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Lemon Reef
What would you risk for the memory of your first love?
When Jenna Ross learns her high school love Del Soto died on Lemon Reef, she refuses to accept the official Miami medical examiner’s report of death from natural causes.
Lemon Reef is a realm of glimmering beauty, where marine life triumphs over industrial waste. Jenna and Del dove on it every day during the summer before their tenth grade year, their love for the reef deepening as their passion for each other grew. It is a site of tenacity and wonder that mirrored their own, until they were outed and forced to separate. Even fifteen years later, Jenna knows that Del’s heart could not have given out there.
Heartsick over Del’s death and fearing that Del’s young daughter may be in danger, Jenna risks all she has worked so hard for to return to Miami where she must dive into an excruciating past so that the truth of the present may surface.
When Jenna Ross learns her high school love Del Soto died on Lemon Reef, she refuses to accept the official Miami medical examiner’s report of death from natural causes.
Lemon Reef is a realm of glimmering beauty, where marine life triumphs over industrial waste. Jenna and Del dove on it every day during the summer before their tenth grade year, their love for the reef deepening as their passion for each other grew. It is a site of tenacity and wonder that mirrored their own, until they were outed and forced to separate. Even fifteen years later, Jenna knows that Del’s heart could not have given out there.
Heartsick over Del’s death and fearing that Del’s young daughter may be in danger, Jenna risks all she has worked so hard for to return to Miami where she must dive into an excruciating past so that the truth of the present may surface.
264 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
62 people want to read
About the author
Robin Silverman
5 books3 followersRobin is a psychologist, and she has a law degree. Her writings until now have been non-fiction, and have appeared in professional books and journals. She lives in Berkeley with her son. Lemon Reef is her first novel. (from the publisher's website)
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 4, 2012
Robin Silverman has created something quite extraordinary and I’m not entirely sure how she did it. The result, however, is three-dimensional. The story is tightly written, carefully conceived, and fluid. It is a love story with land mines carefully hidden within. Her characters are authentic and flawed but irresistible each in their own unique fashion.
There’s nothing easy about this story and it contains peeks into many lives that make the reader feel at times like a voyeur but I doubt there’s a reader out there who won't relate to one or more of these uncomfortable glimpses. It’s the discomfort that allows us to share the experience and to feel a tiny bit less alone.
Jen and Del continue to dwell on the edge of my consciousness because their story has such resonance. In spite of the difficulties they endure, I was still left feeling that these women were more the rule than the exception—sadly.
Robin’s remarkable ability to weave together the past and present provided instant references for current actions without pulling the reader out of the story. Amazing.
The pacing accelerated story evenly to a can’t-put-it-down denouement that perfectly defined that word. [The final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.]
“Lemon Reef” is not always an easy read but it is immensely satisfying and deserving. This is another author I intend to follow.
There’s nothing easy about this story and it contains peeks into many lives that make the reader feel at times like a voyeur but I doubt there’s a reader out there who won't relate to one or more of these uncomfortable glimpses. It’s the discomfort that allows us to share the experience and to feel a tiny bit less alone.
Jen and Del continue to dwell on the edge of my consciousness because their story has such resonance. In spite of the difficulties they endure, I was still left feeling that these women were more the rule than the exception—sadly.
Robin’s remarkable ability to weave together the past and present provided instant references for current actions without pulling the reader out of the story. Amazing.
The pacing accelerated story evenly to a can’t-put-it-down denouement that perfectly defined that word. [The final resolution of the intricacies of a plot, as of a drama or novel.]
“Lemon Reef” is not always an easy read but it is immensely satisfying and deserving. This is another author I intend to follow.
July 30, 2018
Sad. Story of young love, lost and never rekindled. However, love never really dies and finding a way to help your first loves daughter might be the best you can do.
July 6, 2012
Oh my god, this book just felt like the longest thing ever! It kept on going and going and going... ugh. Overall, I guess I kind of liked it but I really didn't love it. I was generally more interested in the flashbacks of Del and Jenna in high school than present-day Jenna, and at first there seemed to be too much discrepancy between the Del of then and then Del of just before her death to really link the two together as being the ONE person. After a while though they did start to come together, and I also slowly got a little more invested in the mystery... but really, it was just too long! I get impatient with long books because I want to know what happens NOW and when something takes me like a week to read it, well it had better be damn good ;) And this wasn't. It was never wholly engaging or awesome and at times I felt a little uncomfortable with the amount of graphic detail in some of the sex scenes, and with how crude some of the descriptions were.
I also found the incident with Talon and the puppies to be extremely distressing, and really hated how that was so constantly referenced. It's for that reason that I'm dropping my rating of this down to two stars rather than three, because it was just TOO much, and completely unnecessary and horrific. I did not appreciate that amount of detail the first time, and I especially did not like being reminded of it maybe a dozen more times.
It got a little exciting and faster paced near the end, when they started to really go after Talon (especially the scene on the boat with Jenna and Nicole) and when Khila came more on the scene, but that felt like too little too late. Personally, I think I would have liked this a lot more had more been trimmed from it, because it was the length that really pulled it down a lot for me - as well, of course, as the repeated descriptions of Talon's animal cruelty. As I said at the start, I enjoyed more the high school flashbacks than the present day scenes, until they got down to the more nitty gritty of the investigation. The ingredients for awesome were there, there was just a lot of other stuff that they were competing with and getting lost behind.
I also found the incident with Talon and the puppies to be extremely distressing, and really hated how that was so constantly referenced. It's for that reason that I'm dropping my rating of this down to two stars rather than three, because it was just TOO much, and completely unnecessary and horrific. I did not appreciate that amount of detail the first time, and I especially did not like being reminded of it maybe a dozen more times.
It got a little exciting and faster paced near the end, when they started to really go after Talon (especially the scene on the boat with Jenna and Nicole) and when Khila came more on the scene, but that felt like too little too late. Personally, I think I would have liked this a lot more had more been trimmed from it, because it was the length that really pulled it down a lot for me - as well, of course, as the repeated descriptions of Talon's animal cruelty. As I said at the start, I enjoyed more the high school flashbacks than the present day scenes, until they got down to the more nitty gritty of the investigation. The ingredients for awesome were there, there was just a lot of other stuff that they were competing with and getting lost behind.
July 6, 2015
This is one of those books that inexplicably escapes attention. Ms. Silverman writes beautifully and truly understands and describes heartbreak.. and recovery. Other reviewers have covered the basics, but the story is surprisingly complex and original. This story is not the typical 'first love revisited 15 years later' tale--no, no, not at all. Tragic (at times), poignant, engrossing, yet hopeful and so moving. Not a downer at all. The author's professional background in domestic violence (Ms. Silverman is a psychologist with a law degree) very apparent. She brings her skills and training into describing the .
This was a tender, well written story with magically crafted descriptions and symbolism. The writing was so good I found myself highlighting passages over and over (not something I'm prone to do). I came to know these characters intimately, and to understand their fears and motivations. The final chapters build to an exciting, gripping conclusion which satisfied right to the final sentence!
This reader was gratefully 'all in' about Del, Jenna, and the I couldn't put it down, even when I needed to. If you're looking for something compelling and above the norm, give this one a try. I look forward to much more from this author! Happy reading xo
This was a tender, well written story with magically crafted descriptions and symbolism. The writing was so good I found myself highlighting passages over and over (not something I'm prone to do). I came to know these characters intimately, and to understand their fears and motivations. The final chapters build to an exciting, gripping conclusion which satisfied right to the final sentence!
This reader was gratefully 'all in' about Del, Jenna, and the I couldn't put it down, even when I needed to. If you're looking for something compelling and above the norm, give this one a try. I look forward to much more from this author! Happy reading xo
July 3, 2014
This author truly understands heartbreak, then recovery. Other reviewers have covered the basics, but the story is really surprisingly complex. Not the normal 'first love revisited 15 years later' tale--no, no, not at all. Tragic (at times), poignant,
engrossing, yet hopeful and so moving. Mysteriously, not a downer at all. The author's professional background very apparent. I found myself highlighting passages over and over (not something I'm prone to do) because the writing was that good.
Couldn't put it down, even when I needed to.
engrossing, yet hopeful and so moving. Mysteriously, not a downer at all. The author's professional background very apparent. I found myself highlighting passages over and over (not something I'm prone to do) because the writing was that good.
Couldn't put it down, even when I needed to.
April 2, 2022
4.5 ⭐️ Gut-wrenching read! But I don't know, I liked it so much.
I finished reading this at 4 early morning today. I just couldn't stop reading until I learned what was really happening, even though there was a big chance I'd find it even more revolting.
This book is like a train crash—it's got awfully horrible scenes but you just can't keep your eyes off it.
I finished reading this at 4 early morning today. I just couldn't stop reading until I learned what was really happening, even though there was a big chance I'd find it even more revolting.
This book is like a train crash—it's got awfully horrible scenes but you just can't keep your eyes off it.
August 17, 2012
Author: Robin Silverman
Published By: Bold Strokes Books
Age Recommended: Adult
Rating: 4
Blog For: GMTA
Review:
"Lemon Reef" by Robin Silverman was a real interesting read that displayed many flashbacks of two young ladies...Del(Adeline Soto) and Jenna in through HS. These two were more than just friends... actually Lesbians until it was brought to a stop by Jenna's parents. During this time there was a lost of things going on with Del...the bruises, hygiene, beatings, and custody threats... then there was 70's music...the problems Del had with her mom...Pascales...OMG ..this was really some time! The novel was rather long but if you can stick with it ..."Lemon Reef" does come through ... dealing with a very sensitive subject. As the story moves on Del has died. What happened to her and what will happen to her daughter Khila? Will Talon get custody of Khila? This is a fiction book about well you will simply have to pick up this novel for yourself.......off the chain...really some read. Also there is Jenna.. and even Talon. Now, I will stop at this point and say you must pick up "Lemon Reef" to find out what will happen to these people and what was so great about the 'Lemon Reef'? You will see there are no easy answers to this novel...only leaving you saying.... Wow! I am not sure I found this a great read for me but a good one that had many twist and turns and that will keep you turning the pages until the end. You will have to keep up or you may get lost and you don't want to do that!
There was a lot of characters...some were really interesting people that made this storyline come together...from Jenna, Katie, Del, Norma, Gail, Sid, Lance, Pascales, Bea McVee, Margaret Todd, Jason, Dirk Beasley, Alex Sanders, John, Ben Reed, Tar Baby, Ida, Nicole, Sam Kramer, Anne Sloan, Ms Fernandez, Doug Andrews, and Mel, Brian, Donald, Edie, Susan, Andrew, Khila, to Madison and I am sure I have left someone out. You must pick up "Lemon Reef" to find out who that is!
In this read you will read...about "reconciling with your past, coming out, being queer, and first love are all beautifully told within a plot that will keep the reader invested and interested." If you are in for a good fiction mystery read that will take you on a emotional roller coaster ride... you have come to the right place for this good read. Also, I believe it is a novel you will never forget!
Published By: Bold Strokes Books
Age Recommended: Adult
Rating: 4
Blog For: GMTA
Review:
"Lemon Reef" by Robin Silverman was a real interesting read that displayed many flashbacks of two young ladies...Del(Adeline Soto) and Jenna in through HS. These two were more than just friends... actually Lesbians until it was brought to a stop by Jenna's parents. During this time there was a lost of things going on with Del...the bruises, hygiene, beatings, and custody threats... then there was 70's music...the problems Del had with her mom...Pascales...OMG ..this was really some time! The novel was rather long but if you can stick with it ..."Lemon Reef" does come through ... dealing with a very sensitive subject. As the story moves on Del has died. What happened to her and what will happen to her daughter Khila? Will Talon get custody of Khila? This is a fiction book about well you will simply have to pick up this novel for yourself.......off the chain...really some read. Also there is Jenna.. and even Talon. Now, I will stop at this point and say you must pick up "Lemon Reef" to find out what will happen to these people and what was so great about the 'Lemon Reef'? You will see there are no easy answers to this novel...only leaving you saying.... Wow! I am not sure I found this a great read for me but a good one that had many twist and turns and that will keep you turning the pages until the end. You will have to keep up or you may get lost and you don't want to do that!
There was a lot of characters...some were really interesting people that made this storyline come together...from Jenna, Katie, Del, Norma, Gail, Sid, Lance, Pascales, Bea McVee, Margaret Todd, Jason, Dirk Beasley, Alex Sanders, John, Ben Reed, Tar Baby, Ida, Nicole, Sam Kramer, Anne Sloan, Ms Fernandez, Doug Andrews, and Mel, Brian, Donald, Edie, Susan, Andrew, Khila, to Madison and I am sure I have left someone out. You must pick up "Lemon Reef" to find out who that is!
In this read you will read...about "reconciling with your past, coming out, being queer, and first love are all beautifully told within a plot that will keep the reader invested and interested." If you are in for a good fiction mystery read that will take you on a emotional roller coaster ride... you have come to the right place for this good read. Also, I believe it is a novel you will never forget!
September 4, 2013
Artificial reefs have been a part of South Florida history for almost a hundred years. In the 1970s, the state began funding and sponsoring reef projects, submerging anything from old tires to old cars. Not surprisingly, many of the reefs became nothing but underwater junkyards. The fictional Lemon Reef was created by submerging a bright yellow VW bus in 20 feet of water off the coast of Miami Beach, and it is where two young lovers learned to scuba dive in the spring of their high school sophomore year.
Jenna Ross is a rising star in the Superior Court of San Francisco. She is a newly appointed commissioner in family court, having worked for seven years as a part-time staff attorney while also representing indigent families at a nonprofit in Oakland. She and Madison, her wife of seven years, live in a cottage in Bernal Heights with a view of the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
One afternoon, Jenna gets a phone call from her oldest childhood friend in Miami. Gail informs her that Del Soto, Jenna’s high school love, has died of a heart attack while scuba diving with her husband, Talon. Stunned, Jenna flies to South Florida for the funeral. When she meets up again with Del’s family after 16 years, she learns that Del may have been murdered. Meanwhile, Tal is packing to move to Texas with Khila, their ten-year-old daughter. Del’s family is desperate to stop him, and Jenna must decide how far she is willing to go to redeem herself for Del’s memory.
Lemon Reef moves effortlessly between the past and the present, interweaving the story of Jenna and Del’s doomed relationship with the mystery of Del’s death. It is the story of two teenage girls in love, struggling with the intensity of their feelings for each other while trying to survive their families’ dysfunctions and the pressures of growing up. Ultimately, it is the riveting story of one woman coming face-to-face with the girl she left behind.
Jenna Ross is a rising star in the Superior Court of San Francisco. She is a newly appointed commissioner in family court, having worked for seven years as a part-time staff attorney while also representing indigent families at a nonprofit in Oakland. She and Madison, her wife of seven years, live in a cottage in Bernal Heights with a view of the San Francisco Bay Bridge.
One afternoon, Jenna gets a phone call from her oldest childhood friend in Miami. Gail informs her that Del Soto, Jenna’s high school love, has died of a heart attack while scuba diving with her husband, Talon. Stunned, Jenna flies to South Florida for the funeral. When she meets up again with Del’s family after 16 years, she learns that Del may have been murdered. Meanwhile, Tal is packing to move to Texas with Khila, their ten-year-old daughter. Del’s family is desperate to stop him, and Jenna must decide how far she is willing to go to redeem herself for Del’s memory.
Lemon Reef moves effortlessly between the past and the present, interweaving the story of Jenna and Del’s doomed relationship with the mystery of Del’s death. It is the story of two teenage girls in love, struggling with the intensity of their feelings for each other while trying to survive their families’ dysfunctions and the pressures of growing up. Ultimately, it is the riveting story of one woman coming face-to-face with the girl she left behind.
October 17, 2014
Really enjoyed this. Well, written, kept me engaged in both past and present. And although the past storyline tells the story of a first love, this book is not a romance (yay), rather the unravelling of the death of Del and how it affects those around her.
The characters are well developed and multi-dimensional, both the ones you like and those you don't. It's not always an easy read, abuse lies at the center of the story, but it never feels like it's told in a manner that further abuses the character.
The characters are well developed and multi-dimensional, both the ones you like and those you don't. It's not always an easy read, abuse lies at the center of the story, but it never feels like it's told in a manner that further abuses the character.
July 12, 2012
I really loved this book! What a great story, and so well written. I did not find it slow moving at all, rather very engrossing and enjoyable. The subject matter was sometimes difficult, but it was handled with great sensitivity. A truly wonderful book!
February 17, 2014
moving...
October 26, 2015
2012 Rainbow Awards Honorable Mention (5* from at least 1 judge)
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews