Ria Williams was an elite diver on track for the Olympics. As someone who struggled in school, largely due to her ADHD, diving was the one place Ria could shine. But while her parents were focused on the trophies, no one noticed how Coach Benny’s strict rules and punishments controlled every aspect of Ria’s life. The harder he was on her, the sharper her focus. The bigger the bruise, the better the dive. Until a freak accident at a meet changes everything. Just like that, Ria is handed back her life, free of Benny.
To fill her now-empty and aimless days, Ria rekindles a friendship with Cotton, a guy she used to know back in elementary school. With Cotton, she’s able to open up about what Benny would do to her, and through Cotton’s eyes, Ria is able to see it for what it was: abuse. Then Benny returns, offering Ria a second chance with a life-changing diving opportunity. But it’s not hers alone—Benny’s coaching comes with it. The thought of being back under his control seems impossible to bear, but so does walking away. How do you separate the impossible from the possible when the one thing you love is so tangled up in the thing you fear most? (Pub Date: Apr 21, 2020)
Ria dreamed of diving in the Olympics and she was very close to making it come true when a traumatic event took her out of the pool. When she learns Cotton's hobby is caving, she decides to join him and his friend in finding out the secrets of their town's cave.
3+, but not enough to get to a 4.
This is mostly a self-discovery story. Ria is really lost without diving but can't see herself going back to her former trainer. Their relationship was also not the best much before the incident, and she barely understands how that relates to how she's feeling in the present. Still, she needs to exercise, to get her body moving, and that's why she thinks it's a great idea to explore the nearby cave with Cotton. He is so different from her usual group that no one would ever know what she's been doing.
I really liked their friendship and how their inevitable romance evolved. They'd known each other since younger and had a lot in common. I think the best thing was the portrayal of Cotton's issues due to being in the spectrum, including the veiled prejudice. It was so on mark, I wondered if I preferred they'd discussed it more or if that would spoil the veiled effected that was intended.
Actually, most of the issues the characters face are basically done on a show-don't-tell basis, so I was glad there's a moment Ria names her problem and faces it head on. It did take her long for that, the poor girl.
Another strength is the descriptions of the caving scenes. I'm far from being outdoorsy but I kinda wished there were a cave around here for me to explore. It really sounded fun! The diving scenes also seemed good, but the adventure parts were my favorites.
And yet, this book lacked in many ways. I couldn't relate to Ria, for one. I can't point out my thing with her, but there was something that made it hard to sympathize. The romance was also pretty much lukewarm. Fortunately, it wasn't the main point of the story, but a better romance could have gotten bonus points for the book in relation to me, a romance fan. I also wish there were more resolution: we never learn what happened to Esther, what was happening in the caves, we barely know what was made of Benny.
It's a good YA, with lots of elements for discussion and even for learning about stuff, I'm sure the caving scenes demanded a lot of research and so did competitive diving. And yet, I don't think the reading itself was that much of a bang. It's above average but it's not that great.
I'd recommend for contemporary YA fans, but not to those who'd want to try YA for a change, maybe thinking that the topics of caving and diving and abusive relationships could be worth it. They were nice, but there are much better YA books out there.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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