Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs

Katherine Tegen Books, 304 pages
Purchased

"Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it’s not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but when you’re half human, half mermaid like Lily, there’s no such thing as a simple crush. Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid – she’s a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been living on land and going to Seaview high school ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems – like her obnoxious, biker boy neighbor Quince Fletcher – but it has that one major perk – Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type – when they “bond,” it’s for life. When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily-ever-after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned."

Let me begin with why I even read this book. For one, I have a love of mythical creatures such

as: unicorns, centaurs, etc. One of my favorites being mermaids. Now, if you're like me, you

don't want to read just any mermaid story. And if I'm being honest, there aren't that many

mermaid books out there anyways. (So, I'm glad this one is!!) And I greatly enjoyed this book!

The main character Lily is only fourteen. So keep in mind that her maturity level and her

perceptions are not exactly up to scale of someone that is say, seventeen years old. Lily was a

character that I both liked, yet wanted to smack some sense into at the same time. First of all, I do

feel that her name is such a typical mermaid name! I do wish it was something a little more

unique or interesting. That being said, I did enjoy reading about Quince. Quince is the type of

guy you love to hate, or that's how it is for Lily anyways. He's sarcastic, blunt, and definitely

obnoxious. But don't worry, there is far more to him than his playful exterior and that's what I

loved about him. Lily did seem bothered by him, but Quince always had good intentions. Brody

for me was definitely under-developed. And that's not just for the reader, he's under-developed

for Lily too. He's the type of guy every girl wants and he doesn't really change throughout the

book. Lily's best friend Shannen, I felt like I didn't get to know that much about her.

As for the plot, I found it intriguing. Although, I will admit, I found it predictable, I still greatly

enjoyed reading it. Childs does a terrific job building up her Thalassinian underworld, and I wish

I belonged in it! Forgive My Fins was also an incredibly fast read. Even though it's almost fall

right now, I feel like it would've been such an awesome summer read! It's set in Florida and just

the story line has summer appeal.

This book was definitely cutesy. So, if a cute story or something sort of chiclet does not appeal to you, then I wouldn't read it. But, if you're a fan of mermaids and are down for an adorable romance, I say choose Forgive My Fins! It's sure to keep you wanting more.

4 - I really liked it. Worth buying.