I have been telling everyone and their mom to read this book. Because it is awesome. It's a bit sweeter and lighter than my usual fare, which I think will appeal to a lot of people (especially at a time like this!) but it also definitely deals with some legitimately difficult issues, so I think it has a fabulous balance. Let's just get right to talking about all the stuff I loved!
- This is a diving book! And look, I am sure as hell no diver. But I looked at the divers on our team (in high school, swimming and diving competed together, as one team, diving scoring points for the rest of the meet) in actual awe. To me, they were straight up superheroes, getting on that hardass board, running, jumping, flipping. Literally all the things we've been told not to ever do at pools, right? Anyway, it's an impressive sport, and the author really did her homework here. Plus I love when books deal with sports and young women, for a myriad of reasons. In this particular one, Ria needs to figure out who she is without diving- or if perhaps she need to get back to it. Also a plus? Her reasons for quitting make sense. It's far from arbitrary, or because she wasn't devoted.
- Which brings me to my second point. Ria has an incredibly complicated relationship with her coach. I was worried at how this was going to be presented, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised. Benny, the coach... well, he sucks. This isn't a spoiler, you know he sucks from the beginning. But Ria doesn't know how much Benny sucks. She worships him, thinks his word is gospel. But it isn't, and he doesn't treat her appropriately, and Ria has to navigate this. And I kind of love the message that this book presents in this regard. Because coaching relationships are often quite complicated. I was extremely lucky to have an incredible high school coach, but my college coach was messy as hell, and I had no idea how to navigate it. So when I say this is an important subject to discuss with young women, it really, really is.
- Ria is a fabulous character who grows and learns so much about herself. Talk about a journey of discovery! Ria is so, so lost when the book starts. She has a boyfriend who's fine, but clearly not the love of her life. Friends that she's been keeping her distance from. Parents she hasn't been open with. A coach who is controlling her even while she's not on the team. And as the book goes on, Ria must confront all of these issues head on, or risk leaving her life a confusing status quo.
- Enter Cotton and caving. Ria meets up with an old acquaintance (nicknamed Cotton), and he introduces her to caving. And all kinds of other messy feelings. But stepping outside of her comfort zone, meeting new challenges head on, these are all so important for Ria to grow. And also, Cotton is a wonderful character who I would basically die for.
- The book is just straight up full of heart. You can tell that the author poured her soul into this one, because it just radiates off the page. From the start, I fell in love with Ria's struggles, her family, her friends, her teammates. Ria was relatable, and so was her life. Everyone can sympathize with trying to figure out who you are, who and what you want to be, and we've all had to make decisions that will inevitably change the trajectory of our lives. And that's all stuff Ria deals with here, in a really special way.
Bottom Line: Absolutely one of the best contemporaries I have read. I could relate so much to Ria and her decisions, and fell in love with her and her story.