Review: Uncharted (On the Island #1.5) by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Uncharted (On the Island 1.5) by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Published on July 2, 2013 by Penguin

Purchase Amazon

About the book

Tracey Garvis Graves - and Anna and T.J. - return in this companion novella to the New York Times bestseller On the Island

When twenty-three-year-old dot-com millionaire Owen Sparks walked away from his charmed life, he had one goal in mind: get as far away as possible from the people who resented his success, or had their hand out for a piece of it. A remote uncharted island halfway around the world seemed like a perfectly logical place to get away from it all.

Calia Reed wasn't part of Owen's plans. The beautiful British girl - on holiday in the Maldives with her brother, James - made Owen wonder if getting away from it all might be a lot more enjoyable with a carefree girl who didn't know anything about the life he left behind.

But Owen had no idea how much his carefully detailed plans would go awry. Nor did he realize that a decision he made would have such a catastrophic effect on two passengers who boarded a plane in Chicago.

And when Owen shows up at Anna and T.J.'s door with an incredible story to tell, everyone involved will learn just how much their lives are intertwined.  

My Thoughts:

On the Island is one of my favorite books of all time, so to have a chance to revisit these characters and go back to Maldives through this novella was an absolute treat!

Uncharted takes place about ten years after TJ and Anna were stranded on a remote island near Maldives. While on the island, they discovered a cave with human remains along with a shack that was once inhabited. What I believe is seven years after their rescue; a stranger comes to their door to answer the mystery behind the body and the shack.

I always wondered about the back-story to this part of the mystery, so it was a pleasure to see how Tracey Garvis Graves pieced together this puzzle. I enjoyed my time revisiting these characters that I absolutely fell in love with when I read their story, so to hear TJ and Anna’s voice again in Uncharted was exciting and fun.

In this novella, we meet Owen who was a successful business man at a very young age. Disillusioned with the constant pressures and demands of his success, he decides to make a life changing decision that will remove him from the empire he’s built for himself. He commissions a pilot to charter him to a remote island near Maldives and supply him with the necessary materials to sustain himself at a basic level. His time on the island was meant to be a journey toward self-discovery, but what he never anticipated was that it would also be marred with tragedy.

What was interesting about Uncharted was how quickly I juxtaposed Owen’s time on the island with Anna and TJ’s. It was sad to see how one person’s experience was afforded with all the luxuries and means to sustain, where as the others had to struggle from every aspect in order to simply survive from day to day. TJ and Anna didn't have supplies, water, or back-up food. However, both their stories had their fair share of difficulty. I feel the most heartbreaking part of their story was how closely entwined they were and how one simple action would have saved TJ and Anna from many long years of struggle on the island. To hear how one of Owen’s decisions deeply impacted TJ and Anna was difficult to learn, but in the end it always goes back to… things happen for a reason. ~sighs~

I feel the various perspectives that were presented in Uncharted added an element of emotional punch. To hear from Anna, TJ and Owen through their own voice as the story unfolded was very emotional and captivating.  It was great to see how the characters have progressed after their ending in On the Island, but at the same time it was also interesting to see how Tracey Garvis Graves was able to weave a new perspective into the story-line without upsetting the integrity of the original novel. Well done!

Overall I hope Tracey Garvis Graves takes us to the island once again because I feel her creativity and emotional connectivity truly shines in this setting. Great novella that fans of On the Island will definitely enjoy!

 

5 Suns

Reviews & Giveaway: Waves 2012 Favorites

Wow! Can you believe how quickly 2012 is coming to a close?!? This year has been a fantastic reading adventure for us here at Waves of Fiction, so we wanted to take a moment to share some book highlights. 

Several of us on The Waves Team decided to get together to share our favorite book of 2012. But that’s not all!! One lucky winner will get the chance to win the bundle of books we’ve spotlight here, so take a look and be sure to enter!

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

Published June 7th 2012 by Penguin

Arlene's Thoughts:
On the Island is my favorite book choice for 2012. I love love love this book!!

I did not expect to feel this passionate about On the Island going into this read. I was planning to just breeze through a summer-y type book with mild interest. Well, that surely didn’t happen here! On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves was amazing! It’s one of those books that render you useless the entire time you’re lost in the pages. I wanted to give it all of my attention because it definitely captured all of my heart.

This was such a powerful story that was told in multiple perspectives between Anna and T.J. My heart went through a wide range of emotions for these two including hope, despair, happiness and oh so much angst. Beautiful book that I hear is now being optioned for a movie… I’ll be buying a ticket to that show and that’s for sure!

Gabriel’s Inferno by Sylvain Reynard

Published April 4th 2011 by Omnific Publishing 

Brandie's Thoughts:

Gabriel's Inferno far exceeded all of my expectations. I was not expecting to read such a powerful story about love and healing. The buildup of suspense made this book so hard to put down that I devoured it in a few days. It was so beautifully written and the characters so real. I adored Gabriel - flaws and all.

The parts about Dante and Beatrice, although I knew nothing about that story, didn't put me off in any way. It flowed with the story, and I even learned things that I never knew before.

Two broken people destined to save each other - it's the ultimate love story and I absolutely loved it. Fans of Fifty Shades and Bared to You will love this book!

 

On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

Published  August 14th 2012 Originally by Samantha Young Now NAL & Penguin

Rachel's Thoughts:

I wasn't surprised at all when this self-published gem was snatched up by a big publishing house!  I was blown away at how much I LOVED this story.  Plenty of spice but a weighty story, as well. Without a doubt, my favorite romance in 2012.

Jocelyn is an emotionally closed off young woman because of the tragic events in her life.  Along comes Braden (and his lovable sister Ellie) and her bounderies are shot to hell!

Braden understands and desires Jocelyn like no other, and he has the patience to wait her fears out.  He pushes his way into her life and gets under her skin. Let me tell you, this story will have you fanning yourself the entire read!

As an extra bonus here is a free short Christmas story featuring Jocelyn and Braden!  Thank you Samantha.

 

Strangers by Barbara Elsborg

Published November 2, 2009 by Ellora's Cave

Crystal's Thoughts

Strangers is that perfect blend between romance and drama.  What is between these pages is exactly what I wanted when I picked up this story.  A troubled actor, a lost soul, and a whole lot of lovin'! 

Charlie and Kate both have their troubles and we see that at their first meeting when they are both trying to commit suicide.  I expected some good drama and my oh my Elsborg delivers.  The steamy scenes are beyond hawt and the relationship that is built between these two lost souls is beautiful.  I can't imagine a better story between these two. 

This book is perfect if you are looking for a deep but fun romance.  Charlie is definitely one of my favorite male characters!

We hope you enjoyed our reviews for our 2012 Favorites!

Waves of Fiction is offering one lucky follower a chance to win the bundle of books we've spotlighted. This giveaway is open internationally to wherever The Book Depository, US Amazon, or US Barnes & Noble ships to. The winner has the option to either order the books from TBD, or choose the eBooks from US Amazon or US Barnes & Noble.

All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter and share with us your favorite book for 2012. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves

On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
Published June 7th 2012 by Penguin
Purchase: Amazon

About the book
When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day. T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments - instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island.

Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter. Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

My Thoughts
Love love loved this book!!

I did not expect to feel this passionate about On the Island going into this read. I was planning to just breeze through a summer-y type book with mild interest. Well, that surely didn’t happen here! On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves was amazing! It’s one of those books that render you useless the entire time you’re lost in the pages. I wanted to give it all of my attention because it definitely captured all of my heart.

In this novel, Anna takes a tutoring job for the summer where she’ll be helping sixteen year old T.J. catch up with his school work after falling behind due to an illness. They’re slated to catch up with his family at a vacation spot and board a charter plane toward Maldives, but an unexpected accident leaves them stranded on one of the twelve hundred small islands in a vast area. Their struggle to survive and obtain food, water and shelter is not the only challenge they face. After what seems like an endless and hopeless wait for a rescue, which spans from months into years, these two people begin to battle the feelings they develop for one another despite the thirteen year age difference.

This was such a powerful story that was told in multiple perspectives between Anna and T.J. I’ve seen many authors struggle in making alternating POVs work for their story, but Tracey executed this narrative style with perfection. I could vividly imagine what Anna and T.J. had to overcome physically, emotionally and psychologically throughout this ordeal. My heart went through a wide range of emotions for these two including hope, despair, happiness and oh so much angst.

Graves did a masterful job of pacing this story and it never felt rushed in any way considering it took into account a multiple year ordeal. I’m always on the fence about epilogues, and I’ve even gone so far as removing a star or two for epilogue misuse. Not in this case. I wanted to add a few stars because Tracey’s ability to catapult us into these characters’ future provided the perfect closure to this journey.

What I love most about this book is that it started off as a self-published novel and worked its way up from there solely based on great storytelling. Hats off to Tracy Garvis Graves for writing such a spectacular book about survival and hope that gained traction by word of mouth and exploded into the success it is today. Beautiful book that I hear is now being optioned for a movie… I’ll be buying a ticket to that show and that’s for sure! Once again… Loved it!

5 Suns