Sadly this book was not for me. I struggled to the end as the synopsis sounded so good. The style of writing was just not for me.

I really struggled to get into this book, I found the style of writing really hard, I was so excited to read it as the blurb sounds really appealing but sadly wasn't for me.

This is Gabriel Packards debut novel and I approached reading it with that in mind. There were parts that made me cringe but overall it was a good read. I look forward to reading her next novel

Unfortunately, I was not keen on the book The Painted Ocean and I did not like Gabriel Packard's style of writing. I therefore rated this book 3 out of 5 stars.

I couldn't decide if I liked this one or not, one minute I was thinking its okay the next finding it a bit tedious. I think the strange writing style was what threw me the most, I couldn't decide if it was intentional or not. So this one only gets a 3 star from me.

A strange book, I’m not sure it was for me. The beginning was good but it did veer off in a strange direction.

I couldn't get into this book it was sent this because I liked another author this is nothing like the original author , I gave up after 3 chapters .

It seemed to start ok, but then just went daft.
Very odd indeed.
Apparently this cannot be sent until there are 100 characters, but I have little else to say, sorry.

I really didn't enjoy this book. Difficult character to attach to attach to and the repetitive phrases were really irritating.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this book- it did not appeal.

Oh I don’t know where to begin with this book,I was very apprehensive about reading it as the rating on Goodreads is 2.86 which is pretty low and only saw a handful of 5 star reviews. I didn’t read any reviews beforehand as I wanted to go in with an open mind.

This is Gabriel Packards debut novel and is definitely an interesting read but unsure of what genre this would fall under as it’s a story of this Indian girls life and just how awful it is.

‘The Painted Ocean’ is told from the perspective of Shruti, her father has just upped and left, disgracing her mother according to her uncle and the rest of the family. With little money and her mother unable to speak English life becomes difficult for Shruti, especially when her Uncle is arranging for her Mother to return to India to marry. Shruti will not be moving to India with her mother as her existence will ruin her mothers chances of marriage, however when Shruti mentions to the headmistress that her uncle has threatening her she finds herself in the care system and her mother abandons her. Shruti’s life sucks, she is now in the care system and being bullied by other kids at her school as she is the only Indian girl until Meena arrives. Meena is also Indian,but she has this way with words and people and gets everything she wants. Shruti clings to Meena as she has shown her kindness and becomes her friend…but is she really her friend?

The book follows Shruti from eleven years old to when she is an adult but I felt the writing didn’t progress as her age did. There were lots of ‘Like’ and ‘Cos’ in the writing that I felt was overly used and got quite annoying in the end and she would even use this terminology when she was an adult.

All the characters were unlikable, we had her mother that abandoned her though she didn’t leave for India for ages. Her Uncle was horrible and made sure she knew that she was unwanted and then there was Meena who had the gift of the gab but just used Shruti and would only be her friend when it was convenient for her.

I found the plot of this to be really unrealistic especially towards the end, everything just conveniently happened and some parts I thought were too strung out.

The story kept me interested and was easy to read but the writing style was not for me and I just found it to be unrealistic. This is definitely a book that you will love or hate.

I rated this book 2 out of 5 stars.

I didn't like the style of writing, I found it very frustrating. A Golden Rule In writing is never start a sentence with "All, But, Then, Or, So, And". A very important, early lesson at the very beginning of English schooling, I now realise why it is so important. Having read this book where sentences break all these rules, it becomes unreadable. The writing of this book took away any pleasure in the reading of it. I am sorry but I wouldn't recommend this to anyone and I am frankly surprised it even got published in its current form.

Oh. My. Word! I’m ending the year with a book that played with my emotions…for all the wrong reasons!! When I wasn’t literally cringing at The Painted Ocean, I was laughing over the absurdity of the plot and grimacing at how annoying both the characters and writing were.

The plot is insane. I thought I was getting a story about cultural differences and the importance of family. Instead, Shruti’s mum leaves her, after she and Meeka burn down her uncle’s shop.

Then she books tickets for her and Meeka to go to New Zealand. Meeka doesn’t go and Shruti goes on the wrong passport.

Meeka calls her…and the next thing you know, she’s trapped as a slave on an island with Meeka and her boyfriend, who rapes Shruti daily.the-painted-ocean-3

A chance visitor means Shruti steals their boat, sails the whole way around the world on her own, winning over pirates and bandits along the way and comes home to become, basically, a millionaire.

What on earth?

The trouble was, the writing irritated me. The first thing I remember learning in school is don’t start a sentence with “and”. The Painted Ocean starts practically every sentence with it. The word “because” never features, as “cos” takes its place. Every. Single. Time.

The final thing that literally made me cringe is the word “like”. Rather than saying “I said”, Packard uses “I’m like,” the entire way through the book. At first, I thought it would help me connect with Shruti as she was a young girl. But then she grows up and it just becomes annoying.

Towards the end of the book, Shruti tries to become a writer to recount her experiences. The writing group shoot her down, especially in regards to the portrayal of Shruti’s character. But that could be the writer talking, as I never once connected or empathised with Shruti, despite the ordeals she went through.

The Painted Ocean was a disappointment. It was far-fetched and absurd in regards to what the character survived, without the emotional impact you would expect from someone being treated as a slave.

I’m sorry to say it, but one to avoid!