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A review by paginasdealex
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler
5.0
I needed this book. ♥
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is an incredibly good book. As simple and as complicated as that. It's simple because it is a love story and love is something most of us understand and want. And it's complicated, because it is a meaningful story. It's about inner strength and overcoming one's doubts. This book means so much to a lot of people and one of the main reasons I wanted to read it was the way it made those people feel. I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Some people think of it as a Little Mermaid retelling but it didn’t feel like that to me. This book and this story go beyond the retelling. While there's bits and pieces from the original tale, to me the retelling takes a backseat to the main story and the richness of the book.
The book is very diverse and I loved it. Our main character comes from the Caribbean and it brings with her a different feel to the story. I struggle with the usual US white girl main character sometimes, mainly because my country’s way is different to them. I adored how the differences between cultures where highlighted and mentioned while never making less of the story.
Let’s talk about Elyse for a moment. As a character she’s incredibly different from our usual main girl. The first thing being that she can’t speak. Because of this inability she has the time to truly think and ponder what she wants to say, so by the time she manages to communicate you’re going to get her honest and true opinion. This was something I appreciated immensely, a character with strong convictions it’s a character I will most likely like. She goes through such a big change in her life and her attitude that my only regret is not having more stories about her.
Now for the relationship. Elyse and Christian are a very good couple. Sometimes in Young Adult contemporaries the dynamics between characters have to good very bad before getting good, but not in this book. Christian and Elyse bring out the best on the other, it’s through support and encouragement that they defeat their problems and demons while never downgrading or name calling the other. It’s such a good and healthy relationship and I think more authors should take this route.
The other characters are just amazing. Please come to me for your official Sebastian Kane’s fan club memberships, btw.
Overall this book was everything I look for in a contemporary. I don’t have a single complaint and cannot wait to read it again.
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is an incredibly good book. As simple and as complicated as that. It's simple because it is a love story and love is something most of us understand and want. And it's complicated, because it is a meaningful story. It's about inner strength and overcoming one's doubts. This book means so much to a lot of people and one of the main reasons I wanted to read it was the way it made those people feel. I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Some people think of it as a Little Mermaid retelling but it didn’t feel like that to me. This book and this story go beyond the retelling. While there's bits and pieces from the original tale, to me the retelling takes a backseat to the main story and the richness of the book.
The book is very diverse and I loved it. Our main character comes from the Caribbean and it brings with her a different feel to the story. I struggle with the usual US white girl main character sometimes, mainly because my country’s way is different to them. I adored how the differences between cultures where highlighted and mentioned while never making less of the story.
Let’s talk about Elyse for a moment. As a character she’s incredibly different from our usual main girl. The first thing being that she can’t speak. Because of this inability she has the time to truly think and ponder what she wants to say, so by the time she manages to communicate you’re going to get her honest and true opinion. This was something I appreciated immensely, a character with strong convictions it’s a character I will most likely like. She goes through such a big change in her life and her attitude that my only regret is not having more stories about her.
Now for the relationship. Elyse and Christian are a very good couple. Sometimes in Young Adult contemporaries the dynamics between characters have to good very bad before getting good, but not in this book. Christian and Elyse bring out the best on the other, it’s through support and encouragement that they defeat their problems and demons while never downgrading or name calling the other. It’s such a good and healthy relationship and I think more authors should take this route.
The other characters are just amazing. Please come to me for your official Sebastian Kane’s fan club memberships, btw.
Overall this book was everything I look for in a contemporary. I don’t have a single complaint and cannot wait to read it again.