Waiting for the Storm

by Marie Landry

New Adult Contemporary

Book Description

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte O’Dell knows this summer is going to suck. Her mother just died, her sister hates her, and her dad has completely checked out. Fulfilling her mother’s final wish, the family heads to Angel Island for the summer to stay in a beach house her mother once loved.

After a year of being shut away taking care of her mother, Charlotte is numb and practically afraid of her own shadow; she hopes going to the island will give her the time and space she needs to begin healing, and an opportunity to bring her family back together. When she meets her mysterious neighbor, Ezra, it doesn’t take long for Charlotte to confess the issues she’s developed. Ezra begins giving Charlotte assignments to get over her fears, and although she accepts his tasks, all she really wants is to be with him. When she’s with Ezra, she’s able to forget the hollow ache in her heart and the fact that her family is falling apart. But Ezra has secrets…

Can Charlotte pull what’s left of her family together, mend her broken heart, and allow herself to fall for Ezra? Or is it all just a storm waiting to happen?

MY THOUGHTS: 3.75 out of 5 fleurs de lis

Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry

Charlotte, her sister Ella, and their father spend their summer at a quaint island from Toronto after the death of her mother. All three are grieving in different ways; Ella acts out and hooks up, Charlotte is withdrawn and barely sleeps, and their dad is basically a walking zombie. They’re hoping this summer will help them in their grieving process…and they’ll all be changed in ways they’d not have guessed.

I’m not sure if this book’s been classified as YA or NA, but to me it seems more on the New Adult side. That being said, for new adult it is pretty clean and sweet. I don’t think I can recall any cuss words, there are no sex scenes, and though the book deals with some pretty heavy stuff, it doesn’t weigh it down.

The book was heavy on the romance side and it happened pretty quickly. Charlotte meets the handyman, Ezra, who happens to be the boy next door with something to hide. I saw things as they were happening, but it didn’t feel insincere or like insta-love. I think two broken people who had been strong for so long finally found someone who understood their pain and were able to let go with each other. Of course there were some cliched moments; someone lies, trust is broken, will they make it through this?

I actually enjoyed the relationship between the sisters more than the romantic relationship between Charlotte and Ezra. Charlotte and Ella used to be close, but dealing with their mother’s illness and death has come between them in an insurmountable way. It’s as if they’ve simply forgotten how to live with each other. As someone with 2 sisters with whom I’m very close, this part of the book hit home with me.

The ending left everything closed up pretty sweetly, and I liked that. It’s nice not to have to wait for another book to see what happens to the characters. This book was a nice breath of fresh air to my reading schedule.

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About the Author

Marie Landry is the author of BLUE SKY DAYS (contemporary YA—January 2012), UNDRESSED (a collection of short erotic romance stories—October 2012), THE GAME CHANGER (chick lit—November 2012), and WAITING FOR THE STORM (contemporary YA—April 2013). Marie has always been a daydreamer; since early childhood, she’s had a passion for words and a desire to create imaginary worlds, so it only seemed natural for her to become a writer. She resides in Ontario, Canada, and most days you can find her writing, reading, blogging about writing and reading, listening to U2, or having grand adventures with her two precious nephews. For more on Marie and her books, please visit marielandry.blogspot.ca or check out her book blog Ramblings of a Daydreamer (sweetmarie-83.blogspot.ca).

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