I admit that I was a little turned off at the idea of a 16 year old and a 30 year old woman falling in love lost at sea, but it isn't that. Most of the story is an engrossing detailed description of their daily struggle for survival. The characters don't start a relationship till he is 19 years old and even then it's a very slow build. I consumed this book in under 24 hours. The first half was better than the second, but I can understand why the author dragged us through the boring logistics of adjusting back to normal society and each of them taking time to figure out whether the things they felt were real. Tracey Garvis wanted us to see that it really was true love. Age is just a number! 
 I did feel like the dialog was sometimes a bit dry and forced. It came across a bit generic and robotic, but I still fell for the characters and was hooked from the first page. A great read on all counts! 
 Character Casting: 
 T.J.: Ashton Kutcher 
 Anna: Charlize Theron