Underwater: A Novel by Marisa Reichardt (Epub)

Description

On October fifteenth, everything changed. That was the day that Morgan tried to do something kind―and inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy.

Before, Morgan loved the beach and the smell of the ocean breeze. Before, Morgan competed on the school swim team and savored the rush she would get from being underwater.

Now, Morgan can’t move on. She is unable to even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she’s underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school.

The only person she interacts with besides her family is Brenda, her psychologist. “Breathe,” Brenda tells her, but Morgan doesn’t feel like she can.

Before Morgan can step outside, she must find the courage to forgive–first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and finally herself.

Underwater is a powerful, hopeful young adult debut novel by Marisa Reichardt about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.

“Debut author Reichardt doesn’t oversimplify: Morgan isn’t saved by love; rather, new neighbor Evan reminds her of life and what it’s like to have a friend. As Evan, who has his own connection to the shooting, tells her, what he likes about Morgan is that she’s real, and that’s exactly what readers will appreciate about this book.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review

“A moving, reflective exploration of grief, trauma, and how individuals find their paths toward resilience.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Debut author Reichardt smartly reveals the source of Morgan’s agoraphobia–a school shooting–very gradually, which, along with the sweet romance with Evan, urges the plot forward.” –Booklist

User’s Reviews

Review “Debut author Reichardt doesn’t oversimplify: Morgan isn’t saved by love; rather, new neighbor Evan reminds her of life and what it’s like to have a friend. As Evan, who has his own connection to the shooting, tells her, what he likes about Morgan is that she’s real, and that’s exactly what readers will appreciate about this book.” ―Publishers Weekly, starred review”Debut author Reichardt smartly reveals the source of Morgan’s agoraphobia–a school shooting–very gradually, which, along with the sweet romance with Evan, urges the plot forward. Morgan’s… story of growth and redemption will be rewarding for readers who love character-driven novels.” ―Booklist”Part problem novel, part romance, Reichardt’s debut never becomes melodramatic, even when there is plenty of drama. The main character’s emotional growth and healing, her work with her psychologist, and even her changing role in her unusual family dynamics never feel contrived. Readers will enjoy the emotional balance Reichardt gives to the high stakes conflicts in a teen’s life.” ―School Library Journal”A moving, reflective exploration of grief, trauma, and how individuals find their paths toward resilience.” ―Kirkus Reviews “While this is a tender and appealing romance, it would also make a thoughtful complement to the many books about school shootings to illuminate the effects that last beyond the horrible day.”―Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ UNDERWATER is the story of Morgan, a high school student who hasn’t forgiven herself for the role she thinks she played in a horrible tragedy. Morgan literally can’t move on—she is confined to her apartment, too afraid to venture beyond the front door. She takes online courses and has lost touch with her former friends. She has stopped swimming, which used to be her passion. But when newcomer Evan moves in next door and reminds Morgan of everything she used to love, she starts to wonder if she’s capable of living again—really living—and letting go of her debilitating fear.UNDERWATER is the story of a girl dealing with the aftermath of something terrifying, something nobody should ever have to go through. It’s the story of a family that has unraveled. It’s about forgiveness and acceptance and grief and confessions and truth. And it’s so stunningly real. Every page, every sentence, every word is authentic. This book made me hold my breath. This book made my heart hurt. This book made my eyes widen. This book made me compulsively turn pages. The words were alternately claws digging into me, sirens in my ears, weight on my chest, tears in my eyes. What Morgan felt, I felt. I spent a lot of this book hurting because she was hurting so badly. As an author, making readers care about a character that intensely is not easy to do. This is a testament to Marisa Reichardt’s jaw-dropping talent.As devastating as this book is, there is also so much hope infused in the pages. It’s the kind of hope that feels slippery and out of reach at times, and that makes it real. There are different levels of hope and strength and they’re intertwined. Sometimes they’re twisted up in a knot but if they can get out of that knot, they can both become lifelines. When the book starts, Morgan is too scared to step onto her welcome mat. But as the story goes on, she gets stronger in so many ways. You’ll cheer for every inch of her progress. If you’re like me, you might cheer out loud and startle the Chihuahua sleeping on your lap.Marisa’s prose is piercing. It’s a storm and a lullaby. The scope of her skill as an author is enormous and I’m still in awe. She has the rare ability to write the kind of voice that not just fully absorbs a reader, but fills the reader up. Her talent is both jaw-dropping and inspiring.This is a book I need to read again. (Good thing I preordered months ago!) This is a book everyone needs to read. This is a book that has imprinted itself on my heart.

⭐ This novel truly reveals the captivating story of a teenager’s extraordinary fight to live her normal life again. Morgan had it all. The friends, boys, athleticism, and popularity. On October fifteenth, her world changed forever. Now a year later, she isolates herself from the world in her cramped apartment while the world moves on without her. The main character embraces a role to push herself to limits she never thought she could accomplish. Filled with guilt and sorrow, she finds comfort in new relationships causing her to feel like her old self again. Morgan shares her traumatizing experiences in order to let go of the guilt she has taken along with her. Character development is quite evident as the readers are taken on a journey to experience the momentous progress the main character endures.This novel truly captures a perspective that is never seen after times of trauma. Reichardt touches on a subject that can be difficult to hear about, but does this in a way where readers feel comfortable to keep turning the pages. This novel inspires readers to exceed those tough times of hardship by letting go of the past and creating a life of happiness. No matter the type of individual you are, the author writes to touch all of our hearts with a captivating story.

⭐ Wow. This book just blew me away. From the first page, I was completely gripped my Morgan’s story and her perspective. She’s been traumatized by terrible, violent events that have made her afraid to leave her apartment. But right away, we also start to get glimpses of the happy, relatively carefree person that she was before. As a reader, I was longing for Morgan to find her former self and her former joy in life, even as I felt so completely persuaded of her terror that I absolutely sympathized with her inability to go outside. It’s not easy to make that kind of emotion so persuasive that the reader feels immersed in it, but for me, UNDERWATER accomplished that beautifully. It also handles some complicated topics, which could easily look black-and-white at first glance, with amazing empathy and compassion. The writing here is beautiful, emotional, and wise. I recommend reading with some tissues at hand.

⭐ Marisa Reichardt’s debut novel is something really special; a young adult novel that embraces a very timely, difficult topic with a great deal of emotional complexity and depth of character. Underwater’s main character is a richly drawn young lady named Morgan who is suffering from a crippling form of post traumatic stress disorder which she deals with by staying within the safety of the beach town apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Over the course of the novel, we learn about the incident that traumatized her and how the resulting fear is compounded by a severely fractured relationship with her estranged father who also suffers from the same affliction brought on by his service in Iraq. As the story progresses, we get a vivid picture of a girl on the cusp of womanhood who is being held back from her potential by circumstances that are both within and outside of her control. Fortunately, she is not alone in her battle. Morgan has an amazingly insightful and empathetic therapist and a blossoming relationship with a charming new neighbor. Reichardt’s fluid writing style, attention to detail, and sense of humor really bring the story to life while tackling complex issues that have no easy answers. This is a wonderful debut novel that will leave a lasting impression on readers and I look forward to future works from the author!

⭐ I am especially interested in books that deal with PTSD and recovery from trauma and UNDERWATER did not disappoint. Reichardt has a smooth touch when dealing with heavy subjects and her portrayal of Morgan, a teen who finds herself housebound after a traumatic event is spot-on, carefully rendered, and brimming with honesty. Reichardt’s portrayal of Morgan’s relationships with her mother, father, her therapist, and her next door neighbor, Evan, are touching and poignant. This isn’t a book about a girl who gets “saved” by love; this is a book about a girl who saves herself, one baby step at a time. Sometimes just getting one foot out the door is triumph enough

⭐ I bought this 3 years ago and this story has stuck with me. A very powerful read *SPOILERS* about a girl with extreme guilt/ptsd from giving a school shooter a ride to the school that morning, going through therapy and slowly becoming herself again. However I got bored when the cute guy from Cali or whatever moved in next door. I guess I should’ve expected it from a teen novel though. My bad. 4/5

⭐ LYRICAL, SPARE, AND RICH, all at the same time.Debut author Marisa Reichardt has written a beautiful, honest, heart-ripping novel.It’s been a long time since I a book pulled me back into what it truly feels like to be sixteen. This novel did that.It would’ve been easy for an author to allow Morgan–the main character–to wander into pathetic territory, after what all she’s been through. But with Reichardt’s deft handling, watching Morgan brave it out as she overcomes obstacles and finds her way back to life is thrilling and gut-wrenching and uplifting.DO NOT MISS THIS ONE FOLKS!!! Highly Recommend!!

⭐ I purchased this book about a week ago because it reminded me of, ‘Under a rose tainted sky,’ and decided to give it a chance. I’m so glad I did! This book was excellent, a real page turner. I liked how well written the book was and how clean it was as well, its hard to find a good book these days with clean, non inappropriate content. I definitely recommend the book!

⭐ Wow! This book is incredible. Thankfully, I’ve had the good fortune to avoid a shooting so far, but I’ve seen enough global attacks in my lifetime to recognize that the issues protagonist Morgan are going through are a new reality. Author Reichardt makes sure we know they aren’t trivial either as she draws us closer to Morgan with each step of her personal journey to find hope from within. Underwater, while aimed at a younger audience, still resonates with an older generation because the issues Morgan faces are real life challenges, not just teenage angst. In a few years time, I will be giving this novel to my own children, with the hope it will safely introduce some of the issues they will undoubtedly be wrestling with in today’s world. I just hope they, like Morgan, will find a way to overcome it all and forge their own paths ahead.

⭐ I LOVED this book! This is the type of book that I carried along with me just so I could read it during any lull in my day, constantly anticipating the following page. These were real issues that I could certainly identify with. Through my own struggle with anxiety, I find myself thinking about Morgan and what she would do. These are characters that you think about and root for. The author is so descriptive in her writing, it’s easy to feel, once again, the butterflies that accompanied your first crush, or how each of your senses are affected by spending a day at the beach. Simply, I loved this book. I binge-read the last hundred or so pages, all along not wanting it to end and hoping for a sequel and/or a movie. 🙂

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