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mimikins34's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, until the end. I was anticipating giving it a 5 star rating the whole time. I don’t know where I wanted it to go, but i was looking forward to how it would end. Unfortunately it got a little convoluted and fell flat.
mgleeson's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
American Mermaid is a book within a book of sorts. Penelope, a broke teacher, publishes a novel that gets chosen to be written into a screenplay that she is asked to help write. The novel she wrote is about wheelchair bound Sylvie, who discovers she is actually a mermaid (just add water)! When the others writers want to change Sylvie to the Americanized version of a mermaid, strange things start happening to the screenplay - threatening things - that Penelope is blamed for. But she has no recollection of making those changes and begins to believe Sylvie is among them in real life.
I found myself more interested in Sylvie's story that Penelope's, which is, honestly, the only thing that kept me turning the pages. I appreciate the story within story concept, and I like how they are woven together, but this is not a book I would recommend to others.
I found myself more interested in Sylvie's story that Penelope's, which is, honestly, the only thing that kept me turning the pages. I appreciate the story within story concept, and I like how they are woven together, but this is not a book I would recommend to others.
lynzywhimsy's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
1moodreader's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Don't be fooled by the beachy cover, this book is more than a summer read.
🏆What I liked:
🏆What I liked:
- It was a really interesting story and the pacing was good. It almost feels like this story could happen somewhere in California.
- I loved that the MC, Penelope, was a teacher.
- Langbein does get into Hollywood greed/influence and the impacts it has on stories for/by women.
- Some people may not like the ending and in way I don't either- but I totally understand it.
🚩What I didn't like:
- This story isn't really about the mermaid, but more so about the author who created her- reverse Frankenstein.
rtbrck's review
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
I'll be honest, I hated this book until the last 1/4th of it, and then I decided it was mid. There were clearly no sensitivity readers in regards to explaining and handling asexuality. As a member of the ace community, I was appalled at how it was described, especially with her sister calling asexuality a "condition" that made Penelope "broken" and Penelope just accepting that and it never being revisited again. Instead of being a humorous jaunt through Penelope's trials and tribulations in Hollywood, it was just cringey and uncomfortable. The writing itself is hazy and muddled. The only reason this isn't getting a lower amount of stars is because I enjoyed Sylvia's story. But even on that note, I couldn't find the author's voice. Penelope's chapters felt sloppily and lazily written, while Sylvia's chapters felt more digestible. Overall a confusing and cringey book that came dangerous close to being a DNF.
sarahna's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Body shaming, Cancer, and Body horror
gbrolsma16's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
The premise was intriguing and the addition of excerpts from the fictional book within this book was an unexpected layer. But it felt a little lacking in character development, and sadly that’s because half of the book was the “book”. It was more of a nuisance at times and took away from the main story. It was worth finishing I suppose but the ending felt forced and quick.
literarycrushes's review against another edition
3.0
American Mermaid is a fun & sarcastic takedown of Hollywood adaptation culture, but one that’s very much in on the joke. Penelope is a high school English teacher who wrote a novel for which she received a small advance that she was perfectly happy with… Until an influencer posts her book (also called American Mermaid) on his feed, and she finds herself whisked off the L.A. by her super-agent, Danielle, to co-adapt the film’s screenplay with two interchangeable film-bros named Randy and Murphy.
The novel is told in a semi-experimental style, with some sections told in script dialogue style and interspersed with sections of the faux novel being adapted about an adopted suicidal mermaid. While I thought these variations were interesting, these breaks pulled me out of the story, and I had a difficult time getting back into it. But I absolutely loved Penelope’s rye sarcasm and dry humor in her descriptions of the absurdities of what was happening to her. Her resentment over giving up teaching rivals only her resentment of her father for having the audacity to offer to pay for things even though she’s masquerading as a self-sufficient adult – a valid argument, sure, but one that becomes hilarious in her words. Had fun reading this overall!
The novel is told in a semi-experimental style, with some sections told in script dialogue style and interspersed with sections of the faux novel being adapted about an adopted suicidal mermaid. While I thought these variations were interesting, these breaks pulled me out of the story, and I had a difficult time getting back into it. But I absolutely loved Penelope’s rye sarcasm and dry humor in her descriptions of the absurdities of what was happening to her. Her resentment over giving up teaching rivals only her resentment of her father for having the audacity to offer to pay for things even though she’s masquerading as a self-sufficient adult – a valid argument, sure, but one that becomes hilarious in her words. Had fun reading this overall!