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. Jamaica Holidays | Jersey Holidays | Kefalonia Holidays | Kos Holidays | Lake Garda Holidays | Lanzarote Holidays | Las Vegas Holidays | Madeira Holidays | Magaluf Holidays | Majorca Holidays | Maldives Holidays | Malta Holidays | Mauritius Holidays | Menorca Holidays | Mexico Holidays | Morocco Holidays | Mykonos Holidays His accent made his words sound even and pure. It reminded me of rain falling into a half-full barrel. 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

Whilst there are a few minor characters such as the birders staying in the observatory, or Rachel’s Norwich based family, it is Rachel, Lefty and Fraser who hold the reader spellbound. The dynamics of their relationships ensure the reader has no free will of their own but simply has to accept them as the author portrays them. I worried about them the whole time I was reading. They broke my heart and filled it with hope. I absolutely loved the interplay between them and the developing romantic and sexual relationship between Rachel and Fraser. And You, Me & The Sea is surprisingly sexual. Often the physical side of relationships in writing feels contrived, but here it is fabulously created with intimacy and passion. I read You, Me & The Sea rather wishing I could be Rachel! The novel bowls along and kept me hooked, it is so very readable. For me some of the developing relationships, as they change and morph, perhaps didn’t feel quite convincing, but that is a minor quibble.I devoured this book in two days; not because it was an amazing story, but because I wanted to know how it was going to end. The book is rather predictable as it ended exactly as I anticipated. However, the story is beautifully written, the characters are outstanding, and I enjoyed it for the most part. 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 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. 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. I have to admit that I didn't ever expect to read a romance by this author, and I was intrigued to see how she would handle this one. You, Me and the Sea is a moving, emotional and passion fuelled story of emerging love. It's a study in self awareness and it's a beautifully written tale of the frailties of human nature and how much hurt we can do to ourselves. It is perfectly paced and the characters are incredible creations, not just Rachel and Fraser, but the other people who pop in and out of the story too. I have to give a special mention to Lefty; a mysterious character, floating about on the edges of the story, but who becomes integral to the plot as it develops.From the USA Today bestselling author of All the Summer Girls and Dog Crazy comes a spellbinding and suspenseful tale inspired by Wuthering Heights that illuminates the ways in which hope—and even magic—can blossom in the darkest of places. But Merrow’s heart is set on Amir - isn’t it? After all, he’s been with her through hard times and he promised to be with her forever. But an unexpected event shows Merrow that maybe people are not always what you expect them to be. 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… Dalaman Holidays | Dominican Republic Holidays | Dubai Holidays | Egypt Holidays | Goa Holidays | Florida Holidays | France Holidays | Fuerteventura Holidays | Germany Holidays | Gran Canaria Holidays | Greece Holidays | Ibiza Holidays | Italy Holidays | Izmir Holidays

The island’s other inhabitants are less than welcoming. Fraser Sutherland is a taciturn loner who is not happy about sharing his lighthouse – or his precious coffee beans – and Lefty, his unofficial assistant, is a scrawny, scared lad who isn’t supposed to be there at all. The island setting is a strong element of the story; not only does it function as a mechanism to throw two unlikely types together, but it also provides its own elemental wildness and sense of danger. (There also some descriptions of the sort of birds to be found on a northern Scottish island, and I found that bit of the book enjoyable.). Rachel has been hired as a temporary housekeeper for the bird conservatory, which means that she and Fraser are thrown together as both roommates. Their relationship also has an element of mentorship as Fraser teaches her much about the natural life on the island. When it comes to emotional matters, Rachel tends to take more of a lead - and that aspect comes into play when a mysterious occupant of the lighthouse is revealed. Anyone who spots something suspicious can always report it to our Customer Service team so that our fraud team can investigate. The setting of this remote and often hostile environment intensifies the raw emotions and attraction between Fraser and Rachel and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their relationship develop.Each review score is between 1 and 10. To get the overall score, we add up all the review scores and divide that total by the number of review scores we received. Guests can also give separate subscores in crucial areas, such as location, cleanliness, staff, comfort, facilities, value, and free WiFi. Guests submit their subscores and their overall scores independently – there’s no direct link between them.

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! Contributions should be travel related. The most helpful contributions are detailed and help others make better decisions. Please don’t include personal, political, ethical, or religious commentary. Promotional content will be removed and issues concerning Booking.com’s services should be routed to our Customer Service or Accommodation Service teams. Rachel is a Norfolk lass and already the author is creating a credible setting (mention of Jarrold Bookshop/Store chain and the Happisburg (pronounced Hazeburgh) Lighthouse really anchor the city). She then clearly has immersed herself in the setting of the Isle of Must, which is a bird sanctuary and it certainly attracts many birders. Rachel is appointed to look after the visitors in the small and basic hostel. She cooks and cleans and changes the bedding. 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.I read after I finished the book that it was inspired by Wuthering Heights, and I absolutely love that. I think Donohue captured the sense of place, as well as the emotions. Then, like sea glass carried from a distant land, Amir arrives in Merrow’s life. He’s been tossed about from India to New York City and now to Horseshoe Cliff, to stay with her family. Merrow is immediately drawn to his spirit, his passion, and his resilience in the face of Bear’s viciousness. Together they embrace their love of the sea, and their growing love for each other. 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. Merrow meets Amir, who has been sent from New York, by way of India, to live with her family. Amir is not affected by Bear’s nastiness, and Merrow admires his strength of spirit.