Kook

Not a book for children like it says.

Excuse me while I pick up all the tiny shards of my heart, as this book just took it and completely smashed it to smithereens.Jade got me in trouble from day one.When I started Kook, I wasn't sure what direction it was going to take. Was this a story of two broken characters and their journey toward something better? Was it going to be more contemporary and about a summer a group of teens spent together? Whatever I thought it might be, it was so much more.Kook is the story of Sam, a newly relocated teen with a slight chip on his shoulder thanks to losing his dad in a hazy accident when he was young, and Jade, a girl who also lost a parent (though not how you'd expect) who surfs as a way to cope with her home life. Newly relocated near the water, Sam is closer to learning the true story of what happened to his dad, and also to discovering what his dad was working on when he died. This knowledge helps deepen his relationship with Jade, and takes them down a path that will forever change them. Sam starts out secretly learning to surf to impress Jade into thinking he's no longer a kook - a learner or wannabe. She's a bit guarded so it's not going to be that easy to persuade her. But Sam is pretty persistent and before long, he's somewhat of a regular to her group of surfer buddies.This book feels deeply personal, as I imagine it is for the author. I had no idea the emotional pull it would have until it hit me like a ton of bricks. The story largely revolves around surfing and Sam's journey in learning, but ends up in a place you won't expect. It's a story of healing and being a teen, all at the same time. The teens in this book are definitely reckless and daring, for better or for worse.Originally published abroad, Kook is stylized for the country it takes place in, meaning I had to look up some of what the terms mean in American English. That doesn't take away from the story, though! I hope you'll take a chance and check it out!

What an astonishing book this is. At its heart, it's an old-fashioned boy-meets-girl romance, but there is nothing at all old-fashioned about it. This is a YA novel that is unapologetically 21st century: the teens involved drink vodka, smoke spliffs and have sex - but if that makes it sound grungey and gritty, it's actually not at all. It's sweet and happy and sad, brilliantly evoking an out-of-season Cornish surf resort, the normal, funny, surfing teens that inhabit it, and their yearning for adventure. While it's a million miles from being a preachy "morality tale" about the dangers of under-age vices, some of the negative consequences are described. The relationship between Sam and Jade does not become physical until Sam's 16th birthday, which keeps that bit all nice and legal, and it's all done in a way that is not too explicit and not too coy either.The ending will have you in shreds. I didn't see it coming and it is totally earned.Best of all, though, this is a love story that will appeal equally to boys as well as girls. Highly recommended for 15+

KookKook by Chris VickKookby Chris VickU 50x66Lucyvansmit's review Apr 23, 16 · editit was amazingRead from April 07 to 08, 2016Heads up, I am a writing friend of Chris Vick's and a huge fan of Kook. I love this book, and lived with the characters, Sam and Jade, from our MA crit group, before the book came out in print.Kook is the name for a rookie surfer, and we follow the journey of 15-year-old Sam falling in love with the Cornish Sea, and which, as I think about it, (duh) is a metaphor for the girl he loves, the infuriating, dangerous, and beautiful surfer, Jade.The writing about the sea as siren and antagonist is exceptional, and I have total envy of how Chris captures its beauty and danger, when he talks about an army of waves, jacking up out of the water, I feel like I am there, and seeing it through a boy's eyes.I am far too chicken to be a surfer myself, but with Kook, I feel I know what it would be like to have that rush and excitement. Our modern childhood is so physically safe compared to when I was a kid, with three brothers running wild in the countryside, and I love that sense of freedom captured in Kook.Yes, it deals with drugs, alcoholic and swearing, and when I talk to my 14-year-old-son, this is the world our kids navigate, teenagers are desperate to experiment, to challenge themselves, to remain loyal to their mates, as they work out their identities, and separate from their parents. The gang in Kook have their own rules and it's nail biting to watch them make mistakes, take extreme risks, as I know my brothers did at their age.Okay, so the setting is painfully beautiful, the stakes are incredibly high, the story is a roller-coaster of thrills, and the writing is first class, Kook by Chris Vick but the spine of Kook is a love story, and my favourite line of the book, is 'Jade got me into trouble from Day One' and what's not to love about the nice boy falling for the bad girl?See More from Lucy Baldockwrote:​

Loved Kook! This is an exciting surfy adventure with a splash of romance between the heart pumping action out at sea. Kook has vividly drawn characters who thrive on danger and adrenaline and a breathtaking Cornish setting. The action doesn't shy away from darker themes and the relationships are realistically portrayed. I devoured this on holiday on The Gower in South Wales and it was the perfect beach read. Looking forward to Storms, Chris Vick's next novel.

I love this emotional, beautiful story and it is inspiring and heart breaking at the same time. I would easily recommend it to people especially teenagers. By the end of the book I was in floods of tears but happy as well.

Such a good book if you are a surfer and like an easy read. It is really exciting and I was almost in tears at times.