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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 rules: 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.
"A sincere story of approaching a new reality with a competitive edge." —Kirkus Reviews
"Romance adds tension to watertight plotting in this fast-paced, compelling novel from Nash ... sensitive explorations of life with an invisible disability that anchor this empathetic story." —Publishers Weekly
"Breathing Underwater is a compelling story of a perfectionist learning to take life as it comes, all the challenges and the opportunities. A must read for anyone who's had a life-long plan they had to adapt." —Molly Horan, author of Epically Earnest
"An honest, heartfelt portrait of a young athlete willing to put everything on the line to achieve her dreams. But even more, Breathing Underwater is an unflinching look at the courage it takes to forge new paths when everything's stripped away—and, ultimately, discovering what matters most. I loved it." —Jared Reck, author of A Short History of the Girl Next Door and Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love
This information about Breathing Underwater was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Abbey Nash holds an MA in English from Arcadia University. She lives with her husband and two daughters outside of Philadelphia, where she works as a senior marketing writer in the healthcare industry. A former writing teacher, she enjoys leading creative writing workshops, and has presented at SCBWI events, the National Council of Teachers of English, as well as schools and universities. When she's not writing, or talking about writing, you can find her reading, spending time with her family, or walking her highly opinionated Australian Shepherd. Breathing Underwater is her second novel. You can learn more about her work at www.abbeynash.com.
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