The Ocean by Mia Castile

TITLE: The Ocean

AUTHOR: Mia Castile

RATING: 3 STARS

PUBLISHED: April 2011 - Entwined Publishing

SERIES: No

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"Gianna and Alex have just buried their mother. Now they have to move back to St. Petersburg, Florida to live with their recovering alcoholic father. All the new changes, however, may be more than Gia can bear. While Alex turns to football and flirting with girls, she holds her emotions inside. Together they make sense of their new lives as Gianna finds herself falling for Travis. Travis is not without his own issues. Between his insecurities and other people meddling in his life, he finds strength in Gianna. He vows to be there for her doing everything he can to make it happen. The Ocean is a story of loss, redemption, and finding happiness in the middle of it all."

MY REVIEW:
The Ocean by Mia Castile is a great book for younger teens!!

I thought The Ocean was a good story but a little young for my taste. I read Grounding Quinn by Stephanie Campbell the night before I read The Ocean and I found them similar in some ways. Both books are romance novels, both main characters are hesitant to let others in, both main characters deal with issues at home and both stories were about the main characters growth, mainly them allowing themselves to be loved. To be honest, Grounding Quinn was more my speed because it was geared for an older audience and I related to the story better. However, I think The Ocean by Mia Castile is a great story for younger teens, where Grounding Quinn may not be an appropriate novel for young teens (I am not a parent so it’s not my place to say what book is appropriate for whom.)

I enjoyed the first half of this novel very much, when Gianna and Travis where first getting to know each other. I thought their notes to each other were a true representation of dating and getting to know someone in high school. The notes made me feel connected to the characters, and I thought they were extremely sweet. (And in my experience it’s so true that sometimes it’s a lot easier to be completely honest and share more personal things on paper than face to face!) I really liked how Castile incorporated Travis & Gianna’s notes into the novel.

About halfway through this novel thing changed for me. Mainly, I lost my connection to the characters. (I didn’t understand their motivations and reactions anymore, maybe because the notes stopped. I’m not sure.) Also, this was when the novel started to get a little juvenile, especially the major conflict. (I just thought Gia made a bigger deal out of everything than what was warranted. And the characters should have just communicated with one another!) Regardless, I enjoyed the book and had a good time reading it.

I gave The Ocean by Mia Castile 3 STARS. I thought it was a cute story and I strongly recommend this book for younger teens.