*The story takes off right at the start, and within 30 pages you are completely engaged in the story of Anna and T.J. and their fight to survive on a deserted island. This kept me turning the pages and completely oblivious to the world around me. Luckily, I was parked on my couch and in no danger of making a fool of myself in public.
*The two main characters, Anna and T.J., are completely likable and very real. Anna is a 30 year old teacher who is hired to tutor T.J., a 16 year old young man recovering from a serious illness. They are flying to a family vacation in the Maldives when their plane crashes in shark infested waters. They both end up on a deserted island with literally the clothes on their backs. It doesn't look good. Can they find enough food and water on the island to survive until rescue?
* The author doesn't write about every day, every moment on the island, but you get a good sense of the passage of time--mostly played out in the slowly dwindling supplies they have--what will they do if they aren't rescued at all?
*The relationship between Anna and T.J. is appropriately correct for a 30 year old woman and a young man. As time passes, however, and T.J. grows older, feelings between the two develop. This is not an "ick" moment, and the author writes it as a slowly developing part of the story. I did not for one moment feel that Anna's tutor status made their relationship inappropriate--after all, they had just met at the airport for the first time, and barely knew each other before the plane crashed. There was no relationship at all--two strangers stuck together on an island. All they have is time to talk and survive.
*I can't say more about the story, cause I will spoil it for you and give away a lot of the plot. This book is already a huge hit as an e-book (available at B&N for $5.99); and the paperback was just released. It will be a giant seller for the summer. It's the perfect vacation read, or a perfect book to read when you're stuck in the house on horrible hot days.
I'm excited to say this author is from Iowa--Des Moines, and will be at our B&N in Cedar Rapids for a book signing in early August. I'm looking forward to meeting her and listening to her speak about her journey to being a published author.
Read a love story that's engaging, hard to put down, and keeps you up late at night feverishly reading until the last page. Rating: 4/5 for likable characters, a story line that moves along and keeps you completely engaged, and provides a few hours of escape from every day life.
No comments :
Post a Comment