On the Island (On the Island, #1) in The Indie Bookshelf

Mar 24, 2012 Anne OK rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2012-reads

A beautifully written story of survival, trust, and love. This is a book that caught me by the heartstrings and I could not quit reading until I finished the last word. Fate brings TJ and Anna together - a young man of 16 and his tutor, who is 30. After a crash landing at sea, they survive for 3-1/2 years on a deserted island. There are plenty of ups and downs and twists and turns they must encounter over the years. And a relationship that becomes stronger with each year that passes faces its ha ...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Jenny - TotallybookedBlog rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow, I am completely speechless over this book!
I have only just finished reading this book and had to write a review now so that I won't forget just how I am feeling at this moment.
I've loved some books over the years but I have to say this is one of the most amazing books i've ever read.
I have gone through every emotion over the past couple of days reading this book and only this morning had a bit of a cry whilst trying to talk to my sister in law about it.......it made me that emotional.
I had ...more

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Apr 24, 2012 KarenH rated it it was amazing

Shelves: keepers, unusual-storyline, angst-level-starting-to-squirm, audiobook-5-stars-plus, audiobook, worth-listening-to, sweetest-hea, excellent-love-story, new-adult, definitely-worth-your-while

Goodreads needs a new rating system. Again I've been blown away by a book that is so frigging good a paltry 5 stars does not do it any justice.

On the Island is not your everyday romance novel and you will need to step out of the box for this one. The setting is an island...and I'm not talking the Bahamas. It is a small, deserted island with no food, no water and no shelter. What it does have is relentless heat and extreme humidity, rabid bats intent on sucking blood, and the human remains of a Goodreads needs a new rating system. Again I've been blown away by a book that is so frigging good a paltry 5 stars does not do it any justice.

On the Island is not your everyday romance novel and you will need to step out of the box for this one. The setting is an island...and I'm not talking the Bahamas. It is a small, deserted island with no food, no water and no shelter. What it does have is relentless heat and extreme humidity, rabid bats intent on sucking blood, and the human remains of a survivor who obviously did not live up to the moniker. And that's the lighter fare! The true "survivors" on the island are the protagonists of this story...a 16-year-old boy, TJ, and a 30-year-old woman, Annie. And, yes, it is a romance. But keep an open mind! It may breach your moral code but I can guarantee it will do so with your blessing.

TJ is a high school sophomore who has recently undergone treatment for cancer. He and Annie, the tutor his parents have hired for him to catch up on the schoolwork he has missed, are flying from Chicago to the Maldive Islands to join TJ's family on vacation. Bumped from their scheduled flight on the last leg of their trek, they charter a seaplane to take them the final few miles. Tragically, the pilot has a massive heart attack while en route and the plane crashes into the ocean. TJ and Annie both survive and wash ashore of the island.

What follows is a fantastic account of two people beating the odds and staying alive...day after day...month after month...and yes...year after year. TJ & Annie's "life story" is shocking and raw and brutal...and as a reader you become very connected with their ordeal as the story is told from their alternating points of view and supplemented with a great deal of dialog. TJ & Annie's "love
story" is everything you could ask for in a true romance. They do not get together until TJ is nineteen and Annie is thirty-three, but when they do it feels natural and realistic and very, very right. You actually watch two people fall in love...and it really kicks ass over being "told" a couple is in love - which of course is standard fare for most romance novels. The author lets you into the very heart and soul of these characters; and when TJ & Annie return to real-life, you fervently pray they will find a way to beat the odds and make their extraordinary relationship work.

OK, I might sound like a drama queen but I can't help it...this is a dramatic story! I read a few reviews that described On the Island as a "light, easy read" and I was like WTF?? Maybe easy to read because it is written so well, but being in a plane crash and stranded on a deserted island for over three years with hardly anything more than coconuts to eat, a shark that is chomping at the bit for a good meal, no clothes, tainted water, feelings of panic, hopelessness and despair,as well as the grief that comes from knowing your family thinks you are dead and are mourning your passing...is NOT, in my opinion, "light" reading! And this story does not go away after you have read the last page and closed the book. How can it? This was your journey too!

Best of all, Tracey Garvis-Graves is undoubtedly one of us "die-hard romantics" because the epilogue she has given this story is absolutely fantastic - it is sweet and touching and pretty damn near perfect. It deserves 10 stars by itself!

Seriously, think of all the reasons you should treat yourself to this book - you will read something very different while still staying in the genre you love (and who knows, you might even learn how to start a fire with just your shoelace), you will successfully escape from real life (and if you're anything like me, you can never get enough of that), you will believe that anything is possible (even those of you with a strict moral compass), and best of all, it will make you happy. Without a doubt, you deserve that!

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Jul 27, 2012 Ellen W-S rated it it was amazing

Shelves: unforgettable-read, kindle-bk, over-4-0-gr-rating, read-in-2012, new-author, highly-recommended, still-thinking-of-this-book, best-book-of-the-year, auto-buy-authors

I am still thinking about this book so I am upping the 4.5 stars to 5.... This first time author wrote a beautifully fast paced story that slowly drew me in and captured my attention until I read the last page. This story was differetan unique and very satisfying! Anna and TJ's relationship was very natural as well. I don't understand why readers are shocked because the subject matter was written in a very mature manner. I keep thinking that TJ was very mature for his years, I guess having cance ...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Maureen rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, blog-recommendations, book-club, read-2012, rereads, read-2015, plane-crash

What a great book! Although, it received good reviews, I was unsure that I would like it because of the 13 year age difference between the two main characters who are trapped alone together on a deserted island. I'm so glad I gave it a chance. This is a beautiful story of survival, trust and love. I look forward to the next book by Tracey Garvis-Graves. ...more

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May 30, 2012 Melissa Brown rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites-shelf, book-twin

I don't think it would be possible for me to love this book more....seriously! It is now in my top 3 favorite books!!! This book is absolutely brilliant----I finished it hours ago and cannot stop thinking about it...I may even re-read it tonight, that's how much I loved it. There are no slow parts, nothing "unbelievable" which is pretty fantastic considering the plot of this story....the characters are so lovable and wonderful....One moment I was laughing, then I was crying, then I was holding m ...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Nance rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, nance-rr-2012-challenge, chick-lit, books-read-2012, all-time-favorite-romantic-reads

Teacher Anna Emerson is offered a teaching job to tutor 16 year-old T.J. Callahan during the summer. T.J. has missed a lot of school due to the fact that he had been battling cancer. They board a small plane together destined for a tropical island where his family is vacationing. The pilot, thought to be suffering from indigestion, in actuality has the beginning signs of heart trouble. When the pilot eventually suffers a fatal heart attack, the couple is thrown into a life-or-death situation. St Teacher Anna Emerson is offered a teaching job to tutor 16 year-old T.J. Callahan during the summer. T.J. has missed a lot of school due to the fact that he had been battling cancer. They board a small plane together destined for a tropical island where his family is vacationing. The pilot, thought to be suffering from indigestion, in actuality has the beginning signs of heart trouble. When the pilot eventually suffers a fatal heart attack, the couple is thrown into a life-or-death situation. Staying alive and being there for each other is the only thought that is on their minds as the airplane nosedives into unchartered waters. Originally T.J. had thought that he would enjoy this new lease-on-life hanging out with his friends this summer while his cancer is in remission, but his parents had other ideas by seeing that he gets back on track with his schoolwork. Ms. Emerson, however, is not your typical middle-aged boring teacher. She is a 30 year-old very attractive woman that awakens T.J.’s male teenage hormones. While trying to survive together and hoping that they will be rescued, the duo rely on each for support emotionally as well as physically while they battle some hardships and illnesses when being helplessly stranded on this uninhabited island. As time passes from months into years, the teacher/student relationship takes on a totally different likeness as T.J. passes the legal age of 18 and the pair realize that they there are destined to never be rescued. It forges into a very passionate relationship that expresses some very tender and intimate moments. After all the suffering and anguish that they have witnessed, they realize that they love each other unconditionally regardless of their ages. As the novel nears its end, there are a few questions that must be answered. First, if need be, will they both survive on the island as time goes on? Second, will they ever be rescued after so much time has elapsed? And, the final question, if they do survive and are rescued, does their love stand a chance when they finally witness the changes that their lives outside of the island have taken? A real emotional ride! The characters were so compassionately believeable with their support of each other and the love that they shared. I thought that the story would just be based on a few days, but was thrilled when I found out that it would be years that they were missing, and couldn’t wait to see how their relationship changed and grew as time slide by. The author kept the reader guessing if either one would survive “the island”, even as the ending was drawing near. So, I was pretty surprised when I read the final pages. Great debut novel!!! Would definitely recommend it to other readers!!
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Oct 04, 2012 Ripley Patton rated it really liked it

This book is very plainly written but I still liked the story line a lot.
If you are expecting beautiful, poetic language that stops you in your tracks and makes you think, "I wish I wrote that", THIS is NOT that book. However, I found it compelling and read it in one sitting. The plot idea is what caught my attention and kept it. And honestly, I thought the characters and their relationship was developed realistically, rather than hyper-romantically. I guess what I like the most was that this bo ...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Darcie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I LOVE this book!! You really feel for the characters, and the evolution of their relationship was great! The story ended differently than I thought it would and really enjoyed the way Tracey Garvis-Graves wrote it really thinking about how things would really be for the couple. I also enjoyed how the story was written through both main characters point of view. Great read, I could not put it down!!!!

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