Kate Sweeting has a horrible future ahead of her after her father suddenly dies... that is until her mother, Cara, decides they need to start over. That in starting over they will find a better path. So they move to the coast. Kate's life turns around as she grows up in a community focused on the coast. 

Gabe Blake befriends Kate while she still a child, and they grow up together. 

Their lives take different paths, but their families, both living on the coast, stay close. As time marches forward they work towards education goals, life goals, and future hopes and dreams. Romance is slowly forming... but will it last?

I love that this is a story about mermaids, and yet it didn't feel like The Little Mermaid. I was concerned it would be some corny made up modern little mermaid... and while there is notes that remind me of the classic - not the Disney version- this is a unique story all it's own.  And for that I am grateful.

I also appreciate Errin's attention to detail in creating characters. She clearly spent ages sculpting these characters, and its amazing.

Too much... This book just did not sit with me well.  The sentence structure and paragraph styles were distracting to me.  While grammatically correct, it was a tedious read with too many words for each point. The build up of Kate took way to long - if I wasn't asked by the author herself to read it, I would have put it down after about 30 pages. However, I did finish this book.

I love to read because it takes me away... and as a mermaid book I had high expectations of this book pulling me into the ocean world... and it did... but I didn't ever want to stay there for long.  It was too much... the setting sat heavy in descriptions, and just never delivered for me.

Now all this being said, I do have some friends who also read this book, and loved it.  So clearly, this is a writing style thing that just isn't for me.  And that is fine.

I can only give this book a two heart rating.  I would never have even finished it if I hadn't enjoyed talking to Errin - so please Errin, if you are reading this, know that this isn't a hit against you!  I just didn't like... but mermaid fans... you might be interested... or those who are into ocean mythologies. 

I would suggest this book for older teen/adult audiences just because it is a sophisticated writing style.  It would most likely bore younger readers, as it takes forever to see action.  The character arcs take up at least the first half of the book without any action. As far as warnings for content - this is a clean read.  There are some romance scenes, but for older teens and adults it's very tame. The only other point I would like to say, is this book deals with a ton of afterlife ideas and concepts... it might be strange for some, possibly offensive for others... but the joy of books is seeing different angles on the big pictures... and what comes after life is a big picture kind of deal- right?

Wondering Questions to Consider

So, after having such a great experience of interacting with an author, it's always a bummer to have to say you didn't really get into their story. But, these are the realities of life - we are unique beings and we have different interests. That doesn't lessen another's experiences, views, or thoughts - different doesn't mean better or worse.  We are not supposed to always agree and see things the same thing.  We just have to be able to listen, and decide how to respond.  If we respond in kindness, it's okay to disagree or continue forward with differing opinions.  What are your thoughts books that just aren't for you, but your friends love?