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yetanothersusan's review against another edition
3.0
I am not sure how I feel about this book. It has a crazy group of characters: AZ, a sophomore trying to do research on the miracle sea near her house to use for her application for sea camp, her father, the journalist, editor, and publisher for the local paper who spout alliterations and Shakespeare like some odd form of Tourette’s, her mom, the town librarian who dropped out of high school and likes to tell a lot of odd stories that usually involve old boyfriends, and Kristoff, AZ’s boyfriend and supposed artist. I think I had the biggest problem with him. He seemed to be a slakker who used his “art” as an excuse for not doing what he needed to do or for making poor unthoughtful choices. This trait seemed to pop up at the worst possible times throughout the story. Oh, and the tourists that come to visit the Sea of Santiago (That the history of is never really spelled out. It just appeared one day and now people pay to come see it.) are called pilgrims. The story covers the summer between sophomore and junior year for AZ. She is trying to put together research so she can go to sea camp and become an oceanographer. This involves stealing water samples from the sea and is the center of a comedy of errors. Except it doesn’t feel so humorous as you read it. Like I said, I am not sure how I feel about the story. And the moment I thought should have had the biggest impact felt pushed aside.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing in exchange for an honest review.
sarahbowman101's review against another edition
3.0
A.Z. is planning on spending her whole summer before 8th grade studying the miraculous sea that appeared 20-some years ago near her small Arkansas (Alabama?) town in preparation for her Sea Camp application. Her plans get derailed however by a loose alligator, religious protests, environmental protests, a bike accident, and lastly by a new boyfriend who is really into conceptual art and not very into being a very good boyfriend.
The setting was great and A.Z. is a wonderful young character, studious but also curious and romantic. She gets upset at upsetting situations and is altogether sympathetic and real. I also loved the story of Kristoff as being the first but not miraculous boyfriend. Not all first loves are magical and epic, instead most are messy things that you hopefully learn from.
I thought that this bogged down too much though in the middle and by the time the big conclusion came I was ready for it to be done. And for some reason this is marketed as an adult novel but I think it would be waaaaaaaay more successful if it was a YA novel.
The setting was great and A.Z. is a wonderful young character, studious but also curious and romantic. She gets upset at upsetting situations and is altogether sympathetic and real. I also loved the story of Kristoff as being the first but not miraculous boyfriend. Not all first loves are magical and epic, instead most are messy things that you hopefully learn from.
I thought that this bogged down too much though in the middle and by the time the big conclusion came I was ready for it to be done. And for some reason this is marketed as an adult novel but I think it would be waaaaaaaay more successful if it was a YA novel.
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