Thursday, August 9, 2018

Review: Wild Blue Wonder - Carlie Sorosiak

Wild Blue Wonder
Carlie Sorosiak
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
There are two monsters in this story. One of them is me.

Ask anyone in Winship, Maine, and they’ll tell you the summer camp Quinn’s family owns is a magical place. Paper wishes hang from the ceiling. Blueberries grow in the dead of winter. According to local legend, a sea monster even lurks off the coast. Mostly, there’s just a feeling that something extraordinary could happen there.

Like Quinn falling in love with her best friend, Dylan.

After the accident, the magic drained from Quinn’s life. Now Dylan is gone, the camp is a lonely place, and Quinn knows it’s her fault.

But the new boy in town, Alexander, doesn’t see her as the monster she believes herself to be. As Quinn lets herself open up again, she begins to understand the truth about love, loss, and monsters—real and imagined.
I went gaga for Sorosiak's debut, If Birds Fly BackBecause of all the love I had for her previous book, I had really high expectations for Wild Blue Wonder. Once again, Sorosiak produced a story, which left me drowning in my emotions.


Immediately, I knew something broke this family. Their pain and grief soaked the pages. Sorosiak didn't immediately reveal the entire story, but I knew all this suffering and the accompanying discord, stemmed from an accident involving Dylan. Dylan was well loved by the entire Sawyer clan, and left this family unrecognizable after the accident.

I don't even know where to start in trying to explain how this book made me feel.


This book could have been really, really sad, but Sorosiak did so many things to keep us readers from drowning in heartache. First, there was the format. It flipped from the present back to before the accident. In the "before", we got to share so many fond and buoyant moments with the Sawyer siblings. Their love and strong familial ties were quite obvious. I was sort of jealous of the relationship they shared and wished I could be a part of it.

Sorosiak also packed the book with fun and quirky characters. From Hanna and her three rambunctious brothers to Quinn's hippie mom, I really enjoyed the fun all the characters injected into the story. Two auxiliary characters really stood out to me, though: Grandma Sawyer and Alexander.

You know I have a thing for Grandmas, and Quinn's grandma was a star. She was tough as nails and straight forward, yet was probably the character, who understood Quinn the most, as she had lost the love of her life not too long ago. I adored everything about her, and missed her when she was off page for too long.

And Alexander. I have a soft spot for what Nick calls "soft boys". He was so sweet, adorable, and cute. And, oh, when he spoke Greek food to me, I was done. The interactions between Alexander and Quinn were rather fun, and I kept my fingers crossed that their friendship would grow and grow. I loved Alexander more and more with each scene, and I liked that he was dealing with some of his own issues, because it kept him from being too perfect.

The whole Sawyer family captivated me with their complicated dynamics and the love that oozed through their household, but the real story was what happened to the siblings. It was hard to see them all so angry with each other. They were all suffering and really could have used the support of one another, but instead, they retreated into themselves. This resulted in each making a big life change, and I was rooting for them to work through their issues, so as to right their life course.

I have to mention the setting, because it totally captured my heart. Sorosiak took us to rural Maine, and not only were we in Maine, but we were at summer camp. The Hundreds sounded like such a magical place. I loved the backstory, and had so much fun during that summer at camp. We shared in camp events, as well as camp traditions, and I really enjoyed it. I don't know if I could survive a Maine winter, but I Sorosiak did a great job exposing us to all the elements, and giving us an idea of what life in the Pine Tree State was like.

And *applause, applause* for that ending.


That ending was so fundamentally and emotionally satisfying. Sorosiak did an incredible job bringing the story to a climax, and then letting all the pieces fall into place. I got so much closure, and I was utterly elated by this, because everyone knows I am a total closure-ho.

Overall: A messy and beautiful story about love, loss, and healing, which filled me with lots of joy.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Did you ever go to summer camp?
Let us know in the comments!

26 comments:

  1. Sounds like a really beautifully written book, and I'm happy to hear the ending was done so well. I haven't read anything by this author but it sounds like I need to! I never went to a really long summer camp - but I did a lot of day camps, especially with girl scouts. :)

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. I am such a fan of both Sorosiak's books. I never did camp as a kid, but I volunteered at our Girl Scout camp and got my experience later in life.

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  2. I'm here for Alexander. ;) All you had to say was that he was a "soft boy". This sounds like a really well-balanced story. Sometimes if a story is TOO sad, it can be tough for me to push on. I'll add this to my library request list.

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    1. I love that more and more YA authors are embracing the soft boys, because that's the type of boys that will grow into great men. I can only rarely handle the "too sad" books. I am all about balance.

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  3. Once again a book I haven’t heard of but it sounds good. And I love books that take place in Maine.

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    1. She really did a great job of featuring Maine too.

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  4. Interesting story. And I got the feeling I'll like it too. Thanks for sharing the review :) I will chek it :)


    http://bunnyawn.blogspot.com/2018/08/i-will-tell-you-journey-story-nonsense.html

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    1. I love grief and loss stories, and I really enjoyed this healing journey.

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  5. I haven't read this book, but your review makes it one of my top wished for books now!

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    1. I cannot be more forthcoming about my adoration of Sorosiak's books, and I really liked the family in crisis angle in this one.

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  6. Ahh this sounds delightful. I love the sound of the summer camp setting!

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    1. The camp was awesome, but the backstory of how the camp came to be made my heart pitter pat

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  7. Oh wow Sam! It seems the author walked a fine line between emotion and not overdoing it! Fantastic review ;-)

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    1. I would say it is something she does really well, and she is 2/2 hit-wise for me.

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  8. I feel like I've seen some hype for this one! It's not my kind of read, but I'm really glad you loved it! I may keep in on a list for when the contemporary mood strikes!

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    1. Me + grief and loss book are a perfect match. I always seem to like these books.

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  9. You are totally a closure-ho :) I love how this author makes transcends the books sadness and makes it so much more than that -- and that the characters are so messy and real.

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    1. This family was a hot mess, drown in guilt, and making bad choices from under a veil of sadness.

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  10. This sounds really good. I am glad you enjoyed it. I will have to add this one to my TBR. I do love a good contemporary with the "feels". =)

    Mary

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    1. I devoured this one. I was mad at myself for sitting on it so long, because it really was a total "me" book. I have a penchant for grief and loss books, and especially love when the author deftly balances the heavy and the light. It worked really well for me.

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  11. Wow. What a review, Sam! This sounds like a moving story that obviously had a powerful impact on you. (I'm surprised it didn't get 5 stars!) I love complicated family dynamics and dual timelines and it sounds like both were done well. The synopsis makes it sound like there is magical realism in use - does that come into play?

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    1. There are so many lovely and painful bits, and it was just wrapped up perfectly. I guess there is a little bit of "magic" associated with the camp, the sea monster, the berries. It didn't really make a huge impact on me, as it sort of read totally contemporary. This was close to 5, but there were little, teeny things that kept me from giving it the full 5. Still loved it!

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  12. This sounds like an absolutely stunning read and I don't know why I don't already have it on my TBR. I love a book which is filled with emotion and isn't afraid to get you to feel. Great review.

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    1. Did you read her debut? This one is more emotional, simply because of the subject matter, but Sorosiak does a great job in both books creating wonderful characters and she always has a nice family focus. I am sort of mad I let this one slip through the cracks, because I really, really enjoyed it. You know, me and grief are great together.

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  13. I think an author has to be very talented to have such a sadness included and centered in the book but to keep the reader afloat throughout it. I felt that way when reading Sunflowers in February by Phyllida Shrimpton as well. I want to read this one now because your review has me convinced it does it themes so well and so delicately as well.

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    1. I am really a fan of Sorosiak's. She hits all my story "needs" in her books. I remember you talking about Sunflowers. Your post made me add it to my TBR (totally sounds like a "me" book)

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