CW: Sexual Content ( )

I really liked the depictions of the swimming training and competing, and there was a lot of it. Appreciated the sex-positive approach. The romance wasn't the main reason I read the book, but it was fine. ( )

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a sweet contemporary young adult novel of friendship and love.

As high graduation approaches, competitive swimmer Maggie King is quite contemplative as she realizes she might be a bit behind the curve when it comes to relationships and life experience. She spends so much time focused on swimming she has little time for a social life. She has a close knit circle of friends which includes fellow swimmer Levi Lucassen, cheerleader Georgia and baseball player Hunter but she has no dating experience. Although Maggie has absolutely no regrets about the time she devotes to swimming, she is ready to explore her sexuality. Maggie decides to ask her best friend Levi to teach her how to hook up. While Levi is initially a little hesitant to agree to her suggestion, he finally agrees to her plan. Their lessons quickly turn steamy and their relationship soon becomes complicated by unexpected emotions just as their respective swim competitions heat up.

Levi and Maggie are well-adjusted teenagers who have families who are incredibly supportive. Their swimming schedules are pretty grueling so there is not much opportunity for typical teen activities. Levi has already made the cut to try out for the Olympics and Maggie is hoping to secure her cut as well. Neither of them have the time or desire for a relationship and they are taken off guard when their friendship begins to change after they start making out. Maggie is open to discussing what comes next for them but will Levi be open to taking their relationship to the next level?

Coming Up for Air by Miranda Kenneally is a wonderful coming of age novel with a realistic storyline and a fantastic cast of characters. this latest addition to the Hundred Oaks series can easily be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the other books in the series as well. ( )

This is my first book by Miranda Kenneally, and I love the way she tackles tough teenage topics. Coming Up for Air tackles a couple of different teenage issues. One is how to deal with competition and self-confidence in sports. The other is hooking up. This was a great read, the characters were well developed, and the difficult issues that were tackled were well handled. I would have no problem if my 16 and above teenagers read this. This story is told in the first person.


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3.75 Stars

This is such a great summer romance. I mean it all about swimmers, and friendship, and falling for your best friend. I mean what more could you want in a summer contemporary? Coming Up for Air showcases that you can go after what you want, in your romantic life and in your passion, and come out on top.

Things I Liked:
I loved the friendship group we are introduced to. Maggie and Levi are both swimmers, with Olympic aspirations, Hunter is an Air Force bound- baseball player, and Georgia is a gymnast turned cheerleader. This friend group felt so incredibly genuine. You could immediately connect with them and their love for one another.

I loved all of the swimming in this book! I’ve been swimming since I was little and I loved seen two people who love swimming more than anything work towards the Olympics!

Maggie King and Levi Lucassen are such a great couple. We see their friendship and how much they genuinely care for each other. I love that Levi is a little book nerd, who has fantastic taste in YA fantasy. I love that Maggie wants to experience romance, but never lets that eclipse her love of swimming of her goal of making the Olympic trials. They are both so OPEN with each other. They share and talk and communicate! It was great to see - Yes they have their ups and downs as any high school relationship would, but I couldn’t stop smiling every time they were together.

Things I Didn’t Like:
I felt like Roxy was a super one dimensional character. She was Maggie’s former friend turned nemesis. She was basically a bitchy mean girl; someone for Maggie to overcome in the story.

I loved reading a contemporary where the girl doesn’t let a relationship overtake her life. Maggie may want to be with Levi, but she won’t let that take precedent over swimming. The way their relationship develops is natural and swoon-worthy. I loved seeing them together and loved every minute of their story!

I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. ( )