Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Out of the Blue

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Out of the Blue by Jason June

31 reviews

so_many_books's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4.

This book is okay and fun up until the end.

It's a queer merfolk YA story with an adorable pairing. Crest/Ross is a merperson who goes on their month-long journey to experience life on land and help a human to complete their quest. Sean is a chubby, heartbroken guy who's determined to get his ex back.

The story leans heavily on the fake dating and rom-com tropes. It tries to recreate the vibes of every slightly shallow teen movie ever created with queer representation. Which is actually a nice idea. The characters are very relatable to hormone-fuelled teenagers with emotional burst, feeling like a heartbreak will ruin their lives, being horny all the time, and just generally figuring themselves out.
The story has a good concept, though diving deeper into details and comparisons between life in the sea and on land would've been nice. It would have made the story less shallow.

What I didn't like much was the toxicity of Sean's ex. I know it was part of the character growth of Sean to move past a shitty relationship, but come on. There were so many signs.
And the other thing that was a ig miss is the ending. Up until the 70-80% mark, there was a vague but definite direction the story was going. Where Crest was heading in their journey. Where their relationship with Sean was headed. But in the end , it was just a jumbled up mess of emotions, mistakes, hurtful acts, and don't even get me started on the very end. Instead of explaining how both of them came to their decisions at the end of their month together, it was a moment and then puff. End.
I don't like these types of endings (and I'm not gonna go into detail what I mean because of spoilers). But there was so much potential to make it satisfying. And yet it left me WTF.

The best thing about this book is definitely the representation. It is set in a queernormative world and has some interesting thoughts about gender and gender expression. Crest/Ross is non-binary, Sean is gay, Kavya and Miguel are bi.
I liked it.

All in all, I think this is an okay story with some really great aspects and some mistakes. I enjoyed it because of the characters, but it left me unsatisfied at the end.

Content Warnings

reading_srsly's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

* Fake Dating

* Queer love

* Culturally aware

* #Trends

What is a broken-hearted lifeguard to do when one of the merfolk on a mission to do some good in the world washes ashore during their shift? Take them out to eat, of course! This chance encounter sparks a journey of self-development for our leading men - one working through a breakup, one exploring the world, but both reflecting on the kind of person they want to be.

This lighthearted read highlights some of the best and craziest parts of the world in a way only someone who's lived their entire life underwater can experience. There was strong characterization throughout, and the author does a great job of building up the relationship between the characters, while also weaving in some heavier topics that help to ground the characters. There were some real eyebrow raisers if you think too hard about the logic of the plot, but the fun of just going along with the story more than makes up for it. There is a pretty significant amount of horny teenagers processing their emotions going on, so if you’re not in the mood for inconvenient boners and sex jokes between friends, this might not be the book for you.

If you’re looking for a more serious and intricately designed plot, you may want to keep looking for your next great read. But if you’re looking for an adorable, lighthearted LGBTQ+ coming of age story geared towards teen audiences, you’ll love Out of the Blue!

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theaceofpages's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

"Labels everywhere and they all seem to be wrapped around genitals."

Firstly, yay for enby merfolk! DeFINitely one of the things that drew me in. I'm a little older than the target market for this, so please keep this in mind for my review.

Crest (ugh Ross) is forced to go ashore for a moon cycle so that they can become an elder merperson. They expect to hate every minute - humans are terrible after all. But they don't count on meeting Sean, a lifeguard, who shows them that humans can be good. They agree to help Sean get his boyfriend back as their selfless act so that they can return home at the end of the month, but as the fake dating trope goes, they end up falling in love. Crest then has to decide if they want to go back to the home they have always loved, or if they should stay on land with Sean, never to return to the mer world.

I have to agree with Crest. People are terrible. I know that drama is pretty typical of YA books (and this book is very YA - I don't mean that as a good thing or a bad thing but as a simple fact) but oh man, the characters were incredibly annoying. Is it accurate for their ages? Yeah, probably, but that doesn't change the fact that I ended up hating pretty much all of them. I did kind of like Crest (or at least disliked them less) but they too weren't the greatest. (sidenote: I liked the way they referred to people and didn't gender everything!)

That being said, this was a fun and easy read. Between being annoyed at everyone and the dragging middle I had a good time reading this. I think queer teens will enjoy this one! Just be prepared to be annoyed at everyone. And hey, queerphobes aren't really a thing in this book so if you are looking to escape that this would be a good choice.

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dallas_'s review

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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rdubs15's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

It’s a cute, lighthearted, easy read. I wanted something fun and light to break up my heavier reads and it worked perfectly. It’s tropey, it’s fun, and, as a filmmaker, Sean is aware of all the tropes and beats they’re hitting, which I found enjoyable. Also has a non-binary main character, we love to see it!

I haven’t decided if I like the ending or not. On the one hand, it’s probably the most realistic end to a romcom like this (who is leaving their whole world behind forever at 16 for someone they’ve known for a month??? No one, that’s who!), but on the other hand those unrealistic endings are kind of what make romcoms fun. Eventually I’ll probably decide I like the ending, but dang it, I was rooting for those kids and I wish they could’ve ended up together!

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mattyb's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

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bookishchef's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

I really wanted to like this.
Fake dating and the chubby filmbro falls for non binary merperson?
That sounds amazing!
However... It's not.

As a chubby ex-media major who used to swim competitively, I really want to like Sean. The guy literally has a lot of the same life experiences as I do. So, I thought he would be super super relatable.

He wasn't.

His tendency to turn real life events into small movies in his head, felt unrealistic and was annoying to read.

It comes down to entire paragraphs being written like this:

"Scene 1: Dominic and I make out. Close up.
Scene 2: Dominic and I still make out. Mid shot.
Scene 3: Dominic and I are still making out. Wide shot"

Like bitch please. I had the film/camera brainrot for a while while I was in uni too, but never THAT bad. People don't think in shotlists THAT much.

He constantly thinks of his life as a plot in a movie too. And while I get that to some extent, he insists that his life will follow movie cliches too. He'll make Dominic jealous and they'll have to kiss and make up by prom because that's oh so romantic and oh so dramatic.

Honey, this is real life. Even media majors know the difference between real life and movie cliches and shorthand. He treats the people around him like sidecharacters. Stop 🛑.

Crest isn't much better. I wanted to like them, I really did. Like wow a non binary merperson? And they're sassy and kind of a cunt too? They had all the potential to become my favourite character.

BUT the way they're written is just so cringe. The bumbling idiocy around human culture isn't cute, it's really really cringe.

There are detailed descriptions of kissing and how boners work and it honestly made me a little nauseous. I really did not need the detailed mental image of a tongue being halfway down someone else's throat. When described that way, it sounds super gross.

And as you can tell from all the complaints so far, the writing is mostly where my issues with this book lie. The writing is cringey, overly childish and very repetitive. The repetition wasn't just in the writing style either. It was also in the specific words chosen. I think I've heard the phrases "bubble guts", "donkey laugh", "jellyfish tingles", "Dominic looked crestfallen", "the romcom of my life", and "that weird eel moved" (TO DESCRIBE SOMEONE'S DICK), at least a million times. Half of those are metaphors. And they weren't even good metaphors the first time they were used. Let alone the bazillionth time.

Unfortunately, there's also some story beats that hit me wrong. Sean is kind of toxic sometimes. And so is his relationship with Crest.

By the end, their relationship is disgusting and Sean is a massive dickhead. This doesn't feel like a romance at all. I truly don't think it is one.

:(

Sean viewing everything as a movie becomes a problem. And I love that Kavya eventually calls him out on it.
Sean *is* manipulative. Sean *is* selfish. He doesn't consider Miguel's feelings, or even really Dominic's or Crest's. He forces Crest into a fake relationship. He enjoys it when Crest and Dominic fight over him!

Yet, the plot rewards him for it. By the end, Crest wants to be with Sean again.

Sean is the first person Crest meets and shows them kindness. Crest is a bumbling idiot when it comes to the human world. And is oh so innocent. And of course, that means Crest gets attached to Sean. He's confused and needs guidance. But Sean doesn't seem aware of that power imbalance. Of that dependency that Crest has on him (even though Crest outright says "what am I supposed to do without you?")

So their entire relationship hit me wrong. It felt icky.

Sean getting angry at Crest when Crest tries to fuck Drop? Literally gtfo. Y'all weren't exclusive. You called yourselves friends with benefits for fuck's sake. That does not imply exclusivity!

That entire speech against Crest was vile. And really made me hate Sean. Sean calling Crest selfish? Humans destroy merpeople's ecosystem and environment constantly, and this enby STILL came out to help someone, against their own wishes. That's literally the most selfless thing. So Sean can fuck all the way off.

Yet, Crest does a full 180.
After that speech, they get angry with Drop instead of Sean. Tell DROP that Drop and Crest weren't exclusive so Crest should be allowed to fuck Sean???

What???

Is it opposites day or some shit? They should get mad at Sean! Telling them they're not exclusive so Crest is allowed to fuck Drop! I feel like I'm going insane.

And then suddenly Miguel and Sean are best friends? And Miguel wants Sean to get back with Crest despite thinking Crest cheated on Sean?

Insane behaviour.

And then Crest basically admits to themselves that they just want physical contact with Sean and not much else. Which is valid but HOW TF is that romantic?

Then Kavya admits to Sean that she called Drop to Crest. And that somehow makes Sean forgive Crest for what he perceives as cheating? Like... Crest made the voluntary decision to hook up with Drop. Whether Kavya caused Drop to show up or not, Crest still jumped at the opportunity to fuck Drop. Kavya didn't force them to do that. So why does Sean forgive them?

And then due to PLOT somehow both Crest and Sean end up as merpeople. Crest does another 180 and suddenly wants to be with Sean for more than just physical stuff. The "love" word is dropped.
And then Sean decides that he DOES NOT want to be together with Crest and Sean becomes a human again.

SO HOW THE FUCK IS THIS A ROMANCE

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evelynyle_88's review

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adventurous funny lighthearted 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

5.0

Holy crap!

I never knew I needed a book of merfolk that came out so perfect like this. Out Of The Blue was just a perfect light fantasy with a gentle touch of magic for me. This is perfect for me who love The Little Mermaid in general.

This book has a sweet and cute story (but with some heartfelt moment) that made me; who read it... cry. I just love Sean and Ross (a.k.a Crest). I love them so much equally. They're made for each other. A fantasy dream book of merfolk and brief their history for me.

Oh! And I love Kavya too.. also Elder Kelp! We can't forget about them and their wisefulness. Thank you for bringing this book to life, Jason. I appreciate you. Can't wait to read Jay's Gay Agenda as my other read for your book!

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finntheguy's review

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emotional tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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lexa's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

3.75

I this was fun. Not super memorable, but fun. Dragged a bit in the middle, and some very high school actions from characters (which I suppose is expected for a YA book).

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