e-arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"i didn't need to be fixed."

did not expect to see a 1 to 1 representation of myself as a 15 year old when im nearing 20 and yet here we are

i loved brynn's story so much. despite the blurb and the cover, this book is definitely not a romance (unless you count awkward teenage crushing), and the paranormal element takes a backseat to more regular drama, but it all tied together nicely. some points that might make a reader relate to brynn, in no real order: was 15 once, tumblr user, child of divorce with complicated feelings towards both parents that make you want to put them in neat boxes forever, anxious. safe to say i checked all these boxes, making my enjoyment of this book more personal than i'd anticipated.

the author provides content warnings at the start of the book, and for good reason. heavy topics are discussed, with considerable detail, and some depictions of the side effects of mental illness might strike a little too close to home for some. however, with the prose as beautiful and flowing as it was, nothing stood out of place. the story was seamless, messy in the way that only a summer vacation can be.

Thank you to the publishers at netgally for providing me with a eArc of this book! It was so incredibly wonderful!
The moment I read the description of this book I was hooked! I quite enjoyed this authors writing style she was so very descriptive, but managed to move the storyline at a good pace. They did a wonderful job of developing Brynn and her parents. I loved the way her relationships with adults were written and I loved the way all of her challenges were written (especially her anxiety! It was so wonderfully accurate, and I think that representation is definitely needed in more novels!).

The storyline of this book was so unique and I was a little let down by the ending, because I was waiting for a twist, but at the same time the ending was perfect for Brynn’s story, it fit her perfectly and it showed her growth. This book is an adventure, and a find yourself story and I loved the way there was still some humour throughout this book and it just made the topics talked about so much more human and real.

I will definitely recommend this to people who love queer books, with mystery, and also just holiday adventures. And I’m definitely going to recommend this to my friends!

first off, this book was not what i expected. i knew it was sapphic and about a girl in the water and another girl who was sent to her dad’s place after a suicide scare. however, i did not expect this to turn into a murder mystery. not to say that i didn’t enjoy it, but it was just surprising.

i wasn’t super connected with any of the characters. sure, i liked brynn a little, but it wasn’t enough to make this book extraordinary in my book. the relationship between brynn and skylar, while a little cute, did not have much chemistry. it was more as if they were pushed together and forced to be a duo than that they came together because they actually work well together.

plus, i’m not sure how much i would advertise this to be a sapphic book if skylar isn’t queer. it was good to see bisexual representation in brynn, but she fit the stereotype of “bisexual who falls in love with everyone they meet.” i know they address it at some point in the beginning, but brynn very much is this bisexual stereotype, a harmful one at that.

the ending left me unsatisfactory. i know some people will enjoy a more open ending or the twists that happened, but i just couldn’t get myself to like it. there were so many loose ends that i wished were talked about more. the miscommunication and everything that went down at the end felt unfinished and almost so surprising.

the mental health and anxiety representation was great and really mattered. in media, especially romance-based media, mental illnesses are romanticized and you don’t see much about more extreme or severe cases. i’m glad that the author really depicted the struggle for people with anxiety and the stereotypes that surround it.

this was an okay read. i wouldn’t go preaching it on rooftops, but i enjoyed myself while reading it.

What a gorgeous novel full of loveable characters and a storyline that I couldn't put down. This one is a must read!

This book wasn't what I expected it to be but it was cute in its own way and for a ghost story it felt surprisingly real.
Brynn is endearing, Skylar is heartbreaking and infuriating and they both come across as very believable. The dynamics between the characters were interesting and seemed organic, I often find that parent/teen relationships in books are strange or stilted but here it felt like these could actually be the dynamics of real humans.
This book isn't the whodunit that you might expect from the blurb, it's a story about confronting fears and assumptions, it's a story about big feelings that don't always make sense but are what they are (if you have ever dealt with anxiety you know what I mean). If you also didn't have a big coming out to your parents about your sexuality just some mildish form of awkwardness when they found out prepare to feel seen.
There's a few things that probably aren't going to age super well or that you might not like if internet culture references bother you (lots of talk about Tumblr and the expression Beyonce's internet per example).

DNF after 60%.
First the pros : The main character was good. I liked her. Her anxiety rep was really well done. Some sections of the book were written well too. That's about it.
Cons : The ghost aspect of the book was the one i was most interested in. But the author did not explore that nearly enough. There was so much potential but all of it was squandered. Instead we spent time with Characters who really weren't all that interesting and kinda dragged the story down for me.
Also , tags on Goodreads specified this was an f/f book.. it's not. The main character has an unrequited crush on a girl for the first half on a book. Then out of nowhere she develops a crush on a boy she just randomly meets. When i DNFed the book i checked the ending. I don't think they end up together but it's implied that they will later. That isn't really my problem. The MC is bi. She can love whoever she wants. My problem is that i was led to believe this book was f/f. That's partly my fault. I should have done more in depth research. But even so it hindered my enjoyment of the book. And this boy genuinely came out of nowhere after nearly half of the book was already over. They had no chemistry either. The main character was just horny for his looks. That's all.
All in all , this book was very disappointing. It sucks because it's one of the books i was the most excited for in 2023. I will recommend this book to those looking for something to read with their brain turned off. I did not do that. I expected something beautiful that will emotionally engage me. It didn't happen. Sorry.

A girl is sent to stay with her father for the summer after her mother interprets one of her blog posts as a suicide note. Brynn is a fifteen year old girl who suffers from her intrusive thoughts and severe anxiety, she hates being around other people, can’t stop thinking about the deaths of those she cares about... so when she posts about it, her mother finds out and now Brynn is banned from her phone, from the internet, and has to stay with her distant father who lives “off the grid” on a literal houseboat in the Florida mangroves, isolated from her online friends and everything else.... yet when she arrives at the houseboat she meets Skylar. Skylar is a beautiful, athletic and confident girl. Yet she’s hiding something. Brynn can’t help but feel connected to Skylar and wants to discover her secret... but that secret will lead to Brynn spiraling down a mystery that will leave her questioning things. The book fell flat for me unfortunately, it started off interesting but then by the end you are left dissatisfied by the lack of answers and the loose ends. The ending is king of hanging and it’s not exactly a mystery or thriller story but it does have a pretty interesting representation of anxiety and it felt authentic. The book had an interesting portrayal of mental illness and complex family relationships. So while this one might not have ended how I liked or wanted, it definitely is worth checking out.

*Thanks Netgalley and Peachtree, Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

this was a really well done supernatural coming-of-age story, I enjoyed how well this young adult was written, it does a great job in the genre and was what I was hoping for. The characters were interesting and I was so glad that the mystery was interesting. I was on the edge of my seat and couldn't put the book down. I can't wait to read more from Maria Ingrande Mora and the cover was beautifully done.

"Apparently not being able to go online and track the storm helps.” That, and being obsessed with a dead girl who has nothing to do with hurricanes."