Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson

Published in 2007 by Harper Teen
4 Stars

Goodreads Review
Sometimes you have to get lost . . .

The Girl: Clio Ford, seventeen, wants to spend the summer smooching her art-store crush, not stuck on a boat in the Mediterranean. At least she'll get a killer tan.

The Mission: Survive her father's crazy antics. Oh, and also find some missing underwater treasure that could unlock the secrets of civilization.

The Crew: Dad's wacky best friend Martin, his bizarre research partner Julia, her voluptuous daughter Elsa . . . and then there's Aidan, Julia's incredibly attractive, incredibly arrogant assistant.

What's going on behind Aidan's intellectual, intensely green eyes, anyway?

As Clio sails into uncharted territory she unveils secrets that have the power to change history. But her most surprising discovery is that there's something deeper and more cryptic than the sea—her own heart.

. . . to find what you're looking for.

Review:  Girl at Sea is an adorable tale of a young girl searching for herself, love, and buried treasure on the Mediterranean Sea.  This book does a really great job explaining the different dynamics of Clio's relationship with her friends, her father, and her budding romance with Adian.  The characters are totally believable.  The strongest part of Girl at Sea is the character development.  I had a clear sense of every character's opinions and goals even though the story was told from the perspective of Clio.  The romance with Adian was developed realistically.  There was not love at first sight, nor did some huge catastrophe bring them together. 

Girl at Sea book is not just a love story though.  There is an interesting mystery where Clio tries to discover the purpose of her father's mission and then the mysterious objective of the mission itself.  The historical experts add a fun bit of insight into their mission.

I also LOVED the setting of Girl at Sea.  I've been to Italy a couple of times and I've traveled to every location mentioned in the book.  Maureen Johnson did a wonderful job describing the Italian scenery and atmosphere. 

Overall Girl as Sea is a fun book about a girl growing up oh the high seas.  She encounters many adventures, some exciting and some dangerous, and through it all learns to forgive and love.