Title: The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
Author: Sarah Ockler
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: June 2015
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Contemporary, Retelling
Series or Stand Alone: Stand Alone
Synopsis can be found here.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Review:
Summer and mermaids and love. This is a new contemporary retelling of the classic The Little Mermaid.
Elyse, after suffering a tragic accident, is left without a voice. She flees to a beach town in Oregon, to escape her family and her old life and old expectations. But while she’s there trying to deal with her own demons, she meets Christian Kane, town heartthrob. When the town is threatened, only Christian and Elyse can save the way of life that they love. But Elyse is still dealing with her past and it might be too much for them to overcome.
There’s some nice writing in this book. It’s my first Ockler book so I wasn’t sure what to expect but she is an author that is pretty hyped about so I did have some solid expectations. I love the twist on the mermaid theme. I love how Elyse doesn’t have a voice, nor does she miraculously get her physical voice back in the end. This is a contemporary fiction and I really liked how delicate the issue was dealt with- a broken person whose hopes and dreams now must be re-written. Christian and Sebastian, his little brother, are fun characters and I liked the interaction between both of them. And I enjoyed Vanessa and Kirby as well. It was nice to see some solid, female friends who weren’t trying to backstab each other.
However, the book moves pretty slow for me. To be honest, I almost put it down. There’s enough real life drama but it takes a while for things to happen and the race to come. Also, Elyse is blah for me. She’s serious and feeling sorry for herself and there’s a lot of internal drama and angst. I like a good amount of angst, but she seemed so lifeless to me. I knew what she saw in Christian, but I wasn’t sure what Christian saw in her.
Overall, I’m looking forward to reading another one of Ockler’s books. I think she’s a talented writer and has great imagination. I just wasn’t feeling this slow watery tale.
Rating 5 Okay
I enjoy mermaid stories and this sounds like a light, fun summer read. Thanks for your fun review:)
TSoCM is one of my favorites of the year. It’s my favorite Sarah Ockler book too. I just did a reread of it this weekend…just to make sure I loved it, and yep, yep, there’s no mistaking it. Sebastian is my favorite with Christian as a close second. Sorry it wasn’t quite love for you though.