📚 🏊🏻♀️ “Breathing Underwater” by Abbey Nash 🏊🏻♀️📚
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Ever since I saw the description, I have wanted to read it. It’s rare that there is a book about a health-challenged protagonist who competes in sports. Especially since the sport was swimming, I was intrigued, and this book did not let me down.
Tess is a teenager who swims competitively at her school. She is one of the top swimmers on her team. However, when her frenemy invites her to a sleepover and Tess has a seizure, her life seems to go downhill. She is diagnosed with epilepsy and eventually begins to learn what is really important in life.
My favorite part about this book is that Tess finds a way to do what she loves—swim—in spite of the obstacles her epilepsy presents. I think that’s a really important message that people with health challenges can still do what they love and achieve their goals, even if it looks different.
I also liked that the novel gives a lot of information about epilepsy without sounding like a textbook. The information is presented through Tess’ experience, which was really interesting. The novel was educational for me because I didn’t know much about epilepsy before I read the book.
The information about epilepsy was also very well-written because the author has epilepsy herself.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves swimming; there were a lot of references to the sport included. This was an inspiring read and I’m glad I read it.
Here is the synopsis:
In this slice-of-life, sensitively written novel, a teen girl grapples with a sudden epilepsy diagnosis, all while figuring out a new crush and an uncertain future. Seventeen-year-old Tess Cooper lives by three train hard, study hard, work hard. Swimming is her best chance at a college scholarship. It’s what her parents, her coaches, and even her best friend expect from her—and Tess can always deliver. Until tragedy strikes. Tess has a seizure, and her world suddenly becomes one of doctor visits, missed practices, and a summer job stuck behind a counter—not sitting high in the lifeguard chair like every year before. Instead, her spot goes to new guy Charlie. Sure, his messy hair and laid-back demeanor sends Tess’ heart racing, but this isn’t really the time. She’s got to focus on getting back in the pool—regardless of what her doctor or anyone else says.
📚 Happy reading! 📚