Someone Else's Ocean by Kate Stewart - Book Review • Ana's Attic Book Blog

Someone Else’s Ocean by Kate Stewart

Adult Contemporary Standalone

*While my reviews are spoiler-free if you don’t want to know more about the book, after the first paragraph skip down to likes and dislikes and the Down & Dirty review*

After the amazingness that was Drive and The Real, I was so excited to dive into Someone Else’s Ocean by Kate Stewart. And that cover! OMG, I love it so much!

“I mean, we are all just extras sipping coffee in the background of someone else’s life. But that could change at any second. If I wanted to, I could put my coffee down and become responsible for you. We are all responsible. We could all choose to take responsibility, couldn’t we? Human compassion. What the hell happened to that?”

And what if….what if that person sipping coffee in the background of your life, what if they (…) are the next chapter ?

Koti came from a high powered family but suffered from debilitating anxiety. After a panic attack resulted in the loss of a multimillion dollar deal, Koti decided to leave the rat race and head to her parent’s beachfront home in St. Thomas. She got a job renting beach homes, including her next-door neighbor’s. When she is getting ready to turn her neighbor’s house over to a new family, she notices the owner’s son has come to stay.

“I don’t have the answer to anything. But here, this place is where everything wrong can be made right.”

Even though he was 8 years older than her, Ian and Koti bonded as neighbors and friends the summer she was almost 7 and he was 14. Beyond a wave hello, they haven’t seen each other since. But the Ian she encounters is now a miserable, mean SOB until she sees the truth…he is completely broken and devastated. The single dad just got some really devastating news about his deaf daughter (not health related) and his life will never be the same. Though he was a complete and total asshole to her at first, Koti didn’t give up. She pushed to rekindle their friendship from 23 years before.

“You grew up beautiful, Koti Vaughn.”
Our eyes met before I gave him a lopsided grin.
“And you grew up so handsome, Ian Kemp.”
His smile was a sledgehammer to my chest.

It’s summer, and Ian has to leave to start teaching college for fall semester, but they have the whole summer to rekindle their friendship and more. But there will be an end. Ian’s life and his daughter are in the states, and Koti will never leave St. Thomas. But they can enjoy one perfect summer together.

“I was weeks away from thirty years old and had just found my first love. And my soulmate. But not my forever.”

I loved that Koti had some very human issues, not just anxiety, by endometriosis as well, making her relatable to many readers. I loved that Ian’s daughter was deaf and that he signed to her on FaceTime. Sigh…he was an amazing dad. And I loved Jasmine, Koti’s BFF who provided the comic relief in this emotional story.

“Kissing you feels like a free fall, touching you makes me ache, and being inside you is so damn addicting.”

Ian was a total alpha, demanding and rough in bed, and it was sexy as hell. I loved watching them try not to get attached before giving into their feelings, even though they both know there is a definite end to this beachfront summer romance.

“Maybe you’ll come back, and we can be best friends again.”

Likes:

A very realistic story, with real characters with real problems.
So many insightful and beautiful quotes!
The beautiful beach setting and the descriptions of the island were very vivid. I felt like I was there.
One of the most gorgeous covers ever.
Jasmine, her best friend.
I loved Ian’s amazing relationship with his daughter, and I loved that she was deaf.
I laughed, I cried, I swooned.
Some very sexy times.
The setup for the next book.
The music. (Playlist)
The epilogue.

Dislikes:

I felt like the pacing was off a bit. It dragged in the middle and the end felt super rushed to me.
Something stopped me from fully connecting and falling in love and I can’t figure out what.
Could have used one more round of editing.

The Down and Dirty:

While I really enjoyed this memorable and unique summer read from Kate Stewart, it didn’t quite live up to Drive and The Real for me, and I can’t put my finger on why. Filled with tons of emotions, laughter, and hot sex, Someone Else’s Ocean is everything I love in a book. We had some amazing quotes, childhood friends, and a gorgeous St. Thomas setting. I recommend this as a great island beach read with all the elements we love in it. Plus, this cover is freaking GORGEOUS.