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A review by bethhthelibrarian
Coming Up for Air by Nicole B. Tyndall
4.0
Coming Up for Air took me back to when I fell in love with for the first time. I think Nicole Tyndall did an incredible job bringing those intense feelings back to life. Hadley and Braden falling in love amidst all of the challenges high school has to offer, familial problems, and friend drama felt authentic in a way that took my breath away.
Jock Braden and photographer Hadley might seem at first to be unevenly matched, but their chemistry is electrifying and there are few other couples in YA contemporary lit who match them. We learn immediately that there has been an accident, Braden is in the hospital, and Hadley, though she appears to have broken things off with Braden, is so heartbroken and distressed. The narration then takes us back in time to the beginning of their relationship, and it is so lovely to watch them fall in love, but there is a darkness, as we know the way it seems to end. Braden's addiction takes its toll on Hadley, who is also dealing with the cancer diagnosis of her mom. Their story feels so real, and brings to light the pressures so many of today's teens are facing in terms of being perfect or reaching so high to get those college scholarships, no matter what they have to do to get there. I think many teens will be able to relate to this relationship, and even now, having mercifully survived high school a decade ago, this book brought back feelings and memories I had long forgotten. I think this book has got a place right alongside Eleanor and Park and All the Bright Places.
Content warnings: This book is for mature teens. There is sex, drug addiction, partying, and profanity. But it is also a beautifully written tribute to the high school experience and falling in real love for the first time.
Jock Braden and photographer Hadley might seem at first to be unevenly matched, but their chemistry is electrifying and there are few other couples in YA contemporary lit who match them. We learn immediately that there has been an accident, Braden is in the hospital, and Hadley, though she appears to have broken things off with Braden, is so heartbroken and distressed. The narration then takes us back in time to the beginning of their relationship, and it is so lovely to watch them fall in love, but there is a darkness, as we know the way it seems to end. Braden's addiction takes its toll on Hadley, who is also dealing with the cancer diagnosis of her mom. Their story feels so real, and brings to light the pressures so many of today's teens are facing in terms of being perfect or reaching so high to get those college scholarships, no matter what they have to do to get there. I think many teens will be able to relate to this relationship, and even now, having mercifully survived high school a decade ago, this book brought back feelings and memories I had long forgotten. I think this book has got a place right alongside Eleanor and Park and All the Bright Places.
Content warnings: This book is for mature teens. There is sex, drug addiction, partying, and profanity. But it is also a beautifully written tribute to the high school experience and falling in real love for the first time.