Salt to the sea? More like salt on my face. The tears, man. This book tugged at my heart. And the author's note at the end didn't help! 

Sepetys gave voices to the children and the youth who were left abandoned, heartbroken and to fend for themselves in the devastation of WWII in Salt to the Sea. Four teenagers, each harboring their own secrets, their own stories, make their way to a ship they believe will take them to safety. Away from the Russians, away from the danger, away from the fear. Will they make it to the harbor? Or will their fears and their secrets catch up with them? 

I absolutely loved the structure of this book. Not only the changing between perspectives, but the literary devices she uses, as well as the repetition of certain motifs to establish cohesion and familiarity. Loved it. Well done. 

More than that though, I fell in love with the characters, With their bravery, with their selflessness, their nobility and with their kindness, despite circumstances. Their stories broke my heart. Joana, with her goodness, her charity, her warmth. Emilia - if I had to have anyone with me during trying times, I'd want her. Her fierce loyalty, her bravery, her intuition. Heinz, our Opi, his wisdom, his kindness, so genuine. I want each of them to be in my life, each of them to be real and to have made it through the war.

Their stories, each real to millions of people, though this story is fiction, speaks volumes to the horrors, the terror and the pain of the war and what it did to individuals, families, and countries. But it also speaks to the goodness of strangers, of the love that can be find in the most unexpected times and of hope for something better to come. 

p.s. There was absolutely no language in this book or anything I would consider inappropriate or overly descriptive. Keep in mind, there were a lot of atrocities during the war, so Salt to the Sea has its fair share of violence and evil, all mostly told through characters' memories rather than as if happening presently. But Sepetys mostly hints at and insinuates rather than describes, allowing us to understand what is happening rather than making us live it as they did.