The Sea of Pages

  Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She’ll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father’s French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami’s family while recovering from serious injuries.

 

And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.
Julian’s all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami’s starting to feel. And Cami can’t stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He’s got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

 

I’m going to be honest with you… I totally judged this book by its cover! I thought it was just going to be a cutesy romance with little depth but jokes on me! It was a great coming of age story that deals with the uncertainty of growing up and finding first love.

Cami, our main character, has always known she’s wanted to be a chef but now with senior year and her father pressuring her to join college she’s not so sure what the future entails. I have to say I loved that we actually get to see Cami in her element. Although I’m a terrible cook it was still fun to read about Cami coming up with new dishes for her family to try. She was a great heroine she still had her faults but ultimately was a strong driven character. I loved her interactions with Julian! It was funny to her act so snarky towards him and not take any of his crap.

Julian has just returned from the war and is still coming to terms with the loss of his leg. He starts off as a total jerk which is understandable due to his injuries but as time progresses we see him and Cami become closer.  I loved how much he cared about her and even though he wanted to be with her he did his best to encourage her dreams even if it meant being separated.  Also watching him come to face with his injuries revealed a vulnerable side to him that was great to read.

I have to say by far my favorite thing about the book was the humor. I loved reading about Estella, Cami’s stepmom, passive aggressive behavior while making weekly dinners and Cami’s Dad”s snobbish attitude to any food besides french food.  My favorite scene has to be Cami throwing a muffin at Julian.

My only complaint was the ending. I love a epilogue and I would have loved one showing how Julian and Cami where doing. It didn’t end abruptly or anything but I feel a little insight as to how they were doing and if they reached their goals would have been nice to read.

Overall, Stir Me Up is a great well-written book for fans of contemporary romance. It has great characters that grow individually as well in their relationship.  I can’t wait to read more from Sabrina Elkins!

Rating: 4/5