Ah, yes, this book reminded me of the summer romances (I read about) in my youth. A very sweet YA rom-com set in an idyllic small town.

I enjoyed this book so much I immediately went to see about getting my own copy of it. It is the kind of book I would read again when I was in the mood for a fun, laid back vacation read. I liked the characters. They say not to judge a book by its cover, but, I loved the cover and it was one of the reasons I wanted to read it. I hope Kate Marchant writes more books. This was an easy, happy read. I enjoy books that are a fun escape and that I can't wait to pick up and keep reading when I have some downtime. This book was that for me.

"I'd started my summer wanting to become someone else. Someone cooler. Someone braver. But I hadn't become someone else - I'd become myself, but better."

Can I just say, I will always be obsessed with Wattpad🤷‍♀️ Their books are just too good. Waverly Lyons has always been the mediocre daughter that her academic parents are forced to deal with, while focusing on their research and being divorced. But one summer, Waverly gets sent from Alaska to Holden, Florida, to stay with her aunt, where the sun's always shining and beach days are a must. Waverly is not a fan of the warm weather culture. She hates the sun...and most of all...she can't swim. Swimming is equivalent to breathing for the citizens of Florida, so Waverly feels more out of place here compared to her brilliant students in her private school, back in Alaska. But of course, time goes on, and Waverly meets Blake, the cute boy next door (ouu we love👀) who's also a lifeguard (we already know who's going to teach Waverly to swim now). Time goes on and Waverly meets the rest of Blake's clan, and all of a sudden, Waverly's got a loyal friend group, ready to make this summer the best summer ever. I just love Jesse and Lena😂 Their constant sibling banter is hilarious. Holden feels like home to Waverly, as she spends her days working at the local bookstore and learns to love the sun. In Holden, Waverly isn't forced to follow her parents' rules of constantly studying biology (which she absolutely hates). Instead, she can read romance novels and look up to her aunt, who's an artist. But, the clock's ticking, and once summer's over, Waverly has to head back to Alaska, to the home where she barely feels like she belongs. How is Waverly going to handle leaving the place where the new people in her life understand her the most? LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK. AND YES, I LOVE BLAKE.

This was cute, nothing ground breaking but I'm glad I read it. It's selling fairly well at my book store.

How has no one heard of this book on bookstagram?! I thought it was so well done and a wonderful slow-burn. I love a good neighbors trope, especially with an enemies to lovers spin! So cute and a quick read!

*thank you so much net galley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*
This book was so much fun! I fell in love with the characters, the setting, and the friendships. I am a big sucker for a good friendship dynamic and this book did not disappoint. I loved Waverly and how honest and goofy she was. As well as how much she grew as a character throughout her story.

This book is A-MAY-ZING!! To the max. I can’t wait for This to come out in physical form. There better be a sequel though.

This book was a good light read especially for summers. The plot of the book and the characters, I quite liked. I didn't love it but it was definitely not the worst. The book itself has so many goofy and funny moments that it somehow makes up for the way it is written. The writing just felt like it had some editing to be done.

I still absolutely loved the friendship between the young characters, it was so wholesome and adorable to go through it with them.

It's hard to care about a romance when you really dislike the love interest. Waverly is spending the summer with her aunt in Florida when her parents decide to ship her south so she doesn't get in their way—I feel bad for the girl, her parents sound like jerks. On her first night, Waverly meets her aunt's next door neighbor, Blake—enter our love interest. He's immediately an asshole to her and kind of doesn't stop treating her like dirt until they "get together." All she seems to like about him is all superficial physical qualities. The true saving grace in this mediocre beachy YA is the friend group. I love a good friend group and these kids are a lot of fun.

I had to DNF this one, I tried so hard to get into it and connect with the characters but I just couldn’t and I decided not to force my way through it.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Wattpad Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book but really think my teenage self would have liked this book a whole lot more. To learn that the author started writing at such a young age is so impressive and elevates it for me. It had a great theme and story line and I think teens and YA will especially like this book. I think why I didn't rate it higher is that I just didn't care for some of the characters that should have been likable. I had a problem with Waverly forming such a crush on Blake when he was a jerk to her a lot of the times when he had no cause to be. I guess I would have liked to see more of a development between them before she had a crush on him.

Overall, a cute beach read with some substance to it. Relatable teenagers and story line. Fast paced. Plus a cute cover....it's what drew me in.

Thank you to Netgally and Wattpad Books for providing me this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐
Float by Kate Marchant is a coming of age novel about seventeen-year-old Waverly Lyons. She's from Alaska, doesn't do the sun but after her divorced parents can't agree on who gets to have her for the summer, Waverly gets shipped off to Holden, Florida, to spend a couple months with her aunt, Rachel. Where her new next door neighbour, Blake Hamilton, discovers that Waverly has been hiding the rather embarrassing secret that she can't swim, and offers to teach her.

I want to preface this by stating that I have not read this prior to it being released on wattpad, this is my first time reading this novel.

The characters in this novel were really relatable, you could definitely conclude that they were teenagers. I liked how this book has the grumpy x sunshine trope. I liked the added touch of a teenager not knowing what to do in their future, this is something that I could connect with myself. As well as Blake being a little closed off but still being able to grow to like this character.

I did enjoy the romance and how cute it was, however to me, Waverly's crush forming in the span of two days after meeting the love interest, Blake, was not believable. I would have loved to see more development between them before some feelings grew. There were only cute scenes AFTER she gets a crush on him but I personally prefer to read books with development BEFORE the feelings appear. Especially considering how this plot centres around Blake teaching Waverly how to swim, some MORE adorable and missed opportunities could have been added in and she barely learnt anything besides being able to float .

I loved the Summery and beach vibes throughout the novel. The writing was mediocre but it didn't really end up bothering me too much because it was such an easy read. The ending did feel somewhat rushed though. I didn't feel like there was any real or big conflict that couldn't be resolved without a simple phone call but I did overall enjoy this! If you're looking for a quick, Summer, beach read this is a good one :)

Have you ever had to live across the country (or world) and felt like you were on another planet? I totally sympathized with Waverly (side note: love this name!) when she moved from Alaska to Florida.

In true YA fiction, there’s plenty of that angsty teen vibe going on and the butterfly-inducing first love. Blake was a total jerk in the beginning, but I feel he redeemed himself in the end.

One thing I did not like about the book was the author tended to use repetitive words/phrases and, while not a deal break, annoyed me a bit. I did enjoy the story a lot and this would the perfect, light-hearted, heartwarming summer/beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and Wattpad for the advanced copy!

Float
by Kate Marchant
5 stars

Float is about a girl named Waverly from Alaska that gets sent to spend her summer with her aunt in Florida, where she meets, Blake her neighbor, Lena, and Jesse the twins, and Allisa Blakes's ex and Lenas best friend. It's all about friendship and first love and realizing a lot of your friends become family. I enjoyed the different elements they had in this book. Between parents that don't listen and don't care to pay attention to their kids, the new stepmother that is having a hard time being a parent to a teenager, and all the teenage hormones you could imagine. It was a fun little roller coaster of a read. It's a slow-burn summer romance. such a cute middle school read. I was hooked from the first 2 chapters. It kind of takes you back to that middle school/ high school age when everything was a quick drama, and you always had your best friends there.
Thank you, Net Galley and Wattpad books for this ARC for an honest review

This was a cute ya but not my favorite. The storyline was solid but at times I was a bit bored. Overall it was cute and I’d recommend it.

A heartfelt, feel good, YA summer read that gave me lots of Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen vibes. I devoured this book so fast. Waverly is dealing with her parent's divorce and being a fish out of water, having left Alaska to spend the summer in Florida. I loved her romance with Blake - the hot boy next door guy who teaches her how to swim. (My one critique is that I don't know that I buy she didn't know how to swim. I mean Alaska gets summers!) Other than that small point, I definitely recommend this one! Much thanks to NetGalley and Wattpad Books for my advance review copy!

Float is a summer filled coming of age story, with a cute boy next door romance. I really enjoyed the characters, but there were times I questioned the decisions they made, which kind of took away from the story. An epilogue would have been enjoyable, but maybe that will be included in the rumored movie!
Thank you to NetGalley and Wattpad Books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was a very adorable and romantic coming-of-age summer read!

Right from the beginning of the book, we see Waverly struggling to fit in and struggling to find what she really wants in life. In this book, we see her journey of learning self-love and finding people that genuinely loves her and appreciates her. I somehow relate to Waverly in terms of having the fear of failure because it is ingrained in her mind that failure means no one will love or want her. And I truly loved seeing her grow out of that mindset and finally realize that there are people out there who will unconditionally love her.

The romance had me hooked right from the start, it was really enjoyable to see Waverly and Blake together despite their differences at the start. Their awkwardness around each other, their banters, the sexual tension was pretty fun to read. I loved seeing them become enemies to friends to lovers!

The side characters were amazing as well, they immediately loved Waverly. Her aunt welcomed her with open arms, I really loved their relationship because Waverly finally had a parental figure who genuinely care and love her. And the friends she made definitely helped her love herself more.

And the ending? Was so adorable and pretty satisfying. This is a perfect summer romance read, if you are looking for one.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC!

This book was absolutely delightful! It is about Waverly, who moves from Alaska, to open the summer with her aunt. She has really complicated relationships with her super brainy, divorced parents. She also has a really complicated relationship with who she is as a person. I love a flawed MC! She definitely has massive anxiety issues. She just wants to be a "normal" teen but she keeps getting in her own way. I loved watching her bloom and make friends and create her own found family. This was a terrific YA novel and I throughly enjoyed it. I agree with the reviewers who compared it to a Sarah Dessen book.

This book had me grinning like an idiot and kicking my feet in the air because it was the cutest thing ever. Sometimes you just want to read a cute, cliché, teenage summer romance and this book was the perfect fit. Float was originally a Wattpad book and I am a Wattpad baby so you know ate this shit right up. I LOVED IT SO MUCH AGHH. Darn it, Waverly might just be the most relatable character I’ve ver read about. Like the babbling? Feeling like you suck at everything? ME! Yup I just Me’d you (iykyk #swiftie) Blake is a typical bad boy so you know I love him. Blake and Waverlys romance was just the cutest and perfect. The summer vibes made it even better omg. Just a couple of days ag I found out Gloat IS TURNING INTO A MOVIE?? (Shoutout to JJ for telling me) *passes out*

Anyway that’s all I had to say, I’ll be recommending this book to everyone I meet goodbye.

This review is available on my hood reads @ jessiwritess and my Instagram @noahshawswifey