Breathing Under Water
Pre-Order Now!
Coming August 4, 2026
The current is threatening to pull them under.
Berry thought she had it figured out—juggling her vice-principal role while raising her sixteen-year-old autistic son, Leo. But when a promotion opportunity collides with her family's deepest needs, she must confront whether she's been fighting the wrong battles all along.
McKenna is drowning. Between caring for her grandmother with dementia, losing her swimming scholarship, and facing homelessness, the college student's carefully constructed world is crumbling. Her only lifeline? Teaching swim lessons to children with autism—including Leo.
As these two women's paths converge in the most unexpected way, they discover that sometimes the people who need saving the most are the ones who end up saving you.
A deeply moving exploration of motherhood, sacrifice, and the extraordinary connections that emerge when we're brave enough to let others see our struggles.
Praise
A Zibby Owens Most Anticipated Book of Summer 2026
Jacqueline Friedland has done it again. With her signature mix of empathy and deft plotting, she takes us inside the lives of characters holding fast to their place on the margins until you are breathlessly rooting for them with every turn of the page.
Engrossing and deeply moving, Breathing Under Water is a graceful exploration of womanhood at every age and stage. Jacqueline Friedland expertly captures the fierce love and quiet resilience of motherhood, the intense pressures of coming of age, and the unexpected ways in which we save each other. An unforgettable story with indelible characters that will stay with readers long after the final page, this is a must-read novel of the year!
This big-hearted novel grabbed me from page one and didn't let me go. Jacqueline is a master of writing characters so real, it feels like they could walk out of the book and right into your living room--and she's done it again.
A thoughtful and compassionate exploration of caregiving, ambition, and the ripple effects of loving someone with profound needs. This is a layered, emotionally resonant novel that will give book clubs plenty to discuss.
A touching novel about unexpected connections and found family. Leo’s growth and change are paramount, and he feels like a real person, not a token.
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