I Am Water

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.

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!

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.

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 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.

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!