bookwormbetty's review against another edition
5.0
This is my first book by Miranda Kenneally, and I love the way she tackles tough teenage topics. Coming Up for Air tackles a couple of different teenage issues. One is how to deal with competition and self-confidence in sports. The other is hooking up. This was a great read, the characters were well developed, and the difficult issues that were tackled were well handled. I would have no problem if my 16 and above teenagers read this. This story is told in the first person.
brandolph's review against another edition
4.0
I received a digital ARC through NetGalley.
I was so excited to read this book, as I am a big fan of Miranda Kenneally’s books, and Coming Up for Air did not disappoint. Contemporary YA romance is my go-to genre, and this book just felt so familiar and fun to read. While the book was a bit predictable, what YA romance book isn’t? That’s part of the fun of reading them.
The main character Maggie was so relatable, and I really enjoyed that she wasn’t whiny or overly angsty, like is typical with many teen books. While I know nothing about swimming, I still found the story to be so engaging, and I found myself cheering the characters on. I feel this book is perfect for teens who are looking for a light, quick, teen romance, but also for those who are looking for a sporty contemporary novel.
I was so excited to read this book, as I am a big fan of Miranda Kenneally’s books, and Coming Up for Air did not disappoint. Contemporary YA romance is my go-to genre, and this book just felt so familiar and fun to read. While the book was a bit predictable, what YA romance book isn’t? That’s part of the fun of reading them.
The main character Maggie was so relatable, and I really enjoyed that she wasn’t whiny or overly angsty, like is typical with many teen books. While I know nothing about swimming, I still found the story to be so engaging, and I found myself cheering the characters on. I feel this book is perfect for teens who are looking for a light, quick, teen romance, but also for those who are looking for a sporty contemporary novel.
blakehalsey's review against another edition
5.0
No one does sports romance like Miranda Kenneally! I loved this latest Hundred Oaks story. So swoony, sexy, and fun.
jenner33's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cebaute's review against another edition
5.0
Miranda Kenneally is an author I trust. Her books are easy reads with likeable characters and interesting plot lines. I loved this story! Maggie spends her whole life in the pool. This leads to her missing out on typical high school norms. So she turns to her best friend Levi for help. The plot line reminded me a lot of the Pepper Jones book series, which I also loved. I was lucky enough to get an ARC from Netgalley 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.*
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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
thaictaff's review against another edition
3.0
This was actually my first Miranda Kenneally book, so I wasn't quite sure what to expect from it, but let's just say I was not disappointed in any way.
Maggie's life revolves around swimming practice and school. Her ultimate goal is the Olympics, and she's doing everything she can to achieve that. Unfortunately, that means she doesn't have a lot of time for the typical high school experience, like dating cute guys, going to high school dances, etc.
Sacrifice sucks, but sometimes it's necessary to get what you truly need.
After going to visit her future college for a weekend, and a disastrous make out session, she realizes she knows nothing about hooking up with guys, and she wants to rectify that. After thinking it through, she decides to ask her best friend Levi to teach her, he's hesitant at first, because what could go wrong, right? But he ultimately accepts the offer and so it starts their friends-to-lovers relationship.
One thing that I really liked and that you don't always see it on young adult books is the sex positive image. You don't see mentions of slut-shamming (like it usually happens with the protagonist 'enemy') or anything of the kind, it's like 'I'm a girl, I like sex too, I can have casual sex just like guys do and you can't say anything about it.' I loved that, I think it's so important.
I liked the friendships in this story; Maggie, Levi, Hunter and Georgia were such good friends to each other and I loved seeing that dynamic. Their interactions were so entertaining and fun that it made the whole book appeal even more to me. Also, I'd really love to read a book about Hunter and Georgia.
The romance was very cute, with some awkwardness to it at some parts, but overall super adorable. I liked how nothing felt rushed and the that you could see the lines slowly blurring and when their friendship started getting more into the relationship zone. I'm actually quite fond of this trope, friends-to-lovers, although it can be hard to handle it so I'm always a little unsure about it. But I appreciated how the author dealt with it here.
"I have no idea what I'm doing. What could I possibly teach you?"
"I don't know, but," he takes a deep breath, "you taught me how to love."
There were some cringe worthy parts in this book though, I don't deal well with second hand embarrassment and it happened quite often, so that was uncomfortable to me. However, the writing, the story, the characters, the interactions, everything put together, it made this a truly enjoyable book.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at Read. Breathe. Repeat.
Maggie's life revolves around swimming practice and school. Her ultimate goal is the Olympics, and she's doing everything she can to achieve that. Unfortunately, that means she doesn't have a lot of time for the typical high school experience, like dating cute guys, going to high school dances, etc.
Sacrifice sucks, but sometimes it's necessary to get what you truly need.
After going to visit her future college for a weekend, and a disastrous make out session, she realizes she knows nothing about hooking up with guys, and she wants to rectify that. After thinking it through, she decides to ask her best friend Levi to teach her, he's hesitant at first, because what could go wrong, right? But he ultimately accepts the offer and so it starts their friends-to-lovers relationship.
One thing that I really liked and that you don't always see it on young adult books is the sex positive image. You don't see mentions of slut-shamming (like it usually happens with the protagonist 'enemy') or anything of the kind, it's like 'I'm a girl, I like sex too, I can have casual sex just like guys do and you can't say anything about it.' I loved that, I think it's so important.
I liked the friendships in this story; Maggie, Levi, Hunter and Georgia were such good friends to each other and I loved seeing that dynamic. Their interactions were so entertaining and fun that it made the whole book appeal even more to me. Also, I'd really love to read a book about Hunter and Georgia.
The romance was very cute, with some awkwardness to it at some parts, but overall super adorable. I liked how nothing felt rushed and the that you could see the lines slowly blurring and when their friendship started getting more into the relationship zone. I'm actually quite fond of this trope, friends-to-lovers, although it can be hard to handle it so I'm always a little unsure about it. But I appreciated how the author dealt with it here.
"I have no idea what I'm doing. What could I possibly teach you?"
"I don't know, but," he takes a deep breath, "you taught me how to love."
There were some cringe worthy parts in this book though, I don't deal well with second hand embarrassment and it happened quite often, so that was uncomfortable to me. However, the writing, the story, the characters, the interactions, everything put together, it made this a truly enjoyable book.
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review also posted at Read. Breathe. Repeat.
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a sweet contemporary young adult novel of friendship and love.
As high graduation approaches, competitive swimmer Maggie King is quite contemplative as she realizes she might be a bit behind the curve when it comes to relationships and life experience. She spends so much time focused on swimming she has little time for a social life. She has a close knit circle of friends which includes fellow swimmer Levi Lucassen, cheerleader Georgia and baseball player Hunter but she has no dating experience. Although Maggie has absolutely no regrets about the time she devotes to swimming, she is ready to explore her sexuality. Maggie decides to ask her best friend Levi to teach her how to hook up. While Levi is initially a little hesitant to agree to her suggestion, he finally agrees to her plan. Their lessons quickly turn steamy and their relationship soon becomes complicated by unexpected emotions just as their respective swim competitions heat up.
Levi and Maggie are well-adjusted teenagers who have families who are incredibly supportive. Their swimming schedules are pretty grueling so there is not much opportunity for typical teen activities. Levi has already made the cut to try out for the Olympics and Maggie is hoping to secure her cut as well. Neither of them have the time or desire for a relationship and they are taken off guard when their friendship begins to change after they start making out. Maggie is open to discussing what comes next for them but will Levi be open to taking their relationship to the next level?
Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a wonderful coming of age novel with a realistic storyline and a fantastic cast of characters. this latest addition to the Hundred Oaks series can easily be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the other books in the series as well.
As high graduation approaches, competitive swimmer Maggie King is quite contemplative as she realizes she might be a bit behind the curve when it comes to relationships and life experience. She spends so much time focused on swimming she has little time for a social life. She has a close knit circle of friends which includes fellow swimmer Levi Lucassen, cheerleader Georgia and baseball player Hunter but she has no dating experience. Although Maggie has absolutely no regrets about the time she devotes to swimming, she is ready to explore her sexuality. Maggie decides to ask her best friend Levi to teach her how to hook up. While Levi is initially a little hesitant to agree to her suggestion, he finally agrees to her plan. Their lessons quickly turn steamy and their relationship soon becomes complicated by unexpected emotions just as their respective swim competitions heat up.
Levi and Maggie are well-adjusted teenagers who have families who are incredibly supportive. Their swimming schedules are pretty grueling so there is not much opportunity for typical teen activities. Levi has already made the cut to try out for the Olympics and Maggie is hoping to secure her cut as well. Neither of them have the time or desire for a relationship and they are taken off guard when their friendship begins to change after they start making out. Maggie is open to discussing what comes next for them but will Levi be open to taking their relationship to the next level?
Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a wonderful coming of age novel with a realistic storyline and a fantastic cast of characters. this latest addition to the Hundred Oaks series can easily be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the other books in the series as well.
freesien's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. I wasn't that invested in their story, it was kind of lame and unoriginal.
toodoorcc's review against another edition
5.0
I really love this book. It was written very well and I enjoyed the characters. There were a few cases where I think the author should stop repeating herself when describing something. For instance, it was written that Noah Thompson was a basketball player and was very nice but Levi hated him. A few pages later when Noah reappears in the book, it's stated the exact same way. I loved the wit and sarcasm and one of my favorite characters was Jason.