Susannah Ramos at fourteen took a gold medal in the FINA World
Aquatics Championships in Budapest, but it’s not the Olympics and
that’s Susannah’s goal. It looked achievable, but then her body
changed. Growing six inches made her feel less comfortable in the
water still she was determined to forge ahead and get her speed back.
Harry is also a
swimmer. He meets Susannah and they become friends with the
tantalizing romance of teens. He’s struggling also. He became a
swimmer not like Susannah because he loves it, but because he was
diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The doctors thought swimming would
give him an outlet to take his mind off the side effects of the
medication.
This is a beautiful
story of struggle, success, and courage. Looked at from the outside
being a sports star may seem glamorous, but in reality it calls for
self-sacrifice including sacrifice from the ones close to you. It
takes grit and determination and the ability to work through pain. I
thought the author did an excellent job with Susannah’s character.
She has the desire to push herself to success, but it takes a toll on
her self-esteem and relationships.
I also thought
Harry’s character was well portrayed. He’s calm, compassionate,
and loving, but he struggles with the problems of his mental illness
and the side effects of medication. Without doing a data dump, the
author did a good job of explaining bipolar disorder in an
understandable way.
I highly recommend
this story of courage, struggle, and love.
I received this book
from Harlequin for this review.
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