How to Breathe Underwater

by Vicky Skinner

Kate’s father has been pressuring her to be perfect for her whole life, pushing her to be the best swimmer she can be. But when Kate finds her dad cheating on her mum, Kate’s perfect world comes crashing down, and Kate is forced to leave home and the swim team she's been a part of her whole life.

Now in a new home and new school, faced with the prospect of starting over, Kate isn't so sure that swimming is what she wants anymore. When she decides to quit, her whole world seems to fall apart. But when Kate gets to know Michael, the cute boy that lives across the hall, she starts to think that starting over might not be so bad. There's only one problem: Michael has a girlfriend.

As the pressures of love, family, and success press down on her, can Kate keep her head above water?

• ISBN10: 1250309247
• ISBN13: 9781250309242
• Publish Date: 1 June 2019 (first published 1 September 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 4 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Square Fish
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[readingwithwrin]

I found this book to be okay.
I did enjoy the two main characters Kate and Michael. We see them become friends and maybe more throughout the book and they help each other through some difficult times. Michael does end up helping Kate more in helping her cope with whats happened to her family and accepting the fact that she doesn't want to swim anymore. Kate now has to figure out what she really wants to do and be on her own seperate from the dreams her dad had for her. It's a tough thing to be dealing with especially with a sister who is also dealing with wondering if she's doing the right thing by getting married, and a mom who is extremely stressed out.
I did find myself getting frustrated at times with Kate as a character but thats just because of how real of a character she was. She was self-centered a lot of times especially towards the end of the book when things really started to happen even though she had been asked to stay. The way this book deals with grief and loss of a potential career and especially in the way it deals with the death of a parents are very real and realistic feeling to a certain extent.

If your someone who is wanting a quick read that deals with a lot of heavy topics centered around leaving the sport you love and trying to figure out what to do after, all while dealing with family drama this is the book for you.

[Sam@WLABB]

Kate spent the last ten years of her life working to be the best in order to earn her father's love, until he betrayed her and her family. Forced to start over in a new town, in a new school, in a new home, she had to figure out what swimming really meant to her, and if it even still belonged in her life.

• Pro: I am a fan of feeling the feels, and Skinner definitely delivered. Kate's anguish with separating swimming from her father was palpable. Her emotions were raw and real, and I really felt her pain as she struggled with trying to remember why she swam or if she ever enjoyed it at all.

• Pro: Kate also wrestled with who she was without swimming. I love journeys of self discovery, and Kate had a long journey ahead of her. But I had faith in Kate. She had a lot more inner strength than she thought she did, and I found myself rooting for her to find herself and find some peace.

• Pro: Michael and Kate together was romance gold for me. They had a great connection, and I really felt the stirrings of love between them. The situation was a little bit awkward, but I thought Skinner built a good enough case to explain the hows and whys, and I was ok with all of it.

• Pro: The relationship between Kate and her sister was pretty wonderful. The whole family was kind of falling apart, but they were all still there for each other.

• Pro: The final chapters were really strong for me. There were a lot of really joyful things that happened, which left me in a happy place. I was really glad with the path Skinner chose for these characters.

• Pro: I am a fan of sports in books, and I was really glad that swimming was featured quite prominently in this story. The life of an elite athlete fascinates me, and getting a peek into their lives is always so eye-opening.

Overall: A sweet, touching, painful, and sometimes fun story of one girl's quest to find herself and begin anew.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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