By Tracey Garvis Graves
Genre Adult contemporary
Pages 329
Recommended by Rebecca
First sentence I was thirty years old when the seaplane T.J. Callahan and I were on crash-landed in the Indian Ocean.
Synopsis
Anna's life appears to be heading no where. She has a job she loves but she's 30 years old and her boyfriend of eight years won't commit. When the opportunity to tutor 16 year old T.J for the summer at the families summer home in the Maldives arises, Anna jumps at the chance to get away and make some decisions. But life is about to get a lot more complicated. When the seaplane crash-lands in the Indian Ocean she and T.J are the only survivors. Stranded on a deserted island the two struggle to survive and fight the growing attachment between them.
What it has going for it
I'm not going to lie. I love deserted on tropical island stories. Throw in a 30 year old girl and a 16 year old boy and mention a possible romance and I'm definitely intrigued. No, not because I'm a perve! It's just conflict....really interesting conflict. And I LOVE conflict. First and foremost, my favorite part of the book was how the two survived. How they found food water and shelter and learned to adapt. I always find stories where people have to survive without anything absolutely thrilling. I don't want to be too spoilery so if you are already itching to read this one you can skip this next bit. ***I liked that the story wasn't just about the two on the island but how they got off and life after. Albeit a little less exciting, the story needed to go on beyond their rescue.*** The romance if you're worrying wasn't too shocking. I'll just go ahead and admit that if I was stranded on an island with a guy (almost any age) for three and a half years I'd have a heck of a hard time not having some sort of romance. If you survived this type of tragedy and spent that much time with only one person to talk to, some sort of deep relationship (not necessarily romantic) is going to happen. Just sayin'. I read this book in two days. It was very gripping and held my attention even during the slow parts. Lately...that's a good thing.
What's lacking
Um, I knew this was going to be romantic chick-lit in the guise of a survival story but I wasn't overly thrilled that, in reality, it was erotica in the guise of romance. Make sense? I'm not saying this was total crap but because it focused so much on the physical part of the romance I had a hard time believing these two were really in love. And as the whole story is based on their love I wanted to believe in it more. I also felt...and this might be spoilery again, ***that when they got off the island reality would have sunk in and they wouldn't have been so comfortable with their relationship anymore.***
Favorite moment
It was very exciting and kinda sweet when Anna got stung by a jelly fish and T.J had to take care of her. Oh, and the dolphins helping kill the shark was cool too.
Yea or Nay?
Yeah, I might recommend it but only with the warning that there was sexual situations that bordered on erotica. Or maybe I just don't read enough "romance" and am being naive. ;)
I'm listening to Outlander right now and the sex is way more intense than I expected it... especially for an audiobook I listen to in early morning traffic.
ReplyDeleteThe premise intrigues me, but also makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. Especially if the focus is on the physical side of the relationship.
I think if I had been expecting it more it wouldn't have shocked me so much. Oh well, I guess that's how it goes. I'm not sure I could handle it in audiobook, though.
DeleteI have read some really good reviews of this book. I have to admit that graphic sex in books makes me a bit ... Squeamish? I'm reading an urban fantasy right now that is pretty graphic. It sort of caught me by surprise and I've been stalled in my reading.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it catching me by surprise is why I struggled with it.
Delete+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to read that this book doesn't skimp on the Survival Story details (because those can be fascinating!) . . . not so glad to read that the romance comes off as thinly-veiled Erotica. =/
You might say I have a "high tolerance" for graphic sex in my reading, if I get the sense that the story calls for it, but I get what you're saying about the relationship seeming purely physical, and therefore not as real as it could be. And well, it's possible for graphic sex scenes both to fit the story and to fail the story--or rather, to make the story fail. If the author thought that graphic details would make the love seem more intense--and therefore, more real (There's that word again!--then your reaction is quite damning, aye?
The survival part was quite fascinating but a lot of the book's story hung on the romance and it was hard to take seriously.
DeleteI've read so many different reviews of this book and they are all good but I've been so undecided about reading it. I think your review is a little more informative than others (I could help but read between the stars) but I'm still undecided. I get the whole romance thing because they are the only 2 people, but the age does bother me a little. And to find out that it's more romance than survival is a bit of a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure at some point I'll read it.
Yeah, I think people feel the need to keep things vague on this one. I couldn't write my review without giving somethings away, though. If it makes you feel better he's "old enough" before anything happens. ;)
DeleteI really liked your review! You know I LOVED this book, but I totally see were you are coming from. And I am so with you, the dolphins helping kill the shark, that is one of my favorite moments too.
ReplyDeleteOh good! I was worried I was going to offend you. I did like the book I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be explicit. So, yeah, it just sort of took me by surprise.
DeleteThat awkward moment when you're reading a novel and you stumble upon a graphic sex scene you weren't expecting.... And, I also hate when people yell at you, "Well, what did you expect? You have [insert character 1 here] and [insert character 2 here]. Of course it's going to get dirty!"
ReplyDeleteUmm... I just don't usually expect that. Moral of the story: Books need content ratings!
LOL! Agreed! I get yelled at about this all the time. Sometimes I know dang good and well there's going to be graphic stuff. It's just when you weren't sure or weren't expecting it when it's shocking.
DeleteI have that same problem with "romance" that is extremely physical. Less relationship, more hormones -- not my thing. A slow build is a lot more believable and enjoyable to read, IMHO. And, not all romance novels have graphic sex, so you're not overreacting. It's something that often isn't mentioned in reviews, unfortunately. I tend to prefer sweet and innocent romance, when I read it -- and more plot, less relationship, actually.
ReplyDeleteGood to know. I've read books that I KNOW are going to have graphic sex in them and at least I'm expecting it but this one just startled me.
Delete16? Wow.... and the cover looks so sweet. STill...it sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI know, and yet it does sound intriguing, huh?
DeleteI'm going to get all sciencey and say that I was watching Discovery and it's been proven that if two people (usually of the opposite gender) are thrown into a situation of isolation/uncertainty and dependency the likelihood of a romantic attachment is almost 100%
ReplyDeleteNow that you know how much of a geek I am, I am always up for a good beachy read. Graphic sex can mean so many things (thanks a lot 50 Shades of Grey!)...I think all those years of reading romance books in my teens has desensitized me so I probably won't be that fazed. Though the 16 year old thing is a bit of a worry.
LOL! I love your science. Good to know I'm not the only one who thinks a romance is likely to happen to two people in this type of situation.
DeleteIt wasn't THAT graphic. It mainly just surprised me. I wasn't expecting it.