Dogs barking, children yelling, car horns carrying down the sand from the… what’s that word again? Oh, street.
About This Book
Title & Author: Out of the Blue by Jason June
Length: 377 pages
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQIA
Release Date: May 31, 2022
Book Description
Crest is not excited to be on their Journey: the month-long sojourn on land all teen merfolk must undergo. The rules are simple: Help a human within one moon cycle and return to Pacifica to become an Elder—or fail and remain stuck on land forever. Crest is eager to get their Journey over and done with. Humans are disgusting. They’ve polluted the planet so much that there’s a floating island of trash that’s literally the size of a country.
In Los Angeles with a human body and a new name, Crest meets Sean, a human lifeguard whose boyfriend has recently dumped him. Crest agrees to help Sean make his ex jealous and win him back. But as the two spend more time together, and Crest’s perspective on humans begins to change, they’ll soon be torn between two worlds. And fake dating just might lead to real feelings…
This sophomore novel from Jason June dives into the many definitions of the word home and shows how love can help us find the truest versions of ourselves.
My Review
Star Rating: ★★★✯☆ • 3.5 / 5 stars
It was the perfect rom-com moment, when the two leads finally realize they’re meant to be together.
This was a super fun retelling of The Little Mermaid. I loved this on so many levels. The bits of world building. The dialogue and inner monologues. So much of this book was fantastic.
I also really loved all of the modern additions June included. I mean, it was urban fantasy, so obviously. I just liked how it was done is all.
The highlight of the book for me was definitely the characters. Crest’s sarcasm and grumpiness was a lot of fun to read, and I liked how gentle and kind Sean was (when he wasn’t trying to make his crappy ex jealous). I also liked how body positive Sean was about himself – it was really nice to see, especially compared to Lily from When Life Gives You Vampires. I also adored Kavya – she’s the kind of friend that everyone deserves, though she’s definitely not perfect either.
I also really liked how the predictable plot points and issues that are normally left to a book’s climax and ending were resolved long before. Such as the realization and acceptance of romantic feelings. And the stuff that came after didn’t feel tacked on or boring or anything. There were still some plot threads to tie up, after all, and I’m glad that the author didn’t leave us hanging.
“I swear as each day goes by you become more and more of a bro.”
I also really liked the ending, even if I ended up predicting it exactly. It was sweet, and there was definitely some happily ever afterness going on, even if it wasn’t what readers might initially expect. // The reason that this book is a 3.5 out of 5 and not a 4 out of 5, is because I would’ve liked to see more of the mer life and mer culture. I really liked the world building around them that we did get, I just wish we got to see more of it, instead of just humans and land for the majority of the book. Also, I would have liked less mention of mer sex. Like, I like to think I’m a rather sex-positive individual, but mentioning wanting to have mer sex every other page is just waaay too much for a book like this – this wasn’t erotica after all.
Anyway, this book was pretty great. Probably a much better summer read than in the winter, but hey, I still had fun reading it. The rep in this book is good too, and it’s done pretty well. Definitely recommend it if you’re into the genres.