Coming Up for Air
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4.5 • 67 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
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?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Senior Maggie King has spent her life focused on one thing: swimming. Now that she's been accepted to UC Berkeley and has a real shot at the Olympic trials, Maggie wishes she'd spent a little more time focusing on guys specifically, how to hook up with them. Her best friend Levi seems to have no problem finding time for girls, even though he's also a competitive swimmer. Maggie hits on the idea of Levi teaching her the basics of hooking up, but as the lessons start and get steamy, the pressure to perform in the pool mounts for both of them, and her feelings for him deepen. This lighthearted romance has all the trademarks of a Kenneally novel: a strong female lead, a sexy male love interest, and a complicated relationship fraught with sexual tension. Fans of the author's Hundred Oaks series won't be disappointed as they watch Maggie's and Levi's friendship move in a new direction, and the competitive and uncertain element of Maggie's future in swimming makes the page turning all the more enjoyable. Ages 14 up.
Customer Reviews
Heartwarming YA romance
Sweetly engaging, heartwarming, emotionally charged friends to more romance that kept me reading late into the early morning. This journey took me back to my own high school years trying to figure out balancing friendship and budding love.
Maggie is so sweet and real super easy to relate to. Levi is her best friend and emotional rock, so sweet and funny just adored him. Both super intense focused athletes and extremely talented swimmers with bright futures. Their struggle to balance home, swimming, friends, family and an attempt at a social life is beautifully written. Looking forward to more from this author.
Sweet & Funny YA Contemporary Romance
This is exactly what I was looking for and hoping it would be - a sweet and funny YA contemporary romance. The characters were relatable and I enjoyed the main characters, Levi and Maggie, as much as the secondary. This is part of the Hundred Oaks series, but can be read as a stand alone.
I think the best part about this book was Maggie. I loved that through it all she stayed true to herself and was very mature for her age. Of course, there is some drama (she is a teenager after all), but overall, she didn't let her dreams and wishes waver even though it was hard emotionally. She had enough faith in herself, friends, and loved ones to know that she could make any decision and know that she was supported. I was impressed at how well the author understood and portrayed the teenage mind - both male and female. Each character was so relatable and even if I didn't agree with their choices, I completely understood why they acted the way that they did. I loved the Friday night dinners that Maggie, Levi, Hunter, and Georgia had and how they all rallied around and supported each other. #squadgoals for sure.
Swimming obviously makes up a huge part of this book and I can see that some readers may find the details a bit much, but honestly, I was completely fascinated by the amount of time, drive, and sacrifice it takes to compete at such an elite level. I felt it was vital to know this information to fully understand Maggie and Levi and the world as they know it. Yes, they're teenagers, but my days and weekends looked nothing like theirs when I was a teen and it helped me understand them better and how their adolescence and high school experience was unique.
This is the first book I have read by the author, but I will definitely be reading the others in this series. I thought the epilogue was nice, but I probably would have gotten more from it had I read the previous books. The author's acknowledgements at the end were heartfelt and truthful, and I hope all her readers will take a moment to read them. Coming Up for Air was a wonderfully sweet romance that left me with a smile on my face and a happy heart.
*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*
True Love with this book!
Loved this soooooooo much! I can’t believe how great it was!!!!!!