Girl Underwater, Claire Kells
Girl Underwater, Claire Kells
4 Rating(s)
List: $20.00 | Sale: $14.00
Club: $10.00

Girl Underwater

Author: Claire Kells

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Unabridged: 8 hr 39 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 03/31/2015


Synopsis

An adventurous debut novel that cross cuts between a competitive college swimmer’s harrowing days in the Rocky Mountains after a major airline disaster and her recovery supported by the two men who love her—only one of whom knows what really happened in the wilderness.

Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school, she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university’s nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.

That all changes when Avery’s red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery’s college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person—something she refused to do. Instead she’s avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with sub-zero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could’ve imagined.

In the wilderness, the concept of survival is clear-cut. Simple. In the real world, it’s anything but.

About The Author

Claire Kells was born and raised outside Philadelphia. She received a degree in English from Princeton University and a medical degree from the University of California. Currently in residency, she lives and works in the Bay Area. This is her first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Susan's Reviews on March 04, 2025

I loved this heart-pounding "face your worst fears" survival story! Claire Kells' writing is so incredibly vivid: the harrowing passages about the plane crash and Avery and Collin's struggles to escape the sinking wreckage felt so real. I was holding my breath with them as they struggled to the surfa......more

Goodreads review by Mollie on July 26, 2015

Oh man, this one was a doozy. Not an emotionally intense doozy, a how-was-this-published doozy. If nothing else, it firmly solidifies the fact that I should never, ever be in charge of any book group selections. In fact, if it's something that I even mention once in passing, the rest of the group sh......more

Goodreads review by Jennifer on October 26, 2016

Unreached Potential Sports romance is one of my favorite genres, and swimming my favorite sport. I swam in college, and the sport has been a huge part of my life, influencing my personality, friends, and career. When I heard about this college swimming romance, I KNEW I had to read it. But I feel let......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on July 05, 2017

4.5* The first thing you need to know about this book: It isn't as much a story of survival as it is a story about surviving survival. Yes, the aftermath of the plane crash is a big part of the story, but more prominent is Avery trying to figure out what comes after making it out of a huge plane cras......more


Quotes

Praise for Girl Underwater

“Your first must-read beach book of the summer.”  -- Oprah.com

“The riveting drama is sure to keep readers up into the night devouring each and every twist and harrowing scene.” -- RT Reviews

“A romantic thriller full of raw and conflicting emotions…a roller coaster full of frustrating, exciting, heartwarming and heart-wrenching moments that leave surprises at every turn.” --Deseret News

"As a former competitive swimmer and the recipient of a medical degree, first-novelist Kells amply demonstrates her technical knowledge, lending realism to the story...The story ably demonstrates that survival is not just physical, but also mental and emotional." -- Booklist

"Skillfully interspersing flashbacks with current events, debut novelist Kells has written an absorbing tale that will grip anyone who enjoys survival stories or psychological dramas." -- Library Journal (starred review)

"Kells's visceral story is quite memorable and eminently readable." -- Publishers Weekly

"With its subzero temperatures that will make you reach for a blanket and a wounded but never weakened heroine, Kells' assured debut is a winner." -- Kirkus

"What if the most devastating moment of your life was also the beginning of something beautiful?  Girl Underwater is a compelling coming-of-age love story that will have you rooting for its teen narrator, a girl who survives a disaster, and finds herself trapped between a traumatic past and a fragile future. Trust me--dive in!" –Jodi Picoult, New York Times Bestselling author of The Storyteller and Between the Lines
 
“A powerful love story embedded in an action-packed tale of survival. Even as the characters are fighting for their lives, it’s impossible to turn away from the breathtaking range of emotion they reveal.” –Tracey Garvis-Graves, author of On the Island and Covet