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A review by eesh25
Arctic Sun by Annabeth Albert
4.0
3.75
I was pretty certain about a four star rating for this book. Then I started to think about the review and it took me a few seconds to remember what the book was even about, even though I'd only finished it a couple of days ago. Now, I'm conflicted.
Still, there's a lot to love about this book and a lot of things about it that will stay with me for a long time. It gave me a better understanding of some topics I'd previously known little about. Just... the characters and the romance will likely not be the things I remember. Because even as I did like both, it was what the characters were dealing with that made the book good for me.
River is a "professional nomad" (title of his book, even). He loves to travel to new and beautiful places, and he loves making friends on the way. Travel calms him in a way nothing else does. But it's also a method of running away from the reality of his life and his world.
Griffin is an ex-military pilot and an occasional, and reluctant, tour guide. He lives in the beautiful wilderness of Alaska and he likes the calm and solitude, even from his own family, with whom he works. When Griffin's uncle is unable to handle the latest week-long tour, Griffin has to take his place, and that's when he meets River. He assumes River is just the pampered rich guy who won't be able to handle roughing it, given River's background as a model. And so begins the tale of gruff Griffin and flirty River.
This is a slow-going book. And that's not something I mind. I love slow burns and, at this point, I'm a little tired of reading sex scenes, so even if it had taken the two till the very end to really get together, I'd have been fine with it. But this was a different kind of slow-going.
River wants to have fun on this trip, but Griffin is cautious of getting intimate with anyone. Griffin has worked hard for his sobriety and he doesn't want to do anything that could rock the boat. Also, he's never been intimate with anyone while sober, so he has reasons to hesitate. River, despite the flirting, isn't looking for anything serious because he can't stay in one place. Travel has become a way for him to deal with his eating disorder. So we have two people with their own issues who find themselves attracted to one another and they adopt a let's-see-where-this-goes approach.
And that's kind of where the problem lies. There's too much uncertainty present. Neither of them are really deciding if they want something serious, rather they're just procrastinating. It's like reading late at night and going 'one more page' over and over. At some point, you gotta decide if you're gonna be reading till the end, or just close the fucking book.
Also, as much as loved reading about River's struggle with his eating disorder and Griffin's with alcoholism, they kind of became the sole points of interest for me. Both issues were written so well and very informative. It made me care about and understand the characters. And as powerful as that was, the romance seemed to fade in comparison. There were also parts that were a little dull for me. The tone of the book is so mellow that it becomes too mellow. It could've benefited with some scenes that stood in terms of intensity, and maybe some more humour.
Also, pictures. Photography is a pretty big part of the book as well, and there are endless description of the places Griffin and River visit. How cool would it be if there were actual pictures sprinkled throughout of those places? They could even be there as pictures that River or Griffin took.
Overall, this was a good book. And even though some parts were less memorable than others, it, in no way, dissuaded me from reading more books by the author.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was pretty certain about a four star rating for this book. Then I started to think about the review and it took me a few seconds to remember what the book was even about, even though I'd only finished it a couple of days ago. Now, I'm conflicted.
Still, there's a lot to love about this book and a lot of things about it that will stay with me for a long time. It gave me a better understanding of some topics I'd previously known little about. Just... the characters and the romance will likely not be the things I remember. Because even as I did like both, it was what the characters were dealing with that made the book good for me.
River is a "professional nomad" (title of his book, even). He loves to travel to new and beautiful places, and he loves making friends on the way. Travel calms him in a way nothing else does. But it's also a method of running away from the reality of his life and his world.
Griffin is an ex-military pilot and an occasional, and reluctant, tour guide. He lives in the beautiful wilderness of Alaska and he likes the calm and solitude, even from his own family, with whom he works. When Griffin's uncle is unable to handle the latest week-long tour, Griffin has to take his place, and that's when he meets River. He assumes River is just the pampered rich guy who won't be able to handle roughing it, given River's background as a model. And so begins the tale of gruff Griffin and flirty River.
This is a slow-going book. And that's not something I mind. I love slow burns and, at this point, I'm a little tired of reading sex scenes, so even if it had taken the two till the very end to really get together, I'd have been fine with it. But this was a different kind of slow-going.
River wants to have fun on this trip, but Griffin is cautious of getting intimate with anyone. Griffin has worked hard for his sobriety and he doesn't want to do anything that could rock the boat. Also, he's never been intimate with anyone while sober, so he has reasons to hesitate. River, despite the flirting, isn't looking for anything serious because he can't stay in one place. Travel has become a way for him to deal with his eating disorder. So we have two people with their own issues who find themselves attracted to one another and they adopt a let's-see-where-this-goes approach.
And that's kind of where the problem lies. There's too much uncertainty present. Neither of them are really deciding if they want something serious, rather they're just procrastinating. It's like reading late at night and going 'one more page' over and over. At some point, you gotta decide if you're gonna be reading till the end, or just close the fucking book.
Also, as much as loved reading about River's struggle with his eating disorder and Griffin's with alcoholism, they kind of became the sole points of interest for me. Both issues were written so well and very informative. It made me care about and understand the characters. And as powerful as that was, the romance seemed to fade in comparison. There were also parts that were a little dull for me. The tone of the book is so mellow that it becomes too mellow. It could've benefited with some scenes that stood in terms of intensity, and maybe some more humour.
Also, pictures. Photography is a pretty big part of the book as well, and there are endless description of the places Griffin and River visit. How cool would it be if there were actual pictures sprinkled throughout of those places? They could even be there as pictures that River or Griffin took.
Overall, this was a good book. And even though some parts were less memorable than others, it, in no way, dissuaded me from reading more books by the author.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.