Changes in Latitudes by Jen Malone (Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Also by this author: Wanderlost
Published by HarperCollins on July 25th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Family, General, Marriage & Divorce, Romance, Travel & Transportation, Young Adult Fiction
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
A "road" trip romance that takes place at sea!
All Cassie wants is to get some solid ground under her feet following the shock of her parents' divorce. So when she learns of her mom's plans to take Cassie and her brother, Drew, on a four-month sailing trip from Oregon to Mexico, she's stunned. There is absolutely nothing solid about the Pacific Ocean.
Cassie is furious. And nervous. It's been hard enough keeping Drew sheltered from what Cassie knows about her mother's role in breaking their family apart, but living in such close quarters threatens to push her anger past its tipping point. Enter Jonah, a whip-smart deckhand who's as gorgeous as he is flirtatious. Cassie tries to keep him at a distance, but the more time they spend together--wandering San Francisco, riding beachside roller coasters, and exploring the California coastline--the harder it is to fight the attraction.
​Cassie wants to let herself go, but her parents' split has left her feeling adrift in a sea of questions she can't even begin to answer. Can she forgive her mom? Will home ever feel the same? Should she take a chance on Jonah? With life's unpredictable tides working against her, Cassie must decide whether to swim against them... or dive right in.
You guys… Jen Malone writes such good swoon. My very first book from Jen Malone was Wanderlost and anything she writes will forever be compared to the sweet and swoon from that one and while this one doesn’t surpass it, I still thoroughly enjoyed it.
Cassie has been struggling with her parents’ divorce for months now. Her father is overseas teaching, her brother could care less and her mom… well, she couldn’t blame her mother more for the end of their family. All she’s looking forward to this summer is spending the days with her best friends and forgetting the crap that her life has dealt her.
That is until her mother explains that they’ll be sailing from Oregon to Mexico this summer. If she thought it was hard enough to avoid her mom while living in a house, just imagine the fireworks while living for months on a cramped ship.
First of all, I really loved the setting of this story. The majority of it takes place on a sailboat in the water, and it really allows for a unique spin to the story. As someone who has never sailed I appreciated Cassie’s newbie status which allowed Malone the opportunity to teach us readers a few things along the way.
For as much angst and drama that there is in Cassie’s family at the current moment, I appreciated that their love for each other was apparent. Cassie’s dad, while not on the boat, was still a part of this story and in such a positive way, and I loved Cassie’s relationship with her younger brother. And yes, while a teenager being angry at their mom can be somewhat cliché, Cassie has her reasons, but I loved the evolution of their dynamics in this story. Malone really develops these relationships between everyone in such a wonderful way.
Then there is Jonah… *sigh*.
This guy is flirty, fun and sweet and I can completely understand how Cassie couldn’t resist. Jonah has his own issues going on, but he and Cassie manage to bond and build a friendship that blooms into so much more.  I loved how he actually listened to her and offered her advice… even if she was too stubborn to take it.  Their relationship was just lovely to read and I can’t wait to experience it again when I reread this story!
Of course I have to admit that there were times that Cassie really irritated me with her selfishness, but then I had to remind myself that she is a teenage girl, who is pissed that her summer is ruined and she’s going to lose all the things that she feels define her and her family … and while I still didn’t love it all the time, I understood why she acts the way she does.
If you are a fan of fun, sweet contemporary romances you don’t want to miss this one from Jen Malone.
Thank you to the publisher for an early copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.
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