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Adrift
Five teenagers. One boat. Who will come back alive?
Matt and his best friend, John, only came out to Montauk for the summer to make a little extra cash and then head back home. A seemingly basic plan for two guys from Queens.
And then Matt meets Driana.
Because it’s always about a girl, right?
The girl leads to a party, the party leads to a boat, which leads to being adrift at sea with three rich kids who have no clue about how to navigate a boat, let alone actually survive.
Matt and John are used to creating stability in unstable situations, but Matt’s busy falling in love at the worst possible time, and John can rub people the wrong way when he’s focused on survival. Driana is trying to keep the peace, but her friends JoJo and Stef aren’t making it easy. The longer they are out there, the lower everyone’s reserves of mental and emotional strength, which is a problem since the biggest mistakes can happen when people are tired and hungry and have no hope.
How far will each of them go to survive?
And what happens when old tensions and past ghosts rise to the surface?
Matt and his best friend, John, only came out to Montauk for the summer to make a little extra cash and then head back home. A seemingly basic plan for two guys from Queens.
And then Matt meets Driana.
Because it’s always about a girl, right?
The girl leads to a party, the party leads to a boat, which leads to being adrift at sea with three rich kids who have no clue about how to navigate a boat, let alone actually survive.
Matt and John are used to creating stability in unstable situations, but Matt’s busy falling in love at the worst possible time, and John can rub people the wrong way when he’s focused on survival. Driana is trying to keep the peace, but her friends JoJo and Stef aren’t making it easy. The longer they are out there, the lower everyone’s reserves of mental and emotional strength, which is a problem since the biggest mistakes can happen when people are tired and hungry and have no hope.
How far will each of them go to survive?
And what happens when old tensions and past ghosts rise to the surface?
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 28, 2015
134 people are currently reading
2437 people want to read
About the author
Paul Griffin
230 books266 followersPaul Griffin lives, writes, and trains dogs in New York City. His previous novel, The Orange Houses, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten, an International Reading Association 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society, a Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Book of 2009, and an Amelia Bloomer Project Award winner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 438 reviews
August 16, 2020
until the very end of this book, i was prepared to give it two stars. it's not terrible, it just reads like the YA from my youth and not like the more complex and enticing-to-adults YA that we are blessed with nowadays. the characters are wooden, the dialogue is unconvincing, and the sequence of events is more about making sure point a gets to point b than telling a naturalistic story. but i definitely think it's a book that will appeal to teens, particularly that crucial subset of reluctant readers. the things that make it ho-hum to a growed-up reader are the very things that will attract readers who aren't looking to get bogged down in details and just want a plot-driven adventure.
john and matt are two seventeen-year-olds who come from the working class neighborhood of woodhull, queens. from my computer here in woodside queens, i fist-bump. represeeeeent! they are spending the summer working in montauk, where the wealthy come to play. while they are selling ice creams and sodas at exorbitantly jacked-up prices on a private beach, matt meets a lovely girl named driana. she is from the upper east side, and she is lounging with her cousin estefania and stef's boyfriend joão (jojo), who are visiting from rio de janeiro. dri invites matt and john to a party at her house that night, during which stef behaves recklessly; taking a windsurfer out into the water late at night, and causing the four (yes, all four) to come to her "rescue" in a rickety old boat borrowed from an absent neighbor. she probably would have been fine, but once they all meet up on the open water, circumstances occur that put the five teens in a world of trouble, and they end up adrift in that rickety old boat for fifteen days without supplies, shelter or cell phone service and exposed to sharks, hunger and dehydration, heat-blisters, boredom and fear. one of them is seriously injured and one is off their meds. they won't all make it through the story alive.
complicating the matter is the tragedy that matt and john recently experienced together, an incident that john never wants to talk about, despite matt's prompts. and a further complication is john himself. not to mince words, john is a dick. his coworkers call him "iceman" not because he is cool like val kilmer, but because he is silent and emotionless, partly from grief but also because he hates rich people. if it's instalove between matt and dri, it's instahate between john and the other three. john has a huge chip on his shoulder when it comes to the wealthy (one wonders what he thinks of successful former woodhull residents like l.l. cool j, young MC, al sharpton, russell simmons/run DMC), and he's curt and bossy and downright rude to everyone on the boat, including matt. even when dri proves herself calm and competent and john learns that there are hidden depths to the others - that their lives haven't always been all rosy and carefree, he still behaves like a snide jerk. and there's really no reason for it, other than just insecurity. had the big tragedy that binds matt and jeff together in any way involved a richie-rich antagonist it would have been one thing - excusable because of grief, but it doesn't. it's just part of his personality and it's ugly and misguided.
"She's too pretty for me, right?"
"Too rich."
and as examples of dialogue that doesn't sound like it's coming from the mouths of 17-year-old boys:
Matt, she'll rip the sweetness out of you, right through your rib cage. You'll never be able to squeeze it back in there. Look at him mope now.
and
"I couldn't help myself."
"What?"
"She's beautiful. She was holding my hand. How do you let go? You don't. You can't. John, I'm sorry."
"Save your apology for my mother."
"Then why'd you climb aboard?"
"Shut up and hold the light steady."
and that's the kind of delightful attitude john gives off throughout the novel, to dri:
Dri checked under the other bench. She held up a heavy-duty flashlight.
"Spot her with it," John said. "She'll think the cops are after her and stop."
Dri yelled over the engine noise. "Knowing Stef, I'll bet she'll try to get away."
"Don't argue," John said. "Do it."
and even to his bestie matt:
I should grab the surfboard," I said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," John said.
"I want to use it as a-"
"I don't care why, just get it done."
rude.
so the characters are not the strength of the book, but the survival parts are pretty good, and there's some practical information in here, should you ever find yourself in a similar situation. but don't. find yourself in this situation. it's no fun. the medical stuff is smart - matt has undergone a first responder course, and manages to more or less handle the various physical injuries and discuss the risks knowledgeably.
I felt like a fraud, acting as the ship's doctor, but I was the closest thing we had to medically trained personnel.
and
I knew enough first aid to know I didn't know enough.
so between the "things i learned" and the good action parts, i enjoyed it more than the rocky beginning and all the lackluster characterization led me to believe i would.
however, i did really like the ending. it's got a very Paper Towns-style ending, where it's unconventional but realistic and bittersweet.
so - many stars to the ending, if you can make it there through all the clunkiness and the irritating character of john. john, you suck, dude.
come to my blog!
john and matt are two seventeen-year-olds who come from the working class neighborhood of woodhull, queens. from my computer here in woodside queens, i fist-bump. represeeeeent! they are spending the summer working in montauk, where the wealthy come to play. while they are selling ice creams and sodas at exorbitantly jacked-up prices on a private beach, matt meets a lovely girl named driana. she is from the upper east side, and she is lounging with her cousin estefania and stef's boyfriend joão (jojo), who are visiting from rio de janeiro. dri invites matt and john to a party at her house that night, during which stef behaves recklessly; taking a windsurfer out into the water late at night, and causing the four (yes, all four) to come to her "rescue" in a rickety old boat borrowed from an absent neighbor. she probably would have been fine, but once they all meet up on the open water, circumstances occur that put the five teens in a world of trouble, and they end up adrift in that rickety old boat for fifteen days without supplies, shelter or cell phone service and exposed to sharks, hunger and dehydration, heat-blisters, boredom and fear. one of them is seriously injured and one is off their meds. they won't all make it through the story alive.
complicating the matter is the tragedy that matt and john recently experienced together, an incident that john never wants to talk about, despite matt's prompts. and a further complication is john himself. not to mince words, john is a dick. his coworkers call him "iceman" not because he is cool like val kilmer, but because he is silent and emotionless, partly from grief but also because he hates rich people. if it's instalove between matt and dri, it's instahate between john and the other three. john has a huge chip on his shoulder when it comes to the wealthy (one wonders what he thinks of successful former woodhull residents like l.l. cool j, young MC, al sharpton, russell simmons/run DMC), and he's curt and bossy and downright rude to everyone on the boat, including matt. even when dri proves herself calm and competent and john learns that there are hidden depths to the others - that their lives haven't always been all rosy and carefree, he still behaves like a snide jerk. and there's really no reason for it, other than just insecurity. had the big tragedy that binds matt and jeff together in any way involved a richie-rich antagonist it would have been one thing - excusable because of grief, but it doesn't. it's just part of his personality and it's ugly and misguided.
"She's too pretty for me, right?"
"Too rich."
and as examples of dialogue that doesn't sound like it's coming from the mouths of 17-year-old boys:
Matt, she'll rip the sweetness out of you, right through your rib cage. You'll never be able to squeeze it back in there. Look at him mope now.
and
"I couldn't help myself."
"What?"
"She's beautiful. She was holding my hand. How do you let go? You don't. You can't. John, I'm sorry."
"Save your apology for my mother."
"Then why'd you climb aboard?"
"Shut up and hold the light steady."
and that's the kind of delightful attitude john gives off throughout the novel, to dri:
Dri checked under the other bench. She held up a heavy-duty flashlight.
"Spot her with it," John said. "She'll think the cops are after her and stop."
Dri yelled over the engine noise. "Knowing Stef, I'll bet she'll try to get away."
"Don't argue," John said. "Do it."
and even to his bestie matt:
I should grab the surfboard," I said.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," John said.
"I want to use it as a-"
"I don't care why, just get it done."
rude.
so the characters are not the strength of the book, but the survival parts are pretty good, and there's some practical information in here, should you ever find yourself in a similar situation. but don't. find yourself in this situation. it's no fun. the medical stuff is smart - matt has undergone a first responder course, and manages to more or less handle the various physical injuries and discuss the risks knowledgeably.
I felt like a fraud, acting as the ship's doctor, but I was the closest thing we had to medically trained personnel.
and
I knew enough first aid to know I didn't know enough.
so between the "things i learned" and the good action parts, i enjoyed it more than the rocky beginning and all the lackluster characterization led me to believe i would.
however, i did really like the ending. it's got a very Paper Towns-style ending, where it's unconventional but realistic and bittersweet.
so - many stars to the ending, if you can make it there through all the clunkiness and the irritating character of john. john, you suck, dude.
come to my blog!
November 27, 2023
Reading Adrift is like floating on the ocean, basking in the sun one minute; being tugged under icy, churning waters the very next. It’s a kick-ass story delivered in an almost detached voice, packing a powerful punch. It’s gritty and raw, in a naturally understated kind of way. The story of two guys living on the border of Brooklyn and Queens with summer jobs in Montauk, selling cold drinks and ice-cream on beaches starts quickly, gaining momentum as it unfolds.
The brother-like bond between the boys is easily evident early on. Subtle suggestions of a shared, sinister moment are intriguing. An impulsive gift of slightly melted Klondike bars to three strangers (one of which is a beauty with a heart-stopping, crooked smile) immediately integrates two very different worlds and forces them to embark in a volatile, enthralling, seafaring expedition.
“Five of us went out on the water that night. None of us came back whole and not all of us came back.”
The story is, quite simply, stunning. A cunning confirmation of the importance of perception is rare and remarkably well done here. Reaching conclusions quickly, accepting the “obvious” answer when studying only one, very limited, view can be disastrous. The snippets of correspondence among law enforcement, searchers and rescuers interspersed with the narrative are shocking and scary in their simplicity.
Mr. Griffin weaves a wicked good tale; flirting with foreshadow while revealing bits of the characters’ past, creating a web of questions, confusion and abruptly apparent answers. With a diverse cast of captivating kids, an epic and mysterious escapade-turned-mission, and authentic dialogue, Adrift will have mass appeal. Appropriate for the Middle-Grade reader but too broad to be limited, Mr. Griffin’s upcoming survival story will be an awesome addition to anyone’s Summer Reading List.
This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.
The brother-like bond between the boys is easily evident early on. Subtle suggestions of a shared, sinister moment are intriguing. An impulsive gift of slightly melted Klondike bars to three strangers (one of which is a beauty with a heart-stopping, crooked smile) immediately integrates two very different worlds and forces them to embark in a volatile, enthralling, seafaring expedition.
“Five of us went out on the water that night. None of us came back whole and not all of us came back.”
The story is, quite simply, stunning. A cunning confirmation of the importance of perception is rare and remarkably well done here. Reaching conclusions quickly, accepting the “obvious” answer when studying only one, very limited, view can be disastrous. The snippets of correspondence among law enforcement, searchers and rescuers interspersed with the narrative are shocking and scary in their simplicity.
Mr. Griffin weaves a wicked good tale; flirting with foreshadow while revealing bits of the characters’ past, creating a web of questions, confusion and abruptly apparent answers. With a diverse cast of captivating kids, an epic and mysterious escapade-turned-mission, and authentic dialogue, Adrift will have mass appeal. Appropriate for the Middle-Grade reader but too broad to be limited, Mr. Griffin’s upcoming survival story will be an awesome addition to anyone’s Summer Reading List.
This review was written for Buried Under Books Blog.
January 15, 2016
As always here on GR, I love to pick up ideas from my friends, and when it comes to Aussie Readers I really can’t go wrong. My formula is slipping! I didn’t love this one. Perhaps it’s due to the genre, or perhaps I just didn’t feel this one. I didn’t feel any particular kinship with the characters, nor was I drawn into the story in any real way. Mostly I’d say my feelings of being let down was the lack of connection with the characters, this didn’t entice me to keep going, but I did as it was short.
The writing is great, I should have been hooked. All the elements are here for a great story, but I’m not the target audience for this one. So in saying this, I’m sure many more people are out there to enjoy it more than I.
I’ve placed the book on my daughter’s shelf, she might be old enough for it in the next couple of years. I found myself telling her a bit about it which caused some raised eyebrows in interest. The premise of a group of young people being stranded at sea and a shark or two just didn’t do it for me, but if it does it for her, that’s great!
The writing is great, I should have been hooked. All the elements are here for a great story, but I’m not the target audience for this one. So in saying this, I’m sure many more people are out there to enjoy it more than I.
I’ve placed the book on my daughter’s shelf, she might be old enough for it in the next couple of years. I found myself telling her a bit about it which caused some raised eyebrows in interest. The premise of a group of young people being stranded at sea and a shark or two just didn’t do it for me, but if it does it for her, that’s great!
January 31, 2020
A compelling, thrilling, and quite saddening survival story about five teens who went to sea at night and then found themselves suddenly trapped in the ocean fighting for their lives. It is very well-written and the backstory of the two main characters, best friends Matt and John, is also very affecting and somehow quite parallel to the suffering they’re enduring on the boat for so many days.
It’s like watching a movie with that constant feeling of worry and suspense over which of the five teens will break down or fall first and how it will happen. The psychological aspect is depicted very well and I thought the pacing of the plot is perfect. It’s a short read actually which I think is smart because stories like this when dragged unnecessarily tend to be dull. Definitely a recommended YA survival story. I do not find a lot of those so I’m glad I came across this novel.
It’s like watching a movie with that constant feeling of worry and suspense over which of the five teens will break down or fall first and how it will happen. The psychological aspect is depicted very well and I thought the pacing of the plot is perfect. It’s a short read actually which I think is smart because stories like this when dragged unnecessarily tend to be dull. Definitely a recommended YA survival story. I do not find a lot of those so I’m glad I came across this novel.
August 3, 2015
John Costello and Matt Halloway had been best friends for a long time; now seventeen they were working their way through the summer before heading to college, doing any odd jobs they could find. They had a past that held them together – but that was a story they didn’t talk about. Selling ice creams at the beach one day they met three young rich people, Driana, JoJo and Stef who invited them to Dri’s parent’s Hamptons mansion for a party that evening…
It was late; the party was winding down – suddenly Dri realized Stef was missing. When they located her gear on the beach and saw that the windsurfer was missing, they made a split second decision to borrow a boat and search for her out in the ocean; but with a storm brewing it became one of the worst decisions of their lives.
With the four young teenagers in a boat they didn’t know, with only rudimentary knowledge of the art of sailing, they had no idea of the dangers they faced. Would they locate a reckless Stef in the darkness of a wild night? Was Mother Nature and the Atlantic ocean about to wreak havoc on those young and impressionable lives?
Wow! Adrift by Paul Griffin is an extremely fast paced young adult novel filled with heart stopping tension. A gripping and terrifying story of survival and hope, I had trouble putting it down and am blown away by my first foray into this author’s work. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Text Publishing for my copy to read and review.
It was late; the party was winding down – suddenly Dri realized Stef was missing. When they located her gear on the beach and saw that the windsurfer was missing, they made a split second decision to borrow a boat and search for her out in the ocean; but with a storm brewing it became one of the worst decisions of their lives.
With the four young teenagers in a boat they didn’t know, with only rudimentary knowledge of the art of sailing, they had no idea of the dangers they faced. Would they locate a reckless Stef in the darkness of a wild night? Was Mother Nature and the Atlantic ocean about to wreak havoc on those young and impressionable lives?
Wow! Adrift by Paul Griffin is an extremely fast paced young adult novel filled with heart stopping tension. A gripping and terrifying story of survival and hope, I had trouble putting it down and am blown away by my first foray into this author’s work. Highly recommended.
With thanks to Text Publishing for my copy to read and review.
November 16, 2015
Wonderfully compelling story of sanity, courage and survival. The story involves 5 teenagers who found themselves in the worst possible situation imaginable. After a party, 4 of them took a neighbours fishing boat out to sea to check on friend who decided to go windsurfing after midnight. It was a snap decision - they didn’t think of the consequences they may face, or to check on supplies or fuel on board. Their focus was to get to their friend quickly. But unbeknown to them a storm was heading their way.
After a short while out to sea the waves became stronger, drifting the boat further out from shore. The had no fuel in the tank to make the journey back, no food or drinking water on board. When their days turns to weeks and there’s no sight of land or indication of being rescued, their chances survival was looking awfully grim.
Adrift filled me with so much terror and anxiety that I thought my heart would stop. Griffin makes you feel and seeing the excruciating pain the teens were enduring, from hunger, to the burning sun blistering their skin, to having their already frail bodies tossed around by extreme weather conditions that was vividly detailed. As days and weeks go by, you can see these kids mentally struggling with their predicament, and at the same time they are slowly dying before your eyes. It was a tough and powerful read but hypnotic nonetheless…I really couldn’t turn away. Griffin gave originality to his characters voices that really suited his teens. Although in saying that, it did take me about two chapters in to adapt to their way of speaking.
Great book. I would certainly recommend it to teens that are looking for a fast paced, realistic tale to read.
Thanks to Text Publishing and Goodreads for my review copy
After a short while out to sea the waves became stronger, drifting the boat further out from shore. The had no fuel in the tank to make the journey back, no food or drinking water on board. When their days turns to weeks and there’s no sight of land or indication of being rescued, their chances survival was looking awfully grim.
Adrift filled me with so much terror and anxiety that I thought my heart would stop. Griffin makes you feel and seeing the excruciating pain the teens were enduring, from hunger, to the burning sun blistering their skin, to having their already frail bodies tossed around by extreme weather conditions that was vividly detailed. As days and weeks go by, you can see these kids mentally struggling with their predicament, and at the same time they are slowly dying before your eyes. It was a tough and powerful read but hypnotic nonetheless…I really couldn’t turn away. Griffin gave originality to his characters voices that really suited his teens. Although in saying that, it did take me about two chapters in to adapt to their way of speaking.
Great book. I would certainly recommend it to teens that are looking for a fast paced, realistic tale to read.
Thanks to Text Publishing and Goodreads for my review copy
July 25, 2015
3.5 Stars.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/07/a...
Adrift was terrifying. A psychological thriller and fight for survival. Imagine being stranded at sea, no land in sight and with strangers you had only met hours prior. That's what faces the both Matt and John, best friends who neither are strangers to violence. Dri is a Manhattan girl, but cousin Stef and her boyfriend JoJo are Brazilian nationals, enjoying the summer before it all begins to fall apart. Told from Matt's point of view who has limited medical knowledge, Dri who had basic survival skills and John, with his calm exterior that has him dubbed the Iceman. JoJo spends most of his time fawning over the heavily injured Stef, her arm torn to pieces and the limb now turning grey. It's eerie. Between the group of five, it seems inevitable that one is on the verge of snapping.
As they started to turn on one another, I found myself incredibly anxious. With a hammer and makeshift harpoon as potential weapons, the storyline has a dangerous undercurrent of unpredictability and I loved every moment. My only real issues were how the group came to be out there in the first place. An idiotic snap decision when there seemed to be no real danger at the time, yet there were no safety checks on the boat and no one, even the stoic John, showed any real common sense. Although superbly written, it lacked emotion sadly. The thriller aspect was pure perfection, but the quieter moments between the characters, especially Matt and Dri fell flat. Matt was still coming to terms with a horrific incident that he and John were involved in three years prior, but even as their story emerged, I felt emotionally disconnected to them both. I really enjoyed it. I loved the thriller aspect and survival story, but it needed a little more emotion within it's characters and their plight. It's the only difference from it being a good read into an incredible read.
Adrift was an enthralling thriller that simmers along, leaving readers anxious and defenseless. Well written and a unique tale of survival in the most desolate of conditions. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/07/a...
Adrift was terrifying. A psychological thriller and fight for survival. Imagine being stranded at sea, no land in sight and with strangers you had only met hours prior. That's what faces the both Matt and John, best friends who neither are strangers to violence. Dri is a Manhattan girl, but cousin Stef and her boyfriend JoJo are Brazilian nationals, enjoying the summer before it all begins to fall apart. Told from Matt's point of view who has limited medical knowledge, Dri who had basic survival skills and John, with his calm exterior that has him dubbed the Iceman. JoJo spends most of his time fawning over the heavily injured Stef, her arm torn to pieces and the limb now turning grey. It's eerie. Between the group of five, it seems inevitable that one is on the verge of snapping.
As they started to turn on one another, I found myself incredibly anxious. With a hammer and makeshift harpoon as potential weapons, the storyline has a dangerous undercurrent of unpredictability and I loved every moment. My only real issues were how the group came to be out there in the first place. An idiotic snap decision when there seemed to be no real danger at the time, yet there were no safety checks on the boat and no one, even the stoic John, showed any real common sense. Although superbly written, it lacked emotion sadly. The thriller aspect was pure perfection, but the quieter moments between the characters, especially Matt and Dri fell flat. Matt was still coming to terms with a horrific incident that he and John were involved in three years prior, but even as their story emerged, I felt emotionally disconnected to them both. I really enjoyed it. I loved the thriller aspect and survival story, but it needed a little more emotion within it's characters and their plight. It's the only difference from it being a good read into an incredible read.
Adrift was an enthralling thriller that simmers along, leaving readers anxious and defenseless. Well written and a unique tale of survival in the most desolate of conditions. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Read
July 29, 2015What an intense book! Five new friends working on Montauk for the summer must trust each other with their lives when they become lost at sea, after a midnight party goes horribly wrong. As the drama on the boat plays out, each teen's story and true nature comes to light. Can, and should, they trust one another? I love it when disaster novels mention that not everyone makes it back alive - I try and guess who it will be. This is a "read in one sitting book", for sure!
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Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/category/all-the-...
November 27, 2015
This review first appeared on Readers in Wonderland
ADRIFT is a story of survival against incredible odds. Five teens stuck on a boat in the ocean for who knows how long with basically no supplies and variable wills to survive. Friendships are challenges, things get tense, people die. It’s not a fun time. These character face many challenges that would mess the best people up, and are sometimes forced to do things I don’t think I could ever do. Getting into the minds of people who are so desperate to survive was very interesting, and often chilling at times.
The writing of ADRIFT is the main thing that kept me turning the pages. Short sentence and minimal descriptions meant no time was wasted. Everything was focused on moving the plot along. It made for a quick, easy read that held my attention throughout the entire novel. The pace did slow down a little in the middle, which is not unexpected when people are stuck on a boat, but there were still enough events and gruesome encounters to keep me interested.
Because the writing is so fast and the characters were thrown into extreme situations so quickly, I never really became emotionally attached to the characters. I liked them all well enough, they were fairly interesting people. But because I didn’t have an emotional connection, I didn’t feel incredibly sad when people died. It was more of a ‘oh they’re dead how is everyone going to cope’. Which isn’t such a bad thing because the characters reactions were more interesting to me than their back stories.
ADRIFT is an incredibly fast, intense read. Survival pushes humans to the extreme, and it was chilling the lengths some characters would go to in order to survive. I recommend ADRIFT to people looking for something quick and thrilling to read.
ADRIFT is a story of survival against incredible odds. Five teens stuck on a boat in the ocean for who knows how long with basically no supplies and variable wills to survive. Friendships are challenges, things get tense, people die. It’s not a fun time. These character face many challenges that would mess the best people up, and are sometimes forced to do things I don’t think I could ever do. Getting into the minds of people who are so desperate to survive was very interesting, and often chilling at times.
The writing of ADRIFT is the main thing that kept me turning the pages. Short sentence and minimal descriptions meant no time was wasted. Everything was focused on moving the plot along. It made for a quick, easy read that held my attention throughout the entire novel. The pace did slow down a little in the middle, which is not unexpected when people are stuck on a boat, but there were still enough events and gruesome encounters to keep me interested.
Because the writing is so fast and the characters were thrown into extreme situations so quickly, I never really became emotionally attached to the characters. I liked them all well enough, they were fairly interesting people. But because I didn’t have an emotional connection, I didn’t feel incredibly sad when people died. It was more of a ‘oh they’re dead how is everyone going to cope’. Which isn’t such a bad thing because the characters reactions were more interesting to me than their back stories.
ADRIFT is an incredibly fast, intense read. Survival pushes humans to the extreme, and it was chilling the lengths some characters would go to in order to survive. I recommend ADRIFT to people looking for something quick and thrilling to read.
June 18, 2017
This was the perfect kind of holiday read. Light, unchallenging, easy reading.
I'm really drawn to books set in and around water, so that combined with the cover (love it) called out to me to read it.
What I liked most about the book were the earlier scenes of the five young people on the boat; seeing both their attempts to keep themselves alive as well as the affect the stress and fear had on each character and their subsequent reactions.
What didn't work so well for me was that I thought the challenges thrown at the characters became increasingly unconvincing.
The last chapter was, in my opinion, just superb. If the entirety of the book had been written with the same poignancy as that final chapter, this would have been a four or five star read. For that reason I'm not ruling out reading further books from this author.
I'm really drawn to books set in and around water, so that combined with the cover (love it) called out to me to read it.
What I liked most about the book were the earlier scenes of the five young people on the boat; seeing both their attempts to keep themselves alive as well as the affect the stress and fear had on each character and their subsequent reactions.
What didn't work so well for me was that I thought the challenges thrown at the characters became increasingly unconvincing.
The last chapter was, in my opinion, just superb. If the entirety of the book had been written with the same poignancy as that final chapter, this would have been a four or five star read. For that reason I'm not ruling out reading further books from this author.
September 29, 2015
Paul Griffin's new rollicking YA adventure
And I think 'thrill-ride' is the word you're looking for with THAT cover.
‘This fast-paced survival adventure makes an excellent crucible for Griffin’s examination of class.’ Kirkus
‘A terrifying survival story in which past traumas are as visceral and intense as present circumstances.’
STARRED Review, Publishers Weekly
And I think 'thrill-ride' is the word you're looking for with THAT cover.
‘This fast-paced survival adventure makes an excellent crucible for Griffin’s examination of class.’ Kirkus
‘A terrifying survival story in which past traumas are as visceral and intense as present circumstances.’
STARRED Review, Publishers Weekly
February 23, 2019
Four teenagers on a boat adrift in the ocean... what can go wrong? Everything that can go wrong will go wrong and I loved getting to know these characters and the lengths they go to in order to survive. The psychological aspects were very well written and the race for survival kept me "at the edge of my seat" (I listened to it as an audiobook so no seats when I listened to it) and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
4.5 stars.
4.5 stars.
October 26, 2017
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I read this one aloud to my 6th grade literacy group. We were all oh-so-totally into it. At least, we were until that ending.
My kids were fascinated by this tale of survival at sea (and for those that have taught middle school, you know how extraordinarily difficult it is to get an entire room of 6th graders to all agree on anything!) and begged me to read every day. They were actually disappointed when it was time to go at the end of the block. With a few slow exceptions, the book was fast-paced and exciting. These kids lived through a literal hell. But I, and my students, all found the ending to be anticlimactic. It just fell flat compared to the rest of the story and was deeply unsatisfying. But still a run read aloud!
I read this one aloud to my 6th grade literacy group. We were all oh-so-totally into it. At least, we were until that ending.
My kids were fascinated by this tale of survival at sea (and for those that have taught middle school, you know how extraordinarily difficult it is to get an entire room of 6th graders to all agree on anything!) and begged me to read every day. They were actually disappointed when it was time to go at the end of the block. With a few slow exceptions, the book was fast-paced and exciting. These kids lived through a literal hell. But I, and my students, all found the ending to be anticlimactic. It just fell flat compared to the rest of the story and was deeply unsatisfying. But still a run read aloud!
August 31, 2018
"I think this, here, right now, the way I'm feeling: This is the true me. And I am so very angry. I don't even have the courage to kill myself. Who would build such a world? Tell me. A world where tests like this are commonplace?" Paul Griffin’s Adrift is a compelling story about five teenagers who are thrown together in the worst of circumstances Although they couldn’t be more different from each other, they have to work together to survive. Matt and John are just two average guys working summer jobs in Montauk to make some money. Dri, Stef, and Jojo are from three very rich families and are spending the summer at Dri’s father’s beach house. The characters in this novel struggle to survive with no food, water, or means of communication with the rest of the world. They have to battle towering waves, scorching sun, fierce winds, and sometimes even each other to stay alive. This is not the kind of story where people get stranded at sea and are saved by some miraculous heroic feat. The author does not shy away from the gruesome details of a true survival story. A summer dream turned out to be their worst nightmare.
Adrift tells a refreshingly realistic story about survival, human nature, and how far people will go to keep themselves alive. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a short but enticing read. I couldn’t put it down, and neither will you. On every new page, the reader is left wondering: Will they make it out alive?
Adrift tells a refreshingly realistic story about survival, human nature, and how far people will go to keep themselves alive. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a short but enticing read. I couldn’t put it down, and neither will you. On every new page, the reader is left wondering: Will they make it out alive?
September 26, 2017
This book was ok the story plot was good not a must read
May 23, 2024
John gets a whole star by himself due to the fact that he was the only realistic character in the book. Without him no one would’ve survived.
November 1, 2019
It was suspenseful
July 11, 2023
Five of us went out on the water that night. None of us came back whole, and not all of us came back.
I found out later the wind that night was forty miles an hour with gusts up to fifty. That's strong enough to knock you over. It's also a windsurfer's dream.
Stef was way out there where the surfing was fastest. The waves were just as big as the breakers closer to shore, but their peaks weren't sharp. We drove up and down black mountains of water to chase her.
We followed her over the wave. We'd been tracking her by the Windsurfer's light blue sail but now it was gone. We rode over the next wave and the next. She'd vanished, like we'd been chasing a ghost who'd suddenly grown tired of us.
"Go back," John said. "She must've fallen."
JoJo turned the boat back. The land was a thin black bar. We were farther out than I'd thought. The wind tore at our skin. My cheeks and ears burned. The engine screeched as the boat fought the waves. John edged JoJo away from the tiller. He slowed the boat until the engine noise smoothed out.
"There," Dri said.
"Where?" Jojo said.
Dri pointed to a shadow against a backdrop of moonlit water, but by now I had found Stef too, by her screaming. Her sail was down. She was trying to lift it, but the wind kept knocking it over. Another silhouette was in the water, but this one was circling the windsurf board. Then it stopped circling and charged Stef.
Jojo hugged me so hard my ribs ached. "It's a dolphin," he said I tapped my phone's flashlight app. It wasn't the spotlight we needed before, but it threw enough light to catch the reflection of the dolphin's eye. On TV they're gray and tame. This one was glossy black with silver- and honey-colored spots. It was bigger than I would have thought, and much more powerful looking.
"It's protecting her from the sharks," Jojo said. He took a picture of Stef. Click, flash. The dolphin backed away but not for long.
She groaned. Her eyes rolled back and her head slipped beneath the surface.
Dri dove and broke the surface without a splash. An eerie sucking noise followed Dri into the water as the surface healed itself where she had ripped a hole into it. I dove after her, remembering to kick off my sandals but not to leave my phone. I lost it as I hit the water. The flashlight app was still on and the light was dropping away too fast, spinning into the darkness below me. The dolphin chased the fading blinks.
I lifted Stef's head from the water. Her eyes were open, but she was unconscious. "Her head's bleeding." I said. "I think maybe the surfboard fin clipped it."
Dri and I found the cut by feel. It was behind Stef's hairline, at the base of her skull. At one end of the cut the skin flapped.
"Stef, wake up," Dri said. "C'mon now, don't do this."
I twisted the knot until the blood flow stopped. If we didn't get her to a hospital within a couple of hours she would lose the arm, I was pretty sure.
Jojo tried the ignition. Nothing. Then John tried and the engine screeched. John unscrewed the gas cap and looked in. "Yup," he said. "We're empty."
John disconnected a tube from the engine block. He sucked gas from the line and spit it overboard.
"Fixed?" Jojo clapped John's back.
John definitely ignored him this time. He reattached the tube.
We helped him reassemble the engine. Half an hour later he turned the ignition switch. The engine roared. We cheered, until John turned off the engine.
"What are you doing?" Dri said.
"We don't have enough fuel to make it back," John said.
"How do you know?"
"We have a gallon of gas. This kind of engine burns ten gallons an hour, I figure. That's six minutes of drive time. At top speed we'll get four miles before the engine conks out. That's without a head wind. We're at least fifteen miles offshore by now.
Stef’s arm was a prop from a zombie movie. The skin was greens purple and gray where it had ripped. I palmed Stef’s forehead. Her skin was hot, and she shivered nonstop.
She died with her eyes and mouth open. That beautiful young woman who was joking around less than a day and a half earlier was just nowhere.
The sky was too clear and the moon too bright. The body didn’t look anything like Stef now. It didn't look human anymore either. It had swelled even more quickly than I thought it would. It’s-her face had split at a laugh line. We'd wrapped her in the windsurfing sail to keep the flies off her, but they kept coming anyway, more and more of them.
We had no way to advertise we were in trouble, no radio to call the Coast Guard, no flares. Our SOS flashes were lost either in the sun or moon glint apparently. Nobody had any idea where we were. How could they?
Even if they figured out we'd borrowed the boat by now, why would we have stayed on the water?
Then again, how could we not be on the water? If we'd come back on land we would have gone home. Why would five kids who didn't know one another simultaneously decide to run away for a week and a half, without leaving a single word with loved ones? The only logical conclusion was that we'd gotten into trouble and drowned.
Would we? Was that how it would end? Would we capsize in a storm? Drowning would have been preferable to dying of thirst.
What would that look like? How would it feel? Would it be so painful that there would be a need for mercy killing? Would the dried-out dying beg for death? And what about the last survivor?
JoJo was gone. Dri and John scanned the water, "What happened?
John said.
"You didn't see?" Dri said.
"You were on watch," John said.
Dricursed herself. "I nodded off." she said, "How could I do that?
How could I desert him like that? He needed to be looked after."
"The splash that woke me up," John said. "I think it came from the left."
Sure enough, Jojo rose to the surface not far from where John pointed. He groaned.
There were four sharks after all. Jojo was jerked down, but he didn't go all the way under. Blood spread out from him. He looked confused. He stared at John as a shark bit his shoulder and shook him to tear away the skin. He didn’t have time to scream before another shark clamped his mouth over his head.
He pointer toward the horizon, except there wasn't a horizon anymore. The water and sky were the same color, almost black, and all I could think about was Jojo, how lucky he was to miss what was coming.
The waves didn't break, and the clouds didn't either. The sun wasn't supposed to set for another hour, but night came early that day.
Overhead was a dark purple skin with gray veins. It slid over the sky with a definite edge, God's eyelid closing. It stretched out to the horizon in every direction.
We'd strapped ourselves in at the back of the boat, John on one side, Dri and me on the other.
John and Dri heard it before I did. Chuck-chuck-chuck.
John gripped my shoulder. I had to punch him to get his hand off me. The helicopter came close. No basket stretcher dangled down to us. No safety ropes. No Navy SEALs in high-tech wet suits.
A guy in work clothes leaned out the shotgun window with an actual shotgun and fired a long-tailed streamer into one of the logs.
The streamer pulsed fluorescent pink. Another guy leaned out with a bullhorn. He was laughing and waving, and John, Dri, and I looked at one another like, What do we do? John shrugged and waved back. The guy yelled down to us through the bullhorn,
"We're not here to rescue you."
"Truly appreciate that!" I said.
"We're spotters for the salvage crews. We're here to tag the freight. We don't have any ladders or anything to pull you up. We're short on gas and have to get back. We'll send somebody along shortly.”
When I woke, the bunk was too quiet. The wind roared inside my head. I put on the TV loud and felt better. A guy came in and said. detective by the name of Kreizler wanted to talk with me.
The detective and I sat and I rocked and told him everything or pretty much everything. He was a nice guy. "They say the odds are eighty percent that without GPS on that boat you should have died at sea," he said. "I don't know how you lasted that long. I mean, how did you not give up?"
"I gave up," I said. "It's just dumb luck I lasted."
"Where did we wind up, by the way?" I said.
"What do you mean?"
"In the ocean. Like near England or something?"
Kreizler smiled. "They found you about eighty miles away from where you left. Who knows if you were dragged out and back in with all the crazy winds, but you didn't end up far from where you started.
I found out later the wind that night was forty miles an hour with gusts up to fifty. That's strong enough to knock you over. It's also a windsurfer's dream.
Stef was way out there where the surfing was fastest. The waves were just as big as the breakers closer to shore, but their peaks weren't sharp. We drove up and down black mountains of water to chase her.
We followed her over the wave. We'd been tracking her by the Windsurfer's light blue sail but now it was gone. We rode over the next wave and the next. She'd vanished, like we'd been chasing a ghost who'd suddenly grown tired of us.
"Go back," John said. "She must've fallen."
JoJo turned the boat back. The land was a thin black bar. We were farther out than I'd thought. The wind tore at our skin. My cheeks and ears burned. The engine screeched as the boat fought the waves. John edged JoJo away from the tiller. He slowed the boat until the engine noise smoothed out.
"There," Dri said.
"Where?" Jojo said.
Dri pointed to a shadow against a backdrop of moonlit water, but by now I had found Stef too, by her screaming. Her sail was down. She was trying to lift it, but the wind kept knocking it over. Another silhouette was in the water, but this one was circling the windsurf board. Then it stopped circling and charged Stef.
Jojo hugged me so hard my ribs ached. "It's a dolphin," he said I tapped my phone's flashlight app. It wasn't the spotlight we needed before, but it threw enough light to catch the reflection of the dolphin's eye. On TV they're gray and tame. This one was glossy black with silver- and honey-colored spots. It was bigger than I would have thought, and much more powerful looking.
"It's protecting her from the sharks," Jojo said. He took a picture of Stef. Click, flash. The dolphin backed away but not for long.
She groaned. Her eyes rolled back and her head slipped beneath the surface.
Dri dove and broke the surface without a splash. An eerie sucking noise followed Dri into the water as the surface healed itself where she had ripped a hole into it. I dove after her, remembering to kick off my sandals but not to leave my phone. I lost it as I hit the water. The flashlight app was still on and the light was dropping away too fast, spinning into the darkness below me. The dolphin chased the fading blinks.
I lifted Stef's head from the water. Her eyes were open, but she was unconscious. "Her head's bleeding." I said. "I think maybe the surfboard fin clipped it."
Dri and I found the cut by feel. It was behind Stef's hairline, at the base of her skull. At one end of the cut the skin flapped.
"Stef, wake up," Dri said. "C'mon now, don't do this."
I twisted the knot until the blood flow stopped. If we didn't get her to a hospital within a couple of hours she would lose the arm, I was pretty sure.
Jojo tried the ignition. Nothing. Then John tried and the engine screeched. John unscrewed the gas cap and looked in. "Yup," he said. "We're empty."
John disconnected a tube from the engine block. He sucked gas from the line and spit it overboard.
"Fixed?" Jojo clapped John's back.
John definitely ignored him this time. He reattached the tube.
We helped him reassemble the engine. Half an hour later he turned the ignition switch. The engine roared. We cheered, until John turned off the engine.
"What are you doing?" Dri said.
"We don't have enough fuel to make it back," John said.
"How do you know?"
"We have a gallon of gas. This kind of engine burns ten gallons an hour, I figure. That's six minutes of drive time. At top speed we'll get four miles before the engine conks out. That's without a head wind. We're at least fifteen miles offshore by now.
Stef’s arm was a prop from a zombie movie. The skin was greens purple and gray where it had ripped. I palmed Stef’s forehead. Her skin was hot, and she shivered nonstop.
She died with her eyes and mouth open. That beautiful young woman who was joking around less than a day and a half earlier was just nowhere.
The sky was too clear and the moon too bright. The body didn’t look anything like Stef now. It didn't look human anymore either. It had swelled even more quickly than I thought it would. It’s-her face had split at a laugh line. We'd wrapped her in the windsurfing sail to keep the flies off her, but they kept coming anyway, more and more of them.
We had no way to advertise we were in trouble, no radio to call the Coast Guard, no flares. Our SOS flashes were lost either in the sun or moon glint apparently. Nobody had any idea where we were. How could they?
Even if they figured out we'd borrowed the boat by now, why would we have stayed on the water?
Then again, how could we not be on the water? If we'd come back on land we would have gone home. Why would five kids who didn't know one another simultaneously decide to run away for a week and a half, without leaving a single word with loved ones? The only logical conclusion was that we'd gotten into trouble and drowned.
Would we? Was that how it would end? Would we capsize in a storm? Drowning would have been preferable to dying of thirst.
What would that look like? How would it feel? Would it be so painful that there would be a need for mercy killing? Would the dried-out dying beg for death? And what about the last survivor?
JoJo was gone. Dri and John scanned the water, "What happened?
John said.
"You didn't see?" Dri said.
"You were on watch," John said.
Dricursed herself. "I nodded off." she said, "How could I do that?
How could I desert him like that? He needed to be looked after."
"The splash that woke me up," John said. "I think it came from the left."
Sure enough, Jojo rose to the surface not far from where John pointed. He groaned.
There were four sharks after all. Jojo was jerked down, but he didn't go all the way under. Blood spread out from him. He looked confused. He stared at John as a shark bit his shoulder and shook him to tear away the skin. He didn’t have time to scream before another shark clamped his mouth over his head.
He pointer toward the horizon, except there wasn't a horizon anymore. The water and sky were the same color, almost black, and all I could think about was Jojo, how lucky he was to miss what was coming.
The waves didn't break, and the clouds didn't either. The sun wasn't supposed to set for another hour, but night came early that day.
Overhead was a dark purple skin with gray veins. It slid over the sky with a definite edge, God's eyelid closing. It stretched out to the horizon in every direction.
We'd strapped ourselves in at the back of the boat, John on one side, Dri and me on the other.
John and Dri heard it before I did. Chuck-chuck-chuck.
John gripped my shoulder. I had to punch him to get his hand off me. The helicopter came close. No basket stretcher dangled down to us. No safety ropes. No Navy SEALs in high-tech wet suits.
A guy in work clothes leaned out the shotgun window with an actual shotgun and fired a long-tailed streamer into one of the logs.
The streamer pulsed fluorescent pink. Another guy leaned out with a bullhorn. He was laughing and waving, and John, Dri, and I looked at one another like, What do we do? John shrugged and waved back. The guy yelled down to us through the bullhorn,
"We're not here to rescue you."
"Truly appreciate that!" I said.
"We're spotters for the salvage crews. We're here to tag the freight. We don't have any ladders or anything to pull you up. We're short on gas and have to get back. We'll send somebody along shortly.”
When I woke, the bunk was too quiet. The wind roared inside my head. I put on the TV loud and felt better. A guy came in and said. detective by the name of Kreizler wanted to talk with me.
The detective and I sat and I rocked and told him everything or pretty much everything. He was a nice guy. "They say the odds are eighty percent that without GPS on that boat you should have died at sea," he said. "I don't know how you lasted that long. I mean, how did you not give up?"
"I gave up," I said. "It's just dumb luck I lasted."
"Where did we wind up, by the way?" I said.
"What do you mean?"
"In the ocean. Like near England or something?"
Kreizler smiled. "They found you about eighty miles away from where you left. Who knows if you were dragged out and back in with all the crazy winds, but you didn't end up far from where you started.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 9, 2015
Adrift is a book that has the sort of premise that isn't often seen in YA: a group of teenagers go to look for a friend who went to do some late night surfing, and are cast off into the middle of the ocean as they realise they are out of fuel.
Honestly, I feel like the characters were all pretty underdeveloped. Main character Matt had the personality of a cardboard box, and Dri, the love interest was just that: the love interest, and had no defining features except being pretty and nice. John just kept making creepy and annoying and unhelpful comments like "why don't we use that dead person as bait for sharks" and "we should kill that person before they turn on us", and honestly I'm just sitting here like, shut up John.
There were a couple of minor things that bugged me throughout the book- they were definitely little things, but they just kind of built up and I think it got a bit too much for me in the end. Like the fact that flies suddenly appeared and disappeared while they were in the middle of the ocean (where did they come from and where did they go??). And the fact that Matt commented on how thin and emaciated everyone looked when it was something like day 3 adrift (people don't lose weight that quickly...). There were others, but I won't sit here mentioning them all.
Overall, Adrift was a quick read that felt like it left a few issues unexplored. It probably would have benefited from being a bit longer.
Ratings
Overall: 5/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 2.5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 3/5
Honestly, I feel like the characters were all pretty underdeveloped. Main character Matt had the personality of a cardboard box, and Dri, the love interest was just that: the love interest, and had no defining features except being pretty and nice. John just kept making creepy and annoying and unhelpful comments like "why don't we use that dead person as bait for sharks" and "we should kill that person before they turn on us", and honestly I'm just sitting here like, shut up John.
There were a couple of minor things that bugged me throughout the book- they were definitely little things, but they just kind of built up and I think it got a bit too much for me in the end. Like the fact that flies suddenly appeared and disappeared while they were in the middle of the ocean (where did they come from and where did they go??). And the fact that Matt commented on how thin and emaciated everyone looked when it was something like day 3 adrift (people don't lose weight that quickly...). There were others, but I won't sit here mentioning them all.
Overall, Adrift was a quick read that felt like it left a few issues unexplored. It probably would have benefited from being a bit longer.
Ratings
Overall: 5/10
Plot: 3/5
Romance: 2.5/5
Writing: 4/5
Characters: 3/5
Cover: 3/5
Read
February 1, 2017Griffin’s tale is of five teenagers who find themselves stranded out at sea. Matt and Mike sign on for summer jobs in Montauk, where they meet Driana, JoJo, and Stef, who come from a world of privilege they have never known. At a party one night, the group sneaks a small boat out to go sailing but a series of events causes them to get lost at sea. With nothing to do but try and stay alive, grievances are aired, pasts are reckoned with, and personal limits are tested. This is an entertaining read, though after almost two weeks with little to no food and only occasional sips of water, it’s hard to imagine them having the strength to even hold a conversation! -Sara Z.
Get it at the library!
Get it at the library!
October 26, 2020
Oh, wow. That got heavy and dark and it stayed that way, aided I suppose by the fact that they are lost at sea without food for quite a few more days than most YA authors would put their kids through. I loved the friendship between the two local guys and even appreciated John's outwardly emotionless, thoroughly pragmatic "if there's a problem, don't have feelings about it, fix it" approach to the whole situation, but the narrator was not kidding around when he said none of them made it back whole.
July 23, 2015
This was wateryly brilliant. <3 Had quite a slow start but then I was sucked into it like a tidal wave and COULDN'T. STOP. READING.
Review will be up on blog soon and expect lots of watery gifs and and puns. >;)
Review will be up on blog soon and expect lots of watery gifs and and puns. >;)
October 7, 2015
A Haiku for Adrift:
Dumb teens on a boat
Very hungry sharks eat them
Lots of blood and gore
Dumb teens on a boat
Very hungry sharks eat them
Lots of blood and gore
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
February 1, 2016A gripping read. I felt like I was on the boat with the kids. Could easily see this one becoming a movie. Just the idea of sharks frightens me so I was pretty much freaked out the whole book.
April 5, 2018
Reading time: Two days
Star rating: Four Stars
Matt and his best friend, John, only came out to Montauk for the summer to make a little extra cash and then head back home. A seemingly basic plan for two guys from Queens. And then Matt meets Driana. The girl leads to a party, the party leads to a boat, which leads to being adrift at sea with three rich kids who have no clue about how to navigate a boat, let alone actually survive.
I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a little bit to distinguish the characters, but that was probably because I was listening to the audio book.
The story was really intriguing to begin with. It’s a typical survivor story, and it was suspenseful and it was hard to stop listening to it. There were times I cringed at the descriptions because they were very accurate and gruesome.
Two teenagers, John and Matt meet Jojo, Dri, and Stephfrom Rio,. Dri invites them to a party that night. After being there for a while, the teens discover that Steph was no where to be found and had in fact gone windsurfing at night.
Them being teenagers, decided to all get in a boat to go after her and bring her back, because she was most likely drunk and they didn’t want her to get hurt.
Circumstances as they were, they are met by a dolphin that ends up breaking Steph’s arm. (I’m not too clear on how exactly this happens. It could have been because I was listening and just didn’t catch it, but I think it was something to the effect of wanting to give it a hug goodbye? I could be wrong, but that’s what I remember and I guess that could be something a really stupid, drunk teenager would do).
So all five of them end up being carried out to sea, Steph with a broken, bleeding arm, Jojo, we later find out is usually on medication and doesn’t fair well without it, Dri and Matt pretty much freak out, and John pretty much stays calm the whole time.
They have to make difficult decisions at sea as they wait for about three weeks to be rescued. They are faced with death, storms, starvation, and desperation in a story filled with twists in every chapter.
Stories of their past come to life, some difficult, some not, as they all (sorta) grow closer. This is definitely a good read for teenagers/young adults.
Star rating: Four Stars
Matt and his best friend, John, only came out to Montauk for the summer to make a little extra cash and then head back home. A seemingly basic plan for two guys from Queens. And then Matt meets Driana. The girl leads to a party, the party leads to a boat, which leads to being adrift at sea with three rich kids who have no clue about how to navigate a boat, let alone actually survive.
I really enjoyed this book. It did take me a little bit to distinguish the characters, but that was probably because I was listening to the audio book.
The story was really intriguing to begin with. It’s a typical survivor story, and it was suspenseful and it was hard to stop listening to it. There were times I cringed at the descriptions because they were very accurate and gruesome.
Two teenagers, John and Matt meet Jojo, Dri, and Stephfrom Rio,. Dri invites them to a party that night. After being there for a while, the teens discover that Steph was no where to be found and had in fact gone windsurfing at night.
Them being teenagers, decided to all get in a boat to go after her and bring her back, because she was most likely drunk and they didn’t want her to get hurt.
Circumstances as they were, they are met by a dolphin that ends up breaking Steph’s arm. (I’m not too clear on how exactly this happens. It could have been because I was listening and just didn’t catch it, but I think it was something to the effect of wanting to give it a hug goodbye? I could be wrong, but that’s what I remember and I guess that could be something a really stupid, drunk teenager would do).
So all five of them end up being carried out to sea, Steph with a broken, bleeding arm, Jojo, we later find out is usually on medication and doesn’t fair well without it, Dri and Matt pretty much freak out, and John pretty much stays calm the whole time.
They have to make difficult decisions at sea as they wait for about three weeks to be rescued. They are faced with death, storms, starvation, and desperation in a story filled with twists in every chapter.
Stories of their past come to life, some difficult, some not, as they all (sorta) grow closer. This is definitely a good read for teenagers/young adults.
October 4, 2023
The thought of being stuck on a boat in the seemingly unending waves of the Atlantic ocean would be a nightmare for many. However, in Adrift by Paul Griffin, this supposedly impossible situation becomes a reality for a group of teenagers who are all drastically different. Containing heavy themes regarding death, suffering, and love, I would certainly recommend this book to readers who seek a compelling and inspiring yet devastating story of survival.
In Adrift, the protagonist, Matt, is introduced as a kind and ambitious 17-year old who emerges from humble beginnings in Queens, New York. He and his close friend John are working in Montauk, earning money selling sodas and ice creams to wealthy beachgoers. As they labor under the stifling sun, they meet Driana (Dri), JoJo (Joao), and Estefania (Stef), a wealthier group vacationing by the coast. Although seemingly opposite, the two groups bond and Matt and John are invited to their party. John, described as cold and uninviting, resists, but the pair ultimately attends due to Matt’s immense attraction to Dri, an affluent 17-year old girl who is taking a gap year before continuing her studies at Harvard. However, chaos unfolds when the party is invaded by police, and Dri, Matt, John, and JoJo discover that Stef has gone missing.
Fortunately, they decipher that she had gone surfing in the dark night, and the four hurriedly chase after her, finding she had already sailed far out into the sea. Once they manage to approach her distance on a stolen boat, though, Stef suffers from an accident, halting their mission. The five children find themselves stuck out at sea without the materials to survive longer than a few hours. Throughout the intriguing novel, the teens grapple with both the physical burdens of the elements, injuries, and their harrowing lack of materials, and the emotional turmoil of unresolved conflicts from the past and their constantly depleting likelihood of survival.
As the book progresses, the sadness, anxiety, and affection of the characters is transferred to the reader through Paul Griffin’s vivid descriptions and unveiling of new, astounding details on each character's life. When Matt decides to join Dri and JoJo on their quest to return their friend, it is admirable how he opposes John, who attempts to convince him to stay on land, to aid three individuals whom he had met mere hours previously. However, John’s perspective of wanting exemption from struggle, a challenge both boys were familiar with, is also reasonable, as it results in the both of them encroaching death on several occasions. If they hadn’t gone, though, Dri, JoJo, and Stef likely would have succumbed immediately due to the conditions and their lack of natural experiences. Such moral conflicts are apparent throughout the story, a clear display of the complexities and differences between each character and their background.
However, despite the appeal I felt for the plot and details in Adrift, the writing style was deficient at times. The book was simply written and the plot was very fast-paced. In several instances, the sentences even sounded choppy as they were excessively short. Although this was a fairly successful attempt at incorporating seriousness and suspense to the tone, it made the writing uneven. The characters themselves, despite coming from interesting circumstances, were a bit dull at times, especially in regards to dialogue. Although it was exciting to read about surprising elements of their backgrounds, their actions were predictable and their characterization lacking. These factors made it hard for me to connect with and empathize with each individual.
Overall, though, Adrift is a very captivating novel which I would recommend for it’s plot over writing quality. I found that many moments evoked an emotional reaction from me, a testament to Paul Griffin’s ability to set the proper tone of each chapter. This book would be an optimal choice for a reader who enjoys “Titanic”, or other stories of survival and desperation. The experience of individuals struggling to remain alive as they battle the elements is undeniably not a rare one in literature, but in Adrift, it is expanded upon, differentiated, and somewhat intensified, making for a great read.
July 10, 2022
This was the perfect book for me right now! I read it all in one sitting this evening, and it was just what I needed. It's an intense survival story, which I love, but likely because it's young adult, the character development isn't very deep and it's super angsty. That was fine for me right now.
Here's the plot: It's told in the first-person by Matt, who, along with his best friend John leave their Brooklyn/Queens homes to work in Montauk on Long Island for the summer to earn money. It's the summer after their junior year in high school. Very quickly Matt meets a girl and develops a massive crush. Her cousin and her cousin's boyfriend are visiting from Brazil for the summer. All three are rich kids but are nice to Matt and John and invite them to a party. This leads to a stupid decision, and these two groups of near-strangers suddenly find themselves on a small boat in the ocean, adrift at sea with bad weather coming in.
The setup to get to the "adrift" part is a bit clunky and fast, but that was fine with me because I was here for the survival story. We know from the beginning of the book some of them survive but not all of them do. Who will live? And who will die? Will they turn on each other? How will they die? When and how will they be rescued? Or will they somehow save themselves? I love reading stories that answer all of these questions, and I clearly could not put down this book, as the tension built up as the days on the sea slowly passed by.
Here's the plot: It's told in the first-person by Matt, who, along with his best friend John leave their Brooklyn/Queens homes to work in Montauk on Long Island for the summer to earn money. It's the summer after their junior year in high school. Very quickly Matt meets a girl and develops a massive crush. Her cousin and her cousin's boyfriend are visiting from Brazil for the summer. All three are rich kids but are nice to Matt and John and invite them to a party. This leads to a stupid decision, and these two groups of near-strangers suddenly find themselves on a small boat in the ocean, adrift at sea with bad weather coming in.
The setup to get to the "adrift" part is a bit clunky and fast, but that was fine with me because I was here for the survival story. We know from the beginning of the book some of them survive but not all of them do. Who will live? And who will die? Will they turn on each other? How will they die? When and how will they be rescued? Or will they somehow save themselves? I love reading stories that answer all of these questions, and I clearly could not put down this book, as the tension built up as the days on the sea slowly passed by.
September 28, 2018
I personally like this book for the realness of it. It talks about things that would be in a movie. Who would think three rich kids would end up with 2 poor kids. First off it was stupid for Stef to go out windsurfing in a storm. And not to mention it made all of them get into that mess. They were trying to go out and get Stef and it was pitch dark outside. Once they got to her she had fallen off and stood swimming in the water. Then a dolphin came up and it was kinda weird and cool at the same time. Then the dolphin got scared and swam fast wrapped around Stef's leg rope and snapped her leg. A bone came popping out and she screamed. Once they got her on the boat they noticed that most of the boats gas was out. Stef had passed out so she couldn't tell what happened. I personally liked this book, but i'm not fully done with it, but almost. So far it is very interesting and shows what people will do to survive.
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March 28, 2019matt and John go to an island called Montauk. Matt meets a rich girl named Driana and she invites them to a party. John really angers me because he is a terrible wingman to matt. This girl steph who has a boyfriend named Jojo hits on John in front of Jojo and he does nothing. I think Jojo is a terrible boyfriend because he just lets his girl flirt with other guys. Then Steph who I already hate decides she's gonna go for a night surf during a storm and gets lost. Steph breaks her arm and I was hoping she would end up dying but she hasn't yet. So the only people I like are matt and Driana. They have a great moment where they are about to kiss but Jojo ruins it. This book is very good though because of the romantic tension. Whenever Matt and driana are together its very tense and you can almost feel the connection between them.
August 30, 2018
Adrift
By: Cole Frazier
How would you do if you had to stay on a raft for sixteen days with no food or water? The Book Adrift by Paul Griffin. Is a book about five teen friends that go and look for there friend that got lost night surfing. But it turns out to be a horrible decision. They get stuck on the boat for sixteen days without food or water. When they thought things couldn't get any worse it did, friends died and they went into severe dehydration. But even though things went bad the five survivers always stook as friends. Or did they ?.
By: Cole Frazier
How would you do if you had to stay on a raft for sixteen days with no food or water? The Book Adrift by Paul Griffin. Is a book about five teen friends that go and look for there friend that got lost night surfing. But it turns out to be a horrible decision. They get stuck on the boat for sixteen days without food or water. When they thought things couldn't get any worse it did, friends died and they went into severe dehydration. But even though things went bad the five survivers always stook as friends. Or did they ?.
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