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shandawarren's review against another edition
5.0
Oh my heart. This book sucked me in and made me feel all the feelings there are to feel.
kaleenazagrzebski's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! When I first read the description, I was hesitant because I usually read books in the crime/mystery/thriller categories (but I'm trying to expand my reading!). Then, I started hearing more people talk about this book, and other people saying that this isn't the type of book they would normally go for and they loved it, so I decided to give it a try. At first, I was a little skeptical, I just wasn't getting into the idea of an entire book taking place with two people on a deserted island, but all of a sudden I was 150 pages in and I couldn't put the book down! I also really enjoyed the writing. Although in the third person (I usually prefer first), I really enjoyed Huckelbridge's writing and would definitely pick up future novels he writes.
themaritimereader14's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars. This book seemed to be extremely widely recommended by some of my online friends about 2 years ago and my library did not acquire it so I purchased it and then it sat on my shelf for 2 years. I did have the ending spoiled for me, so that made me a bit more reluctant to pick it up, I think. However, after finally deciding to check out the very short and extremely beautiful narrated version on Hoopla, I can see the hype around this book. It is so wonderful and these characters will stay with me for a long time. I loved so much about this. I don't want to say much more about it but trust me when I say it is worth the time.
kralmario0604's review against another edition
5.0
To that person on Twitter who fan-casted Léa Seydoux and Ryan Gosling as Sophie and Barry, you have my wholehearted thanks. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have known this book existed. And that fan-casting, by the way, was spot-on.
Beautifully written and concise. 5/5 - would recommend to anyone who likes their love stories happy and sad.
Beautifully written and concise. 5/5 - would recommend to anyone who likes their love stories happy and sad.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
I first heard about this book on the What Should I Read Next Podcast Episode 104. Link: http://modernmrsdarcy.com/104-episode/
Let me preface this by saying I have a terrible fear of flying. Of course, a few chapters in, there is a plane crash. That was just the beginning of the anxiety that persisted throughout the remaining chapters. This a very intense (sometimes humorous) story about the struggles that the two survivors endure while trying to survive on a small, uncharted Pacific island.
Let me preface this by saying I have a terrible fear of flying. Of course, a few chapters in, there is a plane crash. That was just the beginning of the anxiety that persisted throughout the remaining chapters. This a very intense (sometimes humorous) story about the struggles that the two survivors endure while trying to survive on a small, uncharted Pacific island.
lizallenknapp's review against another edition
4.0
After reading the author’s note on GoodReads about writing this book as a new take on the literary fiction genre—one that’s still intelligent and character-driven but also accessible and adventurous and “fun-brow”—I’ve decided that that is what I really enjoyed about this book, one I read in a single sitting on a Sunday summer afternoon. It’s a mash-up of different styles and genres that created a completely engrossing read.
First and foremost, this is a story of survival. Barry, a former Wall Street finance guy with dreams of being an artist, and Sophie, a newly married French architect, wind up stranded together on a very tiny island in the South Pacific, offering nothing much but a reprieve from the tumult of an angry sea and a bunch of banana trees. While there’s quite a bit of adventure embedded in the plot, it’s also so much more than a survival story. In the beginning, for example, between these omniscient-narrator, documentary-style scenes of Barry and Sophie setting up survival camp, there are these little tendrils of information, these offshoot stories, a play on six-degrees of separation that are all interconnected to this small Polynesian island where these two have been plotted. I really enjoyed this style even though it tapered off once the marooned couple’s time on the island became the focus in contrast to the the hows and whys of their arrival.
I think this would be a good summer book club pick—or one to buddy-read because I keep wanting to talk about this story, especially the ending. So if you’re into lit fic AND survival stories, grab this book and prepare to experience so much more than the thrill of adventure. Just like the intense situation Barry and Sophie navigate, the emotions we experience right along with them are just as extreme.
First and foremost, this is a story of survival. Barry, a former Wall Street finance guy with dreams of being an artist, and Sophie, a newly married French architect, wind up stranded together on a very tiny island in the South Pacific, offering nothing much but a reprieve from the tumult of an angry sea and a bunch of banana trees. While there’s quite a bit of adventure embedded in the plot, it’s also so much more than a survival story. In the beginning, for example, between these omniscient-narrator, documentary-style scenes of Barry and Sophie setting up survival camp, there are these little tendrils of information, these offshoot stories, a play on six-degrees of separation that are all interconnected to this small Polynesian island where these two have been plotted. I really enjoyed this style even though it tapered off once the marooned couple’s time on the island became the focus in contrast to the the hows and whys of their arrival.
I think this would be a good summer book club pick—or one to buddy-read because I keep wanting to talk about this story, especially the ending. So if you’re into lit fic AND survival stories, grab this book and prepare to experience so much more than the thrill of adventure. Just like the intense situation Barry and Sophie navigate, the emotions we experience right along with them are just as extreme.
amandacruikshank's review against another edition
5.0
The book was HIGHLY recommended by a trusted source, so I went in with pretty lofty expectations. It totally met, and in ways exceeded them! I fell in love with the characters, in the same way I did the Guernsey characters. I loved them hard and wanted to be where they were. It will be one that I read over again.
katieproctorbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Five gut-wrenching, devastating, ugly sobbing stars for this one.
jenleah's review against another edition
4.0
This book really took me by surprise. Somehow I missed it when it was a newer release, but I'm glad it popped up recently in my Goodreads feed. Thoroughly enjoyed this story (though the end surprised and saddened me), and the audiobook narration was excellent.