Author: Karina Halle

Book: Where Sea Meets Sky – coming soon on March 31, 2015!!

tl;dr recommendation: This sharp, intelligent coming of age love story barreled its way into my soul.

Book Summary:

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can’t get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It’s not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma’s name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go even when you know you have to say goodbye.

Longer Review:

I now have a serious case of wanderlust. THANKS KARINA. If I wasn’t already pining for a change in career (I’m entirely serious. It’s happening as soon as I can make it happen) this book would have been enough to have me question every single decision I’ve made in my life. I mean, shit, it’s still making me do that and I’ve already walked down that path very recently. There’s something so refreshing about a book that tells you, no bullshit, HEY! FOLLOW YOUR PASSION! don’t be ashamed of it, let it flow through you, and let it devour you in a way that will fulfill you. It’s so good.

Gemma is a sweetheart/ part-time-bitch who doesn’t know what the fuck she’s doing with her life. She’s a nice girl, really, but she has an ache that she can’t fill and she’s searching for something that will make her whole. When the one night stand with Josh turns into a road-trip through the New Zealand countryside, Gemma and Josh find themselves both finding something that they weren’t originally looking for. Things start to get messy…Gemma can’t quite let things progress further…and they both find out what happens when everything falls apart….

I honestly wasn’t so sure about this story when I started. I hate love triangles and when Nick the Dick appeared I started to internally cringe. BUT. I continued on, and I’m really glad I did. This isn’t a typical love triangle story – there’s no cheating (thank mother of fuck) – and there isn’t any crazy over the top jealousy (well, at least not from Josh). So, all in all, I survived that portion of the story in one piece. PHEW. Also, Amber is perhaps one of the best sub-characters I’ve every read. She said ‘fuck’ in some of her first few sentences in the book and I was like ‘welp, we’re friends now.’

The traveling, beauty and funny predicaments had me dying to find my own Mr. Orange and take a road trip through the mountains. This story makes me want to max out my credit cards, explore nature and find that carefree place inside of me. Can it be spring now? Because I have a serious sudden urge to go camping.

I also wouldn’t mind taking Josh with me. Especially if he plans to fuck me against a tree – because THAT WAS HOT. I absolutely loved his dirty talking and cock-sure attitude. It suited him quite well…as did those tattoos. I’m a sucker for tattoos, so that was part of his allure, but there was more to it than that. He’s genuinely a good guy and I wanted him to knock down Gemma’s walls with every page.

I loved the themes running through this story – and even though I somewhat predicted the ending, I loved that too. Heartwarming & uplifting, this is a love story that will break your heart and mend it back together. LOVE.

[I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review – THANKS!!!]