Review: Girl Underwater by Claire Kells

Girl Underwater

by Claire Kells

Publisher: Dutton

Pages: 304

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school, she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university’s nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.

That all changes when Avery’s red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery’s college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person—something she refused to do. Instead she’s avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with sub-zero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could’ve imagined.

In the wilderness, the concept of survival is clear-cut. Simple. In the real world, it’s anything but.


Kritters Thoughts:  A survival story that was so unique and I loved it.  

Avery is on a plane headed home for a holiday break from college and a guy that she isn't too thrilled about ends up in the seat next to her and as the plane is going down she may be glad that he is there.  The two of them and three little boys survive the crash, but will they survive the wilderness.

I loved how this book was written.  I will be a little vague in my review as to not spoil one iota of this book!  So let me say - I loved it.  There is some interesting way that each chapter fits together and I really enjoyed how the story flowed.  

The one thing that made me smirk and felt too convenient was that the main character is a legit swimmer and daughter of a doctor and has to use these skills while they are stranded.  It just felt a little too easy, but it didn't ruin the whole book for me, just made me a smile a time or two.

I know this review may feel disjointed, but I just didn't want to spoil this one because it is so good and I want to encourage you to run out and get it!  If you have read a survival story and it didn't meet your expectations - try this one.  


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Dutton.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.