Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally

Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks, #8)

by Miranda Kenneally

Swim. Eat. Shower. School. Snack. Swim. Swim. Swim. Dinner. Homework. Bed. Repeat.
All of Maggie's focus and free time is spent swimming.  She's not only striving to earn scholarships—she's training to qualify for the Olympics.  It helps that her best friend, Levi, is also on the team, and cheers her on. But Levi's already earned an Olympic tryout, so Maggie feels even more pressure to succeed.  And it's not until Maggie's away on a college visit that she realizes how much of the "typical" high school experience she's missed by being in the pool.
No one to shy away from a challenge, Maggie decides to squeeze the most out of her senior year.  First up? Making out with a guy.  And Levi could be the perfect candidate.  After all, they already spend a lot of time together.  But as Maggie slowly starts to uncover new feelings for Levi, how much is she willing to sacrifice in the water to win at love?

Reviewed by KitsuneBae on

4 of 5 stars

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This review first appeared on Wayward Kitsune.

I’m never the sporty type but if someone asks me what’s my favorite sport, it’s more likely that my answer would be ‘swimming.’ There’s just something fulfilling about being in the water and feeling it splash against your skin as you swim. And that is why I immediately picked up and read this book. And wow, Kenneally delivered. Keneally’s world of swimming was intricate, competitive and realistic.

Just like Kenneally’s characters in the previous books, Coming Up For Air has a bunch of lovable and goal-oriented characters. Though there’s something that bothered me about Maggie, I still liked her because she never got sidetracked by her longing to experience the ordinary teenage life from achieving her goals. And I could say the same for Maggie’s longtime male bestfriend, the straightforward Levi, who’s always there for her.

Basically, Coming Up for Air is more of a self-discovery story than romance. But for whatever its worth, the romance between Maggie and Levi was worth following even if it’s the usual bestfriends-turned-to-lovers kind of thing.

All in all, Coming Up for Air was certainly a winner and definitely one of my best reads this 2017. It’s very relatable even for adults like me. So you better stop what you’re doing right now and read this.

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