Laura Silverman

Fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will fall in love this contemporary debut about finding yourself-and finding love-in unexpected places. Ocean breeze in her hair and sand between her toes, Anise can't wait to spend the summer before her senior year surfing and hanging out on the beach with friends. Santa Cruz is more than her home-it's her heart. But when her aunt, a single mother, is in a serious car accident, Anise must say goodbye to California to help care for her three young cousins. Landlocked Nebraska is the last place Anise wants to be. Sure, she loves her family, but it's hard to put her past behind her when she's living in the childhood house of the mother who abandoned her. And with every Instagram post, her friends back home feel further away. Then she meets Lincoln, a charismatic, one-armed skater who challenges her to swap her surfboard for a skateboard. Because sometimes the only way to find your footing is to let go.

Girl Out of Water

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
 

When Anise's dad breaks the news that they will be spending their summer in Nebraska to take care of family, she doesn't want to go at all. Now, some may say she's being self-centered. Her reasons for staying or purely beneficial for her alone. But the reality is, I felt for Anise. If I were in her situation, I'm pretty sure I would have acted the same. She just wants to have fun this summer with her friends and surfing, not being stuck in a place that doesn't even have a beach. But off she goes to Nebraska and she got more than what she bargained for.

The people Anise met in Nebraska were just what she needed to help her be open-minded about things in life. Lincoln was the perfect addition to the story! I totally loved him and his quirkiness and all the cuteness he brought to the story. I will say, at times I thought Anise and Lincoln fit more as friends, but that's just me. Anyways, Anise's cousins were great. I loved the relationship that they got to build over the summer and how close it brought all of them. I really liked Anise's relationship with her father. It felt so real! They don't agree on everything, but their bond is something special and they know they can fully trust one another.

I wish there had been more time for Anise's friends from Santa Cruz. We only got glimpses of them. And also, the ending left me hanging a little. The ending should have had more to it, for sure.

Overall, Girl Out of Water is a cute contemporary that's perfect for a summer read! It deals with family, friends and growing up. For a debut, this is hands down a great one and I can't wait to read more of Laura Silverman's work.


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Ley Stanton

This is the first contemporary I've picked up in a while. Its not normally my go-to genre but this title piqued my interest. The concept seemed like it would keep my attention more than usual YA contemporaries do. A girl who has never been far from the shore ends up in the middle of the country for the entire summer without any real access to water. There she meets a unique boy who doesn't really let anything bad in his life, even missing an arm, keep him from enjoying life. Romance ensues.
However, I found the MC to be incredibly annoying. Her entire narrative was "woe is me" which gets old very quickly. She is very insensitive when it comes to talking to everyone around her. For some reason, her problems always seem more important than everyone else's. Sure her aunt was in a near-fatal accident but the fact that she is away from her friends all summer is much worse. The book had far more drama than necessary for what was going on, most of it caused by the MC not really carrying about anyone but herself. The only time she considered the problems bothering other characters is when it affected her life.
All that considered, it was a fairly quick read for me. I did ultimately enjoy the pay-off at the end of the book. Though I'm a little bitter than the MC basically got everything she wanted which means all of her complaining was even more unnecessary. I think that the story would have been better off if the MC had just taken a lot around her to realize that she is not the center of the universe and she needs to consider others for once.
I did however love the love-interest. He was a do-anything and complain about almost nothing type of guy. He just kept on rolling , no matter how many times the MC was rude to him or just completely forgot the he had feelings too. He was the shining light in the book for me. He brought the MC to a more agreeable level and made her realize that she needed to think of others first more. Ultimately, he made her realize that she wasn't a girl out of water because she shouldn't be defining her life around surfing. There is more to life than just that one activity and there is so much that you can experience (and enjoy) if you just let yourself. She was so afraid to try new things and make new friends because it would somehow void everything she had done previously. He was her reality check, her introduction to the real world. For him alone, I would suggest this book. 
Also, if you tend to like contemporaries, you will enjoy this much more than I did. I just can't handle books with unnecessary drama anymore. There were a couple of situations where drama was necessary in this book but due to all the times where it wasn't needed, it made this situations less important. I was already fed up then. However, I am interested to see what else this author does. A decent debut.

Archer

I was pretty bored at first, but I continued because I heard great things and the author is super nice, and I'm so glad I did. Girl Out of Water was AMAZING overall. It cheered me up, and it was exactly what I needed. Anise's anxiety felt so real and just like mine. This was the first time I actually could fully relate to a character's anxiety. 

I didn't read the description before the book, so I didn't expect Lincoln to be black and have one arm, but it added more to his characterization. I loved how Anise was forced to tackle the topic of her mother, but how it wasn't the major plot of the book. 

In the end, this book easily makes my list of favorites and I definitely would recommend it.

Becky

I'm in a reading roll. Another brilliant YA read I'd been wanting to read for so long so it was perfect my library got a digital copy in as I was browsing for something new to read.

This was a great book about family and finding yourself. As well as learning about what makes friendships last and what home means. It was a really sweet read and it also made me both want to take up surfing and skateboarding. Except I tried skateboarding when I was younger and braver and I was too scared then as well. I just have a healthy appreciation of keeping my feet on the ground and an understanding that I do not have the best balance on 2 feet let alone 4 wheels. 

Anyway, the book was a great summer escape. This is really the kind of book to reading lying out in the sun. I do wish there had been more exploration of Anise and her relationship with her mother but I don't think that was the point of the book. It was more about Anise realising her issues with her mom and learning that she wouldn't be like her as long as she remembered those she cared for. I also would have loved a few more moments between Anuse and her aunt because her aunt really was like a mom to her in a lot of ways and I liked to see those small moments.

I loved Lincoln. He was this great confident guy who really helped Anise break out of her comfort zone. I honestly loved him. 100% loved the disability rep too. There was acknowledgement of Anise being awkward about him only having one arm and the things you know people would do but you saw it didn't bother him. He knew who he was and was confident. His car was adapted for him he knew his capabilities and wasn't afraid to make fun when he was comfortable. Honestly, his personality drew people to him and it was wonderful.

Girl out of Water

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.
 

When Anise's dad breaks the news that they will be spending their summer in Nebraska to take care of family, she doesn't want to go at all. Now, some may say she's being self-centered. Her reasons for staying or purely beneficial for her alone. But the reality is, I felt for Anise. If I were in her situation, I'm pretty sure I would have acted the same. She just wants to have fun this summer with her friends and surfing, not being stuck in a place that doesn't even have a beach. But off she goes to Nebraska and she got more than what she bargained for.

The people Anise met in Nebraska were just what she needed to help her be open-minded about things in life. Lincoln was the perfect addition to the story! I totally loved him and his quirkiness and all the cuteness he brought to the story. I will say, at times I thought Anise and Lincoln fit more as friends, but that's just me. Anyways, Anise's cousins were great. I loved the relationship that they got to build over the summer and how close it brought all of them. I really liked Anise's relationship with her father. It felt so real! They don't agree on everything, but their bond is something special and they know they can fully trust one another.

I wish there had been more time for Anise's friends from Santa Cruz. We only got glimpses of them. And also, the ending left me hanging a little. The ending should have had more to it, for sure.

Overall, Girl Out of Water is a cute contemporary that's perfect for a summer read! It deals with family, friends and growing up. For a debut, this is hands down a great one and I can't wait to read more of Laura Silverman's work.


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  This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

GIRL OUT OF WATER is the perfect coming-of-age YA story that will having your swooning and dreaming of a teenage summer romance big time. I'm well past my teenage years, but let me tell you, this book had me dreaming of those summers I always wanted as a teen. Whether it's on a beach or, in this case, at a skateboarding park, meeting that adorable boy that makes your heart flutter is ALWAYS a "beach read win" in my opinion!

Anise has plans to spend her summer with her friends, surfing and joining in on all the usual summertime sun that they've experienced together every year. 



But when her father informs her that they will be leaving the comfort of Santa Cruz and heading to Nebraska, she's less than enthusiastic. Her aunt has suffered a terrible accident and is still in the hospital. Once we returns home, she will still need a lot of help with her three children... and this is where Anise and her father come into play. Family comes first, and it's really no question where they will be spending their summer. So they immediately move to Nebraska to help with the family, and Anise's summer dreams are crushed.

There's so much packed into this story it's truly extraordinary. First I felt the family-comes-first vibes pretty strongly, and it was wonderful seeing how this family sticks together through thick and thin, no matter what. I also adored the relationship Anise had with her father. As a single dad, he definitely deserves major Parent Points for the wonderful upbringing and important values he's instilling in his daughter. Anise has been with her father solely since her mother left. Her mother is a bit of a traveler. She's always on the go, and stops in every once in a while, then ups and leaves again. Anise is struggling with the abandonment and rejection she feels with regards to her mother's absense. I adore her father and how he deals with all of this. It's truly remarkable, and I wish there were more YA book fathers like this out there.



GIRL OUT OF WATER is sure to leave an impact with you as well with how it addresses disabilities, and the desire of people with disabilities to be treated just like everyone else. The way Laura Silverman handled this topic was perfect, in my opinion. What a realistic and accurate portrayal of a teenager with disabilities, as well as a teenager interacting with someone with disabilities. It will definitely have you thinking, that's for sure.

I am completely shocked that this is Laura Silverman's debut novel. The way she writes is that of an extremely seasoned author. I love finding debuts like this... where you immediately click with the author and you just know that you've found a new auto-buy favorite to add to your list. Laura Silverman just gets me, and I totally get her too! 

I'm such a huge fan of contemporary YA. My favorite sub-genre tends to be the summertime YA reads. I just can't get enough! GIRL OUT OF WATER had strong Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson vibes, and left me longing for a teenage summer (and romance!) once more. This is definitely one that I'd recommend for your summer TBRs!
 
 
Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for sending me a paperback copy of this book!

 

  


(Thanks to Sourcebooks Fire for the review copy!)

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Kate

This was the perfect summer read! It's got family, love, friendship, surfing, skateboard, a road trip and a diverse cast of lovable characters. a.k.a the recipe for a fantastic, fun and super cute summer contemporary. I'd 100% recommend this and if this is anything to go by, I'm very much looking forward to reading Silverman's future books!