Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A coming-of-age story featuring a queer & quirky teenage girl struggling with mental health … and a supernatural twist.
After a tumultuous Tumblr post sends her mom spiraling, fifteen-year-old Brynn is banished to the Florida mangroves to spend a summer offline. Brynn is stuck with her dad (who hasn’t really been present in her life for years) on a small houseboat with no phone, no access to online friends, and an overwhelming amount of catastrophic anxiety. But when she meets fearless & vibrant Skylar - who is trapped in the bayou - Brynn is determined to save her new friend.
There are parts of Brynn’s story that I found deeply realistic & relatable. She’s navigating relationships with parents that are well-meaning but not always informed. Her mom questions the validity of online friends and the worth of online friendships and is making parental decisions from a place of fear rather than thoughtfully considering the needs of her child.
Brynn’s juggling an overzealous punishment from her mom alongside not enough care or monitoring from her dad. I was surprised that her mom trusted her dad enough to watch her during such a vulnerable moment in her life (and he KEPT leaving her alone after she had proven to be too impulsive for such a lack of supervision).
I appreciated the honest conversations and depictions around intrusive thoughts, death anxiety, and belongingness as a young adult. The mental health aspects were by far the strongest aspect of the novel and I felt like the author was sharing vulnerable snippets of their own life.
The parts I struggled with all had to do with Brynn’s recklessness and impulsivity. It’s partly a teenage thing, but it also felt a bit mischaracterized at times. Brynn’s a smart girl and she’s also got debilitating anxiety - so why is she making dangerous decision after dangerous decision?
There is not a romance aspect here besides two crushes (one that could blossom into something and another that was unrequited). And speaking of the crush on Skylar, the unwanted & unwarranted kiss was a big miss for me. It’s another impulsive Brynn decision that she quickly regrets, but it was an unneeded predatory moment and added nothing to the story.
I enjoyed the supernatural elements & plot, but was disappointed by the ending & lack of closure to that arc.
Overall, I enjoyed The Immeasurable Depth of You and the earnest & honest conversations it opens surrounding mental health and navigating teenagehood.
CW: mental illness, panic attacks, death (child death), grief, suicidal thoughts, suicide, medical content, blood, vomit, injury, animal cruelty (fishing), animal death, ableism & internalized ableism, murder (discussed), biphobia
Follow me on TikTok for book recommendations!
(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
I highly recommend checking out content warnings before jumping into this one, as it delves a lot into suicide and depression and anxiety. I believe it deals with these topics effectively, but this book does get very emotional at parts, and if those things are triggering for you, I'd probably recommend skipping this one.
Brynn is a strongly developed character, sent to live with her dad in Florida after something that happened online. Her mom wants her to have a detox of sorts from social media and from the internet. The main storyline about Brynn struggling with her mental health, about her trying to figure out how to move forward, is probably the strongest aspect of the book overall.
Soem of the other elements of the book, and some of the side characters, needed a bit more development, but overall, this is a strong examination of mental health, social media, and just being a teenager.
Brynn is a strongly developed character, sent to live with her dad in Florida after something that happened online. Her mom wants her to have a detox of sorts from social media and from the internet. The main storyline about Brynn struggling with her mental health, about her trying to figure out how to move forward, is probably the strongest aspect of the book overall.
Soem of the other elements of the book, and some of the side characters, needed a bit more development, but overall, this is a strong examination of mental health, social media, and just being a teenager.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Minor: Biphobia, Blood, Vomit
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was funny, sad, wholesome, and relatable all at once. Brynn was relatable in so many anxiety filled ways, dealing with a mind that constantly betrayed her.
I really liked the setting of this book too. The boat life and summer vacation were detailed nicely even if Brynn didn't ever have lady luck on her side. The mentions of internet friends, fanfiction, and Brynn blurting out that she liked girls to her dad, all warmed my heart.
While this book does deal with heavy topics (I suggest reading the content warnings) there were so many wholesome and funny parts too. I also would like to mention it was nice to read a book with a dad who knew their kid and genuinely cared for her. He knew not only her medical history but also the fandom edits she made. I don't see this nearly enough in books.
Skylar deserved better than the life she got, but I was happy that she got some closure in the end.
Bi MC
Good Parents
Summer Vibes
Detailed Characters
Good Mental Health Rep
(First Person POV)
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
I really liked the setting of this book too. The boat life and summer vacation were detailed nicely even if Brynn didn't ever have lady luck on her side. The mentions of internet friends, fanfiction, and Brynn blurting out that she liked girls to her dad, all warmed my heart.
While this book does deal with heavy topics (I suggest reading the content warnings) there were so many wholesome and funny parts too. I also would like to mention it was nice to read a book with a dad who knew their kid and genuinely cared for her. He knew not only her medical history but also the fandom edits she made. I don't see this nearly enough in books.
Skylar deserved better than the life she got, but I was happy that she got some closure in the end.
Bi MC
Good Parents
Summer Vibes
Detailed Characters
Good Mental Health Rep
(First Person POV)
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the eARC of this in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Death, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Blood, Vomit
emotional
medium-paced
I really enjoyed the beginning of this story. We follow Brynn, who has anxiety, OCD, and intrusive thoughts, especially about death. Because of something she posted on her blog about death that her mom interpreted as a suicide note, she is grounded for the summer. Three entire months with no computer, no phone, no internet, and in Florida with her dad – who she had barely any contact with since the divorce five years ago. Even worse: her dad lives on a boat.
Because she doesn’t fit in at school, she doesn’t have any friends in real life and the internet is everything to her.
I really liked that aspect of the story. How the internet was important for her and how she dealt with it, without any way of contacting her best friend.
But what I really, really loved was the mental health representation. I said it earlier, but Brynn is not ok. She does see a therapist regularly but mental health is not that simple. I feel like the representation was well done, I could see myself in some things, but definitely check the trigger warnings before because it is pretty graphic and not for everyone.
For the rest of the story….. Meh. My first impression of Skylar is that she is mean and an asshole, and that didn’t change as I read through the book. On their first encounter she makes Brynn fall from her paddleboard by surprising her, which results in Brynn losing her paddle and contacts, so she really struggles getting back to her dad’s boat. But Brynn has to see her again because she is hoooot you understand.
The mystery behind Skylar wasn’t really a mystery and all I can see from it is making Brynn do some dangerous things and hurting people’s feelings. It started becoming hard to keep reading at some points with all the bad decisions she made. I just wanted to shake her violently and tell her to think about other people instead of just her and Skylar. She did some pretty very Not Ok things during the length of the story.
Because of that, of the way she kept lying and deceiving her father, I couldn’t appreciate their relationship that much. Anyways, big up to Brynn’s dad for being supporting and trying, trying and trying.
Because she doesn’t fit in at school, she doesn’t have any friends in real life and the internet is everything to her.
I really liked that aspect of the story. How the internet was important for her and how she dealt with it, without any way of contacting her best friend.
But what I really, really loved was the mental health representation. I said it earlier, but Brynn is not ok. She does see a therapist regularly but mental health is not that simple. I feel like the representation was well done, I could see myself in some things, but definitely check the trigger warnings before because it is pretty graphic and not for everyone.
For the rest of the story….. Meh. My first impression of Skylar is that she is mean and an asshole, and that didn’t change as I read through the book. On their first encounter she makes Brynn fall from her paddleboard by surprising her, which results in Brynn losing her paddle and contacts, so she really struggles getting back to her dad’s boat. But Brynn has to see her again because she is hoooot you understand.
The mystery behind Skylar wasn’t really a mystery and all I can see from it is making Brynn do some dangerous things and hurting people’s feelings. It started becoming hard to keep reading at some points with all the bad decisions she made. I just wanted to shake her violently and tell her to think about other people instead of just her and Skylar. She did some pretty very Not Ok things during the length of the story.
Because of that, of the way she kept lying and deceiving her father, I couldn’t appreciate their relationship that much. Anyways, big up to Brynn’s dad for being supporting and trying, trying and trying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Peachtree and NetGalley for a free advanced copy. I received this copy in exchange for my honest review.
I have really, really complicated feelings about this book. First off, as many other readers have said: please take the trigger warnings and notes on this book seriously. This book deals with a lot of heavy topics—including on-the-page panic attacks, intrusive and repetitive thoughts, and more. Despite being an average-length novel and very accessible in its language, I really struggled to get through this one because of how overwhelming it was at times.
Relatedly, the pacing off this book felt a little off to me. I felt like I was slogging through the first half of the book for ages, trying to understand the “mystery” and relationship between Brynn and Skylar, and then I breezed through the second half of the novel in no time. The book relies heavily on the setting of the bayou, but to be honest, it was only once we actually get to leave the bayou that I feel like the plot picks up steam.
The plot which, frankly, is pretty shallow. The book tries to really emphasize the mysterious aspects of the situation and lean into the paranormal/not-quite-magical realism, but it’s a very straightforward parallel to Brynn’s mental health struggles. This feels like less of a summertime mystery/thriller and more like a character exploration, which is fine, but definitely not accurate to what the book is promoting itself as—or even what the book seems to consider itself to be. With Brynn as our narrator, there’s a big emphasis on her friendship with Skylar and how important their relationship is, but as a reader I didn’t necessarily feel the same way. Sure, a big component to their relationship was Brynn’s crush on Skylar, but so much of the plot revolved around Brynn doing desperate and increasingly more reckless things to “help Skylar,” but I’m left feeling like I know next to nothing about the girl. (Which, yes, is probably intentional given the themes and resolution of the book—but I’m always going to feel frustrated by characters that feel more like plot devices that only exist to further the protagonist’s development rather than actualized characters with their own goals and agency.)
I also want to note that, while I liked the exploration of Brynn’s bisexuality and the frank descriptions of her crushes and sexuality, I was uncomfortable with how she treated Skylar at points.
Despite all of my complicated feelings on Brynn and Skylar’s relationship—which should be the real heart of the novel—I think the strengths of this book come out in Brynn’s relationships with the adults in her life. I loved how she reevaluated her relationships with both of her parents as well as her complicated feelings around their divorce. I loved how she connected with other community members—even if it was often during the aforementioned increasingly reckless adventures. (Honestly, I constantly found myself shocked at just how often Brynn would lie in order to sneak away for her missions, and I was often even more shocked at how few repercussions she found in these instances as well. Usually her misadventures would result in an emotional heart-to-heart with her father, and then the next day she’d already wake up planning another lie and another way to sneak out.
Overall, The Immeasurable Depth of You is a unique addition to the current YA landscape. It’s atmospheric and heavy but I appreciated the themes it sought to explore, even if the delivery left me a little unsatisfied. While I can imagine many teenagers who will find comfort in recognizing Brynn’s thought patterns and behaviors, I still want to heavily recommend being mindful of the warnings on this book before suggesting this to anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Cursing, Self harm, Murder
Minor: Animal death, Biphobia, Child death, Gun violence, Excrement, Car accident, Abandonment
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Immeasurable Depth of You creates a beautiful bridge between middle grade and YA that feels neither too juvenile nor too mature. One of my biggest takeaways from this book was its nuanced depiction of mental illness—fifteen-year-old Brynn struggles with anxiety, OCD, and ADHD, all of which interact in a symphony of neurodiversity. A child of divorce, she’s spending the summer offline on her dad’s Florida houseboat after her mom saw a Tumbler post of Brynn’s that concerned her. As Brynn learns to live in the moment and face her fears, she bonds with her dad and makes a new friend—one whose story is not so different from her own, only with a different ending. A breath of fresh air mixed with sea salt and sadness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Vomit
Minor: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Blood, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief