Genre

MATURE AUDIENCE, DRAMA, ROMANCE

Brief

In an Australian coastal town, Brad tries to stave off feelings for his best mate's younger sister Justine, but he becomes jealous and vindictive when she starts seeing another man. Eventually, Justine admits her feelings for Brad, and they finally come together and embrace each other as lovers.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

THIRD PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: GOOD

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: FAIR

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Accuracy of Book Profile

Yes, it seems like a perfectly accurate reflection of the book.

Draw of Story

What drew me into the story immediately was the severity of the feelings of the main characters in the opening pages. One really gets a sense of how overwhelmed Brad is by Justine's appearance, and you really get a sense of their shared passion when they kiss. Brad's jealousy not long after is just as tangible as his passion, and the conflicts it introduces are as enthralling and memorable as the romantic elements.

Possible Drawbacks

Yes, there were a few opportunities for improvement-- For one, the main characters in Brad and Justine do not feel as sympathetic as they could or should be. What dominates their personalities in the middle 400 pages of this work is their jealousy and borderline toxicity in their treatment of one another. Brad's jealousy of Ben and Justine is unbecoming, and his behavior evolves into arguably emotional abuse, not to mention him grabbing Justine and causing her to injure her ankle. It doesn't bode well for the audience rooting for him to be happy and achieving his goal in being with Justine. Moreover, Justine strikes as a bit vindictive and immature, too, often playing into Brad's jealousy. It's understandable, given their ages, but again, it seems to chip away at the audience's incentives to root for them. Additionally, this work seems to exist in the present to a fault. There is a sense that many of the scenes and interactions unfold in real time, and the result is that long stretches of text don't seem vital enough to the overall journey and final outcome to warrant inclusion. What would benefit this text would be a comprehensive combing through to cut, condense, and simplify. In essence, there is little to warrant the epic size of nearly 600 pages. 300 pages should be more than enough to iterate and track these characters and their turbulent relationship.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The hook is that this work has more than enough sexual intrigue, steamy scenes, and verbal spats to fill out a feature film run time. The author takes a Nicholas Sparks-esque story and takes it further-- The sheer amount of drama and sexual tension will be sure to entice an audience.

Fanbase Potential

This would not have a large fanbase, per se. It is certainly not a four-quadrant story. Nevertheless, this would would most definitely appeal to a female audience and would generate a similar response as the semi-regular romance novel adaptations that are a marketplace staple.

Awards Potential

No, this would not have awards potential. It doesn't seem to be operating on a particularly high level thematically speaking, and it seems much more geared toward melodrama and entertainment.

Envisioned Budget

LOW BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

NICHOLAS SPARKS FILM ADAPTATIONS.

What’s New About the Story

What is unique about this work is how charged it is sexually-speaking, despite having very little actual sex in it. It is remarkable that is plays as so steamy despite this fact. That said, what might benefit this work would be a combing through for familiar beats and scenes that can be evolved or subverted in some way. The ending feels a bit simple and familiar for this genre space, as does the break-up with Ben. More can be done to deviate key moments from what has come before and to lend nuance and complexity to the outcomes of the characters.

Lead Characters

Justine stands out for her youthful spunk-- She is not afraid to speak her mind, more often than not, and it gives way to some fiery drama in this text. Brad stands out for his flawed ethos-- He is remarkably jealous and often vindictive, coming across more like an antagonist despite apparent positioning and framing as a star-crossed protagonist.

Uniqueness of Story

This is not quite a rare gem as it does seem to play into genre archetypes and traditions on a few occasions. This work is also encumbered by the fact that its protagonists' negative qualities seem to just outweigh their virtues. The sheer amount of jealousy in this text reflects poorly on its players, and it chips away at audience incentive to invest in them and to root for them to be together. More can be done to earn sympathy and investment. More needs to be done if we are to substantially be happy for Justine and Brad coming together in the final few dozen pages of this text.

Possible Formats

Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

This is a work in progress for two key reasons-- For one, more can be done to generate audience buy-in for the relationship of Brad and Justine. Right now, their mutual jealousy leads them to being occasionally toxic and mean to one another, and it doesn't bode well for the audience rooting for them as much as they could or should. Secondly, there is a sense that this work lives in the present to a fault and that there is much room to cut, condense, and simplify this text. In essence, there seems to be little reason for this work to be on the cusp of 600 pages. Much of the connective tissue between pivotal moments feels excessive and long-winded. Condensation would only yield a more palatable page count and more impact per page.

Tips for Improvement

The author would need to consider how to more deftly and effectively generate sympathy for its two leads. We need more reason to root for them and to like them. Secondly, more can be done to cut, condense, and simplify this work. It feels long-winded in its current form and a tighter, more efficient page count would only yield more impact per page.