Thursday, August 30, 2018

Review: Meet the Sky - McCall Hoyle

Meet the Sky
McCall Hoyle
Series: n/a
Age/Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Publisher: Blink
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
It all started with the accident. The one that caused Sophie’s dad to walk out of her life. The one that left Sophie’s older sister, Meredith, barely able to walk at all.

With nothing but pain in her past, all Sophie wants is to plan for the future—keep the family business running, get accepted to veterinary school, and protect her mom and sister from another disaster. But when a hurricane forms off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Banks and heads right toward their island, Sophie realizes nature is one thing she can’t control.

After she gets separated from her family during the evacuation, Sophie finds herself trapped on the island with the last person she’d have chosen—the reckless and wild Finn Sanders, who broke her heart freshman year. As they struggle to find safety, Sophie learns that Finn has suffered his own heartbreak; but instead of playing it safe, Finn’s become the kind of guy who goes surfing in the eye of the hurricane. He may be the perfect person to remind Sophie how to embrace life again, but only if their newfound friendship can survive the storm.
When I requested this book, I had not heard any buzz, nor was I familiar with the author, but BOY am I glad I took a chance, because it was so wonderful!

Both Sophie and Finn had suffered great losses, but they reacted in very different ways. Finn decided to live his life to the fullest, while Sophie chose to exercise great caution with all her choices, and stay focused on her goals and family. Being trapped in the story was a journey of self discovery for them both, as well as a chance to rekindle their friendship.

Sophie's situation was utterly heartbreaking. I wept for the strain her father's absence put on her family, and the way it forced her to compromise her own dreams. But what really hit me hard was when she would talk about her sister. It seemed wrong to mourn her loss, as her sister survived the accident, but she did not emerge from the wreckage the same woman she was before the crash. Though Sophie was quite uptight and maybe even a little bitter at times, I admired her dedication to her family, and the love and patience she showed to her sister.

Finn's situation was equally as tragic. I cried for him, for what he lost and what he might lose. However, his attitude was so positive, and I liked seeing him rub off on Sophie.

Aside from all their personal tragedies, our characters were also in quite a precarious situation. Hurricanes in the Outer Banks are no joke, and I thought Hoyle really captured how terrifyingly scary and dangerous they can be. I was quite worried for Sophie and Finn, as they spent the majority of the book simply trying to survive, and I will admit, there were several nail biting situations.

But you know what surviving a life or death situation is good for? It's good for personal growth. By the end of this book, Sophie's attitude had changed quite a bit, and she was definitely not the same Sophie she was before the storm.

When I classified this book on my shelf, I did NOT shelve it as a romance. Yes, there was a bit of romance in there, but I thought this was more about survival, self discovery, and healing. Don't get me wrong, you know I shipped these two and am always up for romance, but it seemed more of a secondary plot to me.

Other things I really loved:
  • The Tennyson quotes. Hoyle started each chapter with a quote, and they were so on point with what transpired in that part of the book. I thought the quotes were both beautiful and brilliantly used.  
  • Horses! I read a book, which featured the wild Mustangs earlier this year, and now I got to learn about the wild horses, who inhabit the Outer Banks. It was all rather interesting and educational too.
  • Hurricane survival. I am ashamed to say, that after living for more than 6 years in Florida, I never really bothered to hone my hurricane skills. I went through one evacuation, but the hurricanes never landed near me. I am pretty far from hurricane alley these days, but I was totally captivated by all the things Sophie and Finn knew, and now, I know it all too. 
Overall: A beautiful and very touching story of horses, hurricanes, and hope.

**ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

I never realized how many songs had "hurricane" in the title, but here are some I liked.


Have you ever been to the Outer Banks?
Let us know in the comments!

32 comments:

  1. I have been seeing this book all over the place lately! I am so happy that you enjoyed it and found it to be one that touched you. I will be adding it to my TBR, for sure.

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    1. I haven't really seen it around, but am glad you have. Are you seeing it more with bloggers in your country or all over?

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  2. I like that the romance didn't overtake this -- it seems like the perfect set up for that to happen and the author resisted. The situation sounds wonderful, I must admit -- and also slightly terrifying.

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    1. It was an interesting setup for Finn and Sophie's reunion, because they both needed someone who could understand the losses they suffered.

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  3. This is the first time I'm hearing about this book but it sounds like a wonderful impactful read. I'm glad you liked it so much. I'm curious about how well the hurricane and its impact are written here.

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    1. It made me really think about how quickly everything can change, and the sister's situation was so heartbreaking

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  4. Ooh this sounds fantastic and I actually hadn't heard of it before. I'm glad the romance didn't overtake the story; it sounds like more important things were given the forefront and I appreciate that. I also love that the chapters started with quotes - just something I like seeing in books. :) Fun playlist! There really ARE tons of songs with hurricane in the title.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. The accident left a lot of emotional wreckage, as multiple lives were greatly affected, and Sophie's responsibilities grew. Throw in a strong hurricane, and there's a lot of great inner drama. Right? So many hurricane songs and so many metaphorical uses

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  5. Somehow I missed this one! Sounds really good. Glad you enjoyed it. Great review!

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    1. The pretty cover caught my attention, when I saw it, and I am really glad I requested it

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  6. I love the playlist! And I love that this is a survival book instead of a romance. It sounds interesting, and the cover is awesome.

    Aj @ Read All The Things!

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    1. There is romance, but it's not a romance. The bulk of the story is them trying to make it through the storm, and another huge chunk was Sophie working through a lot of personal stuff.

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  7. Yay for amazing reads! I adore survival books so I'll probably be looking it up!

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    1. The biggest part was surviving the storm, but lots of self discovery happened too

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  8. I am seeing the buzz and thinking I might try this one. I hope you are planning on now honing your hurricane skills after reading this book.

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    1. This would have been useful information when I lived in FL, but really enjoyed this book

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  9. I've been really curious about this one, but this is the first review I've read for it. I'm so, so happy you enjoyed it! I love that Sophie noticeably changed from start to finish, and that you were able to connect with the characters and their situation. It sounds like a wonderful read! I cannot wait to experience it for myself.

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear?

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    1. This one really took me by surprise. It really appealed to me emotionally with the grief and various types of losses the characters suffered.

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  10. OMG Sam it seems like a deeply touching one! Fantastic review <3 Sophie @bewareofthereader

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    1. It was the whole family drama and losing loved ones and having to put your dreams on the back burner. It all got to me, and I loved every second of it.

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  11. Oh gosh, this sounds like it has the potential to be a tearjerker for me. I hadn't heard of this one before, but I think it's going to be my kind of read. Great review!

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  12. This is a new one on me but I really like the sound of it. The NC setting grabs my attention since my husband is from NC and we visit family there fairly often. And I’m very familiar with the OBX. Just like I’m familiar with riding out hurricanes (two just in the last two years!). I’m also intrigued by Finn’s background story.

    And now I’m off to sing along to Rock You Like a Hurricane...

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    1. That is the first song that popped into my head, because in the 80s, Hurricane Gloria hit NJ, and we had a little storm viewing party on the porch, blasting that song on our boombox. I hindsight, we did not use good judgment, but we had never seen a hurricane before.

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  13. This sounds wonderful, Sam! I like the contrast with how these characters have dealt with heartbreak. I don't think that I have read a book set in a hurricane. I may have to check this one out. Great review!

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    1. That definitely gave it an emotional depth I was not expecting, and natural disaster books are far from my norm, but I liked the blend here. It was done well, and really worked for me.

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  14. Wow this sounds like a really powerful read and I'm glad it was a complete surprise when you'd heard nothing about it. I sometimes love being the person who discovers a brilliant book but then wonder why no one else seems to be talking about it too. I think it's brilliant both characters reacted differently to loss and the two different attitudes they have to life and to have them brought together is awesome. It sounds like a brilliant book I kind of want to read.

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    1. I have really been enjoying all these survival type stories I have stumbled upon lately (The Other Side of Lost, The Lies We Bury, etc), but I have been lucky that these have been a nice blend of grief and loss with lots of survival stuff, self discovery, and a dash of romance. That's a great formula for me. When you find out why Finn is the way he is, it's kind of heartbreaking, but there was a nice ending to the book, which was really hopeful.

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  15. I never heard of this book before but it sounds like such a good one. It sounds so emotionally charged books and I have a feeling Sarah's backstory is really going to get to me. It seems like she works so hard to build a stable life but she keeps getting thrown curveballs she can't plan for :/

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    1. Finn's backstory was more emotional for me, but both were really emotional.

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  16. Oooooh, here is the book that you mentioned! You have totally sold me on it, and I've totally just added it to my TBR. Wonderful review, Sam!

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    1. I was so surprised in the best way by this book. It spoke to my mushy romance side, but also had a lot of emotional depth, and well, high stakes.

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