Blog Tour: Dive Smack by Demetra Brodksy – Review and Giveaway!

Dive Smack

Author: Demetra Brodsky

Publication Date: June 19th, 2018

Publisher: Tor Teen

Synopsis: Theo Mackey only remembers one thing for certain about the fire that destroyed his home: he lit the match.

Sure, it was an accident. But the blaze killed his mom and set his dad on a path to self-destruction. Everything else about that fateful night is full of gaping holes in Theo’s mind, for good reason. Maybe it’s better that way. As captain of the Ellis Hollow Diving Team, with straight A’s and solid friends, he’s only one semester away from securing a scholarship, and leaving his past behind.

But when a family history project gets assigned at school, new memories come rushing to the surface, memories that make him question what he really knows about his family, the night of the fire, and if he can trust anyone—including himself.

A 2018 JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION

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Praise for DIVE SMACK

“A tense psychological drama with a voice that pulls you in and a twist you won’t see coming, Dive Smack is an instant Hitchcockian classic!” —Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten

“A twisty, witty thriller readers will love puzzling through to the very end. A visceral, delightful debut.” —Carrie Mesrobian, author of William C. Morris award finalist Sex & Violence

“This riveting debut will plunge readers into an accelerating coil of twists and turns as if in free fall, plummeting them from a precipice as they cling to the dwindling hope of safe entry into the mysterious darkness below.” —S.A. Bodeen, author of The Compound

“Brodsky’s debut combines an engaging school story, filled with best friend shenanigans, first love, and a fascinating look at competitive diving, with a tense psychological mystery.” —Booklist

“In an impressive debut, Brodsky injects her teen drama with ambiguity, and a subtle hint of paranormal phenomena, leaving readers to guess at what’s really going on. Strong characters and a compelling mystery make this a real page-turner.” —Publishers Weekly

“A taut thriller with a twist ending that will blow your mind.” —Kim Liggett, Bram Stoker Award-Winning Author of The Last Harvest

“Complex, thrilling, and with a pitch-perfect narrative voice, Dive Smack will leave you on the edge of your seat and unable to put this one down.” —C. Desir, author of Bleed Like Me

“Heartbreaking, human and heroic, Dive Smack is a Perfect 10!” —Karen LaFace, 1992 USA Olympic Springboard Diver

“A taut roller coaster of a thriller chock full of dark family secrets, twisty lies, and finally, the redeeming power of truth.” —Michelle Zink, author of This Wicked Game

When I first heard about this I had a feeling I was going to love it – after all, I absolutely love thrillers, and this one sounded incredible, so I was all about checking it out!

The main character in the book, Theo, remembers lighting the fire in his home that claimed the life of his mother and sent his dad down a path that was harmful to himself and to Theo. While the fire was an accident, it doesn’t help that he is still feeling responsible for ruining his family. At first, the holes in his mind are helpful to keep him away from the truth, but as time goes on, he takes up a family project in school and finds that these memories he has been hiding won’t stay buried, and what comes to him might not always be what he expected.

I love the twists and turns in Dive Smack, especially that final twist that seals the whole book – the one you never see coming. I honestly was shocked when I read the end of this, and let’s be honest; I’ve read plenty of thrillers over the years and it’s kind of hard to shock me with anything in them these days, but wow, I didn’t expect this.

Theo’s character is completely unreliable and I love that – characters that you can’t trust and really believe you will get the full story out of right away are my favorite. They always have something great to offer, and in this case, I think the author of the book wrote Theo in such an amazing way.

The writing was great, too – I was hooked from the beginning, and the more suspenseful it got as I turned the pages, the deeper I was drawn into the story. I was pretty much at the edge of my seat for the entire novel.

I had so much fun reading this book – I can’t wait to see what the author has in store in future books, because this was amazing.

This book was such a great read – I recommend it for those who love thrillers and are looking for something that will shock them!

Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review – Thank you!

Demetra Brodsky is an award-winning graphic designer & art director turned writer. She has a B.F.A. from The Massachusetts College of Art and Design and lives in Southern California with her family of four and two lovable rescue dogs where she is always trying to make more time for the beach. Dive Smack is dedicated to Pumpkin, the monarch butterfly she once saved from the brink of death. Once you read the book, you’ll understand why.