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Breathing Under Water is a beautifully written, lyrically told tale that takes a tragic and heartbreaking turn. The language is rich and poetic, immersing the reader until they too, drown in the story. I was with Grace as she began her dark, downward spiral, dealing with her grief in a manner that was both destructive to her and the relationships and lives of those she cared for. I was her conscience, wishing she would see what she was doing to herself, wishing that someone would step in and say, “Enough!”

Grace was born 12 minutes after her brother and for her whole life she has felt to be living in his shadow. He was always the golden child, the poster boy surfer, the glint of pride in his father’s eye. But not only that, he was also the spirit, the heart of the family, the spark that kept them all together. So, when tragedy strikes, everything begins to fall apart, starting with Grace…

 

It is emotionally powerful, eloquently written and deeply immersive. I believe, it is important to see how shattered one’s life can become – but how it is still possible to begin to pick up the pieces, mend the cracks and seek renewal. It is a story of grief, and how we deal with it. It is a story of love, and what challenges it. And it is a story of humanity.

 

It is at times wild, and does feature some pretty dark themes. As such it is more fitting to a somewhat-mature teen audience (years 10-12) – but fans of John Green and Melina Marchetta should devour it greedily. The writing style, likewise, takes a little getting used to – at times it is more poetry than prose – but I found it an interesting and compelling read.

 

School-Frances is head girl in her academy, gets straight A’s, and a complete study machine. Real-Frances never comes out, and she can never express her love for the fandoms she adores, the punky clothing she wears and the music she blares in her headphones.

 

Then as she meets Aled she is not afraid or scared to be ‘Real Frances’, talk about what she wants to do excluding school and share her love of her favourite Youtube podcast Universe City. But as a lengthy year passes, Frances and Aled lose what’s most important to them, leading Frances to acknowledge her identity, and to confess the disappearance of Carys.

 

I rate this book five stars! I truly love everything about it. It’s relatable and can express how you may feel through high school.

After reading the first book, I knew straight away that I needed to get the sequel. I waited and waited for the book to become available – but after a month of waiting, I honestly forgot about it. Then, like a miracle, one day I’m searching for a new book to read and my dad pulls out PS I Still Love You. I started reading straight away. It was a like rollercoaster of emotions, but the best rollercoaster ever. I just wanted to keep reading and reading forever, but my schedule got pretty busy, and I wasn’t finding enough time to finish. Finally, I spent a whole night reading until my eyes hurt, and when I was done, I celebrated with an uncoordinated victory dance. My dad asked me, “Are you happy that you finished or because of how good the ending was?” I said, “Both.” But now that I think about it, as happy as I was to finally finish, I was more excited about the way it finished and how I couldn’t wait to read the final book. To anyone that’s a true romantic, I would definitely suggest this trilogy to you, because the first two books were two of the best books I’ve ever read, and I’m sure the third will be just as good – I’m sure you’ll be reading about it in a couple newsletters’ time.

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