Coming Up for Air

Today's post is on Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally. It is part of her Hundred Oaks series but you do not have to have read any of the other books to enjoy this one. It is 285 pages long and is published by Sourcebooks Fire. The cover has the two main characters standing in front of a pool about to kiss. The intended reader is young adult, likes realistic romance and real life issues. There is mild foul language, sexuality, and no violence in this book. The story is told from forst person close of the main character Maggie. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- 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.
Not 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?

Review- A sweet realistic teen romance that is honest about sexuality without being overly graphic. Maggie wants to live a little before she goes away to college. She wants to learn about her body and she doesn't want to be embarrassed about not knowing anything about how to be sexy. So she asks her best friend Levi to help her learn. Of course they are more than friends without knowing it but that is part of the plot. I really enjoyed this book for many reasons from the good writing, the characters who feel real but I think that I like the honest look at sexuality the best. It is not romanticized, it is not seen as some end all be all; it is something that it just part of normal life. Kenneally does talk about how feelings can get hurt when sex is mixed into relationships but it is seen as something to learn from not to fear. This is a very positive book about older teen sexuality. I recommend it.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.