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bookilydo's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
I LOVED this book. Really loved it. Not because it's some epic plot or has characters that were unforgettable, but because it really gets at the heart of grief and moving on with life after a traumatic event. It does it in the most fun way, too.
Anna is a young woman who loses her fiance to suicide. She is adrift in the aftermath - grieving the loss of him, of their life, of the future they'd planned. As a widow, myself, I really identified with a lot of the emotions Anna goes through and the actions she takes.
She decides to strike out on an ambitious sailing adventure that was really her fiance's dream. Along the way, she has adventures that feel real and accessible while still carrying the allure of an epic dream of travel. She also meets Keane Sullivan - an Irish sailor capable of seemingly anything. I loved their interpersonal development.
If you've ever dreamed of epic trips, of swimming with sea turtles, of finding yourself capable of more, or have had to navigate the world after loss,I think you might love this book as much as I did.
Anna is a young woman who loses her fiance to suicide. She is adrift in the aftermath - grieving the loss of him, of their life, of the future they'd planned. As a widow, myself, I really identified with a lot of the emotions Anna goes through and the actions she takes.
She decides to strike out on an ambitious sailing adventure that was really her fiance's dream. Along the way, she has adventures that feel real and accessible while still carrying the allure of an epic dream of travel. She also meets Keane Sullivan - an Irish sailor capable of seemingly anything. I loved their interpersonal development.
If you've ever dreamed of epic trips, of swimming with sea turtles, of finding yourself capable of more, or have had to navigate the world after loss,I think you might love this book as much as I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Colonisation and Slavery
kfmcf's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really appreciated this book in concept. A woman taking her late fiancé's boat on a trip to try and realign her life is a solid story. The characters in the book were fine, I just found myself pretty uninterested in the writing as a whole. A lot of the way things were written was 'they did this. And then they did this. Then this happened.' There was little flavor and color added to many of the sections which slowed down the book and my enjoyment of it.
I appreciated the dedication to ensuring the sailing aspects were truthful, but I think it added an unnecessary rigidity.
I liked the FL quite a bit. I related to her and felt the pain she was going through. The ML was fine. I think he needed one more layer besides Irish + nice + prosthetic. He was a little too perfect imo and that can get boring. There chemistry also felt a tad forced so that was a bummer. I did really appreciate that there wasn't the typical 3rd act conflict/blowout and all of the conflict was an inner or personal struggle on the FL's part.
Also - fair warning that this book just ENDS. There was very little lead up to the ending and then it was over. No epilogue (which would have been really nice to see how the FL was continuing to move on with her life).
Overall, I'm giving this book a 3 because I did enjoy it, it just isn't one I'll probably ever pick up again. I know the author has a sequel coming out this year that I do plan to read because I think her stories are intriguing. I'm hoping this one is a bit less technical.
I appreciated the dedication to ensuring the sailing aspects were truthful, but I think it added an unnecessary rigidity.
I liked the FL quite a bit. I related to her and felt the pain she was going through. The ML was fine. I think he needed one more layer besides Irish + nice + prosthetic. He was a little too perfect imo and that can get boring. There chemistry also felt a tad forced so that was a bummer. I did really appreciate that there wasn't the typical 3rd act conflict/blowout and all of the conflict was an inner or personal struggle on the FL's part.
Also - fair warning that this book just ENDS. There was very little lead up to the ending and then it was over. No epilogue (which would have been really nice to see how the FL was continuing to move on with her life).
Overall, I'm giving this book a 3 because I did enjoy it, it just isn't one I'll probably ever pick up again. I know the author has a sequel coming out this year that I do plan to read because I think her stories are intriguing. I'm hoping this one is a bit less technical.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Colonisation and Car accident
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