As soon as this was compared to Jenny Han and Sarah Dessen, I was completely on board for this book! What I was expecting was a cute, light and fluffy contemporary and got even more than that! I got a book about family, friendships, the definition of home, and how growing up can be both happy and sad at the same time. This is a perfect summer read. It features an adorable, diverse romance that I loved. I found the characters relatable and the plot engaging. This is a page-turner for sure. I will definitely pick up another book by Laura Silverman!

I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog. I will give a 5 star review on here so that I don't mess with it's rating.

I tried reading the e-ARC, the HC, and listening to the audio of this book, and it just never fit with me. With so many people who loved it, I'm sure it was more of a "It's not me, it's you" type thing, but I just could not get into it.

Okay, it's been about 5 years since I've read this (more like months but shhhhh same thing), so forgive me for any lack of detail. Still, I really enjoyed Girl Out of Water! I loved the writing style and the characters. It was relatable and fun. I was totally rooting for the romance to happen (like ASAP please and thank you) and again, I totally adored the family aspect. I can't relate to the whole "surfing is my life" thing (hi, I'm super landlocked), but of course, that's what books are for! I loved Anise's perspective, and Lincoln was probably my favorite character in the entire book. I'm definitely picking up her next novel.

This was a cute and quick book for me to read. You follow the story of Anise who is a surfer. She lives in Santa Cruz and she loves the beach and her friends. When her dad gives her bad news that she will have to leave Home for the summer she is devastated. No Surf Break that involves concerts , foods & surfing. And she won’t be able to spend the last summer with her friends before they all go their separate ways.

I enjoyed this book. Anise really grew from beginning to end. She was scared to leave her home and didn’t want to basically start over in Nebraska where she was going. She was very moody in the beginning while she had to take care of her cousins 24/7 because her aunt had just got in a car crash and was in the hospital. She was not happy about being there. But soon she began to accumulate and she met a boy named Lincoln who taught her how to skateboard.

Anise got out of her comfort zone in this story. She was scared of always leaving. Thinking she was going to be like her mom who constantly peeks her head back & forth into her life.

I really enjoyed this and I read this super fast.

I really enjoyed the 2 character in this book. The whole dynamic of the books was great! Defiantly recommend

This is an absolutely fantastic summer read. Super inclusive, and I love how well Silverman portrayed the different characters, and especially admire her portrayal of Lincoln- adopted kid, disabled- without falling into any tropes. I love the growth of Anise's character from the beginning to the end. Silverman definitely pays attention to character development and that really pays off in moving the plot forward. Another element explored wonderfully by the author was friendship, especially given how close Anise is to her friends at home and how that's affected by her not being home during the summer, something I know a lot of teens struggle with. All in all, a fantastically crafted book. Looking forward to more of Silverman's work in the future.

Anise has her summer all planned out hanging with friends and surfing when her aunt gets into an accident. Her perfect summer is ruined and she must travel with her father to Nebraska to help with her aunt's recovery and take care of her three younger cousins. For someone who hates changes and loves the beach this is torture for her. As time goes on she meets new people and discovers that sometimes change can be good. This book is an amazing coming of age story about stepping out of your comfort zone and not being afraid to live life. This book is a must read if you love contemporary. I enjoyed the characters and the diversity. I really enjoyed Lincoln's character and find him to be so well written. I have definetly found my new book boyfriend.

➜I followed Laura Silverman on Twitter (@LJSilverman1) through the social progressive and activist book community and highly recommend everyone else do the same! 
➜This is supporting an unrepresented author. This is having a diverse cast without making them tokens or lessons. 
➜I loved everything about Girl Out of Water. Seriously! Perfectly paced and plotted, great characters, setting. ➜Perfect balance of different kinds of tension and drama. 
➜Great anxiety and disability rep. 
➜Anise is understandably flawed and fucks up, but works on making good. She’s an adrenaline junkie, but not in a bad way, and a surfer snob. I didn’t even know the latter was a thing, lol. Oh how quickly she learned me! 
➜LOVE Lincoln. Complete and total swoon with a side of “D’aww” squee. And his little brother is 
➜Tess is an amazing bestie that I wish we saw more of, but..ya know, plot. 
➜I’ve got dozens and dozens of quotes highlighted. Lovely turns of phrases and quotables.
➜YAY for supportive families that aren’t cookie cutter nuclear nonsense. 
➜Her cousins are adorable in their own exasperating ways, her Dad is also soon and I’m relieved this wasn’t a “single parent starts dating and chaos ensues.” I mean, he def should date if he wants to, but I’m so tired of that plot line, TBH. Her auntie is admirable and her moments on pain meds are REAL. I’m a single mom with health issues and man, it’s tough. Glad to see at least a little bit in fiction and have such a great representative! 
➜Love the way the beginning and ending squared up. 
➜YAY Mature romance and sex positivity. 
➜Great message learned about home and time and growing up and getting out of your shell. No introvert or anxiety shame here!

I thought that I would like this book but I wasn't able to get into this book at this time. Sadly this book did not finish the book.

Let me just count the ways I love this book! I love the whole uprooting theme, because it really shows you how characters react to changes in their life. Anise? Well let's just say she handed it less than gracefully. Now, I'm not saying she pitched a fit but she certainly made it known she'd rather be back home. It's where her friends are, it's where her almost-maybe-might-become-her-boyfriend is, and it's where the ocean is. Landlocked, middle of nowhere, Nebraska? Not her ideal place to spend the summer - that's for sure! Somehow, though, Anise manages to really surprise me over the course of the book. I LOVED her growth as a person, her relationship with her cousins(especially the oldest) and, of course, her relationship with Lincoln. Oh Lincoln, what exactly can we say about him? He is such an enjoyable character to read, I enjoyed his personality and his role in bringing Anise out of her comfort zone of a shell and embracing her situation. Do they end up together? Well that's for me to know and you to read about. However, I will say I 100% recommend this book to YA Contemporary Romance fans. If you're anything like me, you won't regret it!

Anise Sawyer has lived all her life in Santa Cruz, riding the waves and hanging out with her friends. But when her aunt gets in a serious car accident, she has to leave her friends and the ocean behind and travel all the way to Nebraska to help her aunt and cousins out.

As an eighteen year old on the verge of finishing high school, this book hit right home. I connected a lot with Anise, sharing her sentiments about home and the fear to leave the comforts behind, afraid of having to meet new people and scared of standing out.

Anise was a beautifully written character. I’ve never surfed a day in my life but her passion for it made me fall in love with surfing. Sure, she whined about having to travel half way across the country but that didn’t make her self absorbed or selfish. It made her look like a teenager. Anise was remarkable throughout the book, being selfless and kind for her family in need, accepting the changes and trying out new things and finally, understanding what is really important. I fell in love with her character since the first page.

Each of the characters in this book was well described and significant. The disastrous duo and Emery (the cousins) were adorable. Lincoln, the one armed skater she meets in the park and befriends, is cocky and smart and kind. He is adorably cute too.

The story was very enjoyable and fun to read. It focused evenly on friends and family, not just on the love interest. I can’t even begin to describe how much I love the book and how emotional it made me. This was a very lovely coming of age read. Finished it in one night.

While I did not fall in love with the MC's voice, I think this is a book that many teens will enjoy and I would not hesitate to recommend it.

Loved the diversity in this one, and I also loved the writing.

Loved this book, Anise was a very likeable character and went through a great transition through the book. Lincoln was also great, their friendship to romance was very swoony. Highly recommend for a light read that is hard to put down!

I have to admit, I was really curious to start reading Girl Out of Water. I follow Laura Silverman on Twitter, and all her tweets about the book made me really interested to check it out. I'm glad I did. This book would be perfect to add to your Summer TBR list!

There were a lot of interesting characters in the story, including the main character, Anise, who wanted nothing more than to spend her summer hanging out with her friends and riding the waves. When all her plans changes, she takes them in stride, even when she totally doesn't want to, because.. family. They're everything, right? Anise has a pretty awesome family; her dad, aunt and cousins were all really great. She has some pretty great friends as well, both at home, and the new ones she meets along the way. And, of course, Lincoln is totally awesome as well.

The storyline for this contemporary novel was fun and very entertaining. (I am a sucker for contemporary novels, so this book was right up my alley. *wink*) While the book had a few serious moments in it, it was mainly a really light-hearted read. I loved the summer setting, and though it's not the summer Anise expected to have at the beach, Nebraska still sounds pretty cool. All the descriptions of Anise's home in California totally made me want to BE at the beach. It sounds like an awesome place to live. Laura did a great job with the descriptions.

Overall; Girl Out of Water was an interesting summer themed read, and I'm glad I had the opportunity to check it out! Definitely add this to your TBR if you're in the mood for a fun summer read.
Happy Reading!!

"Girl Out of Water," tells the story of surfer California girl Anise and her forced move to Nebraska. Anise lives and breathes the ocean and she was in for culture shock when she goes to Nebraska with her father to take care of her injured Aunt and her 3 children. I liked little alternatives and juxtapositions that were used in this book, for example, lake-ocean or surfing-skating. It was nice to see the adjustments that were made for the headstrong character of Anise as she grows and adapts to the situation she was put in the for the summer. Truthfully, the love/relationship that Lincoln and Anise share wasn't anything special to me. It was a quick little romance that didn't hold any substance to me. Lincoln helped make her days a little brighter by introducing her to things she wouldn't have otherwise experienced but they're love happened really quickly. To me it seemed like a replacement since Anise suffered the loss of leaving her friends behind during what was supposed to be their last summer all together. Anise and Lincoln just didn't do it for me completely.

Anise has her whole summer before senior year planned out, spending all her time surfing and hanging out with her friends. But when her dad informs her that her aunt has had an accident and her three young cousins nee​d care, Anise finds herself uprooted to Nebraska, as different from California as possible. Anise loves her family and wants to help, but she feel so alone and stranded, watching as her life spirals away from her. But when she takes her cousins to their favorite skate park, she meets a boy named Lincoln who challenges her in ways that make her uncomfortable yet intrigued.

I originally found this book on Netgalley, where the cover and title first caught my eye (and yes, I do judge books by their covers) and then the synopsis really threw me over the edge with my want to read it, the title intriguing and I had heard really good things about the story, so I pretty much knew I had to read this book. I can happily report that this story lived up to my lofty expectations! Gawd, I just want to hug this book to my chest because the feels, oh the feels this story brought to me. This was such a charming growing up book, where Anise learns who she is without all the crutches and safety nets she has always been surrounded by. Her safe comfortable life is not really all that she wants, but it takes some big painful steps for her to learn that, as well as learn who she really is and who she aspires to be. And I would not consider this a romance, even though there was a great slow-building romance here, but instead the relationships between family, such as Anise and her cousins and friendship are valued even more highly than the actual romance in the book is, and I feel like this is such a new perspective for a teen book that I could not help but love this story for that aspect alone.

This was a very character driven story, with little to no real "action" except Anise's development as a person. But it was such a good journey! I loved Anise, and no she was not perfect, she had her flaws just like real people do, but she was willing to acknowledge what her's were and try and do something about them. She was given a scenario that went against everything she wanted, but she stepped up and made the best of it, and I rooted her on through every page. She was engaging, honest, stubborn, giving, loyal and so real. She was the plot of the book and I enjoyed watching her personal growth over the course of the summer.

There were a lot of side characters that helped define Anise, such as her 9 year old cousins the twins, Parker and Nash, and her 12 year old cousin Emery. She was incredibly empathetic when it came to how she treated them, surprising for an only child and a teenager in general. Her relationship with her dad was my favorite part of the story, a constant reliable bond that Anise never seemed to take for granted. And lets not forget quirky, fun, helpful and understanding Lincoln. He was exactly what Anise needed, whether she knew it or not. As a side note, ​I loved that Lincoln used the word finagle, which is probably one of my most favorite words, and he threw it out ever so casually and defended the use of it to Anise, which made me want to laugh and high five him. I think out of all the books I have read recently, this title had the most quotable moments that stuck in my head and felt so insightful and emotional that I had to write them down.​

'The thing is, even though technically I just failed, their encouragement is empowering.'

'"But bad things are infinite, right? he asks'
"That's true, but you know what else is true?"
"What?"
"Good things are infinite too."

​This was such a sweet feel good story, showing the importance of friends and family, that some bonds will never break, that change can be important and beneficial and you are whoever you want to be. I felt happy and content with the entire book when it was over, and no, there were no happily ever afters, and I would not change a thing. The story was real life where there are no certainties, you just try your hardest and hope for the best.

I will recommend this book to a new reader that is new to the genre. I think the story was had a lot off potential but every time a read it a could see a lot off clichés and things that you see very often in the contemporary genre. That being said I still enjoy that it was a coming of age story were our main character had to leave her comfort zone. She love surfing and the ocean, and spending that time out of water really help her understand that change is not bad. I also like all the skateboard references. but I still think it was to predictable for me.