Marissa Davenport is just a regular girl living in a small town on the island of Hawaii until one fateful night changes everything for her. The ocean takes away the boy she loves, and to save him, she will risk her own life.Now, she has to confront the consequences of her actions. The consequences of her choice. With the pressure of a dark secret looming over her, Marissa has to figure out how to … out how to return things to how they were before or she might lose everything forever. Her friends, her family, the boy she loves and even her own existence.
Some fairytales are real; they live Underwater.
*Underwater is a standalone Contemporary YA Romance, a modern fairytale retelling that will capture your hearts and take you on an adventure you’ll never forget!*
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Wow! Anna is a new author to me but Underwater was everything magical that you would expect, it was your teen angst that you can relate too because you probably lived through it. Some romantic young love moments to make you swoon! And it’s just a fantastic young adult fantasy novel with a modern twist retelling. Fans of The Little Mermaid will LOVE this novel!!!
The story follows Marissa and her journey to breaking a spell cast on her by a sea nymph. I don’t want to spoil anything though so you’ll just have to read it to find out!!
The first thing that drew me into reading this book was the fact that it was a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales—The Little Mermaid. But with Underwater, Anna B. Doe put her own magic twists and delivered her very own version.
A wonderfully modern fairytale of young, unrequited love that will definitely keep you turning the pages. Cute, sweet, and with its own brand of angst and longing.
There were a few times where I wanted to punch Marissa so bad, I just wanted her to open her eyes and see what was in front of her. Caleb, on the other hand, was my favorite character—he was book-boyfriend material, and I loved him to pieces.
Overall, 3.5-4 stars! If you are in the mood for a story with a fantasy feel and a summertime vibe, this is the one for you! Be ready to dive Underwater!
ARC Review of Underwater by Anna B. Doe
This book was such a good emotional read with a twist on a classic mermaid fairy tale romance.Underwater had a new story line to me that was so refreshing and the cover was so beautiful it caught my attention immediately. This story was beautifully written and the characters all fit in place and made me want them as my friends. A book filled with friendship, unrequited love, secrets, and an unexpected but happy and filled with love ending. WARNING this book will have you longing to be in Hawaii or at least in some type of water. I know after reading this I’m ready for a swim in the lake.
Marissa is in love with Taylor who she ends up saving by making a deal with a mermaid. Little does Marissa know what that deal has cost her. Taylor is oblivious but smart and sweet. Taylor and Caleb are best friends but are like night and day. Caleb is hiding his feelings behind his bad boy looks but soon gets the chance to act on them even if it ends up hurting him in the end. Then there is Marissa’s best friend Noelani who is funny and caring an all around great friend to have.
This is a must read!!
I adored Marissa and her mythical encounter with the deep blue sea. Quite a predicament she found herself in, trying to save the boy she loved from drowning and unknowingly exchanging her freedom in the process. The lengths someone would go for the ones they loved was truly tested in this book. But at what cost?
As the story progressed, it wasn’t so clear who Risa’s heart belonged to after all. Lines started to blur and feelings became jumbled as she spent more time with the bad boy of the beach Caleb. Her sights were fully set on the golden boy surfer Ty, but he had clearly put her in the friend zone long ago. Torn between two incredible guys, Marissa was faced with the uncertainty of which one could actually break the curse and save her.
A modern day spin on a classic story, this young adult romance with a fantasy feel was a wonderful read! The characters were endearing. The setting was perfect for a summertime read. The story line was unique and sweet. And the ending, oh the ending! My heart was so happy!!!!! I couldn’t get enough of Risa and Caleb and never wanted the book to end.
I loved how different this story was. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect with the blurb on this, and I think that’s why I decided to read it! There were aspects of the story that were your typical “fairytale” and your typical high school romance, but Anna gave us some really great twists and turns along the way.
Marissa’s character is sooo strong in this story. I adore her and Noel, they are everything you think of for best friends who live next door to each other. Part of this, includes boys and secrets! Marissa had a HUGE secret throughout this book, and I thought it was super interesting that she never told Noel. For that matter, I was shocked she kept her secret to herself as long as she did. My favorite part of their friendship was that Noel knew her so well. When it came to Ty and Caleb, Noel was the first person to know how Marissa was feeling, probably even before Marissa.
Now, throw in Ty and Caleb. From the moment we meet them I knew each was special for very different reasons. Ty was your typically boy crush, the boy that the girl pined over all of her life. I really liked that Noel wanted to help push Marissa to finally show how she felt! At the same time, I couldn’t believe the lengths that Noel went to help Ty. Then we have Caleb, who was the super hot, bad boy type. In so many ways Caleb helped rescue Marissa. Seeing Marissa have her inner turmoil over which guy to pick was everything in this story.
One of my favorite parts of a YA story is the raw and real emotions. The emotions that both Caleb, Ty and Marissa all feel are SO relatable! I will always remember the crush that I never told, or the guy who liked me and I didn’t know. So many things! Throw in best friends like Rob and Noel, and you definitely have a great high school story. I really enjoyed this story a lot. I liked how it was different and I liked how it had a lot of layers too it. It was a lot more than you might expect from the description, and that’s always a plus!
Such a great, easy-to-read story! I read this in one night – I couldn’t put it down!
Underwater was a fast-paced, fantastically written story of mermaids, unrequited love, fake relationships, secrets, with a little suspense added to the mix.
Marissa risks her own life to save the life of the guy she loves. Now she’s on a mission to save her own life before time runs out.
The story wastes no time diving in to the drama. I loved how the fairytale retelling gave us a glimpse of the “friendly” mermaids we loved as kids and mixed it with the sirens that aren’t as nice. Marissa’s necklace was such a great touch to this story.
I loved how it mixed high school and all the issues that come with it to a fantasy/ fairytale.
If you love drama and angst in a new adult romance, I highly suggest this. Just note – there is heat between the two main characters but no sex.
Spanish:
“Underwater” de Anna B. Doe es una novela romántica young adult, un cuento de hadas moderno, elementos fantásticos y con surfistas muy guapos que dudaras a quien elegir. Este es el primer libro que leo de esta autora y además hacía mucho tiempo que no leía un libro como este y lo disfrute al máximo. Esta historia muy original, te atrapa y te da ganas de ser la protagonista en innumerables veces.
Marissa es una joven que vive en una isla de Hawaii tranquilamente, hasta que un día el chico que le gusta le golpea una ola mientras esta surfeando y desaparece en el fondo del agua. Marissa no duda en ir a su rescate y se encontrará con una ninfa marina que le ayudará, sin darse cuenta de que todo tiene su precio.
Desde el principio supe bien elegir al personaje con el que se rompería la maldición. Y es que antes de que todo pasará sabía que este personaje le robaría el corazón a Marissa. Me encanto que la maldición de diera bastante tiempo y el collar fue un elemento perfecto. Las escenas en el agua estaban muy bien detalladas y ame a los delfines. No dudo en volver a leerla en un futuro próximo y se la recomiendo a todo el mundo porque es una historia super mágica, única e imposible de no gustar.
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English:
“Underwater” by Anna B. Doe is a young adult romantic novel, a modern fairy tale, fantastic elements and with very handsome surfers that you will hesitate who you choose. This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it’s been a long time since I’ve read a book like this and I’ve enjoyed it the most. This very original story captures you and makes you want to be the protagonist in countless times.
Marissa is a teenager who lives on an island of Hawaii quietly, until the day the guy she likes is hit by a wave while surfing and disappears to the sea bottom. Marissa doesn’t hesitate to come to his rescue, and she will find an ocean nymph that will help her, without realizing that everything has its price.
From the beginning, I knew how to choose the character with whom the curse would be broken. Before it all happened, I knew that this character would steal Marissa’s heart. I loved that the curse gave enough time, and the necklace was a perfect element. The scenes in the water were very well detailed, and I loved the dolphins. I have no doubt that I will read it again in the near future and I recommend it to everyone because it is a very magical story, unique and impossible not to enjoy.
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A modern day fairy tale with a whole lot of angst, unrequited love and an unexpected forever.
To save the life of the boy she’s been in love with for years, she makes a deal with the ocean nymph. She has three months to break the curse, or her life as a human will be over and she will become a mermaid forever.
Seems like an attainable task to make the boy you love, love you back. However, it’s not when he never “sees” you as anything more than a friend. She’s got to up her game plan.
Marissa is willing to do whatever it takes to make Ty love her, including making him jealous by dating his best friend Caleb. Nothing like a fake boyfriend to make him notice you. It seemed like a great plan at the time.
This was a fun fantasy read. I enjoyed these characters and the love that developed. Caleb was the bad boy with a big heart. Ty was completely clueless in all things to do with Marissa. Marissa was self-sacrificing and had tunnel vision when it came to matters of the heart. Good thing they all eventually figured out the way things were meant to be.
It was a story that I enjoyed. A great escape for something a little bit different. And they lived Happily Ever After.
Wow! Anna B. Doe really delivers in this beautiful YA fairy tale romance. Underwater was truly a light and fun summer read. It’s unique, refreshing and absolutely magical.
Without giving too much away, the story follows Marissa as she bravely risks her life to save the boy that she has loved for years. But in order to do so, she had to bargain and now must uphold her end of the deal. She has just three months to complete the task or her world will be forever changed.
The gorgeous cover and intriguing blurb are what drew me to this novel, but the story-line is what truly hooked me. It was wonderfully written with a well developed plot and endearing characters that I fell head over heels for. I am completely enchanted by this whole new world that Anna B. Doe has created.
I loved this refreshing modern day fairytale. It’s a little different but it’s a fun and enjoyable book that’s takes you away for a moment.
Marissa and Ty were great together, their story was very interesting and I couldn’t tell wait to see how it would unfold. The angst of wondering whether or not Ty would return Marissa’s unrequited love, had me biting my nails.
Underwater is a great escape that I recommend reading.