Review: Bay Song by Noelle Adams

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If you are a fan of Noelle Adams, Bay Song is not something that is similar to what you would think she would come out with. It’s deeper and darker at times but really pushes the reader to a place that demands empathy and patience for a character worth rooting for. The emotional journey of the characters, one on the cusp of her conscious exist breaking and the other searching for an inner truth to validate his self identity find crossing paths where the truth sets them free.

Holly is in her early twenties. She hasn’t exactly had the ideal life. The origin of her existence is rooted in tragedy and that painful reminder has affected her life, crippling her emotionally and socially. She was never around people and the only reality she had was the world that existed between herself and her mother. Her mother suffered tremendously which affected the quality of life for them both. She had a brief time where life seemed to be heading in a better direction until her mother left which changed her life forever. She had chose to live a life in recluse and cut off the world with little to no contact unless necessary until one day she met Cade.

Cade is the hometown person who made it big but is on a downward spiral of his career looking for a chance to redeem his former success. Returning home to find some inspiration, his next book is a make or break. One day after noticing Holly, his natural investigative curiosity sparked knowing there was something behind her that he wanted to know more about, which he felt would be the idea for his next book. Not knowing what lies beneath the surface, the more he uncovers, the deeper he falls for the story which unearths unexpected consequences that potentially change their lives forever.

Overall, there were moments that were predictable but that came out of the trajectory of the emotional development of the characters. I think when you have characters like Holly and Cade, there is an expectation of certain things to happen based on the scenario but then there is a shift that propels the interest for the reader in another direction which makes this unexpected that makes you want to read more.

This was definitely a unique plot that really gives a compelling story with deep, rich characters that really grab your attention. The pace of the book was just right. Patience for answers is the key because I wanted to know certain things earlier but when I got those answers, it was the right time which made the book better. I really enjoyed this one and applaud Noelle for doing something different, showing her versatility as an author which I really appreciate. I hope she makes another book captures such depth as this one.