Oceanside brings real problems, real heartache, and real relationships to the surface. Because of the way these subjects were treated, I was totally immersed in the story, as it made the characters very real to me.
Story:
Oceanside starts with a flashback, which brings Ash and Fanny's first meeting to the reader's attention. It was a great first meeting - who else has met someone at the Oscar's just before they both were to perform? This happened in 2012, but the main action happens in 2015, after Fanny's life has completely changed. No longer in the spotlight, she wants a more quiet life. A life where she can make her own decisions. Where she can do what she loves. Up until a fateful night when she made the choice to save her little sister and hide rather than doing much at all.
Ash was supposed to meet Fanny in the past - only he never showed up. He had a good reason, unknown to Fanny. However, after Fanny helped her sister to run away from their abusive step-father, Ash is close by. And Fanny does not want a second meeting with him at this point.
Oceanside is the third book in the Rock Stars, Surf and Second Chances series, and while it can be read as a standalone, I think some readers might appreciate the interactions between the characters more by reading the whole series. To get Ash's backstory. To understand the dynamics with his friends from the band. And to fully get all he has had to give up.
As I said in my introduction, there are a lot of tough issues in Oceanside, abuse by a person who should protect. A serious illness, and how it was dealt with. And I loved the flair Mankin used to bring these subjects up without making light of them - and at the same time without making the overall story too heavy on the heart. If you haven't read this series yet, you should! There are hot rock stars. But they are so much more than that. Mankin has brought them back to humanity, with their trials and tribulations, they seemed so very real.
Characters:
Fanny is such a loyal person! To herself, first of all, but also to her sister. And to people she cares about. She is also strong enough to take on anything at all to protect her sister and make sure she stays safe.
Ash was pretty recluse in Oceanside. Especially at the beginning of the story, he didn't interact much with his friends. But it was because he didn't want to be a burden to anyone - not because he didn't love them anymore.
Writing style :
Oceanside is written in first person point of view, past tense, with parts from either Fanny's or Ash' perspective. There are enough dialogues for the reader to get to know the other characters well enough to care about them all.
Feels :
Mankin broke my heart more than once with this story! And it was a beautiful story, even with all those feels that made my eyes fill, and my breath catch on a sob. Of course, there were also moments where I smiled, felt giddy, or laughed as well.
Sun bright against the back of my eyelids, I gave up trying to sleep any longer and rolled out of bed. I looked - no, loved - the view of the water.
Moments later, I left the recycling center with a wad of bills and coins jingling in my pocket. Yet, my heart ached.