ALA Booklist (Sat May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid" meets Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (2005) in this frothy romantic fantasy. Lily may look like a run-of-the-mill high-school student, but she is actually the mermaid heir to the throne of the ocean kingdom of Thalassinia. Half human, Lily is able to maintain her bipeds in order to snag a human beau, who will then turn into a merman to rule by her side with a single kiss. She has her fins set on champion swimmer Brody. But when Lily accidentally busses bad-boy biker Quince instead, she moves heaven and sea in an attempt to swim off into the sunset with her first crush as planned. But it isn't long before the scales fall from her eyes, and she realizes which boy truly loves her, tail and all. Full of fishy expressions ("Son of a swordfish!"), mermaid lore, and breathless, underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teen and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer.

Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Lily is half human and half mermaid-princess, daughter of the Sea King. She's been living on land for three years, pretending to be an average high school student. Though she has a huge crush on gorgeous fellow student Brody, her irritating neighbor, Quince, has other ideas about her dating life. This light-as-air read will keep readers turning pages.

Kirkus Reviews

Imaginative sea-mythology elements help perk up the formulaic boy-crazy plot in Childs's bubbly novel. At 17, Thalassinian mermaid Lily has been landlubbing for the last three years at Seaview High School on the Florida coast in an effort to feel more connected to her mother, a "terraped," who died shortly after Lily's birth. Now in line for succession to her father's underwater throne on Thalassinia, Lily first has to "bond" with a life mate before her imminent 18th birthday, yet her unwavering choice, swim-team star Brody Bennett, doesn't notice her. However, Lily's annoying, motorcycle-riding next-door neighbor, Quince Fletcher (who can't even swim), adores her quirkiness, and the novel becomes a rather predicable exercise in convincing the stubborn heroine who's best for her. Quince indulges in some troubling importunate antics (restraining Lily in the bathroom, waylaying her for a forceful kiss in the library), and Lily is drawn as a vacillating, stomping-around character in transition. Still, details delineating the kingdom of Thalassinia and Lily's ability to move gracefully between sea and land are nicely inventive and well worth a plunge. (Fantasy/chick-lit. 12 & up)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Seventeen-year-old Lily is not like the other girls at her high school%E2%80%94indistinguishable from humans in her two-legged form, she%E2%80%99s secretly a half-human, half-mermaid princess from the undersea kingdom of Thalassina. Lily has been obsessed with swimming star Brody for three years, and the time has come to tell him how she feels, reveal her secret, and take him to live with her under the sea as her bonded mermate. Unfortunately, a surprise kiss from her next-door nemesis, Quince, bonds them together instead. There%E2%80%99s only one way out: take Quince to Thalassinia and beg her father to break the attachment before it becomes permanent. But Quince secretly loves Lily and has one week to convince Lily not to let him go. Childs%E2%80%99s (Goddess Boot Camp) effervescent storytelling conveys the delicate tension of first love, and her characters are sympathetic and charming; Lily%E2%80%99s frequent aquatic exclamations (%E2%80%9CSpeak of the devilfish%E2%80%9D) are indicative of the book%E2%80%99s brand of humor. This sweet mix of magic, romance, and teen drama will leave readers satisfied, even as they hope Quince and Lily%E2%80%99s story will continue. Ages 12%E2%80%93up. (June)

School Library Journal (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

Gr 6-10 Lily, 17, is a mermaid princess living on land and attending a high school where no one knows her real identity. She needs to find a mate before she turns 18 in order to inherit the throne. Her big crush on Brody is going nowhere until her obnoxious neighbor, Quince, intervenes. A surprise kiss from the wrong boy leads to a tidal wave of unexpected consequences. In this lighthearted and mostly enjoyable novel, Childs stretches the relationship drama out perhaps a little too long for impatient readers, but the end result is sweet and satisfying. The ending hints of more mermaid tales to come. Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD

Voice of Youth Advocates

Lily has loved Brody for three years, and is determined finally to do something about it—if only Quince, her annoying Brad Pitt-look-a-like neighbor, will stop interfering. The last straw is when Lily plans to meet Brody one night, but Quince shows up. Unfortunately, Lily does not discover this until she and Quince have shared a soul-searing kiss…and activated a magical bond because, although Lily looks human, she is a mermaid, and mermaids bond for life. Now the pair must swim to Lily’s undersea kingdom, Thalassinia, so her father (the king) can perform a separation. Strangely, though,she is reluctant to dissolve the bond-—as is Quince. As Quince and Lily bicker their way through Thalassinia, high school, and the archaic trials Lily’s father requires, will Lily finally see what everyone else does? This squeaky-clean romance is Hannah Montana- meets-The Little Mermaid-meets -Sweet Valley High—with decidedly mixed results. Its overabundance of cheesy sea references (“He scared the carp out of me”) and even cheesier ocean-equivalencies (“finkinis”) would better fit a book for younger readers. Characters and motivations are about as deep as a tide pool, convenient mermaid powers and restrictions abound, and the ending is blindingly obvious from page one. Thalassinia, although beautifully described, is a sanitized idyll straight out of Disney. Nevertheless, young girls who love princesses, mermaids, and fluffy romances will drink it up.— Rebecca Moore.

Childs presents well-worn and potentially clichéd themes—hidden royal identities, life-bonds, and falling for the boy next door—with refreshing humor and originality. Light and engaging, the novel reads easily, marred only occasionally by implausible, contrived situations, such as the resolution to Lily’s obsessive crush on Brody. Loose ends are tied a bit too neatly, but, overall, the story makes for a diverting, fun read and will likely appeal to its young adult audience. 3Q 4P.— Serena Liu, Teen Reviewer.