Waiting for the Storm Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

Charlotte O’Dell knows this summer is going to suck. Her beloved mother just died, her sister hates her, and her dad has completely checked out. Fulfilling her mother’s final wish, the family heads to Angel Island for the summer to stay in a beach house her mother once loved.

After a year of being shut away taking care of her mother, Charlotte is numb and practically afraid of her own shadow; she hopes going to the island will give her the time and space she needs to begin healing, and an opportunity to bring her family back together. When she meets her mysterious neighbor, Ezra, it doesn’t take long for Charlotte to confess the issues she’s developed. Ezra begins giving Charlotte assignments to get over her fears, and although she accepts his tasks, all she really wants is to be with him. When she’s with Ezra, she’s able to forget the hollow ache in her heart and the fact that her family is falling apart. But Ezra has secrets…

Can Charlotte pull what’s left of her family together, mend her broken heart, and allow herself to fall for Ezra? Or is it all just a storm waiting to happen?

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 Author Bio:

 Marie Landry is the author of BLUE SKY DAYS (contemporary YA—January 2012), UNDRESSED (a collection of short erotic romance stories—October 2012), THE GAME CHANGER (chick lit—November 2012), and WAITING FOR THE STORM (contemporary YA—April 2013). Marie has always been a daydreamer; since early childhood, she’s had a passion for words and a desire to create imaginary worlds, so it only seemed natural for her to become a writer. She resides in Ontario, Canada, and most days you can find her writing, reading, blogging about writing and reading, listening to U2, or having grand adventures with her two precious nephews.
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Review:
First line:

It didn’t seem right that the sun would shine on a day like today. The sky should be black, full of angry clouds heavy with the threat of rain. Wind should whip and howl through the trees, accompanied by thunder so loud it could drown out my thoughts.

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Source:

review ecopy from author

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Rating:

5 stars out of 5

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Waiting for the Storm is an amazingly beautiful novel about finding yourself after a tragedy. The beginning of the novel is perfectly written to reflect Charlotte's feelings. It gives the feeling of someone who is numb and letting their mind wander, someone who hasn't accepted what has happened because they aren't processing everything around them.

I loved that I was always guessing about Ezra's mom. I had no idea what had happened to her and I was anxious to find out. Come to think of it, everything about Ezra kept me on my toes. I liked that about him. He's an interesting character and I loved the way he was developed.

I wish Lilah was a more central character. I feel like if she would have been more developed we could have learned a lot about her, Izzy, and Charlotte's mom. And learning about Charlotte's mom helps develop Charlotte's character because everything she learns about her mom from when she was younger brings her closer to her.

Charlotte's letter about why she reads was amazing!! Take this quote for example:

It's an escape, sure, but it's so much more than that. Sometimes, if you're lucky, a book will change you. It will make you look at the world a little differently, hold your loved ones a little closer, and realize tat when love is standing in front of you and staring you in the face, you have to grab it with both hands and hold on tight. And sometimes if you're really lucky, you'll learn that in life, as in books, that love comes in many forms-the boy next door, the sister, the parent, the newfound friend you weren't expecting.

I love this section. And I love that Charlotte is a book worm. She was a deep character conflicted with everything that was happening in her life. The only thing I didn't like about her is she seemed to let everybody kind of push her around. But that might have made her more real in my mind too. I have conflicted feelings on that.

Waiting for the Storm was amazing and heartbreaking. A must read!

Giveaway:
International
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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