simonlorden's Reviews (1.38k)

A Robin Hood retelling with an established f/f relationship, and among others, nonbinary, asexual and Black Muslim supporting characters.

A great premise and a great cast, and yet the story and the writing felt a little boring. Still, I enjoyed reading this book and I have great hopes for the sequel - there are definitely some open questions/storylines that I am curious to see.

This got a little personal towards the end and I'm not sure I can do full sentences, so quick list of the many great things in this book:

- cute f/f romance with artistic girls!!
- multiple girls of colour and discussion of latinx people being all kinds
- almost entirely female cast!
- female friendships, and several sapphic sidecharacters besides the main two
- clear discussion of boundaries in sex, character not being shamed for saying something doesn't do it for her
- 24-year-old virgin character who is not shamed by her friends
- girls leaves toxic family and is happy, but also reconciling siblings

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the only things I didn't like are really "it's not you, it's me" things so I'm not even going to go into it.

This was a positive, light f/f read with a pansexual main character (!) and wonderful relationships, romantic and otherwise. I can only remember one male character in the book, otherwise it was a wonderful mix of girlfriends, female friends, sisters and just all kinds of relationships between girls, which was really refreshing to read.

I really liked the message that you can drop out of university and start something new - it's not the end of the word if the thing you planned doesn't work out, and you shouldn't let someone else decide what you're supposed to do with your life. I also really loved that it is about people working in a bookshop, which is like, The Dream.

That being said, the writing style was sometimes distracting - the present tense coupled with the narrator who described Chris's feelings in detail made me wonder why this isn't written in first person. This novella is also really short, which makes it a quick and fun read, but it also made me feel like everything was happening too fast sometimes. There is no real time for characters or relationships to develop.

Overall, it was wonderful to read about so many positive (LGBT) female characters with so many different, positive relationships. There is definitely room for improvement concerning the writing style, but I would still happily recommend this to anyone who is looking for a sweet f/f novella.

I have read many posts about how wonderful and magical this book is. The first time I read it, I didn't feel like it lived up to the hype. It wasn't a bad book, really, but I couldn't find myself relating to it or being drawn in by the magic at all. Most of the book just seemed pretentious or boring to me.

Still, I kept seeing it everywhere, and I started getting suspicious that maybe I just read it at a bad time. This seemed like a book that you really had to be in the mood for.

So I decided to re-read it, and at first, I felt the same - it wasn't a bad book, but I just couldn't feel the magic. It pulled me in slowly, but soon I could feel my opinion changing. The second time around, this book captured me halfway and made me feel things, to the point that I genuinely cried at several scenes, even in public.

I still claim that this is one of those books that you have to be in the mood for, but once the mood is there, it is a wonderful read. The relationship between the two boys, and their relationships to their parents were amazing and heartfelt, and Aristotle's dilemma about his brother was also heartbreaking. It was great to see supportive, loving parents and families, even if they had conflicts between themselves.

Why I picked it up: This book was recommended to be a friend, and basically all I knew is that it has mermaids and positive friendships.

What I thought: This is the absolute best book I have read this year, and definitely up there in the Top 10 best books I have read ever. Magical atmosphere, likeable characters, cute romance (I was a little worried because straight romances often bore me, but I was anything but bored while reading this), female friendships, and an adorable little brother.

A magical fairytale retelling

Before starting this book, all I knew was that it had mermaids, but it soon turned out that was an understatement - this is a modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, revealed by clues such as Elyse’s loss of voice, and some character names.

I was already hooked by the introduction, the very first few pages. The Summer of Chasing Mermaids has an absolutely magical aura, and it truly reads like you are experiencing a fairytale. The introduction also immediately grabs the reader’s attention with an element of mystery.

Likeable main cast and posivity

This book is proof that I am absolutely willing to ship straight couples if they aren’t lowkey toxic. Though Elyse’s and Christian’s romance has some cliché elements, it is ultimately a positive relationship based on friendship, and the two of them are nothing but supportive towards each other for the entire book.

There is also a big focus on Elyse’s relationship with her two female friends, and her relationship to her twin is also a central element that is constantly lurking in the background. It would have been so easily to have Vanessa and Elyse fight over a boy, but there is no catty jealousy or unnecessary drama between the girls.

Without giving away any spoilers, the book also has sex positive talk, calling out sexism, and (cis characters) changelling gender norms in a beautiful way.

A note on diversity

The main character of this book is a mute woman of colour. This is not an #ownvoices book - the author admits in a note that she is writing about a culture she’s not part of. As a white person, it is not my place to judge whether Elyse is good or accurate representation, but if there were any racist elements, I have not noticed.

There is sadly a complete lack of LGBT characters, but I enjoyed this book so much, and I was so happy to see a positive straight romantic relationship and positive friendships that I am personally willing to give it a pass. (This might or might not be because I, as a useless bi person, fell in love with both members of the main couple anyway...)

My rating: ★★★★★ 💖

Why I picked it up: Based on the other Riordan books, my expectations were the following: more great characters, lots of humour, and actual LGBT representation this time. I have to admit, it was the news of Will's and Nico's relationship that really made me pick this one up.

What I thought: Apollo is a surprisingly compelling protagonist, at least to me. His struggle as a mortal teenage boy is interesting, but I especially like that he's suddenly on the other side of the divide and experiencing what his children - and the demigod children of other gods - have been experiencing. Meg is simply great, I am looking forward to finding out more about her.

Nobody in the book uses labels, but Apollo talks openly about his attraction to multiple genders. Nico and Will are great as an established couple, but I'm still a little sad that we didn't see them actually start dating. (Also, Nico seriously deserves more screentime, okay, make this guy a proper protagonist.)

Percy's small cameos were honestly the best.

It was great to be back at camp after the adventures of the Big Seven, and though there weren't many gods, it was great to see sibling-relationships between all the demigod siblings. Also, Harley (who I think is a new character? I can't remember him being mentioned) is honestly great.

There were a couple of small annoyances, but overall I really enjoyed this book, and I like the beginning of the plot, so I'm curious to see what comes next.

My rating: ★★★★★+