The writing style isn't my favorite, but it was interesting. It was in poetic verse, which I don't read very often. However, the plot was beautiful and it deals with the importance of recognizing gender-fluid people, which I'm all for. If you like that style of writing, then this book is for you!

Thanks again to netgally and the publisher for sending me an ARC for this book, this has in no way altered my opinion of the book.

I am a sucker for poetry, so I was pleasantly surprised that this book was written in a sort of poetry way. I really liked it.
I loved the relationship Hannah had with her brother. I recognized me and my sibling in it so much.

This book also shows that it is okay for girls to wear boy clothes and be more of a "tomboy". Nothing is wrong with that. I am glad that a writer is exploring this kind of character.

That being said, the book did not stand out for me. The poetry element gave the story a nice flow but I just couldn't really get into the story. Maybe with some time I will be able to pick the book up again and give it another try, this time in physical copy so I can make anntonations.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


So, I want to start this review with transparency, I do not like books written in verse. I really wish it had been clearly stated that this book was one written in verse. With that being said, it was a good book.


The theme of the book is all about finding yourself and about first loves. I particularly loved the growth of the main character, Hannah. Her growth felt very pure and realistic. I loved the general “self love” theme.


I think the author tackled some very hard to touch topics like homophobia, sexisim and discrimination in a very easy to understand way.


Despite my aversion to books written in verse, I did really enjoy this book and I want to thank the publisher, author, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this title.

Thanks NetGalley and West 44 Books for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description
Hi-Lo. Hannah works as the only female river-rafting guide in her close-minded small town. Labeled as a tomboy, she often struggles to reconcile the way she fits into normal gender stereotypes. Hannah meets Ezra, who blurs the lines between woman and man. They begin an exciting new relationship, but soon Ezra starts pushing Hannah's limits and her definition of love.

I love the Hi-Lo books. It allows those who may feel as if a book is too much to tackle - a sense of accomplishment. They generally are short stories that are well written and fleshed out with a beginning, middle and end. It's cohesive and engaging all the while easily comprehended.

With that being said, I am not a fan of the topic of this book. I feel that the material covered is way to controversial for middle grade aged children. I also do not believe in gender fluidity. A boy is a boy and a girl is a girl - that is how the Lord created us.

Right of the start, you can see Hannah's personality in the lines, follow her emotional journey and watch her grow and change in her last year of high school. I was connected to her and liked her personality.
My favorite parts included her interacting with her brother. Their sibling relationship was beautifully portrayed and created a nice offset to the other two in her story, Sam and Ezra.
The nature themes are just as strong as the title and cover suggest without being overbearing or falling into clichées.

But I was let down in how far the story actually went when it came to deeper discussions.
I feel like the story lost itself in the last parts, the poems were not as focused anymore, many of the before mentioned themes were not picked up again. Overall, it felt unfinished and not satisfying. I'd wished to have some part repeat itself to give it a more rounded feel, for example, her river-rafting job or her thoughts on her own gender.


<i>I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Well, I wasn't expecting the book to be written in verse, and I think it took my brain a little while to get over the shock of that. Would have been easier to read if I was expecting it from the description. (unless my Kindle was acting up and it's actually supposed to be in prose? Either way, a heads up would be good).

That aside, I think that this is a beautifully written, easily accessible book. I'd definitely recommend for younger teens who have difficulty engaging with standard novels. Hannah is a great character and I love her voice throughout. The plot is easy to follow, but still engaging. Overall, a great Hi Lo book because it manages to get that perfect balance of accessibility and good, age-appropriate themes and story that is hard to achieve.

I guess if you have visited my blog before you know that I love the idea of the Hi-Lo books and that they encourage people to read who perhaps aren't as good at it as others. My understanding of Hi Lo books are they have high interest plot , yet use less complicated wording.

In this book the main themes are gender stereotypes, and coming of age. Hannah is the main character who has always been labelled as a "tomboy". Hannah is the only female river rafting guide, so she is used to taking the tours and having male tourists try to take over, thinking they know more than a young female who in their opinion doesn't know what she is doing. Hannah is friends with Sam who people also think of as an "oddball" or more of a "loner" "outsider". Sam likes watching fire and always has a lighter with him. In fact, he has a habit of flicking the lighter on and off. Hannah and Sam have their routine of going for a milkshake every Friday. They take it in turns to choose the milkshake flavour, then they go down by the water and light a fire and sit round it talking, it is kind of like their ritual.
Their routine, rituals and relationship end up being disturbed when a new boy turns up at school. The new boy is Ezra, who dresses differently, he doesn't easily fit into a female or male stereotype. Ezra refuses to conform to wearing what people consider male clothing, he wears floaty scarves and wears make up and glitter to adorn himself.

I was quite surprised that a book listed as children's fiction, would cover such a difficult, some would say controversial subject. Though on the other hand the book deals with the subject of gender fluidity which seems to be covered in the news and in TV programmes more and more too. I think the book handles the subject very well and it made an interesting and informative read.
I loved the reference of purple being a mixture of pink and blue so making it the perfect colour to represent gender fluidity. I think this book would be a great conversation starter for teens or anyone who feels they are gender fluid.

First I think it's important for you to know that this book is written in verse, maybe it won't matter as much if you're expecting it. I was expecting a regular ya novel, which means I was a bit disappointed at the way this was written. But I am still of that group who believes putting something in verse does not make it poetic. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do, it just didn't land well with me.

I Am Water is a story about finding yourself and a story about first love. Hannah is a tomboy who struggles with gender stereotypes. She is also the only female river-rafting guide in her town. This is very important to her character, as she is written as a personification of water. Then she meets Ezra, who blurs the lines between male and female. Ezra is the personification of earth and together they challenge each other to grow into themselves in a world where few are supportive.

For a book that promises a fight against gender stereotypes and a character who does not conform to the norms of either male or female, I was expecting a lot more than I got. There was only one actual point, one scene, in the book where this issue was addressed. I also think Ezra's character fell apart somewhere in the last 25% of the book. I also cringed a lot at the attempted deep metaphor and poetic writing. It reminded me a bit of Rupi Kaur's poetry (which I really disliked).

I have to say, the one thing I really loved about this book was Hannah's growth. I am a sucker for character development, and she really seemed to grow into herself through the book. She got the strength to shut down toxic people around her, saying she might care for them but she cared about herself too, and that would keep her from accepting shitty behavior. But even though I loved her growth, I can't say I loved this book. It was a far shot from what I was expecting, and had I known it was written in verse I probably wouldn't have picked it up. But that's just me. If you love verse, or you loved Rupi Kaur's poetry, then this might be something for you!

This was written so beautifully and had such amazing lines. I loved Hannah's relationship with her brother and Hannah herself. I almost wish this wasn't written in verse so we could have gotten some more from the story - background, setting, relationships, etc. Especially Hannah exploring her gender identity - after she first thinks she may be gender fluid, the plot line is pretty much completely dropped and instead focuses on her and Ezra's relationship. Overall, I really liked this!

This book starts by seeming like it will be about first love and it is but it is about discovering oneself most of all and I loved that it was focused on Hannah and not on who Hannah was dating.

Meg excels at telling a story that tells people, and girls, in particular, that no matter how cool and amazing her boyfriends (or other significant other) might be they should always make sure that they are doing what they want to do, not what the person they are dating is trying to get them to do or to let them do to someone else.

I think that this is the perfect read for younger teenagers to be introduced to being genderfluid because it explains it really well in a really innocent way.

Homophobia, discrimination, and sexism also feature prominently and I loved to see how the author dealt with those themes in a simple and easy to understand way.

The supporting characters were also amazing and Hannah’s brother and her best friend Sam really clawed their way into my heart. Most of all though I loved to see Hannah grow.

Thank you to West 44 and NetGalley for this DRC.