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Breathing Under Water

by Jacqueline Friedland

Two lives connected through the water

Regular price $25.74 USD
Regular price $42.90 USD Sale price $25.74 USD
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AlbakiReads Editorial

Two lives connected through the water

Berry is balancing her work as a vice principal with raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo, when a possible promotion sharpens a conflict between career and family. McKenna, a college student facing caregiving responsibilities, the loss of her swimming scholarship, and housing insecurity, teaches swim lessons to children with autism. Leo is among her students, bringing the two women into one another’s lives. The novel links their separate pressures through swimming and caregiving, with questions of family, responsibility, and what it means to support someone running through both storylines.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in contemporary fiction centered on women navigating family and work pressures.
  • Readers seeking stories involving caregiving, autism, and connections formed through swim instruction.

Themes

CaregivingFamily and found familyWork and family responsibilitiesAutismSwimming and connection

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

"Breathing under Water combines the intrigue of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, the pacing of Lisa Jewell's The Family Upstairs, and the glimpse inside the elite athletic world of Alena Dillon's The Happiest Girl in the World." --STARRED BOOKLIST REVIEW

"A touching novel about unexpected connections and found family. Leo's growth and change are paramount, and he feels like a real person, not a token." --KIRKUS REVIEWS

A Zibby Owens Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2026

The current is threatening to pull them under.

Berry thought she had it figured out--juggling her vice principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo. But when a promotion opportunity collides with her family's deepest needs, she must confront whether she's been fighting the wrong battles all along.

McKenna is drowning. Between caring for her grandmother with dementia, losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness, the college student's carefully constructed world is crumbling. Her only lifeline? Teaching swim lessons to children with autism--including Leo.

As these two women's paths converge in the most unexpected way, they discover that sometimes the people who need saving the most are the ones who end up saving you.

 

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