Searching for Sky

by Jillian Cantor

[Kelly]

3½ Stars
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/07/searching-for-sky-by-jillian-cantor.html
I was excited to start Searching for Sky, having seen so many positive and emotional reviews, but I'm not quite sure it lived up to the hype for me. It was certainly emotional and heart wrenching in places, but I felt a strange disconnection to the characters. Sky and River are friends who are on the cusp of falling into a relationship, even though they were raised almost as siblings. Where Sky is the dependable one, the provider, his father Helmut had always described River as a dreamer. The storyline begins with both parents gone and life on the island continues. The two teens live in a comfortable routine, still following Helmut's rules to keep them safe. But River begins to remember his previous life, memories that his father had always dismissed. So when he sees a boat off the coast, he starts a fire on the beach and alerts those on board to their whereabouts. He wants to leave, and is willing to leave Sky behind. She wants to stay, but gives in as to not remain behind alone. And their new lives begin.

Their naive innocence to everyday life we take for granted is quite bizarre. From the boat that escorts them from the island, to the hospital they are taken to, to using the toilet which they continue to call Toilet Tree. I found it fascinating, like toddlers exploring their new world. But just when the reader begins to invest in the characters, it felt as though River was torn away, and in his place was Ben, the young man that lives next door to Sky's grandmother. I would have liked to have seen River's point of view in his absence, as the reader is left guessing to where he is. Ben is a lovely character, he's introduced into Sky's life to help her find a sense of normalcy. He's quickly smitten with her, and we see glimpses of his interest through the sketches he does of the Island Girl. He seems to be a character that is always waiting in the wings whenever the storyline needs him, and at Sky's grandmothers whim while Sky refuses to adjust to life away from the only home she's ever known, she's desperate to return to the Island and River is never far from her thoughts.

When she finally does find River again, his new life is heartbreaking and I couldn't help but feel sadness towards what he has endured and continues to do so. His life isn't the safe and secure existence that Sky has been brought home to, and he has no one for support or to confide in. The reasoning behind their Island life isn't what I had expected, and sadly River bares the brunt of the media witch hunt. It wasn't until then that I felt an attachment to River, and would have felt a greater connection to the story if his journey in California had been shared with the reader.

Sky's journey wasn't as engaging as I would have thought, she wasn't taught the simple aspects of everyday living, but seemingly picked it up on her own. Considering her grandmother has hired a team of professionals to ease her back into living, we really only get a sense of one psychologist who is determined to force Sky into a false confession but admitting she'd been abused on the Island, which never actually happened. I really enjoyed it up until they both returned to California, then seemed to lose that enchantment which felt as though it left when River briefly exited the storyline. I liked it and wanted to love it, but Sky's character just made it too difficult to connect. The majority of young adult contemporary readers will adore Searching For Sky, no doubt. Just make sure you have your tissues handy.