With the first in the Roosevelt series, Heidi Cullinan hits CARRY THE OCEAN out of the park. Tackling sensitive topics such as clinical depression and autism, one would think this book would be heavy on the technical side. However, Cullinan balances the romance and the realistic aspects well, creating a perfect symphony of high and low parts for Jeremy and Emmet.

Jeremy is a recent high school graduate. His superb intellectual skills put him in the league of all the math and science geeks. But even then he feels alienated because of the fact that he has autism. When he meets Emmet, he is enraptured by his good looks and serene personality. Jeremy soon realizes that Emmet suffers from severe clinical depression and has trouble meeting new people. Reaching out to him, they become friends.

The romance really comes to life when Jeremy and Emmet communicate their needs to one another. As they learn to understand more about each other's set of problems and ticks, they also end up learning more about each other as well. This bond creates such a strong relationship and actually brought tears to my eyes more than once. The awkward and innocent dialogue makes you want to root for these characters and as they try very hard to overcome their set of problems, you find yourself rooting for them to succeed.

Not only is CARRY THE OCEAN a beautiful, touching romance, it sheds light on some life lessons as well. I think Cullinan approached these delicate matters well and really provided an accurate depiction of each character's obstacles and made it something special as opposed to something terrible.