Series: Standalone
Publication Date: October 14th 2014
Purchase: Ebook • Hardcover
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
True love may mean certain death in a ghostly affair of risk and passion from New York Times bestselling duo Christina Lauren, authors of Beautiful Bastard. Tahereh Mafi, New York Times bestselling author of Shatter Me calls Sublime “a beautiful, haunting read.”
When Lucy walks out of a frozen forest, wearing only a silk dress and sandals, she isn’t sure how she got there. But when she sees Colin, she knows for sure that she’s here for him.
Colin has never been captivated by a girl the way he is by Lucy. With each passing day their lives intertwine, and even as Lucy begins to remember more of her life–and her death–neither of them is willing to give up what they have, no matter how impossible it is. And when Colin finds a way to physically be with Lucy, taking himself to the brink of death where his reality and Lucy’s overlap, the joy of being together for those brief stolen moments drowns out everything in the outside world. But some lines weren’t meant to be crossed…
I’m very… conflicted about this book. On one hand, it’s gorgeously written – Christina Lauren’s writing is poetic. It makes Sublime feel haunting and mysterious. But on the other… I was NOT a fan of the romance. Still, it’s a fascinating read, no doubt, but Sublime wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I wanted an epic ghost romance, but the romance fell flat. I mean, I knew that a story about a boy and a ghost girl couldn’t exactly end well, but I wanted something more substantial for the plot. For the most part, the writing was what kept me hooked.
“I think I’m here for you.”
Lucy is a ghost. She doesn’t realize she’s a ghost at first – she wakes up at a school with no memories, no idea who she is, and it’s only when she tries to interact with others and they ignore her, don’t see her, that she realizes something is off. But it turns out Lucy’s not invisible to everyone, because Colin can see her.
As if she can feel him staring, she turns, an involuntary smile lifting the corner of her mouth. Her dimple makes him think of giggled pleas, mischievous promises, and the taste of sugar on his tongue. Gunmetal eyes meet his, and the color is alive, churning like an angry ocean, pulling him in.
He lets himself drown.
Colin and Lucy have an instant connection with each other. They are drawn to each other and neither are hesitant about forming a relationship, even though they don’t understand what that connection is or why Lucy is there as a ghost. I was a bit skeptical about their insta-love, but I was rooting for them to find a way to be together. It was pretty innocent at first – boy and ghost girl fall in love, they want to be together, it seems like they’re meant to be together. It’s only when they actually TRY to be together, in the physical sense, that things started turning a bit dark, even sinister.
Lucy and Colin become slightly obsessed with one another. It didn’t bother me at first – I wanted them to find a way to be together, but there’s a point where you have to pause and think, exactly WHAT will you do to be together? Their relationship started turning unhealthy – Colin kept putting himself in harm’s way to be with Lucy. At this point, their romance was a bust for me. So I turned my focus on the why’s and how’s of the story. Why was Lucy there? What happened to her? How was she a ghost?
Every step of the way, I wasn’t sure what was going on, which was a good and bad thing. Sublime intrigued me to no end – I expected some answers, but all I got were more questions. None of my questions were answered, and I was really disappointed about that.
So yeah, the writing was what kept me reading. And I have to say, the writing was beautifully written, even though I didn’t exactly like the content. I liked HOW Sublime was written, not WHAT was written. Christina Lauren really have outdone themselves with the writing in Sublime – it’s hauntingly gorgeous and elegant.
The premise held a lot of potential but I’m sad to say Sublime was only an okay read for me. There were some aspects I loved, some aspects I hated. I expected a lot more than I got. The romance just did not sit right with me, so I wouldn’t recommend reading this for the romance. Mainly, you should try Sublime out for the writing.
Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.
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