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jurisprudence's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
As a second generation immigrant, I relate heavily with the behaviors and family dynamic portrayed. This book captures that experience in some ways I hadn't even noticed before.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Sexual harassment
zombiezami's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Biphobia, Death, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and War
tinysierra's review
adventurous
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
“People act surprised by what I can do and surprised by what I can't, as if I'm supposed to exist in this narrow, static margin in between. But my body is a fluid thing. Sometimes it's complicated and inconsistent, but it makes sense because it's mine. My choices. My comfort. My decisions.”
Breathe and Count Back from Ten was a fun and beautiful read. I liked the flow of the story. I liked the references to Hans Christian Anderson’s Little Mermaid and the magic of the mermaid cove. I liked the definitions that Verónica came up with at the start of every chapter.
The romance was causal and low key. Unlike in rom coms where you see a lot of grand gestures, Alex and Verónica’s relationship felt down to earth.
Discussions about disability, bodily autonomy, depression, scars, being an immigrant family, heteronormativity.
“Somewhere on the opposite side of the glass, my parents are finally seeing me the way I want to be seen. No more hiding, no more pretending to blend in. Just a girl in an imperfect body, refusing to swim any further in shame. Telling the stories of her ancestors on new shores and in a new home. Telling legends of her own.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Sexual harassment
reallife_kazbrekker's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I love books with good disability representation so much, I really wish we got more of it.
This book was great! It was a fast read and quite an informative one as well about hip dysplasia, a disability I personally done have. I do have something very similar to it tho, so I felt very seen by some of the things discussed in this book. I have so many sentences that I tabbed, because they were just so impactful to me!
The romance was also quite well done, I liked that there wasn't much angst regarding their relationship and that they were very supportive towards each other. I would have liked just a little bit more depth into their relationship tho... Maybe there is potential for a small sequel?
Doesn't have to be a full book, but I would love more of Verónica's story!
Anyway, watch me try and find more great disability rep in other books and fail at it. I really wish there were more books like this, makes me feel less alone.
This book was great! It was a fast read and quite an informative one as well about hip dysplasia, a disability I personally done have. I do have something very similar to it tho, so I felt very seen by some of the things discussed in this book. I have so many sentences that I tabbed, because they were just so impactful to me!
The romance was also quite well done, I liked that there wasn't much angst regarding their relationship and that they were very supportive towards each other. I would have liked just a little bit more depth into their relationship tho... Maybe there is potential for a small sequel?
Doesn't have to be a full book, but I would love more of Verónica's story!
Anyway, watch me try and find more great disability rep in other books and fail at it. I really wish there were more books like this, makes me feel less alone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
mmccombs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
This is a book that makes me so excited about young adult lit and the wonderful new stories that young folks get to read! This was a very warm novel that powerfully reflected on consent, ownership of our own bodies, and the impact of disability and culture on identity. While I sometimes felt things got quite repetitive, the musings Verónica has on her relationship to her body and to her family and friends were so compelling and made me think of all the ways young adulthood (especially when disability, immigration status, and ableism are in the mix) can render you out of control of your body and your choices. I’m also a sucker for mermaid content (don’t we all have a secret mermaid nook in our brains??) so that was really fun to include. Highly recommend this book for a cozy story and really beautiful messages!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Sexual harassment
bgoodbookclub's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Read for Bad Bitch Book Club's Patreon Book of the Moment.
I wish YA like this existed when I was in high school! None of the books I read in high school touched on immigration or disability and I'm so glad the world is changing! I would have loved this book as a teen and I'm so glad that it's out there for teens now.
As an adult, I still love the book. I loved the storyline of becoming a mermaid, loved Alex as a romantic interest, loved Leslie as a best friend, everything. I know very little about hip dysplasia and Veronica's journey really taught me more.
I would definitely recommend this book to all ages!
I wish YA like this existed when I was in high school! None of the books I read in high school touched on immigration or disability and I'm so glad the world is changing! I would have loved this book as a teen and I'm so glad that it's out there for teens now.
As an adult, I still love the book. I loved the storyline of becoming a mermaid, loved Alex as a romantic interest, loved Leslie as a best friend, everything. I know very little about hip dysplasia and Veronica's journey really taught me more.
I would definitely recommend this book to all ages!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There is so much to love about this book. The characters are complex, there are a lot of great discussions about ableism and mental health, and it's really just a book about learning to be true to yourself. Learning to get the courage to stand up for what you want. Verónica's journey is definitely an emotional one, but I loved seeing her find her voice and finally stand up for herself. All of that was so well done.
Outside of Verónica's journey, I wish that her relationship with Alex would have been a little more developed. It felt a little insta-lovey, which isn't always my favorite. And while they did have a few deep conversations, I didn't feel like it got developed much outside of that.
But the whole mermaid thing was cool and awesome and I would totally read more stories about that. Definitely would recommend this book for anyone looking for a complex, emotional summer read!
Outside of Verónica's journey, I wish that her relationship with Alex would have been a little more developed. It felt a little insta-lovey, which isn't always my favorite. And while they did have a few deep conversations, I didn't feel like it got developed much outside of that.
But the whole mermaid thing was cool and awesome and I would totally read more stories about that. Definitely would recommend this book for anyone looking for a complex, emotional summer read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, and Sexual assault
strawberrysage's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I found this book while scrolling through the disability tag on Tumblr and I never thought I would relate to a book more than this one. I never thought to look into disability books since the possibility of disabled characters in books, especially main characters, has never really been prominent. It was such a nice and relatable read and shows the struggles of both latinx and disabled people. 5/5 would definitely read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual harassment
Minor: Body shaming
literelli's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
“[I]t seems everyone gets to be whole but me. They get to be seen for who they are, not for what they aren’t.”
“They say they want me to feel comfortable—not happy, or fully supported—just fine, satisfied enough that I’m not in any pain. Which feels like a low bar to me.”
““People talk about pain like it’s measurable. They’ll ask me to put it on a scale from one to ten. But I’ve been pushing it away so long it’s like my barometer’s broken. I don’t know if I can trust my mind. Or my body. I think part of me thinks I deserve it. Like I should endure it, because that would be the brave thing to do. To be strong.””
Verónica’s story and her journey over a summer really spoke to me- as a disabled teen I too struggled with asserting myself with my doctors and trusting my body and my limits. I loved the way Spanish was woven into the text as a bilingual household, and Dani asserting herself as an abled sibling.
I really loved it and highly recommend it.
“They say they want me to feel comfortable—not happy, or fully supported—just fine, satisfied enough that I’m not in any pain. Which feels like a low bar to me.”
““People talk about pain like it’s measurable. They’ll ask me to put it on a scale from one to ten. But I’ve been pushing it away so long it’s like my barometer’s broken. I don’t know if I can trust my mind. Or my body. I think part of me thinks I deserve it. Like I should endure it, because that would be the brave thing to do. To be strong.””
Verónica’s story and her journey over a summer really spoke to me- as a disabled teen I too struggled with asserting myself with my doctors and trusting my body and my limits. I loved the way Spanish was woven into the text as a bilingual household, and Dani asserting herself as an abled sibling.
I really loved it and highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment