Sandy Feet

by Nikki Buick

Life was not meant to be easy. It was meant to be a treacherous obstacle course, a cruel gauntlet, and right then I was in the thick of it.

Hunter is stuck in a car with his family as they travel up the Queensland coast. It is a trip that his mum thinks will bring the family closer together, especially now that his stepdad and baby brother are part of the mix.

But with tension and secrets sizzling beneath the happy family facade, the road trip soon becomes Hunter's worst nightmare. The further away from home he gets the more he can't shake thoughts of the accident that took his dad away from them.

Forced out of his comfort zone, Hunter tries to embrace life on the road. Between campsites he parties with friendly backpackers on the beach, has one too many close encounters with wild animals and finally meets a girl who actually understands how he feels. But is it enough to help him deal with the real reason his family set off on their journey in t he frist place?

'A road trip of healing and discovery, and one that I highly recommend you take.' Michael Gerard Bauer

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Family, Divorce

257 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Jeann (Happy Indulgence) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out Happy Indulgence for more reviews!

What started out as a simple road trip through Queensland, becomes a journey of acceptance and self discovery for Hunter, who has undergone a traumatic accident and divorce of his parents.

Sandy Feet was a little difficult to read at first, filled with Australian slang and the loathing which Hunter harboured for his mother and his new stepdad. As he gets over his reluctance to enjoy the trip and to get some sun and surf, Hunter slowly comes out of his introverted shell and begins to address his emotions. He’s lost his dad to divorce, his mother tried to kill herself, and his sister Piper has down syndrome. He doesn’t trust Step, his new stepdad either and he definitely has a lot to deal with.

Hunter was a very real 16 year old Australian boy who prefers to play with his Xbox and skateboard with his friends rather than confront his very confusing emotions. It was refreshing to see him open up over the course of the novel, and healthily addressing concerns when it came to his family. The struggles, blame, and fears that he had with his parents divorce, his stepdad and his mother’s concerns were very real and it was very emotional at times. I loved the depth which the novel presented, especially as it deals with divorce and a blended family.

While the trip takes his family through Bowen, Atherton, Mossman, Cairns and other areas of regional Queensland, we are taken through the lush greenery of Australian scenery and its dangerous wildlife. From jellyfish to crocodiles and everything in between, Sandy Feet really captures the feel of Queensland, Australia. There are quite a few Australian slang words used which is actually quite familiar.

I thought the romance or summer fling presented here was dealt with realistically, and Hunter and his friends addressed girls in a very realistic way. At his age, he knows that the girls now are just for fun and are rarely Girls who are Forever. The way his mind kept on reverting back to his crush, his school and Facebook felt rather repetitive at times though, and it took a while for him to warm up to the holiday.

Sandy Feet is a great exploration of a teenager dealing with divorce while soul searching on the Queensland Coast. It’s quite an emotional read as Hunter deals with healing and self discovery, and he’s a really realistic narrator when it comes to his innermost thoughts and feelings. With a great Australian flavour, I recommend Sandy Feet to lovers of YA contemporary which are emotional and easy to read.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Calzean · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book improved as it went along.
Hunter, a 16 year old, is on a road trip with his sister, mother, step father and their new baby. The first few chapters hint of the cause of the simmering tension between Hunter and the adults. There are times when an opening appears to follow a thread in the story but then that thread just ends abruptly.
It's not till they reach the Daintree that the book reached me. For a young adult reader there are lessons that no one is perfect, nothing can ever be totally safe, and divorce affects every family member in different ways. Quite a powerful story in the end.
It also is a good advertisement for Queensland, with the road trip stopping at a number of scenic locations which Hunter describes with great passion.

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to University of Queensland Press for providing this book in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.

Hunter James is on the roadtrip from hell. His mother has dragged him out of his school in Brisbane, away from his friends, his Xbox and Facebook, up the Queensland coast with his ten-year-old sister who has Down syndrome, his new stepfather ‘Step’ and the new baby. Still dealing with the fall out of his parents’ divorce and emotionally recovering from an accident that changed his family, Hunter could not think of anything worse. His mum likes to pretend they’re such a happy family but Hunter knows better. After a while he realises it’s not all bad – he parties with backpackers on the beach, gets up close with some wild animals and meets a girl who might actually understand him – but eventually he will have to face the reality of why his mum decided to undertake this journey in the first place.

I have mixed feelings about Sandy Feet. I mostly enjoyed it, but it falls short of being a four or five star read for me and I can’t put my finger on why. I thought the examination of stepfamilies, the guilt that children caught between two parents and the use of those children as ‘weapons’ for one parent to hurt another was insightful and realistic. Stepfamilies aren’t always happy families and I actually applaud Hunter for building the courage to confront his mother on a touchy subject that had been avoided in their house. We see that this isn’t easy for him because of his desire to protect his mum, but through all her talk of supposedly ‘protecting’ her children from their father she had just hurt Hunter in particular and driven a wedge into their relationship. He had suffered a lot through the three years it had been since he had seen his father and when we eventually found out why a part of me sympathised with Hunter’s mother but she had also completely disregarded her son’s feelings on the matter. This is the trouble with parents sometimes, they are not able to see when their children grow into young adults with thoughts, feelings and opinions of their own. The attitude of Hunter’s mother frustrated me even when I could understand where she was coming from. As for Step, I didn’t think much of him at all but he didn’t seem to understand that as a stepparent coming into Hunter’s life in his mid-teens Hunter couldn’t be won over the way his sister could and felt he couldn’t have a new dad forced upon him.

The story felt a bit repetitive at times, lots of driving and driving and some flashbacks and arguments with his mum and Hunter having trouble dealing with the things that had happened in his family. But I guess that’s life isn’t it? Life can be repetitive and sometimes it just goes around and around and leaves you feeling stuck in a rut, the way I think Hunter felt when no one addressed the problems he was having with the situation. I thought the friendship and sort-of-fling with Sophie was realistic – it wasn’t true love, he was only sixteen and he was going home to Brisbane. He just accepted it for what it was and he wasn’t too heartbroken over it, but she was there when he needed her and she encouraged him gently – you could feel that he appreciated that.

I shed a couple of tears, just at the end, because I think families are so important, especially when you’re young and you don’t always want to acknowledge them. Hunter’s family had suffered through difficult times and yet you always felt as if they cared about each other, even when they didn’t like each other. The ending left me with a very warm feeling! I enjoyed this book.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

We need novels like Sandy Feet by Nikki Buick. The story of young Hunter dealing with growing up, divorce, family tragedy and life today.

Hunter could be any teen that you might know. The issues that challenge him are very much issues that young people deal with every day and even more so in the present. The spectre of mental illness, divorce and remarriage of parents, the need to be constantly "connected".

The setting is a road trip through Northern Queensland. Hunter, his sister Pippa who has Downs Syndrome, their mother, step father and new baby are on a classic family car journey complete with homeschooling (*shudders). nights in a tent, endless baked bean dinners and "No Wi-Fi". The family needs time out and to "get away".

I thoroughly enjoyed this story. It is not often that you read a story that is so instantly relatable. I recommend this to teenagers (they will get it !) and their parents, so they might gain some insight. Well done Nikki Buick

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have travelled in imagination with Hunter, and his family, and been moved by his journey. I really enjoyed this book, having travelled the same path to the Daintree in 1990, it brought memories back of a wonderful time, but the thing that impressed me is the way Nikki has handled the very touchy subject of marriage breakdowns and teenage angst, the heartache and misunderstandings that can occur in blended families. While I understood Hunter's position I found myself lining up on Step's side. It was a great read and I hope many more people have the opportunity to purchase this book and read and enjoy it.

[Sybilla Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fell for Hunter immediately. He was the voice of my son who had trouble adjusting to a blended family. The backdrop was stunning and the imagery, beautiful. This is an important book for teenagers to read to understand that parents aren't perfect, particularly in the wake of a divorce/separation. The issues of mental health and disability were handled with great sensitivity. This was a book that will linger in my mind for years to come. Just great.

[Tanya Grech Welden · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a review of this brilliant book (and many more reviews of great Aussie YA novels) head over to...
http://tanyagrechweldenyawriter.wordp...

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no choice but to give this book a five star because the way the author used her ways of words to show the emotions of the characters was just so powerful. I found that I had a lot in common with Hunter and I'm sad that the book has ended.

[Kelly (Diva Booknerd) · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/10/s...
Sandy Feet is a wonderful contemporary about life, finding your feet, acceptance and a sense of family.

If there was a defining moment that made a boy into a man, I think that was that particular moment for me. Right there on the side of the road, on the way to Cairns Hospital, outside the crocodile farm, something changed. Something shifted.

Told from sixteen year old Hunter's perspective, he's angry and frustrated and wants nothing more than to be home where he can access social media, play games and hang out with his friends. But instead he finds himself fighting for the window seat on a three week long road trip up the coast. Although his mother remarried after the collapse of her marriage, Hunter has never accepted the man he calls Step as a member of their family. He even resents sister Pippa for referring to him as her father. At first Hunter is seemingly the average teenage boy with a chip on his shoulder, but as his story unravels it soon becomes apparent that his anger can be justified.

I found the family dynamics wonderful. Pippa with down syndrome who really doesn't need any assistance. She's sassy and I loved her ability to stand up for herself. Their mother seemed to waver between loving mother, stern authority figure and carefree spirit. Although she was clearly dealing with her own crisis, she seemed to neglect Hunter's emotional well being. Angry, sullen and withdrawn, it was the typical teenage cry for help. But surprisingly under the circumstances, Hunter otherwise seemed like a well adjusted teenage boy and I struggled to find any deeming qualities within his mother. His step father was the more engaging of the two, taking on a family with existing complications yet he still wanted to be part of the children's lives. I really felt for his character, it can't have been easy trying to engage with a teenage boy but he seemed like the most reliable and solid figure Hunter had in his life.

But Sandy Feet felt a little repetitive, as the interactions between Hunter, family members and other travelers were too few and far between and the teen spend his time either absorbing the monotony of the scenery or reflecting on how the life he left behind is forging on without him. Hunter also recalls on memories of his father, who is now no longer in his life and I felt incredibly sorry for what he and Pippa have endured. I really enjoyed the fluent character dialogue especially, it gave realism to this being a family that you could find practically anywhere around the country.

Sandy Feet is the unassuming and quiet journey of learning acceptance, forgiveness and making the most of the life you've been dealt. I really enjoyed how Nikki Buick painted the diverse and blended family dynamics, while imparting that the onus falls on the individual how we accept them, flaws and all. It was a engaging and delicate read that is perfect for a lazy Sunday on the beach,

[jodiel86 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review also posted to Words Read & Written

My Thoughts:

Prior to reading this book, I read The Protected, which was released with UQP, so I went into this with relatively high expectations.

Unfortunately, they weren’t met… I was barely 60 pages in and I couldn’t shake the feeling that Sandy Feet was just a little… boring. I kept waiting for the “plot” to kick in, because the story seemed to be floating along with no real direction.

By page 90, I was reading not because I found the story engaging, but because I kept waiting for something to happen. The story became a bit of a treasure hunt to find the plot amidst the endless descriptions of scenery, car travel, food preparation and Hunter’s endless stream of internal thoughts.

I finished this book, but it was a chore for me. That doesn’t take anything away from the writing, which was lovely, or the story and its themes, which were relevant. This story just didn’t grab me and suck me in, which had a lot to do with the main character - a teenage boy who I couldn’t connect or identify with.

I usually avoid novels with male protagonists. But this book was written by a woman, so I thought it might be okay… male protagonists are always hit or miss for me.

My Verdict - 2 stars

[Zeus Eugenius · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one felt very close to home. I found this book to be an emotional roller-coaster. The voice of Hunter, an angst-ridden teen, was believable and it was so easy to slip into his character and feel his frustration and the simmering resentment of his new family arrangement that had come at such a high cost to him. All the characters were flawed in such real and human ways. The mother's volatile mental health, the stepfather's goofiness and Pippa, the sister from hell who in the end, becomes so deeply important to Hunter. Set in the incredibly beautiful far north Queensland, I really felt that I had done the road trip with Hunter and came out the other side feeling better for it.

[Julie scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

wOW I couldn't stop reading this novel it was fabulous. I actually got this book for free on Kobo due to the sample being totally blank lolllllllllll. "Sandy Feet" is about a family on a road trip who have many issues they really need to deal with and to reconnect as a family. This novel is also very humorous in different parts my favourite being the character of Hunter and his dislike of turkeys lolllllllllll and trying to scare them I couldn't stop laughing. I'm so glad I read this and would recommend this to everyone. You should be very proud Nikki and thankyou for mentioning me in the acknowledgements something I didn't expect but was very touched by. Excellent read❤❤❤

[Jenny Valentish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nikki Buick elegantly tackles difficult themes in this Aussie YA novel. The protagonist, Hunter, has to navigate his way through a divorce and handle some very adult issues. Kudos to Nikki for pulling it off.

[Carol-Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely story about the messy, painful, bewildering and beautiful business of families, being 16, love and loss. I felt for Hunter every step of the way!

[Ema024 · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I understand the motivation behind Hunter's mother's actions, I feel as if they were very wrong and Hunter forgave her too easily.

[Ida Maria Inga-Lill den Engelse · Rating 3 out of 5]

To me this was just a “nice that it exists, but it doesn’t hold much value for me” kind of book. I didn’t really seem to find a connection to the characters and whenever that happens, it’s pretty much end of story for me (no pun intended) The story is mostly situated during the car ride, which felt a bit too repetitive at times. The book didn’t quite connect to the “love story” that the description portrayed it to be. I was going into this story thinking Hunter (main character) would finally find someone throughout the trip who truly understands and relates to him; a savior and a reason to keep going. And although he did find some sort of connection, it didn’t felt very genuine from Sophie’s part. Especially since the end felt very rushed, therefore pretty much non-existent and unrealistic. Not to mention that the Australian slang that was used throughout the story kind of bothered me sometimes as well. Meanwhile, what I did like is that the issues he dealt with were very realistic and I could relate to his mindset at times. There were some highs during the book, but overall the story could have been better, but that’s my opinion. To put it shortly, the story didn’t meet my expectations. It’s a chill kind of story to read on a lazy Sunday, but that’s about it.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific coming-of-age story. 16 year-old Hunter is on a road trip from Brisbane up the coast to Cairns. He is with his mother, younger sister and baby brother. And there is Step, Hunter's step-father. Hunter's father is in jail after a car accident in which Hunter could have died. Hunter's mother refuses to let Hunter have anything to do with his dad. This leads to many arguments and it is when Pippa, the younger sister is rushed to hospital, Hunter discovers the extent of his mother's secrets.

[Jacinta Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sandy Feet was a nice surprise. It was an emotional journey and a physical road journey that was both beautiful and disturbing. The author recreates a perfect teenage boy's voice - angry, hurt, confused and frustrated with the world around him and most particularly his family. The issues of divorce, disability and depression and well-handled. The characters were so real you felt you knew them personally. The character of Pippa, a little girl with Down Syndrome was just delightful. The lead character, Hunter, was an easy fellow to empathise with. His internal journey through anger to forgiveness was one that I truly enjoyed. It was lovely to see him mature. This is a very heartfelt book and shows how divorce and the subsequent tug-o-war can have deep and painful repercussions for a child. I would recommend this to any reader, young adult or adult, who enjoys a very raw and real read. The imagery is beautiful and the psychological aspects spot on.

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read. Will suit those who enjoy contemporary, realistic YA. Has a lovely Australian theme/feel, fairly typical teen angst issues, but these are dealt with relatively well.

Themes include family, acceptance, betrayal, loyalty, and healing.
Recommended for ages 13+