
Girl Underwater
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $18.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Julia Whelan
-
By:
-
Claire Kells
About this listen
An adventurous debut novel that cross cuts between a competitive college swimmer's harrowing days in the Rocky Mountains after a major airline disaster and her recovery supported by the two men who love her - only one of whom knows what really happened in the wilderness.
Nineteen-year-old Avery Delacorte loves the water. Growing up in Brookline, Massachusetts, she took swim lessons at her community pool and captained the local team; in high school she raced across bays and sprawling North American lakes. Now a sophomore on her university's nationally ranked team, she struggles under the weight of new expectations, but life is otherwise pretty good. Perfect, really.
That all changes when Avery's red-eye home for Thanksgiving makes a ditch landing in a mountain lake in the Colorado Rockies. She is one of only five survivors, which includes three little boys and Colin Shea, who happens to be her teammate. Colin is also the only person in Avery's college life who challenged her to swim her own events, to be her own person - something she refused to do. Instead she's avoided him since the first day of freshman year. But now, faced with subzero temperatures, minimal supplies, and the dangers of a forbidding nowhere, Avery and Colin must rely on each other in ways they never could've imagined.
In the wilderness the concept of survival is clear cut. Simple. In the real world, it's anything but.
©2015 Claire Kells (P)2015 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Vanishing Edge
- By: Claire Kells
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rugged landscape of Sequoia National Park is a challenge on the best of days - but when a park ranger discovers an abandoned exclusive campsite with an empty tent and high-end technical gear scattered on the shores of an alpine lake, the wilderness takes on a sinister new hue. Thirty-two-year-old Felicity Harland - a former FBI agent who left the service in the wake of a personal tragedy and has taken her skills off the grid - is brought in as chief investigator.
-
-
audio issue
- By Lisa on 01-25-22
By: Claire Kells
-
We Came Here to Forget
- A Novel
- By: Andrea Dunlop
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vivid novel about a young Olympic skier who loses everything and escapes to Buenos Aires, where she reinvents herself, meets a colorful group of ex-pats, and becomes enmeshed with a man keeping dark secrets of his own.
-
-
A good book but ...
- By Rita T on 08-07-19
By: Andrea Dunlop
-
The Love Scribe
- By: Amy Meyerson
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Alice’s best friend, Gabby, is reeling from a breakup, Alice writes her a heartfelt story to cheer her up. While reading it in a café, Gabby, as if by magic, meets the man of her dreams. Thinking the story might have some special power to it, Gabby shares it with her sister and other friends, who all find instant love. Word of mouth spreads, and Alice stumbles upon a new calling—to be a love scribe.
-
-
Great Narration but . . . . .
- By Dee Mitch on 02-14-23
By: Amy Meyerson
-
A Million Junes
- By: Emily Henry
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June O'Donnell - aka Junior, aka Jack, aka Jonathan O'Donnell IV, aka the first female O'Donnell firstborn - has always been haunted by her family's mythic but complicated legacy. As she prepares to begin her final year of high school, June is itching to leave behind her ghosts in Five Fingers, Michigan, and travel the world. And then, just like it always happens to the O'Donnells, a painful glimmer from her past returns to mess everything up. Enter Saul Angert, the eldest son of Eli Angert, aka June's late father's mortal enemy.
-
-
Romeo & Juliet? Tuck Everlasting? Something entirely new?
- By Syd Young on 06-15-17
By: Emily Henry
-
Birds of California
- A Novel
- By: Katie Cotugno
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former child actor Fiona St. James dropped out of the spotlight after a spectacularly public crash and burn. The tabloids called her crazy and self-destructive and said she’d lost her mind. Now in her late twenties, Fiona believes her humiliating past is firmly behind her. She’s finally regained a modicum of privacy, and she won’t let anything—or anyone—mess it up.
-
-
Does anyone edit books anymore?
- By Audrey Fine on 07-05-22
By: Katie Cotugno
-
I'll Be You
- A Novel
- By: Janelle Brown
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kate Rudd
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As children, Sam and Elli were two halves of a perfect whole: gorgeous identical twins whose parents sometimes couldn’t even tell them apart. They fell asleep to the sound of each other’s breath at night, holding hands in the dark. And once Hollywood discovered them, they became B-list child TV stars, often inhabiting the same role. But as adults, their lives have splintered. After leaving acting, Elli reinvented herself as the perfect homemaker: married to a real estate lawyer, living in a house just blocks from the beach.
-
-
The near perfect book
- By Pink Amy on 04-28-22
By: Janelle Brown
-
Vanishing Edge
- By: Claire Kells
- Narrated by: Natalie Naudus
- Length: 9 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The rugged landscape of Sequoia National Park is a challenge on the best of days - but when a park ranger discovers an abandoned exclusive campsite with an empty tent and high-end technical gear scattered on the shores of an alpine lake, the wilderness takes on a sinister new hue. Thirty-two-year-old Felicity Harland - a former FBI agent who left the service in the wake of a personal tragedy and has taken her skills off the grid - is brought in as chief investigator.
-
-
audio issue
- By Lisa on 01-25-22
By: Claire Kells
-
We Came Here to Forget
- A Novel
- By: Andrea Dunlop
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A vivid novel about a young Olympic skier who loses everything and escapes to Buenos Aires, where she reinvents herself, meets a colorful group of ex-pats, and becomes enmeshed with a man keeping dark secrets of his own.
-
-
A good book but ...
- By Rita T on 08-07-19
By: Andrea Dunlop
-
The Love Scribe
- By: Amy Meyerson
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Alice’s best friend, Gabby, is reeling from a breakup, Alice writes her a heartfelt story to cheer her up. While reading it in a café, Gabby, as if by magic, meets the man of her dreams. Thinking the story might have some special power to it, Gabby shares it with her sister and other friends, who all find instant love. Word of mouth spreads, and Alice stumbles upon a new calling—to be a love scribe.
-
-
Great Narration but . . . . .
- By Dee Mitch on 02-14-23
By: Amy Meyerson
-
A Million Junes
- By: Emily Henry
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
June O'Donnell - aka Junior, aka Jack, aka Jonathan O'Donnell IV, aka the first female O'Donnell firstborn - has always been haunted by her family's mythic but complicated legacy. As she prepares to begin her final year of high school, June is itching to leave behind her ghosts in Five Fingers, Michigan, and travel the world. And then, just like it always happens to the O'Donnells, a painful glimmer from her past returns to mess everything up. Enter Saul Angert, the eldest son of Eli Angert, aka June's late father's mortal enemy.
-
-
Romeo & Juliet? Tuck Everlasting? Something entirely new?
- By Syd Young on 06-15-17
By: Emily Henry
-
Birds of California
- A Novel
- By: Katie Cotugno
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Former child actor Fiona St. James dropped out of the spotlight after a spectacularly public crash and burn. The tabloids called her crazy and self-destructive and said she’d lost her mind. Now in her late twenties, Fiona believes her humiliating past is firmly behind her. She’s finally regained a modicum of privacy, and she won’t let anything—or anyone—mess it up.
-
-
Does anyone edit books anymore?
- By Audrey Fine on 07-05-22
By: Katie Cotugno
-
I'll Be You
- A Novel
- By: Janelle Brown
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, Kate Rudd
- Length: 11 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As children, Sam and Elli were two halves of a perfect whole: gorgeous identical twins whose parents sometimes couldn’t even tell them apart. They fell asleep to the sound of each other’s breath at night, holding hands in the dark. And once Hollywood discovered them, they became B-list child TV stars, often inhabiting the same role. But as adults, their lives have splintered. After leaving acting, Elli reinvented herself as the perfect homemaker: married to a real estate lawyer, living in a house just blocks from the beach.
-
-
The near perfect book
- By Pink Amy on 04-28-22
By: Janelle Brown
-
Flying Solo
- A Novel
- By: Linda Holmes
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Smarting from her recently canceled wedding and about to turn forty, Laurie Sassalyn returns to her Maine hometown of Calcasset to handle the estate of her great-aunt Dot, a spirited adventurer who lived to be ninety-three. Alongside boxes of Polaroids and pottery, a mysterious wooden duck shows up at the bottom of a cedar chest. Laurie’s curiosity is piqued, especially after she finds a love letter to the never-married Dot that ends with the line “And anyway, if you’re ever desperate, there are always ducks, darling.”
-
-
Refreshingly smart, funny and heartfelt
- By Stella G. Schwartz on 06-18-22
By: Linda Holmes
-
You Can't Catch Me
- By: Catherine McKenzie
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Twelve years ago Jessica Williams escaped a cult. Thanks to the private detective who rescued her, she reintegrated into society, endured an uncomfortable notoriety, and tried to put it all behind her. Then, at an airport bar, Jessica meets a woman with an identical name and birth date. It appears to be just an odd coincidence - until a week later, when Jessica finds her bank account drained and her personal information stolen. Following a trail of the grifter’s victims, each with the same name, Jessica gathers players - one by one - for her own game.
-
-
Wow! WoW! WOW!
- By Bibliophile on 06-12-20
-
The Red Hunter
- By: Lisa Unger
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Claudia Bishop's perfect life fell apart when the aftermath of a brutal assault left her with a crumbling marriage, a newborn daughter, and a constant sense of anxiety about the world around her. Now, looking for a fresh start with a home restoration project and growing blog, Claudia takes on a crumbling old house - one that, unbeknownst to her, has an ugly history and may hide long-buried secrets.
-
-
Incredible, May be her best yet
- By ftmgal on 05-21-17
By: Lisa Unger
-
The Rewind
- By: Allison Winn Scotch
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan, MacLeod Andrews
- Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When college sweethearts Frankie and Ezra broke up before graduation, they vowed to never speak to each other again. Ten years later, on the eve of the new millennium, they find themselves back on their snowy, picturesque New England campus together for the first time for the wedding of mutual friends. Frankie’s on the rise as a music manager for the hottest bands of the late ’90s, and Ezra’s ready to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Everything is going to plan—they just have to avoid the chasm of emotions brought up when they inevitably come face to face.
-
-
It’s not a good sign if you listen at 2x speed just to get to the end
- By Ash Reads Again on 11-18-22
-
Blush
- By: Jamie Brenner
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For decades, the Hollander Estates winery has been the premier destination for lavish parties and romantic day trips on the North Fork of Long Island. But behind the lush vineyards and majestic estate house, the Hollander family fortunes have suffered and the threat of a sale brings old wounds to the surface. For matriarch Vivian, she fears that this summer season could be their last - and that selling their winery to strangers could expose a dark secret she's harbored for decades.
-
-
If you loved Judith Krantz....
- By TMBURNS on 07-27-21
By: Jamie Brenner
-
Why Can't I Be You
- By: Allie Larkin
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Jenny Shaw hears someone shout "Jessie!" across a hotel lobby, she impulsively answers. All her life, Jenny has toed the line, but something propels her to seize the opportunity to become Jessie Morgan, a woman to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Lonely in her own life, Jenny is embraced by Jessie’s warm circle of friends - and finds unexpected romance. But when she delves into Jessie’s past, Jenny discovers a secret that spurs her to take another leap into the unknown.
-
-
Silly
- By Hilary on 05-20-15
By: Allie Larkin
-
It's One of Us
- By: J.T. Ellison
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Olivia Bender designs exquisite home interiors that satisfy the most demanding clients. But her own deepest desire can’t be fulfilled by marble counters or the perfect rug. She desperately wants to be a mother. Fertility treatments and IVF keep failing. And just when she feels she’s at her lowest point, the police deliver shocking news to Olivia and her husband, Park. DNA results show that the prime suspect in a murder investigation is Park’s son. Olivia is relieved, knowing this is a mistake. Despite their desire, the Benders don’t have any children. Then comes the confession.
-
-
Painfully Predictable
- By Jen S. on 04-14-23
By: J.T. Ellison
-
The High Season
- A Novel
- By: Judy Blundell
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
No matter what the world throws her way, at least Ruthie Beamish has the house. Lovingly renovated, located by the sea in a quiet Long Island village, the house is her nest egg - the retirement account shared with her ex-husband, Mike, and the college fund for their teenage daughter, Jem. The catch? To afford the house, Ruthie must let it go during the best part of the year. It's Memorial Day weekend, and Ruthie has packed up their belongings for what Jem calls "the summer bummer": the family's annual exodus to make way for renters.
-
-
Not impressed
- By Amie Orton on 08-11-20
By: Judy Blundell
-
Secrets of Our House
- A Novel
- By: Rea Frey
- Narrated by: Samantha Desz
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Desi is the mastermind behind her dream getaway house. Nestled high into the mountains of North Carolina, it is a sleek place, a luxurious place, a dark place. A place full of secrets. Secrets about the man she longs for, a man who is not her husband. Secrets about the roots of her family that must never, ever, see the light of day. When Desi and her family arrive from Chicago to spend the summer in the mountains, the seeds for the tumultuous months to follow are planted - her marriage on the rocks, not knowing which way they’ll go.
-
-
wonderful!
- By lisa on 02-14-22
By: Rea Frey
-
The Boys' Club
- A Novel
- By: Erica Katz
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alex Vogel has always been a high achiever who lived her life by the book - star student and athlete in high school, prelaw whiz in college, Harvard Law School degree. Accepting a dream offer at the prestigious Manhattan law firm of Klasko & Fitch, she promises her sweet and supportive longtime boyfriend that the job won’t change her. Yet Alex is seduced by the firm’s money and energy....
-
-
It's not for me
- By James on 09-19-20
By: Erica Katz
-
Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes
- By: Kathleen West
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Isobel Johnson has spent her career in Liston Heights sidestepping the community’s high-powered families. But when she receives a threatening voicemail accusing her of anti-Americanism and a liberal agenda, she’s in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Julia Abbott, obsessed with the casting of the school’s winter musical, makes an error in judgment that has far-reaching consequences for her entire family.
-
-
Julia Whelan makes all books great!
- By Ellen Zelda on 02-19-20
By: Kathleen West
-
A Certain Appeal
- By: Vanessa King
- Narrated by: Julia Whelan
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a betrayal derailed her interior design career, Liz Bennet found a fresh start in New York. Now an executive assistant by day and stage kitten by night, she’s discovered a second home with the performers at Meryton, Manhattan’s top-tier burlesque venue. Love’s the last thing on her mind when she locks eyes with Will Darcy across the crowded club, yet the spark between them is undeniable - that is, until she overhears the uptight wealth manager call her merely “tolerable”.
-
-
Loved everything about this!!
- By kendallalycia on 11-24-21
By: Vanessa King
Critic reviews
"Your first must-read beach book of the summer." (Oprah.com)
"The riveting drama is sure to keep readers up into the night devouring each and every twist and harrowing scene." (RT Reviews)
"A romantic thriller full of raw and conflicting emotions…a roller coaster full of frustrating, exciting, heartwarming and heart-wrenching moments that leave surprises at every turn." (Deseret News)
What listeners say about Girl Underwater
Highly rated for:
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- June Moore
- 07-26-17
GREAT story!
Many times I didn't want to get out of the car. I loved the ending!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- M. Pennell
- 04-04-15
Great debut!
Would you consider the audio edition of Girl Underwater to be better than the print version?
The narrator was excellent but then I've listened to her before and she is a favorite.
What other book might you compare Girl Underwater to and why?
Well, any good listen that leaves you with a "book hangover", you know, you can't listen to another for a few days because nothing would be that good... this was that book.
What does Julia Whelan bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
I liked her voices for the "little boys" and Colin too.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Absolutely - I had to know what was going to happen next - for once I was thankful for a ton of laundry that needed done!
Any additional comments?
I rarely review but this was such an unexpected story - it had its rough spots but overall was a great story with great narration - what a concept this was!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Marni
- 05-03-16
Romantic story of strength and survival
Girl Underwater is a beautifully written, well paced debut novel and I loved it from the opening chapter to the ending chapter plus everything in between. When college student Avery's red-eye flight from San Francisco to Boston crashes in the Rockies, she and swim teammate Colin must work together to survive until they can be rescued. The chapters alternate between Avery's struggle to return to her life after the crash, and her story of surviving in the wilderness with Colin. The author weaves these story lines together perfectly so that the reader gradually comes to understand the relationship between Avery and Colin, and why Avery is so traumatized and withdrawn in the months following the crash.
The book is romantic, suspenseful, and never gratuitously gory or sappy. I loved how realistic the main characters were, from Avery's father to the child, Tim. The word choices, the metaphors and descriptive paragraphs in the novel were a pleasure to read. Claire Kells is hugely talented in her ability to make the reader feel exactly what it's like to dive into a pool of water, go running on a frigidly cold Boston morning or fight tears due to insecurities- the reader effortless sinks into Avery's world. I loved loved loved this book!!
Oh, and Julia Whelan, my favorite female narrator, was brilliant again. Her Boston accent and Hawaiin accent were subtle yet believable.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tasha
- 04-10-15
Loved this book
I loved the emotional ups and downs and personal growth through this book!
I think it's great for all ages!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jean Knight
- 04-07-15
Sounded like a true story
This is my first review of a book although I've been listening to Audible for over 10 years.
I listened to it over a weekend and found many reasons I should get in my car to listen (my favorite place for books). The narrator was so earnest and I felt like she was telling her own story. I'm familiar with the coast locations but not the one where most of the book took place.
I loved the children's voices and those of the major male characters. The story was kept interesting also by repeatedly going from the past to near present.
I highly recommend this book.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
10 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lululune
- 08-18-19
One I will never forget...
I have never been touched by a story as I have been by Girl Underwater, I have never been touched by fictional characters as I have been in Girl Underwater...
An emotional , raw and beautiful journey through life at its hardest.
The accuracy of Julia Whelan’s performance is simply amazing.
I fell in love with this book...♡
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bird
- 09-05-21
Great story
This story was so well written I felt I was there. Her descriptions of even the airport made me smile with total recognition. The cold and snow I felt in my bones. Excellent story with great narration. Thank you.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- JL
- 05-13-15
Amazing story. Slight disappointment
This was a great story but after being pulled along the survivor aspect of the story and experiencing g Avery's rescue, was very disappointed nothing was written about Collins and the boys' rescue. Otherwise this was beautifully written.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- eml24
- 11-01-16
Excellent book...wish it was longer!
I really liked this book. The only part tht was kinda frustrating was when Avery left to go back to Boston and her relationship with Colin, for me, was left on a WTF status!
I loved the different voices tht Julia W. provided (especially the Boston ones) .
i also wish tht the book could have been longer...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lawrence A.
- 04-09-15
Like a story that should be in the 50's
Reminded me of the cat and mouse games girls used to play with boys.... We had a name for them.... The story kept you going.... Wanting to more about what happened out there.... In the meantime a semi romance novel.... Didn't think it was going to be a chik flik novel but it was worth the read driving to and from work which is sort of chasing the black line.... narrator excellent!!!!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful