Flukes

by Nichole Chase

[Ashley]

I love this book! Flukes was exactly what I wanted it to be: cute, sweet, interesting, MERMAIDS, and a bit of romance. But most importantly, I kind of wanted something that was just a little fun and not that over the top with drama or intensity. Flukes fits that perfectly. If you are looking for a crazy, insane, intense, emotional whirlwind, this book probably isn't for you. But if you want something fun, cute, and sweet, Flukes is the perfect book!

The thing I loved most about Flukes is how happy it made me. I think I was starting to get a little whiplash from reading so many books about the parents being uninvolved, the main character being abused, and/or the love interest being half sweet and half jerk. Flukes was none of those things, and that's why it was so refreshing. Meena's parents are THE SWEETEST PARENTS EVER (except for mine of course—I love you, Mom and Dad!), she has a super sweet and supportive best friend, Meena herself is a great character (and she's a mermaid—I'm jelly), and Blake—the love interest—does have a bit of a bad boy flair because he's landed himself in community service, but you actually learn that he's not a jerk or an asshole at all. He's just a really nice guy.

Meena was a fabulous main character. She's strong and doesn't take shit from anyone. She stood up to Blake when he was a bit of an ass at the very beginning, and she stood up to his father when he was being a royal douchebag. She's not afraid to speak up and stand up for herself or the ones she loves. Meena definitely holds her own throughout the entire story.

One thing I should note, this book is definitely new adult! It read like a young adult book, up until when the romance reached its peak, which is when there's a detailed sex scene. I thought this was GREAT! I love young adult books, but I hate it when they hint that the character is going to have sex, then it fades to black and suddenly it's the morning after. This book had sex in it, but it wasn't all about the sex. It certainly wasn't erotica with sex scene after sex scene. Flukes had all the aspects of a great young adult book, but didn't cut out the hot/dirty parts that happen in real life!

I think the lack of crazy problems in this book is what made me love it. Don't get me wrong, I love books that are crazy with all the emotional baggage, but I just think I needed a break from all that. Sometimes I just get a migraine when couples are constantly fighting, or when things constantly don't work out. Not everything is 100% perfect in Flukes—there are still obstacles to overcome—but the few problems that there were felt necessary. Meena and Blake don't have stupid, petty arguments. They have a few concerns, but they work through them together and the concerns are realistic. Sometimes it's just refreshing to see things work out nicely.

I will warn you that the romance in this book is really fast-paced—some might call it insta-love. There is definitely a soul mate element in the story that adds to that. But for once, it didn't bother me. Blake and Meena did grow to love each other after only about 6 weeks, but I still enjoyed it. The romance was sweet, fun, and had me giggling and squealing with delight! I will admit, I do kind of wish the book was a tad longer. It is really short (less than 200 pages) and I think a bit more length would have given the romance more time to develop. But even so, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the almost-insta-love didn't bother me.

I did list a few potential problems in Flukes that didn't bother me (like the insta-love), but I know they would bother some people, so keep that in mind if you're considering reading the book. Maybe I got really lucky and was in the perfect frame of mind to read Flukes. It fulfilled my desire for a really sweet, fun, and engaging love story, with a mermaid twist! If you're looking for something a little softer (but with sex) that will make you swoon and go "Aww", then definitely give this book a try!