Arctic Sun

Arctic Sun (2019) Annabeth Albert (Frozen Hearts)

River Vale, supermodel turned traveler and writer, is not what Griffin Barrett wants on this tour. He’d rather not be running the tour at all, but with his uncle hurt, there’s no one else to do it.

…the customers. Oh, his mom called them guests, but really, it helped Griffin to think of them as what they were— big dollar signs that could make the difference for him and the rest of his family.

Griff and River are both damaged characters (hello catnip!), and each is afraid to let the other see the extent of the damage–especially since Griff has no interest in leaving Alaska, and River won’t stay still. River is in recovery from an eating disorder, while Griff uses hard work to help him stay sober.

River’s continual struggle with his eating disorder is almost heartbreaking to read, because it’s not anything that he can ever really just forget about (although staying out of the limelight helps). I can’t think of a book I’ve read that deals so openly and bluntly with what being in recovery from an eating disorder is like, and I think it’s something most people truly don’t consider. It was extremely well done–but also heart-breaking.

It’s partly control— I don’t like not having charge of what happens— but it’s also wrapped up in my body image stuff and the eating disorder. I have a hard time letting myself have good things.”

And Griff is just as broken, but in a different way. He may be sober, but he has a difficult time socializing without the crutch of alcohol, which makes leading a tour particularly difficult.

Also? There’s hiking.

The hike took them over a long wooden bridge away from the road until River felt the familiar thrill he got when hiking away from civilization— all the obligations and expectations that rattled around his head faded until it was only him and this spot on the planet, the rush of being privileged to get to see all this abundance of beauty.

How could I not love this book?

Publisher: Carina Press
Rating: 8.5/10

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