Hmm… This was…. Underwhelming?
I was so excited for the premise of this, it’s been a while since I’ve searched out literary fiction, and with the element of exploring relationships between mothers, daughters, and sisters, this really had me excited.
The problem is it’s the most uninteresting murder story ever. I didn’t get any real depth of emotion from any of the characters, and while I wonder if that’s a critique of the author, I also don’t really trust them to portray female relationships and female experiences accurately. I did get through this book incredibly quickly, but it’s because it lacked substance for me and I had nothing to really sink my teeth into. There’s not even really a plot that I can comment on to be perfectly honest.
It was a completely fine book, but not one that I’d go out of my way to recommend to a pal.

So I have mixed thoughts on Ocean State. Overall I would give this 3.5 stars. I would round it up to a 4 based on the writing and the reason I couldn’t score it higher is that I felt like I was given a very different story to the one that was pitched to me.
The hook which draws people to read this is the line ‘When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl’ and so I expected a book about the reasons why her sister would take these actions and an exploration of what and why someone would be drawn to kill at a young age.
I did get some of that, but it just fell short of where I wanted it to go.
The first half of the book features Birdy as narrator, she is still alive, and telling her story. The second half felt rushed, and we never really got into Angel’s brain as to why what happened, happened. Myles did not feel fleshed out enough, and there were certainly not enough endearing characteristics for me to put myself in the shoes of a teenage girl so in love with this boy that I would be willing to murder. Indeed Angel even admits she doesn’t feel able to keep him through college, and this is before they lure in Birdy.
I enjoyed the Myles/Birdy relationship more than the Myles/Angel relationship, and so it was hard reading when I knew the likely outcome.
I thought Marie was more of a side character than a main narrator and I don’t understand why she ends up where she does. Having felt overweight as a teen, when I really wasn’t, I felt like I was going to connect with her from that first scene where she’s sneaking food, but the exploration stopped there. She becomes more of a casual observer than someone who owns their own story.
Carol and her various partners were interesting but not fully required for the story.
This would have been a 5 star book for me if we could have been in the beach house properly that night, seen what happened from everyone’s perspective, followed their rushed actions afterwards and spent longer with the trial.
I enjoyed it for what it was, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Ocean State - Stuart O’Nan
🌟🌟🌟

LIKES
☀️ This was my first Stuart O’Nan book and I really enjoyed his writing. I’d definitely read more of his books!
☀️ The multiple POVs were all really distinctive and equally as interesting as eachother.
☀️ It was a super quick read that kept my gripped throughout.
☀️ The hundreds of themes that ran throughout meant I was constantly reflecting on the circumstances that led to the characters behaving the way they did. I love a book that makes you think!
☀️ It read like a true story, not fiction.

DISLIKES
🌙 I wish we’d heard Myles’ perspective as I really wanted to understand what was going through his mind.
🌙 Some of the writing was a bit out of touch for the age group. For example, no teenagers have used Facebook for years and I don’t know any teen that would text like ‘bch l8r?’ (beach later?) even 10 years ago.
🌙 The comment about Brookie having BO felt a little unnecessary.

Overall I’d recommend this as a quick, dark and twisty mystery novel!

Ocean State, so-called because it is set in Rhode Island, USA, is a novel that covers teenage angst through obsession, jealousy, love, and lust which culminates in a murder that we know about from the very beginning. Angel Oliviera lives with her mother, Carol, and younger sister, Marie, in hand-to-mouth circumstances. When her wealthy, long-term boyfriend, Myles, falls for her classmate, Birdy, all three end up on a collision course.

The first sentence is most compelling: 'When I was in eighth grade my sister helped to kill another girl' and we are immediately drawn into the narrative and the lives of all the women who feature. Needless to say, there are no winners. This is very much a character-driven tale which I enjoyed very much.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books/ Grove Press UK for the opportunity to read and review Ocean State.

Ocean State is overall an interesting and intense read. It is about crime and passion, and also relationships and family.

I did enjoy this story but did find it took a while to get into the story. There are parts where it can be confusing who you are reading as from the story perspective but get past that and it is good.

Ocean State is the story of a crime of passion in a small Rhode Island suburb and is very much about what is not said rather than what is.

The story is not a whodunit; it is clear from the get-go who the perpetrator is (O’Nan opens his novel with the attention seizing “When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl.”) but of the build-up to and fall-out from the murder, told through the alternating perspectives of the four female protagonists at its heart.

Angel, the murderer, Carol, her mother, and Birdy, the victim, all come alive on the page as they converge in a tragic and inevitable climax. Watching over it all is Angel's younger sister Marie, who, as the narrator reflects on that doomed autumn of 2009 in Ashaway with all the wisdom of hindsight.

At first glance, the book appears somewhat banal and trite, with the overused tropes of struggling single mother, first love, and teenage angst, but one of O’Nans greatest gifts here is that he draws the reader in so that we need to know more about each and every character.

Angel and Birdy love the same boy in that frantic and single-minded way of teen lust and are compelled by the intensity of their feelings to extremes neither could anticipate.

Swoony and haunting in equal measure, Ocean State is a painfully beautiful novel about sisters, mothers, and daughters and the desperate ecstasy of love and the terrible things we do for it. A fine read; poignant realism abounds.

I finished this book in a day; I literally could not put it down. Ocean State is comparable to the rather sublime TV series Mare of Easttown, which I binge-watched.

A solid 4 stars ✨

QOTD: Have you read any of Stewart O’Nans books? If yes, which ones and did you enjoy them?

Note: With thanks to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for the advance reader copy, in return for my honest review.

Ocean State is a short, brooding novel about teenage obsession and the claustrophobia of small town life.

This is not YA, but O'Nan very much understands and captures the teenage psyche: Marie, Birdy and Angel are all battling in their own ways for love and acceptance as they go through adolescence and all the change and uncertainty that brings.

It's also not a murder mystery: you know the outcome from the first sentence, but the constant roiling tension and sense of inevitability are really want makes this such a compelling read.

Ocean State is an intense and feverish piece of literary fiction, a dark and compulsive coming of age story.

'In eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl', thus starts Stewart O'Nan's latest book. So,there's no mystery here, we know from the off that Angel kills Birdy (Beatrix) Alves in 2009 with boyfriend Myles Parrish in Rhode Island, the Ocean State. Written from the perspectives of Angel, her mother Carol, Birdy and as a retrospective by Angel's sister Marie. The novel examines the build up and impact of the events of the doomed autumn, of a love triangle that goes horribly wrong.

First of all, there are a number of things to praise in the storytelling. It is without doubt well written and the teen dynamics are good with the deception and duplicity. The interactions between all the teens in the story feel authentic. You get a strong sense of the household of Carol, Angel and Marie, the sisterly bond and of Marie trailing in Angel's wake and you also get a good sense of the Portugese household of Birdy. There are parts of the novel where you get the intensity of the teenage feelings and there are some fleeting moments of tension. The setting in the Ocean State is very good and provides an atmospheric backdrop.

However, although I can see it's good, it just doesn't resonate with me and I think it's just too YA for me. The constant switching of narrative gets annoying and you don't 'see' the teens in any great depth. As a consequence of knowing the outcome there are few shocks or surprises and it just doesn't wow me. There is no particular rationale for Angel's and Myles' actions against Birdy - jealousy? Please, that's any every day (every hour!) teen emotion and in my view it's not sufficient for the drastic action. The character of Myles is a puzzle he's central and yet his attractions are a mystery! I don't see it, except that he's rich and has a nice car. Maybe that's enough for a teen! The sentence that Birdy receives is way too light. As for the ending, way too many loose ends for me. It's all too glossed over though I do think the impact on Marie is done well.

Overall, I have very mixed feelings about this one - I like it but I don't love it.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Atlantic Books, Grove Press for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Ocean State is a slow burner, character driven novel which hooks you in without you realising. The Oliviera family - mum Carol, daughters Angel and Marie – are so lost in their own lives that you want to shake them and tell them to look at how everything is sliding into a tragic decline right in front of their eyes.

On the surface, a teenage girl being cheated on by her popular boyfriend. Underneath there is sad decline of relationships between mothers and daughters as well as between the two sisters. It’s definitely for readers who prefer a character driven story as it’s not a page turner in terms of plots and major incidents. Instead, Ocean State is a tragic modern story, beautifully told.

This was a really enjoyable read that was really well written with a good cast of well developed characters and an intriguing storyline full of secrets and mystery. well worth reading.

If you just have a summary of the plot of this novel, you might not be particularly impressed, and (some) reviewers have been a bit scathing about that, but they're missing the point because the quality of the writing is extraordinarily strong, so really, the plot is secondary in this novel. The structure of the novel is interesting, with the opening lines 'giving away' the inciting incident, and then a circling round of the rest of the narrative, flashing back and forth to the present day. What you *think* you're reading about is the murder, but what you're *actually* reading about is the effect of that on the characters, and in the end, one particular character. Clever stuff, that.

O'Nan's writing style is compulsive, and there are some unforgettable turns-of-phrase. Very highly recommended for both readers and students of creative writing who want to see what you can do with structure and character. Brilliant. My grateful thanks to Netgalley for the pre-release copy.

Unfortunately I couldn't get on with this book which I'm gutted about
O think it was more me than the book itself

This is a story about mothers and daughters; their own personal worries about love, and social status, as well as their relationship with each other. Well crafted characters all trying to navigate and survive their personal lives in whatever way they feel is right.
Two female protagonists in particular and how they respond to the pain of love; its lies and obsessions. The story paints a life surrounding the main teenage characters but emerges into a sad tale of a troubled family whose daughter has committed an unforgiveable crime and no family member is left unaffected by this.
We also follow the youngest daughter in the family and how she navigates her mother, her mother’s boyfriends and her sister’s dominance over her as well as the typical obsessional thoughts of a 13 year old girl.
I applaud O’Nan’s ability for writing female characters of all ages, so well and look forward to reading further novels by Stewart O’Nan.

Right from the get go I was drawn into the world that Stewart O’Nan has created in Ocean State. It is a striking and compelling novel exploring the relationships within families and the way in which love can drive you to that dangerous point of no return.

Ocean State tells the story of the Oliviera family, mother Carol and her daughters Angel and Marie. It’s 2009 and they’re down on their luck in the once prosperous Ashaway, Rhode Island. Carol cannot stay away from unsuitable men, Angel is off with her boyfriend Myles and Marie is left alone. Angel’s world is then shattered when she learns Myles has cheated on her with classmate Birdy. As Angel and Birdy’s feelings towards Myles intensify, the trio finds themselves on a collision course that is as tragic as it is inevitable.

Each of main characters within Ocean State felt incredibly real. They were written with such depth that reading about them was as utterly compelling as it was tragic. They are all so flawed and most are doing things that they know are toxic and will come to no good. Aside from Birdy, of all of them I felt most sorry for Marie. O’Nan created in her a perfect blend of strength and vulnerability that came across so beautifully in her narratives.

Ocean State is told from the perspectives of its four main female characters, with it beginning and ending with Marie looking back at what has happened. I really liked the way that O’Nan used each of these characters to tell the story. They each had a clear and distinct voice, adding different elements to the story. Given we know from the outset that Angel was involved in a classmate’s murder it makes Birdy’s narration all the more sombre and chilling - we know long before she ever will what fate awaits her.

Though this is a story about a murder, it is so much more than a murder thriller. This is a story about family, the relationships between mother and daughters, and between sisters. We are witness to the fractured and dysfunctional relationship between Carol and Angel and Marie and the sisterly bond between the girls. Despite its dysfunction there is also that fierce loyalty that a parent has for their child which was shown both beautifully and tragically with Carol. There is also the relationship between Birdy and her mother which was all the more poignant to read about given the outcome.

This was a totally gripping read. It is tragic, utterly compelling and haunting. It’s a tale of small town America and love gone very wrong. I highly recommend it and know it will stick with me for some time.

Love, lies, obsession. Stewart O’Nan’s writing draws you in immediately to this world - very much “show, don’t tell”. A surprisingly perceptive take on what it is like to be a teenage girl and to have a secret. Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for the advance copy.

Ocean State is a high-school crime of passion story where the identity of the killer is given to the reader from the very first page. A large part of the book is spent building up the murder with the last 100 pages dealing with the fall-out. This is told through the perspective of the four women at the heart of this story.

I really enjoyed how O’Nan chose to focus on the women themselves with the murder playing a secondary role throughout the majority of the book. This way of telling the story also created some tension throughout, especially in the sections narrated by the victim as she approaches her inevitable fate.

Despite this, where I feel this book really falls down is on the tension side of things. You would assume that a book about the chilling murder of a high-school student by a fellow classmate would be filled with a tension that grabs you but this was not the case. O’Nan seems to have chosen to focus on the characters reflections of their motives and reactions rather than actual details of the crime.

I found that my main enjoyment from the book came from the last 150 pages where the crime and ensuing investigation is detailed. Generally the books main push is unclear which can be quite frustrating.

Overall I did enjoy this book to a certain extent but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a ‘must-read’.

With a day off from work, this book seemed like the perfect candidate for “read a book in a day”.

Ocean state is a fast-paced and intriguing story, with multiple points of view, but focusing on Marie, and her opening line “When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl”.

I did in fact read this in a day, but I actually wanted more. More story, more detail, more character depth, more drama. There are so many intriguing potential sub plots here which don’t end up coming to fruition and some of the characters feel more one-dimensional than they could be.

I liked this a lot but wish there had been more.

3.5 stars

I loved this style of writing but I just didn't quite get any of the characters, my teenage years weren't that long ago but I couldn't relate that well. Saying that I'm sure lots of people would and I'd be interested to see what the other does next. It's quietly gripping and before you know it you're halfway through.

It all starts with: "When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl." This is a story about a teenage love triangle gone wrong.

I've never been to Rhode Island, but I feel as if I have been after reading this book. I can relate to the small-town vibe and high school drama. My teenage years were awkward and stressful and reading a book like this forces you to revisit your own youth, which I'd frankly rather not do! Teenagers can be so horrible!

While I'll always prefer reading adult content over young adult, O'Nan is a fantastic writer, and he certainly understands the mind of a teenager.

As a foodie, I was happy to learn about the Rhode Island "coffee cabinet" (essentially a coffee milkshake) and happy to see mention of Tom Colicchio, although I think he would consider serving pre-cut steak to be sacrilegious!

Thank you to the author, Atlantic Books, Grove Press UK, and NetGalley for an advance review copy in exchange for this honest review. #OceanState #NetGalley