Fans of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen will fall in love this contemporary debut about finding yourself-and finding love-in unexpected places.Ocean breeze in her hair and sand between her toes, Anise can’t wait to spend the summer before her senior year surfing and hanging out on the beach with friends. Santa Cruz is more than her home-it’s her heart. But when her aunt, a single mother, is in a … single mother, is in a serious car accident, Anise must say goodbye to California to help care for her three young cousins.
Landlocked Nebraska is the last place Anise wants to be. Sure, she loves her family, but it’s hard to put her past behind her when she’s living in the childhood house of the mother who abandoned her. And with every Instagram post, her friends back home feel further away.
Then she meets Lincoln, a charismatic, one-armed skater who challenges her to swap her surfboard for a skateboard. Because sometimes the only way to find your footing is to let go.
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Anise is a compelling character I loved getting to know, and Lincoln is a charmer I want to meet, for real. If only I’d been so zen at his age. The cast of characters quickly became very real to me, and wishing I could see what happens to them down the road only affirms what a great story this is.
I would recommend to anyone who enjoys YA Summer Romances and YA Life Lessons…oh and anyone who enjoys surfing or skateboarding!
Leaving home may not be easy for everyone, but it’s absolute torture for Anise. So when her Aunt, a single parent living in Nebraska, ends up in a severe car accident and needs help taking care of her three kids, Anise and her dad fly out from their home in California to help for the summer.
Anise understands why she has to leave, but it’s still hard to leave her friends and her passion, surfing, behind. The summer brings new friends and experiences along with growth and understanding about things Anise didn’t quite understand before.
I was drawn into this book from the very beginning. California weather, the cool breeze of the beach, the soothing lull of the ocean, sun kissed surfers, and a group of friends with a special bond is enough to make you want to read Girl out of Water.
I loved this book and the title is oh so fitting. Anise is ready for the best summer of her life with it being the last time she and her friends will be together before going off to college and moving on to other things. That is, until Anise’s dad informs her they have to fly to Nebraska to help her aunt who was in a bad car accident.
What I loved about this book is that Anise is afraid to leave her home and he friends. She’s out of her element in Nebraska and has to watch out for her three younger cousins while life continues to go on for her friends without her. But Anise realizes that Nebraska isn’t so bad when she meets super cute skater Lincoln. He helps her find the fun parts of Nebraska and see that foreign places have their own appeal than just surfing. While Anise grumbled about having to watch after her cousins, she really loved it and was invested in their safety and happiness.
Also, there is a beautiful life lesson in this book. Friendship is an unbreakable bond. No matter how long you go without talking to someone or how many miles separate you, friendships last forever. Yes, moving on from high school is hard. It means leaving your home to some new city or state. It means saying goodbye to your friends. I think Laura Silverman incorporated these things beautifully into the story.
I really loved this book. It was fun and a little adventurous. I really liked Anise and could kinda relate to her fears. Lincoln was such an awesome character and he was just Anise needed. I also liked Anise’s dad and her other family members. The twins are a riot. I seriously would recommend this book to everyone.