Gwyn Madison is a high school senior with dreams of escaping her small Virginia hometown. She lives with her mom, her aunt, and her uncle. Gwyn’s dad, while still in her life, left her mom when Gwyn was still a baby. Her Aunt Delia and Uncle Beck took them in since her mom couldn’t financially support them. Aunt Delia offers to pay for Gwyn’s college on one condition: she must stay in Virginia. This becomes an issue when Gwyn is accepted to an arts college in Boston. Gwyn has one summer to change Aunt Delia’s mind. While trying to convince her stickler aunt to let her leave Virginia and repair their relationship, Gwyn stumbles upon a daunting secret from Aunt Delia’s past. Will the secret mend their broken relationship, or will it tear them apart forever?

Whispering Through Water by Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler is an impassioned coming-of-age novel that will appeal to a young adult audience and teen readers. With impeccable writing, an engaging style, and relatable topics, I think this book is perfectly suited for late middle schoolers or early high schoolers.

This is an evocative and wholesome novel that touches on serious topics and issues while maintaining a lighthearted feel. It displays family conflict in a mature manner. It shows that there is hope even in the midst of our darkest times. The author maneuvers through conflict resolution with empathy and wisdom. She writes about familial arguing in a realistic and interesting way. The story displays family conflict in everyday life: complicated and painful, all while holding onto hope that things will get better. Much like in real life, things don’t end the way we might expect them to, but as long as we are honest with ourselves and each other, there isn’t anything we can’t handle.

The best thing about Whispering Through Water is its close connection to real life and its ability to connect with readers on an authentic emotional level. I would recommend Whispering Through Water to any reader that is struggling with family trauma or issues.

Pages: 67 | ASIN: B0BCCW8T54