Title: Out of The Blue
Author: Jason June
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 384
Release Date: 31 May 2022
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Hello Fellow Booklovers, welcome to my stop on the TBR and Beyond Tours Blog tour for Out of The Blue where I’ll be sharing my review and mood board. Jason June’s Little Mermaid style contemporary YA was an utterly heartwarming and romantic standalone that I couldn’t put down.
I also wanted to say a huge thank you to TBR & Beyond Tours and HarperTeen for the incredible e-arc.
Synopsis
Crest is not excited to be on their Journey: the monthlong sojourn on land all teen merfolk must undergo. The rules are simple: Help a human within one moon cycle and return to Pacifica to become an Elder–or fail and remain stuck on land forever. Crest is eager to get their Journey over and done with: after all, humans are disgusting. They’ve pollluted the planet so much that there’s a floating island of trash that’s literally the size of a country.
In Los Angeles with a human body and a new name, Crest meets Sean, a human lifeguard whose boyfriend has recently dumped him. Crest agrees to help Sean make his ex jealous and win him back. But as the two spend more time together and Crest’s pespective on humans begins to change, they’ll soon be torn between two worlds. And fake dating just might lead to real feelings…
This sophomore novel from Jason June dives into the many definitions of the world home and shows how love can help us find the truest versions of ourselves.
Review
This heartwarmingly romantic and humorous standalone is a delightfully fun take on The Little Mermaid, which follows non binary Merperson, Crest as they reluctantly embark a rite of passage (called the Journey) that involves living on land for a month and helping a human in need. If they succeed, they can return to the ocean (and become an Elder in their community); if they fail, they’ll be stuck on land forever.
Full of classic and much loved rom-com tropes (fake dating, opposites attract) and every mermaid related pop culture reference you can think of ,Jason June’s sophomore novel is definitely an entertaining read!
The characters were all quite interesting with faults and flaws that made them feel like real people (which I really liked), I loved the chemistry between Sean and Crest and I really enjoyed how their fake dating plan played out. As this is a dual POV following both Crest/Ross and Sean we get a truly front row seat to all of their emotions, insecurities and general romantic angsty-ness. But what really makes Out of the Blue so brilliantly unique, is the way Jason June subverts the clichéd expectations of a rom-com; through Sean and Ross we are given a more realistic and relatable look at the struggles of change that all teenagers face—like I said before the characters are flawed (and just like real people, they make mistakes and less than stellar decisions) but that’s what I found most endearing.
I’m a sucker for a good mermaid story (The Little Mermaid and Splash were playing non-stop at my house growing up) so I was really happy to have found such an enjoyable contemporary based mermaid book (if you know of any others do let me know in the comments), lately they all seem to be dark/epic fantasy’s (which I do enjoy, it’s just really nice to have a lighter more uplifting story for once.)
There’s so many romantic, movie worthy moments with just the right amount of humour that I can definitely see this as a movie (so movie execs, if by some miracle you’re reading this, you have to think about adapting this.)
Overall, this is a really fast paced and sweet contemporary YA with plus sized and LGBTQ+ rep that contemporary rom-com lovers simply must check out!
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
Mood Board
About The Author
You’ve come here wondering, “What is the meaning of life?” Er, I mean, Jason June’s life. Jason June (it’s a two-name first name, like Mary-Kate without the hyphen or the Olsen twin) is a genderqueer writer mermaid who loves to create picture books that mix the flamboyantly whacky with the slightly dark, and young adult contemporary rom-coms full of love and lust and hijinkWhen not writing, JJ zips about Austin, Texas.
He loves dinosaurs, unicorns, Pomeranians, and anything magical that takes you to a different world or time. JJ is a tried and true Laura Dern stan, and he is actively looking for an Andalitefriend. His picture books include WHOBERT WHOVER, OWL DETECTIVE, illustrated by Jess Pauwels, and PORCUPINE CUPID, a queer-inclusive Valentine’s Day story, illustrated by Lori Richmond, both from Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster.
For under-the-sea whimsical adventures, check out the MERMICORN ISLAND chapter book series from Scholastic! And don't miss JAY’S GAY AGENDA, Jason June’s debut YA, queer rom-com, released June 1, 2021 from HarperTeen!
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