Reviews

Night Swimming by Steph Bowe

Only show reviews with written explanations

zanybibliophile's review against another edition

5.0

"Every living person is a one in a billion chance. Even if my family isn't perfect, I'm lucky to have them." Very true, both of life and a strong theme in the book.

You can read my full review here.

This book features LGBT+, mental health, a broken family, and a natural disaster. The writing felt so natural and the story flew off the page and into my heart.

cec_loves_to_read_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Cute, funny, real, hopeful. Definitely read this.

katelinj's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

A really humbling story about a girl, her town, her friends and her goat, Stanley, obviously the star of the show.

textpublishing's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

‘A fun, quirky read with oodles of romance and capers.’
Readings

‘She has an ease of style that makes you feel you are eavesdropping on a real conversation, not reading cleverly crafted lines of dialogue.’
ABC Radio Central West

‘A funny, diverse, authentic story of family, love, musicals, crop-circles and goats.’
Lili Wilkinson

‘Night Swimming is at once sweet and serious; a love-letter to outsiders, the kooky and complex—it’s an ode to first times and best friends…but above all else, it’s a reminder of how lucky we are to have a writer like Steph Bowe in our midst.’
Danielle Binks, Alpha Reader

‘Steph Bowe’s latest novel is the utterly charming story of two best friends, the small town they live in and the girl they both fall for. It is a tender and humorous tale of family ties, friendship and first love.’
Erin Gough

‘This bittersweet comedy of romantic misunderstanding, life management and family relations is poised at the emotional intersection between forgiveness and self-acceptance. Despite its whimsical tone, Night Swimming tackles serious themes of mental health, family upheaval and sexual coming-out with commendable delicacy and humanity.’
Readings

‘Brilliant and adorable and diverse and funny…Steph Bowe is basically my idol.’
Loony Literate

‘Night Swimming is absolutely glorious! A charismatic, delightful and amusing narrative of a small country town, falling in love and immense dreams. Categorically enchanting and captivating until the final page. The diversity of characters were wonderfully portrayed.’
Diva Book Nerd

‘I loved reading this. I ate it faster than a goat with a tasty golden slipper! The writing style and banter is honestly what I live for and Clancy and Kirby’s friendship was so golden. Plus cute romance, delicious food, so much awesome awkward and all the coming-of-age fears and questions teens face which is just relatable.’
Paper Fury

‘This beautifully written coming-of-age story by Steph Bowe explores, with the gentlest of touches, big themes such as identity, friendship, loyalty and the power of love in its many guises, with intelligence and humour. A winner of a story that will keep you hooked to the very end.’
Reading Time

‘This is a story with a whole lot of heart and soul. A great representation of a multi-cultural community, LGBTI issues, first love and country spirit…A lovely Aussie YA read.’
Kids Book Review

‘Night Swimming is a quirky, adorable coming of age story featuring a lesbian main character. With complex family issues, an Indian love interest and a platonic male best friend, Night Swimming is a very real and relatable read that tackles diversity beautifully.’
Happy Indulgence

‘A gentle, heartfelt tale of first love, friendship and fear of change set in a small, inland country town south of Sydney…Bowe works quietly and perceptively through a range of believable situations.’
Magpies

‘Night Swimming is amusing, quirky, and all heart.’
Bookish Manicurist

‘Night Swimming explores the challenges of not fitting in and finding the people who actually get you…A charming coming-of-age story.’
Northerly Magazine

‘A tender, quirky love story full of charm, authenticity, and goats.’
Sydney Morning Herald, Brilliant Reads from 2017

thepolybrary's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

~*Full review here on The Bent Bookworm!*~

Feels: Just...awwwww. Lots and lots of awwww moments. Between the besties Kirby and Clancy to the awkward anxiety of a new crush, there was just so many times I got a case of the warm fuzzies. Also, Kirby's grandfather. My heart hurt for him, and for Kirby and her family. I remember my great-grandmother as dementia set in for her, and it was absolutely heart breaking. It's difficult sometimes as a teenager or young adult to see our loved ones growing older when we feel like we're just starting out in life.

Characters: I love Kirby. She is unapologetically (though sometimes embarrassed) nerdy and unfashionable, and I wish I had her self confidence. Her quirky family, complete with unaffectionate mother and absentee father, is endearing even while they exasperate Kirby. Clancy is just hilarious and unpredictable (except to Kirby, who knows him better than he knows himself, it seems) and I loved how he repeatedly scandalized their small town with his antics.

There is a lot of minority representation in this book. That was probably my favorite part, besides the general Australian-ness (is that a word?) of it, which had me chuckling over slang I didn't quite understand. Kirby is gay, while Clancy and Iris are both minorities. I was a little sad that the book glossed over Iris's mental health issues, but I guess you can only do so much in a relatively short book.

Plot: So, this is where I felt the story was a bit weak. The plot line just sort of dragged while it skipped around somewhat and left me a little bit confused about what was going on in places (though maybe if I had paid a little more attention to the dates at the top of some of the chapters, that would have helped). There are a couple of side plots that were interesting but then turned out to not be so interesting or they were just finished off so quickly it felt a bit disjointed. Then at the end it felt like the author realized something exciting needed to happen and threw that little disaster in the works to shake everything up. Which it did, but it didn't have enough time to resolve, in my opinion.

Oh! How could I forget.

STANLEY! You should definitely read the book just for Stanley. Because everyone, apparently, needs a pet goat.

Overal, 3.5 stars. 1 flame because there are a couple slightly sexy scenes but nothing over the top or that I felt would be inappropriate for a young teen reader.