Joni, Underway by Kelly Oram and Jonathan Harrow
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary
Published on August 22, 2015 by Bluefields
Pages: 358
Source: Book Review Request
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
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Get it on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3tZzw45
But when her brother is suddenly killed in a car accident, Joni’s adult life is turned upside down. Struggling to cope with loss, guilt, and anger—not to mention the meddling of friends and family trying to “fix” her—Joni is relieved to be presented with an escape in the form of a sailing trip her brother had been planning for months before he died.
With her first step onto the sailing vessel Lady Marguerite, Joni plunges into an adventure that will mark the beginning of her real adult life—a journey across the ominous dark blue of the Atlantic Ocean with a small, eccentric crew, and the young Captain Reid, whose gorgeous looks are only outmatched by his talent for care and kindness. Unfolding through the ups and downs of life at sea is an unforgettable story reminding us that love will always be a work-in-progress and coming of age never gets old.
Review
I was really looking forward to read this story because this is the very first adult (ahem, not x-rated) book from Kelly Oram which she co-written with her husband, Jonathan Harrow. I haven’t actually read anything from her husband yet (though maybe it wouldn’t hurt to check it out too) so I really don’t have any idea what to expect.
In its first few chapters, I keep on going back to its cover just to make sure that I am reading the correct book. Because honestly, I can’t read any Kelly Oram from it. I can’t even relate to what they are talking about. (Sorry, I’m not a water traveler kind of girl) This book is more descriptive than what I thought, which I assume was Jonathan Harrow’s way of writing. But when I reached the part where Joni mentioned the band Tralse (from V is for Virgin and A is for Abstinence book by Kelly Oram), my oh my! This is the Kelly Oram that I’ve been looking for. So yeah, starting on that part, I’ve gotten aware that Kelly Oram is also a co-author of this book too, haha.
This book will give you quite a wonderful lesson about life, relationship, family, racism, and even death. Yeah, I know death is a grim topic, but this book wouldn’t let you feel that way (well, that’s for me, not sure if it will be the same for you too hehe) because it incorporates some fun scenes too, which I give the honor to Kelly Oram. You see, you wouldn’t just learn something but it’ll also entertain you. That’s absolutely the reason why I learn to love this book, not just because she’s my favorite. (see, I plead no guilty of favoritism here)
I’ve got to admit that while reading its first few chapters, I’ve got this notion that this book will only contain some life lessons with a little entertainment. So right there and then, I drop the idea of having a romance added into it. But dang! I was wrong, which I am very pleased ofcourse, haha. Well, you know me, I’m such a sucker for romance, particularly Kelly Oram’s romance books. But even if there’s romance added in it, this book didn’t stir away from its main purpose, which is to give its readers a lesson that we can ponder. Normally, I would have not liked it, but dang! You can’t just hate a book like this. I don’t know how to say how much I appreciate this book, so I’ll just give it to you to find it for yourself, *wink.
And the most awaited part, the missing one star. Well, I’ve never been a fan of descriptive stories, and this book is quite full of it. So yeah, that’s my only reason. Haha.
If I’ve managed to convince you, please come back and share your thoughts about this story eh? *wink
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