Sea by Heidi R. Kling - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists

Dec 02, 2009 Heidi rated it 5 of 5 stars · (Review from the author)

What I Learned From This Book

1. A book takes a long time to write.

2. Most of writing is revising.

3. I'm grateful and happy I have a book coming out.

4. I hope people like it.

My rating system: A star for each year I worked on SEA: 2005-2010. =)

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Jun 27, 2010 Nic rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, young-adult, romance-awww, realistic-fiction

"I wanted to tell him that you can meet someone and they can change your life forever, even if you have only known him for a short while, that when you leave, you're a different person than before you meet him....."

This is the story of Sienna who's mother disappeared in a plane crash overseas when doing relief work 3 years ago. Sienna is still greiving the loss of her mother and is haunted by nightmares. For her 15th birthday her Dad gives her a plane ticket to go to Indonesia to do relief work...more

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May 19, 2010 April rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: highly-recommended, ya, romance, for-review, own

Imagine, if you will, a book that will melt your heart simultaneously reminding you of a 1940s black and white film, despite it being set in the present. Are you picturing? Picture an exotic location, such as say, Indonesian. Now, add in a large smattering of romance and you have Sea by Heidi R. Kling.
Read the rest of my review here

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Feb 04, 2010 Erica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Heidi R Kling has written a breath-taking debut with Sea! Readers are plunged head first into a heartbreaking story of loss, hope, and new experiences. Sea is a book that speaks to everyone, but everyone can take something a little different away.

Sea is a touching story that helps a person connect with themselves. It is a book to make you think, and think deep. You look at the situation these characters are in, and it makes you look at the world around you in an entirely different way.

The chara...more Heidi R Kling has written a breath-taking debut with Sea! Readers are plunged head first into a heartbreaking story of loss, hope, and new experiences. Sea is a book that speaks to everyone, but everyone can take something a little different away.

Sea is a touching story that helps a person connect with themselves. It is a book to make you think, and think deep. You look at the situation these characters are in, and it makes you look at the world around you in an entirely different way.

The characters were wonderfully written. I fell in love with Elli - I wanted to pull her off the page and just give her a hug. She was a little ball of sunshine even after all the horrors she had been through. Sienna was a wonderful main character. She was compassionate, and had drive - she had experienced horrors in her past and wanted to help others work through their horrors. She fit no cliches and was her own person. One of my favorite things about Sea was there were so many characters you may have only heard from once or twice, and they stuck with you throughout the entire book. And with all the characters, it almost seemed like you could hear their voices in your head.

When I first read this description of Sea and heard there was this relationship between Deni and Sienna I was excited. As I read, I found out Sienna would be in Indonesia only 2 weeks, and for a moment I remember thinking, "Oh no! Will that connection be real? I mean, can something that awesome believably build in that short of a time?" I was worried for a minute that that connection they had would fall flat, and not live up to my expectations, but Heidi R Kling left no room for doubts or anything with the strong connection Sea and Deni had. It was so intense and beautiful, you were simply drawn to it. Their relationship was so involved, and blew you away.

As you read, you get this feel of Indonesian culture. You saw the characters' struggles, and that presence of culture just intensified the reality of them. I also loved the setting - it was unique. I had never read a story in this setting, and everything was new. That made Sea a hundred times better, as you didn't just feel like you were along side the main character discovering this new world to them. In Sea you literally were along side Sienna discovering Indonesia and its culture.

When you are reading Sea, you would by no means guess that it is a debut novel. The story leaps off the page and speaks to you. It's a journey of the heart and emotions. Once I started reading, I had troubles putting it down. Sea is a book for all types of people, it is one you don't want to miss.(less)

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Nov 29, 2010 Kristy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: on-the-road-again

"The seaweed is always greener in sombody else's lake, you dream about going up there but that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you, right here on the ocean floor. Under the sea......."

And, here we have yet another book that 100% shocked me...
I thought this was going to be either:
a: a retelling of 'The little mermaid'
b: a cheesy love story envolving the ocean
c: or a combo of both

But, this was not even remotely any of those. This book was not really even about the ocean.
Sienna, a f...more

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Jul 08, 2010 Nicole added it

The story begins with Sienna’s birthday when she receives a plane ticket as a gift from her father to Indonesia, but Sienna has a fear of flying and the water since her mother’s airplane disappeared over the Indian Ocean three years ago. Despite her fears, Sienna sets out to spend two weeks at an Indian orphanage with her father to help children dealing with PTSD from surviving the 2004 tsunami. While at the orphanage, Sienna immediately connects with the mysterious Deni, an orphan who believes...more

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Jun 11, 2010 Jenni rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, read-in-2010

Sea was a fascinating little adventure/romance that I very much enjoyed. I applaud Heidi for writing it, and wanting to give the Young Adult world a different taste of literature, as its definitely unique. It was not my typical genre that I read, so for me to like it as much as I did was quite brilliant. I’m not much into reading adventure and journey’s or that kind of thing but this book still kept me going. Most of the fun in the book took place in the beginning in preparation and the first en...more Sea was a fascinating little adventure/romance that I very much enjoyed. I applaud Heidi for writing it, and wanting to give the Young Adult world a different taste of literature, as its definitely unique. It was not my typical genre that I read, so for me to like it as much as I did was quite brilliant. I’m not much into reading adventure and journey’s or that kind of thing but this book still kept me going. Most of the fun in the book took place in the beginning in preparation and the first encounter of Sea’s journey to Indonesia. I laughed so much at everything that happened. Heidi did an awesome job telling this story of Sea’s experience in Indonesia, and it was inspired by Heidi’s husband’s real life experience, and I feel that it was something that, to her, was a very important realistic story to be told. Heidi wrote this book in a breezy little way from the perspective of a fifteen year old girl and her first experience and journey overseas to help and aid people affected by the real and tragic tsunami event that did occur and that's where the fun ends actually, but yes to hold the interest of romantic souls like me, she added young love drama as well. Heidi tugs at those emotional strings as well, probably more so for everyone else because Im not a huge crier in books. But in this book, there's one line that as a huge romantic, just tore me to pieces and it was something like"You have to forget about me." There was something about that one self-sacrificing quote that I couldn't bare.

I freaking loved Heidi’s main character, Sienna (Sea). My favorite part of the entire book is the relationship between Vera and Sea, who views Vera as stepping in on her dad. Sea doesn't like this and she feels that Vera's taking over her moms turf more or less, and their relationship was just so dang fun and enjoyable to read about in the book. Technically, I'm pretty sure there was a whole other story that could have been told there (perhaps in a companion novel, hint hint Heidi.) I liked Sienna so much because I was totally in sync with the girl's mind, in her thoughts and humor. I didn't care for Deni so much, but mainly because I struggled and didn't quite buy into the whole love at first sight thing with the Sea-Deni relationship, so I just wasn't a Deni fan, plus I was rooting for Spider all the way..lol.

Heidi’s writing was very up front in your face kind of thing. She seemed to have a lot of story to tell, so she kept her writing short and sweet and to the point. She was still sophicated and elegant but she didn’t adventure or stray into any complex writing, which with this kind of novel was probably the best thing. As that might have pushed the novel into a text booky boring kind of thing, so overall, the fun way Heidi told the story was perfect for what she was having to tell.
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Jun 09, 2010 D.J. added it

First of all, the writing is simply excellent. Ms. Kling certainly has a talent for creating amazing characters and for fleshing out a story to make it real and alive. Of course, my favorite characters are Sea and Deni, who make a great couple, despite their differences. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing how Sea grew as a person thanks to Deni and the events surrounding the tsunami. She overcame her fears and in the end, was a totally different person than in the beginning. Sea is a wonderful narrator...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Mandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-books

This books comes to me where many things in my life have changed. I LOVE to read and was afraid I wasn’t going to be able to dig into a book like I did before ~ ever again!

So knowing where I'm at in life, this book is about letting go of your past and moving forward. But first you must face your past weather you like it or not!

The PAST~Feeling it, breathing it, really understanding it!

But for Sea to find out she’s not alone or even the worse off. To have someone that understands what’s it’s l...more

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Jun 12, 2010 Carla rated it 4 of 5 stars

Every once in a while a book comes along that makes you want to slide into its pages and loose yourself in its words. Sea is one of those books, one of those books that is something more. I think it must be hard to write about something that has affected and destroyed many peoples lives, and to make sure the schockwaves and the after affects of the tsumani are given the rightful attention and justice they deserve. Heidi has written this story simply and beautifully, not scared to hit on topics t...more Every once in a while a book comes along that makes you want to slide into its pages and loose yourself in its words. Sea is one of those books, one of those books that is something more. I think it must be hard to write about something that has affected and destroyed many peoples lives, and to make sure the schockwaves and the after affects of the tsumani are given the rightful attention and justice they deserve. Heidi has written this story simply and beautifully, not scared to hit on topics that are heart wrenching, to not overlook the devastation this disaster caused.

Set in Indonesia, which is almost as much of a character in the book as the characters themselves, we get to see and almost taste what life is like in this beautiful country. From the scenes of complete destruction, to the richly vibrant, each one filled with this amazing culture. It sucks you in with its descriptions of the people of Indonesia, the clothes, the food, their culture, everything is laid out for you on the pages. It's like you could close your eyes and you would be there, sitting on a beach looking out at the sea, the air hot and sticky around you, or your there on the market, the vibrant colours and smells attacking your senses. This was my favourite part, because it made me feel like I was there, like Indonesia was just hiding behind my eyelids, waiting for me.

Sienna aka Sea was such a interesting character, and is one of the reasons why I love first person perspective so much. I love getting to feel and experience a characters journey with them, I love getting in their heads, seeing everything from their point of view, because it makes me feel like I know them. I connected to Sea extremely easy, she is broken in a way that can never really be fixed. I really empathised with her, I wanted to jump in the book and go on an adverture with her to see if we could find her mother, not wanting like her, to beleive her mom was truly gone. Thats what good writing is like, it makes me want to help the characters, to be their shoulder to cry on, to be their wall of strength through the hard times and to be the person to jump around and squeal with when something amazing happens.

The secondary characters were full of life, they never faded into the background. From Deni, and his haunted eyes, soft skin and full lips. To Spider, with his sufer boy rockin bod and sun streaked hair. To the children at the orphanage where Sea spends her time, who were scared and alone. Especially the children, because what they were going through really rings true, and that makes me more than a little sad. I loved them all.

Heidi has written this intricate and beautiful story with an amazing amount of pride and love for those people who shared their time and skills with the families who were affected by the tsumani. You can tell from the descriptions of the shattered beach, to the emotions and beahviour of those people who were left with nothing, that this was probably hard for her to write and had been researched and plotted perfectly. The emotion is there in the pages. I am in awe of how someone can write something so beautiful and sad all at once. This is a story about faith and believing that sharing yourself and your time is more important than anything money can buy. That daring to love is one of the hardest things a person can do, and that hope is something to be cherished.(less)

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Jun 12, 2010 nancy (The Ravenous Reader) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, wish-list, 2010-release, arc, own, signed, to-review

Upon finishing SEA by Heidi R. Kling, I was filled with an overwhelming sense of hope, love and heartache.

Heidi has written a wonderful summer read that not only has a special romance set in an exotic locale, but showcases how hope can fuel the human spirit and how love can change the path in which we take our lives.

SEA is a story about Sienna Jones, a girl that was once daring and fearless with life until her mother disappears in a plan accident while on a mission overseas. Now Sienna is withd...more

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Apr 19, 2010 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc, books-i-own, read-in-2010, signed-books

Heidi has woven such an amazing, captivating, love story with this book. It's a must read. I'll admit to getting teary-eyed more than once.

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Oct 07, 2010 Loni Flowers rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’d have to say that if it weren’t for the few people I follow on twitter who are big book bloggers, I would have never heard of Sea by Heidi R Kling. Maybe because Heidi is from the West Coast and I live on the East. Either way, I’m so pleased I took a chance with this book! This novel was extremely easy to get sucked into and I kept telling myself, “one more chapter and then I’m going to bed..promise!” Well 2 am later and I’m forcing myself to go to bed so I can get up in the morning for work!...more

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Aug 18, 2010 Jackie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorite-books, my-rak-wishlist

I have heard so much about Sea from fellow book bloggers and it was highly recommended to me numerous times. My library finally got it, and I devoured it. Sea is not your ordinary young adult tale. Of course it does have the normal stuff like having friends and family and crushes and all that. But there are so many more layers in this story.
Sienna is dealing with her mother's death, something that I can only imagine to be unbearable and extremely difficult. Sienna, although having the fear of f...more I have heard so much about Sea from fellow book bloggers and it was highly recommended to me numerous times. My library finally got it, and I devoured it. Sea is not your ordinary young adult tale. Of course it does have the normal stuff like having friends and family and crushes and all that. But there are so many more layers in this story.
Sienna is dealing with her mother's death, something that I can only imagine to be unbearable and extremely difficult. Sienna, although having the fear of flying and the ocean, agrees to go with her dad to Indonesia to help orphans from the disastrous Tsunami. The orphans in this story also held a special spot in my heart. I haven't read a book about orphans since Molly Moon, but that was more of a silly childhood read. This one was also so tragic because of the condition of the place they were living and their lifestyle. It made me realize how much I take for granted.
Now let's talk about the romance. I loved it. It was a sweet innocent love. And in Deni's country it is not proper to show much public affection unless you are getting married. He would still hold her hand though and I loved how they would talk together as they had some similar problems.
Sienna is a brave girl and she is a character that I liked very much. She was caring for the orphans, especially little Elli. She was always so relatable to the orphans and would really help them through therapy and acted as a big sister.
Favorite character: Of course, Sienna. There needs to be more characters like her in literature.
Crush: I know I should say Deni, because of course he was the crush and love of the story, but I liked Spider and the way he would remember things when they were young and he was always there for her.

Sea is an excellent read, one of the best of the summer. If you haven't read it yet I suggest you head down to your bookstore and get it. I give it an A for being such a spectacular, fresh read that brings you so much into it that you are at the orphanage or on the ocean shore with the orange-popsicle haze. Heidi R. Kling did a fabulous job writing this, really engaging with the reader. And this is a debut! I look forward to her future work!

I recommend Sea for ages 12 and up. It was a clean book and although a romance, the most they do is kiss. The language is very mild. There is mention of natural disasters if that scares anyone, but overall very clean read.
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Jun 10, 2010 Kelsey rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, signed

What can i say about the amazing debut that is Sea by Heidi R. Kling? It was well written, interesting, with fantastic characters, and a unique premise. The setting and plot was so original and it really opened my eyes to the struggles countries like Indonesia face after natural disasters. I've always wanted to do relief work, and Sea proved just how big a difference these volunteers and doctors make for the victims. The characters in Sea were believable and extremely well developed, even the mi...more What can i say about the amazing debut that is Sea by Heidi R. Kling? It was well written, interesting, with fantastic characters, and a unique premise. The setting and plot was so original and it really opened my eyes to the struggles countries like Indonesia face after natural disasters. I've always wanted to do relief work, and Sea proved just how big a difference these volunteers and doctors make for the victims. The characters in Sea were believable and extremely well developed, even the minor characters. The descriptions were vivid and I could picture everything that Sienna saw- even the awful things that made you want to turn your head.

Sienna was a brave and inspiring character. She's been through a lot herself, so could better connect with the orphans of the tsunami. Her mother had been killed when Sienna was twelve and Sea was still dealing with it when she arrived in Indonesia. Luckily, the orphans opened Sea's eyes to how important it was to move on and come to terms with her mother's death. Sienna was a character that I could really understand, her pain was very real and I loved being able to see how her character changed through the course of the novel.

The love interests were awesome- I loved them both! Faithful Spider back at home stuck with Sienna through her pain and suffering and really understood her more than anyone. He was sweet and a surfer at that! On the other hand, I also loved Deni. He was kind, understanding, and could relate to Sienna more than anyone. The trauma and pain he had witnessed was awful, and to believe he was able to stay strong and rebuild his life afterwards? This made him all the more admirable and impressive. His relationship with Sienna developed quickly and intimately, but was very believable. Both characters needed someone to support and understand them, someone they could fall back on, yet could distract them from reality. Deni and Sienna had a great connection, and I cried at the end even though it was meant to be.

Back to the setting- what an original and eye opening setting. The timing (after a huge tsunami) and setting (an orphanage and village in Indonesia) was perfect. It made Sea an even more emotional and fantastic read. I practically cried hearing the survivors stories and those of the brave children living in the orphanage. Team Hope, the team compromised of Sienna, her father, and two others, really made a difference for these orphans and it was very inspiring to read about. Reading about the Indonesian customs so different from ours was intriguing and interesting overall.

All the characters were really well done and likable, even though that only were featured for a scene. The reader will feel a real connection with Sea after they're done reading and will want to read certain pages over again.

Heidi R. Kling is a beautiful and inspiring writer, and Sea will effect the lives of all it's readers. I know I've said this in quite a few reviews, but I definitely recommend picking up a copy of Sea today. It will effect you in a way no other book ever has.

Overall: 5 out of 5 stars
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Jun 09, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs-i-own, books-i-own, debut-author-challenge, mundie-moms-review

It's hard to believe that Sea is Heidi Kling's debut book. Sea is a richly written story that will capture the readers attention and pull them right into the wonderful world Heidi has created. It's both real and captivating. Woven with a beautiful, sweet summer love story, Sea is one read I highly recommend.

Fifteen year old Sienna Jones is still grieving over the death of her mother, when her father, a psychiatric Doctor surprises her for her birthday with a trip to go with his Team Hope back to...more It's hard to believe that Sea is Heidi Kling's debut book. Sea is a richly written story that will capture the readers attention and pull them right into the wonderful world Heidi has created. It's both real and captivating. Woven with a beautiful, sweet summer love story, Sea is one read I highly recommend.

Fifteen year old Sienna Jones is still grieving over the death of her mother, when her father, a psychiatric Doctor surprises her for her birthday with a trip to go with his Team Hope back to Indonesia. Sienna's parents started Team Hope, to help bring relief to the orphans who are still grieving and coping from the traumatic tsunami that devastated Indonesia. In reluctantly going to Indonesia for two weeks, what Sienna doesn't expect to do is fall in love with the little girls she's there to help, discover the truth in her mother's death, and find love in an intense 17 year old Indonesian boy, named Deni.

Set in both Angel Miguel, CA and in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sea's rich setting is both breathtaking and hauntingly beautiful. Heidi's vivid description of Indonesia made me feel like I was there with Sienna seeing Indonesia for the first time. From the way Sienna describes what she sees when they land, to the orphanage they are there to help out, to seeing the sites with Deni, everything about Indonesia's descriptions were beautiful, and delicately written. What I enjoyed most, is the relationships that Sienna made while there.

The characters and their relationships are real and their emotions so strong and engaging that my heart ached for them. Sienna and her father's relationship is a real father and daughter relationship. Their trip brings them closer together and brings some closure from the death of his wife and Sienna's mother. Like Sienna, I fell in love with the little girls at the orphanage as she formed a lasting bond with them. There to help them cope with their post traumatic stress disorder, Sienna finds they helped her, more than she has helped them. As Sienna was moved by their stories from when the waves hit, I found myself feeling the same ways she was.

The romance is beautiful and pulled at my heart strings as Sienna has to choose between the boy she's grown up with and the one she's grown to love and wants to help in Indonesia. The relationship Sienna has with her best friend back home is Ca, Spider, and the immediate connection she has with Deni, left me breathless. How do you choose when both are equally wonderful? Spider knows everything about Sea, and Deni has lost everything, but finds hope with Sienna. When Sienna decides to help Deni look for his father, who has been missing since the waves, she learns that love is also about letting go.

Sea truly had it all. Strong emotions, vivid descriptions, characters who I completely fell in love, and relationships that I want to see more of. The story is moving, and brilliant. I am looking forward to reading more about Sienna, Deni and Spider. Brilliantly written, moving and a captivating love story mixed in, this is a must read! (less)

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Jul 16, 2010 Sarah BT rated it 5 of 5 stars

Love, Love, Love it! I love books with romance, but sometimes the romance genre feels oversaturated with paranormal or new girl falls for hot guy who finally notices her storylines. Sea stands out among these romances and is a breath of fresh air. In Sea, you'll find a wonderfully lovely story about a normal girl-and this girl actually travels the world and helps people! Sure, she's reluctant to at first, but what I loved about Sienna is that she goes for it-she joins Team Hope and travels to In...more Love, Love, Love it! I love books with romance, but sometimes the romance genre feels oversaturated with paranormal or new girl falls for hot guy who finally notices her storylines. Sea stands out among these romances and is a breath of fresh air. In Sea, you'll find a wonderfully lovely story about a normal girl-and this girl actually travels the world and helps people! Sure, she's reluctant to at first, but what I loved about Sienna is that she goes for it-she joins Team Hope and travels to Indonesia and steps out of her comfort zone. She made me want to jump on a plane and find a Team Hope of my own.

What really made Sea stand out for me though was that the unique storyline could have gotten very preachy about helping others, joining service projects and doing good. But it never does-this is more Sienna and Deni's story about finding and helping each other-and it just happens to be in a more exotic setting with a unique premise. This is much more than a contemporary love story-it's a story about two people thrown into hard situations and making it through and the healing that can come after tragedy. Even if you typcially shy away from books with romance, give this one a try-I think you'll be surprised!

I do wish we could have gotten more information on the orphange and Deni's concerns about the owner, but I do that stayed true to the fact that Team Hope was only there for two weeks-they couldn't change everything. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I have to say that I loved the ending-it was just right and I really loved how everything came full circle. Sometimes when an author tries to pull of an ending like the one in Sea, I want to throw the book across the room because it just doesn't work. But Ms. Kling makes it work and it left me happy and there was no book throwing-she pulled it off perfectly!

I stayed up late reading Sea because it was a book I couldn't put down. It starts out innocently enough and I thought "I'll just read one chapter"-but this one pulled me in and once I started reading, I couldn't stop. Sea ranks at the top of my debut book list for 2010 and should be added to everyone's must read list.
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Apr 01, 2012 Gabie (OwlEyesReviews) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, made-me-cry, read-in-a-day, read-in-2012, i-own, cover-lust, to-reread, i-own-hardcover, summertime-read

Oh my goodness... oh my goodness... oh my goodness...
I'm still in awe. This is the first book EVER that I have finished in a day and it was totally worth it. I loved it soooo very much. I cried and I laughed and I fell in love. It was completely amazing. I don't even know what to say because I loved it so much. I'm left wondering how a person can thing about these kind of stories. It was amazing, amazing, amazing. I have to thank Ms.Kling, because this book was an honor to read.

To Read more, ple...more

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Sep 06, 2010 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Sea was extremely well-written and when I read it, I felt as though I was in Indonesia experiencing everything. It was surreal. (: Sea had both light and dark elements and I love how Kling tackled both expertly and balanced them out. The story was a very realistic portrayal of the two teenagers finding each other and facing their grief and loss together and at the same time, discovering love.

Sea broke my heart and placed it back together again. I loved, loved, loved this book and was s...more

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Jan 03, 2012 Melissa rated it 3 of 5 stars

I think I expected too much of this novel. I actually thought the beginning was much more compelling that the middle portion of the story. It takes place after the tsunami in Indonesia in 2004, so it illustrates a very devastating image of what the aftermath looked like. The biggest problem I had with the whole story (and it may seem insignificant to some) was when the author mentioned the fact that when the people in the orphanage have to go to the washroom, they would use their left hand as to...more

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Jun 12, 2012 Liviania rated it 4 of 5 stars

Oddly enough, I read SEA the first time while snow was on the ground. This is odd for two reasons: it doesn't snow often in my part of Texas and SEA is a very summery book. Sienna "Sea" Jones is a former surfer still dealing with the death of her mother, who disappeared in a probably airplane crash. Her best friend Spider may want to be more than friends and her dad wants her to fly halfway around the world to help him with therapy for orphans in post-tsunami Indonesia. She doesn't want to go to...more Oddly enough, I read SEA the first time while snow was on the ground. This is odd for two reasons: it doesn't snow often in my part of Texas and SEA is a very summery book. Sienna "Sea" Jones is a former surfer still dealing with the death of her mother, who disappeared in a probably airplane crash. Her best friend Spider may want to be more than friends and her dad wants her to fly halfway around the world to help him with therapy for orphans in post-tsunami Indonesia. She doesn't want to go to Indonesia and she certainly doesn't want to fly to get there.

Her opinion doesn't change immediately, but she begins to connect to the children, particularly troublemaker and leader Desi. Soon the two are sneaking around together. The real stength of SEA is Heidi R. Kling's descriptive prowess. As I mentioned in my interview, she writes compellingly both about Sea's father's work and the country itself. Our interest in disasters tends to end when the news stops covering them. Right now our concern is with the BP oil leak. A few months ago it was Haiti. The portrait of a country recovering is different and compelling.

SEA could be maudlin, trite, or treacly. There are no tragedy Olympics - Sea's issues with her mother's death are treated with respect as are the problems of the Indonesian children. Dealing with the PTSD is what's important. Nor are the Indonesians a faceless mass. Desi, despite the cultural differences, is still a teenager. Sea grows especially close to the girls she lives with. Focusing on relationships instead of issues was a good move on Kling's part.

Of course, so much weight is given to the burgeoning romance of Sea and Desi that some readers might be happy with the ending. I think I did like it. At first I felt like it came out of left field, but I believe Kling made it work. I still think it came half out of left field, but it feels emotionally satisfying. In a story where emotions are as important as they are in SEA, that's important.

SEA isn't a light-hearted summer romance. But it is a summer romance. It's immersive and captivating. I would've liked to have seen more of Sea's life in California in order to better understand the transformations she undergoes during her time in Indonesia, but at the same time feel like if Kling did so she might've messed up something that works. SEA feels whole, despite being such a small snippet of Sea and Desi's lives. (less)

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Aug 17, 2011 nymfaux rated it 4 of 5 stars

from my blog: (\__/)nymfaux

It was so not what I expected…and so much more!!!!

I kind of didn’t know what to expect. I’d never heard of it before, and then all of a sudden I was hearing about it EVERYWHERE!!!! And that’s the kind of thing that always makes me intrigued…

I was a little hesitant about Sea, because the first time I heard it was, like, 10 seconds after I’d read Tera Lynn Childs’ Forgive My Fins. And when I heard the title, Sea, I thought to myself, another mermaid book? Until this summ...more from my blog: (\__/)nymfaux

It was so not what I expected…and so much more!!!!

I kind of didn’t know what to expect. I’d never heard of it before, and then all of a sudden I was hearing about it EVERYWHERE!!!! And that’s the kind of thing that always makes me intrigued…

I was a little hesitant about Sea, because the first time I heard it was, like, 10 seconds after I’d read Tera Lynn Childs’ Forgive My Fins. And when I heard the title, Sea, I thought to myself, another mermaid book? Until this summer, mermaids were pretty few and far between. As a long time fan of Tera’s, I already had my favorite picked out in my head, which was only confirmed after I read Forgive My Fins.

But suddenly Sea was all over twitter and every blog I was reading, and I was starting to think that it wasn’t about mermaids after all. I still wasn’t exactly sure what it was about, but I was totally curious by now, and then I happened to win a contest…So thanks to Courtney, from Courtney Reads, I became the proud new owner of Sea…which Courtney assured me was absolutely fabulous.

And she was more than right!!!! Sea is Heidi R. Kling’s debut novel, and she totally blew me out of the water!!!!!! (sorry, it was too true not to say it!)

Sienna’s life was kind of perfect, until a tropical storm took out her mom’s plane. When she lost her mom, Sienna lost herself. Three years later, Sienna doesn’t know what to trust anymore, and she doesn’t know how to put the pieces of her life back together. Sienna’s father thinks returning to his overseas work, and bringing Sienna with him, will help them deal with their grief, and help their family start to heal. Sienna is afraid that going back to the place her mother died, will only reopen a wound that will never close. But Sienna doesn’t really have a choice.

When they arrive in Indonesia, Sienna soon discovers, she’s not the only one hurting and suffering. She’s not the only one that Mother Nature has wronged. And by putting aside her own helplessness, and trying to help other victims of the storm, other survivors—Sienna’s own wounds slowly start to heal.

Sienna’s journey is amazing and epic. The characters are so vivid, and the landscape feels so real, I could hardly believe I wasn’t reading someone’s diary, or looking through a scrapbook. Honestly, I had to double-check that there weren’t any actual pictures in the book, and I still feel as if I spent a night looking at snapshots from someone’s vacation.

Sea was a surprise and a delight, and definitely did not disappoint!!!! I can’t wait to see what Ms. Kling comes out with next!!!!(less)

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Jul 11, 2011 Nina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, realistic, beautiful-covers

Sooo Sienna is still having nightmares from when her mother died three years ago. It makes her afraid of the Sea and flying. But when her father surprises her with a ticket to Indonesia to help out with an orphanage looking after children from the tsunami, she isn't so sure until she realises she could be helping others even though she can't quite yet help herself.

In Indonesia though she meets a boy named Deni who has his own sufferings. Can she help him?

So hesitation...hesitation...hesitation....more

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Jul 03, 2011 Violet Crush rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

Sea is about a 15-year-old girl Sienna who lives with her father and grandmother in U.S.A. She lost her mother in a plane crash a few years back. She has serious emotional issues which were the result of her mother’s death. Then she accompanies her father to Indonesia to work with the Tsunami orphans, she is instantly attracted to an Orphan boy Deni who is playing the drums for their welcome ceremony. I found the instant attraction weird. There is nothing that really makes him stand out other th...more Sea is about a 15-year-old girl Sienna who lives with her father and grandmother in U.S.A. She lost her mother in a plane crash a few years back. She has serious emotional issues which were the result of her mother’s death. Then she accompanies her father to Indonesia to work with the Tsunami orphans, she is instantly attracted to an Orphan boy Deni who is playing the drums for their welcome ceremony. I found the instant attraction weird. There is nothing that really makes him stand out other than his strong muscles under his tight shirt. I do understand his appeal later on since he seems to be the leader of the other boys and keeps passing deep, dark looks to Sienna. She’s a teenager after all, she’s bound to fall for that.

Anyway, as Sienna gets to know more about the orphan kids and the things they lost, her own sorrow seems very small to her. She works on her father’s team with the kids suffering from Post Traumatic stress disorder. This is the really sad part of the story-reading about children having to watch their entire families swept away. It’s heart breaking.

As a novel, what worked for me in Sea was the setting. I don’t think there are many YA novels that are set internationally. It feels like the author has actually been to Indonesia in the way she describes the landscape, the people and the customs. What didn’t work for me was believing that a boy from a village could speak English so fluently. We have been to Indonesia twice and we’ve had a really tough time communicating with the locals since very few know how to speak English.

If I decide to overlook that I still have a couple of things I didn’t like. Sienna-I didn’t like her and I didn’t understand her. She was stupid and irresponsible and there are only so many things you can excuse for being a teenager. If I was her father I would have grounded her for life. Another thing I didn’t like was the ending. It kind of negated the entire romance between Sienna and Deni for me. I can’t really tell you why without spoiling the end..

But, Sea has its appeal. Even though I didn’t love it, I know there are readers who might love this book.(less)

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Jun 09, 2011 Keri Payton rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, romance

Sienna Jones has feared flying and the ocean ever since her mother's plane went down three years ago. On her fifteenth birthday, her father invites her to join him to help orphans in Indonesia, six months after the tsunami.

Her desire to help trumps her reluctancy and at the orphanage she meets Deni, a boy who fled the tsunami but still holds hope for finding his father. Together they connect over what they've lost and what they have to live for.

Sea was a novel I had known about for a while but h...more

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Feb 15, 2011 Novel Novice rated it 5 of 5 stars

Sea by Heidi R. Kling is one of those books that sweeps you up and carries you away to another world when you’re not even paying attention. It’s not until much later — when you’ve practically finished the novel — that you realize how it has captured your attention.

Sea tells the story of 15-year-old Sienna, who travels with her father to work at an orphanage in Indonesia six months after the deadly 2004 tsunami. Sienna’s travels are only made more difficult by the nightmares of her mother’s death...more Sea by Heidi R. Kling is one of those books that sweeps you up and carries you away to another world when you’re not even paying attention. It’s not until much later — when you’ve practically finished the novel — that you realize how it has captured your attention.

Sea tells the story of 15-year-old Sienna, who travels with her father to work at an orphanage in Indonesia six months after the deadly 2004 tsunami. Sienna’s travels are only made more difficult by the nightmares of her mother’s death three years earlier from a plane crash over the Indian Ocean. During her journey, Sienna meets Deni — a survivor of the tsunami. Despite only knowing each other for a very short time, Sienna & Deni quickly bond — so much so, that Sienna is willing to run away with Deni when he gets word that his father may have actually survived.

Sea is one of those books that’s hard to describe. Sure, I can tell you what’ its “about” … but it’s difficult to explain what is at the heart of Sienna’s journey. What it means when you read it. How it sort of reshapes your insides and makes you feel different after finishing the last page. Reading Sea is an experience — and like all experiences, it will affect each reader differently, in unique and compelling ways.

I confess, I was a bit wary beginning Sea. Yes, I had heard wonderful things about this book — and Heidi had already been a delight chatting with via e-mail & Twitter — but I was worried it would turn preachy. I didn’t want a lecture on why post-disaster aid was so important. Yes, I get it — but working in TV news, I’ve experienced an over-exposure of global disasters and the various relief efforts. It’s exhausting. And didn’t want my reading experience to turn into more of what I’d already dealt with at work.

It turns out, I had no reason to fear.

Instead, Sea offers simply a realistic glimpse at life in Indonesia six months after the disaster. It shows us what people dealt with on a daily basis, and how they fought to cope & move on. And the reason Sea can share this with readers without feeling preachy is that it is rooted in the perspective of a 15-year-old California girl. She’s someone the reader can relate to — we can cringe along with her when she learns people use their hands to “wipe” after going to the bathroom, and when she discovers the bucket of mucky water meant for bathing. Through Kling’s writing, we can feel the heat and humidity pressing down on us. And yet, we can still follow Sienna on her journey — as she discovers what kind of person she wants to be, and sets out to be that person, no matter what.(less)

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Dec 11, 2010 Ari Noth rated it 5 of 5 stars

First off I would just like to warn all of you, that Heidi is an evil genius, and for some reason she WANTS TO MAKE US CRY! I will not tell you when or how I will just tell you that seems to be her GOAL! Okay now onto the flattering OH MY GODS! Loved this book. Just like I knew I would :) Granted it took me *thinks* 2 months to get past the first painful ten pages (sorry Heidi!) but after that I loooved it. I think its just because Im not the worlds biggest fan of Spider. Spider is one of those...more

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Dec 01, 2010 Mundie Moms & Mundie Kids rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, 2010-debut-author, books-i-own, arcs-i-own

It's hard to believe that Sea is Heidi Kling's debut book. Sea is a richly written story that will capture the readers attention and pull them right into the wonderful world Heidi has created. It's both real and captivating. Woven with a beautiful, sweet summer love story, Sea is one read I highly recommend.

Fifteen year old Sienna Jones is still grieving over the death of her mother, when her father, a psychiatric Doctor surprises her for her birthday with a trip to go with his Team Hope back t...more It's hard to believe that Sea is Heidi Kling's debut book. Sea is a richly written story that will capture the readers attention and pull them right into the wonderful world Heidi has created. It's both real and captivating. Woven with a beautiful, sweet summer love story, Sea is one read I highly recommend.

Fifteen year old Sienna Jones is still grieving over the death of her mother, when her father, a psychiatric Doctor surprises her for her birthday with a trip to go with his Team Hope back to Indonesia. Sienna's parents started Team Hope, to help bring relief to the orphans who are still grieving and coping from the traumatic tsunami that devastated Indonesia. In reluctantly going to Indonesia for two weeks, what Sienna doesn't expect to do is fall in love with the little girls she's there to help, discover the truth in her mother's death, and find love in an intense 17 year old Indonesian boy, named Deni.

Set in both Angel Miguel, CA and in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, Sea's rich setting is both breathtaking and hauntingly beautiful. Heidi's vivid description of Indonesia made me feel like I was there with Sienna seeing Indonesia for the first time. From the way Sienna describes what she sees when they land, to the orphanage they are there to help out, to seeing the sites with Deni, everything about Indonesia's descriptions were beautiful, and delicately written. What I enjoyed most, is the relationships that Sienna made while there.

The characters and their relationships are real and their emotions so strong and engaging that my heart ached for them. Sienna and her father's relationship is a real father and daughter relationship. Their trip brings them closer together and brings some closure from the death of his wife and Sienna's mother. Like Sienna, I fell in love with the little girls at the orphanage as she formed a lasting bond with them. There to help them cope with their post traumatic stress disorder, Sienna finds they helped her, more than she has helped them. As Sienna was moved by their stories from when the waves hit, I found myself feeling the same ways she was.

The romance is beautiful and pulled at my heart strings as Sienna has to choose between the boy she's grown up with and the one she's grown to love and wants to help in Indonesia. The relationship Sienna has with her best friend back home is Ca, Spider, and the immediate connection she has with Deni, left me breathless. How do you choose when both are equally wonderful? Spider knows everything about Sea, and Deni has lost everything, but finds hope with Sienna. When Sienna decides to help Deni look for his father, who has been missing since the waves, she learns that love is also about letting go.

Sea truly had it all. Strong emotions, vivid descriptions, characters who I completely fell in love, and relationships that I want to see more of. The story is moving, and brilliant. I am looking forward to reading more about Sienna, Deni and Spider. Brilliantly written, moving and a captivating love story mixed in, this is a must read!(less)

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Nov 28, 2010 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2010, ya, romance

A lovely little story about a girl who travels to another country to find peace with her grief and isolation after her mother's passing.

What I enjoyed about this book was Sea's voice. The writing was absolutely lovely, and I could hear talking to me, even see her standing in front of me. Most of the characters stood out to me on the page. I liked the portrayal of her relationship with her Dad, that there's some unease and distrust there because of her mother's death. I liked how she handled the...more

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Nov 25, 2010 Rachel rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: wish-i-hadn-t

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I'm just having horrible luck lately. All these books I've been reading lately have been sub-par, and "Sea" was no exception. The cover and synopsis sounded promising and I had a friend pining to read it after me. Needless to say, I spared her the torment. I think, I need to stop reading about anyone under the age of sixteen. If you can't drive a car, you should have no opinion about romance. You are a brainless child still and shouldn't be running away with some strange boy in a foreign country...more

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