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

When 17-year-old Sam accompanies his older brother and increasingly distracted father to a washed-out beach town for the summer, after his mother inexplicably bails on the family, he expects to spend long hours watching The Price Is Right. What he doesn-t expect are legions of gorgeous, though somehow strange blonde -Girls- (as Sam thinks of them) all eyeing him like he-s, well, special. After Sam meets and feels an instant connection with one of the Girls, DeeDee, the summer takes a crazy turn. Madison gives Sam-s voice the perfect blend of sardonic sharpness and teenage uncertainty. Though the story abounds with lustful groping, alcohol-drenched parties, and profane guy-talk, moments of insight sneak up, too, like when Sam realizes that he loves his mother despite her wanderings or that his brother, though not pedestal-worthy, is an okay guy. Madison maintains the same hazy, syrupy languidness that distinguished The Blonde of the Joke, giving summer days at the shore the same sort of mythological heft the fluorescent American mall possessed in his previous book.

Horn Book

Sam and his older brother are spending the summer in an Outer Banks beach town. Mysteriously, beautiful girls are everywhere; and mysteriously, they all stare at Sam. Eventually, Sam learns about a fantastical legend and curse he can break...if he's willing to lose his virginity. Sam's dry wit makes for an engaging narrative voice, elevating this otherwise average mermaid tale.

Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review Last winter, Sam's mother ran away into "something called Women's Land," leaving his father first catatonic, then weirdly proactive and involved in Sam's life. When Sam's brother returns from college, their father takes them to a beach town that appears to be run by beautiful blonde young women, whose accents are unplaceable and exotic. These Girls (with a capital G) seem bound by unknowable rules. Out of all these mysterious women, Sam finds DeeDee, who, like him, understands betrayal and parental abandonment but on a level that even he can't fathom. Split between Sam's observations of the events and passages from the Girls' collective attempts to explain their dramatic and confused origin ("First we are alone. We're not sure how we find one another, but we do. Then we are still alone, but in the way sardines are alone."), Madison's novel offers up a feast of mythology and human nature. The author nimbly exercises Sam's running-monologue narration, with raunchy, sarcastic sentences and oddly vulnerable bro-speak weave with ethereal, spellbinding descriptions of love, scenery, or epiphany. This command of language, both informal and beautiful, lifts the work from a basic boy-meets-fantastical creature tale to something both familiar and tragically moving. This isn't just a supernatural beach read; it's a rare and lovely novel, deserving of attention from discriminating readers.

School Library Journal Starred Review

Gr 10 Up-Before the school year is even completely over, Sam's dad quits his job and takes the 17-year-old and his older brother, who's home from college, to a sleepy Outer Banks beach town for the summer. Sam's mom left abruptly months earlier and the three are still reeling from her sudden departure. Ensconced in a rundown rental, the boys spend the summer partying, swimming, and trying to get to know the beautiful, blond, ephemeral-looking girls who seem to be everywhere in town. There's something odd about them; for one thing they can't take their eyes off Sam-which is not a problem he's used to. It turns out that he holds the key to unlocking the curse that has been cast upon the lovely young women. Well, he can help one of them at least. Legends of mermaids, magic, and curses coupled with teenage lust and in-your-face raunchy lingo (including myriad derogatory references to girls and sexual innuendos) make this a unique attempt to combine seemingly disparate elements. This novel is Hans Christian Andersen's "Little Mermaid" meets modern teenage angst. Sam's voice rings true and is quite compelling as he copes with his mother's abandonment and his first forays into love. A fairy tale for a decidedly older audience.— Ragan O'Malley, Saint Ann's School, Brooklyn, NY