Stop, Look, Read On: Underwater by Marissa Reichardt BOOK TOUR! {Giveaway+Playlist+Review!!}

UNDERWATER
by Marissa Recihardt

Expected Publication: 12 January 2016, Farrar, Straus, & Giroux

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Pages: eARC, 202 pages

Source: eARC provided through Netgalley

Organized by: The Fantastic Flying Book Club

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

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 UNDERWATER

Morgan didn’t mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right. But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive—first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then, herself.

But Morgan can’t move on. She can’t 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.

When it seems Morgan can’t hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside.

[Amazon] [Barnes & Noble] [iBooks] [Kindle] [Kobo] [Nook] [TBD]

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The truth is, I didn’t listen to music while I was writing Underwater. I usually do listen to music while writing but there was something about Morgan’s story that required me to turn the music off. I did, however, have a playlist I would listen to when I was working out. That was my thinking time. That was when all the parts of Underwater took shape and this playlist helped with that.

1. “Carry On” by Fun.
2. “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People
3. “Somethin Else” by Eddie Cochran
4. “Hallelujah, I Love Her So” by Ray Charles
5. “Just Like Honey” by The Jesus and Mary Chain
6. “I Don’t Like Mondays” by The Boomtown Rats
7. “That Summer Feeling” by Jonathan Richman
8. “Henehene Kou’Aka” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
9. “Madness” by Muse
10. “Teenage Kicks” by The Undertones
11. “Have a Little Faith in Me” by John Hiatt
12. “I Still Believe” by Frank Turner
13. “What a Wonderful World” by Joe Ramone

**Number 7 and Number 8 are not included in the spotify playlist that you will find below.**

THIS ! PLAYLIST ! IS ! SICK !!!!! I LOVE IT !!!!!! ❤
(exclamation points because a period wont quite deliver the same message as my ears ssssooo… more exclamation points : !!!!!!)

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 Marissa Reichardt

I’m a SoCal native and high school writing instructor. I currently live in Los Angeles and can usually be found huddled over my laptop in coffeehouses or swimming in the ocean. My debut YA contemporary novel, UNDERWATER, will be out 1/12/16 from Macmillan/FSG and 4/7/16Macmillan Children’s UK. I love all books and all genres. While I do keep track of all the books I’ve read here, I generally don’t do ratings or reviews.

[Facebook] [Goodreads] [Instagram] [Twitter]

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PERFECT BOOK BOYFRIEND AHEAD. READ FALL IN LOVE AT YOUR OWN RISK. 

I’ll tell you what I felt about this book:

1. very emotional
2. extremely emotional
3. totally emotional
4. over-my-head emotional
5. sad
6. happy
7. all the emotions

I’ll you tell you guys one sad thing I saw about this book.

There’s this post from Tumblr that I once read – and it’s very relevant because (1) it’s the hard truth (2) it’s the hard truth about mental disorders. The point is, this book in every sense hurts because life doesn’t go like this. Nobody is attracted to the girl who spends all her time curled up on the couch. Nobody ever knocks on her door, sees her like that, then comes back. No. It doesn’t happen like that. Plus, it takes a little bit more than seven months to cope.

I’ll tell you guys the important thing about this book:

Just because it’s difficult and painful doesn’t mean it’s impossible. This book may be  a bit unrealistic when it came to the romance and timewise, it’s true that the power of will can push you to greater heights you never even thought of pursuing before.

And that, my dear friends, is the lesson of the story that you should keep in mind.

Although I want you guys to not focus on the romance, I’d say that I very much loved each and every single detail about it. Literally.

The writing was magnificent in so many ways. The quotes, the words, the emotions were just all too real. The characters, each and every single one of them has voice and soul and speaks to you in volumes. This book is very emotional and important.

Overall, what I’m trying to say is that you all need to read this precious one for all the feelings, things, words, and inspiration. I won’t ever take back what I said about this not being realistic enough about the romance but dreaming and hoping will get you far. Trust me. The want for a better thing to happen to you is powerful. The will to change is like oil for your engine and all you have to do is turn the key then hit on gas. In the end, life will leave you if you don’t get moving, if you don’t take the first step out of your comfort zone. That’s what’s important about this book. GIving up will get you nowhere. As long as you have the will, you can do it. The past is behind you, leave it where it belongs. The only way to move is forward – towards tomorrow. It will feel painful and you’ll feel like you’re going nowhere and just want to turn back then and there, but before you turn around, look at the rearview mirror. The past doesn’t look as near as you thought it is, isn’t it? Hard work pays off. That’s all.

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