The Shell Collector by Hugh Howey

From Goodreads

The ocean is dying. The sea is growing warmer and is gradually rising. Seashells have become so rare that collecting them is now a national obsession. Flawless specimens sell like priceless works of art. Families hunt the tideline in the dark of night with flashlights. Crowds gather on beaches at the lowest of tides, hoping to get lucky.

Supreme among these collectors is Ness Wilde, CEO of Ocean Oil. Ness owns many of the best beaches, and he keeps them to himself. It's his fault the world turned out this way. And I aim to destroy him.

My name is Maya Walsh. You might be familiar with my shelling column in the Times. I was working on a series of pieces about Mr. Wilde, when out of the blue, he called. He says he wants to talk. But I don't think he's going to like what I have to say. 

My thoughts

I enjoyed the Silo series by Hugh Howey and decided to read some of his other work.  I was pleasantly surprised by this one.  Whilst it has some of his usual dystopian themes, it also has a romantic theme running through it.

I have read some reviews that have slated the romance side of it, saying that it's a little 'predictable' BUT a lot of romances can be classed that way. I enjoyed this read as I do enjoy romances as they help take us away from our everyday lives, I don't mind the predictability of them at all and I am more than glad that I grabbed a copy of this book to read.  I immersed myself in the lives of Maya and Ness, enjoying where Howey took us as he related their story to us.

More like this please.