Girl Out Of Water by Nat Luurtsema

In this book we meet Lou an avid swimmer until she doesn't beat her record and fails to make her swim camp dream come true to possibly compete in the Olympics one day.

She fights off jealousy as her best friend and only friend from her school, Hannah makes the team and thus leaves her behind even though they keep in touch during the novel via text as Lou tries to make new friends and Hannah starts to suffer with mental and physical health and raises alarm bells on Lou.

As Lou awkwardly tries to make friends she finds herself helping out three guys in her school who want to enter Britain Has Talent as synchronised swimmers.

Lou is a fun protagonist and a friend you could dream to have as shows her caring nature over her friend and family. I had heard a lot about this book, all good and I have to say I agree it is a great read as not many teen fiction books focus on swimming as a passion usually it's a lot of love and growing up topics instead of the love of a hobby which added a great soon on this novel.

Wishbones by Virginia Macgregor

Feather was a small and light baby, her mum however is obese and seemingly always has been on the larger side of the scale which over time has attracted local press attention as her mum has many phobias and one means she can't leave their house and she actually hasn't in thirteen years.
(This reminded me of Tracy's mum in Hairspray.)
Virginia has her best friend Jake and his mum, Steph around for her to rely on. Jake has a girlfriend we learn early on as Feather nearly full on kisses him as she leaves to go home to celebrate new years at home with her parents.

Unfortunately, events take a turn for the worst and Feather's mum is rushed into hospital, resulting in the village watching on as a crane is used through the living room window to reach her mum and get her out. This is a wake up calk for Feather who sets out on getting her mum healthy again after learning her mum weights over 30 stone. She tries to entice her mum to eat healthy foods, invites the local slimming group round and wishes her mum would make friends again especially with Steph.

Throughout the novel the issues surrounding weight gain such as depression and postnatal depression arise as well as the issues surrounding weight loss in the form of character, Clay whom feels guilt over past events and suffers severely with anorexia.

The novel is great for raising awareness around the mostly silent issue of male anorexia and also pushes the point that it's never just about the food, it's mental abuse we often use towards ourselves in the form of past horrible memories and feeling towards ourselves.

The book has a brilliant mystery woven into it around the issue of Clay arriving and Feather's mum acting weird around him raising Feather's awareness that's things aren't right.

There is a great contrast between healthy and competitive swimming in Feather and proving that passions shared through families can keep them together even if one takes a step back and how families share the same interests.

This book is sure to be a hit with many of us young adults and teens alike. This book was sent to me by the publishers for review and I can't rate highly enough that this book is one of 2017's best to come out this year for sure.

Up For Air by Laurie Morrison

Annabelle struggles in school but has an amazing talent for being a fast swimmer on their team. She feels undeserving of her school place due to her lack of academic achievements and her struggle to learn unlike her friends Mia and Jeremy.

Her crush Connor always pays her attention especially as she now swims with his high school aged friends as she's advanced at swimming.

With summer arriving she discovers a letter from her dad as well as an invitation that she should go see him sometime.

However as summer gets off to a good start soon she's fallen out with friends, feels let down by the guys and winds up hurt and questioning her life completely feeling increasingly sad and pointless a lot of the time she to her lack of school skills.

Kayla her best friend Jeremy's sister who's been in treatment for anorexia and it helps Annabelle to see someone else who's struggling carrying on and dealing with life being strong even though it's tough.

I did enjoy this book but it wasn't as good as I hoped, instead I found it quite juvenile in the way that Annabelle behaves towards her crush and handles her school life wanting to get better but then not helping herself at all she just bugged me at times. However the book did do well at showing how an absent parent can lead you to acting out on impulse as she does as well as the inclusion in the book of a girl with anorexia as the book is sports focused is a good move to look into the world of sport and how your focus becomes on how you can be the best.

Splash! by Charli Howard

In this book, Molly is an aspiring swimmer growing up with her grandparents who champion her natural talent in water.

However as the pressure of facing secondary school loom, her best friend Chloe starts acting out being mean towards everyone. As she starts making jibes at Molly about her weight alike some horrid boys Molly encounters at the swimming pool.

When her absent mother finally turns up, she doesn't get the dream reunion she wants and as she fails to impress Chloe, she feels pressure to please and ends up losing her best guy friend after hurting his feelings when she lashes out.

All about the pressures of school, bullying, weight and appearance this is an essential, necessary read for teens and preteens growing up into an image based world.

My Box Shaped Heart by Rachael Lucas

Holly has a tough time time in school as she gets bullies while Holly's mum is also a hoarder and so she escapes to the swimming pool for relaxation and to escape her and life. Cressi, a kind neighbour manages to allow Holly to be a swimming assistant and Holly is grateful to have an excuse to not be at home. However, her mum has a broken leg from falling in all the mess and when kind Cressi calls in to check on them both she helps clear the house and slowly the hoarding mess lessens so much her Mum even brightens up and goes to the doctors where she's to start CBT for depression, seemingly triggered by her breakup with Lauren's dad.

Allie and Rio are her two best school friends from school and often hang out with her and Allie later confides in them both that she's gay and later the trio attend a gallery where Allie tells them who her crush is.

Ed goes to the swimming baths to escape his abusive dad whom used to hit his mum until they got lives to a safe house where he hopefully can't trace them to. His and Holly's lives collide quite literally as they swim into each other by accident one day and proceed to see each other at the baths and their bus stop and when Ed gives her his number it's inevitable they start hanging out more and more as they escape their chaotic lives together.

Both Ed and Holly deal with tough situations forced on them thanks to their parents own issues. They found friendship and love in each other unexpectedly as well as giving them another reason escaping their parents drama was right for them as they shouldn't be expected to look after them. Cressi was a kind soul to step in and I commend the book for her character as she gave a more stable adult presence in Holly's life who took an interest in helping her grow as a person and encouraged her interests. It was a cute read as they find their bubble of combined happiness.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

The Lido by Libby Page

Rosemary and Kate pass by each other unknowingly, going about their separate lives but that's just the start of this story.

Kate is a busy journalist new to Brixton, Rosemary now an elderly lady a member of a tower block community where she lived with her husband once upon a time who can see her beloved lido from her window. She also still keeps up her seven am swims and meeting with her oldest friend, Hope and reminisces over the olden days gone between them before along with remembering her husband and believing she is still young.

So when Rosemary and Kate, covering the story for the Brixton News join forces to save the Lido when threatened with closure, they jointly set about proving it's the hub of the community and worth more than earning some company more money by becoming a private gym. From leafleting and making newspaper headlines and protesting to the council, we hear from all the community members the lido effects in some way and how lives have changed from their encounters there.

Both main protagonists are sad and lonely from absence and loss of members in lives but by joining forces a bond is created between them despite the generational differences they face. Both Rosemary and Kate's confidence grows and her anxiety/panic attacks lessen and as they cross paths with more people thanks to the lido, friendships are made and even a relationship for one of them!

I loved how we looked into so many lives during the novel and got an essence of how everyone in the community was despite their own separate lives how they all came together was so positive and lovely and gave everyone a support network and acceptance which is so good and needed in more real life communities. A touching read for all ages.

Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!