The plan is this: get a perfect SAT score, attend a prestigious college, and make a straight path toward her dream of becoming a doctor.
The last thing she wants to do—the summer before her senior year of high school, no less—is go on a cruise. Especially with her parents, younger brothers, and all the unspoken things between them since her older brother’s death so many years ago.
Then Olivia meets Sebastian. He’s everything she’s not: charming, exciting, willing to take risks and run with them. For the first time, Olivia feels like she can have fun.
But there’s a lot bubbling up under the surface on this cruise, and when past secrets begin to come to light, Olivia must face all the truths that she’s ignored for so long: about herself, Sebastian, her brother, the past she thought she understood, and the future she’s always planned. (Pub Date: Jun 20 2023)
Olivia has lost her older brother, who was also her hero and best friend, with whom she had a dream to one day go to the Antigua. That was many years ago, her family's dynamics changed completely; she's now the older sister of twins, her parents are always at home, and she's given up musicals. She now wants to be a doctor to research what could cause and what could prevent a teenager from dying from a heart attack. And when she should be concentrating on the research to secure an internship, their family needs to go on a cruise. That's where she meets Sebastian and starts living again.
3.5, rounded up to 4.
We know Olivia has many issues, issues I thankfully have never had to deal with, but I found interesting how it's dealt with. I like how this was all treated. Her life isn't one big drama, she is trying to cope. It's maybe what will happen to teens who go through such a trauma, it's probably more silent than books usually portray it. Olivia seems to be functional despite all. But is being functional enough?
This is a romance, but it's also a coming of age, a coming out of grief, or maybe coping better with it. But the romance is also interesting. It surprised me to be honest.
What I didn't like about this story is how new information would be added. Sometimes it would pop so randomly I'd think I already knew it and forgot, so it was a little confusing and made me stop reading to go back and check, which isn't ideal. It wasn't about the timing, because it made the plot thicken, it was exciting to learn those bits. It was really the way it was presented. Instead of giving it an oomph, it just threw me off every time.
Development and conclusion were good. I'm not sure it was a perfect ten, I did frown a tiny bit at her parents at the end, but it was okay. I just think it could have been better. I liked that we had some plot twists, not what you'd expect from a teenagers' romance, but I'm not sure I believed the big twist, so I frowned at it too. At the same time, though doubting, I liked the idea.
It's hard to comment much without spoiling the book, but you can see it's a book that makes you think and want to comment. Recommended read for YA lovers, especially if you liked something a little heavier without being really heavy like Tell Me Three Things and The Last Time We Say Goodbye.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
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