Where the Sea Meets Sky: Karina Halle

Blurb: 

Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can't get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.

It's not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma's name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go even when you know you have to say goodbye. 

Review 3.5 Stars

It's a good thing that I love reading about New Zealand.  I think the author's life as a former travel writer is pretty evident with this book.  At times, it took over the fictional story.  If I could redo my early 20s, I would get a work visa and live in New Zealand.  I spent about 2.5 weeks travelling around New Zealand and loved it.  But it was no where near enough time for me.  Closer to 6 weeks would be perfect, which is pretty consistent with the length of the Josh and Gemma's road trip.


I feel a bit conflicted about this book.  I have liked Josh since Love, in English.  Although he doesn't have all his shit together, he's a solid guy.  Both he and his sister (Vera) have kind of coasted through life, feeling disconnected.  They both were longing for connections to friends and family that is missing in their own lives.

My family may be tied through blood but the ties are weak and constantly unravelling. Suddenly, I think of Vera and can’t blame her in the slightest for wanting to form her ties elsewhere.

I loved the idea of him throwing caution to the wind and going to New Zealand.  Whereas I started off liking Gemma, I found it was difficult to maintain that throughout the book.  Like Love, in English, the relationship between the MCs takes a long time to fully develop.

After a while, I wasn't routing for Gemma anymore.  I was routing for Josh to find someone else who could recognize a good thing when she has it.  Rather than chomping at the bit to find out what happens next, I was just working on getting through the story.

But, it was really nice to reminisce about some of the places I visited in New Zealand (inserted are some of the pictures I took while travelling in New Zealand -- picture 1: Sky Tower in Auckland; picture 2: vineyard around Napier; picture 3: Lake Wanaka; picture 4: Milford Sound).  I also came out of this book loving Josh even more!