Big Water is a historical fiction novel that accounts of two survivors of the wrecked ship, the SS Asia. Though the story is fiction, it is based on a real event that took place in 1882. The story follows our MC, Christina, who has recently lost her twin brother, Jonathon, to consumption. She decides to run away from home by going on the SS Asia. As an impending storm reaches, the ship is destroyed and the passengers end up on lifeboats but unfortunately, the storm continues to affect the passengers and before long Christina, and another boy, Daniel are the only ones left alive. The story explores how the two handle and survive horrendous circumstances like the freezing water, treacherous conditions, and several days among dying men on a lifeboat. It also covers Christina still grieving the loss of her brother through different memories and trying to make sense of how different they've always been.

I do think there wasn't a lot of depth but I think given the situation of being stranded, hungry and surrounded by death and uncertainty, the lack of depth almost seems appropriate. I appreciate the short romance between Daniel and Christina for the sole reason that being close to death for 36+ hours makes one grateful, at least, to not be alone. I also liked how succinct the story and plot was. I honestly don't think this needed to be drawn out unnecessarily - there's so much you can describe happening on a boat before it's just boring. Short and pungent did this story well.

This book is another one that makes me want more historical fiction.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for this ARC.

Christina finds herself in a lifeboat with Daniel after their ship, Asia, sinks in one of the Great Lakes. This story is based on the actual event and the two teenage survivors. The premises and idea were strong, but the story was lacking in almost all other departments. For one thing, there was a lot of telling instead of showing and the sentences felt off. Christina regularly thought about memories of her twin brother Jonathon, and likewise, Christina reiterated that Jonathon was her mother’s favorite, that he was the best child, that he was kind and loving and thoughtful, and yet we were never shown instances of this. We could only take Christina’s word and how unwanted she felt.

She runs away without telling her parents (something she did once before) and finds herself as a passenger on the Asia. Her cousin is one of the mates so he is the only family member who knows where she is. The ship sails into the heart of a destructive storm and a group of survivors make it to a lifeboat among the wreckage and churning, towering waves. Over the course of a day, Christina and Daniel are the only survivors remaining and find themselves in a lifeboat with dead bodies. They eventually make it to land dehydrated, feverish, and Daniel concussed, and wonder where they are located, if anyone will find them, or if they will perish without a soul knowing.

I really wanted to like this book. Christina was flat and showed no emotion. Daniel wasn’t much better. They both fell in love within 24-36 hours which further increased my level of frustration. I believe this story would have been stronger if it consisted of more emotion or if it were written as a journal entry with Christina looking back on the events.

I received an ARC of Big Water from NetGalley.

Traveling the great lakes was a dangerous proposition through the early part of the twentieth century—especially on the Georgia Bay in Canada. Many ships and lives were lost on the uncharted and unpredictable waters. In 1882, the SS Asia, a converted river steamship set out from the Georgia Bay in Lake Huron, overloaded and top heavy, heading straight into a storm. Equipped only with life vests and flimsy lifeboats unfit for the dangerous waters, the passengers and crew were entirely unprepared when the ship sank. One hundred and twenty three lives were lost, the sole survivors two teenagers. This fictional account of a real historical tragedy explores the circumstances that led those two teenagers onto the Asia and how they managed to survive freezing water, treacherous conditions, and several days among dying men on a lifeboat.

I had never heard the story of the SS Asia before reading this book (perhaps not surprising since I live nowhere near any of the Great Lakes), but the tragic sinking of the ship and Curtis’ compelling recounting of what might’ve happened in the days that followed completely drew me in, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I had finished it. Though the story is a fictionalized version of accounts and changes some details and facts for the sake of the narrative, I thought Curtis did an excellent job of staying true to the spirit of what happened and respectfully handling a terrible tragedy in the history of the Great Lakes.

Other than my desire for more depth of characterization and maybe some more lead up to the brief romance between Christina and Daniel, I really did enjoy this book. A little more grounding in context and historical facts might also have been helpful (for instance, I didn't understand that this was taking place on Lake Huron while reading the book). Still, it’s very engaging—hooks you in from the beginning and refuses to let you go until the teenagers are on dry land again. And even though you know they’ll survive, the sense of very real and present danger creates a surprising amount of story where the ending is already set in stone.

Overall, a very engaging and interesting YA historical fiction novel based on a true story that, likely, very few people have heard of.

This book reminded me of Salt to the Seas from last year. Kind of the same premises where the author used a historical even to create a fictional characters within the disaster as it unfolded. The story was pretty good, once I started, I didn't want to put it down but I think it lacked a little as far as the depth of the characters and the plot. Chris and Daniel survive the sinking of the passenger steam ship the Asia in the Georgian Bay in the Great Lakes in Canada. A very sad story in real life too, with only 2 passengers surviving, the two characters in the novel. The story is told by Christina in first person, how she ran away and got on the ship where her cousin is a fist mate. The book is pretty well written and very factual--the author did her research. I really enjoyed reading this as I am coming to like historical fiction more and more. The relationship between Chris and Daniel starts out not that great but they come to depend on each other as they realize they are the only survivors who manage to survive with no help. Very cold, very dark and very wet. Definitely worth reading! Thanks for the ARC!!

The author laid bare the internal strife of a heart-wrenching side of grief. Hard to watch. Painful to read. Mourning the loss of a loved one, much too unbearable to face drove the main protagonist to flee. Anywhere. Leave it all behind. Only, she couldn't run away from herself. Risking what would be an unlucky role of the dice, she would soon find herself set on a collision course destined for disaster. Right place - wrong time. Luck of the draw. This well-written narrative took me on a perilous journey. A tailspin I won't soon forget.

With horrifying clarity, Andrea Curtis recounted the chilling last moments of life on board the doomed steamship Asia. More suited for ferry service than that of an open water going vessel, it filled-in for another ship on that ill-fated morning. A great disaster in the making. The vessel with passengers and crew of more than 100 entered stormy waters for which it was not designed. Without warning, enormous rogue waves slammed the ship with a vengeance. I felt the terror rise within me with every wave that furiously swept overboard. It was all so palpable. This catastrophe still stands as the worst disaster of the Great Lakes. The tragedy occurred on September 14th, 1882 on the waters of Georgian Bay. The steamship Asia was sent to Davy Jones' Locker. The voyage of the damned. Everyone on board lost - save two.

As had been known to suddenly happen, a storm gathered in from nowhere. In shocking detail, the author described how the defenseless ship was repeatedly bashed with mountainous waves. Tossed about like a child's toy in a bathtub. It's hull shuttered and groaned. Finally, gave-way to the menacing water. There were no lifeboat drills prior to departing port. Panic seized the ship. It was everyone for themselves. Pandemonium broke out. In altered states of shock, some dove into descending lifeboats causing serious injuries - broken limbs. Others never made it that far.

Afloat somewhere in the middle of Georgian Bay, Christina McBurney and several others clung perilously aboard an ill-suited 20-foot Lifeboat. The small craft was all that stood between them and the gaping jaws of the bloodthirsty water. The wind whipped violently as the waves pounded the dinghy with an anger heard deep within the bowels of hell. Gigantic swells flipped it over a few times dumping everyone into the frigid water. With never-ending freezing winds and punishing waves, it came down to a matter of survival of the fittest. Barely making it, only two lived to tell its horrific tale.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for this ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.