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3.56 AVERAGE
3.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
SPOILER ALERT WARNING
4.5 STARS!
Rounding up though because I really, really enjoyed this book. Be warned- spoilers are in here.
The general premise of this book: Orca lives with her dad on an isolated island, and has spent her whole life there. She has never been to the mainland 'The Otherworld'- and has been living in this bubble her dad created for her. Things change when a phone washes up on a beach, and Orca calls a man named Jack Stevenson. Jack Stevenson informs Orca that his brother, Adam, is presumed dead after crashing his plane and being missing for days. Orca promises Jack that if Adam is on her island, she'll find him. From there- we are introduced to a love triangle plot & get to see Orca explore the otherworld, along with uncovering some family secrets. (I don't want to give too many spoilers).
This book gives me little mermaid vibes. Until you've read it, I don't think this analogy will make any sense- but it is SO LITTLE MERMAIDY. I love it.
Characters were loveable, and the plot was interesting. There was clear character development, and Abbie's writing has developed further from 100 Days of Sunlight. Don't get me wrong, I adored 100 Days of Sunlight- but I think Abbie's writing is better suited in this genre.
Now- my critiques. They are that 1) some dialogue felt quite forced, which made sense for Orca since she hasn't interacted with anyone and is super sheltered, but less so for the parents, Jack and Adam. It's more so the internal dialogue, or the scene in the beginning where Orca is talking to Lucien. 2) This book moves FAST, and feels like parts are convenient. I genuinely would have read another fifty pages of suspense building for the hunt for Adam. Another fifty pages of Orca and Adams first nights on the island. I wish Adam didn't have a phone charger, so that there was more tension on the family's side too. I love me a thriller, or a mystery- so I just wish there was a little more tension and suspense built up. I'm also a SUCKER for a slow burn romance.
I know that those are kinda nitpicky and just matters of preference, but thats it for critiques. I genuinely adore this book and I want a hardcover on my shelf like yesterday. You know the book is good when my biggest critique is that it was too short. I adore this book. Another very wholesome, and heartwarming book from Abbie Emmons that is worth your time reading. My favourite moments from this book had to do with the hunt for Adam and the mystery in the first part of the book, Orca experiencing the 'Otherworld' for the first time, Lucien- because cute lil doggo, and Adam as a character. He was a highlight for me, and I wish we got to spend more time with him!
Overall, a fun and easy to read book that you will find yourself smiling along too. I had a really hard time putting this book down- I read it in less than 24 hours- because of how interesting the general premise of this book is. I also feel like this book will relate to a lot of people- I think a lot of people have been isolated on their own 'islands' and experienced the complicated nature of familial relationships explored in this book.
I want to give a big, big thank you to Abbie Emmons for letting me on the ARC team for this book.
4.5 STARS!
Rounding up though because I really, really enjoyed this book. Be warned- spoilers are in here.
The general premise of this book: Orca lives with her dad on an isolated island, and has spent her whole life there. She has never been to the mainland 'The Otherworld'- and has been living in this bubble her dad created for her. Things change when a phone washes up on a beach, and Orca calls a man named Jack Stevenson. Jack Stevenson informs Orca that his brother, Adam, is presumed dead after crashing his plane and being missing for days. Orca promises Jack that if Adam is on her island, she'll find him. From there- we are introduced to a love triangle plot & get to see Orca explore the otherworld, along with uncovering some family secrets. (I don't want to give too many spoilers).
This book gives me little mermaid vibes. Until you've read it, I don't think this analogy will make any sense- but it is SO LITTLE MERMAIDY. I love it.
Characters were loveable, and the plot was interesting. There was clear character development, and Abbie's writing has developed further from 100 Days of Sunlight. Don't get me wrong, I adored 100 Days of Sunlight- but I think Abbie's writing is better suited in this genre.
Now- my critiques. They are that 1) some dialogue felt quite forced, which made sense for Orca since she hasn't interacted with anyone and is super sheltered, but less so for the parents, Jack and Adam. It's more so the internal dialogue, or the scene in the beginning where Orca is talking to Lucien. 2) This book moves FAST, and feels like parts are convenient. I genuinely would have read another fifty pages of suspense building for the hunt for Adam. Another fifty pages of Orca and Adams first nights on the island. I wish Adam didn't have a phone charger, so that there was more tension on the family's side too. I love me a thriller, or a mystery- so I just wish there was a little more tension and suspense built up. I'm also a SUCKER for a slow burn romance.
I know that those are kinda nitpicky and just matters of preference, but thats it for critiques. I genuinely adore this book and I want a hardcover on my shelf like yesterday. You know the book is good when my biggest critique is that it was too short. I adore this book. Another very wholesome, and heartwarming book from Abbie Emmons that is worth your time reading. My favourite moments from this book had to do with the hunt for Adam and the mystery in the first part of the book, Orca experiencing the 'Otherworld' for the first time, Lucien- because cute lil doggo, and Adam as a character. He was a highlight for me, and I wish we got to spend more time with him!
Overall, a fun and easy to read book that you will find yourself smiling along too. I had a really hard time putting this book down- I read it in less than 24 hours- because of how interesting the general premise of this book is. I also feel like this book will relate to a lot of people- I think a lot of people have been isolated on their own 'islands' and experienced the complicated nature of familial relationships explored in this book.
I want to give a big, big thank you to Abbie Emmons for letting me on the ARC team for this book.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
-3.75-
Thank you to Abbie Emmons and Netgalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The beginning hooked me right away.
It had depth and this very vivid feeling of the world, the lighthouse and the island, stormy weather, a coziness that made me want to crawl inside the pages and drink a cup of tea with Orca.
The characters are interesting and different from one another – Orca, wild and free, Jack, restless and fun, Adam, philosophical and caring. I especially loved the dynamic between Jack and Adam – they really felt like brothers and when they were angry with one another, it made me angry and sad too.
I liked their familiy and how they did get along with one another – no dumb drama, when there were conflicts between them, they made sense for the characters.
Orcas family is another thing. I found her mom especially so two dimensional – i mean we see her for like 5 pages but she is just so... heartless – and nothing else? Also i wished that Orca and her aunt got a bit more of "found-family" relationship – there could have been more explored.
The plot was interesting because the situation – Orca & her island – was so unique. I never quite knew what was going to happen next, so i kept reading.
Also the themes that were explored – family, self-sustainability, soulmates, meaning of life... a new perspective you basically never find in any "mainstream" books and this felt fresh and new to me.
The first 30% were easy 4, maybe 5 stars and the rest was enjoyable... but it just felt.. a bit rushed. The romance – it's a pet peeve of mine when they speak of "love" after like, three days? It makes sense, when you see it through the "soulmate, destined for one another" glass but.. idk. just not my jam.
But overall this was a great reading experience and i see myself re reading this sometime in the future – maybe on a stormy beach. :)
you should read this if you like: Love at first sight, rapunzel vibes, vivid descriptions, interesting characters, innocent romance, self-sustainability, family dynamics...
Thank you to Abbie Emmons and Netgalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The beginning hooked me right away.
It had depth and this very vivid feeling of the world, the lighthouse and the island, stormy weather, a coziness that made me want to crawl inside the pages and drink a cup of tea with Orca.
The characters are interesting and different from one another – Orca, wild and free, Jack, restless and fun, Adam, philosophical and caring. I especially loved the dynamic between Jack and Adam – they really felt like brothers and when they were angry with one another, it made me angry and sad too.
I liked their familiy and how they did get along with one another – no dumb drama, when there were conflicts between them, they made sense for the characters.
The plot was interesting because the situation – Orca & her island – was so unique. I never quite knew what was going to happen next, so i kept reading.
Also the themes that were explored – family, self-sustainability, soulmates, meaning of life... a new perspective you basically never find in any "mainstream" books and this felt fresh and new to me.
The first 30% were easy 4, maybe 5 stars and the rest was enjoyable... but it just felt.. a bit rushed. The romance – it's a pet peeve of mine when they speak of "love" after like, three days? It makes sense, when you see it through the "soulmate, destined for one another" glass but.. idk. just not my jam.
But overall this was a great reading experience and i see myself re reading this sometime in the future – maybe on a stormy beach. :)
you should read this if you like: Love at first sight, rapunzel vibes, vivid descriptions, interesting characters, innocent romance, self-sustainability, family dynamics...
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Abbie Emmons and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
I will start off with the caveat that this is not my usual genre and it happens to focus on several tropes that I normally dislike (love triangles and instalove soulmates). However, I thought the first trope was well executed (albeit predictably) and I ended up enjoying that plot.
The book was very well written - the prose was easy to read but also beautiful, in a simple way. The characters were all distinctive and had clear flaws and conflict, and all grew along the way. I could tell whose chapter I was in by the writing style, which was very helpful for multiple first person POVs.
The premise of the story was intriguing, if unoriginal - a girl who was raised completely outside the modern world with only her father longs to go see the “Otherworld” for herself, but it comes (literally) crashing onto her island first. The plot was well-paced and interesting, and kept me reading the book pretty much nonstop. Even though the “twists” were all very predictable, I still wanted to keep turning the page to see what happened next.
The main issue for me was the romance. And again, I’m really not a fan of “instalove” plots, so maybe I’m just too much of a cynic to enjoy it. But to me it felt like the love on all sides was too fast and based on very little. In one case, this was acknowledged and led to character growth. But in the other two cases it just led to magical happily ever after that felt unearned and unrealistic. I wish there had been more time spent developing a deeper emotional and personality connection and less time on purely physical desire.
I’m also not a fan of the large age gap, especially given Orca’s complete innocence and ignorance about the world. It feels much too close to grooming, even though it’s well established that Adam wouldn’t be like that. But she’s still so child-like in many ways, and she JUST turned 18 like 2 days before they met. Which just gives me the ickies. The ending alleviates this a bit, in that Adam goes to her world to learn from her instead of the other way around. But it’s still just a bit squicky for me.
I will start off with the caveat that this is not my usual genre and it happens to focus on several tropes that I normally dislike (love triangles and instalove soulmates). However, I thought the first trope was well executed (albeit predictably) and I ended up enjoying that plot.
The book was very well written - the prose was easy to read but also beautiful, in a simple way. The characters were all distinctive and had clear flaws and conflict, and all grew along the way. I could tell whose chapter I was in by the writing style, which was very helpful for multiple first person POVs.
The premise of the story was intriguing, if unoriginal - a girl who was raised completely outside the modern world with only her father longs to go see the “Otherworld” for herself, but it comes (literally) crashing onto her island first. The plot was well-paced and interesting, and kept me reading the book pretty much nonstop. Even though the “twists” were all very predictable, I still wanted to keep turning the page to see what happened next.
The main issue for me was the romance. And again, I’m really not a fan of “instalove” plots, so maybe I’m just too much of a cynic to enjoy it. But to me it felt like the love on all sides was too fast and based on very little. In one case, this was acknowledged and led to character growth. But in the other two cases it just led to magical happily ever after that felt unearned and unrealistic. I wish there had been more time spent developing a deeper emotional and personality connection and less time on purely physical desire.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Before anything, I would like to thank Abbie Emmons and NetGalley for the ARC (Advanced Reader Copy). I am extremely grateful and feel honored to have read this book before the release. I was really hoping to give it 5 stars, I'm sorry I couldn't.
For the first 30% of the book I felt like this was going to be a 5 stars review. After that, my excitement was fading gradually the more I progressed in my reading. For the last 30% I was only reading because of a sense of obligation.
The theme is well executed. The way the imagery is created, the beach related words being used to describe feelings and actions, the template of the back-and-forth between present and past... It was beautiful to read. However, the world-building only seemed to go as far as the island. The scenes in the Otherworld felt like they were a movie montage and only being thought as they were written.
The characters are interesting enough, having defining qualities and a very characteristic way of speaking and thinking. They feel alive, but not enough for me to care about them. The only character I could actually care about was Jack, and by the end of the book I didn't like even him anymore.
The romance feels rushed and forced, with a lot of telling instead of showing. Orca loves Adam for no reason way too quickly, and throughout the whole book I keep trying to understand why. I lost it when I read a passage from a few days after she met Adam in which she says she had never loved anyone as much as her father until she met Adam. That's not how love works at all.
I was constantly angry at the black-and-whiteness of the thinking, with Jack reproving Lawrence's actions and Adam embracing them when it obviously should be a middle ground. You can understand someone's reasoning without agreeing with them. Orca could still love her father and follow her own wishes. It was wrong of him to hide the truth about her mother, it was wrong of him to keep her in the lighthouse when she wanted to meet other places. Orca shouldn't feel any guilt at all for chasing after what she wanted and she had the right to be angry at her dad. She could be angry and do things putting herself first but also still love him and want to keep living in the island with him. It's not all or nothing and I hate how the ending of the book makes it seem like Orca was in the wrong for not complying with her dad's wishes when she obviously wasn't.
Jack was a great character at the beginning, making me laugh out loud and want to keep reading only to see more of him. He was ruined for me when he started being controlling and when he literally thought the sentence "She's not like other girls". I can't take a character — or a book — seriously when this phrase is used unironically.
Adam was bland and felt like every guy I went to high school with who thought he was deep for reading philosophy books and playing the guitar. Every time I saw his name under a chapter, I groaned a little bit. His thoughts were boring and his actions even more. He brought nothing to the table and I still don't understand why he was the chosen brother when Jack had so much more going on for him. He shouldn't have been a love interest at all, unless the intent was to convey a message at the end, which it clearly was not.
Is 2023, we should know better than to romanticize age gap romances like this. Orca had barely turned 18 while Adam was 28. The human brain is developing until 25 years old. Before then we're way more prone to make impulsive decisions and that's why is predatory in a way for an older adult to pursue a teenager, even when they're technically legal. Not only that, but Jack, who's the same age as Orca, says he sees Adam as a father figure multiple times, explains how he is a mentor to him in almost every aspect and go as far as to say he felt like Adam was a grown up his entire life, which makes sense considering Adam was already 10 when Jack was born.
The way both Jack and Adam keep describing Orca as pure, naive, and innocent should say it all. Adam even says he "loves her even more" after she does something that he thinks shows her innocence. I felt constantly grossed out by this almost 30 year old man talking about the pureness of the barely 18 year old girl he was pursuing. Adam himself keeps saying he's too old for her but still dates her regardless of that. His self-awareness doesn't make it any better, if anything it only makes it worse. He's aware that what he's doing is wrong but he still goes and does it anyway.
As a girl who was 18 and a month when I started dating a soon to be 24 year old, I know by experience the kind of power dynamic these age gaps hold. And ours wasn't even as big as theirs. And I haven't lived in a secluded island my entire life to aggravate it even more. It's just not okay.
I am very disappointed because one of the things I loved about 100 Days of Sunlight, Abbie Emmons' debut novel, was the fact that it was age appropriate. I even said on my review of that book that it was the bare minimum but it was still great to see, since it is uncommon to see in romance novels.
For the first 30% of the book I felt like this was going to be a 5 stars review. After that, my excitement was fading gradually the more I progressed in my reading. For the last 30% I was only reading because of a sense of obligation.
The theme is well executed. The way the imagery is created, the beach related words being used to describe feelings and actions, the template of the back-and-forth between present and past... It was beautiful to read. However, the world-building only seemed to go as far as the island. The scenes in the Otherworld felt like they were a movie montage and only being thought as they were written.
The characters are interesting enough, having defining qualities and a very characteristic way of speaking and thinking. They feel alive, but not enough for me to care about them. The only character I could actually care about was Jack, and by the end of the book I didn't like even him anymore.
The romance feels rushed and forced, with a lot of telling instead of showing. Orca loves Adam for no reason way too quickly, and throughout the whole book I keep trying to understand why. I lost it when I read a passage from a few days after she met Adam in which she says she had never loved anyone as much as her father until she met Adam. That's not how love works at all.
I was constantly angry at the black-and-whiteness of the thinking, with Jack reproving Lawrence's actions and Adam embracing them when it obviously should be a middle ground. You can understand someone's reasoning without agreeing with them. Orca could still love her father and follow her own wishes. It was wrong of him to hide the truth about her mother, it was wrong of him to keep her in the lighthouse when she wanted to meet other places. Orca shouldn't feel any guilt at all for chasing after what she wanted and she had the right to be angry at her dad. She could be angry and do things putting herself first but also still love him and want to keep living in the island with him. It's not all or nothing and I hate how the ending of the book makes it seem like Orca was in the wrong for not complying with her dad's wishes when she obviously wasn't.
Jack was a great character at the beginning, making me laugh out loud and want to keep reading only to see more of him. He was ruined for me when he started being controlling and when he literally thought the sentence "She's not like other girls". I can't take a character — or a book — seriously when this phrase is used unironically.
Adam was bland and felt like every guy I went to high school with who thought he was deep for reading philosophy books and playing the guitar. Every time I saw his name under a chapter, I groaned a little bit. His thoughts were boring and his actions even more. He brought nothing to the table and I still don't understand why he was the chosen brother when Jack had so much more going on for him. He shouldn't have been a love interest at all, unless the intent was to convey a message at the end, which it clearly was not.
Is 2023, we should know better than to romanticize age gap romances like this. Orca had barely turned 18 while Adam was 28. The human brain is developing until 25 years old. Before then we're way more prone to make impulsive decisions and that's why is predatory in a way for an older adult to pursue a teenager, even when they're technically legal. Not only that, but Jack, who's the same age as Orca, says he sees Adam as a father figure multiple times, explains how he is a mentor to him in almost every aspect and go as far as to say he felt like Adam was a grown up his entire life, which makes sense considering Adam was already 10 when Jack was born.
The way both Jack and Adam keep describing Orca as pure, naive, and innocent should say it all. Adam even says he "loves her even more" after she does something that he thinks shows her innocence. I felt constantly grossed out by this almost 30 year old man talking about the pureness of the barely 18 year old girl he was pursuing. Adam himself keeps saying he's too old for her but still dates her regardless of that. His self-awareness doesn't make it any better, if anything it only makes it worse. He's aware that what he's doing is wrong but he still goes and does it anyway.
As a girl who was 18 and a month when I started dating a soon to be 24 year old, I know by experience the kind of power dynamic these age gaps hold. And ours wasn't even as big as theirs. And I haven't lived in a secluded island my entire life to aggravate it even more. It's just not okay.
I am very disappointed because one of the things I loved about 100 Days of Sunlight, Abbie Emmons' debut novel, was the fact that it was age appropriate. I even said on my review of that book that it was the bare minimum but it was still great to see, since it is uncommon to see in romance novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Abbie for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!
All I can say is wow. I’m always nervous to read books written by author/booktubers, but this exceeded my expectations and was easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far! Orca’s inner turmoil and emotional journey felt so realistic, and I genuinely did not see the plot twists coming. I’m usually not a fan of age gap romances or love triangles, but Abbie handled both really well and I ended up enjoying it!
Abbie’s prose was gorgeous and made me want to get on the next plane to the PNW asap. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
All I can say is wow. I’m always nervous to read books written by author/booktubers, but this exceeded my expectations and was easily one of my favorite reads of the year so far! Orca’s inner turmoil and emotional journey felt so realistic, and I genuinely did not see the plot twists coming. I’m usually not a fan of age gap romances or love triangles, but Abbie handled both really well and I ended up enjoying it!
Abbie’s prose was gorgeous and made me want to get on the next plane to the PNW asap. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!