The Sea of Tranquility by Katja MillayPublished: 13th November 2012 on kindle, Paperback 1st June 2013
By: Atria Books
Source: Netgalley
My rating: 4.5 stars
The Sea of Tranquility was a heart wrenching, bitter-sweet story that stayed with me long after I finished reading.
Nastya and Josh both have pasts that are marred by trauma and they are still broken as a result. Nastya can't bear being around her family at the moment, so she moves two hours away to live with her aunt and start her senior year, where no one knows her. On her first day, she spots Josh sitting alone in a crowded lunch area. It reminds her of someone with a force field keeping people away. But that's the way Josh likes it. And Nastya soon finds herself spending her lunch hour hiding away in the bathroom. But they seem to constantly get thrown together, until they reach a stage where Nastya can't seem to stay away from Josh and he can't seem to make her.
Nastya, Josh and Josh's unlikely best friend, Drew, are the main characters here, with the book being written from the POV of both Nastya and Josh. Nastya has had something really bad happen to her and is still dealing with it on a daily basis, and she doesn't speak. She doesn't want to act like herself as she feels that the real her, died three years ago, so she has created a new persona for herself. Josh has lived through his own personal hell and now, everyone just leaves him to himself. And he likes it this way. Things happen to the people he gets close to. And Drew, the manwhore, always trying to get into the girls panties and dumping them afterwards. Himself and Nastya build an interesting relationship, to say the least. No love triangle though.
While contemporary fiction is not my first love, this book just captured me with no release until I'd read the last line, and not even then. This book still invaded my thoughts for days afterwards. And with parts that made me want to cry, there were also times when I couldn't keep the smile from my face. Especially the last line. I closed the curtains on this book with an enormous grin.
This review has been a long time coming as I read this book back in December, but writing this review, I want to read it again right now. One you should definitely pick up.
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This is such a gorgeous review Suzanne, I have read endless praising reviews for this book. And you know me I love my contemporaries that I can't wait to get started on it. I especially love those books which are constantly on your mind days afterwards so I definitely think I will love this one!
I loved that last line, Suzanne! I was a little shocked, and then I remembered a statement she made when she first sees Josh's garage about feeling Déjà vu. Great review. :)
Natsya and Josh sound great. Love your review and this makes me want to read it.
Happy reading,
Brandi @ Blkosiner’s Book Blog
You and I feel the same way about contemporary, so if you enjoyed this, chances are I will too. I'm always hesitant to read emotionally challenging books, but I need to push myself now and then, right?
Fantastic review, Suzanne.
Contemporary fiction is not my first love either, but I'm pretty certain I'll enjoy reading this book now. I'm glad to hear there was no love triangle! Heaven knows I'm sick of those things. Great review, Suzanne! :)
This sounds so good. I think it really says something when a book from a genre that isn't your 1st love still gets to you like that. Great review!
I love it when I react that way to a book. It sounds so goooood.
Anna @ http://emaginette.wordpress.com
I've actually heard quite a bit about this one and all the reviews so far have been very positive. I love contemporary fiction and am quite picky about the books I read within that genre so if you loved it and aren't a big contemp fan, I think I'll like it too. Thanks for the recommendation, Suzanne!
Hey Suzanne! First of all, sorry I've been gone so long. It's just been hectic, and I kept meaning to come over to your blog but it never happened. :(
This is a wonderful review! I've seen so many positive things about this book and I have it on my Kindle, but I haven't actually read it yet. I think I may have to read it sooner rather than later. It does sound truly beautiful, and I like the sound of the relationship between Nastya and Josh. Again, gorgeous review! :)
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