Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface--normal okay regular fine. She has her friends, her mom, the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything--not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And not about seeing her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven.

But after what happens on the beach, the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Her dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe--maybe maybe maybe--there's a third way Biz just can't see yet.

Debut author Helena Fox tells a story about love, grief, and inter-generational mental illness, exploring the hard and beautiful places loss can take us, and honoring those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea.

A heartbreaking, hopeful, and timely novel about holding too tight to family secrets, healing from trauma, and falling in love, from the award-winning author of How It Feels to Float George's life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George's past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under. But there's no time to sink. George's best friend, Tess, is about to become, officially, a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as dis tant wildfires begin to burn. George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the painful memo ries roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colors. And it's here George would stay-quiet and safe-if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past just will not stay put. A novel about the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma, and love, and about our hopeless, hopeful world, Helena Fox's gorgeous follow-up to How It Feels to Float explores the stories we suppress and the stories we speak-and the healing that comes when we voice the things we've kept quiet for so long.

George's life is loud. In the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George's past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under. But there's no time to sink.George's best friend, Tess, is about to become, officiall, a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house wuth fuss and chatter. Before long heat and smoke join the house a sdistant wildfires begin to burn George tries to stay steady. When her father tells her his news and the painful memories roar back to life, George turns to Calliope, the girl who has just cartwheeled into her world and shot it through with colours. And it's here George would stay - quiet and safe - if she could. But then Tess has her baby, and the earth burns hotter, and the past will not stay put. A novel about the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma and love, and abour hop, hopeful world, Helena Fox's gorgeous follow-up to "How it Feels to Float" explores the stories we suppress and the stories we speak - and the healing that comes when we voice the things we've kept quiet for so long.

A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best of the Year "Profoundly moving . . . Will take your breath away." -Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces A stunningly gorgeous and deeply hopeful portrayal of living with mental illness and grief, from an exceptional new voice. Biz knows how to float. She has her people, her posse, her mom and the twins. She has Grace. And she has her dad, who tells her about the little kid she was, and who shouldn't be here but is. So Biz doesn't tell anyone anything. Not about her dark, runaway thoughts, not about kissing Grace or noticing Jasper, the new boy. And she doesn't tell anyone about her dad. Because her dad died when she was seven. And Biz knows how to float, right there on the surface-normal okay regular fine. But after what happens on the beach-first in the ocean, and then in the sand-the tethers that hold Biz steady come undone. Dad disappears and, with him, all comfort. It might be easier, better, sweeter to float all the way away? Or maybe stay a little longer, find her father, bring him back to her. Or maybe-maybe maybe maybe-there's a third way Biz just can't see yet. Debut author Helena Fox tells a story about love and grief, about inter-generational mental illness, and how living with it is both a bridge to someone loved and lost and, also, a chasm. She explores the hard and beautiful places loss can take us, and honors those who hold us tightly when the current wants to tug us out to sea. "Give this to all [your] friends immediately." -Cosmopolitan.com "I haven't been so dazzled by a YA in ages." -Jandy Nelson, author of I'll Give You the Sun (via SLJ) "Mesmerizing and timely." -Bustle "Nothing short of exquisite." -PopSugar "Immensely satisfying" -Girls' Life * "Lyrical and profoundly affecting." -Kirkus (starred review) * "Masterful...Just beautiful." -Booklist (starred review) * "Intimate...Unexpected." -PW (starred review) * "Fox writes with superb understanding and tenderness." -BCCB (starred review) * "Frank [and] beautifully crafted." -BookPage (starred review) "Deeply moving...A story of hope." -Common Sense Media "This book will explode you into atoms." -Margo Lanagan, author of Tender Morsels "Helena Fox's novel delivers. Read it." -Cath Crowley, author of Words in Deep Blue "This is not a book; it is a work of art." -Kerry Kletter, author of The First Time She Drowned "Perfect...Readers will be deeply moved." -Books+Publishing