Blog Tour : The Summer of Chasing Mermaids by Sarah Ockler (Review)

Title : The Summer of Chasing Mermaids
Author : Sarah Ockler
Genre : YA contemporary
Release Date : June 2nd, 2015
Publisher : Simon Pulse

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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 think I'm in love with this book. Seriously, I love everything from this book. From the beautiful setting, to the unique characters. Not to mention, this book basically scream DIVERSITY in every way.

The first thing that I love from this book is the writing-style. It's a poetic-like writing-style that's pretty hard to understand at first, but when you did understand it, it's beautiful. It's not something I often found in books. Also, the fact that this is The Little Mermaid retelling made me like this book more (who doesn't like The Little Mermaid?)

I love most of the characters in this book. In fact, there's only 2 persons that I didn't like--Andy Kane and the mayor (I forgot his name). Our heroine, Elyse, is an amazing characters. After the incident that took her voice--and her dream--away, she closed herself from the world. But throughout the book, we see that slowly she let people in, that she try to love the sea again, and most important, she learn to accept and love herself again. I really admired her for that.

Elyse's love interest, Christian, is a playboy, but we didn't see his playboy-ness much in this book. What we did see is he's the first person after the incident that treat her like a normal person, and the first person who encourage her to come back to the sea again by asking to be his first-mate in the regatta. He's really sweet and nice to Elyse that I ship them almost immediately. I love how they interact by writing in each other skin. Also, there's no drama in their relationship, which made me love them more.

There's one secondary character that I couldn't skip. Christian's little brother, Sebastian, is such an adorable character that I guarantee that you'll fall in love with him. Seriously, I love everything in him, from his innocence to his obsession for mermaids. He's also didn't treat Elyse differently, and even thought that she's a mermaid. Not to mention, Christian and Sebastian's relationship is basically a relationship that you wish you had with your sibling. It's obvious to everyone that they love each other deeply. Christian often act as a parent for Sebastian. There's isn't many YA books that has positive sibling's relationship, so it's a bonus point.

Overall, The Summer of Chasing Mermaids is a lovely reads, but definitely not light. This book actually deals with a lot issues, like disability and sexism. That's why, I really recommend this book, not just because amazing characters, but also because the diversity in it. You need this book in your life, people!

About the Author

Sarah Ockler is the bestselling author of six young adult novels: Twenty Boy Summer, Fixing Delilah, Bittersweet, The Book of Broken Hearts, #scandal, and The Summer of Chasing Mermaids. 

Her books have been translated into several languages and have received numerous accolades, including ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, Girls’ Life Top 100 Must Reads, Indie Next List, Amazon Top Movers and Shakers, and nominations for YALSA Teens’ Top Ten and NPR’s Top 100 Teen Books. Her short work has appeared in the anthologies Dear Teen Meand Defy the Dark.

She’s a champion cupcake eater, tea drinker, tarot enthusiast, night person, and bookworm. When she’s not writing or reading at home in the Pacific northwest, Sarah enjoys hugging trees and road-tripping through the country with her husband, Alex.

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