Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

There is nothing I love more than a comeback story. This was such a powerful and emotional read, but was a powerful story of a girl fighting to be the person she wants to be.

When Miho's finds out that her boyfriend of 2 years has, had another girlfriend the entire time, and is now getting married to her she is devastated. To get over this heartbreak she decided to train and compete in an ironman.

This book looks at race, class differences, and feelings of self-worth after heartbreak. Overall, I found this an enjoyable read but I also thought that the author tried to take on too much for one book. There was racism, classism, gay rights, anxiety, depression, and physical disabilities. I just kept thinking "oh my goodness what is going to happen next to this poor girl."

The thing I love about this book was the community that Miho had around her. Her father, uncles, and friends all loved her and were willing to do anything to help her out. Everyone should have a community like Miho.

I'm not an athlete and have never been much of a fan of stories where sports play a central role. In recent years, though, I've started running so the first time these sorts of stories make sense to me. Especially in books like this one. An Ironman doesn't have a lot of complex rules and team dynamics to understand. It is a person facing their own issues, fighting against their subconscious and their fears. And that's a big part of this book. It is so much more than Miho training for a race. She's dealing with her break up, with her negative self perception. The race itself becomes a symbol for the way she fears she is perceived by society. Now, Miho is the only truly complex character. The other characters have only simple character flaws, small elements that feed into Miho's challenges but which are easily overcome. I liked that all of the characters are flawed and that the novel doesn't wash away those flaws. It lets them be "bad" with the ability to change in future. And current "goodness" doesn't wash away any negative they did in the past. It is all a part of the person they are becoming. This book may not hold up to multiple reads but has enough complexity to leave us thinking as we read.

The writing is strong. Voice is strong. Sex puts this squarely in YA. Cover art may confuse. Photo or realist cover art would be better.

After a messy break-up leaves her feeling worthless, a Hawaiian teen decides to conquer class barriers and train for the Ironman Triathalon.

The core of this book is community. Every scene with Miho's friends is bursting with love and laughter. And this community gives the reader--and Miho, though she doesn't realize it at first--a hopeful support to lean against as she works through some very dark feelings of worthlessness springing from the actions of her ex and the casual racism and classism she encounters everywhere. It's impossible not to root for Miho as she builds her self-esteem along with building her physical and mental endurance for the triathalon. Recommended for fans of YA contemporary fiction.

Multiracial Oahu HS senior, Miho, decides to compete in a triathlon after being dumped by her cheating boyfriend. Helped by her team of diverse, supportive friends, she adds running and swimming to her biking skills, training 6 months for the grueling 140.6 mile race. Miho deals with financial difficulties and casual racism in addition to the physical challenges of working out relentlessly while working and finishing school. Good flavor of Hawaii, realistic dialogue, doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to the rigors and pain of training for this kind of endurance test. I’m not crazy about the cover, but it’s a great story.