Uncharted by Tracey Garvis Graves – a Review
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Description:
Tracey Garvis Graves – and Anna and T.J. – return in this companion novella to the New York Times bestseller On the Island
When twenty-three-year-old dot-com millionaire Owen Sparks walked away from his charmed life, he had one goal in mind: get as far away as possible from the people who resented his success, or had their hand out for a piece of it. A remote uncharted island halfway around the world seemed like a perfectly logical place to get away from it all.
Calia Reed wasn’t part of Owen’s plans. The beautiful British girl – on holiday in the Maldives with her brother, James – made Owen wonder if getting away from it all might be a lot more enjoyable with a carefree girl who didn’t know anything about the life he left behind.
But Owen had no idea how much his carefully detailed plans would go awry. Nor did he realize that a decision he made would have such a catastrophic effect on two passengers who boarded a plane in Chicago.
And when Owen shows up at Anna and T.J.’s door with an incredible story to tell, everyone involved will learn just how much their lives are intertwined.
Review:
Uncharted by Tracey Garvis Graves is a novella, which takes us back to the Maldives and the island of Tracey’s first book, On The Island. I really enjoyed On The Island, and thought Graves was a wonderful new author. I wasn’t wrong, as she does it again with this short story. Uncharted gives us more information about our favorite couple from OTI…Anna and TJ. But they are not the main characters in this book.
Instead, Owen Sparks is the hero of this story. When Anna and TJ were stranded for a few years on the island, they had discovered some things about someone who had been there before..Owen Sparks.
Uncharted begins with Owen visiting Anna and TJ. They are shocked when they meet him, a face to someone who was on the same island. Owen proceeds to tell his story to Anna and TJ.
Owen is a 23 year old millionaire, who made his fortune running a .com business with two friends. He eventually becomes disillusioned with his friends, family and the business pressure, and sells his share of the company, leaving everything & everyone behind. Owen makes arrangements in Maldives, to live month by month on an inhabited island, with the help of Forester, who drives the plane to drop off Owen on the island.
The difference between Owen and TJ/Anna’s scenario, is Owen brings all the supplies he needs, as he is there on his own sojourn, and despite being alone, he learns how to survive on the island. He does go back to town each month to stock up on supplies. During one of those trips, after many months, he meets Calia and her brother, James. Both end up going to the island with Owen for a month to try their own survival skills.
Without giving spoilers, after a bit, two things happen. Owen falls hard for Calia, which changes his outlook, and he wants to return to civilization. But before they leave, something does happen, which changes things.
In between Owen telling his story to Anna and TJ, we get a chapter here and there with either Anna or TJ talking about their own feelings of their ordeal, as they listen to Owens’s tale. I really did enjoy this book, as it was a fast and sweet read. Tracey Garvis Graves is an excellent writer, and you can totally imagine the island in Owens eyes. I loved when he played with the Dolphins, or when you felt like you were actually there with him when he built his cabin. Graves has this uncanny ability to make you feel like your are living through their ordeal, without going into so many details. Very realistic. The romance between Owen and Calia was sweet.
Most of all, it was so great to see Anna and TJ again. Seeing them a few years later, happy with their own family was almost like an epilogue to their story with a better then happy ending. I liked Owen a lot, and Uncharted was an excellent story, as we also see in the end how Owen’s adventure and Anna/TJ’s ordeal, intermingled. I would suggest you read On The Island before you read this novella.
Reveiwed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Wonderful review Barb. Sooo, does this particular storyline have anything to do with the original?
Yes, Alexiis it is part of the first book, but a few years later. The main protagonists from the first book have a smaller part, but it was nice to see them again to see how they have fared.
Nice review. I read the first book, and was planning to check this out if it was worth purchasing. You review convinces me to buy.
You will enjoy, Iraida
I read On the Island, and so did my girlfriend. We enjoyed it. I didn’t know about this short story, which let’s us see the original characters again. I will have to buy the book. Thanks.
Great review Barb. Do you have to read the first book to understand this story?
Not really, it does help. But Garvis-Graves tells the story in this novella about the person who was on the island before the others were stranded. So it his story, though we get to see the originals.
Great review Barb and the small series sounds very interesting.
i ike novella’s, but i have not read the first book. ill check them both out
Sounds like a good one Barb. Nice job.
Another nice review Barb. I read On the Island. I did not know she wrote a novella as well. Thank you.