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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
4.5 stars
Thank you yo the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Tears In the Water is told in first-person perspective by Alex, a college student going to a sports school as a swimmer. Alex has really intense anxiety, so much so that I think their anxiety could be classified as its own character in this story. And because of this anxiety, Alex is often short-tempered, irritable, and can end up speaking harshly to others when badly surprised - which is exactly what Alex does when she first meets Tate. Alex feels really bad about how she talked to Tate, and wants to just avoid him forever afterwards, but unfortunately finds out soon after that Tate was high school friends with Alex's best friend Xiuying, and now Tate is hanging around with them almost every lunch break, and skdghllh;s, right?
Alex's anxiety is really hard to read sometimes, as it leads to a lot of over-thinking and over-explaining, and it honestly made me so anxious at some point while reading it that I had to take one of my rarely used anxiety tablets to calm down a little. But that's why I think this book does such a fantastic job at portraying what living with anxiety is like, and I appreciate that the author did not stray away from the less-palatable traits in anxiety, like how it can make you so irritable, and angry, and absolutely terrible at apologising to people (all things I unfortunately relate to).
Another big aspect of this book is identity. Tate is trans, and takes a while before he's worked up the courage to tell Alex. Alex goes through a gender crisis (been there too), and is glad to have Tate there to ask questions. We see some of the other side characters go through some sexuality crises, and a lot of discussion around these identities and the process of questioning.
Overall, it's a lovely queer new adult story!
Thank you yo the author for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review
Tears In the Water is told in first-person perspective by Alex, a college student going to a sports school as a swimmer. Alex has really intense anxiety, so much so that I think their anxiety could be classified as its own character in this story. And because of this anxiety, Alex is often short-tempered, irritable, and can end up speaking harshly to others when badly surprised - which is exactly what Alex does when she first meets Tate. Alex feels really bad about how she talked to Tate, and wants to just avoid him forever afterwards, but unfortunately finds out soon after that Tate was high school friends with Alex's best friend Xiuying, and now Tate is hanging around with them almost every lunch break, and skdghllh;s, right?
Alex's anxiety is really hard to read sometimes, as it leads to a lot of over-thinking and over-explaining, and it honestly made me so anxious at some point while reading it that I had to take one of my rarely used anxiety tablets to calm down a little. But that's why I think this book does such a fantastic job at portraying what living with anxiety is like, and I appreciate that the author did not stray away from the less-palatable traits in anxiety, like how it can make you so irritable, and angry, and absolutely terrible at apologising to people (all things I unfortunately relate to).
Another big aspect of this book is identity. Tate is trans, and takes a while before he's worked up the courage to tell Alex. Alex goes through a gender crisis (been there too), and is glad to have Tate there to ask questions. We see some of the other side characters go through some sexuality crises, and a lot of discussion around these identities and the process of questioning.
Overall, it's a lovely queer new adult story!
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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
Alex is a swimmer at White Ravens University, a sports university on a fictional island called Meratia. When a small altercation with a volleyball player happens over a schedule mistake, Alex gets a little defensive. Alex also struggles with anxiety so this event triggers that.
Then, it turns out the volleyball player in question and Alex have a common friend, so they end up spending more time around each other than Alex initially wishes they did. Soon enough, they grow closer and this also prompts Alex to think about aspects of their identity they haven't really explored before.
This is my second book from Margherita Scialla and one thing I wholeheartedly appreciate about xyr writing is how xe portrays beautiful friendships. It filled my heart with so much joy and warmth and I wish for every person to find friends such as the ones in this book.
Another thing I loved about Tears in the Water is the representation of how having an identity crisis can be very tough to go through, even for those who have already experienced them before.
It also portrays queer joy and the beauty of finding communities where one can feel heard, while also showing the struggles queer people face in a world that can be very cruel towards those who don't fit its norms. I'm extremely grateful for the existence of books such as this one.
I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a heartwarming read involving a very cute group of friends and with a lot of thoughts about queerness and mental health!
Then, it turns out the volleyball player in question and Alex have a common friend, so they end up spending more time around each other than Alex initially wishes they did. Soon enough, they grow closer and this also prompts Alex to think about aspects of their identity they haven't really explored before.
This is my second book from Margherita Scialla and one thing I wholeheartedly appreciate about xyr writing is how xe portrays beautiful friendships. It filled my heart with so much joy and warmth and I wish for every person to find friends such as the ones in this book.
Another thing I loved about Tears in the Water is the representation of how having an identity crisis can be very tough to go through, even for those who have already experienced them before.
It also portrays queer joy and the beauty of finding communities where one can feel heard, while also showing the struggles queer people face in a world that can be very cruel towards those who don't fit its norms. I'm extremely grateful for the existence of books such as this one.
I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a heartwarming read involving a very cute group of friends and with a lot of thoughts about queerness and mental health!
I read an ARC copy of this book !
I think this book is such a beautiful story with some amazing representation which will mean a lot to so many people to see themselves in a book. It’s really important to have more rep in books and this aces at that in every conversation, about gender and sexuality. This is because it is well thought out and absolutely beautiful to read, and to see these characters discover themselves. It was such a heart-warming read to see these characters interact and grow into this beautiful friendship group and see the main romance blossom and how they help each other through bad days with amazing communication.
One of the key things I liked about this book was the communication between the characters even when they have bumps in the relationships everyone was wonderful at communication and it was honestly so refreshing to see good communication in a book. This definitely benefited from the communication, [in some books I do enjoy a miscommunication trope but within this novel good communication really worked and fit within the wholesome story. ]
Another thing I think the book excels at is of course the conversations on gender and sexuality. It was done really well and as a trans masc queer man I really saw myself relating to the characters and it made me feel so happy to see that rep. I remember when I first got into reading there wasn’t a lot of trans queer books and I used to question if I would ever be loveable to others due to them facts which is why books like this are so important. I really think this could teach people who are also questioning their gender that they are enough and they can be loved the same Alex and Tate are plus the other side characters with their sexualities.
I also found it really cool to read about trans characters excelling at sports!! Im not really into sports that much myself but I always enjoy reading about them and with the climate we live in irl with all the issues people have with trans people and sports it was really great and beautiful to see these characters enjoy sports and have supporting teams/school. Also Tate was an adorable boyfriend, who im sure will be everyone’s new dream boyfriend because hes basically perfect. [please where is my volleyball boyfie I want matching shirts]
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone wanting a wholesome fun book with a lot of great representation and great loveable characters.
I think this book is such a beautiful story with some amazing representation which will mean a lot to so many people to see themselves in a book. It’s really important to have more rep in books and this aces at that in every conversation, about gender and sexuality. This is because it is well thought out and absolutely beautiful to read, and to see these characters discover themselves. It was such a heart-warming read to see these characters interact and grow into this beautiful friendship group and see the main romance blossom and how they help each other through bad days with amazing communication.
One of the key things I liked about this book was the communication between the characters even when they have bumps in the relationships everyone was wonderful at communication and it was honestly so refreshing to see good communication in a book. This definitely benefited from the communication, [in some books I do enjoy a miscommunication trope but within this novel good communication really worked and fit within the wholesome story. ]
Another thing I think the book excels at is of course the conversations on gender and sexuality. It was done really well and as a trans masc queer man I really saw myself relating to the characters and it made me feel so happy to see that rep. I remember when I first got into reading there wasn’t a lot of trans queer books and I used to question if I would ever be loveable to others due to them facts which is why books like this are so important. I really think this could teach people who are also questioning their gender that they are enough and they can be loved the same Alex and Tate are plus the other side characters with their sexualities.
I also found it really cool to read about trans characters excelling at sports!! Im not really into sports that much myself but I always enjoy reading about them and with the climate we live in irl with all the issues people have with trans people and sports it was really great and beautiful to see these characters enjoy sports and have supporting teams/school. Also Tate was an adorable boyfriend, who im sure will be everyone’s new dream boyfriend because hes basically perfect. [please where is my volleyball boyfie I want matching shirts]
Overall, I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone wanting a wholesome fun book with a lot of great representation and great loveable characters.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-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
I adored this book. Alex was such a relatable character in their anxiety and inner thoughts, I immediately fell in love and Tate was so understanding and wanted to learn how to be in that relationship between the two of them. It just was such a lovely story of the two of them finding themselves while also falling in love.
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Transphobia
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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