My rating:

blue2.5

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hey there, fellow bloggers! It took me a while, but I finally finished Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally. To be honest, I thought I’d finish sooner but between being busy and my lack of interest in the book, it actually took a few days. Which is pretty funny since I remember finishing the last Hundred Oaks book in a day… But enough about that- for now. Coming Up for Air is told in Maggie King’s perspective. She is a competitive swimmer trying to make it to the Olympics and realizes that she’s never made time for anything other than swimming and her tight-knit group of friends. She’s never even had a real boyfriend or experience in that area. And she realizes she wants that sort of experience before college but trusts none other than her best friend, Levi, to “teach” her. As you can imagine, drama ensues. 😉

What I liked about this book was the fact that we got to see characters from earlier on in the series again, so readers can know what they’re up to and whatnot. Especially with the epilogue! That was just pure sweetness! I also liked the book’s main message about how people have experiences within their own time and that they shouldn’t compare themselves to others. The important thing is that whatever you’re doing matters to you. It doesn’t mean that I fully understand Maggie’s reason to practice with her best friend to ensure no drama occurs. Mainly because, to me, that seems like a recipe for drama.

Other than that, I guess my problem with Coming Up for Air  was that I was hoping for more. All Maggie ever does is swim or want to hook up. There’s not much else going on other than funny anecdotes from the her interaction with secondary characters. Sure, she has her moment to shine in the end when she figures a few things out, but I felt as if she was single-minded in her endeavours. We only hear how her swim meets went and how her love life is going. The issues between Roxy and Maggie never get resolved, or at least hashed out, and other than merely mentioning their problems, we never hear from secondary characters unless it’s to comment on Maggie’s life. Why can’t they get some sort of resolution as well? Maybe I’m asking too much for such a short book, but do I have so many questions left unanswered!

Well, that’s my take on Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally. It was probably my least favourite Hundred Oaks novel, but I recommend this to anyone who likes short contemporary novels, though! Coming Up for Air comes out on July 1th, 2017, for those who are interested. Oh, and any thoughts or questions are welcome in the Comments Section below. Hope you all have a nice day!

–  Sumaya

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