Don’t forget to hold your breath while reading Rachel Reiss‘s 2025 YA thriller Out of Air. A group of teens having their last hurrah together before college take a trip down under on a scooba trip in Australia. Looking forward to a futuer of acting as her ailing grandmothers primary caretaker, Pheobe dreads the end of their final trip. Knowing that her friends have endless possiblities awating them and she may likely fall behind. While white knuckling their quickly ending adventure, Pheobe finds a mysterious treasure that brings more trouble than any gold is worth.
The constantly changing character dynamics were the most interesting part of the whole story. Each teenager had their own daming secrets that could easily tear the group apart at the seams. Everytime I thought I figured out the mystery a new secret emerged to throw off all my theories. But Phobe was by far the most interesting.
The wealth inequality between her and her cohort was an obvious point of tension in the book. Phobe had strong feelings of inadequecy within a group of wealthy friends. All thorughout her naration you could feel a growing fear of stagnation while the rest of her friends have a bright and prosphorus future.
Phobe’s fear of loss is such an interesting drive in her characters development throughout the book. It seems to be her primary motivator thoughout most of her interactions in the book. She fears losing the, “Salt Squad,” she fears losing Gabe’s affection. In the end, her actions lead to the question. If you love something, should you let it go?
The Critical Librarian 