In The Same Boat

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Author(s)

Holly Green

Publisher

Scholastic Press

Genre(s)

Age Range

13+

Release Date

July 20, 2021

ISBN

9781338726633

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In the Same Boat is the hugely entertaining blend of romance and thrilling adventure that you never knew you needed. Sadie Scofield is just a few days away from the race of a lifetime. The Texas River Odyssey may be 260 miles and multiple days of arduous canoeing where every turn of the river reveals new dangers-downed trees, alligators, pitch black night-but those dangers pale in comparison to going another year knowing that her father is ashamed of her. Last year, Sadie caused a disastrous wreck that ended her father's twenty year streak of finishes, and he's never looked at her the same. Now, she knows that finishing the race with her brother, Tanner, is her one shot to redeem herself. She's ready for anything...except Tanner ditching her for another team at the last minute. Sadie grits her teeth and accepts that she has to team up with Cully, her former best friend turned worst enemy. It's irritating enough that he grew up to be so attractive, but once they're on the river it turns out he's ill-prepared for such a dangerous race. But as the miles pass, the pain of the race builds, they uncover the truth about their feuding families, and Sadie's feelings for Cully begin to shift. Could this race change her life more than she ever could have imagined? With an unforgettable heroine and an immersive setting, Holly Green's captivating debut promises heart-stopping action and a swoony romance that will leave you cheering.

Editor reviews

2 reviews

Thrilling Kayak Adventure

August 06, 2021 (Updated: August 06, 2021)

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

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Characters

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IN THE SAME BOAT by Holly Green is a YA Coming-Of-Age story and romantic adventure in which Sadie Scoefield sets out to complete the Texas River Odyssey, the same 260-mile kayak race that her family has done successfully for the last twenty years. Last year, Sadie raced with her father for the first-time, but ended up crashing and sustaining a serious injury that prevented her from reaching the finish line. Since then, her relationship with her father has never been the same. To set things right, she’s determined not only to complete the entire race this year, but to place in the top five. In order to do that, she’s prepped for at least six months and feels good about her prospects— until her brother ditches her the night before the race, leaving her the singular option to team up with Cully, her ex-best friend. Sadie’s desperate to make this work, and once they get out on the river, they have to figure out a way to be partners again— which means addressing some old wounds and finally looking at their past.

I love everything about this book from the characters to the setting to the stakes. It’s wonderful and all I want from a book of this genre. The idea of doing hard things to prove you can is really compelling, and it’s so much fun to live via Sadie’s experience on this intense kayak trip. Part of me wants to be there doing it too— if there weren’t alligators. For such a long race, one might think the description would get monotonous, but it’s the exact opposite. Each turn of the river brings not only a new physical challenge, but an emotional one as well.

Sadie and Cully had the most beautiful childhood relationship, and I really enjoyed getting the relevant flashbacks to how they were before. It made me root for them to come to forgiveness as it’s so clear how much they cared and loved one another. Green does a great job at tugging on the heart strings in their journey back together, and I wish the ending payoff was a bit more! That being said, I cared deeply for them and thought the dialogue Green wrote was not only spot on, but totally realistic. I also wish Tanner wasn’t let off the hook so easily as he had more than one crime to atone for.

Overall, IN THE SAME BOAT is a joyous, grueling kayak ride through a winding Texas river that left me in awe of human endurance and will, and my heart full of love for the two lead characters, as well as the author for gifting us with such a beautiful story.