content warnings: violence, drugging, death, bullying
representation: chinese-american bisexual main character, chubby mlm main character, m/m interracial main relationship, gay side character, chinese side character


I read Not Your Sidekick by C.B. Lee earlier this year and really enjoyed it, so suffice to say I was excited to read her debut novel. It follows Kevin, a teenage boy who has just gone through a break up and makes a wish to the Sea for a companion over the summer. Morgan, a selkie, hears his wish and makes contact with Kevin.

This is an incredibly sweet book. The relationship between Kevin and Morgan was absolutely adorable, starting first in a cute friendship and then developing into more. It's (kind of) slow burn and (kind of) friends to lovers, a trope I usually love and a trope I usually hate, and I ended up really enjoying how both of them were executed here. There's a really great discussion of safe sex in here that I also really liked, especially because you rarely see those discussions happen between same-sex couples.

There's a side plot about hunters trying to find and study the selkies which added some non-relationship drama to the book. Honestly, that element didn't really have any effect on my feelings on the book; it didn't make it better, it didn't make it worse, it was just there.

I don't really have too many thoughts on this book, to be honest. It's cute and if you want a sweet romance, go for it.