Breathing Under Water

Nineteen-year-old Grace dives into the depths of Sydney's beaches and ocean pools, seeking solace from her recurring visions and blackouts. Her twin brother's unwavering support helps ground her as she navigates an inexplicable connection to the water and struggles with gaps in her memory. The story follows Grace through her relationships with Ben, an aspiring photographer, and her tight-knit group of friends as they spend their days surfing and exploring the Australian coastline. Her mental state becomes increasingly fragile as she tries to understand the meaning behind her vivid water-related experiences. Grace must confront questions about reality, memory, and perception while piecing together the truth about her past. Her journey leads her through Sydney's beachside communities and forces her to examine her relationships with those closest to her. The novel explores themes of trauma, identity, and healing through its portrayal of water as both sanctuary and threat. Hardcastle's prose creates a dreamlike atmosphere that mirrors the fluid boundary between memory and reality.

Readers describe this YA novel as an emotional exploration of grief, mental health, and teenage relationships. Reviews highlight Hardcastle's poetic writing style and vivid descriptions of surfing and ocean scenes. Liked: - Raw, authentic portrayal of teen mental health struggles - Beautiful prose and metaphors involving water - Character development of the protagonist Grace - Realistic depiction of friendship dynamics Disliked: - Slow pacing in the first third - Some found the metaphors heavy-handed - Several readers wanted more resolution with secondary characters - Plot points felt predictable to some Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (2,100+ ratings) Amazon AU: 4.2/5 (85 ratings) "The water imagery perfectly captures the feeling of drowning in grief" - Goodreads reviewer "Sometimes tries too hard to be profound" - Amazon reviewer "Hard to get through but worth it for the emotional payoff" - Goodreads reviewer

Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar A young woman surfs at night to cope with trauma, finding healing through her connection to the ocean and a community of surfers.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart A student at an elite boarding school uses her intelligence to infiltrate secret societies and challenge gender power structures.

Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta A teenage girl navigates depression, family crisis, and identity at a former all-boys school in Sydney.

Six Impossible Things by Fiona Wood A fourteen-year-old boy deals with family upheaval and first love while moving to a new neighborhood in Melbourne.

The Love That I Have by James Moloney A German girl working in a prison mail room during WWII reads letters between prisoners and their loved ones, leading to consequences that change lives.

🌊 Sophie Hardcastle wrote this novel at just 21 years old, drawing from her experiences growing up on Sydney's Northern Beaches 🏄‍♀️ The author is an accomplished surfer and artist, which heavily influenced the vivid descriptions of ocean scenes throughout the book 💫 The book explores themes of grief and mental health through magical realism, blending reality with surreal underwater sequences 🎨 Hardcastle synesthetically experiences colors when writing, and deliberately incorporated this sensory element into her prose 📚 The novel was partly inspired by Virginia Woolf's "The Waves," which also uses water imagery to explore consciousness and emotion