What did I just read???!!! Langbein takes reads on not one, but TWO wild rides in this witty novel!

A book within a book, English teacher, Penelope, writes a novel that sends her on a journey full of accolades and a film adaptation in the making. This unconventional book takes a “deep dive” into feminism through the eyes of a mermaid named Sylvia. Both Penelope and Sylvia are authentic, quirky, and a pure joy to follow.

American Mermaid is comical, yet thoughtful, magical, yet tender. Langbein is truly a gifted writer who is able to make you laugh, cry, question, affirm, and get lost in two worlds.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC!

Y’all. This book was so much fun!! I loooove books within a book but usually I end up liking one story more than the other. Not with this one. I really enjoyed both, equally, and I love how the ended up mirroring each other! So fun!!

I have also always found mermaids fascinating and this was just such a fun, interesting take! I enjoyed the actual “American Mermaid” segments (so the story within the story) sooo much. Sylvia is an excellent heroine and I loved getting glimpses of her story in the excerpts!

And then the present day bits were fun and hilarious. And honestly a look at why films often don’t match the books they’re based on...

So. I enjoyed this so much and I’m so glad I was able to read it! Highly recommend if you’re also a fan of mermaid/siren stories!

And thank you to NetGalley & Doubleday for allowing me to read this one!

Wow, I can't believe this is a debut novel! I read this shortly before publication and have been thinking about it since. I think it's best to go into this book knowing very little. I will say that it's a book within a book. It combines several genres: Literary (beautiful prose), late coming of age, Hollywood take-down, the writer's life, feminist read, women supporting women, fantasy/dystopian/sci-fi! There are probably more! There is a lot going on in this book. I would like to discuss her best friend in book club!

I hope you enjoy this book as much as I have. I will be watching for the next book from Ms. Langbein!

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eBook copy to read for review. #AmericanMermaid, #JuliaLangbein

I was drawn in by both the cover and the synopsis of AMERICAN MERMAID: "A brilliantly funny debut novel that follows a writer lured to Los Angeles to adapt her feminist mermaid novel into a big-budget action film, who believes her heroine has come to life to take revenge for Hollywood's violations."

I love the premise. You don't have to convince me that a sleeper book can become a bestseller, and the resulting adaptation may stray far from the source material (especially in ways seen as more commercial). I also enjoy reading about women whose careers are a major focus.

But something's just not clicking for me with this one. It might be the casually ableist language, which I'm not convinced is always intended as satirical. Or the muddled discussion of women's sexual desire. Or the humor not landing, like the comments around breast reconstruction (rather than remotely funny, they just struck me as judge-y and kind of mean toward other women).

Maybe my curiosity in where the story's headed will reignite, but setting this one down for the time being. DNF at 21% (Still, big thanks to the publisher for granting me access to the e-arc.)

Penelope Schleeman is a high school teacher from Connecticut who has recently had success with her bestseller debut novel “American Mermaid” about Sylvia, a wheelchair bound woman who discovers that she was born a mermaid. When Penelope is approached with the opportunity to have her book be adapted to a screenplay for a movie she heads to L.A. to help two writers rewrite the story to fit the big screen. When she arrives, she is faced with these writers trying to completely rewrite her story and what it stands for, turning her book into the complete opposite of its meaning. When the screen writers plan to kill off sylvia for dramatic cinematic effect, Penelope begins to notice strange things start to happen in real life similar to the book that make her think the impossible.



This book was one strange and wild ride. I enjoyed how the book goes back and forth between present real world time and experts from Penelope’s novel. I like how you have a book within a book and how you see the development of two female characters and how their situations are different yet at the same time very similar. I was super invested in Sylvia’s story, it was reading as a story completely on it’s own and it was fun to sort of read a book within a book. The humor in this one however, was a bit of a miss for me. The writing at times was also a bit confusing, the two stories have different writing styles, the style coming from Penelope’s POV was a little hectic and all over the place at times and was hard for me to connect with. Overall, I really enjoyed the idea of this story, I do believe that this is a book that won’t be everybody’s cup of tea but it was very interesting and unique. Thank you so much to NetGAlley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion. This title is now available to purchase.

A story within a story about a high school English teacher that writes a bestseller that gets turned into a motion picture. Told in alternating chapters, the first being the author's journey and the second being her book. I found both stories to be interesting, but I do understand other reviewers opinions of being unable to finish. The mermaid aspect appealed to me which made it easier to stay interested.

A book within a book trope, with a teacher as the main character. I was sold from the start! This book sort of reminded me of the Steve Martin movie, Roxanne. Have you seen that?
Penelope, a high school teacher who doesn't make nearly enough money (sigh - the truth of all us teachers), has written a book, which gets published. She writes the story of Sylvia, a mermaid made by human scientists, and tells the story of her life from infancy to her provocative teenage years. Penelope's book gets sold to a Hollywood agency, and her world changes profoundly. She leaves her quiet Connecticut teaching life, and heads to busy LA . Soon enough, Penelope's world seems to spiral as Sylvia's takes on a whole new life.
This book was fantastic and I cannot recommend it enough!

DNF at 40%. I was drawn in by the premise - loved the concept of an author writing a bestselling novel and then being involved in developing the screenplay and fighting to keep the fierce feminist aspects in the story. However so far the synopsis that sold me on the story is much better than the actual story. It’s told in alternating chapters between the author working on the screenplay and going into the actual book. I’m not sure if it would have worked better without the book within a book aspect but this wasn’t for me. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance reading copy.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This was a very unique read. I really enjoyed the writing style and the characters were well developed.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

I really enjoyed this one even though it's far from my usual kind of read. An interesting blend of things with a quippy enough writing style. Will keep an eye out for what this author does next.

Take one part feminist novel, add in a Hollywood backdrop, mix well. add a big dose of humor and stir in a mermaid for a delightful new novel by a debut author. Julia Langbein's American Mermaid is different from other books that I've read and that's part of what makes it such a good read. Penelope and Sylvia's story made for an entertaining read on the beach and I look forward to the next book by Julia Langbein.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advance copy of American Mermaid in exchange for an honest review. It is on sale now.

I haven't read a book like this ever, which is probably one of the best things about it. An English teacher named Penelope has a surprising hit in her novel American Mermaid. She moves to LA while the novel gets worked into an action flick. The chapters rotate between what is happening to Penelope and what happens in the novel. Both storylines are so bizarre, but it makes sense in Hollywood because everything is slightly unbelievable there. You just have to go with it in order to fall into this book. The mermaid is found by humans, is forced into surgery to turn her tail into legs, and tries to die by suicide because of all the trauma she has undergone. Meanwhile, Penelope is living the surreal life of ridiculous LA people who completely change the story for her sad novel. I am not sure what this novel is about because it's a little bit about everything. As long as you're ok with some absurdity and darkness, and sort of mythic storytelling, you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book.

This was a very unique read and interesting. I got a little bogged down in places but it picked back up for me. Clever plot.
Many thanks to Doubleday and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This one wound up being a DNF for me. (Since Netgalley requires a rating, I always give DNFs three stars to keep my rating from skewing the average - I don't think it's fair to give a rating on a book I didn't finish.) I got a kick out of the MC for the most part, but she kind of wore on me by the middle. I also was curious about her book, which alternated with her POVs. But for some reason I just wasn't compelled to pick this up when I had time to read. Since I wasn't excited about it, I wound up moving on to other books and, after weeks of having it listed as Currently Reading, finally decided to call it quits and officially DNF.

If you’re looking for a book that’s a little bizarre, incredibly unique, very smart, and tons of fun, might I suggest AMERICAN MERMAID by Julia Langbein?

Penelope, a broke teacher, finds her life forever changed when her debut novel about a scientist in a wheelchair who discovers her legs are actually part of a mermaid tail, hits it big. She quits her job and heads to Los Angeles to adapt the novel into a film. The issue? She’s forced to work with a team who are determined to morph her sensitive and thoughtful novel into a big-budget action film. As the writing process progresses, things begin to go awry, and Penelope can’t help but wonder if her main character has actually come to life.

I mean, how utterly bonkers and original is that premise? I was hooked from the start! This is truly one of the most unique books I’ve read in a loooong time, and I really enjoyed it! It’s genre-bending in the best way. There’s some really clever usage of the book within a book plot device (I normally don’t love this, but it was really effective in here!). The entire book is really creative — I normally prefer my books to be rooted in reality, but the mermaid potentially coming to life plot line was super smart and really engaging, even for this skeptic.

Where this book really shone for me was in the way Langbein was able to weave in commentary about feminism, women in media/Hollywood, and climate change. It read like a natural extension of the story, and never felt heavy-handed. The writing is really strong in here. Langbein is hilarious, and the book is peppered with some fantastic one-liners. I also particularly enjoyed the behind the scenes look at writing a screenplay, and loved the Hollywood details and the cleverly stereotypical characters.

There’s a lot going on in here, and there were a few areas where I would have liked a bit more balance and cohesion between Penelope and Sylvia’s storylines. Otherwise, this was a super strong debut!

4.5 stars

I guess I like the weird ones.

Because "American Mermaid" is just that – weird, offbeat, quirky.

And it’s a stellar debut. Julia Langbein has written a novel that shines with uniqueness and creativity.

The best part about it – we get two books in one. The first book being the story of Penelope, a high school teacher who has struck gold with her debut novel, "American Mermaid." When the novel hits the bestseller list, Penelope soon finds herself leaving her quiet Connecticut life behind for the sparkle of Hollywood and the opportunity to co-write the "American Mermaid" screenplay for a major studio.

The second book is Penelope’s novel, "American Mermaid," excerpts from which are interspersed within the main narrative thread featuring Penelope. This is where we meet Penelope's beloved protagonist, Sylvia, a young woman who, after spending her entire life in a wheelchair, discovers that her useless legs are the remnants of a mermaid tail.

Writing a book within a book is no easy feat, but Langbein pulls it off flawlessly. Penelope and Sylvia’s stories parallel and intersect in such interesting ways, and I really don’t know which story I enjoyed more.

But what will make "American Mermaid" a tough sell for some readers is the writing. It’s cerebral and not very straightforward, making it difficult to glean Langbein’s meaning from her prose.

On top of that, the story is tinged with both fantasy and sci-fi while being written with a feminist and satirical bent. Langbein also incorporates a dark, biting, and often ridiculous humor into the narrative, and while all of this is a huge plus for me, others may not be as enamored with such a mélange.

For this reader, though, "American Mermaid" is a perfect fit. The comedy of it, the absurdity of it, the originality of it – I just loved it.


My sincerest appreciation to Julia Langbein, Doubleday Books, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions included herein are my own.

American Mermaid was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023. This debut novel is about how far we are willing to go to protect ourselves from truly selling out. Penelope has written a feminist novel, also titled American Mermaid and Hollywood is clamoring to turn it into a movie...but at a huge cost. But in a way the screenplay starts to enact its revenge much in the same way the siren leads a sailor into the depths of danger. This is an entertaining read and for those looking for a satiric take on the movie industry, this is for you!

Penelope is a high school teacher turned writer who has moved from Connecticut to LA to turn her book into a movie. She has a troubled relationship with her family and her mermaid has an evil father. Penelope and Sylvia’s story mash together in this novel within a novel. As the story unfolds, both in Penelope’s real work and Sylvia’s fictional world, weird things start to happen in LA. Penelope begins to question if Sylvia may have jumped out of her story to tell a story of her own.

I’m not sure I like the premise of a story within a story. I found this book slow and a little hard to follow. I felt that Penelope’s story was a bit odd and disjointed. Sylvia’s story was a bit more exciting and in all honesty, I think I would have enjoyed simply reading Sylvia’s story instead. I liked the environmental tie in of global warming but the rest may have been a bit too far fetched for me.

Penelope, a high school teacher in Connecticut, is surprised when her feminist fantasy mermaid novel suddenly goes viral. She quits her job and moves to Los Angeles to help adapt the novel into a film.

As she slowly loses control of the project and watches her story dissolve into a shadow of what it once was, Penelope also loses her grip on reality believing that the protagonist from her story is manipulating her work in real life.

The narrative switches back and forth from Penelope’s reality and her story. This was a very cool concept in theory, but I did not love the execution. I found myself dreading the chapters from her novel, and ultimately I was just dreading the entire story.

The ending was so unsatisfying for me, but I guess that was probably the point. Sometimes life (and books) are unsatisfying.