e-Audio, 09:14:11
Narrated by: Frankie Corzo
Release Date: May 10, 2022
Published by: Clarion Books
Read from: September 7-8, 2022
Stand-alone
Source: Library’s Libby
TW: Ableism, Racial Micro-Aggressions
For Readers Interested In: Contemporary, Romance, Mermaids, Disability Rep (Hip dysplasia), Peruvian, Immigrants, Mental HealthIn this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year, all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in her own body.
Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not just to strengthen her body.
Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex, her cute new neighbor.
She decides it’s time to seize control of her life, but her plans come crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth from her—the truth about her own body.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I read Sylvester’s debut Running in 2020. I fell for her words even then. I remember it was a big election year and I was recommending it to everyone so that they could see what it was and all the reasons why teens should do it. So when I saw that this was coming out, I immediately added this to my TBR.
I haven’t really read a book about someone with a physical disability this year, so when I heard this was being released, I ran to it. I placed a hold on it immediately once I had heard it was an own voices book too. And I mean own voices down to the scars that the main character has on the cover. I can’t speak on the rep, but obviously it’s based on the author’s experience so it’s 100% correct. Reading about Verónica taught me/made me realize a lot of different things. Like how terrible her parents were. I was so appalled that they were trying to keep all the things ABOUT HER FROM HER. It was terrible. Like I get that she wasn’t 18, but she should still be see her own x-rays and make her own decisions, not have someone make them for her. I really felt for her.
The romance in this was also very cute. I loved that they let it be organic and show them actually falling for each other as she navigated her parents and every one else. It was interesting to see them trying to get together with all the things trying to break them up. I also felt for them because they were teens trying to navigate all of these things. It was wild.
The plot of this was also really amazing. There’s mermaids involved and everything! It’s been a while since I’ve read a book about some real life mermaids, so I jumped to add it to my TBR as soon as I heard about it. And rightfully so. Because I definitely learned a lot. The breathing, the little caves and air pockets, and so much more. Reading the other real life mermaid books that I have have never actually said what they had to do, so when this was eye opening in a way.
This book is one I plan to be talking about for a long time now. Don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t learn anything from fiction or from YA, because I learned a lot from this book. I learned about mermaids, the way people are treated because of their disabilities, and so much more. I hope others will read and learn about these things as well.
Overall I give this
