Sarah Ockler

After a boating accident takes her beautiful singing and speaking voice from her, Elyse d'Abreau, the youngest of six sisters, leaves her home in Tobago to stay in an Oregon seaside town where Christian Kane, a notorious playboy, challenges her to express herself and to overcome her fear of the sea.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

Some of the flowery language confused me especially in the beginning but still enjoyed the story. Feel like the ending could've been better

Debbi

I think this novel is good. I find the middle a tad bit boring but it's all good. It reminds me so much of Ariel from The Little Mermaid.

Alexa Auerbach 

What a beautiful book. Such diversity and very different from most YA contemporaries.

Sofie

Review to come.

EDIT:

Nvm it's been too long now and I don't remember what I wanted to say!

Ella Zegarra

Original de: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

No sé por donde empezar o qué resaltar sin terminar siendo un bomba de spoilers y fangirleo inentendible. Para mí, es sumamente difícil y casi imposible decir "Recomiendo este libro a todo el mundo", pero esta vez es uno de esos extraños casos que tengo que decir que sí, recomiendo este libro absolutamente a todo el mundo, no importa si al final termina no gustándote o te caen mal los personajes o sientes que algo faltó a la historia; porque sinceramente dudo que alguna de esas sea tu conclusión final. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids puede que tenga algún defecto muy recalcable, la verdad es que yo no lo noté, para mí desde el inicio fue una lectura intrigante, fascinante y seductora.


¿CÓMO RESEÑAR UN LIBRO QUE ABARCA CASI TODO TIPO DE TEMA QUE QUIERO LEER EN UN LIBRO JUVENIL?

Tengo la suerte que desde que entré a Tumblr me he topado con blogs que me han enseñado mucho. Personas que con sus posts me han hecho valorarme y respetarme como mujer, como parte de la comunidad LGBT y sobre todo, aceptar, valorar y respetar a los demás que también lo son.

Tumblr me hace pensar mucho y analizar todo. También me da gifs de gatitos y un montón de memes y post sobre Marvel pero eso es para otro día.

Una de las tantas cosas que me gustaron de The Summer of Chasing Mermaids es la cantidad y diversidad de personajes femeninos que hay, Sarah Ockler nos muestra que se puede ser vulnerable, insegura de otras mujeres y a la vez no ser groseras o crueles con ellas ¿Loco, verdad? Es típico que en novelas Young Adult la protagonista o amigas de la protagonista lancen por aquí y por allá unos cuantos adjetivos bastante crueles para la chica bonita y/o competencia. La escritora utiliza una narrativa en la que me hizo sentir el dolor y vulnerabilidad de Elyse pero también me hizo sentir gran cariño por personajes que de ser cualquier otro libro, habría detestado por "interponerse" entre el romance de los protagonistas. Varias veces he dicho lo insegura y rencorosa que soy. Admiro mucho lo que Sarah Ockler ha hecho con este libro, no puedo elegir un personaje femenino favorito, porque ya sean por sus errores o sus talentos o lo más resaltante de su personalidad, cada uno es importante, por más pequeña que sea su aparición en la historia.

Luego están los hermanos Kane. Sé que la sinopsis da a indicar una historia bad-boy-good-girl-angustia. Como movimiento comercial, asumo que está bien. Pero quiero que tengas en cuenta, kitten, que The Summer of Chasing Mermaids es mucho más que eso. 

Vas a sonreír como tonta por Christian Kane pero es sin duda el hermano menor, Sebastian, quién se lleva toda la atención. Será quizá difícil para algunos leer un personaje como él, no voy a edulcorar la historia, para mí lo fue un poco, este libro me hizo darme cuenta que hay algunas cosas en las que todavía tengo que madurar y pensar más. No quiero decir que no me gustó, al contrario, si algo me reta emocional y mentalmente de buena manera como esta, es algo que agradezco, muy pocos libros lo hacen. Además, es imposible no adorar a Sebastian. 


¿FANTASÍA? ¿RETELLING?

No estoy segura. Y por reseñas que veo, muchos aún están con esa duda. A mí en lo personal me gustaría creer que este libro es real, que cada cosa que pasa en el libro realmente pasó. Quiero decir realmente todo.

Aunque supongo, que estrictamente hablando, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids tiene pinceladas de fantasía. Unas que yo creeré ciegamente que son reales.

ELYSE D'ABREAU

Qué personaje. No sé que admiro más, si al personaje Elyse o al trabajo que la escritora se tomó al crear un personaje como ella.

No solo tenemos en este libro una protagonista WOC (Woman of Color = Mujer de Color), sino que no es de nacionalidad estadounidense, sino de Trinidad y Tobago, país no muy conocido y soy sincera, nunca le di más de un minuto de mis pensamientos. Ahora no puedo sacarlo de mi cabeza. No sé que tan reales o exactas sean los datos sobre Trinidad que se puede leer en el libro, si las frases son realmente típicas de allá, no lo sé. Pero uno como lector, siente cuando un escritor realmente se esfuerza por darnos un buen producto, lo más realista posible.

Elyse encuentra curiosos varios aspectos que encuentre en un país diferente pero sin caer en la ingenuidad o idealizar el nuevo país en el que se encuentra. Sarah Ockler se lleva muchos puntos por eso, no hay país más vanidoso que USA, la escritora supo presentarme muy bien la narración desde un personaje extranjero, me lo creí todo.

Tengo que cortar esto aquí para no hacer la reseña mucho más larga, lee el libro. Quizá no sea tu género, que lo dudo, si sigues el blog es porque tienes gran cariño por el Young Adult. No sé si los otros libros de Sarah Ockler son igual de buenos como este, espero que sí porque ya la tengo en mi radar.

Elyse nos enseñará a encontrar nuestra voz aunque creamos que nadie nos escucha, aunque sintamos que todos nos ignoran, siento que Brave de Sara Bareille es perfecta para describir a Elyse.

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Erin Pitstra

I picked this book up on a whim, and i'm so happy I did! I loved it so much! I especially loved Sebastian!

Amanda 

It was good. I liked the characters and the setting was nice. It felt longer than it needed to be though. I'd recommend it as an easy summer beach read.

Find this review and more at 
  kimberlyfaye reads
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I went into The Summer of Chasing Mermaids really not knowing what to expect. The blurb left me wondering if the book was contemporary or fantasy and, honestly, after finishing it I still can’t properly categorize it. It’s a little of a, a little of b and a lot amazing. My review will be short and sweet, because really you just need to experience all this book has to offer.

I loved Elyse. My heart broke for her. She was so lost, so unsure after the life she knew was ripped from her. She was stumbling her way along, trying to figure out where she belonged and, let’s be honest, who hasn’t felt like that a time or two. I loved reading as she learned more about herself, found where she belonged and ultimately accepted her new life.

The secondary characters were incredible. Whether it was “playboy” Christian, who I admittedly was a little concerned about in the beginning, his younger brother Sebastian who won my heart immediately or any of the other number of faces found in Atargatis Cove, they each brought something special to the story. The romance was sweet and real. The friendships were solid. The story – and the underlying themes – were fantastic. The writing was beautiful, even if I personally found it a bit distracting at times because I’m not accustomed to the style. The message of not allowing yourself to be silenced resonated from every page. The author’s message at the end was also quite powerful. I went through the full gambit of emotions during this book and it resonated with me long after finishing.

I have every intention of rereading this book. Probably before the end of the summer. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

Nia C

Changed me into someone who could save myself.

Four stars and B for the Book Hangover I'm gonna face. Such a brilliant book, such a poignant one. 

-
Originally posted on booksfeelsandtears.wordpress.com

Book(s) – The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
Feels– SO MANY FEELS – The good ones
Tears – None
-I read this for free from Pulseit but this did not affect the review in any way-

Oh, this book. This gorgeous book - with that stunningly pretty cover and a wonderful, POC, protagonist and a sensible male character.

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is the story of Elyse, and how she discovers herself, how she copes with adversity and deals with things in her life. And boy, does she deal with them. 

I absolutely loved the plot and the storyline of the book –from flashes of Elyse’s past to the present, where she slowly falls for Christian. There is immense character development happening in the book, in a very paced way and that makes it very enjoyable to read. 

Another aspect of the book I’d like to point out is the vast array of supporting characters it had who really brought out the novel – from Kirby – Elyse’s friend and Lemon, Kirby’s eccentric and amazingly insightful mother, Vanessa, the feminist who is one of my favourite female characters, especially because she starts out as the girl who Christian hooks up with and generally, these girls don’t go down well with the readers, and finally, Sebastian Kane- Christian’s younger brother. Well-developed sibling relationships are important to me and this book made me so happy with the way it portrayed Christian and Seb’s relationship. SO VERY CUTE. And Sebastian Kane is a gem of a character who needs to be appreciated as the cute little boy that he is.

Let’s talk about Elyse for a second, because holy cow, she is a brilliant protagonist. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids has a bit of poetry and verse and all things beautiful because of her. She is such a strong, calm female and the fact that she is a POC makes me so happy. The way her heritage and culture are explored and explained in the book, it has been done very well. I enjoyed learning about T&T and reading about the chocolate, though it did make me hungry at times. Hehe. 

As for Christian *swoons*, he is a book boyfriend I’d keep forever. With that handsome face, he also has a wonderful personality and a beautiful heart. He certainly makes the effort to include Elyse but also gives her space to figure it out on her own. The romance between the two of them is slow and just perfect. 

The book is beautifully written, with such a poignant feel to it that I was transported into the setting it provided. The book is also very diverse and feministic in its approach and I simply adored that. The way Ockler has created this group of characters who have their flaw, but are so very real – is just fantastic. 

If you’re looking for your next read, sprinkled with diversity and all the avant garde –ness possible with excellent writing and good plot line, look no further, you’ve found it. 

Elyse’s story still resonates within me and I loved the book so, so much. 
I end my review with my favourite quote from the book:

“Changed me into someone who could save myself.”

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

“Love didn’t save me; it changed me. Changed me into someone who could save myself.”

The first time I experienced Sarah Ockler’s writing was while reading Twenty Boy Summer back in 2011. This book was one of the first YA books I read and reviewed after starting my blog, and I fell for it. HARD! I loved Sarah’s writing, they way she brought out all of the emotions in such a raw and real way. She’s an extremely talented author, and I now realized that I seriously need to read more of her books! I have a few on my shelves, and I will definitely be making room for them in my reading schedule.

Elyse suffered a tragic incident that left her voiceless. The youngest of six sisters and a twin, Elyse had huge dreams that revolved around her talented singing voice. But then she’s left voiceless, and her future begins to crumble before her eyes. She picks up and immediately moves to a small seaside town in Oregon in hopes of finding herself again. Living with Lemon and Kirby, who take her in and make her feel like one of the family, she spends the summer meeting new friends and building new relationships. She’s meets Christian, the beach stud, and though she’s warned about his activity among the ladies, she can’t help but feel the draw to be around him. Lucky for her, he’s looking for help rebuilding his boat, and she jumps at the chance to both busy herself, and spend more time with his hotness.

The characters in this story were so incredible. Elyse is the kind of MC I adore. She’s strong and motivated… yet feeling insecure and a bit depressed about what life has dealt her. Christian is good looking, and let’s face it, he knows it. But he doesn’t let it get to his head. Aside from his gorgeous looks, he’s also carrying an even more gorgeous heart. And we can’t forget about Sebastian, my very favorite part of this story. He’s beyond adorable. The things he says, the way he acts, and his confidence and outstanding attitude are impossible not to love. He brought this story to life! But it’s not just these three either… they have such a wonderful group of family and friends that are surrounding them, each adding their own impact to this story. Such a strong cast to carry such an impacting story.

“Not so long ago I’d been convinced that losing my voice was the worst thing that could ever happen to me, the worst tragedy. But since then I’d been losing my whole self, everything I stood for, believed in, felt. Everything I ever wanted to be. Everything I ever was.”

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids was exactly as heartfelt, intense, and emotional as I had hoped it would be. Sarah’s talent for addressing touchier subjects in such a mature and affectionate way is incredible. The way she went about the subject of teenage sex, even touching on self pleasure, was so well done. We definitely don’t see enough of that in YA books. Consensual, loving, passionate sex scenes are few and far between in teenage stories, and this book hit the ball out of the park. And the rarity of masturbation in YA books is astounding. Sarah really impressed me with this book. It’s a gem.

The perfect beach read that deals with learning to overcome life’s tragedies, forming your own voice and becoming who you want to be, not who others think you should be, all with the strength of good friends and family. The relationships in this story will melt your heart, have you smiling from ear to ear, and leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy. Though life can be tough and unfair, this book makes you think about seeing the glass as half full, instead of half empty. About making lemonade out of the lemons. And about being who you truly are and standing up for what you believe in, above all else.


“When one dream burns to ash, you don’t crumble beneath it. You get on your hands and knees, and you sift through those ashes until you find the very last ember, the very last spark. Then you breathe. You breathe. You fucking breathe. And you make a new fire.”

(Thanks to Simon Pulse for the review copy!)

Find this review and others like it at Lost in Literature!

 Bruna Acioly Leão

Yeldah Yousfi

Beautifully written book! I loved every bit of it, I'm a big fan of mermaids :)
 “When one dream burns to ash, you don't crumble beneath it. You get on your hands and knees, and you sift through those ashes until you find the very last ember, the very last spark. Then you breathe. You breathe. You fucking breathe. And you make a new fire.”
The Summer of Chasing Mermaids follow the story of Elyse, our female MC and a girl from Tobago who lost her voice in an unfortunate accident. She was once a beautiful singer and alongside her twin sister was about to go on tour, now she is a visitor in Atargatis Cove, Oregon. 
“What if you already have your life planned ahead of you, and suddenly a tragedy robbed you of your dream? Of your voice? Of your ability to stand up for yourself? For your love ones? How do you move on? How do you live?”
“The girl who'd written volumes on the walls but never said a word.” 
Overall: The thing that caught my eye and kept me turning the pages was that this book had a well research diverse characters, feminism and female empowerment which doesn’t have the females hating on all males, funny supporting characters, great female friendship, romance and beautifully written prose. If you like all these things you should definitely read this book + a great mermaid tale. 
“Love didn't save me; it changed me. Changed me into someone who could save myself.”
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Summer of Chasing Mermaids

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