By: Marie Landry
Review by: Kaede
Release Date: April 9th, 2013
Format: E-book
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
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?
WAITING FOR THE STORM surpassed my expectations with ease, presenting itself as an engaging and just compulsively readable contemporary novel.
While I was reading I realized how quickly I was flying through the pages, and that made me really happy because it was a sign that I was really liking the book. There was always something that kept me interested happening.
I think my favorite part of the story though was the pacing. Marie Landry didn't drag her story out, nor rush through it, but instead she went steady - which for me was perfect.
All the characters that were introduced in WAITING FOR THE STORM were likable for me, except for maybe Alexis and Bianca because I didn't feel anything with them, just this kind of weird indifference. Admittedly it did take a little time, but I ended up really liking Charlotte. From the very beginning she was a realistic and believable character, and I liked her - don't get me wrong, but as we saw more and more of her and who she is, I began to love her. And I mean, Charlotte loves books and she starts blogging, and instant connection right there people.
I tilted my head and studied his face. "Are you hitting on me, Erza?"
He laughed under his breath and lowered his head. "Yeah, I am." He looked at me through his thick lashes. "Is that okay?"
I also loved Charlotte's relationship with Ezra (although every time I see this name I think of Erza from FAIRY TAIL and I really don't want to see an image of a girl in my head when we're talking about a boy in this case but I can't help it sometimes *cries*) and just how well they fit together. Charlotte and Ezra start off as friends and they begin to fall in love with each other and they were really cute together and wheee!
"...I said you could have everything else if you wanted, but I wanted that one. Just that one, and you took it like you take everything else."
Charlotte's sister Ella won't start off as everyone's favorite character but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. There was a part - the bigger part - that said to despise her because she was so bratty, but there was also a part of me that said everybody deals with grief in their own way and this just how Ella is.
WAITING FOR THE STORM wasn't perfect, but while I did have a few small issues, most of them were extremely minor. However there was one thing that bothered me slightly, and I think it's because I've been seeing this issue used as a plot device in a few books now. Ella is assaulted by a guy, and as a result Charlotte is able to talk to her sister and finally understand her better. I believe an assault like that is a serious issue, but it didn't seem to have any effect on Ella the next day and nobody talks about it afterwards, and it just didn't sit right with me but I'm glad that Charlotte and Ella finally got to talk to each other about how they really feel.
As a whole though, WAITING FOR THE STORM was very enjoyable with strong writing and an ability to express emotions clearly to the reader. There were twists I didn't expect, and if you think you might like WAITING FOR THE STORM even the slightest bit, then I would highly recommend going for it. I went in thinking I would at least like it, but I ended up with a story filled with characters I adored, and an author I'll definitely be following in the future.
To celebrate the tour, Marie has reduced the price of WAITING FOR THE STORM to only 99 cents! I reallllly think you guys should pick up this deal, and if you don't have a Kindle, never worry! You can also get WAITING FOR THE STORM on Smashwords with the code BH53J! But there might be a chance to win WAITING FOR THE STORM waiting for you....
a Rafflecopter giveaway
While I was reading I realized how quickly I was flying through the pages, and that made me really happy because it was a sign that I was really liking the book. There was always something that kept me interested happening.
I think my favorite part of the story though was the pacing. Marie Landry didn't drag her story out, nor rush through it, but instead she went steady - which for me was perfect.
All the characters that were introduced in WAITING FOR THE STORM were likable for me, except for maybe Alexis and Bianca because I didn't feel anything with them, just this kind of weird indifference. Admittedly it did take a little time, but I ended up really liking Charlotte. From the very beginning she was a realistic and believable character, and I liked her - don't get me wrong, but as we saw more and more of her and who she is, I began to love her. And I mean, Charlotte loves books and she starts blogging, and instant connection right there people.
I tilted my head and studied his face. "Are you hitting on me, Erza?"
He laughed under his breath and lowered his head. "Yeah, I am." He looked at me through his thick lashes. "Is that okay?"
I also loved Charlotte's relationship with Ezra (although every time I see this name I think of Erza from FAIRY TAIL and I really don't want to see an image of a girl in my head when we're talking about a boy in this case but I can't help it sometimes *cries*) and just how well they fit together. Charlotte and Ezra start off as friends and they begin to fall in love with each other and they were really cute together and wheee!
"...I said you could have everything else if you wanted, but I wanted that one. Just that one, and you took it like you take everything else."
Charlotte's sister Ella won't start off as everyone's favorite character but I couldn't bring myself to hate her. There was a part - the bigger part - that said to despise her because she was so bratty, but there was also a part of me that said everybody deals with grief in their own way and this just how Ella is.
WAITING FOR THE STORM wasn't perfect, but while I did have a few small issues, most of them were extremely minor. However there was one thing that bothered me slightly, and I think it's because I've been seeing this issue used as a plot device in a few books now. Ella is assaulted by a guy, and as a result Charlotte is able to talk to her sister and finally understand her better. I believe an assault like that is a serious issue, but it didn't seem to have any effect on Ella the next day and nobody talks about it afterwards, and it just didn't sit right with me but I'm glad that Charlotte and Ella finally got to talk to each other about how they really feel.
As a whole though, WAITING FOR THE STORM was very enjoyable with strong writing and an ability to express emotions clearly to the reader. There were twists I didn't expect, and if you think you might like WAITING FOR THE STORM even the slightest bit, then I would highly recommend going for it. I went in thinking I would at least like it, but I ended up with a story filled with characters I adored, and an author I'll definitely be following in the future.
4 coffee cups!
*An advance copy of this book was provided for review. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.*
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).
~♥~
To celebrate the tour, Marie has reduced the price of WAITING FOR THE STORM to only 99 cents! I reallllly think you guys should pick up this deal, and if you don't have a Kindle, never worry! You can also get WAITING FOR THE STORM on Smashwords with the code BH53J! But there might be a chance to win WAITING FOR THE STORM waiting for you....
Lol seems like Ezra reminds everyone of someone else - another review mentioned Pretty Little Liars. I already feel like I like Charlotte she sounds like a perfectly flawed character who you can easily sympathize with. Glad you enjoyed it, Kaede!
ReplyDeleteYay I'm happy that you liked this one! Omg when I heard Ezra I first heard of Pretty Little Liars and then I thought of The Beginning of Everything and now I must look up this mythical Fairy Tail. Ahh but yay for their romance, and the characters (except for two) all being likable, and Ella! She sounds like a pretty broken character, but I love those kinds of characters I just can't hate no matter how messed up he/she is :)))
ReplyDeleteFantastic review!
Thank you so much for being part of the tour, and for the really great review, Kaede. I'm so glad you *got* Ella and understood that there were reasons behind her behaviour and that she wasn't just a horrible person...even though she acted like it at times! ;-)
ReplyDelete