Book Review: Between the Ocean and the Stars

Do you ever read a book that so many loved, and you're going through it and wondering what is actually wrong with you because you're not getting it? I feel like that's where I'm at here. 

Between the Ocean and the Stars

M.M. Cochran

As a newcomer on Ophelia Island, Florida, Sam Carter is distraught about moving away from his life in West Virginia. But the moment he lays eyes on the mysterious diner girl, Georgia Gabehart, he can't help but surrender to her bewitching allure.

Sam is mesmerized by Georgia even as she steals sailboats at night and breaks into lighthouses-the master of playing with knives and not getting cut. Until she's trapped in the tight grip of her boyfriend with a dark side.

When a dangerous hurricane sweeps Sam into a police investigation and Georgia is nowhere to be found, Sam gives himself only one option: love, even if loving might end in tragedy.

This dazzling coming of age debut novel from award-winning fiction writer M.M. Cochran will take your breath away.

I think my biggest issue with this book are the characters. I liked all of the things that were tackled in this book, young romance, mental health, some mystery, teenagers being teenagers, and teen romance violence, that is a lot of stuff tackled in one book. I didn't like Georgia right off the bat, I'm not sure if it is because I'm a mom and have two teenagers myself, but I have that whole mom intuition that just has never been wrong. I didn't like Sam because he's 18 and his parents treat him like he's 15, he's fairly clueless about girls and relationships, but also has almost stunted abilities to read the room or think about things long term. In a way, this almost felt like a modernized, skewed version of Romeo + Juliet, and I'm not sure how I feel about that now that I'm thinking of it. Then throw in a hurricane as the backdrop and this is will keep your blood pumping. 

I know a LOT of people really loved this book, I just don't know what I'm missing. I managed to fly through this one in a day so it is a quick read, but I really felt irritated throughout the book because these teenagers are morons. I was really rooting for Sam and I was even more frustrated by the ending and I really don't know how to feel about it. I will say, that for a debut novel, this was great. It is definitely a promising start to a wonderful writing career. 

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour and sending me a copy for review!