SEA by Heidi R. Kling

Haunted by recurring nightmares since her mother’s disappearance over the Indian ocean three years before, fifteen-year old California girl Sienna Jones reluctantly travels with her psychiatrist father’s volunteer team to six-months post-tsunami Indonesia where she meets the scarred and soulful orphaned boy, Deni, who is more like Sea than anyone she has ever met.

She knows they can’t be together, so why can’t she stay away from him? And what about her old best friend-turned-suddenly-hot Spider who may or may not be waiting for her back home? And why won’t her dad tell her the truth about her mother’s plane crash? The farther she gets from home, the closer she comes to finding answers.

And Sea’s real adventure begins.

I can't believe this was a debut novel.
The writing was simple and moving.
The story was moving and impressionable.
The characters were impressionable and complex.
The relationships were complex and real.
The character arcs were all amazing! And I enjoyed watching Sea change and grow. I felt her growth.
Ms. Kling painted a beautiful picture of life and love from something was devastating to so many.
This story portrays that life can go on and can be good.
And I TOTALLY didn't predict the twist.

Rating: PG 13
L: None
V: Tsunami aftereffects
S: Kisses

Page 69 test:
"...front row of tsunami kids, a curtain of black hair falling out of her jilbab, veiling an eye.
She looked just like the shy girl in the video! The one I wanted to meet. I smiled at her, hoping she'd notice me, but she didn't.
"Orphans from Papua, please stand."
The Aceh kids sat down and about fifty other kids stood up. Tom whispered to me that many of those kids suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder too,l because many witnessed their parents' deaths in street riots.
His words hit me like an anvil to me chest. If yo bottled up all the trauma in this room...I couldn't even imagine. And these kids were my age and younger. Suddenly I was very glad we were here. Like Dad said--these were people who really needed his help.
"Thank you, children," the owner said, and then he turned to Team Hope. "The Acehnese orphans have prepared a special welcome ceremony for you. Children?" he nodded to the crowd and led us against the wall, where we were apparently supposed to watch.
A dozen mixed-age boys stood up off the floor and carried gold and red drums entwined with dark leather straps to the front of the room.
One of the boys stood out immediately.
He and his drum were the tallest, broadest, most striking. The other boys' eyes were only on him, silently..."