Waiting for the Storm by Marie Landry

Waiting for the Storm

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte O’Dell knows this summer is going to suck. Her mother just died, her sister hates her, and her dad has completely checked out. Fulfilling her mother’s final wish, the family heads to Angel Island for the summer to stay in a beach house her mother once loved. 

After a year of being shut away taking care of her mother, Charlotte is numb and practically afraid of her own shadow; she hopes going to the island will give her the time and space she needs to begin healing, and an opportunity to bring her family back together. When she meets her mysterious neighbor, Ezra, it doesn’t take long for Charlotte to confess the issues she’s developed. Ezra begins giving Charlotte assignments to get over her fears, and although she accepts his tasks, all she really wants is to be with him. When she’s with Ezra, she’s able to forget the hollow ache in her heart and the fact that her family is falling apart. But Ezra has secrets…

Can Charlotte pull what’s left of her family together, mend her broken heart, and allow herself to fall for Ezra? Or is it all just a storm waiting to happen?

Review:

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The synopsis I read for it had left off the seventeen-year-old so I wasn't expecting Charlotte to be so young. I mean to take a year off of high school to care for her sick mom? I can't imagine. Her friends abandoning her, her dad being detached  her sister being a nightmare...I don't know how she dealt so well with everything. She was so strong in many ways and she just kept trying to keep everything together. I was so happy when she met Ezra and she finally had someone to help her through everything. Ezra was so sweet and just what she needed. It helped that he has some issues that he is dealing with that are similar. That helps bond them and really I think they help each other so much. I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did. It was so sweet and just a beautiful story. There were some things I thought were a little much, like her dad might end up exactly like his mom, and so that kept me from giving it a full 5 stars. It was a great read though. 

The book started out at the mom's funeral and it was just...really hard for me to read. It was easy to identify with what Charlotte was going through. It was heartbreakingly beautiful how it was written. Ezra comes along at just the right time. Even though he does keep some odd secrets and I didn't really understand why. Like what he does at night...the first time she rides along it seems like it might be dangerous at least but it really isn't. Once you find out what he does it is just like wait why are you so worried about telling her this is what you do? I mean I read what you said, but it doesn't really make sense to me. Who would look down on him for that? Otherwise he was great. 

Not telling her about his mom and she getting as upset as she was...kind of felt too much. Like she got too upset about it. I understand being hurt, but I can also understand his side of things. After a while it becomes a lose lose since you weren't upfront about it right away. I am just glad she finally was able to move past it. Especially since everything resolves itself so nicely suddenly at the end. Still a nice ending, if a little unrealistic that everything would work out just like that. A beautiful story that I will definitely be reading again. 

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★1/2