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shorouk97's review against another edition
3.0
This was a nice read.I read this in one day.
I liked the characters . I loved the mentioning of Levi reading different books here (AKA: The raven cycle ♥). I needed from the friendship of the four. I liked that a lot. I liked the swimming parts more than the romance some times .I loved how the story was realistic .
I liked the characters . I loved the mentioning of Levi reading different books here (AKA: The raven cycle ♥). I needed from the friendship of the four. I liked that a lot. I liked the swimming parts more than the romance some times .I loved how the story was realistic .
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
Swimming, romance, competitions, friendship, and more. This was just so sweet!
The last Hundred Oaks book, and I am oh so sad that this series is ending. :( But at least I still got a few books to read, and I can always re-read the whole series again. But still, I wouldn't mind more Hundred Oaks books.
This book features several themes and they were all perfectly worked out and it never felt like too much. We have friendship, swimming, competitions, sex/relationships, college, and more.
In this one our girl Maggie is feeling left out. Everyone of her friendgroup has had sex, has a boyfriend/girlfriend, and she is so busy with swimming and competitions that she just doesn't have time. Plus she is afraid she would do it wrong. She is off to college soon and she wants to be a bit more experienced as to not scare the boys away. This was quite relatable to me. Not the swimming, but the whole all my friends have gone so much further than me, is that normal? Should I do something? I know I had the same thoughts when I was her age. That it felt like I was the last one to ever do anything. That I should have done something way earlier. Thankfully, I learned that everyone goes at it at their own pace. Some are early, some are quick, and some just take a while or want to wait. It is all normal. And I was hoping that Maggie would also see that she doesn't have to hurry. That she is doing fine. And she did!
Of course, I didn't mind her and Levi getting it on. :P While it took me a while for me to see them as a couple, or even had me rooting for them. Sorry, it just felt a bit cliche to have two best friends go for it. But eventually I did start rooting for them. To make it all official. To tell each other of their feelings (because come on it is clear that both of them have feelings, even if Maggie keeps saying she is just experimenting). I knew it wouldn't be easy, and Levi didn't make it any easier with the dumb thing he did. But I guess I can understand, they are about to split up to two different sides of the country. Long distance isn't easy. Plus there is the whole they have been friends for years and years, is the friendship still going to work should everything fail?
But Levi and Maggie's changing relationship, and the sexy times, weren't the only thing in this book. We also see the lives of Maggie's friends. Hunter and his love for Shelby who doesn't want to make it official + the fact he has to go to a school where everyone of his family went to. Then there is Georgia who is now a cheerleader and has to watch what she eats, she has a demanding mom, and a new relationship (though she is still a bit hesitant about it due to what happened with her previous relationship). I loved Maggie's friends, and I loved that they got together quite a few times whenever they could. To talk about their week, to talk about their love, to talk about sports, to talk about parents. They really are a tight group of friends.
And of course, since this is a Hundred Oaks book, the focus is also on the sports. This time competitive swimming. Both Levi and Maggie are pretty dang awesome in the water. Levi especially kills it in the water, but Maggie is also a great swimmer though she still has to learn not to focus on her opponents and also not worry about every detail. I loved reading about the competitions, about how they started swimming, how hard they work to get somewhere and then especially the Olympics. To see the training, to see their coach. To see them wake up at ungodly hours of the morning and train for hours.
We also see that at times it isn't easy and that sometimes they miss normal life. Going on dates, going out with friends, prom (then again that is only normal in countries that have prom :P), all sorts of other things.
Roxy, Maggie's rival, was an annoying girl. I especially disliked how she kept making remarks (either online or at the meets), how she seemed to take pleasure in being mean towards Maggie. I just wanted to throw the girl into the water. It amazes me that, seemingly the coaches and such know about what Roxy does, but don't do anything about it.
I have to say I wasn't amused with Maggie constant jealousy issues. I actually felt sorry for Levi. Every time he just glanced at a girl, or even dared to speak to her, Maggie went full jealous. Thinking that he didn't want her, that he would rather want someone else, that he was doing it with another girl, etc. etc.. It just got on my nerves. If it happened once? Like with Roxy? I could understand, but every time a girl gets close to Levi Maggie's shackles just went sky high. Dear girl, that is not healthy behaviour. Your friend/boyfriend is allowed to also talk to other girls or even laugh or even hug them. Really.
I thought it was a bit irresponsible to let a girl, so afraid, go on the road on her own in a car. I get that she probably has to learn somehow, but it just felt dumb. At least have someone go with her until she is used to driving and isn't so afraid. Also weirdly, I guess that people don't get tickets for going too slow? As at times she drove WAY below the limit and even endangered others who were driving the right way. I know here you could potentially get a ticket for this behaviour as it is endangering other drivers.
But all in all a very lovely book, and I was also happy to see Sam and Jordan again, and also get a bit of an epilogue about them (and Maggie/Levi).
I would recommend it to everyone!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
The last Hundred Oaks book, and I am oh so sad that this series is ending. :( But at least I still got a few books to read, and I can always re-read the whole series again. But still, I wouldn't mind more Hundred Oaks books.
This book features several themes and they were all perfectly worked out and it never felt like too much. We have friendship, swimming, competitions, sex/relationships, college, and more.
In this one our girl Maggie is feeling left out. Everyone of her friendgroup has had sex, has a boyfriend/girlfriend, and she is so busy with swimming and competitions that she just doesn't have time. Plus she is afraid she would do it wrong. She is off to college soon and she wants to be a bit more experienced as to not scare the boys away. This was quite relatable to me. Not the swimming, but the whole all my friends have gone so much further than me, is that normal? Should I do something? I know I had the same thoughts when I was her age. That it felt like I was the last one to ever do anything. That I should have done something way earlier. Thankfully, I learned that everyone goes at it at their own pace. Some are early, some are quick, and some just take a while or want to wait. It is all normal. And I was hoping that Maggie would also see that she doesn't have to hurry. That she is doing fine. And she did!
Of course, I didn't mind her and Levi getting it on. :P While it took me a while for me to see them as a couple, or even had me rooting for them. Sorry, it just felt a bit cliche to have two best friends go for it. But eventually I did start rooting for them. To make it all official. To tell each other of their feelings (because come on it is clear that both of them have feelings, even if Maggie keeps saying she is just experimenting). I knew it wouldn't be easy, and Levi didn't make it any easier with the dumb thing he did. But I guess I can understand, they are about to split up to two different sides of the country. Long distance isn't easy. Plus there is the whole they have been friends for years and years, is the friendship still going to work should everything fail?
But Levi and Maggie's changing relationship, and the sexy times, weren't the only thing in this book. We also see the lives of Maggie's friends. Hunter and his love for Shelby who doesn't want to make it official + the fact he has to go to a school where everyone of his family went to. Then there is Georgia who is now a cheerleader and has to watch what she eats, she has a demanding mom, and a new relationship (though she is still a bit hesitant about it due to what happened with her previous relationship). I loved Maggie's friends, and I loved that they got together quite a few times whenever they could. To talk about their week, to talk about their love, to talk about sports, to talk about parents. They really are a tight group of friends.
And of course, since this is a Hundred Oaks book, the focus is also on the sports. This time competitive swimming. Both Levi and Maggie are pretty dang awesome in the water. Levi especially kills it in the water, but Maggie is also a great swimmer though she still has to learn not to focus on her opponents and also not worry about every detail. I loved reading about the competitions, about how they started swimming, how hard they work to get somewhere and then especially the Olympics. To see the training, to see their coach. To see them wake up at ungodly hours of the morning and train for hours.
We also see that at times it isn't easy and that sometimes they miss normal life. Going on dates, going out with friends, prom (then again that is only normal in countries that have prom :P), all sorts of other things.
Roxy, Maggie's rival, was an annoying girl. I especially disliked how she kept making remarks (either online or at the meets), how she seemed to take pleasure in being mean towards Maggie. I just wanted to throw the girl into the water. It amazes me that, seemingly the coaches and such know about what Roxy does, but don't do anything about it.
I have to say I wasn't amused with Maggie constant jealousy issues. I actually felt sorry for Levi. Every time he just glanced at a girl, or even dared to speak to her, Maggie went full jealous. Thinking that he didn't want her, that he would rather want someone else, that he was doing it with another girl, etc. etc.. It just got on my nerves. If it happened once? Like with Roxy? I could understand, but every time a girl gets close to Levi Maggie's shackles just went sky high. Dear girl, that is not healthy behaviour. Your friend/boyfriend is allowed to also talk to other girls or even laugh or even hug them. Really.
I thought it was a bit irresponsible to let a girl, so afraid, go on the road on her own in a car. I get that she probably has to learn somehow, but it just felt dumb. At least have someone go with her until she is used to driving and isn't so afraid. Also weirdly, I guess that people don't get tickets for going too slow? As at times she drove WAY below the limit and even endangered others who were driving the right way. I know here you could potentially get a ticket for this behaviour as it is endangering other drivers.
But all in all a very lovely book, and I was also happy to see Sam and Jordan again, and also get a bit of an epilogue about them (and Maggie/Levi).
I would recommend it to everyone!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
colleens_conclusions's review against another edition
4.0
Coming up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is the last book in the Hundred Oaks series. I have only read one other book in this series that was about soccer, so you don't need to read the other books in the series before reading this one, not even for the epilouge in the end.
Coming up For Air was about Maggie and Levi. They were swimmers trying to compete for the Olympic trials. Maggie realized she didn't have much experience outside of swimming and she wanted to learn how to hook up. It ended up being a steamy best friends to lovers kind of read.
I liked the aspect of this book. I've always been interested in sports romances for the last few years, and I'm even more of a sucker for best friends to lovers stories. It also helped that I was also still in the mood for young adult contemporary romance.
Levi also became my book boyfriend in this book. I'm a sucker for guys that like Harry Potter, so ob...viously I'm going to fall for any type of character that appreciates that series as well! He also read Divergent and mentioned a Raven's series...maybe the one by Maggie S? I just loved all of the literary references.
I liked Maggie well enough, but she annoyed me a couple of times. I loved Levi so much, so he ended up being the reason why I finished the book despite the fact that he pulled a jerk move on Maggie. I did think she did grow as a character at the end of the book, so I did like her more in the end.
I also loved the secondary characters like Hunter and Shelby, Georgia and a few other of the characters. I always like it when authors try to spend time with those characters too. I will definitely be trying out other books in this series.
Overall, this book was a four for me.
Coming up For Air was about Maggie and Levi. They were swimmers trying to compete for the Olympic trials. Maggie realized she didn't have much experience outside of swimming and she wanted to learn how to hook up. It ended up being a steamy best friends to lovers kind of read.
I liked the aspect of this book. I've always been interested in sports romances for the last few years, and I'm even more of a sucker for best friends to lovers stories. It also helped that I was also still in the mood for young adult contemporary romance.
Levi also became my book boyfriend in this book. I'm a sucker for guys that like Harry Potter, so ob...viously I'm going to fall for any type of character that appreciates that series as well! He also read Divergent and mentioned a Raven's series...maybe the one by Maggie S? I just loved all of the literary references.
I liked Maggie well enough, but she annoyed me a couple of times. I loved Levi so much, so he ended up being the reason why I finished the book despite the fact that he pulled a jerk move on Maggie. I did think she did grow as a character at the end of the book, so I did like her more in the end.
I also loved the secondary characters like Hunter and Shelby, Georgia and a few other of the characters. I always like it when authors try to spend time with those characters too. I will definitely be trying out other books in this series.
Overall, this book was a four for me.
scarlettreader's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
sophiaaur's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
ashurq's review against another edition
2.0
The premise of this story is so cringe to me. Our main character doesn’t want to go to college inexperienced, so she turns to her best guy friend to help her get some “experience”. I feel so awkward just typing that sentence. And they kept using this term “swimcest” to describe two people on the same swim team dating…so cringe. For the record, it’s not the worst thing in the world to go to college without having kissed someone–I would know. (P.S. I turned out fine. I’m even married now! Funny how that happens). That’s kind of my main issue with this book I guess… I feel like it promotes an incorrect message that everyone going into their freshman year of college has had sex. This is so far from the truth! Do we really want teenage girls reading this book to feel defective if they haven’t had much experience with boys? Or feel pressured to get some kind of experience before college? That’s definitely NOT the message I’d want my daughters to receive. Every girl is on her own time table and that’s OKAY.
With all that in mind, I really think it’s about time that I cut this series loose. Looking at my Goodreads, I’ve realized that I haven’t given any of these books over three stars. Yikes. I think the only reason I keep reading these books is because I like finding the easter eggs–but that’s definitely not a good enough reason to keep reading.
But anyway, on to the actual book. I thought Maggie was completely immature in almost all of her interactions with other people. Perhaps I shouldn’t judge her so harshly since she’s only in high school, but I found myself rolling my eyes at her. A lot. Levi was a weird character who was nice enough, but didn’t have a ton of depth in my opinion. And then I guess there were other characters? But they were seriously so inconsequential that I can’t remember any of them.
The plot was completely predictable and had a ton of manufactured drama. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I wouldn’t recommend this series. While I appreciate seeing female main characters in prominent sports roles, that doesn’t outweigh all of the negatives that have accumulated from each of the books throughout the years.
Overall Rating: 2
Language: Moderate
Violence: None
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate
Sexual Content: Heavy
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
With all that in mind, I really think it’s about time that I cut this series loose. Looking at my Goodreads, I’ve realized that I haven’t given any of these books over three stars. Yikes. I think the only reason I keep reading these books is because I like finding the easter eggs–but that’s definitely not a good enough reason to keep reading.
But anyway, on to the actual book. I thought Maggie was completely immature in almost all of her interactions with other people. Perhaps I shouldn’t judge her so harshly since she’s only in high school, but I found myself rolling my eyes at her. A lot. Levi was a weird character who was nice enough, but didn’t have a ton of depth in my opinion. And then I guess there were other characters? But they were seriously so inconsequential that I can’t remember any of them.
The plot was completely predictable and had a ton of manufactured drama. That’s pretty much all I have to say about that.
Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book. I wouldn’t recommend this series. While I appreciate seeing female main characters in prominent sports roles, that doesn’t outweigh all of the negatives that have accumulated from each of the books throughout the years.
Overall Rating: 2
Language: Moderate
Violence: None
Smoking/Drinking: Moderate
Sexual Content: Heavy
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
fatimareadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Watching the evolution of Miranda Kenneally as a writer has never been clearer than in this book. Coming Up for Air was so much more mature and sex-positive than her earlier books. The focus of this book is Maggie and Levi's relationship and how swimming takes up too much of their time to be involved in serious relationships. As I've repeatedly stated before, I am an absolute sucker for the best friends to lovers trope, and if done well, it makes for a phenomenal read.
I love love loved watching Maggie and Levi interact. Their relationship dynamic was so adorable & sweet! Their jokes, their banter, their games... Also, I really wanted to be a part of their little group of friends! All the characters were perfect in this story.
In addition to the above, the way the romance developed between Maggie and Levi? Ooh boy. It was so much more steamy than previous books in the Hundred Oaks series. The focus on Maggie's desire for physical love & her sexual curiosity made for a pretty sex-positive book, and her & Levi's intimate scenes were... smoldering, to say the least.
Also, the secondary characters, such as Georgia, Hunter, the swim team, the parents, grandparents... etc, were so well-rounded - down to the last detail. This added a level of dimension to them, making for an even better story! Kudos!
Another thing I loved was how much description was put into the training needed for the Olympics. I'm no swimming expert, but Kenneally seemed like she knew what she was talking about. The descriptions weren't weighed down by long winded explanations; they were genuinely compelling to read. It was really interesting to read about how much thought a swimmer puts into their every move when in the pool. It was just pretty cool to read about from a non-swimmer perspective.
In conclusion, I didn't really enjoy all of Kenneally's books, but Coming Up for Air is definitely one of the more well written ones in the series. The cameos riddled throughout the book were so cute & sweet, and the epilogue left me with a smile on my face. This book has all the elements that make up a perfect summer romance read. Kenneally should definitely be on everyone's Auto-Buy list!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my views & opinions above.*
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
I love love loved watching Maggie and Levi interact. Their relationship dynamic was so adorable & sweet! Their jokes, their banter, their games... Also, I really wanted to be a part of their little group of friends! All the characters were perfect in this story.
In addition to the above, the way the romance developed between Maggie and Levi? Ooh boy. It was so much more steamy than previous books in the Hundred Oaks series. The focus on Maggie's desire for physical love & her sexual curiosity made for a pretty sex-positive book, and her & Levi's intimate scenes were... smoldering, to say the least.
Also, the secondary characters, such as Georgia, Hunter, the swim team, the parents, grandparents... etc, were so well-rounded - down to the last detail. This added a level of dimension to them, making for an even better story! Kudos!
Another thing I loved was how much description was put into the training needed for the Olympics. I'm no swimming expert, but Kenneally seemed like she knew what she was talking about. The descriptions weren't weighed down by long winded explanations; they were genuinely compelling to read. It was really interesting to read about how much thought a swimmer puts into their every move when in the pool. It was just pretty cool to read about from a non-swimmer perspective.
In conclusion, I didn't really enjoy all of Kenneally's books, but Coming Up for Air is definitely one of the more well written ones in the series. The cameos riddled throughout the book were so cute & sweet, and the epilogue left me with a smile on my face. This book has all the elements that make up a perfect summer romance read. Kenneally should definitely be on everyone's Auto-Buy list!
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way impacted my views & opinions above.*
Follow me on my blog, Book Whizz | Bloglovin' | Twitter
yeontan's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the eARC.
Star athlete Maggie has always focused her life on a singular goal: swimming her way to the olympics. When Maggie visits the university she will be swimming for in the Fall she realizes her laser focus has caused her to miss out on being a teenager. Parties, boys, and even a life outside of swimming are all alien to Maggie. She decides she won't waste another minute of her senior year and wants to experience it all - including hooking up with a guy. The perfect candidate? Fellow swimmer, olympic hopeful, and best friend Levi. Along the way Maggie begins to uncover deep feelings for Levi that extended beyond the friends with benefits realm.
Maggie is an amazing character. She is focused and driven towards her goal. It is so rare for me to read a book with a female athlete who goes after what she wants. She was a refreshing lead who knew exactly what she wanted sexually and she didn't shy away from it. Her proposition to Levi is undeniably awkward and I had to put down the book at times. The reader can feel the uncomfortable tension between them when their relationship begins to shift. I felt this was intentional by Kenneally. You could truly feel their relationship move from platonic, to sexual, to romantic. Once they finally found their footing they were undoubtedly a swoon-worthy YA couple. I found their over all relationship healthy and mature for their age. I was rooting for them as soon as they were able to transition from friends to more than.
Maggie was also a hilarious lead. As she explored her sexuality and the world beyond sports she missed out on, she took us along the hilariously awkward ride. She is a loyal friend to the rest of the kids in their gang and dutiful daughter. She also made sure not to allow her relationship with Levi to interfere too much with her swimming. That includes her rivalry with a former friend and fellow swimmer.
Over all, this was a hilarious and lovable novel. Maggie is a character I think I will carry with me for some time. I definitely recommend it for teenage girls (just a note they do a lot more than make out) as I think Maggie's sex positivity can be very refreshing in a world where girls are taught to be ashamed and to not talk about their desires.
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Star athlete Maggie has always focused her life on a singular goal: swimming her way to the olympics. When Maggie visits the university she will be swimming for in the Fall she realizes her laser focus has caused her to miss out on being a teenager. Parties, boys, and even a life outside of swimming are all alien to Maggie. She decides she won't waste another minute of her senior year and wants to experience it all - including hooking up with a guy. The perfect candidate? Fellow swimmer, olympic hopeful, and best friend Levi. Along the way Maggie begins to uncover deep feelings for Levi that extended beyond the friends with benefits realm.
Maggie is an amazing character. She is focused and driven towards her goal. It is so rare for me to read a book with a female athlete who goes after what she wants. She was a refreshing lead who knew exactly what she wanted sexually and she didn't shy away from it. Her proposition to Levi is undeniably awkward and I had to put down the book at times. The reader can feel the uncomfortable tension between them when their relationship begins to shift. I felt this was intentional by Kenneally. You could truly feel their relationship move from platonic, to sexual, to romantic. Once they finally found their footing they were undoubtedly a swoon-worthy YA couple. I found their over all relationship healthy and mature for their age. I was rooting for them as soon as they were able to transition from friends to more than.
Maggie was also a hilarious lead. As she explored her sexuality and the world beyond sports she missed out on, she took us along the hilariously awkward ride. She is a loyal friend to the rest of the kids in their gang and dutiful daughter. She also made sure not to allow her relationship with Levi to interfere too much with her swimming. That includes her rivalry with a former friend and fellow swimmer.
Over all, this was a hilarious and lovable novel. Maggie is a character I think I will carry with me for some time. I definitely recommend it for teenage girls (just a note they do a lot more than make out) as I think Maggie's sex positivity can be very refreshing in a world where girls are taught to be ashamed and to not talk about their desires.
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madithecloud's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0