CW: School shooting with some graphic content, suicide.

3.5 Stars ( )

This book infantilizes people with agoraphobia. This isn't rep at all. It's mockery. I have severe agoraphobia, and have had it for several years. I should have identified with the MC hardcore. Instead, I was revulsed. She gets online school because why? What? In this day and age? No. A lot of stuff is glossed over in this. Readers are left to put together the pieces of a puzzle that's vaguely outlined. The prose is backstroking in urple (thanks to Das_Sporking for the phrase). "He pulled me to his mouth by my cheekbones," is a particularly outlandish example. So...reading the synopsis, Twu Wuv with a side of Take Me Now, set off by a cute boy, cures agoraphobia. It does NOT. Apparently there's demisexual rep in here and uh, I did not pick up on it. Given the author's writing style, she should have rammed it in every other page. It would have been a nice change of pace from OOOOH TEH SAAAAAD AGORAPHOBE is a fucking whiny ten-year-old in a high schooler's body. Her therapist makes house calls and is only a few years older than her? WHAT?! THAT IS SO RARE IN AMERICA. There are rare exceptions. It is unlikely that a teenager with agoraphobia would be the exception. The book would need to set it up much, much more than "I can't leave the house teehee drama". At MOST, she'd get telephone treatment and physically going to an appointment would be a form of exposure therapy if not a goal! And of course, teh young hot therapist is totes supercool. UGH. When the plague hit, I got online medical treatment. It opened up a whole world for me, and I thrived. I asked for telephone treatment after my computer crashed. It turned out excellent. Unless MC's therapist went to college early, she wouldn't have been able to complete grad school. On average, she'd complete college at twenty-two and go onto grad school for more years, then complete her hours. It takes three to five years. On average, she'd be twenty-five or twenty-eight. That is -not- "a few years older than me." Unless the MC has a crush on her therapist and is justifying it to herself. When I was fifteen, I had a huge crush on a teacher who was nine years older than me. I told myself dreamily that nine years was not a big difference. It was an enormous difference. I think that's what the MC is doing, with her "twenty-seven is not that much older than sixteen" nonsense. Be quiet, you offensive interpretation of a severely misunderstood illness. Her desire for routine--eating the same meal of tomato soup and grilled cheese every day, watching the same programs over and over--could indicate OCD, as well. I have that too, but it shows up extremely differently. I think the MC was under-diagnosed and she likely needs a new therapist with new treatment methods rather that -sitting on a couch in a client's home-.

The ending was just--I am not reading any more from this author until she learns to actually talk to kids with these problems and how they are handled realistically. Alcoholic divorced parents -and- children with agoraphobia, and especially survivors of school shootings. Instead, she churned out this and calls it amazing. UGH. ( )

Underwater focuses on high school student Morgan who is dealing with the aftermath of a school shooting and holding secrets about her part in the tragedy. Morgan hasn't left the house in 5 months at the start of the book and hasn't spoken with anyone her age in the same amount of time other than her cohort of online high school students. Enter Evan. He moves in next door and upends Morgan's entire world. At first, I was kind of mad at the fact that Morgan seemed to be changing for a guy but I don't think that is the case. I think Evan was the first person to basically call Morgan out for her behavior and instead served as a catalyst for her desire to change.

I think this book was an accurate portrayal of anxiety and survivor's guilt and just trying to navigate a scary world filled with scary things. Will definitely be checking out more from this author. This is by no means an easy read so please check the content warnings before reading this book.

Content warnings under spoiler tag: on page suicide, talk of being shot, school shooting discussion, alcoholic absentee father with PTSD from multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan, on page panic attacks, attempted child abduction, discussion of homelessness, agoraphobia. ( )

"Underwater" was another novel which was discussed in the Year 9 Extension English class I was privileged to sit in on where the girls were sharing their favourite books. This one deals with the aftermath of a school shooting. I felt extremely sorry for Morgan as she struggled with her fears, her self-imposed agoraphobia and her guilt. Guilt for the part she played on the day which a lift to school changed so many lives. Her voice was unique, raw and real, and I was quickly drawn into her story with all its complexities.

However, my favourite characters were Evan, Morgan's next-door neighbour; Ben, her adorable little brother; her mother and her therapist, Brenda. All were there for Morgan, encouraging her as she made bay steps to regain her life back and supporting her on bad days. Evan was such an amazing young man. He never questioned Morgan or pushed her to do more. Instead he let her move at her own pace and was at her side all the way. The love Morgan had for her brother was touching and I loved the moments they shared together. Ben adored his big sister and gave her unconditional love.

I also liked how the novel had a hint of mystery. The details of what happened on October 15th were slowly revealed throughout the story so I found myself trying to put the pieces together to fully understand what caused Morgan to retreat from the world.

I didn't realise "Underwater" was a debut novel until later, but I must congratulate Ms Reichardt on a heartfelt, compelling read filled with wonderful characters, great family dynamics, grilled cheese and a sweet romance. ( )

Morgan Grant is probably one of my all-time favorite YA characters. She’s a survivor. She works hard to deal with her past trauma and tries to get better. She tries to support her family, even to the point of causing herself additional emotional turmoil. Plus, anyone who goes out of their way to be kind to others is an instant like in my book. In addition to Morgan and many other beautifully written characters, the true magic of this book is in the delivery of the prose. Marissa Reichert’s writing carries such a unique, lyrical quality that it’s impossible not to get caught up in this story of a girl’s struggles with anxiety. Underwater deserves all the praise it’s received and more. ( )