Page Count: 416
Published on: June 2, 2015
Published by: Simon Pulse
Genre(s): YA, Contemporary, Romance, Diverse, TW: Trauma
Source: Hardback - personally purchased
Age Rating: YA
Where To Find It: Goodreads // Amazon // Book Depository
Twitter: @sarahockler
My Rating: 3.75 stars
Goodreads synopsis:
The youngest of six talented sisters, Elyse d'Abreau was destined for stardom - until a boating accident took everything from her. Now, the most beautiful singer in Tobago can't sing. She can't even speak.
Seeking quiet solitude, Elyse accepts a friend's invitation to Atargatis Cove. Named for the mythical first mermaid, the Oregon seaside town is everything Elyse's home in the Caribbean isn't: an ocean too cold for swimming, parties too tame for singing, and people too polite to pry - except for one.
Christian Kane is a notorious playboy - insolent, arrogant, and completely charming. He's also the only person in Atargatis Cove who doesn't treat Elyse like a glass statue. He challenges her to express herself, and he admires the way she treats his younger brother, Sebastian, who believes Elyse is the legendary mermaid come to life.
When Christian needs a first mate for the Cove's high-stakes Pirate Regatta, Elyse reluctantly stows her fear of the sea and climbs aboard. The ocean isn't the only thing making waves, though - swept up in Christian's seductive tide and entranced by the Cove's charms, Elyse begins to wonder if a life of solitude isn't what she needs. But changing course again means facing her past. It means finding her inner voice. And scariest of all, it means opening her heart to a boy who's best known for breaking them...
~~~
I managed to pick this book up on one of the BookOutlet sales. The synopsis of this book really sucked me into purchasing it, but the $1.50 price also helped. This book was surprisingly beautiful and dark. I adored the representation in this book and I really enjoyed Elyse, the main character. Unfortunately, once I finished the prologue, I had a hard time getting into this book. I was hoping for a haunting and beautiful contemporary, but this book was much heavier than anticipated. That's not a bad thing, but in that moment, it wasn't what I was looking for.
The diversity in this book is fantastic. Elyse is from Trinidad and Tobago and she was an up and coming singer. When she gets into a boating accident, she loses the capability to speak and sing. She is mute. Elyse becomes distraught and depressed. She moves to live with her aunt and cousin in a seaside town in Oregon. I loved how this book handled racism and equality. It was perfectly done and I would love to read more books like this. I loved the representation of those who have experienced trauma. I've never read a book with a mute main character. (In the Magnus Chase books, one of the side characters is deaf and mute, but he's not the main character.) There's not enough representation when it comes to this.
One of the issues that I had with this book was that I did not ship Elyse and Christian. They have some chemistry, but I really wasn't feeling it. I think that Christian is a d-bag and I didn't see enough character development for me to like him much. 98% of the time, I really didn't like him. I loved how he interacted with his little brother, Sebastian, but most of the time he was a turd. Sometimes I liked how he interacted with Elyse, but I just couldn't get past his playboy reputation. I knew he just wanted to get into the "mysterious mute girl"'s pants. That's annoying. No thank you. I could appreciate how hard working he was, but he was just so "meh" to me.
My favorite character, by far, was little Sebastian. He's such a cutie. I loved his fascination with mermaids. He definitely knew what he was looking for. For a youngling, he really knew his stuff. Mermaids, I guess, typically fascinate young girls, but Sebastian loves them. Throughout the book, his parents and the "manly men" of the story discourage him from his passion. SO ANNOYING! I loved how the gang of friends stood up for him and encouraged him to follow his passion. Sebastian's part of the book was probably my favorite part. He's just so sweet and wholesome.
I'm still not sure if this book is a retelling, an urban fantasy novel, or if it just has magical realism elements to it. This book really baffled me. The writing was dark, mysterious, and beautiful; but I'm still ...not confused, but ...I'm baffled. I've already used that word, but we'll go with it.
Other Awesome Contemporaries:
Other Awesome Contemporaries:
- Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
- This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills
- Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
- Eliza & Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia
Happy reading!
Olivia
~LivTheBookNerd~
~LivTheBookNerd~
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