This was utterly absorbing from start to finish. I could easily have binged this if I'd had a spare day to just spend on reading! (And isn't that cover just stunning?)

Bill and Aya are very compelling characters, especially as we're meeting them under such life/death circumstances. The situations they need to respond to meant they had to showcase very full-saturation personalities, and their willpower to survive was honestly palpable. I loved the layered development of their friendship, a forever bond wrapped around with mutual life debts, Aya's Arabian Nights retellings, and fending off threats from sky, land, sea and human alike. I really liked how Bill and Aya gradually learned bits of each other's language, as well as the slow unpeeling of Aya's backstory. Subtly done and this badass girl is one of the biggest reasons to read this book. Another great thing was that even the minor characters had a strong character voice! Obviously Bill and Aya dominate the story, but it's nice when other characters feel like more than just filler or stock.

The plot never felt boring or repetitive despite being largely centred around 'what happens next for these kids marooned on a boat?' and 'what happens next for these kids marooned on an island'? - which I thought was a pretty amazing feat of writing. The plot pacing was excellent, hooks in the reader like a fish on a line and I certainly experienced my share of OMG moments. What surprised me most was probably the way I suddenly burst into tears near the end (and kept crying even after I finished). I got so attached to both Bill and Aya and my heart was just so overwhelmed! Vick writes simply yet so vividly, and I really felt everything the characters were feeling, even when it's from the POV of a minor character just observing.

An incredible story of survival, humanity and hope, threaded through with magical tales like jewels on a necklace, defies the imagination yet somehow remained completely believable. It reminded me a little of 'Life of Pi' (another excellent read) and also reminds me never to go sailing...I have a sizeable fear of the open ocean... 

I think this is marketed towards an MG/YA audience, but I'd recommend this for all ages. Certainly one of my 2020 favourites!

Girl. Boy. Sea took me back to my high school days of reading Life of Pi. Only this time it was a less gruesome and the ending had more closure. 

Throughout the novel, there were short tales. Some well known from the Arabian nights and some additions. Together they helped move the story along as it reached its ultimate conclusion. 

This is a book that a lot of middle grade readers are likely to enjoy if they can move past the moments of gore.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the plot of the book. The cover is really pretty and draws you in.

I remember the time when I read the very first book by Chris Vick 'Kook'. I remember reading it very well because I felt all the things that the main character felt, I could touch water, feel adrenaline, heartbreak and loss. I thought at that time that Chirs is not an author, I thought he was a magician. 
Here, with third novel 'Girl, Boy, Sea' Chris comes back with his great ability to take you to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, with a girl who hardly speaks any English, and again he makes you immerse in the story til the last page of the book. To say that I love this book is not enough. It's a masterpiece made of words and emotions! Thank you for taking me on this amazing journey!

Incredibly well-written and atmospheric YA novel - gripped from the first page and read in one day. Definitely deserved the Carnegie nominiation!

After a storm a young British boy gets separated from the rest of boys he was sailing with. After some days at sea alone he rescues a girl, Aya, from a different boat. As the two spend many days together trying to survive at sea alone Aya tells Bill stories of the Arabian Nights. 

This book was very atmospheric at times. Chris Vick's writing was very engaging and painted a clear picture. I can see why this book was shortlisted for the Carnegie Award.

You can see why it has been shortlisted for awards. So very beautifully written and gives you that real sense of place

DNF'd at 10% I couldn't get any connection to the plot or characters. I also found the writing to simple

Swirling in the power of storytelling, Chris Vick's Carnegie shortlisted Girl. Boy. Sea. is an extraordinary adventure of survival at sea.

Multilayered, Girl. Boy. Sea. is an absolute escape from our reality into Bill & Aya's world. And the climax simply rests in my soul-bed.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fun read for anyone who loves survival stories 

What I wasn't expecting with the story within a story about 10001 Nights 

I was invested in what happened to all the characters and was enthralled by the fast, engrossing pace

Girl. Boy. Sea. is a beautifully told story of survival and unlikely friendships. With vivid imagery that makes it easy to imagine you are right there with the protagonists as the story unfolds. A lovely read.

More of a 3.5, but rounding up. First of all, the writing here was beautiful. Even when things were terrifying, I still spent most of this read in awe of the sea's beauty. I grew up on an island, so I have a lot of love and respect for the ocean and this did a good job of showing both those elements together. I was a big fan of survival/shipwreck novels in elementary school and this really felt like bringing it back to that in the nostalgia factor, which was also a fun part. There were also big Life of Pi vibes with the ending. I also really enjoyed the way the stories were weaved throughout and tying everything together. 

Where it did lose me a bit was how much of the subplot depended on Aya's heritage and the political conflicts in her region. That's just a little uncomfortable for me, personally, to read coming from a white, English author. As a slight disclaimer, I don't know much about Aya's culture or everything mentioned in the book, so I can't comment on whether it was done well or not, I can just say it made me uncomfortable at times because of the implications of it being written by a white man in England. Just something to consider. 

Rounding it off to a four, like I mentioned, because at the end of the day, I did enjoy the survival aspects and the nostalgia.

Thank you so  much for Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a free e-copy in exchange of my honest review!

"A young British boy called Bill narrowly survives the sinking of his yacht in a huge storm off the coast of Morocco. He saves a girl called Aya, from the nomadic Berber tribe." Through the days which seems so endless, they cling into stories told by Aya to live on. Because they have no idea what will happen next, the only thing that gives them comfort, while trying to survive, is tales. Through their journey, especilly Bill's personality grew the most! Such and adventure they had!

This is a very touching , beautifully written and enchanting middle grade book. It was simple, easily enjoyable and I believe this is the perfect summer read for any children and adult as well!

Wow what a page turner. I found this book completely captivating and couldn't put it down. The series of event were realistic and described with the amount of detail that when I was sat reading it on a hot day, I felt like I was there watching the events unfold. 

I love the structure of the book, its broken up into small sections, days or scenes that chapters aren't long and over done they are short and succinct. Which I really enjoyed. 

 Whilst telling the story of our main characters,  it weaves into tales from other lands and culture that strengthen the narrative of the book.  I never found a dull moment or a moment for my mind to drift off, the detail of writing ensured that even out at sea with nothing around there wasn't a dull moment.

I have so much to say about this book but for the risk of giving spoilers I will save it for my blog and instagram  review a week before the publication date! Really recommend this book.

What a great page turner. This is a worthy Carnegie shortlist book. The story was surprising and mixed high drama with poignancy, suspense and beautifully judged relationships. A series of unbelievable events that are totally believable. I can't believe anyone would regret reading this book, it stays with you well after the last page has been read.

I think like others I mistook this title as a younger read, but it is more YA. A survival story, intertwining cultures. Perhaps a read for a student who enjoys shipwreck or survival tales. Draws inspiration from Lord of the Flies, Life of Pi etc. However I didn’t particularly enjoy it and I can’t think of many students of mine I would recommend it to. I read it as part of the Carnegie shortlist, Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook in exchange for review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved this book. The writing was gorgeous, the narrative was engaging and the characters were exceptionally well drawn. It reminded me quite a lot of Life of Pi, but I feel Vick delves into deeper issues than the previous author. By shipwrecking a European alongside a potential refugee, Vick draws attention to the underlying issues of the refugee crisis. The inclusion of tales from the Arabian Nights to highlight the power of stories to give us hope was also perfect (even if they were made up). Excuse me while I go and delve into Vick's back catalogue...

What a joy of a book.  I usually try very hard to write reviews that do not spoil or give away bits of the ending, this time I could not.  The story was a little like the storms that come from nowhere if you are sea.  It was like riding a boat in choppy water.  Even at the end there were some interesting twists and turns.  

The descriptions of how the ocean and its wildlife reacts are good.  At times they are almost poetic.  The different strengths of the characters in the boat shone through as did the different cultures that they came from, they complimented each other perfectly.  There was also menace.  When they landed on the island, I put the book down because I felt there was a presence there and I was frightened.  Once when it was established there was a third person the menace continued.  It was clear something would happen but it was not easy to establish which two characters would continue to live and how the plot would develop.  

I thought it was very clever how Aya's life and the 1001 nights stories combined.  I felt there was something magical or fantastical about her and wondered if she was real.  This is why the ending is so very powerful.  It is a good book for promoting empathy.  I am also left with the feeling that it might not be a stand alone book, that there is an opportunity for a sequel.  I do not often read sequels, I would read this one.  

Thank you for allowing me to read it on Netgalley and I am still thinking about it 24 hours after finishing it.

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. It felt very similar to Life of Pi but I did not find that the characters were very well written, and everything just felt very rushed. I found that the plot was too jumpy and confusion. I found no connection to the characters, and I found myself not really caring what happened to them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable book. It was an interesting take on a ship wreck turned survival on a deserted-ish island. While this was a tense yet touching story about friendship, it felt like something was missing. I've yet to put my finger on it specifically but it feels like more could have been added to it. I enjoyed the stories within the stories but they felt too brief for their purpose to the novel. It also seemed like Bill was starting to romanticize Aya, which felt off to the tone of the story. Among these few things that felt off to me, I thought the author did a FANTASTIC job creating suspense throughout the book. The final scene when they're in the boat was an excellent example of this!  Read this if you enjoy the suspenseful survivalist genre.