Carly has dropped out of uni to spend her days surfing and her nights working as a cook in a Manly café. Surfing is the one thing she loves doing … and the only thing that helps her stop thinking about what happened two years ago at schoolies week.
And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be free?”
I had been hearing wonderful things about this book for awhile now. It’s only released in Australia though. I had finally decided I was going to convince one of my wonderful friends she needed to send it to me. When I went to link it up to her, I found out there was an ebook available!!! Needless to say, I was esctatic and bought it.
Raw Blue fulfilled my expectations and gave me so much more. It’s the sort of book I love. Like I’ve said in the past, I love books about the beach. Which is kind of funny seeing as I can’t swim (or surf in this case). It’s deep, heartwrenching, and beautifully written.
I knew the basic premise before starting, so I wasn’t all that surprised with the strength of Carly. This is a girl who has been through one of the worst things that could befall a teenage girl and here she is keeping it all inside, tucked away. Ryan, is simply put, amazing as a love interest for Carly. He’s patient and comes across as such a good guy, despite his past. Danny was my favorite character. I wanted to keep him in my pocket, he is such an adorable friend for Carly! He added a little something extra to the story that made it just that much more great.
I hope that this book ends up getting published in the US. I cannot believe Penguin hasn’t done so yet! It is an amazing real story about the aftermath of a horrific event. It is available in e-book or if you are willing to pay shipping there are several Australian stores you can order it from, if like me you just can’t wait to see if they do. (Trust me, waiting is overrated!)
All gushing aside, this is a YA book, not a teen one. The main character is 19. There is a scene of rape, as well as some consensual sex scenes.