The Way of the Island: an epic journey of falling in love for the first time

by Sophie Toovey

I hate feeling so helpless, and having nowhere to call my own.

I clench my fists at my sides. I imagine tying up a ribbon inside my stomach, and pulling it taut. No use getting upset; that won’t achieve anything. What I need is a plan.

Alice's plans have all failed. She withdrew from being cast to Phillip Stead, and moved out of her father's house, but she's tired of getting in the way. She wants her own life and her own adventure. After all, living in a town of a hundred people is quite a limited existence.

When Alice gets the chance to sail off to the island of Cape, it's the opportunity she's been looking for. But as she learns the way of the island, and to fall in love, she also realises that she's left something behind in Whitecroft.

The Way of the Island is the second book in the Unity series, and explores finding your own path and overcoming pain and rejection. This kisses-only romance will give you all the feels of falling in love for the first time.

Readers say "clean romance with plenty of drama," "an amazing character arc," and "I absolutely adored Alice's adventurous, hope, forgiving redemption story!!"

319 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 8, 2024

About the author

Sophie Toovey loves reading and writing romance. She's an English teacher who drinks too much tea, and a total Jane Austen geek. She lives in Wales, in the UK, and enjoys smart romcoms where there's a bit of grit and realism. She writes clean, closed door romance with kisses only. Sign up for her newsletter at https://sophietoovey.com and receive a free ebook of I Want You Back, a contemporary retelling of Persuasion. If you follow Sophie on BookBub and Amazon, you'll get notified whenever she has a new release. Go to https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sophi... and to https://shorturl.at/7Hygj to follow her.

Reviews

[Lissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely adored Alice's adventurous, hope, forgiving, redemption story!!

[funkelbunt.liest · Rating 5 out of 5]

I already enjoyed the Prequel The Day of the Dice a lot, but I have to say I even liked this second book more which has multiple reasons.

First, I was already familiar with the world Toovey built and it took me no time at all to get immersed in the story. We learn more about the background and how this dystopian world came to be.

Second, the character growth of Alice was just wonderful. We only saw her through Elise’s eyes in book one, but we truly get to know her in the second book and she is a very complex character, one that I empathized a lot with. She takes responsibility for her previous words and actions and realizes when she was wrong. She is still far from perfect, but she is growing in a way that felt authentic and she has just an amazing character arc.

Third, there is open discussion from a Christian viewpoint. The characters don’t call themselves Christians as far as I can remember, but they believe in a Creator and since two surviving groups lived quite different lives in the past years, there’s a chance to talk about this in a way I absolutely appreciated.

I am immensely looking forward to book three, especially given that I still have a few questions and that I wasn’t happy with one character’s actions. (Not saying the name because of spoilers.) We didn’t get his POV so maybe we will and I hope for another great redemption story!

I have read 4 books by Sophie Toovey so far and I feel that they are getting better and better. Since I gave all of them 5 stars, this is saying something! Loved this and highly recommend it for everyone who loves clean romances, redemption arcs and dystopian YA books!

* Thank you to the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book. I leave this review voluntarily and the expressed opinions are my own.

[Mysticbookgirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘈𝘳𝘤 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘺 𝘖𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘺 𝘚𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘦 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘺

As the second book in the Unity series, we pass from Elise’s POV to Alice’s POV, and follow her on an adventure as she discovers lands far beyond the life she has always known in Whitecroft and figures out who she really is away from the ever lingering shadow of her father.

💭 ℳ𝓎 𝓉𝒽ℴ𝓊𝑔𝒽𝓉𝓈 💭

I was given the opportunity to read and review all three books of this series, and I am so glad Sophie gave me the opportunity to do so.

I really enjoyed seeing things from Alice’s perspective, and it really made me understand more her character and why she was the way she was in Book 1.

I also really enjoyed the comparison between the two civilisations, how one lived on order and structure, whilst the other was more free and based on faith and hope.

Watching Alice discover herself and watching her fall in love was by far my favourite part of this book. It was the perfect follow up to the first book, maybe slightly lacking in action, but a good and easy read either way.

[Tattered_Page_Treasures · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad that I came across this author. This is the third book I've read from Sophie Toovey and the second in this series. Her books are engaging with well developed characters and good story lines. The Way of the Island is a continuation of Day of the Dice and takes a look at a different character. I always enjoy the empathy that a story builds when considering things from the perspective of the perceived enemy. I love watching how hearts soften. And Sophie's books are clean romance with plenty of drama to keep it going. Way to go Sophie on another great novel!

[Teija Hemphill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is second out of a series. It definitely has a good storyline and characters that you feel connected to in a way. A definite 5 star read

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing! I love characters who change, and being a part of Alice’s story was enchanting! I have thoroughly enjoyed this series so far and can’t wait to read #3.

[Beth Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the way Alice's character grew. I preferred this to the Day of the Dice and am excited for the rest of the series.

[Jo Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Way of the Island is the second book in the Unity series by Sophie Toovey, a dystopian romance series. They really need to be read in order, so that you can get the most out of the series. The story starts where The Day of the Dice ended.

Alice as a character in the first book was spoiled and unlikeable, with no apparent redeeming qualities. As we focus on her story in this book, we really get to see her in a different light and I felt sympathetic towards her with the way that she was used by her father. Alice gets to glimpse a different life for herself on the island, and also gets to explore her own feelings in relationships for the first time. Being liked by a person she likes was a new experience for her.

I loved the different location to the first book, it provided a fresh alternative, and where Whitecroft was dark and cold, Cape was bright and warm.

This was the perfect second book in the trilogy, setting the scene for the final book whilst also amplifying the voices and characters of additional people crucial to the overall story. I am so excited for the final book in the series.