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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First off I have to say that I am in LOVE with Anna’s writing. It was like a movie playing in my mind! The words flowed with the emotions and sensations that made me feel I was living the life with the characters.
I live for stories where reality merges with fantasy with a touch of magic. Marissa’s life turned upside down the moment she went into the waves to save the boy of her dreams. Now she has to race against time to fix the “curse” before time runs out and she forever lives under the waves. Anna does a wonderful job with the descriptions of scenes throughout the book that evokes the natural emotion of the characters within you. And although it reads like an NA romance, Anna throws little twists and turns that makes you keep on reading to find out what happens next.
I am seriously looking forward to more books like these from the author!
Underwater by Anna B.Doe was very different from the usual romance books I read. It mixed fantasy with contemporary romance expertly. And at the end it was one of those magical and out of the world love stories!
Marissa belongs to a beautiful island of Hawaii. Ocean is in her blood. Till one fateful stormy night came and forced her to choose a terrible option, she was the usual bubbly teenager. Now her time is running out. She has to make the boy who owns her heart fall in love with her else she will be forever lost in the darkness of the ocean. Ty, her best friend is the guy she has always loved but he never looked at her in that way. When bad boy Caleb enters her life, she starts feeling those swoony, sensual and intoxicating emotions. What will she do?
The story line is full of surprises. I kept on reading with bated breath as Marissa kept on fighting with the challenges in her life. I love Caleb so much! He may have a player reputation but he really cares for Marissa. He was ready to do anything for her even if it breaks his heart. He is sexy, intense, brooding and super protective. I liked Ty too but he is a bit too sweet for my choice. But he is a great guy nonetheless. The chemistry between the characters was amazing. It felt so surreal to go to the under ocean adventures with Marissa. The story was beautiful and brilliant.
Anna B. Doe has won my heart with her poignant storytelling in Underwater. It was an emotional and heart rending love story wrapped in the layers of magic, myth and fantasy.
Received ARC for Honest Review
ARC Review: This is my first book I’ve read by Anna and I absolutely loved it, a real life fairytale. Underwater is the perfect summer read the story flowed together perfectly there’s angst love friendship its definitely a must read you won’t be disappointed Anna B. Doe
Underwater was so unique, original and different from anything I read so far,and I loved it. While reading it I found myself lost in this fairytale created on the little island in Hawaii. I enjoyed it so much, and I liked every single character in it, witch is rare for me.
Marissa is someone who reminded me a lot of myself and my friends in our early high school days. Her love for the ocean is something that I could easily connect to, since I grew up by the ocean myself.I could understand what drew Marissa to Ty, but my heart was owned from the first moment he appeared by Caleb. Kind, charming guy with warm hazel eyes. I have to admit that I liked him a little bit more than Marissa and I enjoyed reading his POV. It made reading this book even better for me.
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”How does he do it? Most of the time he’s driving me crazy, but then there are times like this. Moments when he’s my anchor in the middle of the storm.”
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”The boy who sees way more than he should see. The boy who looks at me with those taunting, beautiful eyes, like he knows way more than he should know. Like he feels way more than he should feel.”
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Underwater is magical and perfect summer read. I don’t want to talk a lot about things that happen in it, I think people should go in it blind and enjoy it like I did.And I have to say that this cover is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever seen, I couldn’t stop staring at it. Can’t wait to have paperback version
A wonderful modern take on a beautiful fairytale. I was enthralled from the beginning and couldn’t stop reading till the end. I will force everyone I know to read it, especially my daughter and her friends.
This is a cute YA read that keeps your attention. Has the right amount of angst and heart break to keep you wanting more. I loved the banter between friends and the love twist that is unexpected. This is a mermaid fairytale with a twist that everyone will love.
“Is it wrong for me to want it? To want somebody to look at me and actually see me? “
This was a fun and wonderfully written revision of Little Mermaid and I loved it. YA’s and teens will love this clean rendition that shows a great, strong and decisive young lady. I love that the author takes time to develop her characters and even at their age they are allowed to not only think for themselves but have common sense too. So many author’s forget that just because it’s a YA doesn’t mean that the kids have not developed common sense.Instead we have a read that is fantasy and still carries a serious message buried in the story. Marrisa has gotten herself into a pinch but in the meantime finds out people are not always what they seem. She learns at the perfect age to set aside judgement and it ends of being her saving grace. Awesome read.
A BRILLIANT TWIST ON A CHILDHOOD FAIRYTALE THAT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY! Underwater was smart, angsty, unique and had a message that called to the very heart of me.
This is my first book by Anna B. Doe and one of the BEST things I have read in a long while. Sweet, mesmerizing and with unforgettable characters and a plot that kept me engrossed from start to finish, this story was unbelievably appealing. I loved getting lost in the waves of the story and watching a young woman find that sometimes, what you are looking for can be right in front of you from the very start. This book had some great feels too. I enjoyed it greatly and can’t wait to read ALL the stories from Miss Anna B. Doe!
Underwater gets a BRILLIANT FIVE BREATHTAKING STARS!
4
I love the twist Anna B Doe put on the classic tale “The Little Mermaid.” This book reminded me why I love dabbling in reading YA. It was beautifully written, fast-paced, and intriguing for a summer romance.
Marissa makes a deal with an ocean nymph to save the boy she loves. In return, she has three months to break the curse or live the rest of her life underwater. But can she make the boy she loves, fall in love with her? And what else is she missing along the way? And is being a mermaid for the rest of your life really that bad?
I enjoyed all of the characters in the story! And Anna did a fantastic job describing and illustrating the surf culture of today! I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet summer read!
A YA fantasy that lets you escape to a world of fantasy, magic and love. You’ll never be the same after reading this story.
Can I just say I love this book!! When I first started it, I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out. As I was reading, it was done in a matter of hours. The fantasy of mermaids has to come to life in this book! This young adult story is a surprise that you will want to unwrap again and again. The author has created a jewel in the rough!! Anna B. Doe has created a fantasy world that comes to life right in front of you.
I have never read a story quite like this that makes you believe in magic and love again!! Seriously- an amazing, well written, emotional story that helps you see sometimes you need to open your eyes to what is right in front of you. Anna B. Doe has another hit on her hands!
The characters and plot were spot on and it kept your attention from the beginning to the very last page. The chemistry between the characters sizzle and is very natural. The authors words help you escape from the real world and live in this world for the short time you are reading this book.
Marissa – Caleb – Taylor – and Noel – they are these amazing people who have been friends for a long time. Marissa saves someone and gives up a piece of herself to save them. She comes up with a plan on how to save herself from her fate, but the it turns out to be more than she expected. It works out how it is supposed to with many twists and turns. It has all the elements of YA that you love, along with with fantasy and mystery. Go one click this book now!!
5 CRANKY STARS
This is a good reinvention of a fairy tale. It is well written and interesting. I’m sure the young adult readers will enjoy it. I can see this as a folk tale being told around a large bonfire on a beach. The wise old grandfather would be emphasizing the major points in this story- Be careful what you wish for, and don’t take everyone at face value. Question, question, question your decisions. Sometimes there is more to someone than you could imagine. Look at what is right in front of you before you make a hasty decision. I think you understand what I’m saying.
Back to the story. Marissa is a high school senior living in Hawaii. She has loved Tyson since she first met him years ago. Of course, to him, she is just a friend. In her pursuit of him, she will do anything. This almost brings about her downfall. When he is caught surfing in a dangerous storm and pulled under, she must save him. She pulls it off with the help of a magical creature but her life changes forever. She has three months to get the man holding her heart to admit it or she will be doomed.
Then, along comes Ty’s best friend Chad. He is actually in love with Marissa, but she barely tolerates him. In a bid to make Ty jealous, Chad pretends to be her boyfriend. When all the truths come out, this becomes a cute little love story. I would recommend this book to all ages who enjoy light reading.
Underwater gave me the “feels” and had me wanting to slap Marissa about a dozen times. However, by the of the story my urge to do so subsided somewhat. This story and characters are exciting and full of life and it shows that sometimes the best things in life are right in front of you… you just have to open your eyes, take it all in and take a leap of faith.
Underwater is a modern fairytale/ contemporary YA romance with some fantasy elements. The Little Mermaid is one of my favourite fairytales so I was excited about this book I had high hopes and I wasn’t disappointed when I finished the book. It was absolutely amazing I love romantic stories so I really enjoyed it It’s a perfect read for summer – beach, ocean, dolphins, surfing, hot boys It’s funny, sweet, emotional, romantic The scenes with dolphins were so cute. And the cover is so beautiful I really like Anna’s style of writing. I haven’t read any of her books…until now. I couldn’t put it down. I only needed few hours to finish the book. I want to thank Anna for giving me an ARC of her new book.
(Sorry for any spelling mistakes. English is not my native language.)
It’s a YA fairy tale romance, and I loved it! I kind of see it coming already, but the feels will hit you. It’s unique and a breath of fresh air reading something different. Unrequited love ALWAYS get to me. I even got teary eyes some parts. I swoon pretty hard for Caleb. I was rooting for him from the getgo. Marissa’s love for Tyler was so touching. I love every character! Well thought out plot by Anna. Props to her!
I was so excited when this book was announced. I couldn’t wait to read it, and I wasn’t disappointed!!
It is a sweet coming of age YA novel. It has fantasy elements, but isn’t truly a fantasy. It seems as if a girl being a mermaid would be fantastical, but this Anna B. Doe writes the story in such a way that you don’t feel it’s fantasy.
Marissa is so relatable, she has been nursing an unrequited love, and you want to see her happy.
Caleb and Ty are both very easy characters to fall in love with, I’m glad I didn’t have to decide!
The ending of the book is just right.
Wish I could give more than 5 stars for this book.
As expected this story turned out to be wonderful. I read it in one sitting because it was that good. I’m kinda happy I didn’t read it at night. I would have been sleep deprived!!
Once I started reading the book I could not stop reading it. Like all other Anna’s books, this had me hooked from the beginning.
The place set up, the explanation it was so easy to picture it.
And if by any chance this gets made into a movie. It would be my favourite after Beauty and the Beast. Not kidding.
I absolutely loved the characters and also the friendship between Mar and Noel is so cute.
And I thought the dolphin on the cover is for just aesthetic purpose but no. I absolutely love dolphins and fell in love with them even more!! Anna B Doe….you’re so talented!!!!
I recieved a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a retelling of The Little Mermaid.
The author puts her own twists in this story though.
She does a good job describing things that are underwater and the world building is great.
If you like fairytale retellings give this one a shot
This was a great twist to the The Little Mermaid. This storyline is fun and unique. The author uses such beautiful words that you just get sucked in from the first chapter. I felt like I was there, a part of this beautiful story.
And the cover is just stunning!
Underwater by Anna B. Doe was a sweet fairytale with a sprinkle of angst. It was just the perfect read to cheer me up and make me smile.
Caleb and Marissa were sooooo cute together! I just adored Caleb’s, golden heart. He was cute AND sweet! So sweet.
I loved the scenery, the fact that it was based in the tropics of Hawaii. It was just peaceful when the descriptions arose. It was really nice to have that image in my head. Made the book all the more perfect.
Out of all the books I’ve read of this author’s, this one is my personal favourite. It was sweet and ansgty, but not too angsty, and the views just had me floating on paradise. Incredible!
4 Stars
Review by Lisa
Late Night Reviewer
Up All Night w/ Books Blog
There is something magical about this story that is swoon-worthy. Underwater by Anna B. Doe is a story that makes you sigh that happy sigh at the end and just love it. It’s a fast-paced story that has all the details and feels throughout. It had me wanting to slap Marissa upside the head at times, but I still loved her determination.
Marissa is just a normal girl living life by the water in Hawaii until one night, a nasty storm rolls in and changes her life. Risking her own life to save the boy she loves and then dealing with the consequences of her own actions from that night.
Going through the emotions of what she has done and figuring out to reverse it all is one challenge where Marissa needs to step up her game.
One thing I loved about this story is that we get to jump into the mix of things right from the start. From there on, we just keep going not stopping till the last page. Sometimes I don’t want to read the slow burn and build up, and this story was perfect for me!! Jump in and let’s go!!!