. She thinks, speaks, and breathes, "I'm superior to you airheads." But, now that I consider it, having a personality like that definitely would not make anyone want to be stranded, about to die, with you.
Another issue with the book was that characters were killed off quickly and unnecessarily. The first death was understandable, I suppose. But only in the sense that a character needed to die to add intensity to the story. But having that character rant on and on about his penis (which he named, might I add) and then dive into the ocean, never to be seen again, seems exceptionally idiotic. The other two deaths were definitely not needed. They happened extremely suddenly and were clearly only there so that Denver could be left alone with her "ex-BFF" and miraculously become friends again. They could've easily still have become friends with the two other girls still there.
Despite all the negative parts I've commented on, there were two things that I liked. The first was when Denver was describing one girl as having "the personality of a slowly turning rotisserie chicken." Many people here on Goodreads say that the book was full of "laugh-out-loud humor," but that was the only joke in the book I found to be truly funny.
The other positive element is part of the ending. The two characters left alive at the end told their story to national television and were hoping that it would inspire people in some sort. These two characters were shocked to find out that their story impacted nobody. After an entire book of people acting insanely unreasonably, this was a breath of fresh air. Of course nobody is going to become a better person after one five-minute interview. Pointing this small point out was the closest the book came to being realistic. Who knew that the main characters could be so much faker than every other character who was never even mentioned?
This is why I give the book two stars. The ending of a book matters a lot, so having an ending that felt somewhat real helped push me to give it more than the minimum. It also wasn't boring. Even if most of it was strange and impractical (seriously, who has several daily self-deprecating conversations with their cat?), at least it was somewhat entertaining. All in all, I give it two stars and I do not recommend it to anybody.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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