Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland
ARC from Harper Muse and Netgalley for an honest review
Book Blurb:
The current is threatening to pull them under. Berry thought she had it figured out—juggling her vice principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo. But when a promotion opportunity collides with her family’s deepest needs, she must confront whether she’s been fighting the wrong battles all along.
McKenna is drowning. Between caring for her grandmother with dementia, losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness, the college student’s carefully constructed world is crumbling. Her only lifeline? Teaching swim lessons to children with autism—including Leo.
As these two women’s paths converge in the most unexpected way, they discover that sometimes the people who need saving the most are the ones who end up saving you.
My Review: 4 stars
Breathing Under Water by Jacqueline Friedland was a relatable and compelling story of keeping your family afloat during the harried time of parenthood. Additionally, this book is a welcome reminder of how a stranger can your life for in meaningful ways.
The book mainly focuses on two women – Berry, a mother of two sons, one of whom has autism. The other is McKenna, a young woman taking care of her grandmother, all while working full time. The magic of the story was how these two women, in completely different stages of womanhood, found each other and allowed themselves to ask for help. Women are so trained to do everything themselves and often feel as if asking for help is a form of weakness.
Leo, Berry’s son, is the superhero in the story as he goes through life on the spectrum. He’s good looking and overall, a great kid, yet he deals with so much on a daily level. Watching him grow into himself and finding an endearing friendship with McKenna was lovely.
The author’s note was very interesting as the author’s mother was diagnosing spectrum disorders way before so many others weren’t.
Quiet, entertaining and quick book to read!
Quotes I liked:
I still remember how Karyn told me then that when I felt those big feelings, I should pretend I was trying to smell cookies, that pulling the scent into my lungs would help the anger go away. It took me years to realize she’d just been trying to get me to take a few deep breaths.”
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