Girl Underwater - Claire Kells

Girl Underwater

By Claire Kells

  • Release Date: 2015-03-31
  • Genre: Action & Adventure
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 254 Ratings

Description

An adventurous debut novel that cross cuts between a competitive college swimmer’s harrowing days in the Rocky Mountains after a major airline disaster and her recovery supported by the two men who love her—only one of whom knows what really happened in the wilderness.

Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school, she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university’s nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.

That all changes when Avery’s red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery’s college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person—something she refused to do. Instead she’s avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with sub-zero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could’ve imagined.

In the wilderness, the concept of survival is clear-cut. Simple. In the real world, it’s anything but.

Reviews

  • Page Turner

    5
    By Plain Old Walker
    This author writes only what you need to know to engage your curiosity, giving glimpses of a love story and making you carve more information.
  • Girl Underwater

    5
    By MimiO-8
    I LOVED this book. It’s not the usual type of book I read. But, this one got me hooked and I had to keep reading....into the night....and to finish the next day. I rarely find books that I don’t want to put down. I won’t get into what the story is about, you can see that in the preview. But it’s well worth your time to read.
  • Girl Underwater

    2
    By Former redhead
    Hopefully the author will learn from her first writing experience, because _all_ the characters and situations in this story read to me like ‘plot devices’. I got this book because I like survival situations, and the lukewarm reviews promised eventual worthwhile resolution. Well, winding it up in the last few lines of the epilogue is really too late, especially when it’s clear who’s going to end up with who, right from the get-go. And some things never were cleared up: why was it a ‘Lie’ that the group didn’t stay together? Big deal! Plot device- totally unnecessary! I think this story would have benefited from being told in two parts, not batted back and forth like a badminton game. I read 2-4 books a week, and it’s been awhile since I’ve been so annoyed by any novel!
  • Hurtles toward conclusion

    4
    By pnw_macalou
    The beginning of the book put me off a bit because the writing was clipped and clumsy, but the author finally hits her stride and tells a richly detailed story of love, loss, and hope. These elements are woven together inside characters who could be more complex, especially given their ages. Some events (ex: Gruder) were contrived for singular purpose, which made the storyline fall a little flat in places. The ending was satisfying but contrite. Overall a decent read that moves quickly -- sometimes breathlessly -- to its conclusion.
  • Reads like fanfic

    2
    By wmlimmer
    Good story; amateur writing.
  • Wow! Great first novel.

    5
    By Shotkizer
    I really love this book. The two time frames, past and present, was what made it work. Excellent job and good luck with your future endeavors!
  • Beautiful, extremely worth-while read!

    5
    By 12)?/&&
    So well written! A perfect blend of emotions. This book pulls you in, I couldn't put it down (to the tune of 3am) a beautiful story of adversity, perseverance, love, and finding ones self in the aftermath of tragedy. Beautifully, expertly done.
  • Great Read

    5
    By Aussie girl126
    This is a story of survival and going forward. Blended adventure, family and love story beautifully.