Breathing Underwater

by Alexandra Flinn, 263 pages

It was just a slap. But she had it coming, right? So why does everyone hate Nick Andreas and why is the love of his life, Caitlin, taking out a restraining order on him? As a condition of the court, Nick is required to go to anger management group therapy as well as journal the events that lead up to this point in his life. You'll be hard-pressed to put this one down as you wait to discover what happens to Nick and the interesting group of characters that surround him.

I really, really enjoyed this novel. Written from Nick's perspective, your emotions will run the gamut - hate, confusion, sympathy - I felt them all. He's a tragic character really. His dad has beat him his whole life and so when someone finally comes along that truly cares about him, he can't deal with it appropriately. His disbelief turns to jealousy which then turns into violent controlling behavior. Red flags were abundant to everyone but Caitlin who is easily manipulated because she struggles with her own self-esteem issues. It was a recipe for disaster from the start. This book has a lot to teach young men and women how to be aware of the situations they put themselves in (hopefully before they get into them).

Fans of Chris Lynch's Inexcusable will appreciate the hope found in this novel that seemed to be absent from Lynch's. This is an optimistic journey of self-discovery and shows that when someone truly reflects on their behavior and finally accepts that they have a problem, real change can take place.