Review: Fantastic!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 27, 2014
I don’t tend to read many new adult contemporary books.  I’m not a big fan of angst and drama and that’s something that they often tend to bring to the table.  So I avoid them.  When I was approached about this one I was on the fence but decided I’d give it a try because it’s set in New Zealand and it’s a S. African/NZ author.  My experience has been that these are two fantastic things.  I’m really glad I gave this one a try because I ended up thoroughly enjoying it regardless of the drama and angst.First of all, it’s clear this is an emotional read.  Katy loses the love of her life in the very beginning and through the book she has to learn to let go and to find her way.  She doesn’t have an easy time, she makes some poor decisions along the way.  But it was pretty easy to connect with her and even though I didn’t agree with some things, I understood.  I loved how Katy is so devoted to those she cares about and even when protecting her heart she tried to not hurt anyone in the process.  She has a lot to deal with and it was emotional watching her find her way.Dominic is an American and is a Marine. He has his own battle scars.  While he has his own demons to battle it’s not in the forefront as much as time has passed.  Right now he’s trying to be there for Katy.  He’s pretty perfect as far as men go.  Fictional men anyway.  He doesn’t make stupid decisions or have problems with communication.  There’s one instance of lack of communication between them but it wasn’t the issue I often have with miscommunication in books.I was concerned about things happening too fast and that’s not an issue at all.  There’s a lot of passage of time in the book, often skipping months ahead.  This is definitely good because it makes it much more realistic that Katy would be able to move on and consider loving someone new.The book takes place in New Zealand and I enjoyed that a lot.  I wouldn’t say it’s so very different from being in the US, so a lot of it was just me knowing it was NZ.  We did get a hiking trip which I enjoyed because I’ve watched plenty of documentaries on the country so I was able to picture it (even though it might not have been accurate).If you enjoy NA contemporary books this isn’t one to miss.  If you don’t usually like them, but consider them occasionally, this might be the one for you.  There is definitely adult content in the book, but there’s only one sex scene.  Definitely bonus for me since I don’t care for multiple sex scenes.  Definitely a book you should consider!