17-year-old Jonah Daniels lives in Verona Cove, California and, like his Sicilian dad, has a real talent for cooking. But, six months ago, Jonah lost his dad and he’s now shouldering responsibility for his large family. Life is looking pretty bleak until the infectiously vivacious Vivi bursts into their lives like the first sunshine after winter. In Jonah's words, Vivi “looks like lemon meringue pie tastes. Sunny, tangy, sweet”, while she’s intensely attracted to Jonah and “feels love at first sight for an entire family.”
Undulating like the waves of the Pacific, Vivi’s vitality uplifts the Daniels’ household, thus going some way to quench her own need to be needed. For Vivi, kissing Jonah is “a warm feeling that rushes through my whole body and soothes my busy brain”. But Vivi’s “busy brain” isn’t really soothed and, when her impulsiveness cascades into uncontrollable recklessness, Jonah realises that he’s not the only one who needs help.
Poignant and profound, Vivi and Jonah’s story will linger long after the novel’s moving conclusion. While they both have a way to go, seedlings of hope have been planted in both their beautiful, big hearts. This is a truly remarkable novel about trying to navigate one’s way through the murky waters of grief and mental illness, and the dizzying wonder of falling madly in love. ~ Joanne Owen
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
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