Words Composed of Sea and Sky
by Erica George

A book full of potential but was really a bit of a struggle to get into this story and I wasn’t reallly taken with captain Churchill but the permiss of the book is quite good along with the dual timeline . Reasonable read if you stick with it. 3.5/5

I received a free copy for an honest review.

I think this book is okay honestly, like romance is not my cup of tea. Captain Churchill is also not likeable in my opinion, which makes it worse. And I wonder if it's just me but I felt like Leta's romance for him also super came out of nowhere. For behaviour like that, the author should be extra careful to have a legitimate justification for his behaviour and attitude, and definitely not make Leta fall in love with him like that because that was so random.

This is absolutely a solid debut and there is so much potential with the story and writing. Personally I struggled with it a bit - both following the story and staying interested. But that is honestly probably more me than anything. There is definitely an audience who will enjoy this one.

And that cover! It is beautiful.

Great debut novel by Erica George. The story pulls you in from the very beginning and keeps you wanting more even after it ends. The characters were well developed and relatable. Loved it!

A solid debut. I loved the setting and the present-storyline characters. I didn’t enjoy the storyline set in the past as much and Churchill was the worse. An overall quick, fun read.

This was a beautiful cover. As I have said before I love books about being on the water ect.
Premise
Michaela Dunn, living on present day Cape Cod, dreams of getting into an art school, something her family just doesn't understand. When her stepfather refuses to fund a trip for a poetry workshop, Michaela finds the answer in a local contest searching for a poet to write the dedication plaque for a statue honoring Captain Benjamin Churchill, a whaler who died at sea 100 years ago.

She struggles to understand why her town venerates Churchill, an almost mythical figure whose name adorns the school team and various tourist traps. When she discovers the 1862 diary of Leta Townsend, however, she gets a glimpse of Churchill that she didn't quite anticipate. In 1862, Leta Townsend writes poetry under the name Benjamin Churchill, a boy who left for sea to hunt whales. Leta is astonished when Captain Churchill returns after his rumored death. She quickly falls for him. But is she falling for the actual captain or the boy she constructed in her imagination?
I really wanted to like this one a bit more than I did. I struggled a bit to follow the story and while I think it was an interesting concept it fell a bit short for me. I still enjoyed it though and would be interested in reading the authors next book.

The moment I read the synopsis for Words Composed of Sea and Sky, I knew I had to get my hands on it.

In the present, Michaela Dunn dreams of attending Winslow College to pursue poetry and when they bring out a five-day workshop for poetry, she couldn’t be happier to apply- but her stepdad refuses because its too expensive. Of course, that won’t stop Michaela so she decides to enter a poetry contest where the winner would win a cash prize and have their poem engraved on a statue of Captain Benjamin Churchill. Churchill is a mystery and no one knows much about him except that he got lost at sea in 1861. Until Michaela finds a diary.

In the past, 1862, Leta Townsend just like everyone else has accepted that Benjamin is gone, disappeared at sea, never to be seen again. In a time where women weren’t given much of a voice, or be allowed to work, Leta writes poetry under Benjamin’s name since she would have an easier time being recognized under a man’s name and Benjamin’s never coming back. Until he does. Months later, Ben is back and he’s nothing like Leta had expected him to be but she still loves him. And at the same time, she also has to marry her best friend, Elijah Pearce.

We know Leta doesn’t end up with Benjamin because the cute classmate helping Michaela with this little project? He’s Finn Pearce, Leta’s descendant. So what did happen all those years ago? Why didn’t Leta end up with Benjamin if she loved him? What changed? (You’ll have to read it to find out!)

There was so much I loved about this book. There’s the whole mystery of finding out what happened all those years ago, seeing the story parallel of the present, in Michaela’s POV and the past, in Leta’s POV. Seeing how everything played out through her eyes. I loved the characters, they weren’t the usual YA characters where they’re whiney and annoying. I genuinely loved Michaela (and Leta, of course.) Leta was such a badass. Living in a time where women were so oppressed, not allowed to work or do anything, and their only job is meant to be raising kids and taking care of houses, Leta refused to stand for it, unlike most of the women of those times who most likely just accepted their life, so she starts poetry under Ben’s name.

The writing was beautiful. It had a lyrical feel to it which truly made you FEEL the story as it played out. It made you feel for the characters and laugh with them when they laugh, cry when they cry, you get my drift. This book makes you never want to put it down. You want to keep reading and I know for a fact I read this book in one sitting oops. I just had to know MORE. Know what happened. Know how things turn out for Michaela. How the things that turned out for Leta actually happened.

This book was the perfect mix between the Contemporary and the Historical. The romance wasn’t overdone or underdone, it was just perfect and it’s a definite recommend. *chef’s kiss*

Words Composed of Sea and Sky is the debut novel of Erica George. It follows two timelines - one in present day and one during the Civil War era - and is beautifully written and easy to follow. The two stories are intersected with each other in ways that are unexpected but flowed so good together.
In present day, Michaela is a teenage girl who is trying to balance school, boys, family drama and figuring out what her dreams are. She is such a relatable teenage girl. She enters a contest to write a poem to honor the towns most famous whale hunter Captain Benjamin Churchill but, not everything is exactly what it seems. As she researches, Captain Benjamin Churchill, she comes across a 1862 diary of a girl named Leta. Leta is in love with Captain Benjamin Churchill but, he is in love with the sea.

The thing that really brings both of these stories together is the beautiful Cape Cod setting. It was described so beautifully in both the past and the present. Although things were different, there was a constant sense of beauty within the cape. he Cape Cod setting, It also provides a good backdrop for each of these female characters to come up age within themselves. I so wished I was there on the cape reading Words Composed of Sea and Sky instead of where I was!

With Words Composed of Sea and Sky author Erica George introduces herself as a strong new voice of young adult stories. Her characters are genuinely relatable and go through experiences where their flaws are noticeable but, growth is also found. And those are my favorite kind of young adult stories. I look forward to seeing what this author comes up with next.

This newly released novel is a story told from two points of view, past and present, about two young women who navigate the responsibilities, obligations, and passions of those around them while attempting to pursue their dreams. Their passion for poetry is tied together through the same man and the aura of wonder surrounding him, and through each teen, we’re able to learn the man behind the stories. The novel is beautifully written and through it all we are emersed in the girls’ poetry.

First off, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the title of the book, it is just so dreamy and perfect (I mean sea and sky are two of my absolute favorites!). This historical romance is a tale of two young poets, separated by centuries but united by the town legend, Benjamin Churchill, a whaler who died over 100 years ago.

In present day small town of Cape Cod, when Michaela Dunn learns that there’s an ongoing competition for writing a heartfelt dedication for the statue unveiling ceremony in honor of Captain Benjamin Churchill and the prize is entry to a poetry workshop, she decides to participate.
During her research, as she struggles to understand the town’s obsession with a man who hunted whales, she stumbles upon a diary of a certain Leta Townsend from the year 1862 and gets a glimpse of the man Benjamin Churchill was.

Leta Townsend lived in Cape Cod during the nineteenth century, at a time when women were less likely to be published. Therefore, she started writing her poems under the disguise of Benjamin Churchill, a boy from her class, rumored to have been died at the sea. That is, until, he comes back alive.

This beautiful tale of romance and love, revolving around art and passion is truly heartwarming. The two parallel timelines, though centuries apart, have been woven together exceptionally well and I loved how interconnected the storylines from past and present felt. Pierce boys from both past (Elijah) and present (Finn) world were my favorites. The setting of Cape Cod is gorgeous and I feel I have developed a secret obsession with lighthouses after reading this book!

While the concept and storyline are simply beautiful and by the end I was craving for more, I felt the whole book was too fast paced for my liking. It lacked dialogues and feelings at various places – like the relationship between Mack and her stepdad could have been explored better. Even the romance between Mack and Finn felt rushed. Overall, I really enjoyed the book.

I read this book as a part of the blog tour organized by Favourite Pages Book Club and was provided with an e-arc for in exchange for an honest review.

In alternating chapters Words Composed of Sea and Sky tells the story of a modern day teen poet and her nineteenth century inspiration. Michaela Dunn hopes to attend Winslow College where her deceased father had been an English professor. She is determined to attend a poetry workshop weekend at the college, but her stepfather balks at the price. When a poetry competition, which awards the winner full tuition to the workshop, is announced, she is sure it is the answer to her prayers. The poem must focus on the town's fabled whaler poet, Captain Benjamin Churchill, and will be engraved on a statue which is being unveiled in the town square. In researching the captain's life, Michaela discovers the journal of Leta Townsend, his would-be lover, which inspires her to write her poem from Leta's point of view. The story moves to Leta and Michaela's alternating voices with each segment being narrated from present-tense first-person points of view. Each woman is balancing her creative aspirations with a love triangle. Leta has been publishing under the name Ben Churchill, a whaler who was presumed dead at sea. When he reappears, complications ensue, especially with Elijah Pearce, her best friend who has proposed. Michaela's situation mirrors Leta's in that she is struggling with her feelings for Caleb, a callous poet who is competing against her in the competition, and Finn Pearce, her school's star baseball pitcher. This two-for-one romance is peppered with poems both women have written, as well as lyrical descriptions of the Cape Cod setting. The dual narratives blend beautifully as the reader roots for the women to succeed with their writing, as well as their love lives.

I absolutely adored this book and cannot talk about it enough!! A sweet and thoughtful YA book where the present and past collide featuring poetry to bridge the gap. Historical fiction isn't normally up my alley, but I just love finding a new book that pleasantly surprises me.

This book was unique as it was told from two POVs during different timelines. Mack was a teenager in present day hoping to enter and win a poetry contest. She has lots of pre-conceived notions about romance and her ideal love interest as well as some very difficult and complicated family drama.

Leta is a young woman in the 1860s writing poetry and discovering her first love.

From a romance perspective, i was find of Mack and Finn's budding romance. There was some teen angst, some drama, and lots of adorableness. As for Leta and her love interest(s), as a reader I was honestly disappointed in the way the story went and how it ended but I also believe that if a story can solicit strong feelings then it did it's job and therefore I was ultimately pleased with it. I thought that Leta and Mack's stories were going to follow the same general path where after they learn enough about their love interest and they prove themselves unworthy that they would make the same choice but that is not what happened which proves that love is unpredictable and there really isn't an easy answer for everyone.

This story easily swept me away the lovely imagery and prose as well as the mystery of who Ben Churchill was.

i honestly hated about the main character, Michaela or Mack, i'm gonna call her Mack though. i hated that she had this whole two ish pages about how she wants to met her dream guy and what she wants him to look like, it borderline made me so uncomfortable. like, i get if you think about your meet cute and stuff like that, but instead it was just kinda creepy.

since, we're talking about characters, i just want to talk about a couple of these characters very quickly. like, for one, mack was honestly such a pain in the ass, like she lived in this fantasy world where everyone needed to kiss the ground she walked on and give her everything that she every wants, she should get. and she was also such a bitch and self centered, and like everyone was supposed to do what she wanted, and if they were uncomfortable or just wanted to leave, mack wouldn't let you cause it's her world.

but, the whole plot about Fin was just so so stupid. for one, it was overused as all hell, cause he's the popular, athletic, hot but also a jerk character. and i mean, i think George really think that we were supposed to fall for him, cause he had this whole dialogue about how he's been in love with her for years, and it honestly was just so stupid.

and also, the author tried to be way to poetic when they weren't talking about poetry. like, just random crap about the car they were in or how much she hated her step dad, they were trying to be way so poetic. and of course, you can be poetic in this book, which is fine if you want to do that, you just need to do it good, were this book did not do it good. and i mean, it is so stupid, but i literally hated it so much. and i honestly only think it was so poetic because of Mack and that she likes writing poetry.

i also didn't like the writing whatsoever. like, it just felt so choppy, in both povs, i just didn't think the writing worked, and i mean, it honestly read like a debut. so, i think that some of the writing could probably be fixed if there was some more editing. but, i feel like there could have been some parts that could be fixed and just be better than it was. and some things in this book were just so questionable, which i've seen like one other person talk about.

It's a brave move to tackle complicated love with dual POVs, different time periods and a whaling subplot, but somehow it works together beautifully to result in a really touching, and well-written story. It's a love letter to the sea, to poetry and Cape Cod, and the physical and emotional connections of the past and the present. I truly enjoyed this unique story. Thank you to the publisher for the eARC.

I really liked that this is a time-slip novel! I believe this is only the second YA time-slip novel I have read, but I hope to find more!

Things I liked:
- The cover and the title are gorgeous!
- The past and present are woven seamlessly together, and I enjoyed reading from both Michaela’s and Leta’s perspectives.
- I liked how both Michaela and Leta had to learn about themselves and what they want in life.
- The poetry in the book was beautifully written!
- The setting was gorgeous and now I want to go to the beach!
Things I didn’t enjoy as much:
- There were several times where Michaela or Leta didn’t treat their friends well.
- I didn’t really care for Leta’s romance, though I did like Michaela’s once things were figured out.

I think I would have liked this book more if I had connected better with Michaela and Leta; I did really like reading about them, but I didn’t like some of the choices they made regarding their friends. I liked the ending for both girls and the book was well-written!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Content:
Strong curse words scattered throughout the book.
One fade to black intimate scene.

4 stars

Reminiscent of The Paper Girls of Paris, Words Composed of Sea and Sky is a beautifully written and atmospheric book about two female poets growing up on Cape Cod 150 years apart.

Dual timelines do not always work well in novels, but Erica George does a wonderful job of giving both the attention they deserve. Leta, whose story is set in 1862, is a delightful Jo March type who struggles with loving a man who is drawn like a siren to the sea while Michaela, whose story is set in the present day, is an incredibly relatable teen who is juggling school, boys, family drama, and her dreams. The Cape Cod setting, which is described marvelously, really ties the two storylines together and provides a wonderful backdrop for them to come of age.

Some of the storylines end up being a bit predictable, but the journey of the characters was so lovingly that it ended up not bothering me as much as it might have. All in all, this is a perfect summer book for readers of all ages and I would encourage you to pick it up before you head out to the beach.

Thank you to NetGalley and Running Press Kids for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Some books have magic in them. A special thing that touches pieces of your soul in a way you can't describe. This is one of them.

I felt so many emotions while reading this book and I loved every single minute of it. With a story that weaves two very different time periods together, George truly brought to life some of the most endearing characters I've ever read. I was so completely invested in both the present and the 1862 storyline that I had difficulty putting the book down for any amount of time. And the paralleled storylines are weaved so effortlessly together that I never felt frustrated or sad when we switched time periods to spend some time with the various characters of the book. I adored the way the storylines gave hints to each other, allowing the reader to slowly come to the right conclusions about the mystery surrounding the book while painting a plot that kept the reader engaged. It had the perfect balance.

The characters were so relatable in so many ways. From Michaela's struggle with her stepfather to Leta's rejection of doing exactly what was expected of her by her parents to Elijah's longing and Benjamin's need to listen to his heart. There is something that every reader can find in the characters that speaks to them. The romances in the book were so, so sweet, and I loved the bittersweet twist to some of them. I have to admit I cried a few times while reading this.

Lastly, I adored George's writing style and voice. With a book centered around characters who love poetry, her lyrical prose was the perfect finishing touch to the pages. I also loved the poems that were placed throughout the book. They never read cheesy and brought an even more endearing level to the storyline for me. Also, as someone who has never even been near Cape Cod, I really felt like I was there while reading. The writing was just so immersive and I truly got lost in it so many times.

As a fan of both contemporary and historical fiction, this book really hit such a sweet spot for me. And even though I teared up so many times while reading, I loved this book with every single part of my being. It was such an enchanting read and I'm definitely marking George down as a writer to anticipate future novels from. I truly feel privileged to have gotten to read an ARC of this book and get to experience the magic sooner. Thank you so much to Running Press Kids!

This book was "read now", so I thought I'd give the seaside romance a read. Two romances, I thought they'd be good. But the present story felt kind of meh and boring. I didn't even get to the second romance in the book before I decided to pass on this book. The pacing felt slow.

** Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an arc of the book in exchange of an honest review **

This is partly contemporary fiction, partly historical fiction. The book follows two teenage girls, Mack (Michaela) from present day and Leta from 1862. Both girls write poetry and both girls have a fascination with whale hunter Captain Benjamin Churchill. This book gave me goosebumps, it made me feel, feel strong feelings. It was a piece of art, beautiful, touching and inspiring. To spend a summer writing poetry and unfolding the past, the past of a town, of a legacy, of a person.

Mack wants desperately to attend Winslow College, and one way in is a 5 day long workshop. But it costs money, and her stepdad doesn’t want that. And her mother doesn’t really stand up for her daughter. One way to go is winning a poetry competition that the college is holding. The winner gets to go to the workshop, and get their poem published on a statue of Captain Churchill.

Leta wants to be a published poet. But she is a young woman in 1860s, and she is afraid that is going to stop her from being published. Instead, she chooses to use Captain Churchill’s name when contacting a publisher. Everyone thinks Churchill has died at sea, and she feels safe using her old childhood friends name. But then he comes back, alive.

This book is beautifully written and filled with different poems. The two girls, despite living more than 100 years apart, live similar lives. Apart from both writing poems, the two also have two boys that want them. Where one of Mack’s “boys” is descendent to one of Leta’s “boys”. The story also weave the two narratives well. Some questions Mack asks herself, Leta knows the answer to. In other cases, Mack is misinformed due to Leta’s use of Churchill’s name.