My Review
I love fairy tale retellings. When I came across this book, I was so excited to read it, because it’s a retelling of The Little Mermaid. The Little Mermaid has always been one of my absolute favorites, so I was delighted when I got the chance to read this one.
The story starts off with Elyse, who is staying with her cousin and her mother in Oregon for the summer. She has had a boating accident that cost her her ability to speak, and since she and her twin sister used to be singers in their home country, her dream has been shattered. So, she decides to get away from it all and spend the summer with family in Atargatis Cove. It’s this summer that she meets Christian Kane and falls in love. She makes friends. She rediscovers herself and who she is and can be, even if she no longer has a physical voice.
I liked so many aspects of this book. I loved the storyline. I loved the characters (and I loved hating the not so nice characters). I loved the details (she can’t speak, and she wears a seashell necklace to cover her scar on her throat from the accident. Definite Little Mermaid thing). I loved how the author took actual problems in today’s society and incorporated them into the book (such as sexism), and still came out with a happy ending. And I sure do love happy endings in books.
I took one star off of this otherwise perfect novel because for one, it started off a little bit slow for me. I had a hard time keeping interest at first, but eventually I got drawn into the novel and fell in love with it. Also, the ending seemed a bit rushed, and I would have loved to see an epilogue or another chapter to see how things turned out…I felt like I was kind of left hanging.
Other than those two things, this is an amazing book that would make for an incredible summer read. I haven’t read anything by this author before, but now I know I’ll keep my eye out for more books by Sarah Ockler.
Note: I received an ARC copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This one sounds cute! I may have to check it out.
It really is a wonderful book! I hope you enjoy it, too!