Sun, sand, surf, cute boys, kissing.... what more could I want in a YA book? Turtle Bay comes through with all of these and I absolutely want to get in my car and drive down to Florida tomorrow. I really enjoyed this one. It was fun, sweet and made me long for the days of summer.
Our main character Rain has just moved with her rather eccentric parents to Florida in hopes of making a fresh start. Rain had gotten into some trouble and now she is looking to turn things around and hopefully find her niche in Turtle Bay, Florida. I really enjoyed Rain's character. King does such a great job of making her relatable. She's an everyday teen who wants to fit in and it's hard for her to do so with her parents being the way they are. I loved Rain's parents. They were awesome. Sure, they could be pretty over the top, so I definitely could see where Rain was coming from, but they do love their daughter unconditionally and Rain sees that, no matter how much they embarrass her with their antics. They have always marched to the beat of their own drum, so naturally as a teenager, it's hard for Rain to accept and embrace their weirdness. As the story progresses though, we see Rain have some very real moments with her parents and I like that their relationship is so open. Even when Rain is expressing her feelings to them, they don't ignore her- instead they listen to her and decide what they can do as a family.
Rain ends up finding herself in some trouble here in Turtle Bay not long after she moves there. Unfortunately, it was more of a wrong place, wrong time scenario. Still, Rain must face the consequences of her actions, which forces her to deal with a guy she met her first day on the beach, who was a real jerk to her. Josh is a lifeguard and an environmentalist and immediately makes assumptions about Rain's character. These two do not get off on the right foot and there is some serious angry tension between them. I ended up loving Josh though. It was wrong of him to make those assumptions about Rain, but things do get ironed out between them and I really ended up liking their relationship. It was sweet and they spend quite a bit of time together getting to know one another and helping out on the beach. Between him and Farrah, Rain really has it going on in the friend department.
I loved seeing Rain find something she was so passionate about. She loves to read and write, but she discovers she also loves helping out at the beach. The whole community comes together to help make preparations for an incoming hurricane and it was just awesome to see how amped up everyone was to ensure everything was ready. Even Rain's parents jumped in and started helping out too! The overall dynamic of this book was just a feel good one. I loved the sweetness of the story and that Rain ended up turning a crappy situation into an awesome one and she has found a home in Turtle Bay with her family and new friends. My only wish is that I could have read this one with my toes in the sand down on the beach....
*Received a copy of this book via the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.*