TBT#3 - Review: On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves

Hey peeps, Sandy here and this week on #Throwback Thursday I bring to you a story which made me love, laugh and cry all the while reading it. A book with realistic characters and powerful, thought provoking love story. On the Island still remains on my top 10 list of favorite books and I'm definitely reading it again!

Title: On the Island
Author: Tracey Garvis-Graves
Series: On the Island #1
Genre: romance, contemporary, chick lit

When thirty-year-old English teacher Anna Emerson is offered a job tutoring T.J. Callahan at his family's summer rental in the Maldives, she accepts without hesitation; a working vacation on a tropical island trumps the library any day.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to leave town, not that anyone asked him. He's almost seventeen and if having cancer wasn't bad enough, now he has to spend his first summer in remission with his family - and a stack of overdue assignments -- instead of his friends.

Anna and T.J. are en route to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a fatal heart attack and crash-lands in the Indian Ocean. Adrift in shark-infested waters, their life jackets keep them afloat until they make it to the shore of an uninhabited island. Now Anna and T.J. just want to survive and they must work together to obtain water, food, fire, and shelter.

Their basic needs might be met but as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.'s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

SANDY’S REVIEW

On the Island by Tracey Garvis-Graves
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I never cry for happy endings! But this one made me bawl like a wee baby. It’s just that-it had this-they were-I don't know-it's so veryyy beautiful!! I'm lost of words to describe this emotions.

And to the author-MA’AM



Story like this makes you believe in Love-it can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.

I totally adore Anna-Most strongest female character I have ever read! She’s not in some big shot Profession working around the clock or strong headed female trying to change the world or some super hot chick guys ogling at, but humble, modest, sweet 30 year old teacher with ordinary life and simple desire to marry and have kids. Everything changed when the seaplane crashed on an unidentified island along with 16 year old T.J (way mature than his age).

Battling the hardship of nature with hardly any food or water, doing their best to survive on an island when they are loosing hope of being rescued every single minute. For almost three years they co depend on each other for survival but with growing sexual desires, instead of fulfilling her needs Anna resisted it and waited for right amount of time i.e. until T.J turns 19. With their time on island they lived, they loved, they survived and they were happy in their own world.

But Reality is a Bitch!!

Four years they waited to be rescued but the minute they were back home rather than treating them as a victim or survivor’s they were frowned upon for the nature of their relationship, questioning Anna’s actions and doubting her integrity, they were mocked on news or chat rooms (to hell with you people! You are just a bunch of hypocrites) but the real problem what they face is their huge differences in AGE. Both worried that they can’t fit into each other’s life and eventually one of them would walk out of their relationship. The love they had is strong enough to overcome any difficulty that they stood by each other and thankfully they had wonderful family and friends who supported them.

I admired Anna so much she loved T.J for what he is and her love didn't change even after they got off the island.

“T.J. is young Stefani. When people look at him, they don’t see what I see. They see a Kid.” “What do you see?” Stefani asked. “I just see T.J.” 

I loved the way the author has shed light on concept of the LIFE, LOVE, to lean on hope, to cherish for all the small things you are blessed with, be happy for the people who loves you and with absolutely nothing you can still make your life beautiful if you wish for.

There were few cute/funny moments on the island too

# When T.J tells Anna the story of the ride to sperm bank with his mother
# Anna & T.J trying the lift from “The Dirty Dancing”
# Their first Valentine day
# T.J gifting Anna with hypothetical Books and Music on her birthday
# Anna having a pet Chicken on the Island and actually naming it ‘chicken’

I lived every moment with Anna & T.J and thank you Tracey Garvis-Graves for all the Happy/Sad moments. On the Island Will always be cherished. I guess I won't be reading another novel anytime sooner, I want to relive Anna & T.J’s life all over again.

And this always brings tears to my eyes-

“You were right. I did need to be on my own. But some of the things you wanted me to experience already passed me by, and I can’t go back. I know what I want and it’s you, Anna. I love you, and I miss you. So much.” “I don’t fit in your world” “Neither do I”, he said, his expression tender yet resolute. “So let’s make our own. We've done it before.”