Thank you to the author, Dane Huckelbridge, for the free finished copy to review. All opinions are my own!
When I saw #bookstagram BLOW UP over this book, I knew I’d have to read it ASAP. Madeline from @topshelftext (also, visit her blog here) said she just hugged it after reading it – and I knew: I wanted a book that made me hug it, too. And I did. And I’ve hugged it for several days in a row now: I’m not ready to put Barry + Sophie on a shelf yet.
I went into the story blind – just simply trusting Madeline’s recommendation. Admittedly, for the first couple of chapters I was worried. I mean, stranded on an island – how can you possibly extend that scenario for almost 300 pages? But as the story unfolded, page by page, I began to lose myself. Slowly at first, but then – out of nowhere – I was head-over-heels for everything about this book.
This is a beautiful story of survival, love, death, and grief. Barry and Sophie are the only two survivors of a plane crash. They end up on a very remote island and quickly realize that no one is coming to save them. With this knowledge, they use each other’s strengths to their advantage and create a new life for themselves.
Even though it was predictable that Barry + Sophie would eventually fall in love, none of their romance ever feels forced or cliched. Instead, it feels very genuine and real. The way they creatively honor each other’s passions and find ways to bring those parts of their former lives back into their current realities was one of my favorite aspects of the novel. It demonstrates a true love and made me reflect on ways to honor some of these things within my own marriage.
Huckelbridge’s writing style is poetic and lyrical and just so beautiful that I slowed myself waaaaaay down in order to savor his words even more. His descriptions read like poetry and I found myself reaching for my pencil to underline all the lines. He masterfully weaves English and French throughout the story which enhances the love story between Barry + Sophie. I’m not usually one of those people who literally LOLs at a book or has tears run down my face, but Huckelbridge’s writing had me doing both!
Please, please! If you haven’t read this book yet, run out and GET IT NOW! It will be placed on my FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL-TIMES shelf and I can’t wait to revisit Barry + Sophie many more times in the years to come!
If you’ve read it, please comment below and tell me all your favorite things so we can chat! Once you’ve read it, come back and tell me all your favorite things so we can chat!!
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