5 Coffee Cup Review!! The Same Deep Water by Lisa Swallow

The Same Deep Water
by Lisa Swallow
Genre: New Adult Romance


Once, I wanted to die. That was the night I met Guy.

The strange man with flowers stepped from the shadows and saved my life.

Guy. Dimpled smile. Body of a surf god. Smart and funny.
Running out of time.

We became travelling companions through life, ticking off items on our bucket lists. I’d hidden from happiness for years and kept my life under strict control. Guy showed me how to step into the world and experience more. He brought light into the shadows and helped me through the darkness.

I became Phe again. I lived.

There’s just one problem.

We fell in love and this wasn’t part of our plans.

I thought I could cope with our uncertain future until Guy revealed a secret. His betrayal changed everything.

Sometimes, believing the lies we tell ourselves is easier than dealing with the truth.

The Same Deep Water is a new adult romance set in Australia. This is the story of two people living in the present and accidentally creating a future neither of them can see, and learning ten things on a bucket list are just the edge of the world they could have.

*The book partly deals with mental health issues which may include triggers for some readers*

** I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

My Rating: 5 Coffee Cups!!

This book floored me. Really and truly it did. I read this book in a matter of a few hours. I literally started it only moments after I saw it arrived on my Kindle and didn't stop until it was finished. And then I immediately turned around and asked if it was OK if I posted my review earlier than planned. It hit me that hard. I needed to digest the story and then immediately spew my love for it onto others. There have been a lot of books that I've read lately that have touched me- seriously everything I've been reading lately has been better than the last book I read and loved, which was better than the last book I read and loved and so on. It's pretty much been a steady climb all year so far for me. This book essentially has topped my list (and according to Goodreads I'm about 90 books in for the year at this point). 

Guy and Phe are amazing. They are amazing individually, but they are made spectacular once they are together. 

Ophelia, or Phe for short is in pain. She has struggled with depression her entire life. Her past was difficult to say the least, and she starts the book deciding that she couldn't handle it anymore. The sadness, the guilt, the loneliness. She was quite literally standing at the edge of a cliff when she saw Guy. A stranger with a bouquet of flowers who managed to talk her off the edge. He doesn't do it with psychology or unrealistic promises. He does it by telling her the truth, as unconventional as it is. He is dying and you see he has a bucket list he wants to complete before his time comes. 10 things he wants to get checked off. And # 9 is saving someone. Which she helps him check off. But they actually stay in touch. Guy checking on her to make sure she's still OK and he manages to convince her to create her own bucket list. And also manages to convince her to check off all of their items together. 

Guy is spontaneous, passionate and understanding. He teaches Phe to live in the moment. They open up to each other heart and soul. And despite all of their reservations and their determination to keep it platonic, they fall in love. Not the sweet, aww how cute kind of love. The deep, soul-wrenching, heart-twisting kind of love. The kind of love that when this book hits the point of no return, the betrayal that the synopsis hints, at you break down right along with the characters. You can actually feel your heart breaking right along with Phe. Everything she goes through, her thoughts, the pain, the passion- you go through with her because this story sucked you in. You went for the ride with them.  

"Do you know what's special about kissing in the rain?" Mutely, I shake my head. "Loving somebody is easy when the sun is shining, but when you're caught in the storm, you discover who's prepared to stand with you."

It's kind of hard to pin point what exactly makes this book so beautiful. Yes, the subject matter of mental illness can be touchy. Especially if not done correctly. But this was most definitely not the case. This was realistic and because it was so, it may be a little difficult to read at times. But that is one of the ways that it seamlessly folds you into the story. The love story is written beautifully, it's touching and funny and heartfelt. I'm trying my absolute best to not give anything away, which may be why this review seems a bit vague, but I really believe this is a book that should be experienced rather than explained. 

This was my first Lisa Swallow read but 1000% will NOT be my last.

iBooks: http://apple.co/1HoGZwv

Nook: http://bit.ly/1Hw1ozQ

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1L1b35h

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