Forgive my Fins by Tera Lynn Childs
Series: Fins #1
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.
This book was beyond cute. I haven’t read a good mermaid book in over a year, so I was past due for one. And this was the perfect series for me to pick up. I have already started the second book because I didn’t want the story to be over when I finished the first one. I have been reading so many new adult contemporaries lately (which I still love) that it was nice to switch it up to a cute paranormal young adult book.
Lily is a mermaid that is living on land for a while. Her dad is king of her mer kingdom, but he seems like the most loving, most understanding dad out there. Seriously, he was great. Lily seems just like a normal girl, except she has powers, like she can affect the temperature of water and she can craft minor items of clothing and stuff like that, and she loves salty baths. Lily goes to high school where she has a crush Brody, a guy on the swim team. She also has a best friend and an annoying next door neighbor Quince. It becomes apparent pretty quickly who the real love interest was going to be but that didn’t bug me. I loved Quince and even though Lily “couldn’t stand him” they were still beyond adorable together.
Lily accidentally bonds with Quince and she has to take him to her kingdom to sever the bond so she can bond with Brody. The whole book is about their adventures back and forth between land and her mer kingdom. I loved Quince. He kind of butts heads with Lily but he makes her passionate and fiery about life. I think he makes her a more lively and interesting person, or mermaid. I was so annoyed with Lily a few times when she kept making choices for the two of them. She kind of made up for it at the end but I just wanted to shake her and get her to see how great Quince was. I really liked Lily. She is responsible, and loyal and a great person. But man oh man is she stubborn. Quince gets her though, and he likes her despite all of her quirks. Lily made a decision at the end of the book that broke my heart. She kind of made up for it but I really just wanted her to go about things differently.
What I really liked about Forgive my Fins is that it was a journey for Lily more than anyone else. I know that sounds backwards, it should be a journey for Quince since he was being introduced to a completely new world, but it was much more growth for Lily than for Quince. He seemed to take everything in stride, but Lily needed a bit of a wake up call. I loved watching her progress, and sometimes her setbacks, and I loved watching her mature and grow. Another great thing about this book is that the ending is not a cliffhanger. It can be seen as a standalone almost because the second book picks up a different plotline. Something completely new happens, but it follows the same characters. I can’t wait to see where Lily and Quince will end up next!
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| 4/5 Gavels |
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Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings
I read the first two books in this series back in 2011 and I thought they were cute. I haven’t had time to continue the series, though. I really liked the dynamic between Lily and Quinn. My favorite kind of romance.
Karen
This is such a sweet adorable series!
Lyra
Oh I know what you mean – as much as I love NA, I miss reading cute and light YA reads, and this sounds like the perfect series to start. I can’t wait to read about Lily’s character growth.
Great review! 🙂
Lyra @ Defiantly Deviant
Christy @ Love of Books
Honestly, I rarely read mermaid stories. I think the only one I’ve read is the one by Amanda Hocking and I really liked it. This book sounds like a good one too. I like the sound of the relationship in it. Great review, lady! 🙂
Maji Bookshelf
I never really cared much about this series but now that you ended up reading it and liking it so much I’m in! Also, i never knew what the plot was about but i like what i’ve read from your review. the whole bonding and adventure and them butting heads.
thanks for putting this back on my radar!
– Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf