Review: Waiting For The Storm by Marie Landry

Title: Waiting For The Storm
Author: Marie Landry
Published: April 9th 2013
Source: Copy given by author for honest review
Genre: Young Adult Contemporary
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Caution: May contain spoilers

Charlotte O’Dell knows this summer is going to suck. Her beloved 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?

My Thoughts:

Where to start..... where to start..... This story. This story has everything a good story needs: a love that goes deeper than the surface, backstories that touch your heart, and the surprises that draw you closer to the characters to the point where you believe they are real. And could I expect any less from Marie?

No, I couldn't. Because she delivered so much more. As always.

Charlotte was a character you couldn't help but relate to on so many levels: dealing with her grief and learning to live again. When one is thrown into the position Charlotte was in, taking care of her mom for so long, a lot of things end up being put on the back burner. That can really throw a person off balance, and could keep them off balance if they don't make the effort to spread their wings and fly again. Charlotte was terrified of the world, but she wanted to do more.

Not only that but she wanted to help her family through this time. Her father was so lost and it became very hard for him to get a grip on reality. Ella is the quintessential sister that is acting out. You can sense that who she was is still in there but she is fighting it. But why is she fighting it? Charlotte tries to pull that part of her back to reality.

All the while Charlotte starts to spend time with Ezra, who is literally the boy next door. He makes her swoon, not only by how gorgeous he is but also by his kindness. He made me swoon as well (as you can tell from my Tweet here) with his humor and his words. Oh... just thinking about it is too much. And the two of them together? Absolute perfection. They are made for each other.

Waiting For The Storm is a beautiful story. It has the right mix of humor and life and love. By the time you reach the end, you're just swelling with this unimaginable joy. Marie Landry made me fall in love with yet another story of hers. If you want a compelling and sweet contemporary read, I say go for this story. It is brilliant and you WILL enjoy it. A LOT.

My Rating: