THIS BOOK. wow, I definitely did not expect to love this book as much as I did. I went into it kind of blind, only knowing that it has been compared to the works of Sarah Dessen, who I absolutely love. The beginning was a bit of a slow start, but picks up fairly quick. The book follows protagonist Anise, who is a sassy, foul-mouthed surfer who is forced to spend the summer taking care of her cousins in Nebraska after her aunt gets into a car accident that leaves her bed ridden for two months. To Anise, being away from the ocean and her friends is her actual definition of hell. Just when she’s at the end of her rope, she meets Lincoln. The quirky, HOT, one armed skateboarder who is determined to teach her that skating can be just as great as surfing, contrary to her stubborn beliefs.
Something I loved about this book is how well rounded all the characters are. I actually felt like I really knew who these people were and found myself wishing they were real. I also really loved the underlying messages of life is about having the ability to choose your own path, and that it’s better to embrace your fears rather than succumb to them. Throughout the novel, I found myself jotting down notes on what I enjoyed about this book, which is something I never do unless I really want to remember the points being made. I know I’ve already mentioned two important messages the book portrayed, but I have to say that one of my absolute favorite messages Silverman utilizes in this story, is that in order to have a friend, you have to BE a friend. While in Nebraska, Anise struggles to stay in touch with her friends because she feels like she’s missing out and the longer she goes without contact, she finds it harder to reach out again. I have utilized way too many cliches in this review, but I think that they are so important and can sometimes get overlooked in literature.
The relationship between Lincoln and Anise was wonderfully realistic. I find that a lot of young adult novels tend to go for the “love at first sight” kind of thing, but Silverman opted to make this relationship more of a slow burn. It actually reminded me of the type of actual relationships I witnessed and experienced in my own high school years, sweet and relatively naive. When I was in high school, whenever someone started “talking” to someone new, we would label it as having a thing with someone, which was that awkward stage of kind of dating but not really boyfriend and girlfriend. (Which honestly having now just reread that I realize that’s the actual definition of casual dating…awe high school). Basically what I was trying to say was that Anise and Lincoln perfectly depticted what my high school self would have referred to as thingin (no joke I actually made thingin a thing, I put it on Urban Dictionary and everything).
This story is the perfect mix of romance, friendship and family values. So, in conclusion I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book.
*Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Grab yourself a copy when it hits shelves May 2017 *
Simply Samantha B. 