Synopsis
After her mother’s plane went missing over the Indian Ocean, seventeen-year-old Sienna Jones gave up everything she loved about living in California. No more surfing. No more swimming. No more ocean, period. Playing it safe, hiding from the world, is the best call.
Until her dad throws down the challenge of a lifetime: spend the summer with his humanitarian team in Indonesia, working with orphans who lost everything in a massive tsunami.
The day they arrive, Sienna meets a mysterious boy named Deni, whose dark, intense eyes make her heart race. Their stolen nights force her to open up and live in a way she thought she couldn’t anymore. When she’s with Deni, she remembers the girl she used to be… and starts to feel like the woman he sees in her.
A woman he wants for his own.
Gulp.
But when Deni’s past comes looking for him, Sienna’s faced with losing another person she loves. She can’t do it. Not again.
Fortunately, this time, she has a plan.
Quick Stats
Page Length: 307
Publication Year: 2017
Characters: Sienna, Deni
Review
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
One of the great things about blogging is that it has pushed to me read books that I wouldn’t normally and this book falls into that category. The story being set in a place where a natural disaster has happened probably wouldn’t really have sparked my interest at all but then I signed up to do a blog tour for the second book (mainly because the cover caught my attention) and so I got sent the first book to read first and boy am I hooked! It was surprisingly addictive reading in the best way.
Ever since her Moms plane went missing over the Indian Ocean, Sienna has pretty much given up on life and doing the things she loves. Then her Dad throws down the gauntlet and asks her to spend summer in Indonesia volunteering at an orphanage where children have lost everything in a Tsunami. It’s there that she meets Deni, they bond over their shared losses but when his past comes calling Sienna knows she can’t lose another person in her life.
Firstly the Tsunami in the story is based around the real Boxing Day Tsunami that happened in 2004. Which I remember fairly well, the news coverage was extensive so I didn’t really need to use too much of my imagination when came to picturing the devastation. Deni’s story is probably one of many but still so heartbreaking.
I really liked both Sienna and Deni. Sienna is still very much grieving the loss of her mother and that really comes through when she doesn’t want to share her feelings and also with her anger towards her Dad when he appears to be moving on. The relationship between Deni and Sienna was very sweet and full angst but in a good way.
The ending of the story was bittersweet and Sienna makes a really grown up decision which I was very impressed with. I love this book, which was a real bonus because I wasn’t really expecting much going in. Anyway, I’m off to finish the second book because I need to know how this all ends!
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