5 Reasons To Read Night Swimming
I recently read Night Swimming by Steph Bowe and holy gods it was so good! I didn’t really go in with many expectations, not because I didn’t think it would be good, but because I didn’t know much about the story or the author, Steph Bowe, because this was the first time I’d be reading her work.
Steph Bowe is an Australian author so along with being a fabulous book, it’s also a #loveozya novel!
I highly recommend you all read this amazing book for these top five reasons listed below: (and yes, there are way more reasons than this but these are the main five that stood out to me!)
Also can I just take a minute to say such a huge thank you to The Text Publishing Company, for not only sending me this amazing book, but for also sending me the loveliest care package along with it that included lollies, a Night Swimming bracelet, goat soap and the sweetest note? YOU ARE THE BEST AND KINDEST! <3 span="">
About the book.
Author: Steph Bowe
Pages: 311
Publisher: The Text Publishing Company
Publication date: 3 April 2017
Publication date: 3 April 2017
Synopsis: Steph Bowe is back. Night Swimming is a love story with a twist, and a whole lot of heart.
Imagine being the only two seventeen-year-olds in a small town. That’s life for Kirby Arrow—named after the most dissenting judge in Australia’s history—and her best friend Clancy Lee, would-be musical star.
Clancy wants nothing more than to leave town and head for the big smoke, but Kirby is worried: her family has a history of leaving. She hasn’t heard from her father since he left when she was a baby. Shouldn’t she stay to help her mother with the goat’s-milk soap-making business, look after her grandfather who suffers from dementia, be an apprentice carpenter to old Mr Pool? And how could she leave her pet goat, Stanley, her dog Maude, and her cat Marianne?
But two things happen that change everything for Kirby. She finds an article in the newspaper about her father, and Iris arrives in town. Iris is beautiful, wears crazy clothes, plays the mandolin, and seems perfect, really, thinks Kirby. Clancy has his heart set on winning over Iris. Trouble is Kirby is also falling in love with Iris… (source)
Imagine being the only two seventeen-year-olds in a small town. That’s life for Kirby Arrow—named after the most dissenting judge in Australia’s history—and her best friend Clancy Lee, would-be musical star.
Clancy wants nothing more than to leave town and head for the big smoke, but Kirby is worried: her family has a history of leaving. She hasn’t heard from her father since he left when she was a baby. Shouldn’t she stay to help her mother with the goat’s-milk soap-making business, look after her grandfather who suffers from dementia, be an apprentice carpenter to old Mr Pool? And how could she leave her pet goat, Stanley, her dog Maude, and her cat Marianne?
But two things happen that change everything for Kirby. She finds an article in the newspaper about her father, and Iris arrives in town. Iris is beautiful, wears crazy clothes, plays the mandolin, and seems perfect, really, thinks Kirby. Clancy has his heart set on winning over Iris. Trouble is Kirby is also falling in love with Iris… (source)
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Thank you to The Text Publishing Comapny for providing me a review copy unsolicited however this is an honest review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
My thoughts.
REASON #1: it has such amazing diversity
I love how Steph Bowe didn’t use the excuse of ‘it’s outback Australia’ for why there was no diversity and I am even more pleased at how effortlessly she incorporated it in! There is LGBTQI+ rep, a biracial character and a person of colour! (I MEAN, YES PLEASE!!)It was also a really accurate portrayal of the minorities, especially Iris! Iris is half Indian and it was just so relatable to me, especially this particular bit:
i could not relate to something anymore than this! #NightSwimming by @stephbowe is truely such an amazing read! @textpubYA 💕💕 pic.twitter.com/BDqcX3sUvf— Anisha ✨ (@sprinkledpages) April 7, 2017
REASON #2: the characters are so cute
Kirby was such a fantastic protagonist. Her personality literally bounded off the pages and she was such a fun and enjoyable person to read from the perspective of! I loved how level headed and accepting she was. She was kind and caring and loved her family and friends – which I suppose ISN’T a rare trait in most YA heroines – but it was done really authentically and well in this book! Clancy was such an adorable person and I loved how overdramatic he could get. He was so refreshing and I loved the way Clancy and Kirby balanced each other out! And as mentioned before, Iris was so lovely and relatable and I think Bowe should just get a round of applause for creating such amazing characters!Even the side characters such as Kirby’s mum, Clancy’s parents, STANLEY THE GOAT were all so fab and they didn’t at all feel ‘minor’ or small because they were very well developed!
REASON #3: small town vibes
I adore small towns! I have always lived in the city – it’s where I was born and where I’ve grown up – and town life has always fascinated me! I loved how cute and cosy this town was. There aren’t specific things I can pinpoint about why I loved the town but it was small things that just added up for me such as:
·
Clancy’s parent’s restaurant which was one of
the only few restaurants in town until Iris’s parents came along
·
The way everyone knew one another (and also
knew that Clancy + Kirby trying to make money = trouble)
·
The river in which they could go swimming
·
The goats in Kirby’s backyard (AND STANLEY!!)
·
How there was only one supermarket in town
REASON #4: the humour
This book is PACKED with humour, which you’ll probably already know as there is a pet goat called Stanley after all. But in all seriousness, this book covers some heavy issues in a light and jovial manner creating such an enjoyable, short and fun read!
REASON 5: it’s an #ozYA, it’s diverse, it’s cute, it’s well written, it’s funny, it’s got a great plot and it’s a short read!
Basically I’m just telling you to read it because you will NOT regret it!
OVERALL RATING:
★★★★
Have you read Night Swimming? What did you think? Or are you planning to?
34 happy thoughts
That paragraph is just so real, pfft, have you ever gotten the infamous "Where are you really from?" *groans* Night Swimming sounds fantastic, I'll be checking my local library for a copy :)
ReplyDeleteCassidy @ Quartzfeather
I GET THAT ALL THE TIME AND IT WAS JUST SO GREAT TO SEE IT REPRESENTED IN A BOOK! Also I do hope you manage to find one because it is amazing!
DeleteI have seen several great reviews for this book, and I really want to read it. I hope it becomes available in the US.
ReplyDeleteSam @ WLABB
I HOPE SO TOO! *crosses fingers*
DeleteI can't believe I've not heard of this book before! It sounds so incredible! I'll have to pick this up as soon as I can. I don't often read books set in Australia so this'll be really interesting for me to learn about! Great post<3
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Kirsty! <3
DeleteEeep, this book sounds amazing, and it's my first time hearing of it :) I especially love the quote you shared! So relatable :) Thanks so much for sharing, Anisha! <3
ReplyDeleteBrittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles
AHA NO PROBLEM BRITTANY! I do hope you enjoy it if you get around to reading it!
DeleteOh my gosh! This sounds like the perfect little book, Anisha. I always say Aussie YA really knows how to do YA well. The characters sound amazing, and I love that it's so effortlessly diverse too. And of course, I HAVE got to meet this goat! :)
ReplyDeleteLovely review, Anisha!
AHA OMG STANLEY IS THE BEST! I hope you like him when you get around to meeting him Nick!
DeleteThat book sounds FANTASTIC, it really does. I need to add it to my TBR right now -thank you so much for sharing this <3
ReplyDeleteNo problem Marie! I hope you enjoy it when you do read it!
DeleteI added this one to my TBR recently and your post made me want to read it even more! It sounds like such a great read. And I love how it has small town vibes because I live in a small town. I rarely come across small town books though lol. Great post!! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Melissa! And I hope you enjoy it whenever you get around to reading it!
DeleteYet another book that I hadn't heard of prior to stopping by to read your post - and it sounds like such a great read. I love how it seems to handle diversity so incredibly well, and that there is humor sprinkled throughout the book. I'm definitely going to be adding this to my TBR list! Amazing review!
ReplyDeleteAHA IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOU SAY THAT KELLY! <3
DeleteI'm adding this to my list! This is exactly the sort of contemporary I like to read- funny and cute but with substance. It sounds like a good mix! I haven't heard of this author or book before so I'm glad you posted your review :)
ReplyDeleteAHA I hope you enjoy it Morgan! It was such a great book!
DeleteI love books set in a small town and Night Swimming sounds amazing! I'm so disappointed I couldn't make it to the launch and grab a copy but I'm planning on picking it up soon, yay to ozya and more diversity coming through :D
ReplyDeleteAha yeah I would have loved to meet Steph Bowe too but sadly I missed it!
DeleteThat quote you posted is just perfect. PERFECT. Reviews like yours are making me so excited for it!
ReplyDeleteAha thank you so so much! <3
DeleteI've been hearing so many good things about this book! I'm not sure it's out in the US? I'm going to keep my eye out for it though! Great review!
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's out but maybe they'll have an ebook version? You can try emailing the publisher to see if you can get a review copy, even if it is an e-galley (the publisher is text publishing!)
DeleteI hope you manage to get a copy soon because it is truly amazing!
Your review for this makes me wan to read this soon! I swear, being friends with you makes my TBR + Wishlist grow ten times bigger than necessary haha (I still love you though hehe). Great review, Anisha!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Steph! And you are more than welcome to borrow my copy to read!!
DeleteI didn't know about this one, but I'm definitely adding it to my TBR! It sounds like the perfect read for getting out of a reading slump :) Thanks for the great review!
ReplyDeleteAha you're welcome Lindsey!
DeleteI'm so excited to read this. I'm always looking for some good Oz YA and it's so hard to find some diversity in it. I've seen a lot of great reviews for it so I'm really looking forward to it. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I hope you enjoy it when you get around to reading!
DeleteI've never heard of this one, but you've made me excited to read it so I just added it to my TBR. Happy Reading! <3
ReplyDeleteMegan @ http://wanderingsofabookbird.blogspot.co.uk/
Thanks Megan!
DeleteI didn't realise how much humour played a part in this -- it sounds wonderful -- and stanley!
ReplyDeleteStanley certainly is the best!
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