Like Water--"I just want one thing to be good enough, because one good, right thing can be enough"

Title: Like Water

Author: Rebecca Podos


What it’s about (in 75 words or fewer): High school graduate Vanni does not want to be stuck in her small New Mexico town forever, but ever since her father was diagnosed with Huntington's disease, Vanni has been living life without a plan. She isolates herself from her girl friends and passes her time with boy after boy. Vanni then meets Leigh, who becomes more than just a friend, but they can't ignore the problems in their lives forever without everything crashing down.


What I think (in 250 words or fewer): Vanni's father is deteriorating rapidly, her mother is trying to keep the family's restaurant afloat, and Vanni is at a natural crossroads in her life anyway, so it is no surprise that poor Vanni is a mess and turns to sex to deal with her pain. I feel so bad for her parents, especially her father who had lost the ability to do what he loved.


Also, Vanni's struggles with the idea of taking a test to determine if she also will develop symptoms of has Huntington's disease: does she want to know for sure, or should she just live her life to the fullest?

Vanni gets a job at a water park (as a mermaid!) and meets Leigh, who recently moved to New Mexico from Boston and miserably wants to return East. Reading Vanni and Leigh's relationship caused me mixed feelings because Leigh was even more flighty than Vanni, and I just knew they would do something reckless that would mess things up.

Their relationship and the end of the book were written very realistically, even if not all of the issues are magically resolved and no one rides off into the sunset together. I love the author's choice of not letting the reader know about Vanni's [spoiler deleted] and feel that both Vanni and Leigh matured and grew as characters throughout the book.

Also, Vanni acknowledges her own bisexuality ("new" upon meeting Leigh) without apology or drama, which is how it should be.


This book is on the 2018 Rainbow Book List.


My final takeaway (in 75 words or fewer): This is a nice coming-of-age story with a Latina protagonist, which is absolutely awesome. And Vanni's character arc is written so well; she grows and changes and by the end of the book, you have a feeling that whatever the future holds for her, she has the maturity and strength to get through it. Like Water is worth reading.


Memorable quotes/passages from the book:

• "To watch Dad cook was like watching a wizard in potions class at Hogwarts" (hardback edition, pg. 42).
• "Leigh knows exactly who she is, so why would her nonna want her to change?" (pg. 101).
• "I'm thinking that I just want one thing to be good enough, because one good, right thing can be enough" (pg. 184).
• "In one episode, the second-best-looking boy takes the best-looking girl to the aquarium, then falls into the shark tank to the compulsory laughter of the audience. To the girl, this is adorable, and not a troubling brush with Darwinism" (pg. 200).

Other reviews: School Library Journal and Teen Librarian Toolbox


This book is available in the Greensboro Public Library.