I was fortunate enough to get an audio copy of this book to review and I absolutely loved this one on audio! Sarah Naughton is fast becoming one of my favorite narrators. She really brings that perfect something special to her narration. Oh dear. I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to review You, Me & The Sea because I loved it so much it’ll be difficult to articulate how wonderful it is. You, Me & The Sea is one of those books you can’t put down, but you don’t want to end, because it seeps into your soul and mesmerises you. It’s such a beautiful, emotional and completely satisfying read that I simply want to tell everyone to buy it and read it. When I was made to do other things instead of reading You, Me & The Sea I was so resentful. It consumed all my waking thoughts.

I simply loved the atmosphere in this book: I felt like I was getting buffeted by salty winds and hearing shrieking gulls as I read it. I also loved the characters - you get to know them so well and they became very dear to me. Even now that I’ve finished it, I am still wondering how they are getting on and what they are up to. Merrow lives in a remote coastal area of Northern California along with her father and her brother. They live on a dilapidated farm and it barely yields enough crops for them to get by. Her older brother, Bear, doesn't look out for her in the very least as he is a disturbed individual and treats her very cruelly. One day her father brings home an orphan, Amir. Amir is the son of his deceased wife's best friend, so he can't just let him go into foster care again. This thrills Merrow completely as she has wanted a friend and a playmate practically her whole life. Merrow and Amir spend blissful days exploring Horseshoe Bluff, the farm, swimming in the ocean, and avoiding Bear at all costs. As they get older, Amir slowly changes from being her best friend to something more while they both weather the many storms of that come into their lives. Meg Donohue's You, Me, and the Sea is a heartfelt story about family, friendship, the call of the ocean, and star-crossed love.

ACTIVITIES

She discovers that a young man called Lefty also resides there and it seems that he can ignite Fraser’s wrath at the drop of a hat. Why is he there? Rachel is a natural peace maker but cannot seem to bring about a truce between the two men. You, Me, and the Sea is very well written and a fast paced read! The writing is great because I can feel the voice of Merrow at each age stage. I like learning about her parents’ relationship. Merrow and Amir’s adventure into Osha to glimpse at how other people live is meaningful, though I would prefer that they do it through an open house or estate sale. I like Will’s family and that wealthy people aren’t always so conceited. The friendship in this book is the best with Merrow’s dad Jacob and Rei and with Merrow and Amir. I enjoy the twist in the end about Merrow’s mom, Rei’s death, and the challenge of choosing where Merrow’s heart belongs to. This book do make me cry, but it also reminds me to look on the bright side. I highly recommend everyone to read this book! Algarve Holidays | Antalya Holidays | Antigua Holidays | Balearic Islands Holidays | Barbados Holidays | Benidorm Holidays | Bodrum Holidays | Bulgaria Holidays | Canary Islands Holidays | Cancun Holidays | Cape Verde Holidays | Caribbean Holidays | Corfu Holidays | Costa Del Sol Holidays | Crete Holidays | CroatiaHolidays | Cruise Holidays| Cuba Holidays | Cyprus Holidays The author has created a fabulous sense of place for the story, you can almost hear the roiling waves, feel the salty sea spray and hear the clamour of the nesting birds. The rugged nature of the island is something the characters have to grapple with, it is oftentimes a hostile and unforgiving terrain. You will also learn a little about the birds that have returned to the island to nest, the kittiwakes, the terns, the puffins and more… One day, when she’s around nine years old, her dad brings a boy named Amir home. He’s Indian, close to Merrow’s age, and he’ll be her father’s ward. Merrow and Amir instantly have a connection. They both love exploring they try to spend as much time away from home as they can since they’re afraid of Bear. Especially after Merrow’s father dies, the two young kids want to be around Bear even less.

I’m not a fan of romance novels. I love romance and will heartily cheer for star-crossed lovers to overcome the challenges and obstacles that conspire to keep them apart IF that’s not the entire plot. But romance for romance’s sake? Not my cuppa tea. This novel turned out to be an insipid romance. I adored how atmospheric and original this story is. It’s easy to be swept up into this story and feel right beside Merrow on those blustery cliffs! It almost feels like a different time because the setting is so enchanting. The writing here is beautiful, and the characters are vividly drawn.Well ..... I could just say 'Wow', and leave it there. Pop off to your nearest book retailer and get yourself a copy, you will not be disappointed. I could say that, but there's so so much more that I want to say, so I will! You can now imagine my reaction to getting a book posted to me in November 2020 from Elizabeth Haynes, especially as once again it was a genre so removed from her previous books that I had no idea what to expect. Meg Donohue has turned out a beautifully written, lushly and evocatively detailed and heart-rending book that was swirling with atmosphere and sea mist. I was captivated, devastated, and engrossed from beginning to end. Written in the first person POV of Merrow, an adult woman at a significant crossroads and recalling her childhood, which was peppered with a love of the land and ocean yet heartbreaking and cringe-worthy with unpredictable violence, humiliation, intentional neglect, and vicious cruelty perpetrated by her older brother upon her and her best friend, an orphaned boy of the same age who had come to live with her family as her father’s ward. The family was rather isolated and lived like hillbillies in a small rustic cabin in a small rural yet coastal area of California. Marian Keyes describes this novel as Immersive and affecting…utter bliss. She’s not wrong. (It’s Marin Keyes, is she EVER wrong about books?!) I have to admit that’s what first caught our eye with this book. Then there’s the title, simply, You, Me & The Sea. Oh and that cover. Everything about this book screams escape, delicious escapism to desolate beauty, wild stormy coasts, and, perhaps, into someone else’s arms. There’s so much to learn whilst reading this book – but at the same time without feeling like you’re being preached to. Teaching through contemporary fiction is a talent, and Elizabeth Haynes has it mastered well.

This author has woven a wonderful, warm and emotional love story between two incredibly created characters. It's fair to say that this is not a traditional romance, both of them battle against their feelings constantly, trying to tell themselves that it's just sex .... oh, and there's lots of that! However, Rachels' feisty nature soon whittles away into Fraser's head and whilst there are a lot of stops and starts, a lot of misunderstandings, and a lot more sex, eventually they begin to be more honest with themselves and each other. Anyone who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team so that our fraud team can investigate.Merrow Shawe endures a lonely childhood with an uncaring father and brother until Amir comes into her life. She is still coming to terms with the mystery surrounding her mother’s death as well. When a tragedy occurs, she doesn’t know if she can trust in Amir anymore. I thought the plot was wonderful too. There’s drama and tension, quieter moments and heightened emotion so that I finished reading You, Me & The Sea feeling as if I’d experienced every emotion possible. This is such a wonderful love story but it is so much more besides. Elizabeth Haynes explores love, grief, depression, identity, feelings of inadequacy, violence and tenderness with absolute skill. It’s so hard to explain, but I felt I had lived and breathed this book rather than simply read it. I started reading You, Me, and the Sea on 6/3/2019 and finished it on 6/5/2019. This book is a fantastic read! I read throughout the whole night and through the morning. I feel hurt for Merrow’s childhood with such an uncaring brother. Farm life is hard and I feel heart wrenching to the 5 through 8 years old having little to no parental comfort and not enough to eat. Her story is inspiring because with the meager she grew up with, she still loves school and loves to learn. I like following Merrow’s view and experience her life through her eyes as she grows up. I like her self motivation and how she looks on the bright side of things, especially at the place where she lives.