Book:  Sea Change
Author:  Aimee Friedman
Published:  June 1, 2009 from Point
My edition/number of pages:  ARC/292

Age group:  Young adult
Source:  Publisher
Series?:  No.

16-year-old Miranda Merchant is great at science…and not so great with boys. After major drama with her boyfriend and (now ex) best friend, she’s happy to spend the summer on small, mysterious Selkie Island, helping her mother sort out her late grandmother’s estate.

There, Miranda finds new friends and an island with a mysterious, mystical history, presenting her with facts her logical, scientific mind can’t make sense of. She also meets Leo, who challenges everything she thought she knew about boys, friendship…and reality.

Is Leo hiding something? Or is he something that she never could have imagined?

Sea Change is the perfect summer read.  I had a feeling it might be but after actually reading it, I am certain.  It has everything you could possibly want in a summer read.  There’s romance, mystery, mermaid lore, and so much more.  It’s a quick easy read and the perfect book to laze by the pool with.

Miranda Merchant had plans for the summer.  She was going to be interning at The Museum Of Natural History in New York City.  It was her dream internship.  She couldn’t wait.  But plans changed.  When her grandmother, Isadora, died, she left the summer house on Selkie Island to Miranda’s mom.  Her mom wants to sell the house but it has to be cleaned out first and it can’t be done alone.  Miranda defers her internship and meets up with her mom on the island.  At first, it’s unbearable but then she meets Leo, a local boy who seems to be hiding a secret.  Could the legends of Selkie Island really be true?  And could Leo be one of those legends?

First off, I just want to say how much I love mermaid stories.  I always have and I probably always will.  Sea Change didn’t actually have a lot to do with mermaids, more with the start of the legends of them on Selkie Island.  I was actually okay with that.  I liked the mystery behind the story, not knowing who might be a mermaid and if the legends were even true.  It was fun to try and figure everything out.

The characters were kind of blah for me.  Miranda was a little whiny at first but she did grow out of that as the book progressed.  She also seemed naive at some parts of the book.  She automatically trusted Leo and I don’t know if I would do that or if anyone would.  Their relationship went super fast and I didn’t think it was very realistic.  It’s almost like the book would have been too long if their relationship had gone on a normal course.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved Leo.  He was mysterious but sweet at the same time.  He had just a hint of bad boy to him and I liked that he drew Miranda out of her shell.  They were great together but there were some little flaws with them.

Overall, Sea Change is a great tale of romance and mystery.  My absolute favorite type of books are ones that keep me guessing and Sea Change did just that.  If you haven’t already read this one, add it to your list.  Aimee Friedman is one of my favorite authors and Sea Change just proves why.

First line:  The waiting ferryboat–ivory-colored and two-tiered–resembled a slice of cake.

Writing:  5

Characters:  4

Plot:  4

Ending:  4

Originality:  5

Overall:  22=B+

Cover:  5=A++ (It’s absolutely gorgeous!)