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dovesfalling's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a bit baffled by the glowing reviews. While this was certainly a novel premise and it kept me engaged, it was very much "tell, not show" and the story had the feeling of "and then this happened, and then this other thing happened, and then they went for ice cream, and then and then and then..." ad nauseum.
melissamk222's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok. The reviews were so great that I decided to give it a try. It's a quick read, kinda interesting and just ok.
marisaxx's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
willowwitchy's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
"Thinking that our relationship was about to get complicated might have been an understatement"
So it has taken me a while to actually read this book. I kept putting it off. I had read that T.J is in remission from Cancer. I thought this was going to feature heavily in the book and I usually steer clear of books involving the big C, but some book friends said this was a must read, so on holiday, whilst sunbathing by an amazing pool, I finally took the plunge.
They were totally right, it is a must read and I really don't know why I waited so long to read it. Because of the hype, so many people telling me telling me to read it, I had set the bar high and it was amazing, but maybe I had set the bar too high because I can't quite bring myself to give it 5 stars.
The book is about T.J and Anna. Anna has accepted a job for the summer tutoring T.J whilst he is on a family holiday in the Maldives. T.J's family have gone on ahead and for different reasons T.J and Anna take a later flight. Unfortunately the pilot on their seaplane has a heart attack and it goes down. They luckily both wash up on an island and have to learn how to live there whilst awaiting rescue, which may not arrive.
Another reason that I was slightly put of the book was the ages of the characters. T.J is 16 years old at the start of the book and Anna is older at 30 years old. However a lot of time spans in this book and you can feel the characters growing and evolving during it. Nothing happens between the characters until T.J is older and towards the end of the book I no longer thought of T.J the young boy but T.J the man.
I have to say that the book wasn't quite what I was expecting and whilst I loved T.J and Anna's relationship develop whilst they are on the Island, it was actually the aftermath that gripped me most. Tracey did an amazing job of getting the feelings and opinions I would imagine would follow that experience for those effected.
There was a lot of emotion in the book, not enough to make me cry, but I am known as the Ice Queen, so you may find that you do cry at parts.
"the hope I'd clung to since our plane went down splintered into a million tiny shards that day, like a glass block someone pounded with a sledgehammer."
One thing I loved about this book is that it is told from dual POVs which really helps you understand what they are both going through and really makes you feel connected to the characters.
I totally got lost in this book and it was an extremely easy read. If you still haven't read it, you really must, it is a book that will stay with you and you will be thinking about it for many days, and from what others have said, months later too. Go and one click it now!
"You weren't supposed to fall in love" she whispered. "Well, I did" I said.
"Thinking that our relationship was about to get complicated might have been an understatement"
So it has taken me a while to actually read this book. I kept putting it off. I had read that T.J is in remission from Cancer. I thought this was going to feature heavily in the book and I usually steer clear of books involving the big C, but some book friends said this was a must read, so on holiday, whilst sunbathing by an amazing pool, I finally took the plunge.
They were totally right, it is a must read and I really don't know why I waited so long to read it. Because of the hype, so many people telling me telling me to read it, I had set the bar high and it was amazing, but maybe I had set the bar too high because I can't quite bring myself to give it 5 stars.
The book is about T.J and Anna. Anna has accepted a job for the summer tutoring T.J whilst he is on a family holiday in the Maldives. T.J's family have gone on ahead and for different reasons T.J and Anna take a later flight. Unfortunately the pilot on their seaplane has a heart attack and it goes down. They luckily both wash up on an island and have to learn how to live there whilst awaiting rescue, which may not arrive.
Another reason that I was slightly put of the book was the ages of the characters. T.J is 16 years old at the start of the book and Anna is older at 30 years old. However a lot of time spans in this book and you can feel the characters growing and evolving during it. Nothing happens between the characters until T.J is older and towards the end of the book I no longer thought of T.J the young boy but T.J the man.
I have to say that the book wasn't quite what I was expecting and whilst I loved T.J and Anna's relationship develop whilst they are on the Island, it was actually the aftermath that gripped me most. Tracey did an amazing job of getting the feelings and opinions I would imagine would follow that experience for those effected.
There was a lot of emotion in the book, not enough to make me cry, but I am known as the Ice Queen, so you may find that you do cry at parts.
"the hope I'd clung to since our plane went down splintered into a million tiny shards that day, like a glass block someone pounded with a sledgehammer."
One thing I loved about this book is that it is told from dual POVs which really helps you understand what they are both going through and really makes you feel connected to the characters.
I totally got lost in this book and it was an extremely easy read. If you still haven't read it, you really must, it is a book that will stay with you and you will be thinking about it for many days, and from what others have said, months later too. Go and one click it now!
"You weren't supposed to fall in love" she whispered. "Well, I did" I said.
javalenciaph's review against another edition
5.0
A teacher-student romance is nothing new and it's been translated into books, movies, television shows, and more. There's something about the "forbidden" that gives a story that extra bit of something that will either attract or repel people. In the case of "On the Island", the uniqueness of the situation the lead characters are thrown into more than piques your curiosity. Reading about their individual struggles and how they overcame them both on AND off the island makes this a more than worthy read.
Thirty-year-old Anna Emerson is a teacher who signs on as a tutor for the summer to sixteen-year-old T.J. Callahan, a teenager whose cancer is in remission. On their way to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives, the private plane they're on crashes into the ocean after their pilot suffers a heart attack. From that point on, Anna and T.J. do what is necessary in order to survive and end up on an uninhabited island. Time passes and when they begin to realize that help is no longer on the horizon, they shift from survival mode to learning to live with the circumstances they have before them. In the process, both Anna and T.J. move from adult and teenager to friends of equal footing and then to something more.
They learn to lean on each other for both the simplest of moments and the most trying of times but it is when they're finally rescued and are forced to deal with the rest of the world that they are truly tested. Sometimes, even being in the middle of life's everyday comforts and things and people we are used to, you feel like you're desperately trying to cling on to a life preserver, hoping to simply get through the day. Anna and T.J. fought for their lives on the island; they realize that they need to fight for their life together in the real world.
Now, I know that this book was originally released in 2011 but I can't help but put it on my list of best AND favorite reads for 2014. Heck, it's one of the my favorite books EVER. That's how much I loved "On the Island" and strongly recommend it to those who, like me, foolishly overlooked it a couple of years ago. And yes, I desperately want a paperback of this and I'm hoping my local bookstore actually has it. ^.^
"On the Island" gets five-plus stars. If you haven't read it yet, go grab a copy and read it NOW (don't be stupid like me). You won't regret it. ♥
Thirty-year-old Anna Emerson is a teacher who signs on as a tutor for the summer to sixteen-year-old T.J. Callahan, a teenager whose cancer is in remission. On their way to join T.J.'s family in the Maldives, the private plane they're on crashes into the ocean after their pilot suffers a heart attack. From that point on, Anna and T.J. do what is necessary in order to survive and end up on an uninhabited island. Time passes and when they begin to realize that help is no longer on the horizon, they shift from survival mode to learning to live with the circumstances they have before them. In the process, both Anna and T.J. move from adult and teenager to friends of equal footing and then to something more.
They learn to lean on each other for both the simplest of moments and the most trying of times but it is when they're finally rescued and are forced to deal with the rest of the world that they are truly tested. Sometimes, even being in the middle of life's everyday comforts and things and people we are used to, you feel like you're desperately trying to cling on to a life preserver, hoping to simply get through the day. Anna and T.J. fought for their lives on the island; they realize that they need to fight for their life together in the real world.
Now, I know that this book was originally released in 2011 but I can't help but put it on my list of best AND favorite reads for 2014. Heck, it's one of the my favorite books EVER. That's how much I loved "On the Island" and strongly recommend it to those who, like me, foolishly overlooked it a couple of years ago. And yes, I desperately want a paperback of this and I'm hoping my local bookstore actually has it. ^.^
"On the Island" gets five-plus stars. If you haven't read it yet, go grab a copy and read it NOW (don't be stupid like me). You won't regret it. ♥
kat1776's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
beckiewhite2's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's a lighthearted survival adventure but if you want any sort of depth you'll be disappointed. The age gap feels a bit uncomfortable at times.
kinseyjo's review against another edition
3.0
This was wild and completely unbelievable and absolutely ridiculous. No period for 4 years??? No way. But it still worked somehow. I read the whole thing in a day.