CommonBookSense: Book Review: Learning to Swim ( Annie Cosby)

Learning to Swim

By: Annie Cosby

Genre: Celtic Mythology, Romance

When Cora’s mother whisks the family away for the summer, Cora must decide between forging her future in the glimmering world of second homes where her parents belong, or getting lost in the bewitching world of the locals and the mystery surrounding a lonely old woman who claims to be a selkie creature—and who probably needs Cora more than anyone else.

Through the fantastical tales and anguished stories of the batty Mrs. O’Leary, as well as the company of a particularly gorgeous local boy called Ronan, Cora finds an escape from the reality of planning her life after high school. But will it come at the cost of alienating Cora’s mother, who struggles with her own tragic memories?

As the summer wanes, it becomes apparent that Ronan just may hold the answer to Mrs. O’Leary’s tragic past—and Cora’s future.

**We were provided a free copy of this book in exchange for the following honest review**

To begin, my mom was going to read this book. When she discovered that it had large elements of fantasy lodged into the plot, she turned it over to me!

I honestly enjoyed reading this book. I never felt like I was reading a requested book. It really pulls you in. You fall totally in love with all of the characters, even some of the bad ones, and you just want to see where the current takes them. It did take a little bit to get into the action (by action I mean romance, hello), but it was well worth the wait.

I have to say, it was very exciting to piece together the little pieces that Mrs. O'Leary handed out. When they finally found the coat she was looking for, they didn't even know! If it wasn't 1 A.M. I would have started yelling at them! It was right there!

I was left with a cliffhanger, so I HAVE to get my hands on the next book. There were quite a few questions left unanswered; I was just as confused as Cora and Ronan (I like Ronan better than Rory, sorry). Ugh, it's just one of those books that you go to sleep thinking about, asking yourself what happened and where the characters are going to end up.

The setting is perfect for pool-side reading, seeing as summer is knocking on our doors. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance and just an overall good read. Be prepared for some fantasy elements, but they don't dominate the entire book!

As always, my loves, the links will be inserted below.

Keep your noses in the pages, lovelies, and I'll blog yeewwww later!