ARC Review: The Day of the Wave by Becky Wicks

I have really enjoyed books by Becky Wicks before, so I was really excited when I read the blurb for The Day of the Wave. Not only did I expect it to be written well, but I couldn't help but be drawn to the content. It was something I hadn't ever seen in a romance novel before, and I was instantly intrigued about a book that centered around a real life natural disaster. Though I don't necessarily agree with the book's Amazon tagline of being "An inspirational historical romance novel" that followed the real life events of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, I did find it very interesting. Yes the book does touch on the tsunami and how things happened in real life, this book is mainly about Ben and Isla reconnecting in the future. 

Ben and Isla met as teenagers just days before the Boxing Day tsunami hit. They both suffered terrible losses as a result and were never the same. Both of them were left with scars, Isla's on the outside while Ben's were internal. But they never knew that the other survived. Now ten years later, a chance meeting reconnects them, and they jump at the chance to spend time together once again. Though a lot has changed as the years have passed, Ben and Isla realize that the connection they once shared has remained. Though no one understands everything that they went through but each other, is it possible for them to leave their pasts behind for a chance at a future together? 

I liked Ben and Isla a lot. I thought that they were great for one another, and I loved that they had a connection that had never faded. These two understood one another in a way that no one else could, and they just seemed to always know what the other needed. They supported one another and encouraged each other through good times and bad. It was great to see them push one another, while also understanding that sometimes they just needed to avoid certain subjects. They were both still struggling with so much, and the patience between them was exactly what they needed. They helped one another while also realizing that some things had to be done on their own time table rather than what others thought. I loved the friendship between them and how they had always held onto everything that they had talked about and felt years before. They had such great chemistry, but it was the connection between them that made their bond unbreakable.

While I really liked this story and seeing Ben and Isla reconnect, I did think that there were times my interest started to wane a little with all the details given. Becky Wicks does a great job of describing things so that you feel like you are actually seeing the cities with your own eyes, but I do think that it can sometimes cause the reader to get a little lost in the details. I also had a tough time with how much others factored into this story, when I really wanted Ben and Isla focused on reconnecting with each other. I kept waiting for things to change between them so that we could see them start to figure things out together as a couple, and it took quite awhile before they were each able to actually move forward without being with someone else. I was glad that there was no cheating though, even if that meant that Ben and Isla together took a bit longer. I think that this book was a really interesting story, and I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for something different. I know this won't be the last I read from Becky Wicks , and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

**ARC Provided by Xpresso Book Tours**

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