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A review by rennegade
Coming Up for Air by Nicole B. Tyndall
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really sweet story of family and first love.
One of my favorite tropes in books is the hate-to-love. While it isn't quite as strong in this novel as it is in others, there is still that build up. Hadley meets Braden after hearing from her sister that he is a womanizing scumbag and to steer clear. He is immediately charming, which only serves to raise her hackles even more, despite her grudgingly acknowledging the attraction.
As their romance blooms, her family's worst fear about her mother's cancer remission is realized. Suddenly, Hadley is juggling her family responsibilities and the stress of a sick parent with a boyfriend who seems to be spiraling out after an injury that could potentially set back his swimming dreams.
The story alternates before and after an accident, which isn't fully described until quite a bit later in the book. While this was good for building a degree of suspense and for keeping me turning the pages, I also feel like it did a bit of disservice to the story of Hadley and Braden's romance. For this being the story of her first great love, there were only a few real scenes between the two of them, and I was left wanting just a bit more.
Regardless, I thought this was a lovely story of love and family and heartbreak and recovery and seeing what was right in front of you the whole time. It ended on a really great note, and I felt pleased with how it all wrapped up.
Definitely a good read, and I would happily read more by this author!
This was a really sweet story of family and first love.
One of my favorite tropes in books is the hate-to-love. While it isn't quite as strong in this novel as it is in others, there is still that build up. Hadley meets Braden after hearing from her sister that he is a womanizing scumbag and to steer clear. He is immediately charming, which only serves to raise her hackles even more, despite her grudgingly acknowledging the attraction.
As their romance blooms, her family's worst fear about her mother's cancer remission is realized. Suddenly, Hadley is juggling her family responsibilities and the stress of a sick parent with a boyfriend who seems to be spiraling out after an injury that could potentially set back his swimming dreams.
The story alternates before and after an accident, which isn't fully described until quite a bit later in the book. While this was good for building a degree of suspense and for keeping me turning the pages, I also feel like it did a bit of disservice to the story of Hadley and Braden's romance. For this being the story of her first great love, there were only a few real scenes between the two of them, and I was left wanting just a bit more.
Regardless, I thought this was a lovely story of love and family and heartbreak and recovery and seeing what was right in front of you the whole time. It ended on a really great note, and I felt pleased with how it all wrapped up.
Definitely a good read, and I would happily read more by this author!