The Girl from the Sea is a wonderful slice of life coming of age story with a fun cast of characters. Ostertag's use of text conversations between Morgan and her friends to further the narrative fits really well with the story telling and illustration style. The struggles the characters face fit well for the intended age group (coming out, big life changes, fear of losing friends, etc.), but there's also a strong undertone to the narrative about capitalism and ecological conservation. Morgan's mom's reaction to her sexuality was one of the sweetest, most wholesome things I've ever read. It wasn't super serious, but it also didn't make light of the situation. Having a queer author write a scene with a parent accepting their child's sexuality filled a void I didn't realize there was in coming out scenes. There's a levity to this book that makes me want to redo my whole childhood again with it at the forefront of my mind, reminding me not to give up on my dreams, but that it's also okay to reach out to others for help and that it's okay to make mistakes.