On The Island

For my second April read, I read On The Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves. This book is part action/adventure and part romance. As one who does not usually read "romance" novels, I was a bit surprised to find I actually really enjoyed this book.

The story is about a thirty year old teacher named Emma who is hired to tutor seventeen year old T.J. over the summer. Emma is looking forward to working on a beautiful island, while T.J. is bummed he won't be spending the summer with his friends, especially since his cancer just went into remission. T.J.'s family is on vacation in the Maldives and he and Emma fly to meet them there, only to have their plane crash before they reach their destination. The story is about how they survive on the island, how their relationship changes over time and how their bond will continue in the future.

Though the crash landing and survival aspect of the story isn't all that new, the characters and their relationship take the story in a new and interesting direction. Something I also thought was unique about this story was that the characters take turns telling the story from their perspective. Chapter one is from Anna's perspective, chapter two is from T.J.'s and so on for the entire book. The author does this but chooses not to have the characters describe the same situation twice, or if she does it's just a mention and not a rehash, which is nice. I also haven't read many books that show the perspective of a seventeen year old boy, so it was interesting to see things from his point of view.

Overall I would recommend this book to those who like action, adventure or romance novels. I think this is another author where I would look to see what they write in the future.