Girl out of Water

by Laura Silverman

Fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han will feel right at home in this heartfelt coming-of-age story about a homesick girl who gives up her summer plans to help her distant family—only to find everything she was looking for, including love.
Ocean breeze in her hair and sand between her toes, Anise can't wait to spend the summer before her senior year surfing and hanging out on the beach with friends. Santa Cruz is more than her home—it's her heart. But when her aunt, a single mother, is in a serious car accident, Anise must say goodbye to California to help care for her three young cousins.
Landlocked Nebraska is the last place Anise wants to be. Sure, she loves her family, but living in her mother's childhood home—the same mother who disappeared out of her life when she was born—brings up memories and feelings she would rather forget. And with every photo and text, her friends back home feel further away.
Then she meets Lincoln, a charismatic, one-armed skater who dares her to swap her surfboard for a skateboard. Anise isn't one to shy away from a challenge. Her days with Lincoln are the most fun she's had all summer and skating together makes her feel more alive and free than she ever has.
Because sometimes the only way to find your footing is to let go.
Perfect for readers who like:Teen romance booksTeen realistic fiction booksHeartfelt summer readsTell Me Three Things and Five Feet ApartPraise for Girl out of Water:
A Junior Library Guild Selection!
"Hand to fans of Sarah Dessen and Jenny Han."—Booklist
"A novel that reads like a warm summer afternoon."—Paste Magazine
"[A]n entertaining and well-done coming-of-age story."—RT Book Reviews
"[W]orthy of a spot in any teen's beach bag."—School Library Journal
Also by Laura Silverman:
You Asked for Perfect

• ISBN10: 1492646865
• ISBN13: 9781492646860
• Publish Date: 2 June 2017 (first published 2 May 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Sourcebooks Fire
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

4.5 stars

"I shouldn't be complaining. I should be happy to help my family. I am happy to help my family. I'm just not so happy to be helping my family in Nebreska"

Anise is a surfer who hasn't spent a summer away from the ocean since she was a little kid. But when her aunt gets into a fatal car crash it's up to her and her dad to go to Nebraska to help take care of her cousins while her aunt heals. This is Anise worst nightmare it seems, not only will she have to go a whole summer without surfing, she'll also miss the last summer her and her friends all have together before they start going to college.

Once in Nebraska she starts wondering about her mom more who has always been in and out of her life, and what caused her to constantly just leave. Anise also realizes that helping take care of her cousins Emery, Parker, and Nash is going to be a lot harder than she thought it would be. Between going to the skate park every day, keeping up with her friends back home, trying to make sure her cousins are happy/safe, worrying about her mom, and making new friends in Nebraska; Anise has a lot to deal with this summer for a change.

"If I can't enjoy my summer, I'm damn sure going to help them enjoy theirs."

I really really liked Girl out of Water and it might just be my favorite Contemporary read of the year! I did struggle to like Anise at times, but she was a realistic character for a change. She wasn't used to having so much responsibility or having to take care of other people so she had a bit of a learning curve to deal with and because of that some of the decisions she made weren't always the best. But I loved this book even more because of that.

"Home isn't a place. It's people. And I've always been with my people."

Now let's talk about the skate park guys Lincoln and Austin, I was expecting the worst from them because of how Anise didn't really care for skateboarders. But they were some of my favorite people in the whole book, Lincoln especially. We all need a Lincoln in our lives. He was so fun and carefree despite the social struggles you know he had to face. Also, he was there for Anise even though he barely knew her and he was able to manage to handle Parker and Nash without much help which is was not any easy task. Austin was there for Emery when she needed a friend.

Overall I would say this is a must read before the end of summer!

Blog Twitter Instagram Facebook

[whisperingchapters]

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

 

When Anise's dad breaks the news that they will be spending their summer in Nebraska to take care of family, she doesn't want to go at all. Now, some may say she's being self-centered. Her reasons for staying or purely beneficial for her alone. But the reality is, I felt for Anise. If I were in her situation, I'm pretty sure I would have acted the same. She just wants to have fun this summer with her friends and surfing, not being stuck in a place that doesn't even have a beach. But off she goes to Nebraska and she got more than what she bargained for.

The people Anise met in Nebraska were just what she needed to help her be open-minded about things in life. Lincoln was the perfect addition to the story! I totally loved him and his quirkiness and all the cuteness he brought to the story. I will say, at times I thought Anise and Lincoln fit more as friends, but that's just me. Anyways, Anise's cousins were great. I loved the relationship that they got to build over the summer and how close it brought all of them. I really liked Anise's relationship with her father. It felt so real! They don't agree on everything, but their bond is something special and they know they can fully trust one another.

I wish there had been more time for Anise's friends from Santa Cruz. We only got glimpses of them. And also, the ending left me hanging a little. The ending should have had more to it, for sure.

Overall, Girl Out of Water is a cute contemporary that's perfect for a summer read! It deals with family, friends and growing up. For a debut, this is hands down a great one and I can't wait to read more of Laura Silverman's work.

FOLLOW THE BLOG

FollowThis review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

[Liz (Bent Bookworm)]

This was just a big sucker punch to the feels. I loved it. More please. Full RTC!

[Chelsea]

** I was provided with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. **

Those that know me know that I'm not usually a contemporary person. I'll read them but I'll get bored and give them low ratings. Not the case with Girl Out of Water! There were enough events happening throughout the story to really keep my attention which helped me to keep reading. I actually had a hard time putting it down, mostly because it was just a happy book full of adorable things. Sure there was some not so happy events but the whole book had a 'feel good' kind of feeling and that's what made it so addicting.

One thing I have to point out is the diversity. Girl Out of Water hit quite a few of those points but it was all so casual which was amazing! A lot of the time book will throw diversity in your face but in Girl Out of Water it was just another addition to the story that made it a fantastic read.

I also really loved the sports vibe in this book. Surfing and skateboarding which isn't something I thought would go together but in this story it worked perfectly together.

This was generally just a happy book. It made me feel good while reading it and I felt great after finishing. The main character Anise felt her age but she had to mature a little quickly at some parts and she wasn't always graceful about it which made her feel more realistic to me. She was surrounded by her family for most of the book but her friends were around too and they were all these really interesting characters. Definitely a book I'd recommend.

[Sam@WLABB]

Anise had her summer plans locked down. She was going to spend her days surfing and lazing about the beach with her best friends, as this was the last summer they all would be together. All her plans are destroyed, when Anise's aunt is in an awful car accident, that leaves her with two shattered legs and three pre-teen children to fend for themselves. Anise and her father heed the call of family obligation, and jet off to Nebraska to help as her aunt recovers. Being far from home sets Anise a drift as she attempts to navigate this new life away from everything she knows.

"But maybe that's part of what family is -- loving people you have nothing in common with."

I pretty much plowed through this book. I found the story interesting, amusing, touching, realistic, and relatable. I fell in love with many of the characters, and found that it was terribly important to me, that Anise resolve her various issues before the end of the book. Or, at least resolve some of them. I needed her to move towards healing, so that she could get out from under that cloud and shine. Bottomline: I was totally invested in her.

"I wonder if, when you have children, your DNA mutates so that you'll do anything to make your kids
happy........I wonder if my mom's DNA forgot to mutate."

Anise was a pretty great person. She was athletic, competitive, a good friend, a great cousin, a wonderful daughter, but she struggled with several issues that held her back. First, she grappled with her abandonment issues. Her mother apparently had some serious wanderlust, and would drift in and out of her life. This gouged a huge hole in her heart, and made Anise afraid of leaving her home and her friends. She feared that she was just like her mother, and that if she left, she would just disappear, and never to return. This robbed her of experiences, and planted a lot of doubt in her mind, which later complicates things with her friends.

"The irony doesn't escape me that my mom's favorite sport is running."

Not to fear, though. Silverman filled this story with some stupendous characters, who were there to help Anise wade through these difficult waters. Her best friend, Tess, is very different from Anise, but compliments her in so many ways. She is steadfast and forgiving, but also very honest. Everyone needs a BFF like that, who will keep them centered and dust them off when they've fallen down. Anise also had a wonderful father. His world was also shaken when his wife deserted their family, and she left him to care for their young child on their own. He rose to the challenge, and provided Anise with a great upbringing. He was open and was able to face those difficult topics with his daughter. He was just a wonderful dad. I saved the best for last - Lincoln. Lincoln was so, so special. Every page he inhabited sparkled and shined. His personality, his smile, his dimple, his lust for exploration -- it was all so infectious. When he was with people, he always made them a better version of themselves. Lincoln knew when to approach and retreat when dealing with Anise. He helped her dig deep and face those hard truths that she needed to confront in order to move on and free herself. He called himself a
"skateboarding evangelist", and there was definitely some truth in that statement. In addition to simply being an amazing human, he represents people with disabilities and adoptees and so much more. He was by far my favorite character in this book.

I sort of love all the ways you can interpret this title with respect to Anise and her story. There is the literal, that when Anise has to leave her beloved beach and go to Nebraska, she finds herself more or less landlocked. I am not a beach person, but the way Anise waxes poetic about the ocean, the feel, the sounds, even made me sort of wistful for it. The ocean was her comfort zone. There she had mountains of confidence and could easily navigate the waters. She was also able to carry this confidence onto the sand, but this was all stripped away in Nebraska. Without the ocean, the beach, and surfing, Anise seemed to lose her identity and her confidence. She was unnerved as she was thrust into new situations, and was slow to acclimate. Then there is the figurative "out of water". Anise was thrust into many new situations in Nebraska with all her new roles, and this led to many internal struggles.

I was so happy with how Silverman allowed Anise to grow and find her way. It was a rocky journey, but she was definitely in a better place at the end of the story, than at the beginning, and that is what I expect in a good YA book.

Overall: A charming coming of age story filled with character who pop off the page and touch your heart.

**I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book.

BLOG|INSTAGRAM|BLOGLOVIN| FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

[layawaydragon]

➜I followed Laura Silverman on Twitter (@LJSilverman1) through the social progressive and activist book community and highly recommend everyone else do the same! 
➜This is supporting an unrepresented author. This is having a diverse cast without making them tokens or lessons. 
➜I loved everything about Girl Out of Water. Seriously! Perfectly paced and plotted, great characters, setting.
➜Perfect balance of different kinds of tension and drama. 
➜Great anxiety and disability rep. 
➜Anise is understandably flawed and fucks up, but works on making good. She’s an adrenaline junkie, but not in a bad way, and a surfer snob. I didn’t even know the latter was a thing, lol. Oh how quickly she learned me! 
➜LOVE Lincoln. Complete and total swoon with a side of “D’aww” squee. And his little brother is 
➜Tess is an amazing bestie that I wish we saw more of, but..ya know, plot. 
➜I’ve got dozens and dozens of quotes highlighted. Lovely turns of phrases and quotables.
➜YAY for supportive families that aren’t cookie cutter nuclear nonsense. 
➜Her cousins are adorable in their own exasperating ways, her Dad is also soon and I’m relieved this wasn’t a “single parent starts dating and chaos ensues.” I mean, he def should date if he wants to, but I’m so tired of that plot line, TBH. Her auntie is admirable and her moments on pain meds are REAL. I’m a single mom with health issues and man, it’s tough. Glad to see at least a little bit in fiction and have such a great representative! 
➜Love the way the beginning and ending squared up. 
➜YAY Mature romance and sex positivity. 
➜Great message learned about home and time and growing up and getting out of your shell. No introvert or anxiety shame here!