Natalia Sylvester

Cuban-American Mariana is running. She is running to keep up with her rapidly changing life as her father's political career becomes front and centre for her family. Her life will now play out in the media for all to see. Every blemish will be noticed and every smile judged for it's sincerity. I thought this was a good exploration of how violated a person can feel when they become a public figure up for scrutiny. Finding out that your parent may not be the hero you always thought they were show more is also quite a relatable theme, and Mari's struggle to speak out against her father felt believable. Her pain was evident as she developed an understanding of how her father was potentially failing the people he claimed to be proud to represent. I enjoyed Mari's friendships and loved that there wasn't any romance. I thought it was really important that the author also raised awareness of how Gloria, her friend and father's employee, had negative media attention directed towards her and her girlfriend because of their romantic relationships. Politics has lots of victims. The author's notes reveal that the environmental concerns covered in the book were based on a real Bill that was passed in the Florida House and Senate but was ultimately vetoed by the Senator after people raised concerns over potential health issues. Pretty inspiring stuff happens when people speak out. show less

3.5 stars, though this easily could have rated higher if not for how hurried things became in the final third or so of the story.

That final third, it felt like things moved unbelievably quickly with Veronica’s job (the author acknowledges in the notes that training for that job would ordinarily have taken longer), that, along with Veronica immediately earning a big responsibility/opportunity without even completing one day of work, it just, it was so challenging to buy into that it took a show more little something away from the realistic quality established earlier in the book.

Rushed pacing in the later portion of the book also affected how Veronica’s fraught relationship with her parents played out, there was so much build up of hurt on Veronica’s part and fear on her parents part, so much distance between what they thought of as good parenting and the pain Veronica experienced on the receiving end of their harsh judgments about her so-called promiscuity and keeping her in the dark about her health, that to wrap up all of that so swiftly, it just for me did not match up with how authentically messy and difficult their relationship had been written earlier.

There was so much here to appreciate, to invest in. Cultural differences in upbringings and how it affects the relationship between Veronica’s immigrant parents and their children. A sweet, mostly uncomplicated romance in stark contrast to Veronica’s other encounter with a boy, and better still that said sweet romance didn’t dominate this book, leaving plenty of space for the heroine to pursue a unique ambition. And Veronica’s relationship with her body, what it’s like for her to live with hip dysplasia all her life and the arc involving medical consent, it’s because of elements like that, elements so well conveyed that this book did ultimately let me down a bit when it pushed the pacing, when things unfolded too fast to truly explore the depths of these situations in the end as it had in the beginning. show less

Veronica has hip dysplasia, which means she’s had a bunch of surgeries, can’t walk as long or as far as other teens, and has scars that she tries to hide. She also has parents who are very strict, a situation made worse when she’s caught in the apartment complex hot tub making out with a boy. And she both hates that they immediately assumed she would have ‘gone all the way’ if they hadn’t walked in at that moment and suspects that they, in fact, prevented the boy from raping her show more by doing so. She also feels that she has no say in her medical care, as her doctor tends to talk past her and directly to her parents about the progression of her condition and what the next steps should be. Swimming is the only thing that allows her to feel free and completely in control. So when auditions are announced for the mermaid show she has long dreamed of being a part of (but of which her parents strongly disapprove, of course) – and when a new boy moves into the complex and sparks fly between the two of them – Veronica must decide between obeying her parents and demanding the body autonomy she (and all women everywhere) deserve.

I *loved* this YA novel, both for the interesting storyline and its unique and important portrayal of consent, why it’s vital, and how it’s not just about sex. Veronica and her boyfriend are interesting and nicely developed characters, who both struggle both with the usual Teen Stuff and also mental and physical issues in a realistic, relatable way without too much angst. Highly recommended. show less

Stifled by her loving but repressive parents, a teen endeavors to take charge of her own life.

Seventeen-year-old Verónica Rentería’s parents forbid many things, especially promiscuity—which includes any romantic gesture, however innocent, leading Vero to feel ashamed of her own desires. But above all, she and her younger sister, Dani, must never attract attention; her family immigrated to Florida from Peru when Vero was small, and her parents caution that their permanent resident show more status is tenuous. Vero feels constant pressure to make their sacrifices worthwhile, but she can’t help standing out: Numerous surgeries for her hip dysplasia have left her with scars. And ever since her parents caught her making out with a boy, they’ve treated her like she’s “impossible to scrub clean.” Even her body is out of her control since her parents handle all of her medical decisions. Swimming is her only freedom, and Vero idolizes the aquatic performers at Mermaid Cove, a popular tourist attraction. So when Mermaid Cove advertises auditions, she wonders: Could becoming a mermaid enable her to finally tell her own story? Sylvester, who has hip dysplasia herself, poignantly braids multiple issues into Vero’s angry, vulnerable, and lyrical narration, including disability, sexism, and biculturalism. Vero’s messy but supportive relationship with Dani compassionately acknowledges the friction that can arise between disabled and nondisabled siblings, and her romance with Mexican American Alex, who deals with depression, gently explores trust and self-discovery.

Intricate, nuanced, and empowering. (author’s note) (Fiction. 14-18)

-Kirkus Review show less