Turtle Bay by Tiffany King
For sixteen-year-old Rainbow Honeywell—or Rain, as she insists on being called—the answer was to become the queen of all pranks. She never wanted to be a troublemaker, but the label quickly stuck when everyone in Huntsville, Kansas, became a target. All she wanted was to deflect the negative attention off her parents, but Rain's plan backfired to the max, landing her in a heap of trouble with the local authorities and expelled from high school.
An unexpected inheritance offers Rain an opportunity for a new beginning when she and her family move across the country to the quaint beach community of Turtle Bay, Florida.
Determined to make the best of her second chance, Rain vows to walk the straight and narrow, hoping her parents will fly under the radar while she soaks up some fun in the sun, sandy beaches, and hot, tanned guys. Unfortunately, she picks the wrong new friends, and a late night party lands her back in the kind of trouble she had been hoping to avoid. As the newbie in town with a record, Rain takes the brunt of the punishment when an unforgiving judge chooses to make an example out of her and slaps her with enough community service hours to keep her busy until she is old and gray.
Facing the harsh reality of paying for the actions of others while atoning for her own past sins, Rain is paired up with Josh Shaw, a judgmental local lifeguard whose love for the beach and the environment is eclipsed only by his distaste for those who trash it. As far as Josh is concerned, Rain is guilty and got what she deserved, regardless of her side of the story. To make matters worse, a tropical storm sits in the Atlantic, threatening to wreak havoc on the small beach community.
Things slowly change as Rain begins to appreciate her surroundings through Josh's eyes, proving she is not the person he thinks she is. Their feelings for one another blossom as the tropical storm grows into a hurricane and bears down on Turtle Bay. With impending danger looming, the small beach community must come together in order to ride out the storm.
Review...
I love me some Tiffany King. I've read a few of her books so far, and I enjoyed them. This is the first contemporary book I picked up by her, and I am glad to say that this one gave me the happy feelings I've come to expect from a book by Tiffany King. This one is sweet and fun, and took no time at all to fly through.
Turtle Bay is about Rain and Josh. They're both good people. Kindhearted and responsible. Rain can be a bit rebellious, but honestly she'd a wonderful person. She has her reasons for acting out, and it's something she does work through in this novel. Josh actually started out kind of like a jerk when we first met him, but it doesn't take him too long to show his true colors so we could see he's super nice. I liked both Rain and Josh, and they get to wear that fun badge of honor book characters get when I think I'd actually be friends with them in real life.
The story is unique. It doesn't follow a regular path of drama. It's very character driven, and the growth of those characters is fantastic. There are, of course, HAPPENINGS, which were laid out interestingly enough so that I never got bored. The mixture of characters, plot, and writing all equaled a story I flew straight through.
The romance was sweet. Josh and Rain are positively adorable together. They have the cutest teenage romance I was glad to see develop as they got to know each other, and as the story progressed. I especially liked that their romance was not laced with a bunch of on again/off again. Not only can that get exhausting, but I can't picture Josh and Rain like that. I enjoy them the way they are, and I love them together.
For me, the most amazing thing about this book was how happy it made me feel. The whole thing gave me the most fond feelings. It was a comfortable read--you know, where I was calm and interested and just plain happy. Even now as I write this review, or whenever I think back on this book, I smile. And that is the best thing.
Overall, Turtle Bay is a wonderful novel that made gave me the happiest of feelings. The characters felt like friends, and their story is one I continue to look back on fondly. I highly enjoyed this book!
4 stars - A sweet, fun story perfect for when you need a smile :)
I love when a book makes me happy, and feel good! When the characters feel like your friends, you know it's an awesome book! Lovely Review Jess ;)
ReplyDeleteA sweet romance and a plot that doesn't leave you bored... sounds like my kind of read.
ReplyDeleteNaomi @ Nomi’s Paranormal Palace