Book Review + Guest Post: Sea Change

Today is my blog tour stop for the paperback release of Sea Change by Aimee Friedman! I want to thank Chelsy from Big Honcho Media for always setting up the most amazing tours. Now, both the hardcover and paperback versions are out in stores. If you haven't read the book yet, please go out and buy it. My review below clearly states how much I enjoyed it, so I hope you will too! So, make sure you check out my review + guest post of Aimee's glimpse into her life through amazing pictures below...

Also, Aimee's birthday is on July 8th so I want to wish her an early happy birthday!

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Sea Change by Aimee Friedman
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Release Date: Available Now
Publisher: Point
Pages: 320
Source: Bought From Bookstore

Summary: 16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science...and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she's happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother's estate. There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can't make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship...and reality. Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

My Review: Sea Change was a sweet, feel-good type novel. From start to finish I was intrigued by the whole mystery surrounding Selkie island. Miranda, the main character, was a science loving, down-to-earth girl. I really liked her persona and automatically connected with her. She was very different compared to the other girly, easy-going girls. I liked that she had this tomboy vibe and didn't feel the need to change herself unless she wanted to. Now, the plot teased me with questions until the moment Leo arrived. I sort of forgot the mystery and just focused on his endearing, magnetic and charming ways. I seriously had butterflies whenever Miranda was around him. I felt like I knew exactly what Miranda was going through since Aimee did a great job expressing the emotions radiating off of their connection.

Another aspect of the novel I enjoyed unraveling was the secrets behind Miranda's grandmother. It was exciting finding out about someone's history that was kept sealed for so many years. My only complaint was unfortunately the ending. It was a good and understandable way of ending the story. However, I wanted something more. I felt like their wasn't any closure since it was left open ended. Overall though, I really enjoyed this tale of romance, secrets and heart-melting discoveries. I recommend this book if you're looking for the perfect book to read on the beach. Trust me, you'll get lost in the story and the background sounds of the crashing waves will be icing on the cake!

My Rating:
Author's Info:
Aimee Friedman is the New York Times bestselling author of several books for young adults, including South Beach, French Kiss, Hollywood Hills, A Novel Idea, and most recently, The Year My Sister Got Lucky, which Booklist called "funny, insightful, and delightful" and PW called "a happy confection." Born and raised in Queens, New York, Aimee attented the Bronx High School of Science, but she always wanted to be a writer. Though she does know how to swim, she loves living on the island of Manhattan, where she also works as a book editor.

For more info on Aimee, visit her site(s):
-Website
-Twitter
-MySpace
-GoodReads

More books by Aimee:
The Year My Sister Got Lucky
A Novel Idea
South Beach
French Kiss
Hollywood Hills

For more books go here: GoodReads

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Guest Post:

The best summer snapshots are those that capture the best memories. Here are just a few of mine, through the years:

This is me at the age of six, on vacation in Puerto Rico, at the hotel swimming pool. (This is not, as some might think, a 1980s ad for Red Cheek Apple Juice…though clearly I have taken to heart my mother’s insistence that one stay hydrated in the summer). As long as I can remember, I have loved pools, and halter bathing suits.

Here I am in my element, on the seashore. The summer after my freshman year of college, a good friend and I drove out to her summer house on Montauk, on the very tip of Long Island. We arrived just in time to see the sun setting over the ocean. I must have been daydreaming about mermaids when this picture was taken.

I spent my nineteenth summer in the South of France (an amazing experience I talked about here.) One weekend, some friends and I took a trip to Nîmes, a small town in the Provencal countryside. We went swimming in the cool river and posed in front of the famous Pont Du Gard—it’s an ancient Roman aqueduct that I had actually studied in my Art History 101 class that year…hence my excitement.

Summer is a great time for indulging your inner tourist. Recently, I spent a summer weekend in Washington, D.C., where I got to tour the White House (I did not, however, spot the adorable Obama girls—but I was looking!), visit one of my favorite indie bookstores, Politics and Prose, and admire the Washington Monument (shown here). O say can you see that I’m wearing red, white, and blue? (not planned…I promise!).

This, to me, is what summer is all about: Sandy beach. Comfy lounger. Book in lap. Perfection. Note the all-important sun hat, shades, blue bottle of sunscreen, and of course…the halter swimsuit.

I look forward to making more great memories THIS summer—especially now that the Sea Change paperback is out…and hopefully I’ll spot people on the beach reading it! What are some of YOUR favorite summer snapshots—be they actual photos, or just memories?

Make sure you check out the next stop on the tour on Tuesday, July 6th at Karin's Book Nook!