For as long as she can remember, Cara has been an island girl. More comfortable on Martha's Vineyard and its waters than possibly anywhere else in the world, the New England shores have beckoned her back time and time again, even after her recent graduation from college. Days on the island are quiet and comfortable, until a handsome--and quite brazen--stranger quite literally emerges from the waters and enters into Cara's life.
As Cara tumbles headfirst into a whirlwind romance with special forces solider Brendan, life becomes increasingly more surreal, especially when she learns he has a secret: he too is drawn to the sea, because he can breathe underwater. As tourist-season-summer fades to fall and gives way to the hushed New England winter, Cara is pregnant and Brendan mysteriously comes and goes from Martha's Vineyard.
And once their son is born, one night, he and the baby leave and don't return.
"At Sea" is an atmospheric and truly genre-defying story; primarily romance but also general fiction, fantasy, and suspense, I'm already so curious to know what other readers will make of it. While for the most part, it was gorgeously-written, there were odd flickers of a young adult tone and "clean" fiction writing interspersed throughout that felt disjointed from the rest of the plot. For me, the story unfolded in a breathtaking, magical way and was bound by an impressive cohesion and solid pacing that many debut authors struggle to demonstrate.
Written for those who find themselves tethered to a sense of place (especially on the water), "At Sea" was a refreshing escape from reality that, even after the final page, left me wondering what within the pages was real.
Rating: 4 Stars
Publication Details: Out Now, Gallery Books
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
