Sharks & Boys

You know, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from Kristen Tracy‘s latest, SHARKS & BOYS. Sure, there would be sharks, and yes, there would be boys. But the plot is bigger, the characters more complex, than you’d ever get from the two words in the title.

Enid is one of two fraternal twins, and her core group of friends include three other sets of twins, one of which is her boyfriend, Wick. Enid and her friends have been part of a local twin study for quite a while, and in the past year she and Wick started dating. The problem is, she and Wick have recently started fighting. Like, a lot. And maybe Enid is kind of reactionary and maybe she nitpicks and pokes and prods but really she loves Wick and she can’t imagine life without him. show more So when he suggests they take a break and then takes off to a party — a party thrown by Skate and Burr, the twin-group’s resident bad boys, not to mention Enid’s recent arch nemeses — Enid tries to be normal. Her brother Dale tells her to stay cool, give Wick his space. But that’s not how things go down. Instead, Enid steals her mother’s car, drives from their homestate of Vermont to the party in Maryland, and proceeds to stalk the boys to a marina where she boards Skate and Burr’s yacht. For the moment, Enid’s biggest fear is getting caught by Wick and ending up with even bigger relationship issues than she’d started with. But that soon changes when the yacht ends up out at sea, and in a really nasty storm. Enid and the boys end up on raft in the middle of the ocean, without food, water, and with very limited survival skills. To make matters worse, Skate sustained a head injury while the yacht was sinking. With emotions already running high, and with the threat of exposure looming, the sharks circling their raft present an even more immediate danger.

SHARKS & BOYS is a fast-paced read, with all the action and adventure that the title promises. However, what you might not expect is the well-woven characters, all of whom are distinct and interesting. Almost the entire book takes place in a tiny raft, with six teens packed in around each other, and nobody fades into the background. The relationships are realistic and riveting and the stakes of their story are highly emotional. SHARKS & BOYS is a wonderful summer book. But, here’s a tip: don’t read it at the beach. show less

Wow. I am totally glad that I do not have a waterbed because honestly, after finishing sharks & boys, I am a little anxious about seeing dorsal fins in my dreams tonight! This is a book that will make you hesitate to step foot into a body of water – at least, without proper equipment and supplies.

At first, I had been skeptical about how this story would play out. A group of teens stranded on a boat? Not the usual setting for teenage drama, but Kristen Tracy makes it work – and how! As these teens float in the middle of nowhere with no signs of rescue, I could not help but imagine a Life Of Pi or Lord Of The Flies scenario for them! The pages flew by as I wondered how far these teens would go to survive, how much dignity would they show more sacrifice, who would die, and who would live. Conversation and cooperation become vital during this situation – I mean, there isn’t anywhere to go and be alone in such a cramped space! These teens hash out everything from drinking urine, lifetime goals, racial slurs, and eating fish eyeballs. There are some things that I found useful or interesting; and then there are things that I wish I had rather not know (i.e. I don’t think I can look a fish in the eye anymore *shudder*).

What is also unique about this book is that Kristen Tracy chose to tell the story of 6 kids who all happened to be twins. Not related to each other, but became friends because they participated in the same research group for twin studies. This specific detail definitely makes their situation even more interesting – nothing says life-or-death more than when 2 people who are in sync with each other can feel each other’s hurts! They learn just how much their other self is a part of them, and sometimes it is more than they had ever imagined!

sharks & boys may sound like a crazy Snakes On A Plane scheme, but I found it as fascinating and hard to forget as Castaway had been. With only a hint of the common teenage woes and more “bigger picture” reflections, the story seemed very real and very critical as Enid and company struggled to hold onto their hopes for rescue. show less

Summary: Enid has just been dumped by her boyfriend Wick, but she’s desperate for another shot. She follows Wick (and his friends, who happen to be part of their Twin Studies group) onto a boat to spy on him, but the ship ends up sinking, leaving the group stranded at sea—without supplies—for days on end.

My thoughts: Sharks and Boys is a haunting, vivid portrayal of the symptoms of slow, steady starvation. Kristen Tracy is horrifyingly honest in depicting every aspect of her characters’ physical corrosion, and sometimes it’s just too much for those who are easily queasy. There’s also the psychological aspect of being stranded; each character copes in a different way, and the way they subsequently interact with each other is show more fascinating.
With death a looming enemy, the author attempts to stress the importance of forgiveness, but the message is ultimately lost amongst the drama of the situation.

Though very little actually happens in Sharks and Boys, the novel still manages to be gripping. Other than an occasional shark encounter and the initial sinking of the boat, Sharks and Boys is relatively devoid of action. Yet there’s a sense of urgency about the whole book, and I found myself knotting my brow, fervently hoping for the characters’ rescue.

During the more quiet scenes of Sharks and Boys, Kristen Tracy uses dialogue to flesh out her characters. Though initially it seems that the boat being filled with pairs of twins would play a pivotal role in the story, each character ultimately ends up coming into their own. It’s easy to love certain characters and dislike others. Enid, the protagonist, is a bit overdramatic, but she matures during the few days she is stranded at sea.

Sharks and Boys may sound like a beach read, but it’s surprisingly serious. There are funny moments, but the story is mostly thought-provoking. Sharks and Boys will be a great fit for readers who love character-driven stories with high stakes. show less

This seems like a cute, silly read. Until you actually read it and your look on life starts to change.

At first, I didn't like Enid. She seemed silly and boy crazy because, let's be honest, who drives 1,000 miles to follow a boyfriend that broke up with them? But she did grow a lot as a character. I wish we could've seen her grow more, because it seems like she'll continue developing a lot after the end of the book.

Every character had flaws. Even the most flawed character had moments of redemption. And I appreciated that because no person is entirely unlikable (I mean...kind of. I guess Voldemort's got nothing going for him. But anyway). I developed an attachment to all the characters, no matter how short their appearance.

The story also show more made me think a lot. Things happen in this book that made me question my life and death and religion and what I'd do in this situation. I also thought about forgiveness and how much I could do it myself. At one point it made me cry...it was a very long point.

The beginning drags, I won't lie. This was my first book for the Book-A-Day Challenge and I was discouraged. But I made myself sit down and read it and I was totally absorbed in the book. Didn't even realize how much time had passed and how much I'd read until my butt started falling asleep and then I kept reading anyway. It's a really incredible, moving book. Just stick through the first 60 pages or so. There's a lot that goes on and a lot to learn and a lot to think about. It's just...an incredible, thought-provoking read I highly recommend. show less

I enjoyed this book but possibly my enjoyment was a bit more in theory than in the actual book. I loved the premise and found it fairly believable and well executed. However, I had a hard time finding the characters as endearing as they needed to be to carry me to the end of the story. I did enjoy the book, mostly, but I would have liked to see how more plot lines were resolved rather than just have it end when they were rescued.

(I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley)

Sharks & Boys is a gritty, intensely realistic novel from Kristen Tracy that, had I read it at a different time, I might would have given four stars--or probably at least three and a half--to. I read it while on an eighth grade class trip, though, and just wasn't quite in the right place for the no-holds-barred drama that it contained. Enid's character comes off for much of the novel as fairly unsympathetic and overly obsessive, and I had a hard time really rooting for her. So many of her problems seemed to stem, at least in part, from her, and she was oblivious of it for much of the novel and blaming everyone else, which was frustrating. I really wanted to like this novel more than I did show more after reading the blurb attached to it. The "harrowing" it definitely delivered. The "heartwarming", though, I never really felt. By the time I got to the end, my first thought was: that's it? But my second was: thank goodness, now I can read something else! show less

Reviewed by Breanna F. for TeensReadToo.com

"Enid has boy problems. But once she's adrift at sea in a life raft, they're not nearly as bad as her shark problems."

One day, fifteen-year-old Enid's boyfriend decides that he wants to "take a break," and all of a sudden her life in Vermont starts to crash down around her. Right after Wick tells her he wants a break, he also announces that he'll be going on a trip with the other guys from their twin studies (Enid has a twin brother and they participate in twin studies with three other sets of twins). They'll be traveling to Annapolis to celebrate the end of the school year - and Enid does not like this one bit.

On the day that the boys leave, Enid is helping out her mother at a wedding she's show more catering. Suddenly, she gets the idea to take her car and drive the 500 plus miles to Annapolis to spy on the boys. When she gets there, she hears them talking about Gretchen, which she assumes is a girl. So when they get in the van and drive down to the water, she of course follows. She's surprised to find out that Gretchen is a boat and proceeds to sneak on and hide out in the bathroom.

The next thing she knows, they're out at sea in the middle of a terrible storm. Worse comes to worse and the boat sinks - and the eight friends find themselves squeezed into a tiny life raft surrounded by sharks. Now, Enid and the guys are faced with the possibility that no one has any idea where they are and that they may not survive.

This wasn't the type of book that I was expecting from Kristen Tracy, but it was great! I could definitely understand why Enid decided to go spy on Wick and the other boys. From the very beginning of the book I could tell that something bad was going to happen, and that made it hard to put it down.

For the majority of the story, the kids are stuck on the life raft, but that definitely doesn't mean that the book is boring by any means. A lot of things happen when they are on the raft that each set of twins has to work through. Not one part of this book is boring, so I highly recommend picking up a copy. If you don't mind a heart-wrenching story involving a little bit of blood and a lot of sharks, then this is the book for you! show less