Author: Sarah Ockler
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary | Young Adult
Release Date: 2nd June 2015
Publishers: Simon Pulse
Source: Review Copy - Simon Pulse
Rating:
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 known for breaking them..
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids was a book I never really had a large interest in until I became aware of the hype surrounding it, the excitement Stacie at Beautiful Bookish Butterflies had over another Sarah Ockler novel, and the complete and utter adoration, screaming and wailing Zoey at Uncreatively Zoey shared online, and once I'd been subjected to all of the above, I knew I somehow had to find time to read my copy of Summer of Chasing Mermaids, and I can safely say that it was time well spent - I seriously loved it.
One of my things I loved most about The Summer of Chasing Mermaids was the retelling of The Little Mermaid that Ockler wove into the story of a sweet and so so beautiful romance. As a young girl, The Little Mermaid was one of my favourite Disney films, and I was one of th few who seriously adored the sequel, Return to the Sea, and it's this love, and the little quirks that Ockler included that made me like this novel more and more the more of it I read. With relative characters such as Ursula and Sebastian, important story aspects such as a none speaking lead character and a romance that defys all prejudice within society was just wonderful, as was the beach and seaside feel that accompanied the story. If there was ever a Summer release that begs to be read with an ice cold drink and with your toes in the sand, this is that book.
The storytelling itself was so much more than just a romance though, although that in itself was absolutely adorable and I fell hook line and sinker for it - it explored people's expectations, it explored the presumptions people have in society, it deleved into sexuality, exploration of women's bodies in a sexual way (which is a big thumbs up from me, seriously, is it a crime for a woman to take a little pleasure time for herself?), it showed how not everything that looks great is great, and that family doesn't always have to meant the people you're born to be around, it can mean friends, it can mean complete and utter friendships, and that sometimes actions speak extreme volumes, so much more than words. It taught me how delicate and how fragile a voice is, and how I take such a normal, everyday piece of me for granted, and all these lessons, although seemingly minor, made this book as powerful as it was. It showed how grief can tear you apart, but it wasn't cheesy or typical in it's methods, and it's romance was secondary to the plot that was about finding a second chance at a life you originally thought you'd never have, it's friendships where so vitally important to the development of it's characters, oh it's characters where beautiful. Elyse and her relationship with her Kirby and Noah (and their romance which almost out-adorabled Elyse and Christian) and her other friends, with her grandmother and even Christian's family was absolutely wonderful, and for a character with no voice, she sure made herself heard in this novel full of lively, vivid and varied personalities.
There's no denying it - The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is part contemporary fairytale retelling, and part summer romance, but the actual minor details woven within it's storytelling, the development of it's characters, the investment I put into this novel - it made this one of the sweetest, and deepest contemporaries I've read this year. Sure, I felt the novel was a little slow and heavy in places, and the writing was focusing a little on sounding too lyrical, although I understand why, and wasn't as clear and crisp as I'd have liked, but these are the little things that affect one person or don't affect another. I enjoyed how much culture was included and how much research Ockler did in order to make The Summer of Chasing Mermaids as authentic as it could be, and that in itself deserves a huge amount of respect, but the novel itself deserves an enthusiastic applause. Both Zoey and Stacie were right; this is a well worth it read, with it's wonderful writing, it's retelling features, an adorable little brother and a romance or two that you'll ship to the end, written by an author that is talented, respectful and definitely one I'll be reading more of in the future. This is without a doubt a summer read you need to have beside you this year - even if it's raining.
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