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For most people, the word "diva" means brilliant, talented, over-the-top, and glamorous. I, however, seemed to be trapped in the not-very-glamorous life of a cheerleader wannabe with serious ex-boyfriend issues and a permanent yo-yo diet. At least until the day I auditioned for Miami High School of the Arts—and got in! All I had to do was convince my mother, the cosmetics salesperson with epically bad taste in clothes and men, that going downtown to hang with the music geeks was a good idea. I had to blackmail her to be able to do it, but I'm here—a diva-in-training—and I'm not so sure I can cut it. Now what?
272 pages, Hardcover
First published September 21, 2006
36 people are currently reading
2591 people want to read
About the author
Alex Flinn
29 books5,646 followersLove Jacaranda is out in the world! Hope you'll check out this fun wish-fulfillment romance!
Now, bio:
I grew up on a street called Salem Court. This probably influenced my interest in witches. When I was five, my mom said I should be an author. And when I was eight, I got my first rejection letter from Highlights Magazine.
I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment.
My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.
It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.
I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I’m continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It’s a way of going back to being thirteen . . . knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, daughters, dogs, and cats.
Now, bio:
I grew up on a street called Salem Court. This probably influenced my interest in witches. When I was five, my mom said I should be an author. And when I was eight, I got my first rejection letter from Highlights Magazine.
I learned to read early. But I compensated for this early proficiency by absolutely refusing to read the programmed readers required by the school system -- workbooks where you read the story, then answered the questions. When the other kids were on Book 20, I was on Book 1! My teacher, Mrs. Zeiser, told my mother, "Alexandra marches to her own drummer." I don't think that was supposed to be a compliment.
My family moved to Miami when I was in middle school. I had a really hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of time reading and writing then. By high school, I'd made some friends and gotten involved in various "gifted and talented" performing arts programs. I studied opera in college (I'm a coloratura -- the really loud, high-pitched sopranos.) and then went to law school.
It was law school that probably helped with my first novel. Breathing Underwater deals with the serious and all-too-common problem of dating violence. I based the book on my experiences interning with the State Attorney's Office and volunteering with battered women. I thought this was a really important topic, as 27 percent of teenage girls surveyed have been hit by a boyfriend. I'm happy that the book is so popular, and if you are reading this bio because the book was assigned for school, I'm happy about that too.
I think I write for young-adults because I never quite got over being one. In my mind, I am still 13-years-old, running laps on the athletic field, wearing this really baggy white gymsuit. I’m continually amazed at the idea that I have a checking account and a mortgage. So I try to write books that gymsuit girl might enjoy. It’s a way of going back to being thirteen . . . knowing what I know now.
Right now, I live half a mile away from my old middle school, in Palmetto Bay, a suburb of Miami, with my husband, daughters, dogs, and cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 216 reviews
September 21, 2009
This book was a horrible sequel. Alex Flinn did amazing at capturing the side of the young man's point of view, but failed to capture the hurt that Caitlin was still going through. She makes it seem like its too easy to get over a situation like that. And it's not.
November 28, 2009
This isn't as good as Breathing Underwater, which is the companion novel that tells the "before" part of the story, where Nick actually abuses Caitlin. This picks up right where that book ended, just as Caitlin starts at her new performing arts high school in Miami. It's told through Caitlin's eyes, which is really quite interesting.
This is a worthwhile read and I appreciate that Alex Flinn goes into the nitty-gritty and truly tackles emotional issues instead of just glossing over them like a lot of YA novelists do. However, I found these characters to have fewer redeeming qualities than than those in Breathing Underwater. Caitlin's mom, for example, is completely unlikable for me. Even towards the end of the book I mostly wanted to smack her and I didn't really feel much empathy towards her. I thought Caitlin was much more three-dimensional here than she was in Breathing Underwater but there were still times where she fell flat for me. I'm not sure where the title "Diva" actually came from. Caitlin's no diva and I had a hard time thinking that the kids at the performing arts school saw her that way in the beginning. I liked Sean but Gigi seemed like she wasn't fleshed-out enough and a caricature at times. I like that Nick made appearances in this book because I was curious about him. I hated the whole Arnold subplot. It seemed forced.
I enjoyed reading Caitlin's side of things even though her annoying way of writing her blog entries ("OMG she wanted 2 go 2 the mall") was distracting. I think her story is worth reading, especially by young girls who might get dragged into abusive relationships or/and may develop eating disorders. I liked that at the end she did make choices based on what was best for her.
So, I recommend reading Breathing Underwater first because it's incredibly powerful despite the fact that it's very emotionally draining. Then, if you're curious to read about Caitlin, go ahead and read this. I wouldn't recommend read this first because I think it'll seem kind of underwhelming without all that previous context.
This is a worthwhile read and I appreciate that Alex Flinn goes into the nitty-gritty and truly tackles emotional issues instead of just glossing over them like a lot of YA novelists do. However, I found these characters to have fewer redeeming qualities than than those in Breathing Underwater. Caitlin's mom, for example, is completely unlikable for me. Even towards the end of the book I mostly wanted to smack her and I didn't really feel much empathy towards her. I thought Caitlin was much more three-dimensional here than she was in Breathing Underwater but there were still times where she fell flat for me. I'm not sure where the title "Diva" actually came from. Caitlin's no diva and I had a hard time thinking that the kids at the performing arts school saw her that way in the beginning. I liked Sean but Gigi seemed like she wasn't fleshed-out enough and a caricature at times. I like that Nick made appearances in this book because I was curious about him. I hated the whole Arnold subplot. It seemed forced.
I enjoyed reading Caitlin's side of things even though her annoying way of writing her blog entries ("OMG she wanted 2 go 2 the mall") was distracting. I think her story is worth reading, especially by young girls who might get dragged into abusive relationships or/and may develop eating disorders. I liked that at the end she did make choices based on what was best for her.
So, I recommend reading Breathing Underwater first because it's incredibly powerful despite the fact that it's very emotionally draining. Then, if you're curious to read about Caitlin, go ahead and read this. I wouldn't recommend read this first because I think it'll seem kind of underwhelming without all that previous context.
February 13, 2012
Caitlin knows what she wants to be and it isn’t a cheerleader or the girlfriend of the hottest guy in high school. Caitlin wants to be a diva—the kind who sings opera while being showered with roses. She has the voice and the training for it—what remains to be seen is whether she can overcome her shyness and insecurity.
Readers of Alex Flinn will recognize Caitlin—she’s the abused girlfriend from Flinn’s critically acclaimed first novel, Breathing Underwater. She makes a reappearance in Flinn’s latest book, released this month from HarperCollins, Diva. It’s being billed as a companion book and not a sequel as it now picks up Caitlin’s story with Nick being only on the periphery. We do get to see more of his recovery and learn more of what becomes of their relationship, but this book firmly belongs to Caitlin.
In some ways, it is almost as if Flinn wanted to go back and give her character a happy ending—or at least a happier one. She starts out the novel in the clutches of her new friends, cheerleaders who obsess over every calorie and are as catty as they come. Caitlin rightly decides she needs to escape from both these new friends and from the constant presence of Nick against whom she still has a restraining order. She makes the escape by pursuing one of her dreams. She auditions for and then attends a performing arts high school where she is surrounded by other kids with similar interests and dreams to herself.
Diva is a very readable book written firmly to its target teen audience. While the talk of makeup and fashion may give it more appeal to girls, there is stuff for boys as well. The book is far more about pursuing one’s dreams and healing from past hurts than it is about being a girl.
The novel’s conflicts are primarily internal with very few real roadblocks put into Caitlin’s path that she doesn’t erect herself. There are some clashes with a catty girl at school, but nothing that presents a severe distraction to her. It is Caitlin who holds herself back.
The relationship with her mother is complex and interesting. It captures rather well the interplay between a teenage girl and her mother, neither of whom can quite connect even when they want to. The resentments and assumptions that both carry keep getting in the way. Flinn does grant them a little bit of a break-through, but only enough that is realistic for the characters and relationship established.
Diva explores many issues that are of relevance to teenagers, foremost among them the obsessions with dating and weight. It takes Caitlin a long time to figure out that 115 pounds is not fat nor is it any reason to panic. She keeps a daily record of her weight in an online journal and obsesses over every bite she consumes. It’s hard to blame her, though, when she is surrounded by voices that make her feel like a “fatgirl.” Flinn takes a pretty realistic look at the pressures a teenager can get that distort self-image completely out of proportion.
At a book signing, Alex Flinn says she hopes that girls who read Diva will take from it that there is something more to life than boyfriends. It’s a lesson that Caitlin seems a little slow to learn at first, showing a willingness to bypass incredible opportunities on the chance that she’ll have more time to spend with a particular guy. However, life continues to throw her curves which make her realize that there are other things in life than just dating, a lesson she learns even before her mother does.
Diva is an easy-to-read book with a streak of breathy humor running throughout it. It’s peppered with online journal entries (which I kept expecting someone else in the novel to stumble across). Those entries are written in the annoying, but realistic, Internet-speak that constantly replaces “to” with 2.
Alex Flinn does an excellent job of writing an entertaining story that gives teenagers something to think and talk about without lecturing or talking down to them.
Review first posted at Epinions.com http://www.epinions.com/review/Diva_n...
Readers of Alex Flinn will recognize Caitlin—she’s the abused girlfriend from Flinn’s critically acclaimed first novel, Breathing Underwater. She makes a reappearance in Flinn’s latest book, released this month from HarperCollins, Diva. It’s being billed as a companion book and not a sequel as it now picks up Caitlin’s story with Nick being only on the periphery. We do get to see more of his recovery and learn more of what becomes of their relationship, but this book firmly belongs to Caitlin.
In some ways, it is almost as if Flinn wanted to go back and give her character a happy ending—or at least a happier one. She starts out the novel in the clutches of her new friends, cheerleaders who obsess over every calorie and are as catty as they come. Caitlin rightly decides she needs to escape from both these new friends and from the constant presence of Nick against whom she still has a restraining order. She makes the escape by pursuing one of her dreams. She auditions for and then attends a performing arts high school where she is surrounded by other kids with similar interests and dreams to herself.
Diva is a very readable book written firmly to its target teen audience. While the talk of makeup and fashion may give it more appeal to girls, there is stuff for boys as well. The book is far more about pursuing one’s dreams and healing from past hurts than it is about being a girl.
The novel’s conflicts are primarily internal with very few real roadblocks put into Caitlin’s path that she doesn’t erect herself. There are some clashes with a catty girl at school, but nothing that presents a severe distraction to her. It is Caitlin who holds herself back.
The relationship with her mother is complex and interesting. It captures rather well the interplay between a teenage girl and her mother, neither of whom can quite connect even when they want to. The resentments and assumptions that both carry keep getting in the way. Flinn does grant them a little bit of a break-through, but only enough that is realistic for the characters and relationship established.
Diva explores many issues that are of relevance to teenagers, foremost among them the obsessions with dating and weight. It takes Caitlin a long time to figure out that 115 pounds is not fat nor is it any reason to panic. She keeps a daily record of her weight in an online journal and obsesses over every bite she consumes. It’s hard to blame her, though, when she is surrounded by voices that make her feel like a “fatgirl.” Flinn takes a pretty realistic look at the pressures a teenager can get that distort self-image completely out of proportion.
At a book signing, Alex Flinn says she hopes that girls who read Diva will take from it that there is something more to life than boyfriends. It’s a lesson that Caitlin seems a little slow to learn at first, showing a willingness to bypass incredible opportunities on the chance that she’ll have more time to spend with a particular guy. However, life continues to throw her curves which make her realize that there are other things in life than just dating, a lesson she learns even before her mother does.
Diva is an easy-to-read book with a streak of breathy humor running throughout it. It’s peppered with online journal entries (which I kept expecting someone else in the novel to stumble across). Those entries are written in the annoying, but realistic, Internet-speak that constantly replaces “to” with 2.
Alex Flinn does an excellent job of writing an entertaining story that gives teenagers something to think and talk about without lecturing or talking down to them.
Review first posted at Epinions.com http://www.epinions.com/review/Diva_n...
March 10, 2019
This is the sequel to Breathing Underwater, but this time we get to see what's going on with Caitlin after the events of Breathing Underwater.
I love that we get to see the after affects of the abuse she suffered and how hard it is to move on from that. I also loved the little glimpses into Nick's life and how he's changing, but how that's not the focus of the story. The real meat is in Caitlin and her choices to be brave and move forward with her life.
I think the new friends Caitlin makes are the kind of friends we should all strive for. People who like us the way that we are, encourage and support us, and don't put us down to make themselves feel better. I always thought Caitlin was too good for the people she surrounded herself with in the first book. Even her original best friend wasn't really the greatest person for her, but this new group of people are where I think she found her true friends.
If you wanted to know more about Caitlin and her process in moving on from all that happened to her, I think you'd love this book.
I love that we get to see the after affects of the abuse she suffered and how hard it is to move on from that. I also loved the little glimpses into Nick's life and how he's changing, but how that's not the focus of the story. The real meat is in Caitlin and her choices to be brave and move forward with her life.
I think the new friends Caitlin makes are the kind of friends we should all strive for. People who like us the way that we are, encourage and support us, and don't put us down to make themselves feel better. I always thought Caitlin was too good for the people she surrounded herself with in the first book. Even her original best friend wasn't really the greatest person for her, but this new group of people are where I think she found her true friends.
If you wanted to know more about Caitlin and her process in moving on from all that happened to her, I think you'd love this book.
October 26, 2018
Personal Response:
I really related a lot to Diva. The characters and plot are something easily to relate to since I am also involved in the arts. The connections created through all the characters were genuinely true, there was no fake friendship made to be true. I learned after reading the book that it is the 2nd book in the Breathing Underwater series which would explain little character description in the beginning, however Alex Flinn did a great job and I easily understood the characters. Overall, I really loved Diva and I am excited to have finally read a book about the arts.
Plot Summary:
Caitlin is a talented opera singer who is accepted and transfers to Miami School of Arts to escape her abusive ex-boyfriend. At auditions she meets an equally talented opera singer, Sean, who she starts falling for. When she arrives, she feels like an outcast because she is not a triple threat. She can not dance or act and is very nervous about her weight. To top it off her mom, a want to be teenager, begins to date a married man while living off her ex-husband. Sean and Gigi help Caitlin become more comfortable and develop her into a triple threat. After spending so much time with him, Caitlin realizes Sean is gay. She is heartbroken but continues to be best friends with him. Her vocal instructor also offers her the option to try out for a summer opera camp in New York which Caitlin turns down, but then accepts. Caitlin also solves things out with her ex-boyfriend and develops a better relationship with her mom, who also figures out her boy troubles.
Characterization:
Diva has well-developed characterization and snappy dialogue. Flinn’s use of journals really lets readers understand what is inside her head. In the beginning of the book, Caitlin is a heartbroken, shy girl. Once she gets to the Arts school she meets Gigi and Sean and starts to develop confidence in herself and her singing. Caitlin develops stronger relationships with her mom after talking through their own relationships. In the end, Caitlin is a successful performer with a promising future.
Recommandation:
I recommend this book to readers involved in the arts and who love drama, of all kinds. This solid story should be read by all worrisome performers in middle school or high school. It is told in a girls perspective so more girls may like this book over boys. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
I really related a lot to Diva. The characters and plot are something easily to relate to since I am also involved in the arts. The connections created through all the characters were genuinely true, there was no fake friendship made to be true. I learned after reading the book that it is the 2nd book in the Breathing Underwater series which would explain little character description in the beginning, however Alex Flinn did a great job and I easily understood the characters. Overall, I really loved Diva and I am excited to have finally read a book about the arts.
Plot Summary:
Caitlin is a talented opera singer who is accepted and transfers to Miami School of Arts to escape her abusive ex-boyfriend. At auditions she meets an equally talented opera singer, Sean, who she starts falling for. When she arrives, she feels like an outcast because she is not a triple threat. She can not dance or act and is very nervous about her weight. To top it off her mom, a want to be teenager, begins to date a married man while living off her ex-husband. Sean and Gigi help Caitlin become more comfortable and develop her into a triple threat. After spending so much time with him, Caitlin realizes Sean is gay. She is heartbroken but continues to be best friends with him. Her vocal instructor also offers her the option to try out for a summer opera camp in New York which Caitlin turns down, but then accepts. Caitlin also solves things out with her ex-boyfriend and develops a better relationship with her mom, who also figures out her boy troubles.
Characterization:
Diva has well-developed characterization and snappy dialogue. Flinn’s use of journals really lets readers understand what is inside her head. In the beginning of the book, Caitlin is a heartbroken, shy girl. Once she gets to the Arts school she meets Gigi and Sean and starts to develop confidence in herself and her singing. Caitlin develops stronger relationships with her mom after talking through their own relationships. In the end, Caitlin is a successful performer with a promising future.
Recommandation:
I recommend this book to readers involved in the arts and who love drama, of all kinds. This solid story should be read by all worrisome performers in middle school or high school. It is told in a girls perspective so more girls may like this book over boys. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
July 24, 2013
29 May 2006 DIVA by Alex Flinn, Harper Tempest, October 2006, ISBN: 0-06-056843-7; Libr. ISBN: 0-06-056845-3
"There's only one direction in the faces that I see;
It's upward to the ceiling, where the chamber's said to be.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree.
They are pulled up by the magnet, believing that they're free.
" --Genesis, "The Carpet Crawlers" from the rock opera, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Rock opera is about as close to opera as I usually get. But my lack of enthusiasm for the real thing wouldn't bother sixteen year old Opera_Grrrl, aka Caitlin McCourt. She is well aware that it is not everyone's cup of tea, but that does not at all diminish her passion for experiencing and singing opera. Furthermore, my own lack of interest in experiencing opera did not in any way diminish my becoming thoroughly and enthusiastically engaged in DIVA, the story that begins with Caitlin's successfully auditioning to become a student at Miami High School of the Arts, and leaving behind her old school in the wake of the serious events in her life that were chronicled in Alex Flinn's first book, BREATHING UNDERWATER.
(But don't worry about needing to read that book before reading DIVA. I still haven't gotten a chance to read BREATHING UNDERWATER. This is not like a fantasy trilogy where it's essential to go in order.)
"The thing about losing a lot of weight is that it feels temporary, like you're just a thin fatgirl, and one good Big Mac will send you exploding from your jeans again. I weighed a hundred and five when I left [the weight reduction] camp last year. Since then I've gained and lost the same fifteen pounds a dozen times. Right now, I weigh one-fifteen, which is what the weight charts say you're supposed to weigh at five-three. The guy who made the weight chart (and I'm sure it was a guy) didn't go to my school, though. At my school, the most you can weigh is one-ten, even if you're five-foot-nine."
Some may question the wisdom of Caitlin's ongoing struggle/obsession with her weight, and her incorporating the daily tale of the scale into her online journal. I found the teen's search for a consistent nutritional regime to be both realistic and admirable. In light of the horrifying estimates of childhood obesity and diabetes I discussed earlier this year in reviewing Eric Schlosser's CHEW ON THIS: EVERYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FAST FOOD, I found a teen character here who has an ongoing investment in maintaining a healthy weight and who is not suffering from an eating disorder. Of course, getting away from her old school and her old friends aids in her being significantly more sane about it.
Another bit of sanity that I found in the story is the reality that it is not sufficient for Caitlin to have a gift for singing opera. She needs the commitment to work long and hard every day to achieve what she desires. Having been accepted into the performing arts school based upon her singing audition, she immediately struggles with the dancing that is required for class ensemble performances but, because of that commitment, she seeks assistance and does the work necessary to make the cut for the show. Most telling is a scene in which an older student with lots of initial promise but a preference for partying is informed after a mediocre performance that she should change majors.
"At lunch, I tell Gigi [about Mary]...
"Gigi rolls her eyes. 'You said yourself the girl wasn't very good. Rowena probably did her a huge favor. Why does it bother you?'
" 'But can you imagine not singing anymore? Why wake up in the morning?'
" 'But that's how you feel about it. If she felt that way, she'd have practiced more. Then she wouldn't be getting this news.'
" 'I guess.'
" 'Absolutely. It's like a reality show where they vote the weaklings off first. When you're five and dancing in your mom's dresses, everyone's a superstar. But then some people get picked to be "listeners" in music class, and others don't make the good chorus in middle school, and others don't get in here. And some people screw up. But that's not you, Cait. You can make it.'
" 'I guess,' I repeat.
"But that night and both days of the weekend, I sing scales for an extra hour."
I haven't even mentioned Caitlin's ongoing struggle to deal with the aftermath of having been the victim of physical abuse by the hands of her boyfriend in BREATHING UNDERWATER, or the struggle of Caitlin's dealing with a mother who resorts to making herself feel better at Caitlin's expense, and who becomes involved in a very questionable relationship herself. In fact, Alex Flinn packs an amazing amount of high-interest story into this book.
But for this oblivious-to-opera Deadhead, I was entranced, above all, by the aspects of the story involving a complex teen with a passion for a relatively unusual flavor of performing arts, who pays attention to priorities and is faced with overcoming a fear of failure while simultaneously dealing with the rest of her life.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
"There's only one direction in the faces that I see;
It's upward to the ceiling, where the chamber's said to be.
Like the forest fight for sunlight, that takes root in every tree.
They are pulled up by the magnet, believing that they're free.
" --Genesis, "The Carpet Crawlers" from the rock opera, The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Rock opera is about as close to opera as I usually get. But my lack of enthusiasm for the real thing wouldn't bother sixteen year old Opera_Grrrl, aka Caitlin McCourt. She is well aware that it is not everyone's cup of tea, but that does not at all diminish her passion for experiencing and singing opera. Furthermore, my own lack of interest in experiencing opera did not in any way diminish my becoming thoroughly and enthusiastically engaged in DIVA, the story that begins with Caitlin's successfully auditioning to become a student at Miami High School of the Arts, and leaving behind her old school in the wake of the serious events in her life that were chronicled in Alex Flinn's first book, BREATHING UNDERWATER.
(But don't worry about needing to read that book before reading DIVA. I still haven't gotten a chance to read BREATHING UNDERWATER. This is not like a fantasy trilogy where it's essential to go in order.)
"The thing about losing a lot of weight is that it feels temporary, like you're just a thin fatgirl, and one good Big Mac will send you exploding from your jeans again. I weighed a hundred and five when I left [the weight reduction] camp last year. Since then I've gained and lost the same fifteen pounds a dozen times. Right now, I weigh one-fifteen, which is what the weight charts say you're supposed to weigh at five-three. The guy who made the weight chart (and I'm sure it was a guy) didn't go to my school, though. At my school, the most you can weigh is one-ten, even if you're five-foot-nine."
Some may question the wisdom of Caitlin's ongoing struggle/obsession with her weight, and her incorporating the daily tale of the scale into her online journal. I found the teen's search for a consistent nutritional regime to be both realistic and admirable. In light of the horrifying estimates of childhood obesity and diabetes I discussed earlier this year in reviewing Eric Schlosser's CHEW ON THIS: EVERYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT FAST FOOD, I found a teen character here who has an ongoing investment in maintaining a healthy weight and who is not suffering from an eating disorder. Of course, getting away from her old school and her old friends aids in her being significantly more sane about it.
Another bit of sanity that I found in the story is the reality that it is not sufficient for Caitlin to have a gift for singing opera. She needs the commitment to work long and hard every day to achieve what she desires. Having been accepted into the performing arts school based upon her singing audition, she immediately struggles with the dancing that is required for class ensemble performances but, because of that commitment, she seeks assistance and does the work necessary to make the cut for the show. Most telling is a scene in which an older student with lots of initial promise but a preference for partying is informed after a mediocre performance that she should change majors.
"At lunch, I tell Gigi [about Mary]...
"Gigi rolls her eyes. 'You said yourself the girl wasn't very good. Rowena probably did her a huge favor. Why does it bother you?'
" 'But can you imagine not singing anymore? Why wake up in the morning?'
" 'But that's how you feel about it. If she felt that way, she'd have practiced more. Then she wouldn't be getting this news.'
" 'I guess.'
" 'Absolutely. It's like a reality show where they vote the weaklings off first. When you're five and dancing in your mom's dresses, everyone's a superstar. But then some people get picked to be "listeners" in music class, and others don't make the good chorus in middle school, and others don't get in here. And some people screw up. But that's not you, Cait. You can make it.'
" 'I guess,' I repeat.
"But that night and both days of the weekend, I sing scales for an extra hour."
I haven't even mentioned Caitlin's ongoing struggle to deal with the aftermath of having been the victim of physical abuse by the hands of her boyfriend in BREATHING UNDERWATER, or the struggle of Caitlin's dealing with a mother who resorts to making herself feel better at Caitlin's expense, and who becomes involved in a very questionable relationship herself. In fact, Alex Flinn packs an amazing amount of high-interest story into this book.
But for this oblivious-to-opera Deadhead, I was entranced, above all, by the aspects of the story involving a complex teen with a passion for a relatively unusual flavor of performing arts, who pays attention to priorities and is faced with overcoming a fear of failure while simultaneously dealing with the rest of her life.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
February 26, 2021
I really didn't enjoy this book as much as I did its predecessor, Breathing Underwater. I thought Caitlin was really superficial and even though it tried to make her quirky and interesting, she was a flat character who didn't grow that much by the end of the novel.
September 14, 2022
was going through my google drive and apparently this book really pissed me off as a 17 year old. so enjoy this review from 2019:
"So I’m really hoping that Flinn hired a ghostwriter for this, and that’s why it falls so much short, or I’m really going to lose all hope.
VIEW 1: AS A STAND-ALONE
- Fine
- Tried and true “new girl going to a new school that she doesn’t fit into” storyline complete with an edgy friend that shows her the ropes, demanding teachers, mean girls, and a love interest who *gasp* turns out to be gay
Things I liked:
- Connecting with her mother over opera, both finding their motivation
- The realistic portrayal of her still feeling that pull back to Nick, struggling to define herself outside of a romantic relationship
Issues:
- Pacing felt off (too stretched out in the beginning, just like BU - made it halfway through before I realized “oh so this concert thing is going to be the climax of the whole book”)
- Characterization of Gigi and Sean in the beginning was confusing (she hates them? She likes them? No logic)
VIEW 2: AS A COMPANION/SEQUEL TO BREATHING UNDERWATER
There are many things that made Breathing Underwater a fantastic read. Some of them are attempted here, but none of them are executed well.
A: THE BLOG POSTS
In Breathing Underwater, Nick’s journals served a solid narrative purpose - a vessel for time jumps in the narration that the audience could clearly follow. In addition, they helped characterize Nick as an unreliable narrator, and it could be argued that they also show how he begins to use writing as a healthy outlet. Basically, the novel doesn’t make sense without them.
With Diva, I feel like Flinn is trying to use Caitlin’s blog posts as a parallel device, but they’re really kind of...useless. We never really receive any new information - it’s just a regurgitation of the events that transpired in the chapter, albeit in a format that’s more frustrating to read. The only redeeming quality there was the musical blurbs, but even that could have been integrated in a way that didn’t break up the story as much.
B: COMPLEX CHARACTERS
Breathing Underwater dived (haha) into one of the most intriguing studies of complex grey characters that I’ve ever read, discussing how a person can allow or prevent their past from determining their future, blowing that onto a wider scale with the entire cast of Mario’s domestic violence sessions, and bringing it onto a new level with Nick’s unreliable narration, especially at the beginning. It’s beautiful. It’s a tour de force. It makes you question your own motivations, your past traumas, and the excuses you make for yourself. Nick, his father, Mario, Leo - they all stick with you after the story ends. (Even the more minor characters - Elsa, Saint, Tom, all show shades of grey in the action or inaction that they take, even if they aren’t as developed)
In Diva, Flinn completely drops the ball. Everyone’s either a perfect saving angel or a complete a**hole. There’s no nuance.
- Caitlin and her mom vs. nick and his dad: Nick is very obviously like his dad. I’m just not seeing that connection between Caitlin and her mom. Her teacher makes her think about the dreams/hopes that her mom might have for like two seconds, but then that gets brushed aside
- Diva feels like it was missing that extra dimension/impact that the cast of Mario’s group gave to Breathing Underwater - just a bunch of f***ed-up characters figuring out if they can trust each other. There could be an opportunity there to talk about how girls in abusive relationships don’t have as many resources (absence of a support group) or how Caitlin’s aversion to seeing herself as a victim keeps her from getting help, but it just kind of gets waved off in the beginning with some light misogyny and victim-blaming
- Would be cool to have Arnold be charming at first - so we can empathize with Valerie’s wishful thinking and heartbreak, rather than just getting frustrated with her inaction and pitying her.
C: STAKES AND ATMOSPHERE
If we’re gonna take the lower stakes route, we don’t have to completely sacrifice the story’s atmosphere
I’m conflicted. On one hand, we’ve seen Caitlin beaten down enough (both literally and figuratively), and I can understand the choice to make her overarching problems in Diva about doing well in a school performance, deciding whether or not to go to a summer camp, and stressing over if the gay guy in her musical theatre program will ever kiss her. Sure.
But on the other hand, it’s such a waste. In Breathing Underwater, I was drowning in the technicolor Floridian hellscape that Flinn created - the melancholy of Nick standing alone, waiting for the train, soaked to the bone; the suffocating Key West sunshine; the pressing, fated heat in the shaved ice booth with Leo and Neysa; the courthouse, the ocean, the dolphins, the gas station, the train tracks, even the naked lady statue in Nick’s foyer - the imagery was overwhelming at times, but it felt real. It served to punctuate the severity and surreality of Nick’s world, the instability and the violence that’s such a crucial part of his story. I mean, he almost kills Caitlin multiple times, Leo commits a murder-suicide in the third act, and the entire story hinges around the cycle of violence that lands Nick in Mario’s class, surrounded by guys with similar trauma. Intense stuff, but Flinn makes it work.
Unfortunately, Diva feels like the after-school special to Breathing Underwater’s art house film (thanks for the analogy, Nick). The atmosphere feels underdeveloped and the stakes are low. Perhaps that would be fine if it were a stand-alone novel, but as a follow-up to the sheer gravity of scenes like Mario yelling at Nick to hit him or Nick’s English teacher “writing his father” a letter about how great he is and lines like “Key Biscayne runs dry.”? Diva just doesn’t make the cut.
The part where she’s waxing nostalgic about Nick and then says, “And then I remember/feel him hitting me” kinda comes close to that same sense of drama. Drama as in “a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces”, rather than petty competition, which is pretty much the rest of the book.
Breathing Underwater was exhausting to read - it forces you to re-examine yourself, your jealousy, your anger, and your insecurities - I saw bits of myself in Nick, and that was terrifying. Diva just doesn’t hold that same weight.
(I will concede that we do get a few shining moments of Flinn flexing her narrative skills - Caitlin and Sean at the beach, with the pina colada slushies actually offers up some filling imagery, and Caitlin crying in her car in front of Mrs. Arnold’s house gives us a bit of genuine emotion.)
D: HOMEWRECKER STORYLINE
Again, if this was a stand-alone book, maybe I wouldn’t be as frustrated, but we know that Alex Flinn is capable of creating a more complex, engaging, and cohesive story than this! To see her completely drop the ball on all the elements that made Breathing Underwater such a memorable book is unbelievably disappointing.
Maybe the shift in tone was a conscious choice, to separate Caitlin’s story from Nick’s but...to have Diva pegged as a sequel or a continuation of the Breathing Underwater’s story while changing the tone and not diving as deep into the characters is just...such a let-down.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES:
- Caitlin working through her relationship with food in a realistic way
- Caitlin’s relationship with other fat girls (take the Hairspray scene and run with it)
- Caitlin’s internalized misogyny (esp with her mom)
- Let Caitlin FAIL and STRUGGLE in a REAL WAY (unlearning the biases she so readily absorbed with the Key Biscayne girls!, actually having her teacher push her, less of the “you’re the most talented student I’ve ever had” nonsense when she can’t even act, dance, or sing outside of her concentration)
- Making Sean gay felt like a cop-out so that Caitlin didn’t have to confront herself and ask why she feels like she needs to define herself through a relationship - could be another connecting point with her mom
MISCELLANEOUS COMPLAINTS
- Where in god's name was Liana
- The “0 comments” on every blog post
- Complete disregard for privacy
- Fake closure with Nick
= Did she ever get her car back?
- Inaccuracies with performing arts and music teachers/instructors (she doesn’t know what jazz hands are?)"
"So I’m really hoping that Flinn hired a ghostwriter for this, and that’s why it falls so much short, or I’m really going to lose all hope.
VIEW 1: AS A STAND-ALONE
- Fine
- Tried and true “new girl going to a new school that she doesn’t fit into” storyline complete with an edgy friend that shows her the ropes, demanding teachers, mean girls, and a love interest who *gasp* turns out to be gay
Things I liked:
- Connecting with her mother over opera, both finding their motivation
- The realistic portrayal of her still feeling that pull back to Nick, struggling to define herself outside of a romantic relationship
Issues:
- Pacing felt off (too stretched out in the beginning, just like BU - made it halfway through before I realized “oh so this concert thing is going to be the climax of the whole book”)
- Characterization of Gigi and Sean in the beginning was confusing (she hates them? She likes them? No logic)
VIEW 2: AS A COMPANION/SEQUEL TO BREATHING UNDERWATER
There are many things that made Breathing Underwater a fantastic read. Some of them are attempted here, but none of them are executed well.
A: THE BLOG POSTS
In Breathing Underwater, Nick’s journals served a solid narrative purpose - a vessel for time jumps in the narration that the audience could clearly follow. In addition, they helped characterize Nick as an unreliable narrator, and it could be argued that they also show how he begins to use writing as a healthy outlet. Basically, the novel doesn’t make sense without them.
With Diva, I feel like Flinn is trying to use Caitlin’s blog posts as a parallel device, but they’re really kind of...useless. We never really receive any new information - it’s just a regurgitation of the events that transpired in the chapter, albeit in a format that’s more frustrating to read. The only redeeming quality there was the musical blurbs, but even that could have been integrated in a way that didn’t break up the story as much.
B: COMPLEX CHARACTERS
Breathing Underwater dived (haha) into one of the most intriguing studies of complex grey characters that I’ve ever read, discussing how a person can allow or prevent their past from determining their future, blowing that onto a wider scale with the entire cast of Mario’s domestic violence sessions, and bringing it onto a new level with Nick’s unreliable narration, especially at the beginning. It’s beautiful. It’s a tour de force. It makes you question your own motivations, your past traumas, and the excuses you make for yourself. Nick, his father, Mario, Leo - they all stick with you after the story ends. (Even the more minor characters - Elsa, Saint, Tom, all show shades of grey in the action or inaction that they take, even if they aren’t as developed)
In Diva, Flinn completely drops the ball. Everyone’s either a perfect saving angel or a complete a**hole. There’s no nuance.
- Caitlin and her mom vs. nick and his dad: Nick is very obviously like his dad. I’m just not seeing that connection between Caitlin and her mom. Her teacher makes her think about the dreams/hopes that her mom might have for like two seconds, but then that gets brushed aside
- Diva feels like it was missing that extra dimension/impact that the cast of Mario’s group gave to Breathing Underwater - just a bunch of f***ed-up characters figuring out if they can trust each other. There could be an opportunity there to talk about how girls in abusive relationships don’t have as many resources (absence of a support group) or how Caitlin’s aversion to seeing herself as a victim keeps her from getting help, but it just kind of gets waved off in the beginning with some light misogyny and victim-blaming
- Would be cool to have Arnold be charming at first - so we can empathize with Valerie’s wishful thinking and heartbreak, rather than just getting frustrated with her inaction and pitying her.
C: STAKES AND ATMOSPHERE
If we’re gonna take the lower stakes route, we don’t have to completely sacrifice the story’s atmosphere
I’m conflicted. On one hand, we’ve seen Caitlin beaten down enough (both literally and figuratively), and I can understand the choice to make her overarching problems in Diva about doing well in a school performance, deciding whether or not to go to a summer camp, and stressing over if the gay guy in her musical theatre program will ever kiss her. Sure.
But on the other hand, it’s such a waste. In Breathing Underwater, I was drowning in the technicolor Floridian hellscape that Flinn created - the melancholy of Nick standing alone, waiting for the train, soaked to the bone; the suffocating Key West sunshine; the pressing, fated heat in the shaved ice booth with Leo and Neysa; the courthouse, the ocean, the dolphins, the gas station, the train tracks, even the naked lady statue in Nick’s foyer - the imagery was overwhelming at times, but it felt real. It served to punctuate the severity and surreality of Nick’s world, the instability and the violence that’s such a crucial part of his story. I mean, he almost kills Caitlin multiple times, Leo commits a murder-suicide in the third act, and the entire story hinges around the cycle of violence that lands Nick in Mario’s class, surrounded by guys with similar trauma. Intense stuff, but Flinn makes it work.
Unfortunately, Diva feels like the after-school special to Breathing Underwater’s art house film (thanks for the analogy, Nick). The atmosphere feels underdeveloped and the stakes are low. Perhaps that would be fine if it were a stand-alone novel, but as a follow-up to the sheer gravity of scenes like Mario yelling at Nick to hit him or Nick’s English teacher “writing his father” a letter about how great he is and lines like “Key Biscayne runs dry.”? Diva just doesn’t make the cut.
The part where she’s waxing nostalgic about Nick and then says, “And then I remember/feel him hitting me” kinda comes close to that same sense of drama. Drama as in “a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces”, rather than petty competition, which is pretty much the rest of the book.
Breathing Underwater was exhausting to read - it forces you to re-examine yourself, your jealousy, your anger, and your insecurities - I saw bits of myself in Nick, and that was terrifying. Diva just doesn’t hold that same weight.
(I will concede that we do get a few shining moments of Flinn flexing her narrative skills - Caitlin and Sean at the beach, with the pina colada slushies actually offers up some filling imagery, and Caitlin crying in her car in front of Mrs. Arnold’s house gives us a bit of genuine emotion.)
D: HOMEWRECKER STORYLINE
Again, if this was a stand-alone book, maybe I wouldn’t be as frustrated, but we know that Alex Flinn is capable of creating a more complex, engaging, and cohesive story than this! To see her completely drop the ball on all the elements that made Breathing Underwater such a memorable book is unbelievably disappointing.
Maybe the shift in tone was a conscious choice, to separate Caitlin’s story from Nick’s but...to have Diva pegged as a sequel or a continuation of the Breathing Underwater’s story while changing the tone and not diving as deep into the characters is just...such a let-down.
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES:
- Caitlin working through her relationship with food in a realistic way
- Caitlin’s relationship with other fat girls (take the Hairspray scene and run with it)
- Caitlin’s internalized misogyny (esp with her mom)
- Let Caitlin FAIL and STRUGGLE in a REAL WAY (unlearning the biases she so readily absorbed with the Key Biscayne girls!, actually having her teacher push her, less of the “you’re the most talented student I’ve ever had” nonsense when she can’t even act, dance, or sing outside of her concentration)
- Making Sean gay felt like a cop-out so that Caitlin didn’t have to confront herself and ask why she feels like she needs to define herself through a relationship - could be another connecting point with her mom
MISCELLANEOUS COMPLAINTS
- Where in god's name was Liana
- The “0 comments” on every blog post
- Complete disregard for privacy
- Fake closure with Nick
= Did she ever get her car back?
- Inaccuracies with performing arts and music teachers/instructors (she doesn’t know what jazz hands are?)"
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2017
Caitlin McCourt knew what she wanted and she intended to get it – even if her mom didn’t agree to it. Caitlin loved singing, especially the Opera and she would do everything to enter Miami High School of the Arts.
She actually used to be fat – really fat – but she went on a fat camp and shed at least 35 pounds. Then she became a pretty blond girl and eventually got a boyfriend. Too late when she realized, his boyfriend was from Hell.
Nick may have been wickedly hot, has nice car, brought flowers occasionally and even wrote poetry. But beneath that façade, Nick actually hit Caitlin, he critiqued her singing and reiterated that no one ever wanted to be friends with her except him.
Caitlin met new friends, Sean & Gigi and they were supportive of her. But her mom didn’t think she’s good enough. Her mom was a little oddball – she chose to dress like a teen-ager, way slicker and shorter than Caitlin’s clothes, much to her daughter’s dismay. Next thing she knew, her mom started dating another man, who was not only balding, but was also married to another woman. Caitlin didn’t know anymore how to deal with her life.
I admired Caitlin for her perseverance to go for that something that she aspires to be. True, a lot of girls prefer to call themselves Diva but they do not know the extent of the word. As much as possible, Caitlin, a product of broken family – doesn’t want to ask for anyone’s help if she can manage herself.
With her father refusing to give alimony or child support, and her mom trying to get hitched with every man with lots of penny, and with an ex-boyfriend who used to beat her up, Caitlin’s dream of being an opera singer is the one that burns the flame in her heart.
I also liked Sean’s character – helpful and down-to-earth, but I was surprised when I learned about his true preference. I thought Caitlin & Sean look good together, but then, I’m wrong. And her best friend Gigi, was the wind beneath her wings, however eccentric she seemed to be.
Overall, I give props to Alex Flinn for this fine work of art, venturing to something more mature than in her usual fantasy books. I am yet to read Breathing Underwater, the story of how Caitlin’s ex – Nick became angst-ridden and girl friend beater. Looking forward to reading it one day!
She actually used to be fat – really fat – but she went on a fat camp and shed at least 35 pounds. Then she became a pretty blond girl and eventually got a boyfriend. Too late when she realized, his boyfriend was from Hell.
Nick may have been wickedly hot, has nice car, brought flowers occasionally and even wrote poetry. But beneath that façade, Nick actually hit Caitlin, he critiqued her singing and reiterated that no one ever wanted to be friends with her except him.
Caitlin met new friends, Sean & Gigi and they were supportive of her. But her mom didn’t think she’s good enough. Her mom was a little oddball – she chose to dress like a teen-ager, way slicker and shorter than Caitlin’s clothes, much to her daughter’s dismay. Next thing she knew, her mom started dating another man, who was not only balding, but was also married to another woman. Caitlin didn’t know anymore how to deal with her life.
I admired Caitlin for her perseverance to go for that something that she aspires to be. True, a lot of girls prefer to call themselves Diva but they do not know the extent of the word. As much as possible, Caitlin, a product of broken family – doesn’t want to ask for anyone’s help if she can manage herself.
With her father refusing to give alimony or child support, and her mom trying to get hitched with every man with lots of penny, and with an ex-boyfriend who used to beat her up, Caitlin’s dream of being an opera singer is the one that burns the flame in her heart.
I also liked Sean’s character – helpful and down-to-earth, but I was surprised when I learned about his true preference. I thought Caitlin & Sean look good together, but then, I’m wrong. And her best friend Gigi, was the wind beneath her wings, however eccentric she seemed to be.
Overall, I give props to Alex Flinn for this fine work of art, venturing to something more mature than in her usual fantasy books. I am yet to read Breathing Underwater, the story of how Caitlin’s ex – Nick became angst-ridden and girl friend beater. Looking forward to reading it one day!
December 27, 2007
A sort-a-sequel to Flinn's searing YA novel debut Breathing Underwater, but this time telling the story from the girl's POV. Caitlin, who was abused by her 16-year-old boyfriend, Nick, in Breathing Underwater, is trying to change her life, putting that relationship behind her, as well as focusing on her goal of becoming an opera singer by getting into the Miami High School for the Performing Arts. But even at a school of talented teens, she feels outcast at first, although friendships grow. At the same time, her relations with her mother — who objected to her attending the school — deteriorate. That's the real story here: the mother-daughter conflict. It is no wonder they're at odds: Caitlin's maturing at the same time as her mother behaves and dresses like a teenager while seeming unable to function without a man in her life. Nick reappears in Caitlin's life; there's no real reconciliation, just a realization that Caitlin's no longer the overweight, untalented, and unattractive girl that Nick forced her to believe she was. Told in part using an online journal, and loaded with opera references so reader's experience Caitlin's obsession, Flinn's novel portrays a teen character struggling with what it means to be strong.
decided-not-to-read
July 24, 2012I enjoyed A Kiss in Time, and was feeling like I was in the mood for something light, so I went to the library and looted the shelves of Alex Flinn books. I was especially curious about this one — what would make a young American teenager decide that opera was the form for her? Except we don't really get that, at least in the pages that I read. We get Caitlin obsessing, wince-inducingly, over her weight, and typing in her online journal, with lots of text-speak. (2 and 4 instead of to and for, etc.)
This is a followup if not a direct sequel to Breathing Underwater, but I suspect you could read this without having read that. That was my plan, anyway. I didn't have any problems following this story because I hadn't read Breathing Underwater ... I just didn't want to keep going.
This is a followup if not a direct sequel to Breathing Underwater, but I suspect you could read this without having read that. That was my plan, anyway. I didn't have any problems following this story because I hadn't read Breathing Underwater ... I just didn't want to keep going.
October 29, 2014
Don't get me wrong...I do love Alex Flinn's books but THIS BOOK?!?! Why all of her books are AMAZING but why not this book? I mean, this book doesn't excited as Breathing Underwater! I loved book, Breathing Underwater, because I was very curious about Nick's life. But Caitlin's life...is so boring! I thought I could know what Caitlin's feeling, thought, and FEELING about Nick that he did abused her. BUT...it didn't because it only explain what's happened to Caitlin after they broke up and blah blah.
Whatever but I am so happy that I am finally catch up to read all of Alex Flinn's books! Now, I am waiting for her next book, Mirrored. I have NO IDEA when it will come out but I am hope that it will come out as soon as POSSIBLE!
hmm...I need to find other favorite authors... I only have Alex Flinn, Stephine Meyer and Sara Shepard! I guess I need to catch up with Sara Shepard's books since I did have read her Pretty Little Liars books. Hah.
Whatever but I am so happy that I am finally catch up to read all of Alex Flinn's books! Now, I am waiting for her next book, Mirrored. I have NO IDEA when it will come out but I am hope that it will come out as soon as POSSIBLE!
hmm...I need to find other favorite authors... I only have Alex Flinn, Stephine Meyer and Sara Shepard! I guess I need to catch up with Sara Shepard's books since I did have read her Pretty Little Liars books. Hah.
August 27, 2019
I read this book everytime I had a some free time at the Eugene library. I actually liked this book. At first it was okay, and then towards the end I was a little annoyed with it, but the ending was actually very nice. I like the message that she doesn't need a boyfriend. That she can have a guy friends, and that's just fine. And in ways so much easier. Usually in these kind of books the main character needs to end up with someone, but it was nice that she found out that she didn't need to have some stupid teenage boy calling her his girlfriend in order for her to feel good and confident in herself.
November 3, 2016
Where is Elza? I thought Caitlin's true best friends continued to stand by her at the end of Breathing Underwater.
Just reading a spoiler and knowing that she will reconcile with Nick-makes me really, really uncomfortable. Breathing Underwater ends on a hopeful note that if he commits to therapy and is really vigilant he can stop being an abuser and break the pattern of violence his father instilled in him. But I can't believe that he is so quickly redeemed.
Just listening to the beginning of him stalking her is so creepy.
Just reading a spoiler and knowing that she will reconcile with Nick-makes me really, really uncomfortable. Breathing Underwater ends on a hopeful note that if he commits to therapy and is really vigilant he can stop being an abuser and break the pattern of violence his father instilled in him. But I can't believe that he is so quickly redeemed.
Just listening to the beginning of him stalking her is so creepy.
January 12, 2009
Hated it- snap! :)
I don't think ther are a lot of 40 year old men who would enjoy this book.
I don't think ther are a lot of 40 year old men who would enjoy this book.
May 2, 2009
Sequel to Breathing Underwater... now we are finding out what life after Nick is like. Not as fast moving for me as the first novel, but still enjoyable, and worth reading.
January 25, 2011
Love this book!! Totally puts society thoughts to words!
February 16, 2013
This book is about a girl who's an amazing opera singer and gets into a performing arts school in Miami. It's a great chic lit book (and you learn some opera stuff along the way!)
August 20, 2014
3.75 ;-)
August 13, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It is a story with a happy ending. This book, the companion novel to Breathing Underwater, picks up where that story ended to explore more about Caitlin, the victim of Nick in Breathing Underwater.
I liked Caitlin’s journey about self worth, self discovery, overcoming fears and being true to yourself. These are all valuable and relatable life lessons, especially for teenagers, who it seems these two books, are geared towards.
One of the highlights for me in this story is Caitlin’s relationship with her mother. It has its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but in the end Caitlin learns the important lesson of accepting others as they are because she values her friendships with her new friends. They accept her for who she is. She comes to a realization that parents are just people too with hopes, dreams, and fears. Her relationship with her mothers becomes more open and supportive. That made me smile.
If you can get a copy of this book with Extras at the end I highly recommend it. It was fun getting to know the author better because she does an extra on what’s real about the book and what’s not.
This was a fun and quick read that I really gained a lot from!
I liked Caitlin’s journey about self worth, self discovery, overcoming fears and being true to yourself. These are all valuable and relatable life lessons, especially for teenagers, who it seems these two books, are geared towards.
One of the highlights for me in this story is Caitlin’s relationship with her mother. It has its ups and downs, trials and tribulations, but in the end Caitlin learns the important lesson of accepting others as they are because she values her friendships with her new friends. They accept her for who she is. She comes to a realization that parents are just people too with hopes, dreams, and fears. Her relationship with her mothers becomes more open and supportive. That made me smile.
If you can get a copy of this book with Extras at the end I highly recommend it. It was fun getting to know the author better because she does an extra on what’s real about the book and what’s not.
This was a fun and quick read that I really gained a lot from!
January 26, 2023
Up 'til this book, every Alex Flinn book I've read has fit into two categories: Modernized fairy tale, or dark, hard-hitting novel. Personally, I prefer the fairy tales, but I had no idea what to expect with this book, since it had a pink cover (fairy tale, right?) but mentioned nothing in the description that seemed to match any fairy tale I've ever heard of before.
And, actually, this book doesn't exactly fit either category. There's no fairy tale, and yet, it's definitely not as dark as Nothing To Lose. Yet, this book is sort of the meeting point for those two categories, and seems to explain a lot about the author, since it showcases a girly girl princess type, who is secretly into darker, more emo stuff, and has been abused and has a slight eating disorder. I feel like this book is probably the most personally identifiable one that this author has written, although, of course, I'm only guessing.
That being said, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped to. . . sorry about that.
And, actually, this book doesn't exactly fit either category. There's no fairy tale, and yet, it's definitely not as dark as Nothing To Lose. Yet, this book is sort of the meeting point for those two categories, and seems to explain a lot about the author, since it showcases a girly girl princess type, who is secretly into darker, more emo stuff, and has been abused and has a slight eating disorder. I feel like this book is probably the most personally identifiable one that this author has written, although, of course, I'm only guessing.
That being said, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped to. . . sorry about that.
October 18, 2018
Not a good book at all. I wanted to say forget and return it but since it's book number two for Breathing Underwater I felt like I needed to read it. Nothing good came out of it besides Caitlin getting two new better friends, wow yay not! Then when it came out that Sean was gay it killed the book just like that. :/
September 4, 2014
Caitlin is a sixteen years old girl, who enjoys singing opera. I mean wtf? But anyone who equips opera, equips fat singer. And our lovely Caith was fat too, and that's why she went to a slimming camp. Of course, she came back completely different.
I don't read Breathing Underwater yet, but I understood this poor girl has enough bad behind her. Which means she has right to act likea goose. Sorry, but are you sure you'd prosecute your ex-boyfriend just because you'll be have that moment with him in the next book? I just described Caith.
Back to the story. Caitlin did audition and surprise, they took her in high school. She'll breaks away from Nick and finally pay attention to what she likes. Yeah. I guarantee you you'll hear more about Nick. And speaking about singing... we'll see.
Caitlin is doing her diary. Not in paper form, but writes it on the internet. She informs us about her feelings, how she feels, what is she listening and also, how much she weigh. It's veeeeery important for her. And, for some reason, veeeeery annoying for me. Well, heck, I bought a book, I don't know, because I want to know something more about opera, and get this:
Ok. But this is no exception.
I'll not comment the purse thing. And have you noticed the subject? She really sang at school of the art (and with four exclamation marks)!!!!
No, this is not thriller! It has to be something like a romance, so there shouldn't be missed love. Love. Love. Love. Please. For your own good. Don't expect anything of that. There's one amazing moment, little action, but certainly not the one that would somehow satisfy. Hmm. If I had an age, I'd switched to M/M books. Immediately!!
To the characters. First we have Caith here. I've already acquaint you. A bit snobbish little princess addicted to others (said by character mentioned below). She has some problems to maintain an "optimal" weight. She listens and sings opera, which is against the grain of all around. And if someone reads her diary, he had to commit a suicide. Yay, I finally came up to the reason why no one's commenting!
Then her mum. Selfish bitch. Literally. She stays alive because of sale of cosmetics. She looks young and likes to listening to compliments, such as ,,Woah, you two! You look like sisters!‘‘
Friend Gigi. Maria Georgina de la Iglesia Corre. See? Poor girl. That's probably the reason why she has piercing in her eyebrow and hear like a mermaid. Not that she was like other "pierced" girls. Someone (Alex Flinn!) wanted to make her more funny.
I will not tantalize you - Caith will join them! You'd think that someone
like her wouldn't be scared from stomping of cabbages. But.
I liked Sean. Very. Until he started to palsed with Caithlin. He treated her like she was a rag and I liked that. Sweet. But no. He realized he made a mistake. Such a cliché! After all - everyone must bow down to Miss Caithlin, right?
We end up with Nick. The only sympathetic person. Maybe not for most of the people, but I adore him! He apparently kicked Caith's slim butt in the future - Hallelujah. He's a clear example of the proverb Like father, like son. He has tendency to vioence. He's a ticking time bomb that explodes once, and I wouldn't want to be there when it happens. Caithlin was the trigger. Summary - the most interesting character, unfortunately cornered less mentioned in this book.
There is nothing compared with Beastly. I was literally feeling like in small shoes. However, I plan to read Breathing Underwater. I don't know if I'll handle Caithlin, but I feel like I was born for Nick, haha!! That's right, Lofinka won't give up!
I don't read Breathing Underwater yet, but I understood this poor girl has enough bad behind her. Which means she has right to act likea goose. Sorry, but are you sure you'd prosecute your ex-boyfriend just because you'll be have that moment with him in the next book? I just described Caith.
Back to the story. Caitlin did audition and surprise, they took her in high school. She'll breaks away from Nick and finally pay attention to what she likes. Yeah. I guarantee you you'll hear more about Nick. And speaking about singing... we'll see.
Caitlin is doing her diary. Not in paper form, but writes it on the internet. She informs us about her feelings, how she feels, what is she listening and also, how much she weigh. It's veeeeery important for her. And, for some reason, veeeeery annoying for me. Well, heck, I bought a book, I don't know, because I want to know something more about opera, and get this:
Opera_Grrrl - online diary
Subject: All That Jazz
Date: August 24
Time: 17.22
Listen to: "All That Jazz" from Chicago
I feel: Happy
I weigh: 52 kg (that's not possible. I weighed 49, 5 on Friday and I'm starving to death.)
Ok. But this is no exception.
Opera_Grrrl - online diary
Subject: I sang in the school!!!!
Date: August 21
Time: 17.35
Listen to: "Brindisi" from La Traviata
I feel: Happy
I weigh: 49, 5 kg (I decided to leave the purse at home, so I couldn't buy food at school)
I'll not comment the purse thing. And have you noticed the subject? She really sang at school of the art (and with four exclamation marks)!!!!
No, this is not thriller! It has to be something like a romance, so there shouldn't be missed love. Love. Love. Love. Please. For your own good. Don't expect anything of that. There's one amazing moment, little action, but certainly not the one that would somehow satisfy. Hmm. If I had an age, I'd switched to M/M books. Immediately!!
To the characters. First we have Caith here. I've already acquaint you. A bit snobbish little princess addicted to others (said by character mentioned below). She has some problems to maintain an "optimal" weight. She listens and sings opera, which is against the grain of all around. And if someone reads her diary, he had to commit a suicide. Yay, I finally came up to the reason why no one's commenting!
Then her mum. Selfish bitch. Literally. She stays alive because of sale of cosmetics. She looks young and likes to listening to compliments, such as ,,Woah, you two! You look like sisters!‘‘
Friend Gigi. Maria Georgina de la Iglesia Corre. See? Poor girl. That's probably the reason why she has piercing in her eyebrow and hear like a mermaid. Not that she was like other "pierced" girls. Someone (Alex Flinn!) wanted to make her more funny.
Once again, the dining room had the usual rippling lunch snake. Gus calls at the forefront: ,,Hey, diva! You were rocked today!‘‘ Misty slams him to the shoulder, but he leads the snake around our table and returns again. ,,Will you go with us sometimes?‘‘ he asks me. ,,I mean dance.‘‘
,,Me? No... I...‘‘
I will not tantalize you - Caith will join them! You'd think that someone
like her wouldn't be scared from stomping of cabbages. But.
I liked Sean. Very. Until he started to palsed with Caithlin. He treated her like she was a rag and I liked that. Sweet. But no. He realized he made a mistake. Such a cliché! After all - everyone must bow down to Miss Caithlin, right?
We end up with Nick. The only sympathetic person. Maybe not for most of the people, but I adore him! He apparently kicked Caith's slim butt in the future - Hallelujah. He's a clear example of the proverb Like father, like son. He has tendency to vioence. He's a ticking time bomb that explodes once, and I wouldn't want to be there when it happens. Caithlin was the trigger. Summary - the most interesting character, unfortunately cornered less mentioned in this book.
,,Need a pen?‘‘
Of course, it's Nick.
,,It's ok.‘‘ I have feeling that if I took something from him, I'd back when I was before.
,,I have one extra. It's quite plain, from the supermarket. You don't have to be... indebted to me somehow.‘‘
,,It's not that.‘‘
,,Then take it.‘‘ He offers it to me, it's really quite plain, disposable. ,,I don't need it back. I'm leaving in five minutes.‘‘
There is nothing compared with Beastly. I was literally feeling like in small shoes. However, I plan to read Breathing Underwater. I don't know if I'll handle Caithlin, but I feel like I was born for Nick, haha!! That's right, Lofinka won't give up!
February 12, 2017
Hezký příběh, zajímavá zápletka. Knížka pro teenagery, probírá se téma váha, odlišnost. Takový nenáročný fajn román.
September 24, 2017
I loved this book, and to be completely honest i'm not really sure why. Maybe it was the characters, maybe it was the plot, but I would definitely recommend it.
June 28, 2018
Definitely not as good as the first book but a decent read. I wish it didn’t leave so many loose ends though.
December 8, 2018
Not as good as Breathing Underwater, but still okay.
May 23, 2020
Why aren’t abusive women categorized as such?
September 12, 2020
A nice book for those who want a bit of closure. If this series of novels were to ever make it to tv, I would watch.
April 9, 2021
I enjoyed the book but it was predictable what would happen
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