Book review
Personal Response:
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it for hours straight, because I liked it the instant I started it. This book made me feel excited and happy for the adventures it brought. As I read, I could vividly picture the scenes where the characters were. This was the first book I read by this author, and I was very pleased. I was upset when I finished it so soon.
Plot:
Amber was switched at birth and faced the court’s decision of having to live with her current family for six months, and her biological family for the other six months. The day before she was to leave to her biological family in Texas, she took a day to herself at a beach near her home. One her vacation, she met a boy name Cade. He was also escaping his reality the day before he was meant to donate a kidney to his father. On this day, they took small adventures with each other. They built a sand castle, they went to Cade’s favorite restaurant, and they explored a lighthouse. Most importantly on that day, they fell in love with the other. They spent the night together and on the next morning Cade brought Amber home with encouragement and a promise. After she moved to Texas, Cade and Amber stayed extremely close until they could be together again.
Characterization:
Amber was in high school when she found out she had been switched at birth. When she was told she had to live part of the year with her biological family, it hit her hard. She wanted nothing to do with them. When she met Cade on the day before, he helped give her courage. At the end of the book, she was more welcoming to the idea of living with her biological family, due to the courage given from Cade. Cade was the same age as Amber and was dealing with the idea he had a transplant surgery. He was very quiet about his situation and ignored it at all costs. He acted very selfless with Amber. The two of them helped each other get through their anxiety about their situations and in the end they both accepted what they had to do.
Setting:
The setting took place mostly at Newport Beach. This was where Amber and Cade met. At the beach they were able to relax and comfort each other before the next day. That contributed to their outlook on their situations in their lives. The time was in modern times and during Amber’s school year. This was known, because she told Cade she was skipping classes. This impacted the story, because she had to move to Texas the next day. That interrupted her school time.
Theme:
In this book, Cade and Amber felt they could only do what they were told to do by others. They realized they had other options, though. They were in control of their lives and nobody else was. I thought this showed a theme of being an individual and thinking for oneself. With their options, they turned dreadful days into good ones.
Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to anybody in middle school through high school. I think teenagers would relate to it more, because it is the story of two teenagers falling in love. The perspective was in the view of Amber, the girl, so girls might enjoy this better. Overall, I thought this book was really great and anybody would enjoy it.
- Goodreads rating – 4.00
- REVIEW – Destiny