The Easy Part of Impossible: A YA Novel About an Elite Diver Healing from an Abusive Coach

by Sarah Tomp

After an injury forces Ria off the diving team, an unexpected friendship with Cotton, a guy on the autism spectrum, helps her come to terms with the abusive relationship she’s been in with her former coach. Ria Williams was an elite diver on track for the Olympics. As someone who struggled in school, largely due to her ADHD, diving was the one place Ria could shine. But while her parents were focused on the trophies, no one noticed how Coach Benny’s strict rules and punishments controlled every aspect of Ria’s life. The harder he was on her, the sharper her focus. The bigger the bruise, the better the dive. Until a freak accident at a meet changes everything. Just like that, Ria is handed back her life, free of Benny. To fill her now empty and aimless days, Ria rekindles a friendship with Cotton, a guy she used to know back in elementary school. With Cotton, she’s able to open up about what Benny would do to her, and through Cotton’s eyes, Ria is able to see it for what it abuse. Then Benny returns, offering Ria a second chance with a life-changing diving opportunity. But it’s not hers alone—Benny’s coaching comes with it. The thought of being back under his control seems impossible to bear, but so does walking away. How do you separate the impossible from possible when the one thing you love is so tangled up in the thing you fear most?

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Sports, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Health

352 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Sarah Tomp lives, writes, and reads in San Diego, CA.

She has a MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coaches have a large influence on athletes who transition through their programs. Hopefully coaches teach life skills in hopes of building positive relationships.

Sarah Tomp, has an MFA in writing children’s literature.
Having read Sarah’s young adult book, “My Best Everything”, years ago— I knew she was ‘the real deal’...
a much respected talented storyteller-author that students, parents, teachers, coaches, could enjoy while contemplating serious issues.

In “The Easy Part of Impossible”, ( with its delicious eye-catching book cover: artistic design and title), Sarah Tomp explorers
authoritative issues with careful precision.

We are taken into the rigorous world of diving/athletic competition, at the elite level, high school musings, family dynamics, coach/athlete relationships, friendships, disabilities, special needs, abuse.... with a little suspenseful ending choice.

....We’re also introduced to *spelunking*, ( I once ‘almost’ went - then chickened out), and map drawing, (which was interesting)...,
And...
....a little crush-develops, but not sappy. Just sweet.

Great characters - dialogue between them, pacing and unraveling of the story.

Things I thought about: The familiarity of my old competitive athletic days in gymnastics- the training, the hours spent on perfection,(the good, the bad, the passion, and the fears).....
and the overall cost that competitive sports is to a balanced life.

....I liked this book.
....I liked the characters.
....I liked the ‘cool’ topics...
Spelunking? Really? Yes!
....I liked the youthful memories and compelling thoughts it brought up.

....Great choice pick for families & students to read and discuss together ...

Written with much compassion and sensitivity.


4.5 rating!

[Diamond Cowboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I shall give a full review at a later date.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Ria had dedicated years and countless hours in her quest to be the best diver. After abruptly quitting the sport, she was lost. Renewing her friendship with cartographer pal, Cotton, helped her map her way back to herself and her passion.

I cannot hold it in any longer! I absolutely fell in love with this book, and I sort of don't even know where to start explaining why I loved it. So, let's start with Ria. Ria had been through so much, and it pained me to hear about all the things that had happened to her.

Here was this girl, with ADHD, who had struggled in school, but had finally found an outlet and a place where she could succeed. At the pool, Ria was a star, but it came at a cost. Her coach was possessive and controlling, and ultimately, physically and emotionally abusive. His behaviors were revealed over the course of the book, and with each flashback and revelation, Ria tried to justify or explain it away. She practically had battered woman syndrome or Stockholm syndrome, and it was heartbreaking. He stole something she loved from her. He took her trust and her passion, and while he was at it, he took her self esteem. Ria was convinced that the only was to escape Benny was to give up diving, which was her oxygen, her lifeblood, but thank goodness Cotton re-entered her life, and helped her see things through a different lens.

Dear, sweet Cotton. Just thinking about him brings a smile to my face. His passion for map making and spelunking was contagious, and it was such an interesting part of this story. However, even without those things, he was a wonderful character. He was gentle and kind, and he was able to see the truth in a situation. He also loved fiercely, and was protective of those he cared for. I was so happy Ria had him in her corner, because she really needed someone, who could truly see her, and be there, as she tried to overcome the scars of her past.

And did I mention what an adorable little romance Tomp gave us? I was shipping Ria and Cotton from the get, and it was beautiful watching their relationship take shape and grow. These two went back a long way, to the resource room in grade school. Both Ria and Cotton were neurodiverse (ADHD, ASD), and their past was something that bound them together. Their interactions were sweet, awkward, and honest, and they never failed to make me smile.

I must confess, there was a small thing that bothered me. I felt like Tomp planted some seeds relating to a subplot, and then just abandoned them. I think I may have been really disappointed, because I wanted them to lead to something. But, alas, they did not.

Still, this was wonderful story of a young women finding the strength to confront her abuser, and reclaim what was rightfully her's. Tomp handled the heavier topics with care, and did a phenomenal job balancing out the sad and weightier parts with some really sweet and joyful parts.

It wasn't always easy, but in the end, Ria's journey came to a satisfying new beginning.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up really liking this book.
I loved the different relationships we got to see that Ria had. I especially loved the relationship between Ria and Cotton.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

I have been telling everyone and their mom to read this book. Because it is awesome. It's a bit sweeter and lighter than my usual fare, which I think will appeal to a lot of people (especially at a time like this!) but it also definitely deals with some legitimately difficult issues, so I think it has a fabulous balance. Let's just get right to talking about all the stuff I loved!

This is a diving book! And look, I am sure as hell no diver. But I looked at the divers on our team (in high school, swimming and diving competed together, as one team, diving scoring points for the rest of the meet) in actual awe. To me, they were straight up superheroes, getting on that hardass board, running, jumping, flipping. Literally all the things we've been told not to ever do at pools, right? Anyway, it's an impressive sport, and the author really did her homework here. Plus I love when books deal with sports and young women, for a myriad of reasons. In this particular one, Ria needs to figure out who she is without diving- or if perhaps she need to get back to it. Also a plus? Her reasons for quitting make sense. It's far from arbitrary, or because she wasn't devoted.

Which brings me to my second point. Ria has an incredibly complicated relationship with her coach. I was worried at how this was going to be presented, but I was actually really pleasantly surprised. Benny, the coach... well, he sucks. This isn't a spoiler, you know he sucks from the beginning. But Ria doesn't know how much Benny sucks. She worships him, thinks his word is gospel. But it isn't, and he doesn't treat her appropriately, and Ria has to navigate this. And I kind of love the message that this book presents in this regard. Because coaching relationships are often quite complicated. I was extremely lucky to have an incredible high school coach, but my college coach was messy as hell, and I had no idea how to navigate it. So when I say this is an important subject to discuss with young women, it really, really is.

Ria is a fabulous character who grows and learns so much about herself. Talk about a journey of discovery! Ria is so, so lost when the book starts. She has a boyfriend who's fine, but clearly not the love of her life. Friends that she's been keeping her distance from. Parents she hasn't been open with. A coach who is controlling her even while she's not on the team. And as the book goes on, Ria must confront all of these issues head on, or risk leaving her life a confusing status quo.

Enter Cotton and caving. Ria meets up with an old acquaintance (nicknamed Cotton), and he introduces her to caving. And all kinds of other messy feelings. But stepping outside of her comfort zone, meeting new challenges head on, these are all so important for Ria to grow. And also, Cotton is a wonderful character who I would basically die for.

The book is just straight up full of heart. You can tell that the author poured her soul into this one, because it just radiates off the page. From the start, I fell in love with Ria's struggles, her family, her friends, her teammates. Ria was relatable, and so was her life. Everyone can sympathize with trying to figure out who you are, who and what you want to be, and we've all had to make decisions that will inevitably change the trajectory of our lives. And that's all stuff Ria deals with here, in a really special way.

Bottom Line:  Absolutely one of the best contemporaries I have read. I could relate so much to Ria and her decisions, and fell in love with her and her story.

[Stay Fetters · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Sometimes it was better to fall apart in a million ways all at once, rather than one small way on its own.”

I've been in such a reading slump these past couple of weeks. Nothing seems to hold my interest longer than a hundred pages. Since I've seen nothing but fantastic reviews for this one, I thought this might be the salvation I was looking for. You know, that bright light at the end of the dark tunnel. But nope, this only seemed to make things a tad bit worse.

This just starts with not much of a backstory except that the main character, Ria, is self-absorbed and cares about nothing else. She uses everyone around her to make herself feel better. That's not how friendship works and definitely not how a romantic relationship works. People aren't around just for you to use them and then toss them away when you're done. It turns my stomach just to even think about it. The sad thing is that this wasn't her only awful quality.

The story being told and how it was told was nauseating and most of the characters were cringey. There was a soft spot that hit me while reading this. I liked Ria's best friend, Maggie, and her boyfriend, Sean. They were two genuine characters that really cared for Ria but she was too self-absorbed to see that. I just felt awful for them and wanted to see them rise above the Ria drama train.

The Easy Part of Impossible wasn't that great of a book. It was a quick read but not for me. Not much held my interest in this and I don't recommend it. There are way better books out there with this subject matter.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE EASY PART OF IMPOSSIBLE has many components of a five star book— compelling story, good word building, topical. Unfortunately, Sarah Tomp misses the mark connecting these aspects into excellent storytelling. Still I enjoyed reading.

Main character Ria has a great backstory. A special education student with learning differences and ADHD who finds her on a diving board, she also lacks personality. Physically abused by her coach, her reticence and ambivalence, as well as PTSD reactions are understandable as is her blaming herself and not recognizing the “punishments” as abuse.

Tomp dedicates a good portion of the story to cave exploration, which took me away from the meat of Ria’s story. I just didn’t care about it and found myself skimming through those many scenes, about half the book. I get that Tomp wanted to show Cotton’s competency and Ria’s skill development, I just didn’t need so much of it.

Tomp never names Cotton’s autism and doesn’t specifically name his social coach Leo as such. Although obvious to me, I wasn’t sure why she avoided showing how Cotton develops social skills with Leo’s guidance as it shows a hopeful intervention to improve Cotton’s life.

Ria’s relationships with Hannah and Sean didn’t feel natural to me. The narrator told me, but I didn’t feel it.

A Pivotal Scene also seemed out of character and cheesy, something from a bad Lifetime Movie.

I did enjoy the story skimming through the cave parts.

[The Garden of Eden✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟I don’t really know how to explain what I feel ab this, but there’s something very beautiful ab not understanding right at this moment.

I’ll sit with this for a bit and then come back when I can actually flesh out my thoughts.

——————————————————————————

Okay, this still isn’t everything BUT I wanna say that I really appreciate the different types of relationships within this novel & how they’re depicted. Some very important points are made about student athletes, abuse within athletics & competition, neurodiversity, and perfectionism.

I think the synopsis makes Benny into more of a big bad than he actually is, but he’s definitely a large part of this. Benny himself isn’t as important, moreso the idea of him, his influence, his impact, and the abuse he inflicted. He isn’t present much of the time, but his presence is always there and felt, like a heavy weight.
Any time Ria confronts him it’s not written well, which took me out of the moment every time.

Ria is someone who feels real and also not. Prodigies are tricky in novels that aren’t fantasy bc it can feel very grandiose and “chosen one” for no reason, but Ria is more grounded than that. She is described by Maggie as “the chosen one,” but it’s shown to us how hard she works and what she’s gone through, as opposed to just being told that she has a tragic past. She makes reckless decisions & does random shit, but at least she learns from it and things actually impact her greatly. Her fears, trauma and self-sabotaging are very real things that people experience and can relate to, or at the very least empathize with.

I like Ria & Cotton, they’re very fun and I love how much they genuinely understand each other & support each other. Cotton himself is interesting, but I don’t love how his arc surrounding his sister is played out. His neurodiversity, love for maps, caves and cartography is great to read & to see from Ria’s perspective, but that’s not really enough for as rich of a character as he should’ve been. While I think it’s important that he takes the steps he does, there were many things that could’ve been done with his character that would’ve probably worked better for the story than what was actually given.

Sean & Maggie are very much just there to me, but I appreciate how they’re not vilified for being regular degular teens and making mistakes. Maggie’s jealousy is real but I respect her bc she never lets it make her cruel or ugly. Sean is annoying but he’s actually okay.

I’m glad to have read this, even when it was hard and sad, scary and painful. I think there’s a lot of people that will get even more from this than I did, so I’m gonna say I would recommend it but not to absolutely everyone.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what I thought would be one of my emotional YA ones, but it was more denial denial.

Ria was aiming for the Olympics, now she has given it all up and is drifting and doing teen thing she never had time for.

Then there are the darker thing that she is in denial about, what her coach did. I did want more there, I get that she is in denial, but it was over so quickly. Denial over, talk, done.

Also what happened to Esther!?

It is also about her meeting someone new, a new friend, getting a new hubby. Slowly reaching the closure she needs. I liked Cotton, and I guess she really needed someone who saw, and who would not judge (but then she was in denial).

Oh, and I will never go caveexploring, just saying.

It was a good one, I liked the narrator. She was great as Cotton and Ria. As always the narration makes the book

[Allison Kai · Rating 2 out of 5]

I recently picked up Sarah Tomp's The Easy Part of Impossible from the library. It was tagged as psychological fiction that featured child abuse, so I knew it wouldn't be a light read, but it was also tagged with ADHD and neurodiversity. Those are the biggest reasons why I picked up this book. It's a relatively new book (published this past April), so I wanted to read it and see how neurodiversity was handled.

Frankly, I'm disappointed in this book. I struggled with the star rating on this one - 2 stars felt a bit harsh because I did like the main characters (Ria, Cotton, and Maggie, at least) and the plot was decently written. But there were several areas where the handling of the neurodiversity left a lot to be desired.

For those who are unaware of this book, here's a quick summary: Ria is a diver who's on track to compete at the Olympics before an incident at a meet ruins everything. Her coach kicks her off the dive team and she has to learn how to live life without diving - and without Coach Benny controlling and abusing her.

With that said, let's look at why I gave this book 2 stars. I've broken this down into two categories - the good, which would've brought the score up, and the bad, which outweighed the good enough to bring the score down.

THE GOOD
Ria learning to navigate a world she's barely participated in before was interesting to read, and was portrayed well. Anyone who's ever had their diet strictly controlled would behave much like she does right from the beginning - having no idea what junk food is good or 'right' to bring to a party, or even that there are so many choices. Her relationship with food is skewed as a result of more than a decade of diving training. When handed a cup of beer, she "immediately wondered what food group beer fit into. It tasted like pure carbs." And later, when her dad mentions that she didn't eat breakfast, her response is that she "had enough calories".

She also had drastically inaccurate expectations about the party. From the book: "This was nothing like the picture of a party she'd had in her head. Instead of beautiful people dressed in fabulous clothes having a wildly hilarious time, it was a bunch of kids standing in the dirt sipping from red plastic cups. Of course no one had set up a table for gourmet hors d'oeuvres, or even pointless potato chips."

Due to her previous schedule with diving and meets, Ria has a modified school schedule that leaves her afternoons free for practices. Now that she's no longer on the swim team, she finds herself with a lot of empty hours to fill. One day as she goes running to fill those hours, she comes across Cotton, a friend from her childhood. They rekindle their friendship, and it's through this that Ria finally comes to terms with the fact that Benny is abusive. Eventually the two become romantically involved, and near the end of the book Ria finally stands up for herself and refuses to take Benny's abuse anymore.

I was glad to see that it didn't turn into some poorly contrived redemption/forgiveness arc. I wasn't sure how it would turn out, and not knowing is the primary reason I kept reading, even when other issues were handled poorly. The only thing that would've been better about this ending would've been if Ria had not only come to the realization about the abuse, but also if she'd had a realization that she didn't deserve any of it, and that Benny was entirely in the wrong. The climax of that arc was primarily an "I'm not hiding your secrets anymore" declaration, but there's no point where Ria acknowledges that he was the one fully in the wrong. Her thinking throughout the earlier parts of the book is centered on "he did it to make me better" and "we need each other", and even in the end she only says that he's taken something from her, and she's taking it back.

THE BAD
The story being told, the characters involved, and the resolution are what make up the 'good' category. So what's left? What makes up the 'bad' category? There aren't multiple issues; in fact, there's really only one: the handling of the neurodiversity.

Let's start with the most obvious: Cotton is clearly autistic (the author even confirms that in response to a question on GoodReads), and yet the word 'autism' is never once used in this book. They call Ria's ADHD exactly that, but they won't use the word autism.

Autism isn't a dirty word. Use it.

And let's look at the autistic character's name. Cotton. Cotton. Okay, so this is apparently a nickname, and his actual name is Connor, but that isn't mentioned until 200+ pages into the book, and it's only revealed in a throwaway line that makes no impact (and when I read it I actually wondered if it was a typo). Cotton is receiving an award, and the announcer calls him 'Connor' instead of 'Cotton'. But that's the only time the name is used. When Cotton is first introduced, Ria calls him 'Cotton', and there's no mention of it being a nickname. (EDIT: It's been brought to my attention that I did miss one other instance of 'Connor' being used: when Cotton meets Ria's dad, he introduces himself. "My name is Connor Talley. But everyone calls me Cotton." So that's something. Still, that's 100 pages into the book. A brief mention earlier on wouldn't go amiss.)

A name like that, when everyone else is named something like Maggie or Leo or even Ria (which is short for Victoria, by the way, and that's clear in the book) is very othering. Intentionally or not, it marks the character as different. And for that othering to be used for the one autistic character isn't a good look.

Now, to be clear, Cotton isn't the only character with an unusual name. There are two others: Flutie and Jelly (whether these are also nicknames or not is unknown, as it never comes up in the book). So okay, Cotton isn't alone. That would actually mean something, if not for the fact that all of these unusually-named characters were in the same family. Flutie, Jelly, and Cotton are siblings. So again, it's very othering. It sets the family apart as different.

Beyond that, there's the issue of how his autism is handled. In terms of behavior, it's mostly fine, but there are a couple of exceptions. Here are some examples:

--"Just because I ask doesn't mean you have to answer," he said. "Sometimes I ask inappropriate questions. It's because I have poor social skills."--

--"I did not have a lot of friends in elementary school. I had trouble acclimating to and interpreting social nuances. But I remember you were always acceptable."--

Autistic people don't refer to themselves like this. Especially that second point. That reads like Cotton is quoting a clinical note from someone analyzing him.

Those are the only significant times Cotton says something like this. The rest of his characterization is pretty well done. But other problems abound, especially with Ria's reactions to his behavior early in the book. Here are the biggest issues I saw:

--"[...] Cotton circled Sean, looking at him from every angle, all the while his hand flapped against his thigh. She wasn't sure if he was studying him or performing some kind of ritual."--

--"She studied the way his fingers fluttered against his thigh, wondering if he was sending her a secret message and if she could crack the code."--

Again, the fact that the word autism is never used in the book does a huge disservice to autistic people and autistic rep as a whole. To anyone who has experience with autism - whether they're autistic themselves or not - it's obvious what Cotton is doing in both these scenes. It's called stimming, and it's a totally harmless behavior that impacts no one but the person doing it. This could've been a great teachable moment; not just for Ria, but for readers too. It could've been a way for Ria to realize that Cotton was autistic instead of just "weird" (yes, that's in the book too), and if Cotton had felt comfortable explaining it to her, it could've been a huge step in the development of their friendship/relationship.

These examples aren't the only ones; they're just the worst ones.

The lack of proper autism rep is my biggest problem with this book. It would've been so easy to just do it justice, to talk with actually autistic people about how they wanted to be represented, and then to follow through on that. But that isn't what happened here. And how the neurodiversity was handled as a whole is what prompted the rating it received.

I wanted to fully enjoy this book. I was excited to see more neurodiverse characters. I appreciate that an attempt was made to tackle a lot of difficult subjects, but unfortunately the negative points outshine the positive ones.

[Jules Hucke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book absolutely nails what it is to feel bereft. Grappling with the depths of an emotion like that might seem like it would make for a slow story, but the pacing moves along at a good clip and the reveals are spaced just right to make this a highly engaging read. The pros and cons of the main character’s dilemma grow more intense as the story goes on, revealing ever-deeper aspects of who she is. I would’ve loved the hell out of her no matter which choice she made, but the one she ultimately decides on sealed the deal. A new YA fave.

[Dayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an eGalley via Edelweiss

I really enjoyed this book.

There was this underlying sense of dread as the story progressed because you know that the protagonist is struggling with a harmful relationship. As the people around her who should notice her struggle continue to not notice, you quickly realize that it is in the new connections that the protagonist makes where she might finally find some peace/comfort.

The writing really shows the level of disorientation felt throughout the story, and the unreliable narration makes you start to question the protagonist’s troubling POV regarding her toxic relationship with her coach.

I do recommend this book, just keep in mind that there is a Trigger Warning: For physical, emotional, and psychological abuse.

Happy reading!

[Sammy Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a captivating novel about a young athlete who had big dreams. Even if that meant taking abuse both mentally and physically from her prestigious coach. I think this novel handled a prevelent and heart breaking topic with class and understanding for the victim. I loved the charature development ,as well as the relationship between the main character and her love interest who is on the austism spectrum. Overall, a relevant and well thought out novel. Would recommend!

[Sharry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this YA novel (even more than Sarah Tomp’s previous novel, MY BEST EVERYTHING—which is saying a lot!) I think Ria and Cotton are probably two of my favorite YA characters (which is also saying a lot—I’ve read a ton of YA.) I found it easy to become completely invested in these two neurodiverse quirky teens, both dealing with their own experiences of trauma—Ria, from an emotionally and physically abusive diving coach and Cotton from the disappearance of his younger sister some years earlier. I found them realistically drawn with tenderness and vulnerability and their voices pitch perfect. I think this well-paced YA is one that both teens and adults will find compelling, but is an absolute must read for any teen or parent of a teen involved in a competitive sport.

[Darcy Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary and timely story about a girl who is lost, and a boy on the autism spectrum who is a brilliant creator of maps. Together, the pair navigate the heart wrenching twists life throws us—from loss (on multiple levels), to toxic, abusive relationships. Oh, and did I mention the spelunking?! Truly, it’s a rare book that is thought-provoking, gorgeously atmospheric, and so real in its authenticity. I treasured every word, paragraph, and page! Once again, Tomp has succeeded in writing something wholly original, with characters (hello, Ria and Cotton!) that I continue to carry in my heart weeks after reading. The only impossibility for me? NOT falling in love with this book!!! 10s across the board!

[Thamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ria dreamed of diving in the Olympics and she was very close to making it come true when a traumatic event took her out of the pool. When she learns Cotton's hobby is caving, she decides to join him and his friend in finding out the secrets of their town's cave.

3+, but not enough to get to a 4.

This is mostly a self-discovery story. Ria is really lost without diving but can't see herself going back to her former trainer. Their relationship was also not the best much before the incident, and she barely understands how that relates to how she's feeling in the present. Still, she needs to exercise, to get her body moving, and that's why she thinks it's a great idea to explore the nearby cave with Cotton. He is so different from her usual group that no one would ever know what she's been doing.

I really liked their friendship and how their inevitable romance evolved. They'd known each other since younger and had a lot in common. I think the best thing was the portrayal of Cotton's issues due to being in the spectrum, including the veiled prejudice. It was so on mark, I wondered if I preferred they'd discussed it more or if that would spoil the veiled effected that was intended.

Actually, most of the issues the characters face are basically done on a show-don't-tell basis, so I was glad there's a moment Ria names her problem and faces it head on. It did take her long for that, the poor girl.

Another strength is the descriptions of the caving scenes. I'm far from being outdoorsy but I kinda wished there were a cave around here for me to explore. It really sounded fun! The diving scenes also seemed good, but the adventure parts were my favorites.

And yet, this book lacked in many ways. I couldn't relate to Ria, for one. I can't point out my thing with her, but there was something that made it hard to sympathize. The romance was also pretty much lukewarm. Fortunately, it wasn't the main point of the story, but a better romance could have gotten bonus points for the book in relation to me, a romance fan. I also wish there were more resolution: we never learn what happened to Esther, what was happening in the caves, we barely know what was made of Benny.

It's a good YA, with lots of elements for discussion and even for learning about stuff, I'm sure the caving scenes demanded a lot of research and so did competitive diving. And yet, I don't think the reading itself was that much of a bang. It's above average but it's not that great.

I'd recommend for contemporary YA fans, but not to those who'd want to try YA for a change, maybe thinking that the topics of caving and diving and abusive relationships could be worth it. They were nice, but there are much better YA books out there.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Edelweiss. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this book. I loved the characters and how diverse and complicated they were - not one dimensional like a lot of characters in this genre. So many interesting themes and turns… I was never sure where we were headed, but I was willing to follow anywhere.
Probably also helps that I’d gone caving recently and that helped the imagination 😅
“But missing meant you had something once, and maybe you’d have something again someday.”

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a quick and enjoyable read.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful, beautiful book that managed to get me out of my slump and I love it so much. Ria was so relatable and Cotton is just so adorkable I can't even stand it. Highly recommended.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actual rating: 2.5

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending was a bit rushed to me, but the complicated relationship between diver and coach made for an interesting dynamic.

[Belly (Aspiringliterati)]

Going to leave this for later... I couldn't get into it and I think it's mainly a "it's not you it's me" kind of situation

[Sheri Howard · Rating 2 out of 5]

For me, Coach Benny’s abuse wasn’t Ria’s only problem; the girl could barely read. But, for some reason, this didn’t seem to disturb anyone.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed this book. There seemed to be no concrete answers to issues the characters were dealing with but that was okay because I thought the characters had depth and the author created a world I could fall into.

This book does have a possible trigger warning for child abuse. It wasn’t overly prominent in the story but it is part of the plot.

[Taylor (Taylor Talks Tales) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to my long and personal review about why I loved this book!

Fun fact about me is that I have ADHD (inattentive type) and was only diagnosed about a year ago as an adult in my late 20s. Looking back on my life, it’s almost insane to me how my family, teachers, former therapists, and ESPECIALLY MYSELF missed all the cues that I might have this disorder. Part of it is that I have the inattentive type rather than the hyperactive type so some of the stereotypical telltale signs of ADHD weren’t either present or obvious in me. I managed to be a solid A minus student because I was gifted with reading comprehension and an interest and love for most subjects except math and physics, and was able to somehow muscle through my dyscalculia (basically dyslexia but with numbers, which was also not diagnosed until my ADHD was diagnosed). Plus ADHD is often missed in girls/women as we don’t always present the same way as boys/men do.

But I have a lot of signs and symptoms of ADHD, such as not being able to process time/poor time management, excessive daydreaming, impulsivity, hyperfixation/obsession, forgetting things, novelty seeking, trouble completing tasks (unless it is something I’m very interested in), social anxiety, trouble maintaining friendships, having dyscalculia (learning disabilities are common in those with ADHD), having rejection sensitive dysphoria, and oftentimes just being very easily distracted. I also struggle to sit still too at times, and I tend to be happier the more active or engaged I am. Hence why I’m happiest outdoors exploring or adventuring, working on hands-on projects, exercising, watching a horror movie or other thrilling film, or actively engaged in either reading or crafting a story.

The reason why I bring all this up about myself and about ADHD is that Ria, our main character of The Easy Part of Impossible, has ADHD, and she is the only female character in fiction I’ve read so far who has ADHD. I didn’t realize reading from the perspective of someone with a disorder I have would impact me so much, but it did. She was very relatable to me, even though she struggled with hyperactivity and school more than I do/did, and she was diagnosed as a young child while I had to wait until adulthood to understand myself better. Ria channeled her ADHD struggles into competitive diving while I channeled mine into various hobbies, including reading as much as possible. I saw a lot of myself in Ria and because of this it really elevated my experience reading the book.

I only glanced at a few reviews of this book because I didn’t want it to influence mine at all, but one of the critical reviews talked about Ria being self absorbed which I wanted to address. While that might be a fair analysis and I respect the critical review, I want to point out that ADHD is a disorder where many people with it are “self absorbed”, not in a narcissistic or selfish way, but in a way where we’re always in our own heads. We are so distracted and our minds are always racing that it takes effort to be aware of other people. I have to work at making sure I connect and engage with others enough, especially with those people I don’t live with or see every day. It is 100% not because I don’t care or love people, it’s because it’s very hard to get out of my own mind and life. Hence why friendships are a big struggle for me. Plus sometimes people with ADHD just forget about others for a period of time. Again, not in a malevolent way but in an “out of sight out of mind way.” So I completely understood why Ria was this way. I didn’t see it as her being bratty or selfish, but instead saw it as how the disorder can present itself. It made her struggles with the disorder more authentic, and you see her still loving and caring for people too. Oh, and a very random thing about her that I also appreciated was that she wears contacts like I do. For some reason nobody wears contacts in books and I think it’s a bit odd. It’s either glasses or perfect vision, even though I know a ton of people who wear contacts.

Aside from the ADHD aspects of this book, there were a lot of things I enjoyed about The Easy Part of Impossible. The book touches on disabilities, special needs, family dynamics, friendship, passion, exploration, physical and emotional abuse, loss, and so much more. It’s well paced and well researched and feels wholly original. I know nothing about competitive diving but was interested in reading more about the sport as its inclusion in this story felt very well done and authentic. It plays a role in the plot for sure but there are a lot of other things occurring in the story too. Each of the main characters has a neat and unique interest. Ria befriends and starts developing feelings for a boy named Cotton who is a spelunker, and teaches her about spelunking and that was so much fun to read about. Some of my favorite parts of the book took place in the caves. Cotton is also into cartography too and is somewhere on the autism spectrum (though it is never officially mentioned).

What I liked about the autism spectrum inclusion is that it isn’t made out to be a big deal. No one is ashamed of him, no one singles him out or treats him differently, and he isn’t prevented from engaging in the world and his hobbies. Because of his being on the spectrum, he and Ria are able to connect as two non-neurotypical people and support each other. As main characters they are well rounded and developed aside from their respective disorders/special needs. The dialogue between them feels natural, and the situations they found themselves in felt very real. Ria grows throughout the novel, and it is very powerful when she begins discovering for herself how awful and abusive her coach Benny is and how she wants to move forward in her life.

The Easy Part of Impossible is a great read in my opinion and one of the better contemporary books I’ve read in quite some time. I recommend it to anyone looking for a unique contemporary read filled with distinctive characters with cool hobbies and passions that also explores heavy subject matters without being a dark or heavy book. Now I want to go caving again and also want to see if there are any other books with female characters with ADHD. There really is power in representation.

[jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a swimmer who’s experienced similar things as Ria, this book is like a different perspective. Not only in the sport, but also as different people. This book speaks out to me in the same regard.

Throughout my life, I’ve had coaches who pushed me to become a better swimmer and to get stronger and smarter in the pool. Coach Benny reminds me of a previous coach I had who had a very similar personality to him. She was determined to whip us all into shape, and punished any who spoke against her. I saw her as a role model but I remember the days where I would come home sore and tired beyond belief. She is no longer my main coach, and since quit the club swim team she coached in. Coach Benny reminds me of her and I feel connected to this book more than most books, since I can relate to the story as well as the relationship between a coach and an athlete.

[Shyuan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well.... this was quite underwhelming. The only good part was the development of Ria and Cotton's relationship and how Ria realizes that Benny is abusive. I appreciated how Ria eventually stands up for herself and refuses to take Benny's abuse longer.

However, I'm not so sure about the other aspects of the story. The plot was just average and didn't stand out. A large portion of the story focuses on cave exploration, which I didn't really care for - it took me out of the narrative. This exploration is prompted by Cotton's sister Esther allegedly going missing after entering the cave, leading Cotton to map it out. But, there is no closure on Esther's status, which remains unknown. I'm not sure what the point of this subplot was.

Additionally, the relationships Ria has with Sean and Maggie felt lackluster as well. Overall, it was a rather unsatisfying read.

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

these are some of my thoughts literally two seconds after finishing this book. there are spoilers, so beware. i'm going to come back later when it's not 2:30 and shape it into something like a coherent review. but for now, enjoy whatever this is:

ok, i didn't even know about this book when i woke up this morning (or should i say yesterday morning now) and lo and behold, look who's considering giving it five stars?

i mean what even is this book, and how does it have the audacity to destroy me so completely in such an unexpected way??

like, i literally just finished the book two seconds ago so I probably shouldn't be writing this when my thoughts are still all a jumble, but it's two in the morning so I can't scream out all of the emotion this book managed to bottle up inside me, so this will have to be a good alternative.

The thing that struck me about this book the hardest is just how... complacent Ria had become to how her coach was treating her. It was so heartbreaking to read these "reveals" in passing about the things that he did to her, and I remember one time in particular that in her inner monologue she just casually recalls when he held her under the showerhead in the locker room and like this book, it just caught me in such an unexpected way that I had to put the book down for a second and remember how to breath.

I don't quite know the third person to first person ratio that I read (second person isn't even part of the equation) but I'd venture to say that I read a lot more first person, because I think it helps the reader form a more personal and intimate connection to the character. I find this especially helps me when I'm reading about a character I can't really relate to. But here, everything is the exact opposite. Writing in the third person perspective worked to this book's every advantage. Not only was it an effective way of keeping things from the reader, it showed you just how far Ria had emotionally/mentally distanced herself from everything that was going on in her life. It started because of the abuse but we can see here that it bleeds into every aspect of her life. There is such
a deep hurting inside her, such a wealth of emotions that she can't do anything about, that she decides to shut it out, shut it all out. One scene I found particularly powerful was the date scene at the restaurant- it was written, again, like nothing I've ever read before. Just by how it was written it was clear that Ria was going through the motions on what was supposed to be a special night. And when she breaks up with him at the end of the night, no one is surprised- not THTH, not the reader, not even Ria herself, who didn't know she was going to break up with him until that very moment.

The relationship between Ria and Cotton was also odd in its own way but sort of endearing. Partly because of the third person perspective but also just because of the nature of their relationship, it wasn't really the intensely passionate type of thing I've come to expect from YA, and I liked this departure from the norm. In my opinion, it wouldn't make sense for it to be that way, so I liked how well the author knew her characters. It was a sweet sort of thing, and I wouldn't even be entirely disappointed if they just ended up really good friends in the end, but I wasn't mad at their romantic relationship either.

I liked that most of the side characters, while still being secondary, felt really fleshed out and like their own person, even if none of them really had any significant plot of their own. Characters like Leo or Flutie were a little weaker than what I would have liked, but I loved the dynamics going on with Maggie both in with their friendship, their diving, and relationship drama. (Can you even call it drama when she didn't feel anything for him in the first place?) I did think she as an individual character had sort of an unsatisfying ending, but I suppose it's a reflection of real life that not everything can be wrapped up in a neat bow.

I also feel like there could have been a lot more done with the parents. In the end, though Ria at some points felt frustrated that they didn't understand her, the parents had no significant bearing on the overall story. I think it would have been interesting to explore what level of blame her mom and dad hold for Ria's abuse. Was disregarding her bruises innocent ignorance, or something more like willful complicity? Ria said herself that they went from the parents of someone barely staying afloat in school to the parents of an award winning diver. I'm not saying that's what happened, but it could have. It would have made the parents more like real characters than things that were paraded in to scenes once and a while to show that they were still there. The author could have even made one of the parents know about it while the other didn't. I don't know, it doesn't really matter in the end, just things to consider.

I REALLLLY want to reread this on audiobook I think it would be really good that way but none of my library apps have it. *cries* i mean it is a (fairly) new release so I hope they get the audiobook soon.

Soemthing the author did really well was manage to balance the light part and the dark parts. Inherently, this book is something that about dark thing: abuse, complicity, feeling adrift, and even unexpectedly dark things like Esther's abduction or Ria's friendships falling from right under her. But there are also moments of pure joy like forming new friendships or the budding, sometimes clumsily awkward yet still light romance she has with Cotton.

Overall, this book did not end cleanly or all wrapped up in a pretty little package. It was not an ending at all; rather, it was a new beginning.

[Isabel]

DNF, bad representation of autism

[Bex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow okay I have a lot to say!!

This book deals with physical abuse in a sporting context. It also deals with a missing child storyline, and references to abduction.

I reaaally loved this book! I think the only thing holding me off from giving five stars is that I am not autistic, and so far I can't see any own voices autistic reviews, so I would feel uneasy to fully rave about it without knowing whether own voices reviewers feel the representation and portrayal was good.

That being said, I really loved it. It's dark- really dark, both in the obvious (the main plotline is about a girl with an abusive diving coach!), and in ways I didn't expect (the Esther storyline). Equally, it manages to be interesting and endearing and lovely, balancing the darker bits incredibly well. I didn't expect the subplot about the missing sister, but it was done very well, and I particularly liked the resolution of it - because bringing her home, or at least having some closure around that, was the expected outcome, but it would have been too good. This wasn't a book about life working out, it was a book about life as it is .

Obviously, the main thing to review is Coach Benny, and the abusive relationship with Ria. It is so important to talk about and represent abusive relationships that take forms other than romantic relationships, familial and friendships, and this book could be instrumental in starting up those conversations. Ria was in a lot of denial over what was going on, but I really liked the way that was explored, and I think is really important for adding to conversations of #WhyIStayed and similar. As well, I think it shows how easily abusive relationships can (and do) exist in the sports world, where the dynamics of power, control and punishment are so prevalent. It showed how, despite the team nature, the abusive relationship was easily able to take hold, and the way the rest of the team were jealous of something they didn't know was so dark. Similarly, the way that neurodiverse people can be at particular risk of being victims of abuse, shown in the way Ria's ADD was often weaponised by Benny. Obviously the main premise of the book is that Ria has, in a way, become freed from the abuse- but it explores so well how this is not the case, and how easily and quickly she is drawn back into it.

I really liked Ria as a character- she felt flawed, but like she wanted to do better. I am Schrodinger's reviewer when it comes to ADHD/ADD own voices (am I?? am I not?? who knows!) so I feel unable to fully comment on it, but from my own position I reaaally liked how Ria explored, identified and coped with her ADD. As an ex-athlete who had to give up their sport due to injury, I really resonated with Ria trying to distance herself from diving, and all the complex emotions connected to this.

Cotton was also a fantastic character (again, not speaking from an Own Voices perspective), and I adored seeing the friendship between him and Ria grow. I also loved the relationship - something often lacking in storylines with autistic characters. I do agree with other reviews, though, that it would have been nice for Cotton to be named as autistic, as not naming that can sometimes feel a little like skirting around it. I am more ambivalent over the friendship with Leo (I think was his name?)- I think this was a friendship rather than a social skills coach or anything, but his attitude towards Cotton sometimes felt a little off?

One of the things this book absolutely excels in, and something particularly unique about it, is the idea of consent being about far more than sex or intimacy- it's applicable to haircuts, and to conversations, and to a lot more besides. That was so well done!

A little similar to books like Tiny Pretty Things, this novel showed the particular intricacies of friendship in high-level sporting, especially with Ria's reluctance to tell the best friend (I've forgotten her name!) her good news. I think this could have been explored some more though.

The caving scenes I think worked really well as a juxtaposition to the diving- it was something completely new for Ria, the polar opposite of diving, and I enjoyed seeing her getting to grips with it, and the ways she got a lot from it. The caves were also very atmospheric, and made me want to go caving! I'm not a particularly visual thinker, so the descriptions of the maps and where they were etc was kind of lost on me though as I couldn't quite get my head around it.

I do think the penultimate ending- that Lifetime Movie Scene- was a little overdone, and felt a little out of place, maybe particularly with the contrast of the resolution of the Esther storyline. There were some parts about it I really liked though. Aaaand- I think the ending itself was perfect!

Overall- an important read, an important addition to YA. This book will stay with me for a long time.