I love everything Vera Brosgol does, and then add to that my love of underwater and ocean life!
I loved this story, and I read it in one sitting.
Jane is an extremely dowdy but incredibly brave heroine that I think a lot of readers will empathize with.
Her lot in life is pretty horrendous, but she pushes through her misfortune to make a space for herself.
Self doubt, vanity, inner beauty, and perseverance are themes for this book.
This is storytelling at its best, and I will be promoting this book in my library and beyond!

This is the cutest graphic novel. This would be great for a middle school classroom library. There are so many different old stories that come to life in this book. An ugly girl, a girl that loses her parents and her home, and a boy from town that has eyes for a mermaid that wants to eat him to stay pretty. Jane throughout finds who she really is and begins to stand up for herself. The illustrations are wonderful and make you feel like you are underwater with her. I highly recommend this book!

A wonderful story about a girl named Jane who is shunned by everyone around her for being plain and ugly. After her parents die in an accident she needs to quickly find someone to marry or else she'll be kicked out of her home by her dreaded cousin. She asks a local handsome boy named Peter to marry her but he is quickly snatched up by a mermaid. With the help of a strange old woman in town Jane sets off into the mysterious and dangerous ocean to rescue him.

The story has an engaging plot and wonderful characters. I also really like the illustrations. It's definitely my new favorite read.

5 stars

I love Vera Brosgol's work AND mermaids, so my expectations were bordering on unreasonably high coming into this read; those expectations were easily exceeded!

This graphic novel is magical in every sense. Right at the start, readers learn that Jane's parents have recently passed, and she is now in a difficult situation. She takes immediate and industrious action to improve her lot, but a mermaid goes full Grimms' nixie on her mark. This changes everything! What ensues is a captivating journey of self-love, acceptance, underwater magic, connection, and future potential.

In addition to stunning illustrations and an exciting plot, Jane is such a likeable character, and she's not alone in that. The cast of human and magical characters leave the reader wanting more - versus wanting - and they are all remarkably well drawn (pun intended) considering their relatively minor roles in many cases. My favorite part of this one is the messaging. It's powerful, relatable, and important but without feeling didactic.

I'll be excited to recommend this to my students (and everyone else) not just because it's a beautiful graphic novel but also because it's incredibly moving and an absolutely joyous mashup of fairy tales and lore. This is a TREAT.

I loved this graphic novel. So much.

Vera's illustrations are so beautiful as always. The story was so good and kept me hooked from the start. I dare anyone not to fall in love with Jane!

Vera Brosgol has a real knack for storytelling. Her art is lively and evocative, helping convey the story more than the text does. I liked the inclusion of different sea related mythological creatures. A couple plot points could have been clarified somewhat- I felt confused about her shawl and the fire that scares away the anglerfish, and I think the ending might be a bit too ambiguous for a younger reader. All in all it was a fun story with a good message.

This was a wonderful fairytale-esque story about learning what truly matters in life, while going on one heck of an adventure. Jane was a delightful character, and I loved the unexpected ending.

An underwater folk story that feels like you're watching a movie, with a hint of that studio ghibli charm.

Jane's parents have passed on without a male heir, meaning Jane is about to loose her house and her fortune if she can't find someone to marry. But who would want to marry ugly, fat Jane?

When Jane decides to ask the prettiest boy in town to marry her, he gets snatched by a mermaid and dragged deep under, and it's up to Jane to rescue him. Follows is an underwater adventure stuffed with tricky water gods, beautiful fishy creatures, and a snarky seal that's more than he seems.

Vera Bosgol has such a great art style, after reading so many of her other books, her style has become familiar and comforting to me. She has the ability to make you feel like you're watching an animated movie. The story touches on societal views of beauty and its tie to worth, as well as how others see us versus how we see ourselves.

Thank you to First Second for allowing me tonread this arc in exchange for an honest review.