I see myself too, an urchin of seven with too much hair, whirling on the beach, the sky overhead blurring blue and white. Then I shake myself. This happens all the time. Anyone who has lost somebody they love has experienced it—the head in the crowd on a busy street, the person at the grocery story who moves just like her. The rush to catch up, so relieved that she is actually still alive . . . After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who'd become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.

The resemblance between the woman in the video and her sister is uncanny – she has to be Josie. But for the two sisters to reunite, there's no other way than to dig up entombed secrets and to face a devastating truth that has separated them for a long time. Regaining their relationship might mean losing everything for them both. Is their bond enough to take the risk?From the author of The Art of Inheriting Secretscomes an emotional new tale of two sisters, an ocean of lies, and a search for the truth. Barbara O’Neal is the author of twelve novels of women’s fiction, including The Art of Inheriting Secrets, How to Bake a Perfect Life, and The All You Can Dream Buffet. Her award-winning books have been published in more than a dozen countries, including France, England, Poland, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Germany, and Brazil. She lives in the beautiful city of Colorado Springs with her beloved, a British endurance athlete who vows he’ll never lose his accent. So much wasted potential. Fair warning, I did not enjoy this book. (I don't think there's spoilers but proceed at risk) Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love."

Without spoiling too much, the story shows how two sisters can overcome the difficulties of a dysfunctional family and environment…and survive or even grow later in their lives. In the end, it does include a healthy dose of forgiveness and redemption, leaving us with the satisfying ending most readers desire. Another distraction is an old house on an overlook that Mari’s husband (another uninteresting character) buys for her as a surprise. The house carries a secret related to a death/murder that happened long ago, one we are told about later in the story. There is also a great deal of time spent describing this house. The whole set-up has nothing to do with the main story. If it were left out, the main story would carry on without impact.But, as the past began to merge with the present and the fragmented pieces of all the relationships began to form a cohesive unit, I warmed up to Javier a bit more, and absolutely loved the way the story came together in the end. To that end, she travels to New Zealand, where her search will lead to a host of startling revelations and will change forever her perceptions of the past, the present, of her family, and of herself… I go limp, holding my breath, letting the water suds me. Resistance will break you. Kill you. The only way to survive is to let go. The world swirls, up and down, around, for endless moments. After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives. Stopping by my tiny Santa Cruz house, 1,350 square feet on the edge of an almost-not-great neighborhood, I scramble into my wet suit, feed the worst cat in the world his half can of wet food, and make sure to move my fingers around in his kibble. He purrs his thanks, and I pull his tail gently. “Try not to pee on anything too important, huh?”

Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything. In more skilled hands, the dual tone of this story could have made for a heart-breaking and emotive piece, something that made you recoil in horror from their grim childhood but empathise with the women they became as a result. Quite frankly I didn’t really care if either of them got a happy ending. They were boring characters who need to go to therapy asap, not go on a magical mystery tour down memory lane. The emotional journey that “When We Believed in Mermaids” takes its readers on is one of its most powerful aspects. The story is filled with heart-wrenching moments that tug at the heartstrings. However, it also offers moments of hope, healing, and reconciliation, making it a deeply moving read. Critical Reception Boomer Lit, boomer novels, short stories, memoirs and more are here: a new genre. Let's talk about it! It would have been better if Kit was getting swept up with her boyfriend after putting a bit more effort into finding her sister, like coming against dead ends while actually trying to solve the mystery... instead of just going on (the author's) whole "Eat, Pray, Love" fantasy. How she winds up finding her is just boring as well and certainly not even worth the dramatic build up. Nothing satisfying here.

The Emotional Journey

Overall, this was a wonderful, very engrossing story, with strong themes of familial love, forgiveness, and redemption. It’s also a story about finding inner strength, owning one’s mistakes, resilience, personal growth and love’s power to heal broken relationships. While there are some serious issues explored in this novel, ultimately, it is an uplifting, satisfying book, and I’m glad I finally got around to reading it. If you’re a fan of emotional, character-driven narratives with richly drawn characters and a plot that keeps you hooked till the end, “When We Believed in Mermaids” is a must-read. This novel is a perfect choice for book clubs, as it offers plenty of material for discussion. Final Thoughts It also hasn’t been in the library since then, so you can imagine how I felt when it landed as a donation in my Little Free Library Shed! Yes, ecstatic! And they are badass. Solid nine feet, with a gorgeous glassy curl that’s much rarer than people think. I paddle out and wait my turn, catch the line, and leap to my feet to ride right on the edge. This is the instant I live for, that moment when nothing else is in my head. Nothing can be. It’s me and the water and the sky, the sound of the rippling surf. The sound of my breath. The edge of the board slipping along the water, cold over my ankles even in booties. Ice-cold. Perfect balance, shivering, hair slapping my cheek. When we are young, we believe in the impossible. It is built into us. And as we grow older, the childhood glasses come off and we are faced with harsh realities and painful truths. When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal tells us of two sisters torn apart by years of tragedy and loss – shifting viewpoint from one girl to the other throughout the novel – coming together as a truly beautiful story. Certain parts are very difficult to get through (a young girl is sexually assaulted on more than one occasion) but this is one that is definitely worth reading.