Monday, April 1, 2019

'Sand Castle Dreams" by Taylor Bennett -- Book Review


About the Book



Sometimes we have to face our greatest fears in order to become whole again. 

Returning to Maui after one of the most challenging summers of her life, sixteen-year-old Olive Galloway is ready for things to return to normal—or, at least, a new normal. But even though she and her sister are back on the island they love, nothing is the same since they left for Boston a few months ago. Olive’s friend Jazz is hiding a secret—possibly something even worse than the cancer diagnosis she received earlier in the year. Can Olive ever stop running from memories of all they’ve lost?

When their friend Brander suggests Jazz attends the church’s teen support group, Olive thinks it’s a great idea—until Jazz insists that Olive join her. While the group is the perfect place for Olive to share her struggles, she wants nothing to do with it. Instead, grief threatens to roll over her like the ocean waves, and tiny fibs turn into looming secrets. When a scruffy puppy and one viral video send another storm rolling into Olive’s life, she ends up face-to-face with her biggest fear. And the only way to make it out of the tempest is to go straight through.



My Thoughts


"Sand Castle Dreams" is the second Tradewinds Series book and starts shortly after the first book "Porch Swing Girl". I think it would be best to read the books in order, but "Sand Castle Dreams" does fill you in on the major points of the first book. I found the book to be well written and I liked the pace and the characters. I could feel Olive's frustrations and hurts and how she tries to shield herself from more heartache but wants to help her friends. This book is good for showing that the Christian life is not all a bed of roses, nor an easy road, but that God is with you through it all. The characters all have things that they need to deal with and grow through. There were things that made me cry and things that made me laugh. I look forward to reading more books by Taylor Bennett.


About the Author

Taylor Bennett is the seventeen-year-old author of contemporary YA fiction. Homeschooled since kindergarten, she is a proud homebody who suffers from the rare–yet always severe–case of wanderlust. 

Although she dreams of traveling to many different places, her favorite destination thus far (aside from her charming hometown in Oregon) is Lahaina, Hawaii. Taylor was so enamored with this tropical town that she became determined to write about it, hence her debut novel, Porch Swing Girl, the first in a series of books set in Hawaii.

A lover of literature since birth, Taylor found her love of writing fueled under the instruction of Andrew Pudewa and the other teachers at the Institute for Excellence in Writing, where she now works as an editor for their magazine.

When she isn’t writing, Taylor enjoys cooking, drawing, and taking long walks in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest




"Sand Castle Dreams" is available in paperback:
  • Series: Tradewind (Book 2)
  • Paperback: 273 pages
  • Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink (March 13, 2019)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1943959587
  • ISBN-13: 978-1943959587
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.6 x 8.5 inches

and in Kindle edition:
  • File Size: 2905 KB
  • Print Length: 237 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publisher: Mountain Brook Ink (April 1, 2019)
  • Publication Date: April 1, 2019
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B07NXMQQ54

I got a free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own and given voluntarily. No compensation was received for my review.

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