Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn

From my experience of reading Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn, I would highly recommend this book to others. There are so many qualities that make Breathing Underwater an extremely unique book. In my mind, this book stands out above all other young adult novels that deal with domestic violence at home and also in relationships.

One quality that makes this book a great read is it tells about real life situations. It lets the reader realize even though someone may look like they are seemingly perfect on the outside, it doesn't mean on the inside, behind closed doors, things are still perfect. There are people in the world who mask their feelings and emotions, making others believe they are okay when they're not. People who do hide what they feel do it because their struggles make them feel weak or simply because they do not want others to be involved in their business. Alex Flinn did an incredible job revealing to readers nothing in the world is perfect, even if it seems to be.

Another great quality about Breathing Underwater is readers can really relate to the characters in the book. Yes, it is true some relationships involve violence, but most of the time we do not understand why and no one puts forth the effort to find out. This book gives facts and statistics on how and why relationships can evolve into aggressiveness, guilt and manipulation over a person. Not only can a person who has been in a violent relationship relate to this book, but also others who haven’t can still use this book as a lesson. When reading Breathing Underwater, you will be able to access the mind of the main character, Nick. Readers should benefit from Nick’s mistakes and struggles and learn violence is not a healthy choice.

I enjoyed Breathing Underwater very much. From this book, I’ve learned people do make mistakes. It is just part of being human. But being human, we must learn from our mistakes and make sure those actions won’t be repeated. Although this book is realistic and hurtful, there were moments that were happy and made me smile. I would 100% recommend this book to other readers.

Kathy T.