Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Where I Found You (Sea, #1) by Heidi R. Kling

Synopsis (via Goodreads): After her mother's plane went missing over the Indian Ocean, seventeen-year-old Sienna Jones gave up everything she loved about living in California. No more surfing. No more swimming. No more ocean, period. Playing it safe, hiding from the world, is the best call.

Until her dad throws down the challenge of a lifetime: spend the summer with his humanitarian team in Indonesia, working with orphans who lost everything in a massive tsunami.

The day they arrive, Sienna meets a mysterious boy named Deni, whose dark, intense eyes make her heart race. Their stolen nights force her to open up and live in a way she thought she couldn't anymore. When she’s with Deni, she remembers the girl she used to be… and starts to feel like the woman he sees in her.

A woman he wants for his own.

Gulp.

But when Deni’s past comes looking for him, Sienna’s faced with losing another person she loves. She can’t do it. Not again.

Fortunately, this time, she has a plan. 
"I wanted to tell him that you can meet someone and they can change your life forever, even if you have only known them for a short while, that when you leave, you’re a different person than before you met them…"
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Also, the quote I used may have changed or been altered in some way, but I am quoting from what I received.

I wish the book had been longer! I feel like a lot happens in too few pages. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the orphanage, or pesantren, and spent more time with the children there. The art and group therapy were interesting, and I would have liked for it to have been expanded on. It was eye-opening listening to them recall their memories of the tsunami, and seeing how far they had come after such a traumatic experience.

It's a sweet story with a whirlwind romance. I wouldn't really call what they had an insta-love, it was more like an insta-attraction. I like that Sienna wasn't afraid to act on her feelings, and that she trusted herself and Deni. Their feelings did grow rapidly, but don't all new relationships start off that way? They were both in a unique situation, and they never forgot that their time together was temporary. They wanted to enjoy what they had and live in the moment.

Deni is still a mystery to me. His entire life before Sienna and the tsunami is still unknown, and something else I wanted to know more about. I also felt like the information about her friends at home, Bev and Spider, was limited. I had hoped to learn a little more about them, too.

Oh, and Bapak? Deni made a lot of serious accusations against him that were never investigated. I feel like someone should have either verified his claims, or at least looked into them. I really love the story and the concept for this book, I just wish there had been more

10 comments:

  1. Sorry you felt that there were some things that got overlooked! I read an earlier book of hers and liked it. But skipping this because I am not a fan of flying so avoid things about plane disasters.

    And I am SO SO sorry about all the trouble you've had commenting. Today Blogger seems to be letting me comment so I am happy. For a couple weeks I was shut out of commenting on Blogger blogs :(

    Jen Ryland Reviews

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    1. The plane incident is something that happens prior to the story, if that helps. They mention it a few time, but not in a lot of detail.

      It's okay! I just wanted to let you know it was happening.

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  2. It is hard when you enjoyed it, but just needed more details.

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    1. If just a few of the things had been expanded on, or explained with just a little more detail, I think it would have really added to the overall story.

      Delete
  3. I always want more character backstory. Without it, a story doesn't seem fully fleshed out. But the fact that you wanted more, too, in the book's length is always a good thing!
    Rebecca @ The Portsmouth Review

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    1. I really enjoyed the story, but it felt incomplete. I was surprised it ended when it did, because I really thought there would be more to it.

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  4. I wonder if maybe some of the things you are looking for will be addressed in the sequel? It could happen.

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    1. This is true. There are some bigger issues that could be addressed in a sequel, but there were little things specific to this story that I felt needed more elaboration.

      Delete
  5. Sounds like a great book. Maybe it needed to be a little longer though. Your review gave me an idea for a discussion post. Yes!

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    Replies
    1. An idea? Awesome! You'll have to let me know what it is.

      Delete

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“Stuff and nonsense. Nonsense and stuff and much of a muchness and nonsense all over again. We are all mad here, don't you know?”
― Marissa Meyer, Heartless