2014 Book Challenge: The Sea of Tranquility

First up, I just want to say something about the cover. I never really paid attention and I thought this was just a silhouette of a woman in a long gown. It's just recently that I realized that it was a spilled ice cream and only today (as in now lang, mainit-init pa) that I noticed the two face silhouettes.  If I had noticed the ice cream on the cover before I read the book, I wouldn't get the significance but of course, now I do. But still, I think this is an ugly book cover.

I needed a really good book because I am three books behind. This book was included in the 30 Contemporary YA Romance Reads and ratings on Goodreads are high and I'm a sucker for frustrating stories about love. Although I hesitated at first cos although I like frustrating, I don't like "too much baggage," and both Nastya and Josh have plenty of baggage- overweight pa.

It was clever of the author to not divulge right away the reason of Nastya's silence. All the while I thought that she was raped or that she was in some witness protection program and the mystery of it somehow kept me glued to my e-reader. But you know, real life gets in the way so it took me longer to finish reading.

At first, I found Nastya annoying. Maybe because I didn't know what was eating her and actually even after I found out why she did what she did, I still couldn't understand it. I know I shouldn't be judgmental because people cope in different ways and she, after all, went through a very traumatic experience. She may have not been sexually assaulted but what happened to her was as equally horrendous and in the process, she also lost her identity as The Brighton Piano Girl. But what I found very frustrating about her is that she's pushing away and shutting out people who love her. Her parents may not know how to exactly deal with her ordeal as well but I'm sure they mean well and if they could take all of Nastya's pain instead, they would in a heartbeat. Josh, on the other hand, is another sulky character. He lost his family members one after the other and I think it's but normal to sulk after losing everyone. Individually, they're annoying characters but together, they just work.

I loved Nastya and Josh together. Obviously, Nastya chose to speak to Josh because she found him attractive. I am not sure if Josh was already attracted to her at the start but even then, the chemistry between them is undeniable.

Aside from Nastya and Josh, another favorite is Drew. He's Josh's best friend and although Josh wasn't really one of the cool kids, he wasn't afraid to be associated with him. I thought he'd be one of those jocks we'd love to hate in YA books but he's different.

Loved this book. I loved how the characters evolved, most especially Nastya. Now I believe that two broken people can make each other whole. Naks. Haha. Pero kasi before I didn't understand the deal with these "broken" people, but when I talked to two of my friends who were both broken (separately) and then they found each other and found solace in one another. It's very easy to say that happiness is a decision but hard to put into practice.

I liked how the book ended- nothing too dramatic.