By Claire Kells
Release Date: March 31, 2015
Source: Publisher
Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school, she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university’s nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.
That all changes when Avery’s red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery’s college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person—something she refused to do. Instead she’s avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with sub-zero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could’ve imagined.
In the wilderness, the concept of survival is clear-cut. Simple. In the real world, it’s anything but.
Review: When I saw the synopsis for this book, I was instantly intrigued. A girl who was in a plane crash and is stranded with a guy who has been in the back of her mind ever since she saw him? I couldn't wait to see how that relationship would play out!
Avery Delacorte has loved to swim ever since she was old enough to get in the water. When it was time to go to college, Avery decides to go to California to swim, which happens to be a long way from her home in Massachusetts. On a red-eye flight home for Thanksgiving Break, the flight goes down and Avery finds herself fighting for survival in the Rockies with three little boys and Colin Shea, hot-shot swimmer on her team who she met freshman year and has avoided ever since after he questioned things she was most insecure about. Now, they're fighting for their lives and have to trust each other to find a way to survive and find rescue.
From the start, this one was definitely a page-turner. How were Avery and Colin going to survive? Since each chapter alternates between the past and the present, you know right away that they both survive, but you have no idea what had happened to them while they were stranded after their plane crashed. Avery and Colin have a very interesting relationship throughout the entire book. Avery is kind of infatuated with Colin from the start, even though she has a super sweet boyfriend and hasn't talked to Colin ever since their one conversation freshman year. Once the plane crashed, I think that their relationship escalated too quickly and I didn't really get the intensity that Avery claimed to feel. I wanted more build up and emotion between those two than we actually got. And I think that Avery kind of pushed Lee (her boyfriend) aside a bit too easily, especially since they had been dating for awhile. I get that Avery's emotions were all over the place because of the intense trauma she experienced, but I wanted more romance and emotion between the two characters than we actually got.
Since the book is told alternating between the past and the present, there was definitely a sense of suspense as you waited to uncover the truth about what really happened. You get hints along the way of what happened during the crash, but you don't know for sure until it's actually revealed later on in the book by the chapters that take place in the past. Avery was so guilty over something she had done, but when it was finally revealed, I was a bit let down. What she did wasn't THAT horrible but she made it out to be like she was the worst person ever.
Overall, I think the potential for a great story was there, but I was a bit let down by the romance and the culmination of the suspense of the story. I enjoyed Avery's character and her struggle to do what she loves and be who she really wants to be, which became even more difficult after the plane crash. I just expected more of a connection between her and Colin and more realistic struggle from her as she tried to figure out what she really wanted in her future.
Avery Delacorte has loved to swim ever since she was old enough to get in the water. When it was time to go to college, Avery decides to go to California to swim, which happens to be a long way from her home in Massachusetts. On a red-eye flight home for Thanksgiving Break, the flight goes down and Avery finds herself fighting for survival in the Rockies with three little boys and Colin Shea, hot-shot swimmer on her team who she met freshman year and has avoided ever since after he questioned things she was most insecure about. Now, they're fighting for their lives and have to trust each other to find a way to survive and find rescue.
From the start, this one was definitely a page-turner. How were Avery and Colin going to survive? Since each chapter alternates between the past and the present, you know right away that they both survive, but you have no idea what had happened to them while they were stranded after their plane crashed. Avery and Colin have a very interesting relationship throughout the entire book. Avery is kind of infatuated with Colin from the start, even though she has a super sweet boyfriend and hasn't talked to Colin ever since their one conversation freshman year. Once the plane crashed, I think that their relationship escalated too quickly and I didn't really get the intensity that Avery claimed to feel. I wanted more build up and emotion between those two than we actually got. And I think that Avery kind of pushed Lee (her boyfriend) aside a bit too easily, especially since they had been dating for awhile. I get that Avery's emotions were all over the place because of the intense trauma she experienced, but I wanted more romance and emotion between the two characters than we actually got.
Since the book is told alternating between the past and the present, there was definitely a sense of suspense as you waited to uncover the truth about what really happened. You get hints along the way of what happened during the crash, but you don't know for sure until it's actually revealed later on in the book by the chapters that take place in the past. Avery was so guilty over something she had done, but when it was finally revealed, I was a bit let down. What she did wasn't THAT horrible but she made it out to be like she was the worst person ever.
Overall, I think the potential for a great story was there, but I was a bit let down by the romance and the culmination of the suspense of the story. I enjoyed Avery's character and her struggle to do what she loves and be who she really wants to be, which became even more difficult after the plane crash. I just expected more of a connection between her and Colin and more realistic struggle from her as she tried to figure out what she really wanted in her future.
I was really intrigued by this synopsis too. I am sad that you were disappointed. I think that I will give it a shot, but I think I will make sure not too have too much anticipation!
ReplyDeleteMissie @ A Flurry of Ponderings