The first time I met Ian Kemp in the sparkling blue waters of St. Thomas, I was six years old and we shared a summer beneath the stars.

The second time I met Ian Kemp, he was a shell of the boy I once knew. Turbulent and infuriating, he refused my friendship at every turn. Like me, he was a casualty of life’s cruelty, but we were planets apart.

We’d both sought refuge on the island, hoping to find our anchor. Instead, we found each other and managed to reclaim our stars…until we both got swept away.

 

“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?”

This is a very emotional love story between two very damaged people. I could totally relate to Koti and love the author for having a heroine with anxiety issues.

“THERE’S A NAME FOR HUMAN awareness and it’s called Sonder. The definition: the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground. It’s a pocket in time, where you may redefine life by the idea of the struggle of others.”

Koti left her life behind in the States to live on St. Thomas. She tries to find peace and stability in her life and loves the island life. Ian, a childhood fired, unexpectedly enters her life again, and he at first completely tries to lock her out of his life.

Koti doesn’t know that Ian’s previous life completely disintegrated and he fears losing his family. These are two lonely people who need each other desperately. Ian is very tough to love but Koti is herself with him and completely honest. I loved the poignancy of their relationship and the beautiful relationship Ian had with his hearing-impaired daughter.

There is a lot of inner dialogue in this book and I think that distracted me a little from the central story line. I wanted more of Koti and Ian together and when the author focused on them, I absolutely loved the story. This is a book about two adults who have been through a lot of trauma and heartbreak in their lives. They both have a lot to do to heal themselves.

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

‘Someone Else’s Ocean’ is a beautiful, very sexy story that is perfect for romance lovers who are looking to lose themselves in a book for a few hours. The description of island life was perfect, and I absolutely loved the conclusion to the book.

“Sometimes what’s meant to be isn’t written in the stars, instead, it’s a journey on the path less traveled without a map of guidance, without certainty.”