Blood in the Water

by Sandi Van

200 pages, Paperback

Expected publication February 16, 2026

Reviews

[Sherrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood in the Water by Sandi Van is a book that will stay with me long after turning that final page. As someone who lived with endometriosis as a teenager, survived endometrial cancer as an adult, has a mother who survived recurring breast cancer, mastectomy, and uterine cancer, and a maternal grandmother who lost the battle with breast cancer, this story spoke to me on a deeply personal level.
Sandi Van gives voice to experiences that are too often minimized or spoken about in whispers. The honesty, vulnerability, and strength woven throughout this book truly captures the realities of women’s health struggles and the emotional toll that accompanies them.
This book reminded me that our stories matter, that survival comes in many forms, and that there is power in speaking openly about what women endure. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the quiet strength that women carry.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Rosen Publishing Group, West 44 Books, and Sandi Van for the opportunity to read Blood in the Water in exchange for an honest review.

Blood in the Water is a Hi-Lo novel-in verse, meaning it's written in a poetic verse style for better reading accessibility. The novel goes into detail regarding the experiences of endometriosis and cancer.

The story follows the first-person perspective of Maddie. She wants to switch schools because she wants to be on a rowing team. Her team becomes a second family. Maddie also has endometriosis, a rare medical condition that affects about 10% of women. Endometriosis is when menstrual lining grows outside of the uterus on other organs and can cause severe bed-ridding pain and extreme menstrual bleeding, but it can only be diagnosed with surgery. It's a good guess that this is the correct medical condition, based on her symptoms. She has to miss school sometimes because it is so severe. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though. She may have found a practitioner that can do the surgery. As it happens, life has other plans for Maddie and her family. When her mom is diagnosed with breast cancer and must undergo chemo therapy, her father must take on extra duties to care for Maddie, her sister, and their mom.

I really appreciate what this novel is doing. It explores a medical condition that not a lot of teens may know about and for those who do have it or suspect, they can see that while yes, endometriosis is terrible and not exactly normal, they are at least not alone in their journey. There are plenty of women around the world who have this condition and can share their experiences. Having the mom go through a cancer journey is a nice touch in the novel as well, because I know many teens who have lost a parent, family member, or friend to cancer, or who have seen someone go through the cancer journey and pull through. This shows teens that if they or a friend are going through this experience, they too are not alone and there are people who can relate and can talk about it.

Another great book from a publisher I really appreciate. Everything they do is real and relevant, especially for teenagers who are still figuring out who they are and may be dealing with the other unexpected experiences life gives them too. A worth-while book for teen readers to learn from.

[Joey Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to West 44 Books/ Rosen Publishing and Netgalley for the ebook to read and review.

Maddie is a competitive rower, part of a crew team, she plans on getting g herself a ride into college. She struggles with endometriosis which debilitates her heavily. Then her mom gets diagnosed with breast cancer and everything in her life changes.

This was incredible emotional to read, so many things happened within this books and how it all affected each person added to the emotions and their mental health. Though only one was physically suffering, everyone surrounding them felt that pain and suffering. They all had to adjust to the change with their mother and the effects and the toll the treatment was taking on her.

Maddie was a great protagonist she had so much going on in her life even before her moms diagnosis and then to carry on after, trying to add more responsibility into her life along with all the worry and fear of what might happen, trying to make her mom comfortable and happy as best she could. She even put her own dreams and wished and health on hold just to ensure her mom came first. She was such a wonderful, loving and caring girl.

I really appreciated that the authors topics were realistic and really hard hitting, sharing about endometriosis which I’m sure not everyone knows about, and then cancer being such an unfortunately common thing it shares something that many go through and what it’s really like. It also shares what it’s like for a family going through such difficulties.

I enjoyed reading this, but it was so heartbreaking, so beautifully crafted tough as you could feel each pang of emotion at each part of the story by Maddie and by everyone else within the story. A very heartfelt full to the brim verse story.

[Jenna W · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood in the Water tells the story of Maddie, a young woman who suffers from endometriosis and joins a rowing team in part to take her mind off the pain of her condition. Rowing provides a good escape and gives her hope for the future. But then her mom is diagnosed with cancer and Maddie's health takes a backseat as mom navigates through treatment. The story is raw and realistic with relatable scenes. I loved when she questions whether her intense periods are "normal" because I think a lot of readers will connect with that feeling of wondering if what they are experiencing is "normal". Some scenes in this book may make readers uncomfortable, but it is important to have stories that show teenagers dealing with difficult health and family issues, and Van handles these topics with grace. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful novel in verse. The characters are so beautifully written and relatable. One of my favorite things about verse novels is how much deeper you can get into the mind of the MC. The endometriosis representation is done with care, accuracy and attention to detail. I related to her journey so much and found the book to be so deep and memorable. Though the topics are heavy at times, it’s dealt with in an age appropriate way, while not shying away from the difficulties that all ages face, especially when dealing with a sick parent.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Ifa Inziati]

Madlynn/Maddie/Mad Dog is an endometriosis survivor and has spent her tween and teenage life living in invisible pain. Her mother is very dedicated to help her, until one day it's her who needs help because she's diagnosed with breast cancer. Maddie has to put her plans aside in order to adapt with her family's new lifestyle—hospital, support group, home care—including an important rowing tournament and a surgery appointment to cure her endometriosis. When everything hits a new low, where does Maddie have to go? Will she finally find hope?

Full review to come.

[Ona Gritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This YA verse novel is about illness, pain, determination, and the crucial role of family--the ones we're born to and the ones we create. Like the crew team that supports protagonist Maddie and gives her both purpose and a distraction from the hard things in her life, the story is rich with momentum and heart.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usually type of read but it was really good. Could really understand the feelings behind what the character was going through.