So I finished Girl Out of Water and............
It was freaking fabulous! Girl Out of Water, is a coming of age, YA contemporary novel. That will no doubt make you yearn for summer and maybe even that summertime crush.
From the start, Girl Out of Water made me desire summer, the beach, the sunshine and the pure sounds of waves in a beautiful summer night. Also, let's not forget a summer crush, which for me has always been Keanu Reeves hehe
This book unquestionably has me aching for summer. But that's not the only thing this book is about. Girl Out of Water is definitely more than that.

It made me long for more time with family, spending time and making memories with them. It made me think about loss and grief but also abandonment and neglect and how people deal differently.
How people see others with disabilities and wish people would just treat us like everyone else.
This book really opens your eyes and makes you feel things very profound and real.

This book is faultless and intelligently refined. And I simply can not wait for Ms. Lauran Silverman's other works.
I recommend this book to anyone from YA to an adult, that wants to get in touch with the carefree self we once were as kids

I thought this was a wonderful debut novel from Laura Silverman! The descriptions of the settings and people seemed to pop right off the page, that's how real it all seemed to me. Here are a few other things I loved:

Anise's relationship with her father. What an awesome guy! Honestly, I would read a book with his story. I kinda wanted him to get together with Anise's aunt, because how perfect would that be for Anise? But this wasn't really his story, so I guess I can't be too disappointed with that lack of development. Still, I loved how Anise's dad always treated her with respect and gave her the freedom to make her own mistakes but wasn't afraid to lay down the law when Anise was acting irresponsibly or selfishly.



Lincoln. He made me laugh quite frequently with his humour and charm. I loved that he had a physical disability, but that he didn't let it stop him from doing anything he wanted to do. I loved how kind and friendly he was to Anise and her cousins. And I loved how he broadened Anise's horizons, showing her things and doing things with her that she would never have seen or done on her own. He almost makes me want to travel to Nebraska!



Anise. Although she did frustrate me, a lot at times, she was still a pretty cool chick! I would love to have her lifestyle, living on the beach and surfing and hanging out with cool friends. Except for the whole mom/abandonment issue, she's got it pretty good. And I loved how even though she was stuck in Nebraska for the summer, once she got over the whole downer of it, she embraced skateboarding as a challenge and gave it her all, practicing and falling and getting back up until she started to really appreciate it. Her determination in that regard was admirable.
There were a lot of great things to love about this book, but overall I felt it was a bit long and at times I was annoyed by Anise's internal dialogue and lack of communication with not only her friends in Santa Cruz but all the other people in her life. I also wanted more closure at the end - so many questions! But still, a wonderful summer read for those who enjoy coming-of-age stories.

My rating: 3.5 stars

I received an e-copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Our main character Anise loves the ocean and has lived in California all her life. She is a surfer and you can find Anise at the beach everyday on her surfboard. Her aunt is in a car accident and Anise and her dad have to go to Nevada for the summer to help with her cousins and aunt during her recovery. This really messes Anise up because she has started something with her long time best friend Eric and many of her friends are leaving once the summer is over. Anise might be in for a nice surprise in Nevada though and may have a new love interest soon. I liked this book and Anise learns a lot about herself in this story. I think this is a great summer read for those who like the young adult genre : }

This book was very hyped up for me by many other bloggers I know and follow. Anise is ready for the best summer in her home of Santa Cruz to spend with her friends before they leave for college and one for the navy. She expected a great summer full of surfing waves, late night bonfires, and the Surf Break - a big music festival. Her plans drastically change when her Aunt Jackie gets in a horrific car accident and she has to spend her summer in Nebraska babysitting her cousins; Parker, Nash and Emery as well as helping Aunt Jackie around the house.

Anise is devastated and sulking throughout her time in Nebraska with her cousins and her father. I really didn't like Anise's actions toward her friends and family, she was sulking the whole summer and taking it out on her friends and family members. I think she was selfish, however she made her summer work by taking her cousins to the skate park every day. She learns to appreciate the art of skateboarding to savor her loss of surfing all summer. I really liked the aspect of comparing Anise's love for surfing with her learning to skateboard. This also had some perks because she meets a local skater, Lincoln - a disabled black character who is an excellent skater despite living with one arm. Lincoln and Anise spark a relationship and go on adventures. I really liked seeing their adventures and the fun spots that Lincoln took her.

The writing was concise and I did get some great quotes out of it! I especially liked Lincoln's character because he pushed Anise and showed her that she didn't have to lack her sense of adventure just because of her mother's history. I appreciate this novel for Lincoln and his diversity, as well as the skateboarding and surfing aspect which I don't see often!

However, this novel just fell short for me with Anise. She really bothered me and I hated that she pushed away her friends because she was angry about her summer plans being messed up. Then, she came back to Santa Cruz confused why her friends weren't happy she was there? Like I mentioned, she was selfish but hid it from her cousins. I just didn't love this as much as I expected to. I would recommend this for a summer read.

I was given this ARC by NetGalley in return for an honest review.
I am aware of the circumstances surrounding this book and the author and my sole purpose is to honestly review this story after having read it in its entirety.
I had to take a two-day break from reading this story and needed a lot of encouragement from my husband and mom to finish it, because about half way through the book I felt like giving up for good, without possibility of reconsideration. But their encouragement worked wonders. I was intrigued to read a young adult contemporary novel about a sporty young woman, facing personal challenges. Sadly, I am not sure what the point of this story was.
The main character, with her personal problems and weaknesses I thought could have been a perfect character for great personal development; however, not much development ever did occur. And the secondary characters were all very well thought out to cater to the main character’s whims.
The writing was easy flowing enough to keep me going, even when it got almost too much to bear. Also, for almost 300 pages the author kept repeating that the main character lived in Santa Cruz, loved Santa Cruz, surfed in Santa Cruz, had her friends in Santa Cruz, misses Santa Cruz, and so on and so forth. It got extremely tiresome to keep reading about it.
The plot would have been great, if it hadn’t been created around those whims of the main character. It felt like the author was too scared to have the main character actually face real challenges and situations that would force her to change. Every time I thought the main character finally had to face the fact that life can not always be peachy, the plot magically twisted in such a way to make it easier for her. It got monotonous very quickly. Also, no action taken by the main character ever had any consequences, which made this entire story even more unrealistic.
Overall, I wanted to give this story a one-star rating, but changed my mind to rate it two-stars, since it could still be entertaining in a fluff-don’t-take-it-too-seriously-beach-read kind of way.

Despite my excitement over Girl Out of Water, I wasn't drawn into the story as I hoped. I did appreciate the poc and disabled rep, and liked some of the characters, but this book wasn't for me. I hope other readers would think otherwise because of the diverse rep.

Girl Out of Water was one of those books that I went into without know much about it, but the minute I opened it, I was inexplicably drawn to every part of the story. It's one of those YA books that may seem light and summery (not a bad thing), but also possesses a depth to it that made it memorable. I'm already crowning Girl Out of Water as one of the top debut novels of 2017.

I hate author comparisons, but as I was reading Silverman's novel, I kept thinking about how much this book would appeal to Morgan Matson, Jenn Bennett and Sarah Dessen fans. And I really think it would. Laura Silverman pays just as much attention to her characters and their character development as these author wonderful authors do. I seriously loved all the characters here. Anise and I didn't have a lot in common in terms of interests, but I bonded with her because of how multi-layered her character was. Her deep love for surfing, her kind soul and her shades of vulnerability truly made her an exceptional protagonist. When her dad decides to uproot her to the middle of nowhere, Nebraska, for her last summer break to take care of her recovering aunt, she is undeniably frustrated. This is a girl with a bond with the ocean as deep as Moana's, and a girl who lives to be around her friends, so she is completely thrown off balance at this turn of events. We see Anise's frustrations with the situation come out quite a bit through her actions and thoughts in the book, but I also love how she never let her family feel like they were a burden to her. She takes care of her cousins, and she grows up a lot throughout Girl Out of Water - she especially learns to deal with her mom leaving her dad and her.

Girl Out of Water also has a strong focus on the family dynamics. Firstly, there was Anise's relationship with her father. It's so beautifully written, and I fell head over heels in love with this father-daughter duo. They don't always see eye-to-eye, but there was an openness to their relationship and it was one that was built on trust. They were each other's moral support, and damn if that didn't make me want to tear up a time or two. Then, there was Anise's relationship with her cousins. Her mischievous twin cousins, were specially a highlight of the story. They were raucous little trouble-makers, but they pushed Anise to try new things. The pureness of their love for Anise was just too cute for words. Anise has a different relationship with her other cousin, Emery, mostly because Emery is dealing with teenage angst, but you see Anise stand as a role-model to her and helping her become better.

Friendship was another element explored in Girl Out of Water. I very much related to the conversations about long-distance friendships and how hard they can be to maintain. I saw a lot of my own mistakes in Anise's ones, so it hit very close to home, because I've lost many friendships because of my inability to maintain them long-distance. Unlike me though, Anise realized her faults, and by the end makes amends in repairing her relationships. There was also a pretty fantastic romance in Girl Out of Water. Though Anise had a potential beau back in California, I wasn't completely sold on him. The minute Lincoln entered the scene though, I was entirely too obsessed with this charming dimpled one-armed boy. He was a smooth-talking, teasing and kind-hearted boy with a bright personality, who truly pushed Anise to be a better version of herself. Their relationship was very much slow-burn, but with plenty of swoony kisses along the way. I need an age-appropriate Lincoln for myself.

I know that there are plenty of YA contemporary novels about family, love and growing up out there, but please, please, please give Girl Out of Water a chance. This book was just special in many ways, and it's only Laura Silverman's debut. Read it and join me in my fangirling over this story!

Some books are perfect for summer reading. Girl out of Water is definitely one of these; a breezy but heartfelt YA contemporary about growing up and moving on. It's entertaining but sincere and inclusive in equal measure. Bolstered by a great voice and personality in the main character of Anise and an engaging romance involving a black, one-armed badass skateboarder, Laura Silverman's debut novel is fun but also capable of really bringing the feels.

Surfer-girl Anise's story picks up right at the beginning of summer before she and her friends disperse into different directions - some bound for college, or off to serve in the military, or to endure one final year of high school. Her feelings of displacement and confusion about her future are not only about college but about the evolving nature of friendships and belonging, especially when her final summer and friend traditions are usurped by family emergencies and..... landlocked Nebraska.

Besides growing up, family is a big theme for Girl out of Water and its characters. Anise is haunted by her mother - a woman who flits in and out of her life but leaves the most impression when she is leaving. Lincoln, her swoon-worthy love interest who isn't defined by his disability or his race, also wrestles with family issues. The two bond and bicker over similarities and obvious differences; they have great chemistry and their banter is charming and fun. Anise has to grow a bit when it comes to her relationship; she comes from a place of privilege that must be acknowledged a couple times in the novel.

Anise's family, especially her cousins, and Lincoln himself are more defined and well-developed than her friends back in California, or anyone connected to Lincoln's character. I liked the inclusive nature to the group of friends and family but because they only appear as bookends to Anise's central plot, it can feel hollow (which is why it's also so easy to forget Anise had a love interest before Lincoln showed up). Anise and Lincoln steal the show and carry the novel, which is why I have so little issues upon finishing Girl out of Water. The ending may be a bit open-ended for readers who prefer finality, but Anise and Lincoln's futures look bright. As does the future of Laura Silverman, since her debut was refreshingly authentic.

I finally finished this book! I feel honestly bad for not having been able to finish it before the releasing date, but somehow my time flew by me. I did finish it though, and I really really enjoyed it.

The thing in this book that most stood out for me was the amazing writing. I loved it! I will for sure read any other thing that Lauren Silverman writes. This book is told in the first person, which on itself is a major plus for me, but Silverman managed to paint such vivid pictures and situations, that it was a delight to read, especially the parts that showed Anise’s connection to the sea.



But while the writing was wonderful, I had some issues truly connecting with Anise. I understand that being a teen is hard, and being taken away from everything you know for what seems like the most crucial moment of your life, would be super tough, but I wanted to slap this girl in the face when she started whining.

Hey, maybe it’s because I’m like Lincoln in a way. I started moving around when I was 9 and didn’t truly stop. I don’t have that special connection with my “home”, and I always felt like true friends would remain, even with miles and miles between us. I understood Anise to some degree, her connection to her friends and her fears. But her reactions and actions pissed me off. Here she is, living in a time where distance is just a number, and I truly felt like she didn’t put any effort.

Again, yeah yeah, I get it. She had to grow up and learn, and she does, and I was happy with her character growth in this book. But I still felt like it was completely avoidable, if only she had tried… just a little… she just had to answer her phone.

But even if I had my issues with Anise, please keep in mind that those only came up sometimes. For the most part, I truly liked her, especially when she was with her family and Lincoln. I loved how fiercely protective she was and how headstrong she could be.

Speaking of her family, I loved all the members in her little family. Her dad was awesome, and I loved their relationship, even if I thought that she should have tried to be a little more honest with him. I also loved her cousins, Emery, Parker and Nash, they had such unique personalities and small issues, and they just brought MORE to the story.

But Lincoln, the love interest, is a piece of art! I loved him 😀 ! I loved his strength and his confidence, and his cool head and rational thinking. I loved that he understood Anise and tried to support her even when he didn’t. I loved how he took care of his brother and the rest of the kids. Lincoln was an awesome character, and I loved him!

Now, I had some issues with the plot, especially the ending portion of this book. I already mentioned that some things that Anise did were not okay in my opinion, right? But the ending felt way too rushed for me. There was a lot of build-up regarding her relationship with her mom and her relationship with her tight group of friends, and in the end, everything was resolved with them in no time, and it was quite anticlimactic.

And while Anise grew a lot during the book, realized she was wrong and that her mother’s actions didn’t define her, and learned to take risks and leave her comfort zone, I was still hoping for some closure in some pretty major points in her life, such as her relationship with her mother, her decision regarding college, and what her relationship with Lincoln was to become. I guess I needed closure, and this book is totally open ended.

Overall, I really really liked this one, even if I had some issues along the way, and I truly recommend it.

SO, HAVE YOU READ GIRL OUT OF WATER? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT?

"Maybe hospital have McDonald's for one simple reason: fries stitch families back together."

Mmm. Fries. Delicious. Just like this book. Girl out of Water was absolutely delightful! This is the story of a young girl named Anise Sawyer who would love nothing more than to surf every day of every minute of her life. She lives in Santa Cruz, CA (which is a 40 minute drive from my house and it's absolutely gorgeous) has a great group of friends and is ready for the summer of her life.

But when her aunt suffers and accident Anise must leave her friends behind and fly to Nebraska with her dad for the whole summer. All summer she is taking care of her younger cousins and missing home. To complicate things there is Lincoln, a one-armed charming skater who has a big taste for life and adventure.

Anise fears that soon her friends will forget about her or worst of all that she will forget about them.

I really loved this story. It had everything I could want in a contemporary love story. Family drama. Cute boys. Kissing. Silverman did a great job creating this story and writing such diverse characters.

And best of all a TALL girl. Anise is 5'10 and that made me so happy for some reason. I always read stories of girls being little and the boys being giants in comparison. WE TALL PEOPLE EXIST AND NEED LOVE TOO.

I loved that there the main love interest was not only a person of color but someone with a disability. And the best part was that it wasn't part of the story. Lincoln had a disability and that was it. Our world is diverse therefore our books should be a presentation of it.

Anise suffered from anxiety and as I was reading her moments of panic I thought to myself "Hey! That happens to me too! I freak out meeting new people when I'm not in my 'turf'." It was nice to see that other deals with anxiety and that I'm not alone.


This story is the perfect summer read! Fans of Sarah Dessen will love this story. This was just a fun story and I definitely recommend it especially if you are planning on hitting the beach.

Sometimes the directions an author doesn't take say more than the ones she does. That's where a lot of my thoughts on this book are pointed. It seemed like something significant was going on with the cousin, that we were headed to a confrontation with the mother. Neither of these came to fruition. The cousin's problems were typical middles school drama based on misunderstanding. The mother never makes an appearance. On the one hand, it can feel like Silverman flaked on her plot. BUT, she does acknowledge these things. There's this idea that sometimes we over-complicate relationships with assumptions. Lay it all out. At the same time we can't control people and keep them a part of our lives if they're determined to leave. Silverman doesn't say "don't let it bother you" but rather "accept the pain without bitterness." There are a lot of interesting ideas floating around in this book but no cohesive statements.

Yes, please, this was good. I loved all of the characters, especially Anise who was a bad ass athlete potty mouth with a heart of gold and a great, realistic set of emotional issues that were a part of her, but didn't take her over completely. I enjoyed the family dynamics immensely, as well as the idea of friendship near and far, old and new. The settings were vibrant and perfect for the season. Lincoln is bae, though I wish we had gotten even more from him, more of his backstory, more of his reactions. I loved that the ending was ambiguous and that this didn't take any of the melodramatic turns it could have easily employed. Fun and emotional and sweet...a great summertime read.

This will go live on my blog on May 16. Kellyvision.wordpress.com

Anise's plans for the summer (surf, hang out with friends, become more than friends with Eric) have just changed after her aunt breaks both her legs in a car accident. Now she and her dad are headed to Nebraska to take care of her aunt and three cousins. This would be completely awful except that she meets this guy, Lincoln...

I love this book. It's so sweet on the one hand (light and full of surfing and skateboarding--which Anise learns to do in Nebraska, thanks to Lincoln) and also surprisingly deep and thought-provoking on another. Anise's mom is gone (she left when she was two and has mostly been gone, except for some cameo appearances randomly throughout her life); Lincoln is adopted and only has one arm; Anise's uncle is dead and so she and her cousins are essentially half-orphans.

This is a story about family and friends and love--not even just relationships but also the fact that Anise really defines herself as a surfer and so she's kind of shaken without that aspect of herself. I understand it, of course; we'd all feel lost without access to our top hobby, right?

Highly recommended.

A coming of age novel with substance and beautiful imagery. Silverman's prose is captivating. The characters are diverse yet not pigeonholed in their differences. I received an ARC through NetGalley.

This is the sort of novel that will make you rethink the books you read as a teen- the world has changed and bloomed. Anise is terrific; she's complex and realistic in dealing not only with the big issues but also the challenges of everyday life. I liked watching her mature. Lincoln is also quite a character. He's the sort of boy you'd like as a BFF. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Highly recommend.

I seem to have an unpopular opinion about this one because the Goodreads rating is about a 4.7 for this book.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I had hoped, especially after seeing all the hype around it. I found the main character, Anise, to be a bit annoying at times and a bit self centered. Mind you this is a book focused on teenage characters, so that is to be expected. I just never really feel like I connected with her character at all, which then makes me not get too invested in the story itself. I was really excited about the summer and beach vibe as well, but without really connecting with the main character, it just kind of fell flat for me and I didn't really find anything too exciting about the book. The writing is fine and I am sure a lot of people will enjoy this book!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC.

A good mix of real-life teen issues and romance; definitely a purchase for YA collections!

I received a copy of the following story in exchange for an honest review.

If you're looking for a book to kick off your summer, Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman has got all the summer vibes with surfing, skateboarding, a road trip, bonfires, and romance. The book had been on my to-read list for months, and I was so grateful to have gotten my hands on a copy. Now, while I must admit that this book wasn't what I expected, it certainly did not fall short of my expectations! Skimming through the summary, all I could focus on was how it promised an adorable romance, but the novel also touches on themes of family and friendship.

Anise Sawyer is a dedicated surfer who's on her turf from morning to dawn, and she and her friends had their last summer together all planned out. When her aunt gets into an accident, she is uprooted from her home in California to help take care of her aunt's kids for the summer. In Nebraska, she balances maintaining her relationships with friends back home and keeping her rowdy younger cousins in check. Then, she meets a one-armed skateboarder who changes her perspective.

As previously mentioned, the focus of the novel isn't on the romance as I had thought, although the banter with Lincoln is sweet and funny and Lincoln and Anise have natural chemistry. The focus is really on Anise's journey as she figures out where she stands with her family and friends, and Lincoln and her summer in Nebraska are part of that journey. I believe that you can always take something away from a good book, and Girl Out of Water definitely has that something: it's a lesson that people won't forget if you don't want them to. I also enjoyed how there is the occasional thoughtful line in between the humorous dialogue.

Exhibit A: humorous exchange between Anise and Lincoln.

And yet I don't want to fuel his already fired-up ego, so I tease, "Dimple or deformity?"
Exhibit B: a thoughtful line from her cousin.

"Well, just because Mom got into an accident it doesn't mean she can't get into another one, right? One bad thing doesn't stop more from happening."
While I liked the dialogue between Lincoln and Anise, I found it difficult to connect with Anise on an emotional level because her "close" relationship with her aunt isn't developed enough to justify her thoughts and reactions in her situation. Her narration felt so detached at some points that, although I wanted to give her a big hug and tell her to stand firm, the story felt slow. She and her aunt don't act as close as she suggested, and she is too nice, considering the fact that she already had plans for the summer. Anise's relationship with the oldest of her cousins also feels a bit awkward. She acts more motherly than sisterly or friendly, even though she should be the one who relates the most to her cousin about friendship drama.
On a situational level, it's easy to understand her cooped up frustration. She's lived in the same place her entire life and grown up with the same friends, only to have her friendship unravel so quickly due to distance. With college coming up, this is a test trial for friendship, and the results don't seem to look good. In addition, her aunt is hospitalized and she is tasked with the responsibility of babysitting. I had expected for Lincoln's story to be the most heart-wrenching, him being only one-armed and because of his background story, but Anise carries the most load of all the characters in this novel. And I like that. It breaks the notion that someone handicapped is helpless and that people from difficult backgrounds can't be happy. Lincoln is a light in Anise's life. The thing that stands out the most about him is not his stump of an arm but his spirited personality.
An example:

"There are presents everywhere if you look hard enough."

"Okay there, Confucius. I'll see you later."
I don't want to give away too much about the ending, but it really deserves praise. Besides this one moment that felt suspiciously suspenseful and curiously sputtered out, the ending wraps the story up well. It is satisfying and really made me smile because it connects the end to the beginning of the novel, which I absolutely love. The word "fulfilling" comes to mind.

The conclusion? Girl Out of Water, though not a typical summer romance novel, is a laid-back read that also prompts your mind to reflect at points in the story. I breezed through it quickly. It's a pleasant adventure for a static day. I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Anise has her whole summer planned out, she is going to surf, surf some more, hang out with friends, go to surf break, and surf. Her best friend Eric will be with her every step of the way and she is beginning to see him as more than just a friend. Just when she thinks this is about to be the best summer yet her dad breaks the news that they will be going to Nebraska to help out her aunt Jackie who was in an accident.
Anise feels like her whole summer is now crumbling in front of her and the new relationship that is beginning with Eric is now left in the dust while she travels to Nebraska to help her aunt and cousins. She is definitely out of her comfort zone where there is no ocean and no surfing. When her cousins decide they want to go to the skate park one day, she agrees. Anise is not impressed by skate boarding at all, but is intrigued by Lincoln. He challenges her to learn how to skate in a week and Anise is not one to back down from a challenge.
As Lincoln and Anise begin to spend time with each other, she realizes that maybe being pushed outside of your comfort zone is not such a bad thing, but at the same time can you leave home and still go back to it and those who you have left.
Anise will have to struggle with where home really is and even if you do leave that doesn't mean you don't care about those you have left. You just need to believe in yourself and know that you can always come back.