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Treading Water
When loss pulls her under, friendship may be the only thing that saves her...
Eighteen-year-old Olympic swimmer Natalie Collins had everything—discipline, fame, a future golden with promise. But when her best friend and relay teammate is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Natalie’s carefully built world shatters.
A public breakdown and an exposed addiction send her to The Dunes, a rehab in the California desert. There, stripped of her medals and headlines, she’s just another girl learning how to survive.
Inside the walls of The Dunes, Natalie finds a raw and unexpected family—an artist fighting heroin, a former beauty queen scarred by trafficking, a gangster seeking redemption, and a counselor who urges her to write letters that change everything.
To rebuild her life, Natalie must face the pain she’s been swimming from, the family who failed her, and the truth about herself.
Treading Water is a powerful story of addiction, resilience, and the healing found in human connection.
Eighteen-year-old Olympic swimmer Natalie Collins had everything—discipline, fame, a future golden with promise. But when her best friend and relay teammate is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Natalie’s carefully built world shatters.
A public breakdown and an exposed addiction send her to The Dunes, a rehab in the California desert. There, stripped of her medals and headlines, she’s just another girl learning how to survive.
Inside the walls of The Dunes, Natalie finds a raw and unexpected family—an artist fighting heroin, a former beauty queen scarred by trafficking, a gangster seeking redemption, and a counselor who urges her to write letters that change everything.
To rebuild her life, Natalie must face the pain she’s been swimming from, the family who failed her, and the truth about herself.
Treading Water is a powerful story of addiction, resilience, and the healing found in human connection.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 25, 2025
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 26, 2025
I don’t know why, but anything involving jail, prison, or addiction is an automatic watch, read, or listen for me — so I started this one with high expectations. I’m happy to say I was not disappointed.
Although it took me a while to finish, I was captivated from the very beginning and quickly became so invested in these well-written characters. I just wanted to scoop them up and love them. Their struggles were truly heartbreaking.
This story was so beautifully done, especially considering the heavy topics of addiction, mental health, and trauma. While the topics weren't extremely graphic or detailed, I would still recommend that readers look up trigger warnings before diving in.Overall, this was an emotional and powerful read that will stay with me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.
Although it took me a while to finish, I was captivated from the very beginning and quickly became so invested in these well-written characters. I just wanted to scoop them up and love them. Their struggles were truly heartbreaking.
This story was so beautifully done, especially considering the heavy topics of addiction, mental health, and trauma. While the topics weren't extremely graphic or detailed, I would still recommend that readers look up trigger warnings before diving in.Overall, this was an emotional and powerful read that will stay with me.
Thank you, NetGalley and Oliver Heber Books, for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.
February 9, 2025
I really, really enjoyed this novel. It's so beautifully written and filled with great dialogue, a captivating story line, humor, heartbreak, and love. I found myself very invested in the character of Natalie and really rooted for her to heal and come to terms with her life and the people in it. At its heart, this book focuses on Natalie finding her voice, coming to terms with her life, and finding meaning and purpose as she navigates through fame, addiction, and relationships with friends and family. All of the characters in this novel are well thought out and well developed as is the dialogue between them. I loved Natalie's letters to Annie and her mood of the day, something I'd love to adopt into my own journaling. Really enjoyed it!.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews