Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath

by Helene Boudreau

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath is an extremely fun and quirky summer read that anyone is sure to enjoy. Jade's world is a massive ball of entwined confusion based on whether or not she'll be walking or swimming that day. There's wonderful suspense as she navigates the watery mystery of figuring out how to get her mermaid mother back on dry land, all while experiencing the coming-of-age angst that typical teenagers deal with on a daily basis. Things such as manuevering through the course of trying to figure out boys to dealing with her sparkling new tail and how to use it are implemented into the story in such a wonderful way. Helene Boudreau has penned an incredibly charming and delightful story with stunning imagery that sparks to life vividly and sparkles as beautifully as the deep blue ocean waters on a warm summer day.

Jade is such a loveable character in so many fantastic ways. She's practical and shows some amazing character growth, while also still being a typical teenager at heart that reader's will be able to connect with easily. Even though it may appear that she's going crazy in her head with all of the things that life has thrown at her, she still remains as calm as she can on the outside, which shows her as a more mature and determined young woman. She's just this wonderful ball of quirkiness wrapped in wonderfully written teenage complexities and insecurities that makes her incredibly relatable. What teenage girl wouldn't absolutely fall in love with this character?!

The romance is sweet and charming, the action and suspenseful mystery is entertaining, and the writing is so fun and light that reader's will be captivated from beginning to end. The story that Helene Bourdeau tells in this second installment of the Real Mermaids series sparkles with vibrancy and takes on a life of its own beckoning anyone who enjoys re-living their young and awkwardness with figuring out boys to sit down and read it.