2.5/5 - I wish I had liked this more. I chose to read this one because 1) the dog on the cover looks so sweet, nuzzling the girl sitting beside of him, and 2) because I love reading when characters have great relationships with their grandparents. I had a particularly special relationship with my grandmother, so I was looking forward to remembering about my own experiences with my Grandma while I read about Katie and Nan.

Things I Liked:

1. Katie's dog is a rescue dog named Bark. Throughout the story, we get the chance to watch him come out of his fearful shell a little bit and it warmed my heart. Bark takes up a lot of space on the pages and played a pretty big role in the story. LOVED that.
2. Katie rediscovers hobbies that she had forgotten as she had gotten older. She also reconnected with her best friend from her school days, Mo. Mo is strange and independent and genuinely fun to read on the pages.

Things I Did Not Like:

Not to sound awful, but Katie's anxiety and grief was just too much. I wasn't expecting to be so immersed in her struggles because the book synopsis really didn't give an accurate idea of how crippling her anxieties are and how deeply she still grieves the loss of her father. When I started the book and realized Katie's characterization, I had hoped that her issues would be sprinkled throughout the story, and I had hoped that Katie would find a way to work through these things and head toward some healing sort of early in the story. I was NOT expecting that her issues would be the main part of the story. I completely understand anxiety and I completely, completely understand exceptionally deep grief after losing my own father tragically. But I was not expecting to have to sit in it with Katie so much and it really bogged down the story from start to finish. As a result, I never felt connected to Katie, and I never really felt connected to any other character either.

There was a lot of potential with this one, and my Goodreads feed is overall positive for this book. I think most people enjoyed it more than I did, perhaps not feeling the weight of Katie's grief and anxiety. I just don't feel like the synopsis prepared me for what the story really was, and that makes me sad a little bit.

But the dog is just *chef's kiss*


I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. This in no way influenced my review. Thank you, Atria Books!

I received an ARC of this book, and was absolutely enchanted! The characters are brought to life and absolutely lovely. I wanted to move into this neighborhood filled with fun-loving, caring and dynamic people. The protagonist struggles with anxiety and fear-so much so that some of the scenes were difficult for me to read as someone who also has anxiety. The cover originally drew me in, as a young woman with a dog sidekick, and the dog did not disappoint! The dog’s behavior changes throughout the book and reflects the storyline beautifully. This is one of those books that have a completely satisfying ending. A lovely quick read; I would recommend for anyone looking for an easy feel-good story.
#swimmingforsunlight #netgalley

Always a go to author. I’ll buy it if she writes it. I found her by accident online with a Books A Million emailed book club where each week a new book is featured and you get a little of the story each day. I knew from the first day I had to have it. It was called Stay. And I’ve followed and read everyone of her books since. And like this one, have loved them all. I highly recommend.

I absolutely adored the main character and the family and friends she surrounded herself with. As someone with anxiety disorder I was able to really understand Kay and how she viewed herself. I loved the connection with the dog too...and how if we are anxious the dogs feel that emanating from us. Great summer beach read!!

#FirstLine : Prologue ~ My husband brought a date to our divorce.
Everything Larkin writes is gold. Her humor, storytelling and characters are all full of heart. All aspects of her writing shine. You know you are reading a book by Larkin because you are instantly drawn into the world she creates within the pages. In Swimming for Sunlight, I was once again, transported into the book...right into the lives of the characters. It is more than merely being a reader, it is like a being part of the existence within the book. It is an all encompassing journey you take with the characters. It is a gift she gives to her readers! I loved this book from cover to cover and HIGHLY recommend it!!!

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2020 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2020/01/2020-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

A book that starts in a divorce, but that is only the first chapter. Katie moves back in with her grandmother and decides to reevaluate her life and figure out where she wants to go for herself. She ends up entangled with her grandmother's friends who are remembering days of the past and decide to recreate some of the things they used to do.

I have recently decided to avoid all books about cheating and divorce - just not something I want to read about, so I was nervous about the basis of this book, but it really only is the first chapter and the book is more about Katie's arc to find herself and her passions again. There are peaks of Katie reflecting on a relationship gone wrong, but they were dropped in at just the right moment and I felt as though they helped to drive Katie and the story forward.

The characters were just great in this book. With a large cast I wondered if I would feel lost in the shuffle, but the author does a great job of giving every character their own backstory, so the reader can feel connected to each one in a unique way.

I loved this book. It was the perfect escape during a busy season of my life. It was easy to pick up and put down and not miss a thing. I need to read more of Allie Larkin's backlist!

Very well written book. Accurately described a character with anxiety. Author created the kind of characters that you want to know in real life.

There is only one thing that Katie Ellis wanted out of her divorce, her dog Bark. She let her husband have the house and everything in it. Katie packed up Bark and her meager belongings into her beat-up Honda Accord and heads to her Grandmother Nan's house in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Nan has always been her harbor in the storm. She took Katie in after her father died and her mother went off to pursue her career. And now she is taking her in after her divorce. Katie, a costume designer, eagerly agrees to help Nan and her eclectic group of friends make costumes for their mermaid reunion. But where would they wear mermaid costumes, in the water? Katie has been deathly afraid of water ever since her father died after Katie goaded him into swimming. And she couldn't save him. Katie's ex-boyfriend, a documentary filmmaker, enters the mix after Katie reaches out to him for filming advice. Causing Katie's anxieties to launch into hyper-drive. Will Katie ever be able to get past her crippling anxieties and find the happiness she doesn't believe that she deserves?

I visited Florida for the first time this past year and my trip took me to Port St. Lucie. I was thrilled to discover that Swimming For Sunlight was set in a place that I had actually visited. Forty-Three year old me really struggled to find empathy for Katie. The big scene that had me railing involved a bathroom visit at the house of Luka's friend, a tampon, and Katie's insecurities. I kept thinking to myself that she was being ridiculous. And then I remembered the age difference and I think that I probably experienced the same kind of anxiety of leaving behind evidence of menstruation at a guys house when I was twenty-seven, too. I loved Katie's relationship with her grandmother and her grandmother's crazy group of friends. That is exactly how I want my "golden" years to be, carefree and surrounded by friends. They provided a support network that a woman of any age would be lucky to have around them. There was some great character development for Katie and I was pleased to see the way her story ended.

Bottom Line - Swimming For Sunlight is a "Beach Read" about a perfectly imperfect woman trying to swim for sunlight and put her life back together after some really unfortunate and tragic events that have shaped her life.

Details:
Swimming For Sunlight by Allie Larkin
On Instagram
Pages: 352
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 4.23.19
Buy it Here!
Thank you to Netgalley for the book in exchange for a review.

I couldn’t have loved this book more. I understand that love is probably coinciding with my life and current feelings in harmony , but that’s what makes reading great. I laughed, I cried , i highlighted the hell out of this book.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for a free copy of this book for review. Katie has just divorced her husband and has gone back home to Florida with her dog Bark to once again live with her grandmother. I love stories with family dynamics and this has a lot of that. Katie spent a lot of her childhood living with her grandmother and surrounded by her grandmother’s fun loving and eccentric friends which have become like family. Katie left her marriage with only a couple of bags of clothes and her dog but she definitely is carrying around a lot of emotional baggage from her turbulent childhood and adulthood. Once she arrives in Florida her grandmother tells her she is trying to recreate a mermaid show with her friends and she enlists her help in making costumes. Katie is deadly afraid of pools and swimming after an incident earlier in her life so the thought of a mermaid show terrifies her. A man from her past also comes to help document the mermaid show and Katie has to reconcile her feelings for him. While the book is generally lighthearted there are some very important emotional issues Katie has to overcome.

This was a good idea of a young divorced woman going to live with her grandmother. The back story of Grandma and her friends being performers in their younger years as mermaids was great. I enjoy stories that are multi-generational. My only complaint was the main character Kate. It's pretty obvious she has some emotional issues and should be talking to someone about her childhood and current life. Grandmother Nan and her friends saved this book for me. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Having recently finished “Swimming for Sunlight” by Allie Larkin, I am happy to have had the chance for the preview; thank you NetGalley and Atria Press!

Of course I was drawn to the cover art with this book! A gal... and her dog... but the story inside ended up not being at all what I expected.

No one knows in what ways grief and guilt can change your world. For me... this story was a look at both of those emotions with mega doses of anxiety thrown in. The bits of "light" that shone through in Swimming for Sunlight were filled with touching "grandma" moments and life-long friendship memories and wisdoms... all given with pure and unconditional love. That kind of continuious shining light can't help but build strength and begin to heal the darkest emotions. Oh and love from a fur baby... there is no doubt that is one of the best kinds of healing for any lost soul!

*** The icing on the cake for some of my favorite books is the discovery of the author Q&A at the end. I love to read about the thought process that went in to creating the story. I especially liked Ms. Larkin's answers and insights.

*Received from publisher via Netgalley*

"Swimming for Sunlight" by Allie Larkin is about a young divorcee trying to overcome trauma as she returns home to live with her grandmother. She begins helping her grandmother and friends become the entertainment mermaids they used to be decades before. It's heartwarming yet slow without the pizzazz in telling everyday situations and depicting everyday characters.

Katie returns home to Florida after a tumultuous divorce that ended with her ex-husband shacking up with the younger woman he had an affair with. So Katie is out of sorts bringing her dog Bark, also suffering from anxiety, along with her as she's still reeling from the effects of a marriage that resulted in two post-IVF miscarriages. And she never got over her father's unexpected death on the water when she was a kid and her mother's subsequent abandonment.

When she gets to her grandmother Nan's home, she's welcomed back into the senior community she was raised in. Nan has changed with adapting a vegan diet while some of her friends have passed who had a hand in raising Katie like her aunt Bitsie's wife Bunny who had taught Katie to sew. The ladies talk one night about their days performing as mermaids in circus shows. They want to replicate those days, so to get her mind off things, Katie takes up the cause with searching on Facebook for their old friends who were also mermaids and volunteering to sew the mermaid costumes. While searching on Facebook, Katie sees the other guy she had fallen in love with in college before her ex-husband and sends a message. Eventually, Luca arrives in Florida to shoot a documentary on the mermaid project. Katie's best friend Mo tries to get her out of the house more and spark another romance with Luca. In the end, Katie overcomes her fear and anxiety as if she is a mermaid.

The story again moves slow without much excitement; the events are ordinary, the characters are ordinary. The mermaid project itself is the steps of putting it together, which doesn't seem exciting like they're cruising Facebook, going to each other's homes, sewing, etc. and the tension isn't strong enough to come off as interesting. In simpler terms, it gets boring, but the reader can empathize with Katie, who struggles with coming to terms with her past like getting over her father's death and walking away from Luca. Character development is fine. The backstories are there with Katie's father dying and mother leaving her with Nan; Mo also being raised by her grandparents; and Luca, whose mother was deported, or maybe these are all coincidental. Overall, the story and characters have potential but need more energy so the reader's eyes won't glaze over.

Author Allie Larkin should win an award for the most gripping, enticing, and creative first line of a novel: "My husband brought a date to our divorce."

Swimming for Sunlight is the delightful, charming, and thoroughly enjoyable story of costume designer Katie Ellis and her neurotic rescue dog, Barkimedes. After Katie's aforementioned divorce, she moves back in with Nan, the paternal grandmother who raised her after her father's death and her mother's departure from her life. Katie arrives with little more than Bark, the clothes on her back, and her rundown car. She relinquished all of the marital assets to ensure that she retained custody of Bark.

At her grandmother's Florida home, she finds herself pulled into the lives of her grandmother's close-knit group of friends. And they are a colorful, eclectic, adorable bunch of characters, lovingly brought to life by Larkin. Nan and her friends were underwater performers -- mermaids -- when they were young. Now they're planning a reunion performance and Katie is pressed to make their costumes for the big show. Katie helps Nan navigate Facebook and locate the missing members of the mermaid troop.

Among the complications are the return of Luca, a documentary filmmaker who was Katie's best friend but with whom she lost touch. She always had feelings for Luca, but her anxiety and insecurity prevented a relationship from blooming. Now Luca wants to make a film about the friends, their reunion, and the spectacular they are planning.

There's another slight problem concerning the mermaid production and Katie's participation: she's deathly afraid of water as a result of the trauma she suffered surrounding her father's untimely death.

Larkin injects her signature sense of humor into a frothy, sometimes silly but endearing story. Although portions of it may be entirely predictable, that does not spoil the experience of watching Katie evolve and come to grips with her past, as well as forge a future for herself and her beloved Bark. Nan and her friends are the kind of neighbors every reader will wish lived next door.

At the heart of Swimming for Sunlight is a thoughtful examination of the ways in which trauma can cripple and inhibit us, stop us from fulfilling our dreams, and the beauty and value of multi-generational relationships. Swimming for Sunlight is a perfect book to read by the pool or on the beach.

I've been a fan of Allie Larkin's for a while, starting with her book Why Can't I Be You (which was a pure delight, by the way), so I was eager to read her latest. Swimming for Sunlight explores themes on identity, friendship, anxiety, and how to find joy. Add in some hip and savvy elderly underwater performers AND Katie's rescue dog, Bark, and you have the perfect fun, light, heartfelt beach read. Pick it up for your summer vacation or to get out of a reading slump, you won't be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed Allie Larkin's first two novels, and Swimming for Sunlight was a long time coming. It is definitely worth the wait though!

This was such a sweet and heartwarming story. Nan and her friends were so much fun, full of life and energy. Katie's dog Bark was a force to be reckoned with. I loved his personality, as well. Katie was relatable and I could really feel her anxiety during certain parts. I loved her friendship with Mo, as it reminded me of myself and my best friend. I also liked the "will they or won't they" moments with Luca. It was easy to visualize people, places, and scenes. I would love to see the actual costumes Katie created, as they sounded amazing!

Swimming is a rewarding read that is sure to put a smile on your face. I hope Allie won't wait so long to publish her next novel. She is a masterful storyteller and it shows!

Movie casting suggestions:
Katie: Haley Ramm
Nan: Betty Buckley
Bitsie: Blair Brown
Mo: Ashley Edner
Luca: Jack Quaid
Isaac: Jonathan Pryce

I read Swimming For Sunlight in full on a long flight and cried my eyes out. I ached for Kay’s sadness, I wanted to hug Bark, I adored Nan and Bitsie and the rest of the mermaids, wanted Mo as my best friend, and fell in love with Luca. What a truly beautiful story from one of my favorite authors! Allie Larkin hooked me with Why Can’t I Be You (still hoping for a sequel), and she had me unable to put this book down. I absolutely recommend it!!

Swimming for Sunlight was wonderful! I loved everything in this novel, especially the women, their relationships, their conversations, and the dog! After Katie gets divorced, she drives with her rescue dog Bark to her grandmother Nan’s house in Florida. She quickly finds out that her grandmother is now living a whole new healthy lifestyle. Nan and her friends are still hanging out with their scheduled meals and get togethers. The women begin to plan a special mermaid show at the pool complete with costumes made by Katie. It is a reenactment of the mermaid shows that Nan used to do when she was younger. They reach out to some of the women who used to perform in the shows with Nan. Katie reunites with her childhood friend Mo and gets in contact with Luca who she was close to in college. The women all continue to bond as they work on the planning for the show. They offer their love and wisdom to Katie who is struggling with her emotional fears. And everyone helps to get Bark over his own doggy fears that keep him from enjoying his life. This was such a beautiful story about women, their friendships, love, and pain! There was humor and honest, real life interspersed between the pages as well.

This is one of these stories that will stay with you forever. It’s emotional , beautiful with a meaning. I loved the characters a lot and I felt connected to them! I could feel their joy and love through the pages.