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I Am Water
Hannah works as the only female river-rafting guide in her closed-minded small town. Labeled a tomboy, she often struggles to reconcile the way she fits into normal gender stereotypes. Hannah meets Ezra, who blurs the lines between woman and man. They begin an exciting new relationship, but soon Ezra starts pushing Hannah's limits and her definition of love.
191 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2019
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102 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 17, 2021
This book really isn't it.
The first half is so promising- two genderfluid adults navigating identity and love in a small town, the main character's feelings enmeshed in the river she calls home.
But ultimately, the stories fell into some really terrible tropes about queerness, gender fluidity, and polyamory. The love interest, who was genderfluid but ended up being a cis guy by the end of it, was painted as some otherworldly creature because he liked astrology and culturally appropriated the burning of sage. The cultural appropriation was encouraged and framed as this wonderful thing instead of the violence that it is. God, this author needs to do some work, and should probably also address her internalized biphobia.
As a genderfluid person, I hated this!
The first half is so promising- two genderfluid adults navigating identity and love in a small town, the main character's feelings enmeshed in the river she calls home.
But ultimately, the stories fell into some really terrible tropes about queerness, gender fluidity, and polyamory. The love interest, who was genderfluid but ended up being a cis guy by the end of it, was painted as some otherworldly creature because he liked astrology and culturally appropriated the burning of sage. The cultural appropriation was encouraged and framed as this wonderful thing instead of the violence that it is. God, this author needs to do some work, and should probably also address her internalized biphobia.
As a genderfluid person, I hated this!
October 1, 2019
I didn't like it! The way it was written, kind of poetry, in verses, it isn't something that usually please me and this one wasn't different. The story let me more or less indifferent! Not for me!
October 5, 2019
I guess if you have visited my blog before you know that I love the idea of the Hi-Lo books and that they encourage people to read who perhaps aren't as good at it as others. My understanding of Hi Lo books are they have high interest plot , yet use less complicated wording.
In this book the main themes are gender stereotypes, and coming of age. Hannah is the main character who has always been labelled as a "tomboy". Hannah is the only female river rafting guide, so she is used to taking the tours and having male tourists try to take over, thinking they know more than a young female who in their opinion doesn't know what she is doing. Hannah is friends with Sam who people also think of as an "oddball" or more of a "loner" "outsider". Sam likes watching fire and always has a lighter with him. In fact, he has a habit of flicking the lighter on and off. Hannah and Sam have their routine of going for a milkshake every Friday. They take it in turns to choose the milkshake flavour, then they go down by the water and light a fire and sit round it talking, it is kind of like their ritual.
Their routine, rituals and relationship end up being disturbed when a new boy turns up at school. The new boy is Ezra, who dresses differently, he doesn't easily fit into a female or male stereotype. Ezra refuses to conform to wearing what people consider male clothing, he wears floaty scarves and wears make up and glitter to adorn himself.
I was quite surprised that a book listed as children's fiction, would cover such a difficult, some would say controversial subject. Though on the other hand the book deals with the subject of gender fluidity which seems to be covered in the news and in TV programmes more and more too. I think the book handles the subject very well and it made an interesting and informative read.
I loved the reference of purple being a mixture of pink and blue so making it the perfect colour to represent gender fluidity. I think this book would be a great conversation starter for teens or anyone who feels they are gender fluid.
In this book the main themes are gender stereotypes, and coming of age. Hannah is the main character who has always been labelled as a "tomboy". Hannah is the only female river rafting guide, so she is used to taking the tours and having male tourists try to take over, thinking they know more than a young female who in their opinion doesn't know what she is doing. Hannah is friends with Sam who people also think of as an "oddball" or more of a "loner" "outsider". Sam likes watching fire and always has a lighter with him. In fact, he has a habit of flicking the lighter on and off. Hannah and Sam have their routine of going for a milkshake every Friday. They take it in turns to choose the milkshake flavour, then they go down by the water and light a fire and sit round it talking, it is kind of like their ritual.
Their routine, rituals and relationship end up being disturbed when a new boy turns up at school. The new boy is Ezra, who dresses differently, he doesn't easily fit into a female or male stereotype. Ezra refuses to conform to wearing what people consider male clothing, he wears floaty scarves and wears make up and glitter to adorn himself.
I was quite surprised that a book listed as children's fiction, would cover such a difficult, some would say controversial subject. Though on the other hand the book deals with the subject of gender fluidity which seems to be covered in the news and in TV programmes more and more too. I think the book handles the subject very well and it made an interesting and informative read.
I loved the reference of purple being a mixture of pink and blue so making it the perfect colour to represent gender fluidity. I think this book would be a great conversation starter for teens or anyone who feels they are gender fluid.
September 23, 2019
This was written so beautifully and had such amazing lines. I loved Hannah's relationship with her brother and Hannah herself. I almost wish this wasn't written in verse so we could have gotten some more from the story - background, setting, relationships, etc. Especially Hannah exploring her gender identity - after she first thinks she may be gender fluid, the plot line is pretty much completely dropped and instead focuses on her and Ezra's relationship. Overall, I really liked this!
May 19, 2020
Overall, I enjoyed this book, and found it fairly identifiable as a nonbinary person. I particularly liked that both primary characters turned out to be genderfluid, not just the protagonist’s love interest. It’s always heartening to read a book in which nonbinary people are seen through our own perspectives on ourselves and each other. It happens so rarely; most of our stories are told through the cis gaze.
The novel takes the form of poetry, making it a quick but thoughtful read, reminiscent of Ellen Hopkins.
The one major criticism I have is in regards to how Hannah, the main character, explains to herself why her partner hurt her by shutting her out of their burgeoning new college life. SPOILERS in the next paragraph.
Hannah, who was assigned female at birth (aka AFAB) writes to her genderfluid ex-partner, Ezra, who was assigned male at birth (aka AMAB). She claims that the “man” in Ezra hurt the woman in her when they kept secrets from her. (I am paraphrasing, as I have returned the book and can’t recall the exact quote.)
It is wrong for anyone, including a fellow nonbinary person, to tell a nonbinary person that they were acting as or in the mindset of a man or a woman when they did acted a certain way. That is something no one but the nonbinary person in question can assert. It is harmful, cissexist and binarist to put a nonbinary person in a binary box without their consent. It also shows that the person assigning gendered expectations to someone against their consent has not fully worked through their own prejudices and presumptions learned from the binarist brainwashing we all receive as children.
Further, speaking as someone AFAB, the particular power imbalance of an AFAB person calling an AMAB person a man against their will makes me deeply uncomfortable. AFAB trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people face overall less transphobic abuse in the West, because our cultures are far more heavily obsessed with policing trans feminine and other AMAB people via transmisogyny.
Sadly, there is a great degree of transmisogyny towards AMAB people from AFAB people within the trans community. Thus, it is vital for AFAB people to NEVER call AMAB people binary men against their consent. It is oppressive and transmisogynist, and it reinforces the harmful stereotype that AMAB people are not “real” women and/or feminine people.
Because of that issue, I would NOT recommend this book for young people unless they have knowledgeable nonbinary people to talk to about Hannah’s choice to label Ezra a man because she’s hurt by him. It is wrong to deny someone else’s gender identity because you are upset with them. Period. No exceptions.
I wish I could recommend this book with no qualifications. But given the world in which we live, the transmisogyny Hannah engages in, however briefly, must be addressed.
The novel takes the form of poetry, making it a quick but thoughtful read, reminiscent of Ellen Hopkins.
The one major criticism I have is in regards to how Hannah, the main character, explains to herself why her partner hurt her by shutting her out of their burgeoning new college life. SPOILERS in the next paragraph.
Hannah, who was assigned female at birth (aka AFAB) writes to her genderfluid ex-partner, Ezra, who was assigned male at birth (aka AMAB). She claims that the “man” in Ezra hurt the woman in her when they kept secrets from her. (I am paraphrasing, as I have returned the book and can’t recall the exact quote.)
It is wrong for anyone, including a fellow nonbinary person, to tell a nonbinary person that they were acting as or in the mindset of a man or a woman when they did acted a certain way. That is something no one but the nonbinary person in question can assert. It is harmful, cissexist and binarist to put a nonbinary person in a binary box without their consent. It also shows that the person assigning gendered expectations to someone against their consent has not fully worked through their own prejudices and presumptions learned from the binarist brainwashing we all receive as children.
Further, speaking as someone AFAB, the particular power imbalance of an AFAB person calling an AMAB person a man against their will makes me deeply uncomfortable. AFAB trans, nonbinary and gender-nonconforming people face overall less transphobic abuse in the West, because our cultures are far more heavily obsessed with policing trans feminine and other AMAB people via transmisogyny.
Sadly, there is a great degree of transmisogyny towards AMAB people from AFAB people within the trans community. Thus, it is vital for AFAB people to NEVER call AMAB people binary men against their consent. It is oppressive and transmisogynist, and it reinforces the harmful stereotype that AMAB people are not “real” women and/or feminine people.
Because of that issue, I would NOT recommend this book for young people unless they have knowledgeable nonbinary people to talk to about Hannah’s choice to label Ezra a man because she’s hurt by him. It is wrong to deny someone else’s gender identity because you are upset with them. Period. No exceptions.
I wish I could recommend this book with no qualifications. But given the world in which we live, the transmisogyny Hannah engages in, however briefly, must be addressed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2025
“I Am Water” is a teen novel told in verse and focusing on Hannah, the only female river-rafting guide in her small town as she struggles to fit into normal gender stereotypes and experiencing her first romantic relationship with a newcomer to town who also doesn’t fit into normal gender stereotypes.
The novel begins by introducing the reader to main character Hannah who expresses the deep connection she feels to rivers after guiding then for a few years. Despite being good at her job as a river-rafting guide, she feels old men view her as inexperienced and quests her skills on the river.
When Hannah is not working as a river-rafting guide, she attends high school in her small town, hangs out with her friend Sam and compares high school to the river in how big and unforgiving it can be sometimes. Sam and Hannah became friends after she put out a fire he set to a neighbor’s shed then hosed him down with water afterwards. Hannah views her Sam as outsiders in the school’s ecosystem and feels like they can’t catch up to the other kids in school socially.
As the novel progresses, Hannah has a dream involving water which tells her a change is coming and the next day at school, a new boy arrives named Ezra who wears a purple scarf, eyeliner, heeled boots and plays the mandolin during lunch period. After hearing several rumors about Ezra, Hannah has her first interaction with him after her sits next to her during their art class. Later that night, Hannah has a dream that she catches a big rainbow fish that pulls her in and decides to talk to her older brother Renny about her feelings for Ezra.
Following another art class with Ezra in which Hannah admires the art he’s creating, Ezra uses astrology to slowly woo Hannah. Outside of school, Hannah and Sam hangout at a local coffee shop, split a milkshake then go to a secret quarry. Hannah becomes more and more intrigued with Ezra, especially when he asks their science teacher if he can take over the rundown greenhouse behind the school’s gym.
Although Hannah tries to balance her friendship with Sam and her blossoming romantic feelings towards Ezra, she and Sam’s eventually have a falling out leading Hannah to seek solace by swimming alone at the quarry. While swimming alone at the quarry, Hannah is surprised to find Ezra there burning a pile of sage and they end the night with a kiss leading her to view them as meant to be with she representing water and him representing Earth.
The next day, Hannah attempts to hold Ezra’s hand but he flinches and tells her it would be good if certain people found out they were together. As the months pass, Ezra is bullied at school, Hannah attempts to dress more feminine for Ezra and Ezra comes out to Hannah as being gender fluid. Although Hannah wrestles with understanding Ezra’s sexuality, she helps him explore himself publicly by wearing his clothes while he wears her dress and tights. After half a year of dating, Ezra leaves the town to attend art school which leaves Hannah feeling disconnected. Following a month of no contact from Ezra, Hannah is shocked when Sam tells her that he thinks he saw Ezra with another girl but Hannah tells Sam he’s wrongs and leaves him alone at the coffee shop.
When Ezra finally calls Hannah again, she is shocked when he suggests being in more than one relationship at a time due to needing to figure out who he is away from her and their town which leaves her angry. After a talk with Renny in which he tells her that in relationships, it’s best to change because of people, not for people, Hannah realizes that Ezra and her are not as alike as she thought they were.
After Ezra bails on coming to town to see her art show, she decides to surprise him by showing up at his art school and which has leads to her discovering a devastating betrayal. In the end, Hannah and Sam reconcile and she realizes that although Ezra is unsure of who he is, she is secure is her identity and her future as a strong woman who plans to leave her small town, go to college in the west and hopes to join an outdoor program where she can learn to guide bigger bodies of water.
As I finished the novel, I liked the manner in the author presents a story that to me show a full transformation of Hannah from a girl unsure of her place in the world into a confident woman who has discovered her most authentic self as well as independent from a stagnant romantic relationship. I also liked that the author had waves designed at the bottom of each page which to me was symbolic of Hannah’s deep connection to water which can be powerful or calming at different times.
The novel begins by introducing the reader to main character Hannah who expresses the deep connection she feels to rivers after guiding then for a few years. Despite being good at her job as a river-rafting guide, she feels old men view her as inexperienced and quests her skills on the river.
When Hannah is not working as a river-rafting guide, she attends high school in her small town, hangs out with her friend Sam and compares high school to the river in how big and unforgiving it can be sometimes. Sam and Hannah became friends after she put out a fire he set to a neighbor’s shed then hosed him down with water afterwards. Hannah views her Sam as outsiders in the school’s ecosystem and feels like they can’t catch up to the other kids in school socially.
As the novel progresses, Hannah has a dream involving water which tells her a change is coming and the next day at school, a new boy arrives named Ezra who wears a purple scarf, eyeliner, heeled boots and plays the mandolin during lunch period. After hearing several rumors about Ezra, Hannah has her first interaction with him after her sits next to her during their art class. Later that night, Hannah has a dream that she catches a big rainbow fish that pulls her in and decides to talk to her older brother Renny about her feelings for Ezra.
Following another art class with Ezra in which Hannah admires the art he’s creating, Ezra uses astrology to slowly woo Hannah. Outside of school, Hannah and Sam hangout at a local coffee shop, split a milkshake then go to a secret quarry. Hannah becomes more and more intrigued with Ezra, especially when he asks their science teacher if he can take over the rundown greenhouse behind the school’s gym.
Although Hannah tries to balance her friendship with Sam and her blossoming romantic feelings towards Ezra, she and Sam’s eventually have a falling out leading Hannah to seek solace by swimming alone at the quarry. While swimming alone at the quarry, Hannah is surprised to find Ezra there burning a pile of sage and they end the night with a kiss leading her to view them as meant to be with she representing water and him representing Earth.
The next day, Hannah attempts to hold Ezra’s hand but he flinches and tells her it would be good if certain people found out they were together. As the months pass, Ezra is bullied at school, Hannah attempts to dress more feminine for Ezra and Ezra comes out to Hannah as being gender fluid. Although Hannah wrestles with understanding Ezra’s sexuality, she helps him explore himself publicly by wearing his clothes while he wears her dress and tights. After half a year of dating, Ezra leaves the town to attend art school which leaves Hannah feeling disconnected. Following a month of no contact from Ezra, Hannah is shocked when Sam tells her that he thinks he saw Ezra with another girl but Hannah tells Sam he’s wrongs and leaves him alone at the coffee shop.
When Ezra finally calls Hannah again, she is shocked when he suggests being in more than one relationship at a time due to needing to figure out who he is away from her and their town which leaves her angry. After a talk with Renny in which he tells her that in relationships, it’s best to change because of people, not for people, Hannah realizes that Ezra and her are not as alike as she thought they were.
After Ezra bails on coming to town to see her art show, she decides to surprise him by showing up at his art school and which has leads to her discovering a devastating betrayal. In the end, Hannah and Sam reconcile and she realizes that although Ezra is unsure of who he is, she is secure is her identity and her future as a strong woman who plans to leave her small town, go to college in the west and hopes to join an outdoor program where she can learn to guide bigger bodies of water.
As I finished the novel, I liked the manner in the author presents a story that to me show a full transformation of Hannah from a girl unsure of her place in the world into a confident woman who has discovered her most authentic self as well as independent from a stagnant romantic relationship. I also liked that the author had waves designed at the bottom of each page which to me was symbolic of Hannah’s deep connection to water which can be powerful or calming at different times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2019
The E-Arc of I Am Water was kindly provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has not altered my opinion of the book.
First I think it's important for you to know that this book is written in verse, maybe it won't matter as much if you're expecting it. I was expecting a regular ya novel, which means I was a bit disappointed at the way this was written. But I am still of that group who believes putting something in verse does not make it poetic. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do, it just didn't land well with me.
I Am Water is a story about finding yourself and a story about first love. Hannah is a tomboy who struggles with gender stereotypes. She is also the only female river-rafting guide in her town. This is very important to her character, as she is written as a personification of water. Then she meets Ezra, who blurs the lines between male and female. Ezra is the personification of earth and together they challenge each other to grow into themselves in a world where few are supportive.
For a book that promises a fight against gender stereotypes and a character who does not conform to the norms of either male or female, I was expecting a lot more than I got. There was only one actual point, one scene, in the book where this issue was addressed. I also think Ezra's character fell apart somewhere in the last 25% of the book. I also cringed a lot at the attempted deep metaphor and poetic writing. It reminded me a bit of Rupi Kaur's poetry (which I really disliked).
I have to say, the one thing I really loved about this book was Hannah's growth. I am a sucker for character development, and she really seemed to grow into herself through the book. She got the strength to shut down toxic people around her, saying she might care for them but she cared about herself too, and that would keep her from accepting shitty behavior. But even though I loved her growth, I can't say I loved this book. It was a far shot from what I was expecting, and had I known it was written in verse I probably wouldn't have picked it up. But that's just me. If you love verse, or you loved Rupi Kaur's poetry, then this might be something for you!
First I think it's important for you to know that this book is written in verse, maybe it won't matter as much if you're expecting it. I was expecting a regular ya novel, which means I was a bit disappointed at the way this was written. But I am still of that group who believes putting something in verse does not make it poetic. I can appreciate what the author was trying to do, it just didn't land well with me.
I Am Water is a story about finding yourself and a story about first love. Hannah is a tomboy who struggles with gender stereotypes. She is also the only female river-rafting guide in her town. This is very important to her character, as she is written as a personification of water. Then she meets Ezra, who blurs the lines between male and female. Ezra is the personification of earth and together they challenge each other to grow into themselves in a world where few are supportive.
For a book that promises a fight against gender stereotypes and a character who does not conform to the norms of either male or female, I was expecting a lot more than I got. There was only one actual point, one scene, in the book where this issue was addressed. I also think Ezra's character fell apart somewhere in the last 25% of the book. I also cringed a lot at the attempted deep metaphor and poetic writing. It reminded me a bit of Rupi Kaur's poetry (which I really disliked).
I have to say, the one thing I really loved about this book was Hannah's growth. I am a sucker for character development, and she really seemed to grow into herself through the book. She got the strength to shut down toxic people around her, saying she might care for them but she cared about herself too, and that would keep her from accepting shitty behavior. But even though I loved her growth, I can't say I loved this book. It was a far shot from what I was expecting, and had I known it was written in verse I probably wouldn't have picked it up. But that's just me. If you love verse, or you loved Rupi Kaur's poetry, then this might be something for you!
October 23, 2019
During my reading journey, I have realized that I like poetry that has more of a narrative structure than general themes, so I was excited when I was approved to read this arc which has both: a story was written in verse. And the cover is just beautiful.
Right of the start, you can see Hannah's personality in the lines, follow her emotional journey and watch her grow and change in her last year of high school. I was connected to her and liked her personality.
My favorite parts included her interacting with her brother. Their sibling relationship was beautifully portrayed and created a nice offset to the other two in her story, Sam and Ezra.
The nature themes are just as strong as the title and cover suggest without being overbearing or falling into clichées.
But I was let down in how far the story actually went when it came to deeper discussions.
I feel like the story lost itself in the last parts, the poems were not as focused anymore, many of the before mentioned themes were not picked up again. Overall, it felt unfinished and not satisfying. I'd wished to have some part repeat itself to give it a more rounded feel, for example, her river-rafting job or her thoughts on her own gender.
I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"They don't
even know
the variety
of life
that can grow
in this soil."
I smile at this.
At how quickly
a foreign plant
can take root
here.
Right of the start, you can see Hannah's personality in the lines, follow her emotional journey and watch her grow and change in her last year of high school. I was connected to her and liked her personality.
My favorite parts included her interacting with her brother. Their sibling relationship was beautifully portrayed and created a nice offset to the other two in her story, Sam and Ezra.
The nature themes are just as strong as the title and cover suggest without being overbearing or falling into clichées.
That's when
a friendship
was born
out of the balance
of a natural truth:
Water
puts out fire.
But I was let down in how far the story actually went when it came to deeper discussions.
I feel like the story lost itself in the last parts, the poems were not as focused anymore, many of the before mentioned themes were not picked up again. Overall, it felt unfinished and not satisfying. I'd wished to have some part repeat itself to give it a more rounded feel, for example, her river-rafting job or her thoughts on her own gender.
I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 2, 2019
[thank you to netgalley and west44 books for the earc.]
it's been years since i got to read a novel written in verse again. needless to say, i wasn't expecting it. i wish we had been made known it was written in verse, but it's alright. though i believe the story would have been fleshed out better and the characters established more solidly had it been told as a narrative.
i am water tells us the story of hannah, an eighteen-year-old who works as a female river-rafting guide. she lives in a small town where people pretty much stick to their guns until ezra comes into the picture. ezra is a colorful, wanderlust of a soul who presents himself as every bit unusual to the people in hannah's town and she is enamored by him. with ezra, hannah's eyes are opened to a part of herself she hadn't fully realized until then. here, she ultimately learns about her identity.
i liked knowing about hannah and reading about her metaphors with water and fire and earth and wind. and to be fair, if i were hannah and i found out ezra was a capricorn sun with a lot of sagittarius placements (and sends you horoscope they wrote through your locker? ma'am...), i'd have scampered as quick as i could towards the opposite direction the minute i laid my eyes on him.
anyway, i am water was written in a way that plunges you right into hannah's mind and it's produced a lot of good, beautiful lines. i particularly liked the one about women being bodies of water and men getting safe passage across bodies of water by learning to respect rivers.
this book is a pretty bittersweet read. i'd recommend this to readers who like prose and simple, short reads.
September 18, 2019
This book starts by seeming like it will be about first love and it is but it is about discovering oneself most of all and I loved that it was focused on Hannah and not on who Hannah was dating.
Meg excels at telling a story that tells people, and girls, in particular, that no matter how cool and amazing her boyfriends (or other significant other) might be they should always make sure that they are doing what they want to do, not what the person they are dating is trying to get them to do or to let them do to someone else.
I think that this is the perfect read for younger teenagers to be introduced to being genderfluid because it explains it really well in a really innocent way.
Homophobia, discrimination, and sexism also feature prominently and I loved to see how the author dealt with those themes in a simple and easy to understand way.
The supporting characters were also amazing and Hannah’s brother and her best friend Sam really clawed their way into my heart. Most of all though I loved to see Hannah grow.
Thank you to West 44 and NetGalley for this DRC.
Meg excels at telling a story that tells people, and girls, in particular, that no matter how cool and amazing her boyfriends (or other significant other) might be they should always make sure that they are doing what they want to do, not what the person they are dating is trying to get them to do or to let them do to someone else.
I think that this is the perfect read for younger teenagers to be introduced to being genderfluid because it explains it really well in a really innocent way.
Homophobia, discrimination, and sexism also feature prominently and I loved to see how the author dealt with those themes in a simple and easy to understand way.
The supporting characters were also amazing and Hannah’s brother and her best friend Sam really clawed their way into my heart. Most of all though I loved to see Hannah grow.
Thank you to West 44 and NetGalley for this DRC.
October 30, 2019
I am not exactly sure what to make of this book.
The elements I enjoyed most were our protagonist's insights into herself and their connection to the river and water. I think this book also realistically talks to the challenges about change between high school/college.
Parts of me felt a bit uncomfortable when it came to the various portrayals of identities. Something in the writing felt disingenuine to me, or perhaps the characters just felt like they needed to be fleshed out more (mainly Ezra).
Obviously--I'm still mixed on my feelings (and maybe someday I will come back to this review and update it after more thought.) Please add your thoughts if you have any.
The elements I enjoyed most were our protagonist's insights into herself and their connection to the river and water. I think this book also realistically talks to the challenges about change between high school/college.
Parts of me felt a bit uncomfortable when it came to the various portrayals of identities. Something in the writing felt disingenuine to me, or perhaps the characters just felt like they needed to be fleshed out more (mainly Ezra).
Obviously--I'm still mixed on my feelings (and maybe someday I will come back to this review and update it after more thought.) Please add your thoughts if you have any.
March 2, 2020
What a beautiful story and perfectly executed from its format to motifs when it comes to representing gender fluidity as its protagonist discovers her gender identity and first love. To tell this novel in verse and have it flow like water, which is so much a part of Hannah’s life, helps the reader readily identify with her own sense of gender identity as she adjusts to who she is and begins to notice the new student in school: Ezra. An extremely quick read, it conveys as all good poetry does the essentials of Hannah’s heart and the strength of her most important relationships: her brother, her best friend, and love, Ezra. Highly recommended for all reading levels for young adults.
January 23, 2020
Very quick read! I loved the writing style, although some people claimed it wasn’t their thing. I have been consciously reading more about gender and social constructs of gender, and I liked the insight it gave into these challenges. I am still trying to wrap my head around the ending and what I think. It seemed like a feminist book, which felt odd, considering the theme of the book was based around binary gender NOT taking so much precedence in our lives. I do think it’s worth the read, though, especially if you are interested in a young adult perspective on gender fluidity.
November 22, 2025
One star for I Am Water. Attempts to tackle some underexplored-in-YA topics, but, as other reviews have noted, ends up reinforcing dated/harmful gender and sexuality stereotypes. Wouldn't recommend this one to queer or cishet teens. The verse format also doesn't feel particularly well-done.
May 27, 2020
This book is for someone. While it was light on content, it touched on really important issues about self love and acceptance. It also has a lovely metaphors throughout.
September 22, 2021
Absolute pure shite. The very laziest Tumblresque broken-line "poetry" I've ever come across, combined with an understanding of gender so shallow it was actively misogynistic. I wish I could give this zero stars. Actually, no, I wish I could invent a time machine and go back to this morning to stop myself from ever picking this up.
Do Not Waste Your Time.
Do Not Waste Your Time.
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