The Immeasurable Depth of You

By: Jamie Steinberg

Pressure. It weighs on all of us, but at fifteen-years-old it is especially prevalent for Brynn Costa. The concept of “death” has her consumed and always anxious. When an incident happens online, Brynn is sent from her comfy surroundings of Ohio to stay the summer in Florida with her father who lives on a houseboat. Banned from the internet and television, Brynn feels out of touch with her friends. That is until she meets Skylar, a fellow teen who seems to only spend time with Brynn when she is out paddleboarding on the bayou. When Brynn learns of a tragedy connected to Skylar, she is determined to make things right for her new best bud – at any cost. The Immeasurable Depth of You starts out as a drama, but truly evolves into a lesson in self-discovery.

Brynn Costa is an outcast. She doesn’t feel like she fits in with her classmates, so she seeks solace in the friends she makes online. With the weight of the world on her shoulders and the severity of her anxiety bearing down on her, she makes a remark online that concerns her mother so much that she cuts Brynn off from all devices and sends her to spend the summer in Florida with her father. Brynn’s parents have been divorced for some time; however, Brynn isn’t that close with her dad. Thus, it makes things extra awkward when she arrives to find him living on a houseboat with his pup Leia. So, yeah, Brynn isn’t doing so great. That is until Brynn’s father convinces her to explore the area by paddleboard. Sucking up her extreme nerves, Brynn paddles out into the bayou where she finds fellow teen Skylar swimming. The two become quick pals and Brynn is even fast to develop a crush on the beautiful Skylar. The next day the two young women (don’t call Brynn a “kid”) find themselves stuck in a storm and end up having to spend the night on a deserted beach. Thankfully, Brynn’s father finds her the next day and she assures him the experience wasn’t so bad as she had Skylar for company. Shocked and angry, Brynn’s dad does not believe her and doesn’t want to listen to her tall tale. That’s when Brynn learns something surprising…Skylar is actually dead. It seems that the straight-A making, and athletic Skylar died and only Brynn has the ability to see her. Despite her anxiety and overwhelming issues with death, Brynn makes it her mission to solve the crime.

Author Maria Ingrande Mora does a wonderful job of captivating and engaging the reader right from the start of the story. You certainly empathize with the anxiety Brynn is feeling (I know I do) and hope that her summer in Florida will help her find her footing. You also really invest in Brynn’s quest to find out the person(s) responsible for Skylar’s death. My only qualm with the book is that it is a little more than halfway through before Skylar takes on the task of finding out the murderer. I absolutely understand the priority of establishing Brynn’s backstory, her reconnecting with her father and, of course, needing to bond with Skylar. I just wanted MORE – more investigation, more on Brynn bonding with her dad, more getting to know Skylar and more with Logan (I can’t give this one away).

The Immeasurable Depth of You is not a love story. It’s not a typical topical teenage rom-com. It’s a wonderful tale of anxiety, drama, mystery, friendship and love. Personally, as someone who struggles with anxiety, I found comfort in some of the advice Brynn has been given and hope others will, too. The story is heartfelt and intriguing – one I’d certainly recommend exploring.