*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book*

While "Out of the Blue" was a cute queer romance it mainly felt artificial and cringey to me. There was too much toxic romcom in this and I also thought that their relationship escalated way too much in too little time. The ending was cute but it was too much fairy tale as well. Side characters are mere sketches, Sean is annoying, and Ross being non-binary could've been presented better.

It was kinda entertaining but many parts just annoyed me.

3 stars

A cute silly rom-com about a non-binary merperson and his romance with a cute lifeguard. Overall, this wasn't a stand-out for me, as the pacing was a little off and I didn't find the romance that compelling. However, it was definitely sweet and fun, and one I'll recommend.

What I loved
-duel POVs!! Splash retelling! Merpeople!
-diverse characters! Sean is gay+fat and Crest is non-binary who uses they/them pronouns
-cute LGBTQ+ romance + fake dating trope
-interesting background of merfolk and enjoyed the lore put into this!

What was just okay
-the scaling…like that whole bathtub scene🙁
-i loved how sex positive Jay’s Gay Agenda was, but there was A LOT of talk of sex in this book and felt like too much for YA

Solid 4 ⭐️ Thanks NetGalley for the ARC🧜‍♂️🧜‍♀️

I wasn't sure about this book when I started it. I couldn't figure out if it was geared toward YA or Adult readers (discussions of sex but not graphic). As I kept reading the tone settled a bit. Teens have intimate relationships and that is touched on, which I appreciate. It reminds me A LOT of Heartstopper. If you love a fake-dating trope with more than a touch of "why don't they just talk to each other" this is the book for you. I enjoyed the journey even if it wasn't a huge page turner for me. Romance isn't my default genre, so obviously, your milage may vary! At the end of it, this is a delightful palate cleanser that adds it's own mythology to the ideas of mermaids (that was probably my favorite part, actually).

I absolutely loved this book! You can’t help but fall in love with the two main characters. Jason June, whose previous book was one of my favorites the year it came out, has done it again with an endearing story of love and family. The story confidently plays with tropes while upending and rewriting them for a more inclusive and 🏳️‍🌈. The ending wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but totally made sense. If you want a contemporary tale of mer-people trying to figure out exactly what is weird about living on land in Los Angeles, then I highly recommend this book,

This was disappointing I was only invested in one of the characters and the constant use of mermaid slang was annoying and made me lose interest. I feel as though this should have been written for a younger age group such as middle grade and take out the sex. It just didn’t feel like a teen novel

Honestly, EXACTLY as described in the best way. I putt off reading this for a day when I knew I would need a pick-me-up and I'm so, SO glad I did because I just lost myself in this sweet story about growing up, mermaids, and my fav trope: Fake dating.

I loved Out of the Blue! The narration was on point and included humor, love, pain, inclusiveness and more! The characters are easy to fall in love with and are drawn into the novel. I love the care the author gave to their world building and their inclusive language and representation of the genderfluid/non binary community.

In Out of the Blue, merpeople have to undergo a “Journey” when they turn 16 years old, where they have to find and selflessly help one human person within a month. At the end of the month, the merperson can choose to return to the Blue, the ocean, or remain on land. Crest is certain that they’ll return to the Blue after their Journey, but after meeting and helping Sean, they aren’t so sure.

Out of the Blue was a cute rom-com-esque story, but it wasn’t ground-breaking. The characters were developed well enough, with Sean being a swimmer and a film enthusiast with dreams of becoming a director and Crest/Ross being the wide-eyed newcomer to the world whose worldview changes after their month on land. Sometimes the characters' motivations changed really abruptly and I was left thinking “oh so that doesn’t bother them anymore?” The main plot of the story resolved really quickly too, and after it did the book was mostly sustained by several miscommunications that weren’t *badly done*, perse, but were a little bit annoying. I think miscommunication is just like that, though.

The representation in this book was really refreshing, which was a point in this book’s favor. Crest is nonbinary and bi/pan, Sean is plus-sized and gay, Kavya was plus-sized and bisexual, and Kavya’s had two moms. The casual bi/pan and nonbinary representation within the mer community was really nice to read about, though some parts felt really pointed and on the nose.

In the end, this was a cute read, but it isn’t something that I’ll be itching to reread. A solid 3.5 out of 5 stars.

really compelling story. great representation of the gender spectrum/gender identity. a very cute queer read.

Trigger Warnings: Break-up, sex, cursing, misgendering, alcohol/drinking, vomit, car crash, depression, mental health facility, cheating, fighting, blood, accident in ocean

Representation: Gay, They/them pronouns, Non-binary, Fat, Mexican-American, Indian-American, Bisexual

Out of the Blue is a YA fantasy romance about Crest and their journey- the month long trip to the land to help a human. Crest is a Mer who is very eager to finish their task and head back to the sea. On land, the lifeguard named Sean who helps Crest out of the water has recently gone through a break-up. Crest, who is going by Ross, vows to help Sean get his ex back by pretending to be his new partner, so that they can finally head back to the Blue.

The gay “It’s a Wonderful Life” meets “Amish in the City” merpeople book we didn’t know we needed! This was another great story from this author. I loved the more in-depth characters and they really proved that high schoolers can exist without their only trait being being whiny. The non-binary representation was great and I loved how Crest even commented about learning of humans’ obsession with gendering everything. And the lack of homophobia/coming out story line was perfect! I loved how confident Sean was despite being fat and how he was a great swimmer! It’s always nice to see fat representation that isn’t all bullying and dieting. And then the Grey’s quote! Dominic is portrayed as the villain but I’m not sure he actually is, especially with the use this infamous line, ugh!

This was definitely another sex positive book but not as steamy as I thought it would be! And I am a romance FAN so this ending sucked! Ok, it didn’t really suck. It was sweet and inspiring, but it wasn’t the happy ending I wanted, so it sucked lol. Another thing I really enjoyed was the maturity of Sean and his desire to find himself rather than become infatuated by young love. His decision at the end of the book, which is consistently supported in the book, made him seem so much wiser than a high schooler. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to a variety of audiences!

Super cute and adorable read. I loved the plus size and lgbtq+ representation in the books solid 4 stars.

Ross and Sean are two lovely leads and I loved their journey. The world of mer people is so well crafted. A well seeming romance with a touch of fantasy is so fun. Ross and Sean growing with one another shines so much in this book. Would recommend anyone who likes a little bit of fun and magic.

This was adorably adorable (just like Jason June to be honest!). The book takes a concept that we see in many cultures—the young person journeys away from home to see what lies beyond them to decide if this is the life they really want to commit to—but makes it fantasy and queer. With diversity of gender and sexuality, race, body types, and the unabashed acceptance of all of these things, Out of the Blue helps everyone realize they are perfect and beautiful just as they are. Our merperson Crest helps his human Sean find out what self-love really means and in the process, Crest begins to understand themself and their purpose in this world—both out of the blue and within it.

A perfect summer read, Out of the Blue is a sex-positive (but not explicitly so), body-positive, queer-affirming book for teen and adult readers who crave seeing themselves in stories, something Jason June and a host of other beautiful LGBTQ+ authors have been helping us do all along.

There are a lot of small goods in this book! I'm a sucker for mer stories, so this was a fun, different take on a typical tale. "Coming of age" means different things for different people. Sometimes it's fine to take a known premise and turn it around to highlight an enterally new audience.

Sean has just gotten dumped by his boyfriend. An aspiring Rom-Com director, this came as an absolute shock and he is now dealing with the aftermath of your ex, leaving you for your ex-best friend.
Crest is a mermaid turned human. Going through the motions of his 'Journey', a mandatory session in which a mermaid must help a human to earn their title as an Elder.
Crest hates humans, and thinks this whole situation is a sham.
Sadly, I didn't get into this as much as I was hoping I would. This cover is so beautiful and as a lover of queer romance and mermaids I thought this would be the perfect book for me! However I found both the protagonists voices more grating than charming.

This was a really cute story. I like how the author weaved the story to show how Shaun and Ross/Crest helped each other grow into better versions of themselves. Of course, they're teens so it's quite dramatic, but they both still showed their mature sides in the end. I love books that incorporate magic into contemporary settings, so this was a really fun read.

Super cute! I love this lighthearted and fun book - it really is the perfect summer read whether you're at the beach, soaking in the pool, or staying indoors. I really like that the main characters defy stereotypes and conventions - Crest/Ross in nonbinary and loves to wear femme clothes and heels; Sean is bigger and hairier than his swim teammates and every bit as fast in the water. Their meet cute is both awkward and hilarious, especially as Ross is newly washed up from the sea and Sean is trying to give him mouth to mouth! From there the plot rolls merrily along like the best movie montage of fake dates, exploring Los Angeles, and shared moments that feel more charged than either Sean or Crest expected. Along with burgeoning feelings, there's plenty of drama, and the looming reality of Crest's return to the Blue at the end of the month. I had no idea how the story would end, and was really pleased with the conclusion!

Any story that starts with a break-up is hard for me to get into, and the rough pool-side split that starts out this novel wasn't any easier to get past. But this is an adorable queer ya tale of a boy and a mermaid. An excellent summer read.

Oh stars! I love this!! The writing is beyond adorable and very realistic. Also, the cover is near perfect. Highly recommend for all YA shelves.