Indigo Waters

by Sandy Lo

Everyone fears something. What makes Cosette Hadley's fear different from most is that it is also her greatest love, water. As a child she found solace in the water, but after a tragic boating accident she hasn't feared anything more. Madeleine, Cosette's sister, prided herself on being fearless and always searching for a good time. The two sisters couldn't be more opposite. The girls find themselves spending the summer living aboard a dive boat in the Bahamas. After five years of not being in the water, Cosette finds herself confronted with the one thing she works so hard to avoid. Fin Hughes, the Captain's son, is tasked with getting her back into the water. Handsome and arrogant, Fin finds himself torn between the two sisters. Are his feelings for Cosette worth pursuing, or does he give into the flirtatious ways of Madeleine? The Hadley sisters need to overcome personal obstacles. Will they finally realize they need each other to survive this summer?

314 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2014

About the author

Sandy Lo's personal story is inspiring. She started, StarShine Magazine, an online publication in 2001, at the age of 18. She wrote her first novel in 2009, "Lost In You," followed by the "Dream Catchers" Series. She was the first person ever to professionally interview Taylor Swift and has received personal endorsements for her books from members of boy bands Backstreet Boys and 98 Degrees.

In 2012, gained tremendous momentum in book sales on Kindle. She has been included on the "50 Writers You Should Be Reading" list by The Authors Show, and both "Dream Catchers" (2010) and "Breaking The Moon" (2011) reached the Top 100 Best Selling Coming of Age novels in Amazon's Kindle Store. What makes this even more unique, is that Sandy relocated from NY to Nashville in order to write "The Watch Dog," (2012) which is set in a fictional town outside of Music City. She has true dedication to her craft! Sandy again relocated to Florida to pen "Indigo Waters" (2014) before traveling the country while blogging and getting inspiration for future projects.

Currently, Sandy is in the process of adapting "Dream Catchers" into a screenplay. Her latest novella, "Decaf For The Dead" will be releasing September 2019.

Reviews

[Ro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a very cute read. Enjoyed the characters and the sibling rivalry. Nice quick read.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Sandy Lo and By The Book VBP for this book.

I really enjoyed this one! I love reading books about the ocean and dolphins. The relationship between the sisters, Cosette and Maddy blossom was so fun to read about. Getting Cosette back in the water and facing her fear too

[Jessica Braun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Indigo Waters. The character’s personalities were spot on and they were portrayed wonderfully. I would most definitely read more books by this wonderful author!

[Shereen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you book VBP and Sandy Lo for the chance to read and review this book.

This book is about two sisters who are sent to the Bahamas for the summer because their mother is going into rehab. Cosette has a fear of swimming after watching her father drown and she couldn't save him and Maddie is the wild child. Their mom hopes that sending them will help Cosette get over her fear and get Maddie to not be so wild and listen. Cappie is the captain of the book that they are working on as well as their fathers best friend. Cappie has a son named Fin who works on the boat with him but tells him that the Hadley sisters are off limits but does he listen....

This story is about sisters learning to love one another again and building the bond that they once had. Maddie eventually learns that being wild isn't always the best thing after an attempted sexual assault. Maddie lets down her walls with Fin and tells him about how her mother has treated her over the years after her father passing. Meanwhile Cosette takes a few tries at getting back in the water. On Cosette's first day on the boat Fin pretends to be drowning to get her back in the water(however Fin did not know how her father had passed). And although it worked for that one time it didn't keep her going back into the water. After some team work Cosette succeeds and is comfortable with swimming again but now she has feelings for Fin but so does Maddie and Cosette tries to deny her feelings. In the end Cosette accepts how she feels about Fin and gives in.

This story was a great one. It kept me up way past my time to go to bed and I am not made about it. Watching the sisters relationship grow to what it became was wonderfully done. You watch them go through some growing pains together. Watching Cosette experience her being attracted to a boy for the first time and letting her guard down makes you relate to you first love or at least for me it did. I tried to drag the last of the book out because I did not want it to end. I am glad that there was a happy ending for both families and that they have all started to heal as a family.

[Nik's Nook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosette and Madeleine Hadley get a chance opportunity to work on a dive boat in the Bahamas for the summer, except they see it as more of a punishment instead of an opportunity. Cosette, due to a tragic accident, hasn't swam in over five years despite her love for the water, and Madeleine wants to be anywhere the boys are, and they sure aren't on the dive boat. Can this summer bring the sisters closer together, or will things like Fin, the son of the boat's captain, tear them apart?

This book reminded me of books I used to read as a teenager and it made my heart happy. I really enjoyed watching the relationship between the sisters ebb and flow and grow. The girls tackle real-life issues in this novel - both past and present. The setting was perfect for a summer read, and the addition of the character of Fin as a love interest for the sisters added another layer of depth and tension to the story. This is a great feel-good novel to read at the beach or on vacation!

[Jolaine Mccall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it

Loved it

this book made me want to keep reading well into the night. I believe this is my favorite book written by Sandy Lo.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indigo Waters is the perfect beach read.

Lo sets the story in the most beautiful setting ever, on a tourist yacht in Bimini Bahamas. 💙🐬

Co and Maddie are sisters that get a chance to work on the yacht for the summer. Enter Fin, the captains handsome (dare I say hot 🔥) son. Both sisters feel a connection with Fin and this makes an interesting love triangle of sorts.

The girls have lost their Dad not long ago and Cosette feels especially responsible and now dreads the water, when it used to feel like home to her. Maddie has her own issues to deal with and even Fin has differences with his Dad as well as a secret of his own he’s keeping. The three of them must learn to get through the summer together.

This really is a sweet coming of age story and I enjoyed it! Co and Maddie’s relationship comes full circle as each of the girls grow and learn about themselves which I loved. Fin is a great addition to the story here, the world needs more Fins. ❤️

Yes, there are dolphins too, 🐬 and they are amazing. Thanks Sandy now swimming with dolphins is on my bucket list. ❤️💙🤷‍♀️

Bottom line is, I will read whatever this author writes - when it comes to romance/romcom books, she is a master. I’m so glad I read this, it was perfect timing for me as I was not feeling well and this sweet book took me right with it to the crystal clear water of the Bahamas. 🌊🐟

Thanks Sandy. 💙

[Breysreviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Indigo waters by Sandy Lo was a tale of sisterly bonds, overcoming trauma and romance that keeps you reading.

4/5 stars

Our main character Cosette is terrified of water. 5 years ago her father fell off their boat in a storm and drowned, despite her attempts to save him. She refuses to swim despite years of training and even being on track to go to the Olympics. Madeline is rebelling, and pushing herself away from her family since her fathers death. All of that changes when the girls mother sends them to work on a boat with an old family friend for the summer.

The plot of this book did deal with a lot of a hard topics. Trigger warnings included at the end, but I did enjoy the plot. It was interesting to see them work through their different responses to their fathers death.

I wasn’t sold on the romance in this book. I actually preferred to see the relationship between the family being built over the romance. It wasn’t anything terrible, I just didn’t like it personally.

This was a very solid read. It deals with trauma, the writing was good. The plot was interesting, all in all, I enjoyed it.

Trigger warnings:
Attempted sexual assault and domestic violence

[Elaine Betancourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!! This is the second book from Sandy I have gotten to read and review and I had high expectations after reading Dream Catchers. This book definitely went above and beyond my expectations and is now my favorite from her so far!!

I experienced so many feelings and tears (and that was just in the prologue). Loved how the book made me feel like I was there and could relate so much between Cosette and Madeleine. Loved the relationship between the sisters and despite how different they were tragedy, finding themselves, and love brought them together and stronger than ever.

The strength of Cosette is what I loved the most and how she got over her biggest fear. The relationship between her and Fin was so up and down but had me rooting for them the entire time.

Definitely my favorite read this summer and this book is a must read summer book for all!! Can't wait to get my hands on another Sandy Lo book she's a 5⭐ author for sure!!!!

[Briana Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cosette and Madeleine's family has been torn apart by tragedy, and the only way to bring them back together is to face their fears and learn to love themselves and their family again. The emotional growth of both girls throughout the book is phenomenal, Sandy captured that amazingly. As an adult, I felt a little disconnected from the YA content in this book, but it did take me back, and I do remember being a teenager, with all those emotions. And really we're not that different as adults, the subjects just change. Finding yourself is a life long process I think, or tends to be, I'm still figuring things out myself, and this book brought that out very well. You think you have it all figured out, but then something changes, and you're back at square one again. The writing was good, a little hard for me to read at times, but I'm a bit of a grammar nerd/perfectionist. Overall, great story, good character growth and connections, good ending. Great standalone, sweet, YA romance.

[Kristina Civille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book! It was such a great summer read that was full of family, love, and loss. This is my second @authorsandylo book, and I am such a huge fan. Her writing style is on point, and she creates characters that I fall in love with. I am also a huge fan of the reality show BELOW DECK and this book reminded me SO much of the show. (Cappie = Captain Lee) #IYKYK

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I resonated with Cosette in this story because I’m also afraid of the water. Unlike Cosette, I have no reason to be.

I loved the family dynamics in this book between Cosette and her sister Madeleine. It’s very relatable and shows great growth.

Then you add in Fin to the mix…and it creates even more tension. This is a great summer read, especially while at the pool or lake!

[Kassyreadsalot · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have just finished Indigo Waters By Sandy Lo! I’d like to thank the author Sandy Lo and bythebook for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!
Indigo Waters is about Cosette Hadley and she is given no choice but to spend the summer in the Bahama’s with her older Sister Madeline. It has been five years since Cosette has been in the water, because five years before she had a traumatic experience and now is being forced to face her fear. Can Cosette face her fear? This is book has so much in it. The main characters are all dealing with personal issues and must deal with things they have gone through. It’s about grief and facing your problems. I can’t forget romance! There is a romance with someone and to beg honest it’s more of a love triangle where the main male love interest is interested in both of the Hadley Sisters!
In the beginning I sympathized for Cosette and how she felt about being sent away with her old sister who aren’t that close. It was so nice to see Cosette come into her own and see her relationship with her older sister Madeline improve! However, I will admit I didn’t particularly like Madeline in the beginning she wasn’t very nice or likable. The further on I read the more she began to grow on me and I enjoyed seeing her improve herself and make some decisions for her future because in the beginning Madeline seemed to be lost and wasn’t sure what to do with her life! As for the love interest Finn I wasn’t sure if I would like him and if he was a good guy. It turns out he was very sweet and very considerate despite being attracted to both sisters and who he truly wanted to be with! This book overall was a fun read and now is a great time to be reading this book!

[Kristin Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the absolute perfect beach read, and made a flight feel like 5 minutes.

I am a sucker for cute romance stories like this one, the writing style was easy to read, and it reminded me so much of the movie Aquamarine that I watched growing up.

The love triangle was so fun to follow, and I actually expected more drama at the end but it wrapped up seamlessly. It covers some modern family dynamics that I thought were relatable and the character development was great.

I loved getting to follow Colette, Finn, and Madeleine on their romance, boating, swimming, and summer adventures! I definitely am looking forward to picking up some more books by Sandy Lo.