Blog Tour: Breathing Underwater by Sarah Allen + Exclusive Excerpt, Moodboard and Giveaway!

Thank you so much to Xpresso Book Tours, as well as the author and publisher for giving me a copy of ‘Breathing Underwater’ in exchange for an unbiased, and honest review!! This is my stop for the tour, and you can click the banner below to view the full schedule, and explore other posts!!

Title: Breathing Underwater
Author: Sarah Allen
Publisher: Farrar Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Genre: Middle Grade, Contemporary
Series: None
Publication Date: March 31st 2021
Final Rating: N/A

Synopsis (via Macmillan Website):

“In Breathing Underwater, Sarah Allen has created characters so alive and compelling that readers will root for them every mile of this moving, heartfelt journey.” —Dan Gemeinhart, author of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise.

A sparkly, moving middle grade novel from Sarah Allen, and a big-hearted exploration of sisterhood, dreams, and what it means to be there for someone you love.

Olivia is on the road trip of her dreams, with her trusty camera and her big sister Ruth by her side. Three years ago, before their family moved from California to Tennessee, Olivia and Ruth buried a time capsule on their favorite beach. Now, they’re taking an RV back across the country to uncover the memories they left behind. But Ruth’s depression has been getting worse, so Olivia has created a plan to help her remember how life used to be: a makeshift scavenger hunt across the country, like pirates hunting for treasure, taking pictures and making memories along the way.

All she wants is to take the picture that makes her sister smile. But what if things can never go back to how they used to be? What if they never find the treasure they’re seeking? Through all the questions, loving her sister, not changing her, is all Olivia can do—and maybe it’s enough.

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Exclusive Excerpt from Breathing Underwater by Sarah Allen!

When you’re driving across the country playing Treasure Hunt, one word doesn’t quite do it. You need several words, maybe even a whole rhyme. A rhyme Ruth made up, and one I’ve remembered for three years. 

Something New 

Something Old 

Something Magic 

Something Gold 

These are the words I have sharpied on the back of those four pictures tucked carefully in my closet back at home. I can see those four pictures as vividly as if they were in front of me again. 

So really, my secret plan isn’t my secret plan at all. It’s Ruth’s. But the idea of doing the same Treasure Hunt again as we go back across the country came into my mind like a gift. Because even though there were hard things about moving, we had each other. She’s the one who sat by me every night while we moved away from everything familiar and played me music while we looked at my pictures. And Ruth doesn’t even have to know I’m doing the Treasure Hunt, not at first, because I’ve got my camera. I can subtly take photos of Ruth at every stop, finding ways to replicate as perfectly as possible the images from the first time around. Look at the pictures I took of you, I’ll tell her at the end. I’ll surprise her with the pictures, and when she sees them, she’ll know. And for the last and final picture—our Something Gold—we can have Ellie or Eddie take a picture of us holding not moving boxes, but our Treasure Box. 

We had each other, and I want her to know that we still do. 

Look at all the magic and gold treasures we’ve found, I’ll say.

My Moodboard ~

About the Author

Sarah Allen has been published in The Evansville Review, Allegory, and on WritersDigest. She has an MFA from Brigham Young University. Like Libby in her novel What Stars are Made Of, Allen was born with Turner Syndrome.

AUTHOR SOCIALS:
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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Have you read Breathing Underwater yet? What are some other Middle Grade 2021 contemporary releases you loved? Are there any other MG books you love that tackle issues like mental health and have strong sisterhood dynamics?