In this runaway New York Times bestseller, a harrowing near-death experience brings together an English teacher and her student as they struggle to survive on a desert island.Sixteen-year-old T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. With his cancer in remission, all he wants is to get back to his normal life. But his parents insist that he spend the summer catching up on the school he missed … on the school he missed while he was sick.
Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher who has been worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere. To break up the monotony of everyday life, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring T.J.
Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahans’ summer home, but as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens: their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.
At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, and as birthdays pass, the castaways must brave violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the worst threat of all—the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. With only each other for love and support, these two lost souls must come to terms with their situation and find compaionship in one another in the moments they need it most.
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I absolutely love this book. I remember the first time I read it, I literally sat up all night to finish it in one sitting. I’ve since re-read it so many times, along with it’s companion novella. It is just so beautiful and the characters were wonderful. Perfect read.
~ Claire
One of the best books I’ve ever read, and one I always recommend. Such an incredible story. One that really stuck with me.
Seems I’ve found my new favorite sub-genre…and unfortunately there are so few likes this out there…sighhhhhhhh.
To start off I’m not a fan of the older woman/younger man trope – give me the other way around and I’m all up in it. But this one was different – maybe it was the circumstances that forced TJ to grow up way too fast and become a man …
I had some reservations about reading this one mainly because of the fourteen year age difference between the two main protagonists and how their relationship transforms into a sexual one. The heroine is a thirty year old tutor to a sixteen year old boy who is in recovery from cancer. My main concern was if Tracey could pull of this relationship …
I cant believe that I have read the book in one day! I wasnt sure what genre it is but it is perfect for summer reading. This was my first read and honestly, I am very impressed with the lightness from the story. Anna Emerson and TJ Callahan were on the journey to Maldives until fate had chosen another path. Lost on the deserted island, I probably …
Loved this story. I was captivated by it!
I really enjoyed this book. The concept and setting for a large portion of the book – a desert island – could have been a dangerous trap, but was handled skillfully, and in a way that moved the story forward. The characters felt real and believable, and the challenges they faced both on the island and later after being rescued, felt real. It was …
This book was hard to put down. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book, I didn’t expect to love it, but I did. Anna and TJ stole my heart, well, TJ more than Anna. This couple went through so much and the first half of the book I kept reading thinking, it can’t be that much longer till they are rescued, then I kept …
I loved it…couldn’t put it down!
I can’t believe this is her first book. Great story and well developed characters. She really pulled me into the emotions of the characters and I continued to think about them after I finished the book. That usually doesn’t happen.
I really enjoyed this book. It made you think about “what if”. It was scary and romantic at the same time. It made me think “what would I do if I was in that situation.” It’s definitely a fun ,fast enjoyable read.
I am not a fan of romance novels, but this kept me interested up to the end. Nicely done bit of escapism!
An outstanding first book by ms. Graes. Ingenious survival tactics, and likeable characters.
I loved this book and the two main characters. Perhaps not totally realistic but easy to follow if real. Truly loved the ending as the reader could expect less.
A scorching read!
A harrowing near-death experience brings together an English teacher and her student as they struggle to survive on a desert island…
My word. This book was everything – loved the characters and how they developed. Loved seeing and experiencing how they fell in love and survived the island together.
The emotion in this book …
Predictable.
Good story, grips your attention from the very beginning.
I thought this was one of the best books I’ve ever read. I finished it over a week ago and I am still thinking about it. I’m wondering if the author has actually had to survive on a deserted island in her life….because she has described the situation so perfectly, with such intensity, reality, compassion, love, and everything else that was …
this is a charming book.. It starts out as adventure but it goes into the age old concept of our assumptions of age vis a vis a man and a woman. i don’t want to spoil the story but it is worth reading… It’s a grand handling of a story we don’t often consider…. as well as the unbelievable idea that we really do fall in love…dfk
Loved it. Loved the characters.