The Sea Is Salt and So Am I by Cassandra Hartt

It’s Watch Wednesday! Let’s talk about this breathtaking debut…

I’ll Give You the Sun meets Normal People in Cassandra Hartt’s The Sea Is Salt and So Am I, a stunning YA contemporary debut that asks if the secrets we keep and the people we love can change who we are. This inclusive debut represents young adults and teenagers struggling with mental health.

Goodreads user Hitakshi asked: Can I expect this book to have lgbt rep? Very excited btw.

Cassandra Hartt replied: Yes! One of the three POV characters is a queer cis guy (though he doesn’t explicitly identify or label himself on-the-page) who dates a girl and a guy over the course of the story.

Synopsis

West Finch is one hurricane away from falling into the sea.

Yet sixteen-year-old Harlow Prout is determined to save her small Maine hometown. If only she could stop getting in her own way and find someone, anyone, willing to help. But her best friend Ellis MacQueen “fixes” problems by running away from them—including his broken relationship with his twin brother, Tommy. And Tommy’s depression has hit a new low, so he’s not up for fixing anything.

In the wake of the town’s latest devastating storm, Tommy goes out for a swim that he doesn’t intend to survive. It’s his unexpected return that sets into motion a sea change between these three teens. One that tests old loyalties, sparks new romance, and uncovers painful secrets. And nothing stays secret in West Finch for long.

Exquisitely honest and shimmering with emotion, The Sea is Salt and So Am I is a captivating multi-POV story that probes the depths of what it means to love and trust—both ourselves and others.

Read an excerpt here.

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Reviews

The Sea is Salt and So Am I is a breathtaking debut, filled with complicated characters and feelings that permeate the pages with their honesty. Achingly beautiful.” – Rachael Lippincott, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Fiver Feet Apart

“Raw, honest, and nearly impossible to put down… even when you feel like you are drowning, this book reminds you there is always something to pull you back up for air.” – Colleen Regan, An Unlikely Story

“Turbulent and tender, this deeply-felt debut will make your heart swell time and time again.” – Julia Drake, author of The Last True Poets of the Sea

3.96 stars on Goodreads with 201 ratings and 121 reviews.

A July 2021 Kids’ Indie Next Pick.

A Bustle Best Debut of Spring 2021

“A compulsively readable tale of secrets, loyalties, and lies in a small town.” – Culturess

“An unflinching look at the waves of depression, and how the riptides can carry our loved ones away with us, The Sea Is Salt and So Am I is a must-read.” – Abby Rice, The Briar Patch

“This book will make your heart clench with anxiety and tender intimacy.” – Cassie Duncanson, Wellesley Books

“This book gives an unflinchingly raw look at depression… adds a layer of story that stings like salt.” – Nichole Cousines, Yankee Bookshop

Amazon Best Sellers Rank:

1. 153 in Fiction About Disability for Young Adults (Books)

2. 253 in Fiction About Depression & Mental Illness for Young Adults

3. 290 in Books on Disability for Young Adults

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Buy now:

Amazon

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Author

After growing up in Maine and upstate New York, Cassandra Hartt went on to earn an English degree from Dartmouth College. She currently lives in the California Bay Area and wishes she had a dog. The Sea is Salt and So Am I is her first novel.

Publication Information

Publication Date: 8th June 2021 (eBook) / 12th July 2021 (Hardback)

Author: Cassandra Hartt

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, Macmillan

Format: Hardback

Pagination: 384 pages

Genre: YA Fiction

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Let us know if you will be adding this debut to your reading lists. Don’t forget to send us your Watch Wednesdays recommendations – submit them using the form on our Contacts page or find us on Instagram. Stay tuned for next week’s Watch Wednesdays – let’s talk then!