Coming Up for Air (Hundred Oaks)
Miranda Kenneally
Book Review: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
I was so excited to gain an ARC of this book, and it didn't disappoint. I couldn't put it down.

Maggie's life revolves around swim. Eat, sleep, swim and swim some more. She wants to be one of the best, and that means practice, practice and more practice. She hasn't had time to enjoy the normal high school experience. She decides she needs help from her best friend, so Maggie isn't a complete novice by the time she goes to college. Her best friend is also a swimming champion and doesn't have time for a girlfriend, but he likes to hook up. She gets him to give her a few pointers, but the lines become blurred. Her best friend becomes more, and they become unstable. Can they go back? Is there even a forward solution?

This book has a lot of swimming in it obviously and shows the dedication needed.

I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended. Thanks, NetGalley. 5 stars out of 5. One to add to the must read pile.


Paperback £10.99, 320 pages
Expected publication: July 1st 2017

Miranda Kenneally's books tend to be very dialogue driven. However, it seems to work for this type of story. It fits with the teenage narrative. The best part of this book is the continuation of Kenneally's push for a positive discussion of sex. There is no shying away from condom use, masturbation, and being vocal about where your comfort level is. I loved that Coming Up for Air's main character went through a very realistic cycle of growth and maturation. She finds a way to balance her dreams and her personal life, but that doesn't come without some very hard bumps in the road. It was the magic of Catching Jordan all over again, but with better development. I enjoyed the book very much. It is a real rival for my favorites in the Hundred Oaks series.

~3.7/5~
Nice, easy, and predictable read, although I was a tad bit surprised about Maggie's forwardness and lack of foresight, particularly in endangering her friendship with her BEST FRIEND of all people. I enjoyed reading Coming Up for Air, though I can't say that this is one of those books I'll remember to save my life.

I have to say, I may be somewhat biased toward this book, because, for one, I adored Jordan and Sam, so I had a nice and pleasant surprise when they asked Maggie's parents to plan their wedding and showed up in the epilogue, and two, I'm a semi-competitive swimmer myself, meaning that I found myself relating to the swim aspect of the book more than the actual plot itself, which is disappointing in hindsight because it wasn't even the main focus of the story.

Okay, that sounded kind of harsh, but it was true.

Some character analysis.

Maggie has her heart set on getting some...experience from early on in the book, and I find it sad how she feels the need to do what she does. She's funny at times and pretty immature, but relatable in the aspect that it's hard to stay focused and try to achieve goals that are miles (or milliseconds) away.

Levi is the typical "experienced" player-type guy that manages to show little interest in Maggie in general before screwing up majorly, although they do have a couple of moments.

Their friends as individuals sort of faded into the background, and I don't really remember much of them other than the fact that they were athletic and one had relationship issues.

Sure. Why not.

Don't get me started on Roxy. I really wish her character would've been more developed, but I get that this is focused on Magpie and Leaves, so I'll take it, grudgingly.

Finally, clichés are nice, but I felt as if the book had little depth in terms of the characters and hardly any character development. Coming Up for Air was a teen fiction book. That's it. Nothing particularly special, nothing heart-wrenching, and just light in of itself. Similarly, Miranda Kenneally's writing style is simple, but charming in its own way.


Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Coming Up for Air.

I have enjoyed all of Kenneally's books and this is no different. I will purchase a copy for my library.

This is not my first time reading one of Miranda Kenneally's books. She kills the game every single time with these books. I've read Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Defending Taylor, and Racing Savannah before this one and I've loved every single one. The idea of every one of these novels revolving around the same town/high school is so clever. It makes reading this kind of series so much fun. Every time I recognize a character from a previous book, I get so happy and nostalgic. I especially love this novel because the characters have real life situations to deal with while still having a humor to it. I love how Maggie gets anxiety while driving because I do too. It makes me feel less small and like my anxiety is not something to be ashamed about. This novel also demonstrates a great way of looking at safe and consensual sex which I believe is important since not a lot of young adult novels covers sex like The Hundred Oaks series does. It let's young girls realize that sex is ok and not shameful which is so important. This book is empowering and smart. I highly recommend not only this novel but this series to so many other girls.

I've yet to come across a YA author who writes book boys so well every single time like Miranda Kenneally does! Each one is awesome in his own right, but none of them ever sound the same. (Levi has joined the others on my Kenneally Book Boy Shelf) Neither do the girls.

All of them have been strong, determined, and inspiring in her own right, and I have enjoyed watching them grow and flourish across the series.

I loved the friendship-lovers dynamic between Maggie and Levi; it felt realistic and relateable, The tension was great, too, in AND out of the pool. As were the make-out sessions! I felt Maggie's feelings of insecurity and self-doubt right along with her, and found her determination inspiring.

And that Epilogue is PERFECTION!

This story is so cute! Totally what I needed right now. I love fluffy books and this was definitely a fluffy read :) I love the friendship/relationship of Maggie and Levi, it reminded me of my own boyfriend^^ And it was described very lively and realistic.

This book is a bit predictable, but that didn't bother me at all. That's the reason this book gets 4 stars instead of 5.

If you love contemporaries, I would suggest to read this book!

Cute! It started slow for me and a few parts dragged but then I finished the last 70% in a night. I loved the characters- the strong friendships, the parents, Maggie and Levi together! I also liked how positive this book was at displaying different sorts of high school relationships and feelings. And there is a surprising amount of sexy time :D Def not like NA or anything but I liked how it was handled. I also enjoyed the swimming aspect because I'm a big fan of watching Olympic swimming and have been to a few of my cousin's meets in the past. It was a little corny at times but if you're a fan of the other Hundred Oaks books, you'll enjoy this. Oh I almost forgot LEVI READS THE RAVEN BOYS AT ONE POINT. So cool.

This is the first book by Miranda Kenneally that I've read. I had the Hundred Oaks series in my to-read shelf, so I had to take a peek at this one. I was not disappointed.

The best part of this book is not the friends-to-lovers theme, but the way Maggie values her swimming career as much as her love life, probably more. Such a character is sure to steal people's hearts. Her struggle to ignore what others think of her is something we can all relate to. I was rooting for her, and now I'm rooting for the book's success. I'll surely read the other books soon.

I didn't care for many of the characters in this nearly as much as those in previous books but the humor was spot on. THICK JUICY STEAK DINNER! OMG I think I almost peed a little!

A solid conclusion to the Hundred Oaks series, I appreciated the reinforcement of self-focus and moving at your own pace when it comes to relationships as well as the sex-positive message, especially for teen girls. It did, at times, seem a bit like an after-school special and maybe could have been a bit more nuanced with its message. Overall, though, fans of the series will love it and especially enjoy the epilogue.

Determined, even a little scary, Maggie is keen to get to experience a relationship of sorts before she leaves for college. Unfortunately, intensive swim training doesn't leave a lot of time for relationships. So it's handy that her best friend, Levi, agrees to help. What follows is obvious from the start, but it's still good fun.

This was my first Miranda Kenneally book, but I have been eying her work for some a while. Just hadn't had the chance to pick something of hers up. With that being said, I plan on reading more of her work. As a contemporary YA I did enjoy this book. Is it the best next thing? Not really, but it delivers what is to be expected.

At the start of this I thought our character was going to be a flawless dedicated swimmer, on her way to the Olympics. What I got was an uncomplicated girl except for two things: she was obsessed with besting her rival rather than herself and she had few teenage experiences. Aside from that her life consisted of swim, eat, school, wash, rinse, and repeat. In the meantime, as she's growing up her three best friends somehow manage to balance their athlete life with the experiences we all know shape and mold us from inexperienced kids to adults. So one day, Maggie decides that before she goes to college (which is creeping ever so quickly), that she's got to get a little experience. The only problem is she underestimates the consequences of who she ends up fooling around with and how it will affect her three best friends.

The simple writing style of this book made for a very fast, easy read. The content of the book was never too heavy that left you in a pensive mood. A few laugh out loud moments left me grinning well past the embarrassment that Maggie endured as I recalled over and over the awkwardness of her situations.

Maturity level seemed a little wishy washy with the characters as theyare 17/18 year olds old enough to mess around and worry about not having any real relationships. Maybe it's because I am an early millennial that I think that the way they handle their sexual conduct and relationships to be more of the level of a college student (granted they are about to graduate and head off to college). I don't mean that I don't think that teens don't explore and mess around, it's just that Kenneally made it sound like it was totally normal for these teens to just hook up with other random athletes at swim meets, etc. Maybe I'm too old fashioned.

What I loved about the book was the respect that the athletes had towards their sport. It was sad, yes, that Maggie knew she didn't have any of the normal teenage experiences. However, she knew what she had to do to meet her lifetime goals.

"Sacrifice sucks, but sometimes it's necessary to get what you truly need."

As the story progresses Maggie has to decided what sort of distractions are healthy for her lifestyle and which are not. Balance in life is essential and she can't just keep having these urges (her words, not mine) distracting her.

Anyway, the book was cute. With themes of knowing your boundaries and communicating with your friends/partner about what you are actually feeling/needing along with the one-that-was-there-all-along trope it makes for a great book for any young adult to read.

I love these books! Miranda is such an amazing author. I look forward to her books each year

Miranda Kenneally does it again. I can always count on her books for all the happy feels.

I needed something to put me in a good mood, and Coming Up for Air delivered. This might be my favorite Hundred Oaks book. Maggie and Levi were the cutest.

Maggie's feelings at the beginning of the book were super relatable. I really appreciate that this book addressed the important issue of feeling "left out" when all her friends seemed to be experiencing something she wasn't - and eventually realizing that wasn't a bad thing.

And I just love that these books are about teens who are really really good at things. Kenneally always does her research, and it always makes for an enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book. I've heard a lot about Miranda Kenneally's books but had never read one. I really enjoyed the glimpse into what goes into becoming an elite swimmer. I REALLY enjoyed a YA that gives voice to the kids who don't date in high school, whether by choice or circumstance. The friend relationships are lovely and realistic. The college pressures are relatable. An enjoyable read!

I always enjoy reading her books. I do enjoy seeing the others from her series in her books. It was nice to see someone who did well in her sport , and having a friendship. I enjoyed Hunter and her cheer friend. I could see something between them . Another great story in the 100 oaks :) I think that I have a new book boyfriend. I loved that she wanted to experience high school . I also enjoyed the 4 years later :)

It's pretty amazing that this book is the eighth book in the Hundred Oaks series and I'm just as invested in these characters, from that high school as I was in the beginning. Sure, I've liked some books more than others but I'm still excited to read these books as if I'd read them for the first time.

This book follows Maggie and Levi. Best friends turned more than best friends. They're competitive swimmers that grew up together, are always in each other's pockets and with their schedules as jam packed as they are, they don't really have much time for friends and relationships and what not. Normally that wouldn't be a problem because Levi finds the time to hook up with girls and Maggie is too tired for anything more than swim and her weekly night out with her best friends. All of that is enough for Maggie until she goes on a college visit trip and becomes curious. She doesn't have any experience with boys and now that the idea is in her head, she wants to hook up with someone. She wants to kiss and fool around and really, she wants more than just swimming.

Once that is decided, Maggie tries it on her own with disastrous results so she figures that she needs someone she trusts to help her out and who better than her bestie, Levi?

Levi is not excited about delving into this because Maggie is important to him and he doesn't have the time and doesn't want to risk what they have over kissing and hooking up. He's scared of all of the normal things that will happen with other girls, things he doesn't want to risk with Maggie but because he can't say no to her, he goes along. He helps her out. They kiss. They make out. They learn from each other until things start to really heat up.

Maggie and Levi were adorable on their own and I really loved their friendship. They had a solid foundation as friends and I was glad that they were able to get back to that friendship once the waters were tested and their bond was shaken a little. Kenneally does a great job of telling both of their sides and helping them figure their stuff out and she does it all so easily. Not once was I bored. Not once was I frustrated with either Maggie or Levi and I really enjoyed seeing them come into their own while not losing what was between them. Sure, it wasn't easy and their relationship wasn't perfect but it was still pretty awesome and I really enjoyed being along for their journey.

<strong>Grade: 4 out of 5</strong>

Maggie has spent most of her life training for the Olympics. She is a champion swimmer but she is missing out on her life. Maggie decides that she is going to use the last few months of high school to have all of her perfect teen experiences and her best friends, Levi is going to help her. However, Maggie soon uncovers new feelings for her best friend. Can they move from friends to more?

I don't know what it is that I like about Kenneally's novels but I just do. The characters feel extremely real with families, friends, and dreams. The relationship between Maggie and Levi is sweet. Plus, I appreciate how Kenneally gives her characters from past books cameos so we can revisit our favorite character.