#sara ackerman

[thecircuition]

Reading drives cracks through foreign places, letting light in to render them a little less opaque.

Sara Ackerman, The Weight of Books, Thoughtful Dog

[thecircuition]

I gather stories, swallow them whole, and briefly forget I am far from a home I can’t name.

Sara Ackerman, The Weight of Books, Thoughtful Dog

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

Have you read Red Sky Over Hawaii by Sara Ackerman (2020)?

yes

no

I didn't finish it

I've never heard of it

Voting ended onJun 14

[musicalangel12]

“The Maui Effect” by Sara Ackerman

Title: The Maui Effect Author: Sara Ackerman Publisher: Mira Year: 2024     Genre(s): romance Part of a Series: No Why I re

Dane and 'Iwa meet and change each other's lives.

[theredandwhitequeen]

Book 12 of the 50 book challenge. The Maui Effect by Sara Ackerman. Two narrators, One is Iwa from Maui and working in conservation of Maui’s birds, and rain forests and Dane a big wave surfer from California. It’s a great book and a love story. I enjoyed it a lot.

[musicalangel12]

My Books of 2025 - "The Maui Effect" by Sara Ackerman

From Goodreads:

Taylor Jenkins Reid meets 100 Foot Wave in this dazzling new romance by USA TODAY bestselling author Sara Ackerman. 'Iwa Young’s life is high in the Maui rainforest. As a field biologist, she’s happiest in company with trees and birds and waterfalls. When a developer arrives with plans for a so-called "eco resort" in the middle of a forest full of endangered species, 'Iwa puts all her energy into the fight to protect it. But a chance encounter threatens to distract her. His name is Dane Parsons, and he’s a big-wave surfer from California. 'Iwa has a few unbreakable rules, and at the top of her list: never date a surfer. Dane Parsons is part of an underground group of big-wave riders, and his connection to the ocean runs deep. When he meets 'Iwa, he can’t get her out of his mind. But 'Iwa wants nothing to do with Dane until he offers to help protect her beloved forest and waterfall. Always on the hunt for the ultimate ride, Dane suddenly glimpses something even greater, but just out of reach. In this thunderous love story, we travel deep into the Maui rainforest and hop across the globe from Hawai'i to California to Portugal, chasing waves the size of nine-story buildings—where the unthinkable is always just one breath away.

Heard It in a Love Song by Tracey Garvis Graves - romance

Lights on the Sea by Miguel Reina - adventure, magical realism

Single and Ready to Jingle by Piper Rayne - romance

[cathygeha]

REVIEW

The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman

 Dual timelines with strong intelligent young women in both eras, and two men that show up in both stories – one a good man and the other evil. How the two stories are linked, and murders solved while we learn of the romances, murders, wars, and more are the basis of this book. I found myself skimming quickly through the parts that were of less interest to me wanting to find out about the juicier parts I was more interested in and also found that though everything wrapped up nicely in the end, I was wishing that one couple had their happily ever after earlier and wishing that I felt more connected and invested in the two couples that were the romance portion of the story.

 What I liked:

* Isabelle “Izzy” Cooper: codebreaker, cryptanalyst, in the US Navy, brilliant, strong, close to her older brother killed during the WWII Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, pivotal persona in both eras of the story

* Luana “Lu” Freitas: journalist, from Hawaii, probably dyslexic, misunderstood by her father, found a safe haven as a child with Auntie H, looking for a big story

* Matteo Russi: main characters in the 40’s and 60’s, Air Force pilot, photographer, journalist, war veteran, survivor, has PTSD, complex, and damaged by war

* Walt: Izzy’s brother, there for his sister, bigger than life, a good son, brother, man, pilot, and friend

* The setting of Hawaii – lovely place I visited when I was sixteen

* The idea for the story

* That the story has both WWII and the Vietnam War in the background of the book

* The spies, codebreaking, war elements

* The socializing and friend making that took place in both eras

 What I didn’t like:

* Who and what I was meant not to like: spies, killers, difficulties war can create

 Did I enjoy this book? For the most part

Would I read more by this author? It would depend on the topic, but probably

 Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review.

 3-4 Stars

       BLURB

 A brilliant female codebreaker. An “unbreakable” Japanese naval code. A pilot on a top-secret mission that could change the course of WWII. The Codebreaker's Secret is a dazzling story of love and intrigue set during America’s darkest hour. 1943. As war in the Pacific rages on, Isabel Cooper and her codebreaker colleagues huddle in “the dungeon” at Station HYPO in Pearl Harbor, deciphering secrets plucked from the airwaves in a race to bring down the enemy. Isabel has only one wish: to avenge her brother’s death. But she soon finds life has other plans when she meets his best friend, a hotshot pilot with secrets of his own. 1965. Fledgling journalist Lu Freitas comes home to Hawai'i to cover the grand opening of the glamorous Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Rockefeller's newest and grandest project. When a high-profile guest goes missing, Lu forms an unlikely alliance with an intimidating veteran photographer to unravel the mystery. The two make a shocking discovery that stirs up memories and uncovers an explosive secret from the war days. A secret that only a codebreaker can crack.

[theredandwhitequeen]

Book 17 of the 50 book challenge. Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman. This is a historical fiction novel about wwii in Hawaii starting just before Pearl Harbor. The women work for the us government guiding planes into Oahu and it’s all top secret work. It’s also a romance and it’s a great book. I really enjoyed it a lot.