I will start by saying that I am a huge fan of retellings. So as you can imagine when I saw that this was a twist on the Little Mermaid I had to read it.

But first off since it isn't in the book description but it is written as a warning in the book, the trigger warnings are as follows: suicide, self-harm, emotional abuse, anxiety, depression, PTSD, eating disorders and unwanted advances. I just want to clarify that Sara Ella did an amazing way and handled all of these with great care and sensitivity. That being said it is still a heavy story and is written to impact people.

This is a modern day Little Mermaid that is told through multiple POV's where each character struggles with a mental illness. Coral lost her sister to Red Tide and sets out to find the Prince she blames for her sisters death. Merrick is a young man who is fighting with his father to keep his sister out of a treatment center after she tries to commit suicide. He kidnaps her so she doesn't have to go to the treatment center. Finally there is Brooke who is the hardest of the three to decipher. She is a resident of the treatment center and is getting treated for depression and anxiety. These stories all run parallel to each other but in the end when they all intertwine it is truly a powerful moment,

This was a very interesting retelling of the little mermaid. The story was good, but a bit too confusing for me throughout. I spent more time trying to keep things straight rather than enjoying the story. It did have some very relevant topics that were addressed and I liked that a lot. 3 🌟. Thank you NetGalley for the early review copy.

Give me all the mermaids! This book was one of my favorites. I loved the imperfect characters that Ella created and had a hard time putting this book down!

I received a free copy from NetGalley. This book comes with a trigger warning because it deals with so many everyday issues. I'm so glad mental health is being talked about more. I figured out something long before the author stated it and it made the timeline difficult to follow as a result of assuming it earlier in the story. Defiantly a good attempt at a story of depression and suicide from several perspectives.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

DID NOT FINISH this novel, I got a little less than half way and I could just not continue. This novel does not at all seem/feel like a Little Mermaid retelling, rather, it seems like an allegory for depression and frankly, it seems to be idealizing suicide. Or at least hinting at idealizing it and I just cannot in good conscience continue. I work in the mental health field, I work with people who have attempted suicide or want to and I have had prior clients who completed it. I do not appreciate at all a novel that is geared for teens and seems to idealize it. This is not what that population needs to hear.

This book. Wow, I'm not even sure I can put in words how my reading experience went. First let me start by saying this was a difficult read. Perhaps the hardest book I've ever read emotionally. There is a lot of mental health issues that are addressed here - and kudos to Sara Ella for going above and beyond by listing them before you even get to the first chapter. There are some dark moments in this book, I am not going to sugar coat it. And yet, I couldn't stop reading. The characters kept calling me, inviting me back into their world. I found myself drawn to them, even on an emotional level, which is why it was so very hard for me to read. Thankfully none of these issues are triggers for me, but I know they can be for others. So I suggest reading with extreme caution. But if you're like me, I think it will open your eyes to so many things you never even thought about before. And that, perhaps, is what I liked most about this book.

Sara Ella poured her heart and soul into this book. It is very evident by the depth, the emotion, and the willingness to write about such difficult topics. Kudos to her for bring these issues to light. Not a lot of authors decide to go this route, and/or I feel like they moreso glorify suicide (not done here at all in my opinion) when they do, which I am strongly against. Instead, while reading Coral I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what happens to people struggling with mental health. You see the good, the bad, and the ugly. It wasn't rainbows and unicorns, and it certainly wasn't fluffy. What was it then you ask? Real. Authentic. Thought provoking. Eye opening. And dare I say even a teeny bit hopeful.

The characters were so creatively written that it really took me awhile to understand how they were all going to connect. And I did have a few surprises as Ella clarified this, ones that I felt I should have been more aware of and able to figure out, but I just wasn't. While I read the last few chapters of the book, I found myself looking back and putting all the pieces together. I kind of understood the characters a little better too once all this came together. One thing I missed was perhaps a prologue that showed the characters maybe five years down the road. But the truth is, maybe we aren't meant to see it. Maybe we're just supposed to imagine the possibilities in our own minds, and give these characters the ending we want them to have.

Again I cannot stress enough that this book was not for everyone. But it touched me in ways I still don't understand, and I am so very happy that I read it. I received a complimentary copy of this book, and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book had a hard time keeping my attention.

Based on the description I thought I would read this book very quickly. But I found that I wasn't interested in the characters.

I requested this ARC months ago and then fell into a horrible slump where I read nothing for months. Then I only read thriller for months. I finally decided to give this one and try and I really enjoyed it. I requested it based on the cover alone. Hoping for a modern day retelling of The Little Mermaid. And while it is, it is SO much more. This book follows multiple characters with depression and suicidal tendencies and lets you see what it’s like to live with and navigate life with a mental disorder. It’s raw and real and emotional and I sincerely appreciate the depth the author goes.

I absolutely adored reading this book! The characters and the world building were superb! I cant wait to continue reading more about these characters.
Thank you so much NetGalley for this arc!

This book first of all deals with suicide, self harm, depression, and anxiety. It talks about these mental health issues in an interesting way. The author puts a note in the beginning for these triggers and also states "you are seen, you are loved, you are not alone"

Coral is a mermaid who lost her older sister to the Disease. She wants to escape her world and with the help of her grandmother, does.
Brooke is a girl living in a group therapy home with her own depression and tries to end it all. She's saved by a boy.
Merrick is a rich boy who wants for nothing... Except to get him and his sister, who's already tried to end her life, away from their seemingly uncaring and uncontrolling father. They also have their mother who abanfons them-thing that was best.

The three lives are intertwined throughout the novel. I admit it took me a long while to get how they were but it became clearer and clearer as the story goes on. It all comes together with all 3 helping each other in ways they never thought possible. Very well done.

in a world where humanity almost seems lost a little mermaid retailing is the perfect mix of mischief and mayhem to settle all lovers of the classic disney movie

Beautifully written, captivating and heartbreaking are 3 ways I'd sum up this book. An interesting take on mental illness. I went into this only knowing that it's a Little Mermaid retelling, and discusses mental health. And I really do recommend going into it knowing just that! (However I will list some trigger warnings at the bottom of this in case you want to know. I really appreciated the content warning note from the author at the start of the book also!) This book had so many twists and turns that genuinely shocked me! I had to put it down a few times and was like "what just happened?!". I think I'd like to reread this in the future just so I can fully grasp those plot twists, because I did feel a little confused a couple of times towards the end. Sara Ella's writing is beautiful and I can't wait to read more of her work.
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*Trigger Warnings: self harm, suicide and suicidal thoughts, death of a loved one, depression, anxiety, and possibly more.
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Thank you to @netgalley & Thomas Nelson for the review copy! #coral #netgalley
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The mental illness in this book is covered very well and was very realistic. I loved the characters and the plot. However, I did spend a good chunk of this book confused about the timeline.

This book has a beauty to it that I didn't quite expect. I'm glad I was able to give it a read, and it sticks with you after you put it down.

I started the book excited about the premise, but quickly felt bored and disinterested with the characters. I DNF'd this title 3 chapter into it.

I tried reading this book. Unfortunately, I get like the writing was all over the place. I was unable to fully appreciate this story and hope when I try it again, I’m able too.

‘There is more than one way to drown’.
Coral is a reimagining of The Little Mermaid. It is told from three perspectives and has an undercurrent of mental health. It started strongly but I felt the story thread from Coral’s became confused. And as it went on the whole story became a little confused. It lost its way for me. I feel it may be for a younger audience than myself, as had some definite American YA aspects to it. I did struggle to read to the end as I lost interest. Sadly, it wasn’t the full on fantasy I was expecting.

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

Mermaids and mental illness? Sign me up!

This book turned out to be a bit cringey and I struggled with it a lot. I was excited to see that it owned up to the "tragic" themes in Hans Christian Andersen's original Little Mermaid and that it had elements of dealing with mental illness. But it wasn't quite compelling enough to keep me from rolling my eyes at a lot of it and I really struggled to get through what I did before abandoning it.

This was a good story. It was fairly easy to read and pretty easy to keep up with, just not sure if it was really my thing.

This was so sensible and nice, although confusing when it comes to the narrative. I really liked it.