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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
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/
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.
leave a comment on the blog!
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
minas_elessar's review against another edition
4.0
Fun, refreshing, sex-positive YA contemporary fiction that very realistically portrays the day-to-day lives of teens. Great for teens getting ready to head to college.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
I actually didn't realize when I started reading that this was the final Hundred Oaks book. In fact, it wasn't until I got to the epilogue and read an update on many of our favorite past characters that I realized that Kenneally was wrapping the series up with this one. I'm sad to see the series go, but I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read these books! (By the way, they can all be read as standalones, so if you haven't dived into the series yet, feel free to jump in anywhere.)
What Fed My Addiction:
Feel-good reading.
This is one of those romances that just makes me happy, you know? Kenneally always manages to tug at my heartstrings and make me swoon, and the book feels like perfect summer reading when you just need a little pick-me-up! There are all sorts of little details that Kenneally handles so well (one example---I love that she casually throws church into her book without making the story revolve around religious tensions).
Friends who become more.
I've always loved the trope of best friends who eventually become something more, and this book was no exception. Levi and Maggie are perfect together because they know each other so well and they already love and respect each other. The romance is almost secondary to the connection that they already have (which isn't to say that it's not swoonworthy---it is!). Of course, this also means that when things go a bit sour (which, of course, they do for a while), the hurt is that much deeper. I kind of wanted to strangle Levi at one point in the book, but once Maggie forgave him I managed to do it too. :-)
Swimming!
Swimming is the one sport that I kind of, sort of get because two of my kids are on a club team. Even though they're both new to the sport and they're nowhere close to the competitive level of the characters, I still felt like I could relate to the swimming talk a bit more than I usually can to other sports talk in books. And I feel like lots of people at least have some frame of reference when they're talking about Olympic trials, etc, since we just had the Olympics last summer.
Take It Or Leave It:
Casual Sex?
So, at first I was a little bit worried that this book was going to be a little too liberal when it comes to sex for me---that maybe the idea would be that Maggie actually needed to practice hooking up and having sex in order to fit in with her peers or at college. I find that message a little off-putting. But that really wasn't the central theme at all---in fact, Maggie comes to realize that she doesn't want to experience those things with just anyone. She wants a connection with the person. So while Maggie's overall attitude about sex is a bit more casual than I thought I'd appreciate at first, in the end, I felt like there was a healthy balance---the idea that a girl can choose what she wants for herself but that she certainly shouldn't feel pressured to go at any certain pace or have a certain level of "acceptable" experience.
As always, Kenneally had me hooked from almost the first page with this book. With complex characters that are easy to love, this is the type of romance that leaves me smiling. I give it an easy 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
What Fed My Addiction:
Feel-good reading.
This is one of those romances that just makes me happy, you know? Kenneally always manages to tug at my heartstrings and make me swoon, and the book feels like perfect summer reading when you just need a little pick-me-up! There are all sorts of little details that Kenneally handles so well (one example---I love that she casually throws church into her book without making the story revolve around religious tensions).
Friends who become more.
I've always loved the trope of best friends who eventually become something more, and this book was no exception. Levi and Maggie are perfect together because they know each other so well and they already love and respect each other. The romance is almost secondary to the connection that they already have (which isn't to say that it's not swoonworthy---it is!). Of course, this also means that when things go a bit sour (which, of course, they do for a while), the hurt is that much deeper. I kind of wanted to strangle Levi at one point in the book, but once Maggie forgave him I managed to do it too. :-)
Swimming!
Swimming is the one sport that I kind of, sort of get because two of my kids are on a club team. Even though they're both new to the sport and they're nowhere close to the competitive level of the characters, I still felt like I could relate to the swimming talk a bit more than I usually can to other sports talk in books. And I feel like lots of people at least have some frame of reference when they're talking about Olympic trials, etc, since we just had the Olympics last summer.
Take It Or Leave It:
Casual Sex?
So, at first I was a little bit worried that this book was going to be a little too liberal when it comes to sex for me---that maybe the idea would be that Maggie actually needed to practice hooking up and having sex in order to fit in with her peers or at college. I find that message a little off-putting. But that really wasn't the central theme at all---in fact, Maggie comes to realize that she doesn't want to experience those things with just anyone. She wants a connection with the person. So while Maggie's overall attitude about sex is a bit more casual than I thought I'd appreciate at first, in the end, I felt like there was a healthy balance---the idea that a girl can choose what she wants for herself but that she certainly shouldn't feel pressured to go at any certain pace or have a certain level of "acceptable" experience.
As always, Kenneally had me hooked from almost the first page with this book. With complex characters that are easy to love, this is the type of romance that leaves me smiling. I give it an easy 4/5 stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
michalice's review against another edition
4.0
Coming Up For Air was a book I had to read. I have enjoyed reading the previous books in the Hundred Oaks series, and I knew I had to read this one. Going into this series is always a great experience. Having already read the previous books I already have a baseline to start from, I know the secondary characters, as well as how the author writes.
Maggie's life revolves around swimming, she has a close knit group of friends, who all found each other through a love of their own activities that forced them to attend lunch for younger students, so they gravitated towards each other and have been firm friends since. But her love of swimming also affects her social life, and she is one of the few in her group who has yet to have normal teenage experiences, from having feelings for a guy and acting on them, to making out. Determined to have these experiences before she leaves for college, Maggie enlists the help of her good friend Levi.
Maggie was someone who I admired, for her determination and her single mindedness. She has a dream, to swim at the Olympics and she works her ass off to make sure this dream is obtainable. I have never, and would never have this much will power to keep up with what she does every single day. But I also felt sorry for how it affected her life growing up, having a big focus on swimming meant it took a lot of the 'normal' teenage experiences away from her, even something so basic as going to a party. Levi was someone who has the same goals and dreams, but I felt like his approach was a lot more relaxed to it all, even though he works just as hard. I like how supportive this duo are towards each other, but there were times that I was not happy with Levi at all, especially the way he is so flippant about Maggie's feelings.
Coming Up For Air was a book that I really enjoyed. I loved getting to see how much work went into the Olympic dream, and how it affects those around you. But I also loved the friendship side to it, how the characters found others similar to themselves and how they worked at their friendship to. Seeing Maggie experience her 'firsts' both the bad and then the good side to it, was a nice touch to the book, showing her as a 'normal' teenager that can be easy to relate to with younger readers.
Final Verdict
Coming Up For Air was a book I wish I had tackled earlier. I loved getting to revisit this world, to meet new characters as well as catching up with some familiar faces and seeing where they are now. I enjoyed getting to see the characters learn about themselves, as well as their feelings towards each other, and seeing how it all ends.
Maggie's life revolves around swimming, she has a close knit group of friends, who all found each other through a love of their own activities that forced them to attend lunch for younger students, so they gravitated towards each other and have been firm friends since. But her love of swimming also affects her social life, and she is one of the few in her group who has yet to have normal teenage experiences, from having feelings for a guy and acting on them, to making out. Determined to have these experiences before she leaves for college, Maggie enlists the help of her good friend Levi.
Maggie was someone who I admired, for her determination and her single mindedness. She has a dream, to swim at the Olympics and she works her ass off to make sure this dream is obtainable. I have never, and would never have this much will power to keep up with what she does every single day. But I also felt sorry for how it affected her life growing up, having a big focus on swimming meant it took a lot of the 'normal' teenage experiences away from her, even something so basic as going to a party. Levi was someone who has the same goals and dreams, but I felt like his approach was a lot more relaxed to it all, even though he works just as hard. I like how supportive this duo are towards each other, but there were times that I was not happy with Levi at all, especially the way he is so flippant about Maggie's feelings.
Coming Up For Air was a book that I really enjoyed. I loved getting to see how much work went into the Olympic dream, and how it affects those around you. But I also loved the friendship side to it, how the characters found others similar to themselves and how they worked at their friendship to. Seeing Maggie experience her 'firsts' both the bad and then the good side to it, was a nice touch to the book, showing her as a 'normal' teenager that can be easy to relate to with younger readers.
Final Verdict
Coming Up For Air was a book I wish I had tackled earlier. I loved getting to revisit this world, to meet new characters as well as catching up with some familiar faces and seeing where they are now. I enjoyed getting to see the characters learn about themselves, as well as their feelings towards each other, and seeing how it all ends.