Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs - Review

Synopsis via goodreads:

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.

The last time I read or saw anything to do with mermaids was when my daughter became obsessed with The Little Mermaid when she was 2, sadly that obsession did not last nearly long enough for this old mom, and by the time she was in Kindergarten the beloved tail of The Little Mermaid died out, along with several other things she held dear as a child, before school, and peer pressure all started. But, alas I am getting off track...

Forgive My Fins is nothing like the beloved tail of The Little Mermaid but on one level I can compare the two, Forgive My Fins has the same heart written with in it's pages that I felt while watching the movie, so many years ago. I curled up with this novel, much like I did watching the movie, so many years ago with that little girl I sometimes wish I could get back.

Forgive My Fins is sassy and smart, it's a predictable, love story with interesting characters that swim off the page to eagerly greet you. It's, well it's, bubbly and light for lack of better words! Tera Lynn Childs has created a world unlike any other I have encountered, I felt just like I did while watching The Little Mermaid – the pictures that Tera brought to life, though worlds different, thankfully, than those I saw in The Little Mermaid, leap off the page so it's almost like you ARE watching a movie! I just adored her descriptions of this underwater dynasty!

As for the characters, I adored Lily and Quincy is a seemingly bad boy, who shows all heart. Their chemistry is amazing and though at times I wanted to slap Lily for being so selfish, once it was all said and done it was wonderful to see how much she grew and came into herself, finding true love can set bonds in place that nothing can replace and when you forge a bond with someone who may actually understand you even better than you understand yourself; know you better than you know yourself; it's a match made in Thalassinian.

Bottom Line – Cute, Sassy, Smart, Bright and Lovely are all words I would use to describe Forgive My Fins, it's got everything going for it to make it one of the best reads to bring along to a summer on the beach! I can only assume there will be a sequel, and I can't wait to reenter the world that Tera created! I give Forgive My Fins 4 mushrooms and can't wait for more!

Forgive My Fins
By: Tear Lynn Childs
320 Pages
Published: May 19, 2010
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books