After dealing with her mother’s chronic mental illness for years, seventeen-year-old Meg considers her emancipation as a ticket to a new life. If she can manage an internship and a glowing recommendation at the research vessel, R/V Sojourner, it will pave her path toward college. Appointed as a wiper, Meg begins her journey aboard the vessel, helping the scientists study humpback whales, only to realize that her chosen path is not so easy after all. The captain, who also happens to be her aunt, blames Meg for abandoning her mother. She struggles to find her place among the science interns, let alone navigate the uncharted territory of a developing romance. Worst of all, she cannot believe that humankind’s reckless behavior threatens the very whales she has come to love. Read more about Meg’s story in Too Deep to Drown by Stacy R. Ward.

I loved the compassionate sketching of Meg's character. Ward described how Meg’s troubled childhood and heightened sense of guilt made her feel responsible for every little hiccup. There was a subtle parallel between Meg and the humpback whales. The latter suffocated under humanity’s accumulated waste while Meg's worries and dilemmas engulfed her. Yet, they possessed vitality and quiet strength that ensured their survival. Ward presents alarming truths about how our utter neglect of the natural world is taking its toll on the oceans, polluting the water and killing the inhabitants. The ghastly scenes of marine wildlife entangled in nets and plastics, helplessly awaiting death, were shocking eye-openers. Although geared toward young adults, I believe Too Deep to Drown by Stacy R. Ward is a must-read for everyone, especially those who are keen on conservation efforts.

Too Deep To Drown by Stacy R. Ward follows the story of a seventeen-year-old beginning a new phase in her life. After getting emancipated from her struggling mother, Meagan "Meg" Pullivan lands herself an internship position with much promise. She joins the crew of the research vessel Sojourner as the engine room wiper, much to the chagrin of her aunt. She gets over her initial bout of seasickness and forges bonds with the rest of the student interns and the crew of a nature documentary film. Meg sees the beauty of the Pacific as well as its degradation, with floating heaps of trash and adrift fishing nets destroying marine life. While navigating her past baggage, she finds romance, survives a shark attack, and nearly loses her life while trying to save a humpback whale.

Too Deep To Drown is a heartfelt coming-of-age tale about growing up and self-forgiveness. This novel is a character study of a teenager who seeks to overcome the guilt, pain, and trauma of the past. The pacing is excellent. But the real draw of this book is its emotional stakes. Author Stacy R. Ward does a brilliant job of making the reader resonate with the protagonist. Her moving backstory and likable personality keep you invested in her story arc. Anyone who grew up having a complicated relationship with their parents or relatives will be able to relate to Meg. Some other highlights for me were the different friendships and the central romance between Meg and Joe. I also immensely enjoyed the character of Captain Tessa Swain. If you enjoy well-crafted coming-of-age stories, you will love this one!

In Stacy R. Ward’s Too Deep to Drown, after leaving a life in Ohio defined by neglect and a home that is literally collapsing around her, Meg arrives at the research vessel Sojourner in San Diego with one goal: earn the sea hours and recommendation she needs to enter an engineering program at UC San Diego. Once aboard, she secures a place in the engine room under chief engineer Marcel Greene, where every shift becomes a test of whether she belongs at sea. The voyage soon places her between the demands of the ship, the return of the mother she left behind, and the dangerous realities of an ocean mission shaped by pollution, failing machinery, and endangered whales. As the Pacific closes in around the Sojourner, Meg must decide which life is truly hers.

Stacy R. Ward’s Too Deep to Drown is, at its heart, a beautiful story of what happens when a person builds a life that finally feels safe, only to find that the past still has a way of reaching them. Meg has made a home for herself aboard the Sojourner, and you can feel what that life means to her because it is the first place that gives her a sense of order and peace, at least when the sea sickness passes and after she's settled in. Ward shows us who Meg is under pressure, like when a crew swim turns terrifying after a shark attack, and later, in Hawaiian waters, when she goes into the ocean after Papillon, the humpback whale the team has been following. I really connected with the angle of her mother Lydia's hoarding, which came across as authentic, and the first depiction I have seen in literature recently. Well written and honest, this is an excellent book for readers who enjoy ocean activism and eco-work (have tissues handy) and unique coming-of-age fiction. Very highly recommended.

Life for Meghan “Meg” Adelaide Pullman is anything but easy. Since childhood, she has had to look after herself and also her mother, Lydia, who suffers from chronic mental challenges. At seventeen, she requests emancipation and leaves her home in Cleveland, Ohio, for her aunt Tessa’s place in San Diego. It does not help that, since her arrival, Tessa has been treating Meg with contempt, even charging her rent to live in her garage loft. Or that Meg desperately needs Tessa’s help to plot her future. Passionate about mechanics, Meg is after a scholarship at UC San Diego, a top engineering school in the country, but she needs sea time to qualify. Her best shot at racking up sea hours is being admitted as a crew member on the Sojourner, a research vessel bound for the South Pacific on a six-week scientific expedition. Tessa is the ship’s captain. Tessa reluctantly brings Meg aboard. However, is Meg ready for what awaits her? Find out in Too Deep to Drown by Stacy R. Ward.

If you are looking for a young adult coming-of-age novel flavored with family and teenage drama, thrills, adventure, action, romance, and suspense, Too Deep to Drown by Stacy R. Ward is a perfect pick. Ward has a special way with words. You don’t just read this page-turner, you survive it, and are glad you did. The cinematic depictions and dynamic prose thrust me into Meg’s world. It felt like I was aboard the Sojourner, taking in its engine room, deck, scientific equipment, and its crew. I could also see the rare, beautiful occurrences of whales and dolphins, as well as the backdrop of plastic pollution in the sea. Ward captures Meg’s emotions with profound intensity, so that every turn of the page felt like part of an emotional roller coaster. I shared in her joy, pain, and many tears throughout her humiliation, camaraderie, bonding, and clashing with the crew. Her journey is one of personal growth, healing, learning, scientific discovery, and finding true friendship and love. Meg displays the struggles children from dysfunctional families face, and her mother and aunt highlight the impact and effects of generational trauma. I loved this compelling tale.