Reader Rising: Blog Tour: Underwater + Giveaway!

Underwater
by Marisa Reichardt
Publisher: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux
Release Date: January 12th 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Psychology, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness
Rate: 4 Stars

Synopsis:

Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then, herself.

But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school.

When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside.

Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

This book is published on my birthday!!!

Underwater is a compelling, beautiful read that deals with tough subject matters. This was a great contemporary to start 2016 off with, and I'm excited to see what this debut author writes next.

From the beginning of the novel, the story and beautiful writing pulled me in. I was curious about why Morgan wouldn't leave her apartment, I wanted to know what traumatic event had happened in the past. I also felt like Morgan's character was fleshed out and I could feel her fear and shame, along with other emotions, in the writing.

While the connection between Evan and Morgan is sweet, I also enjoyed the fact the novel focused on other character dynamics, such as sister-brother, daughter-father, therapist-client, etc. The novel definitely has a focus on family problems.

While a lot happens in Underwater, I particularly like the fact that the story ultimately is the aftermath of a tragedy, and shows how a broken person can find the strength to recover from a horrible, life-shattering event.

Overall, I really enjoyed Underwater. It took me a bit to get into it, but after I got through the first few chapters, I began to really appreciate the story. The characters and emotions are spot on, along with the prose. I would recommend Underwater to fans of Jandy Nelson or A.S. King

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I'm a SoCal native and high school writing instructor. I currently live in Los Angeles and can usually be found huddled over my laptop in coffeehouses or swimming in the ocean.