Melissa contributed this review to Really Into This

Special thanks to Read Forever for providing our copy of Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday in exchange for an honest & fair review.

Oh, Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday is SO much fun! I sure do love a small-town setting. Throw in a second chance romance & you’ve got me hook, line & sinker.

Things I Loved

Matchmaker Bay is a believable small town with relatable issues. Everyone knows your business & just try to keep a secret from your neighbors. The town is a tourist destination. There are plenty of parades, festivals & there’s a great sense of community.

I love the characters. Even the smaller characters are memorable, well-written & Holiday brings them to life. I can see an entire series based on the people in this town. Hopefully, there is more to come!

The narrative really pulls at my heartstrings. There’s a bit of the Gift of the Magi type feel going on. People in the town are doing what they think will help you. There’s a cyclical type of chain reaction that is endearing, emotional & thought-provoking.

THE VERDICT

This is 4.5 stars for me. Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday is a charming, cozy, heartwarming read. Love conquers all.

I really wanted to read Holiday's first companion series about bridesmaids but the topic of weddings and being a bridesmaid was really a rough subject around 2018. I had so many to attend and be a part of that I genuinely could not imagine also reading about the process in my spare time. Now that I'm planning my own wedding and am past the major surge of spending a lot of money on other people's weddings, I'm more apt to read those books. And I hope to! Especially now that I've embarked on her new series, which is directly up my alley - the MC inherits an inn in a small beach town and enjoys a second chance romance. Yup, this was written for me.

I thought Eve was a little too prickly at first - there were some parts where she was kind of funny and snarky but other times I thought it was a little over-the-top and mean. This is probably why the book got off to a slower start for me; it took me a bit to get warmed up to her. I understood her issues with Sawyer, of course, but eventually she (and he!) won me over. This was certainly a hate-to-love, slooow-burn, second chance romance. Balanced all of my favorite tropes quite well! They really didn't kick the romance part into high gear until over halfway through, but then it didn't let up. This was probably one of the lowest-drama romance books I've read and I LOVED that. There were external factors for Eve that affected her decisions about the inn and the romance with Sawyer, but there wasn't a huge blow-up moment by any means; I really appreciated that.

Some of the steamy scenes were really good but there were a few early ones that made me cringe a little bit. I'll just say that her obsession with his beard wasn't my favorite, but everything else between them worked well. And it was so honest! They talked frankly about their past sexual relationship when they were inexperienced teenagers who didn't speak up about what they liked and wanted (totally realistic!). The two clearly had great chemistry and a (mostly) wonderful history together, so I appreciated that they built on that while acknowledging they've grown up.

The side characters were enjoyable and I have a few theories about who we'll see in upcoming book(s) about this charming town! I loved that it was set in Canada - just gave it something different for someone who unfortunately reads 99% of books set in the US!

I knew I would like this book because a) the storyline is one of my favorites (high school sweethearts reunite 10 years laters? Yes, please!) and b) it is written by Jenny Holiday. I adored the Bridesmaid Behaving Badly series. So again, I knew I would like this one. I didn't know I would absolutely LOVE it! I cannot express how much I loved this sweet little romance. The town was the perfect setting. I'm so excited for Jake's story, but I will be counting down the days for Law and Maya's book. I highly recommend Mermaid Inn to all romance lovers!

Mermaid Inn is the start of a new series by Jenny Holiday. A fun contemporary romance filled with second chances and fairy tale metaphors and mermaid wishes.

Eve Abbott left Matchmaker Bay after her boyfriend crushed her heart. Now she's back after her aunts passing and finds herself with a run down inn on her hands and the stipulations she can't sell for a year. Sawyer, Eve's ex-boyfriend and ex best friend, doesn't regret pushing Eve away because it allowed her to live her best life. Now that they are back in the same town the form a truce of being not not-friends which eventually leads to more. Yet, they both hold back because neither want to be hurt again since Eve is only there temporarily.

This story was such a cute one with a great small town atmosphere. I absolutely adored the town, its residents and all their traditions. From the flower wishes in the bay to Anti-festival day, it all sounded delightful and fun. Eve's character was good, but she fell a little flat for me. I enjoyed her love of library's, her penchant for list making and her kindness when it came to Sawyers sister but I felt something missing that kept me from really connecting with her. Sawyer however was the complete package for me .A handsome bearded Police Chief, who raised his younger sister on his own who pushes away the love of his life as a teen so he doesn't hold her back. {{swoon}} He was such a sweetheart, caring and charming.

The Matchmaker Bay series is off to a great start with Mermaid Inn and I'm looking forward to the books to come. Hopefully future books are Sawyer's best friends Jake and Law finding their happy.

Delightful and charming book. Loved the characters and the setting. Wish I lived in the Mermaid Inn.


Thanks for letting me read and review.

This is a quick and enjoyable read from Holiday, however I do not think I will be thinking about it or going back to read it again like I have with Holiday’s last series, Bridesmaids Behaving Badly. Eve comes back to Matchmaker Bay to settle her Aunt’s estate and it’s quickly obvious that this will be a second chance romance with her high school love who is now the Police Chief Sawyer Collins.
I really enjoyed the matchmaking from the townspeople and overall this was a cute book. What kept me from rating this a star higher is a specific plot point that I saw coming from the beginning of the book that seemed very obvious, yet ridiculous to me. Sometimes the obvious is the answer, but here it just seemed a little *too* pat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for the free e-arc in exchange for a review.

I want to start off by saying this is my first Jenny Holiday book and I super enjoyed it. The fact this was set in Canada was super endearing to me. Little shout-outs about NS made me really happy.

This is only my second, second chance romance since getting back into reading the genre and although it is not my favorite trope, Holiday did a great job. Excited for book 2 in the series!

Jenny Holiday once again comes in with a fantastic contemporary romance. This book is fun, relatable, and enjoyable and full of interesting, well-developed characters. I hated to put this one down because I felt so connected to these characters and could not wait to find out what happened to them. I definitely cannot wait for the next book in this series.

Mermaid Inn is the first book in the Matchmaker Bay series.
5 stars!!

This story is about two people who fell in love as teenagers, Sawyer and Eve. Eve would visit this small town to visit her aunt and stay with her at the Mermaid Inn. It is during these vacation days that she meets Sawyer when children. They become friends and those feelings between them change and become a couple when they're teenagers. Sadly Sawyer decides to end their relationship and breaks Eve's heart. He does it so she can pursue a college education, travel and become the librarian she always dreamed of becoming.
Eve leaves Matchmaker Bay and never returns until ten years later. She returns because her beloved aunt passed away and is there to hear her will. Her aunt stipulates in her will that the Mermaid Inn belongs now to Eve and she is to stay there for a year before she can sell it.
Eve dreads this because it means returning to that place in her life where her heart was broken. Her first encounter, when she returns, with Sawyer was a funny one. She's upset with him still and he attempts to talk to her several times but she's always evading him. Though she's mad at him her feelings for him begin to confuse her. Those old feelings begin to resurface and creates havoc in her heart.
When she finally learns the reason of why he pushed her away, she opens that door again to be friends with him again.
I loved Sawyer. He was a great hero. He took on such a great responsibility at a young age to take care of his sister and as an adult he took the responsibility of taking care of the town by becoming the police chief.
I really liked how this story was more about them getting to know each other as adults. I enjoyed their bantering and their witty conversations. You could slowly see them falling in love with each other again.
I like it when stories are so much more than the main characters trying to get into each others pants and this one was one of them.
Besides Sawyer and Evie, the secondary characters were wonderful too and I can't wait to read more about them in the next books in the series.
I highly recommend this one!! I can't wait to read the next one!

Thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

Librarian Eve hasn’t returned to the idyllic lake town of Moonflower Bay since she saw her teenage love kissing another girl at the Mermaid parade. Now, she is forced to return because in her Aunt’s death, she has inherited the Mermaid Inn. She is forced to reconnect with Sawyer, her first love and now the small town’s police chief while doing extensive renovations on her new property.

This is a lovely second chance romance with a very sloooow burn.... the town of Moonflower Bay sounds straight out of a summer Hallmark movie!! The story is sweet as the connection between the two young lovers reignites. You think, oh this book is just sweet with no steam, then it hits you a little over halfway through and it was very well done!
What I loved:
🧜🏼‍♀️I was drawn to Eve’s sense of humor, love of books and list making.
🧜🏼‍♀️Sawyer didn’t rush their second chance and that made him even sweeter. He has raised his sister and is an amazing father to her
🧜🏼‍♀️Eve loves little free libraries and Sawyer builds her one!!! Can we say key to my heart??
🧜🏼‍♀️There are great supporting characters throughout and adorable meddling older neighbors.
🧜🏼‍♀️The many references to The Little Mermaid and Splash

What brought it down a star: I’m not a big fan of romance written in a third person POV. I’m not exactly sure why, but I lose connection to the characters. This is totally personal preference!

This is the first of a series and I can’t wait to see what happens next in the series!!
A huge thank you to @holymolyjennyholi, @readforeverpub, and @netgalley for this lovely ARC in exchange for my honest review. 🥰

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Mermaid Inn is the first book in Jenny Holiday's new Matchmaker Bay series and it has everything you'd expect from a small-town, second chance romance!

Eve Abbott is a librarian in Toronto and she has just been willed her Aunt's dilapidated Mermaid Inn following her death. While the Inn, and the small town it is located in, used to be a summer oasis for Eve, that all changed a decade ago when her then boyfriend broke her heart and she hasn't returned since. Now faced with what to do with the Inn, she's finding the reasons why she loved being in Moonflower Bay so much in the first place.

Sawyer Collins didn't have the best childhood and ended up basically raising his younger sister. Now he's the police chief of Moonflower Bay and he seems to have his life pretty well under control. Well, that is until Evie Abbott shows back up. He's never gotten over her leaving and now that she's back, he's finding all sorts of reasons to spend time at the Mermaid Inn.

As Eve and Sawyer spend time together, the chemistry they have is still as strong as ever. It's clear that Sawyer wants to make amends, but Eve isn't so sure and she lets him know it! Will she finally let him in again?

What I loved about this story was the theme of finding your voice and really speaking up for and doing what is best for you. Sometimes we need growth before we are ready for things and sometimes when we think we are in the exact right place, maybe we really aren't and I felt like this story showcased a bit of that. Another well done story by Jenny Holiday and I'm really looking forward to the upcoming books in this series!

Mermaid Inn is definitely a change of tone and pace from Jenny Holiday's previous series (which I loved). Part of this could be the small-town setting, with its overly quirky traditions and festivals that seem to take over the story at times. Overall, I grew to like Eve and Sawyer as the story played out, though the beginning was a bit rough. Their initial encounter for the first time in ten years had them reverting to the emotional maturity levels of teenagers, including epic tantrums by Eve. Eventually, though, the characters are fleshed out slightly and start acting more like adults. Although Sawyer's backstory of caring for his much younger sister after their mother died and father became an abusive alcoholic was compelling, he still felt slightly one-dimensional in his present state. Every time we switch to his POV, it became repetitive with every thought revolving around Eve. Perhaps this is why the story is most interesting when it focuses on the town residents scheming to interfere with Sawyer and Eve, or Sawyer's sister going off to college, rather than just the two of them together.

Notwithstanding my issues above, I am looking forward to reading the next books in the series, especially Maya's and Law's, which I assume will be third after Jake's.

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

This was just what my heart needed after coming off of a heavier read. It was sweet and quirky and had me smiling throughout. I can never resist a second chance romance featuring childhood friends to lovers. Throw in some forced-ish proximity and even a little hate love to start and I was sold. Yes, Sawyer and Evie's story was fairly predictable, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all. Sawyer was pretty much one big swoonfest for me. He was all the things I love in my heroes and then some. Seriously, how can anyone not fall in love with a man who builds them little free libraries?? Evie was a relatable and hilarious heroine and I just about died of laughter when she discovered the note she left for herself on her phone.

There isn't a ton of angst in Mermaid Inn and I appreciated that Jenny Holiday gave Evie and Sawyer time to reconnect and gradually get to know each other again as adults. It felt truer and more natural and really helped build up the anticipation. I also loved how much the characters grew throughout the book and how they faced their personal demons. Even though I don't agree with the reasoning and aftermath behind the initial separation (it is a second chance romance after all), I can understand it. Young love, especially first love, is so all consuming that I can recognize how earth shattering that "betrayal" would feel. I think both characters come to see that regardless of the pain, they both needed that time to grow and mature.

I laughed out loud at all the meddling townspeople and loved the colorful cast of secondary characters. Maya and Law have definitely piqued my interest with their bickering and back and forth, but it's broody and quiet Jake who I'm dying to find out more about. This was a great start to the series and Jenny Holiday has set the stage perfectly for subsequent books.

*I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book*

Thank you to Forever Pub and Netgalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

After 10 years, Eve Abbott returns to Matchmaker Bay after her great aunt left her the Mermaid Inn in her will. Eve thought she could quickly remodel and sell it without causing a stir in this close knit community full of meddlers. She's also hoping not to run into her high school sweetheart Sawyer Collins who she caught kissing another girl in the town's mermaid parade 10 years ago, causing her to leave town abruptly and never returning. Surprise! Her aunt states in her will that in order to sell the inn, Eve must stay in town for a year. Can she resist Sawyer for a whole year?

This was my first Jenny Holiday book and it was a great one! I expected a light hearted second chance romance but I didn't expect how much I'd love the characters. It was a quick read with fun banter. I especially loved the references to The Little Mermaid and Little Free Libraries! Can't wait for the next one in the series.

I decided to request to review this book because I enjoy Jenny Holidays other titles. However, I didn't really enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed the other books. It wasn't quite up my alley. I feel like it touched on a bunch of topics but didn't really explore them a lot. Also, it has one of my least favorite tropes in it, where the hero decides on a course of action to push away the heroine for her own good. It's usually presented as the hero protecting the heroine, but it's never a good idea. Which, to be fair, the book points out it's a problem. But, I still don't really enjoy reading about it. However, I am interested enough to probably keep reading the sequels. I do like the characters in the books.

One thing that really bugged me, is that she is offered the job she really wants in Collection Development, and she ends up asking for a start date really far out there, and then when she's supposed to be moving back, she quits it. Like... that's gonna get around in the library world. That's going to be a thing that will follow her around if she wants to get back into librarianship in Toronto. Also, they do mention that there's a library in the town, and maybe she could get some part time work there, but then at the end she's just converting the entire upstairs into a library for her guests, as well as offering storytimes at her location. That's just pulling people away from the library in town. I like the idea of a library for guests, but as it's upstairs, people with mobility issues won't have access, and also her programming may impact the programming done at a library. I wish there had been a better way for her to stay in the library world without recreating the wheel, as it were.

​I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Netgalley but all opinions provided are my own.

The evocative title Mermaid Inn—coupled with the fact that said book's written by the criminally under-recommended Jenny Holiday—made this one of my most anticipated 2020 reads. What I discovered is a delight from start to finish, a warm and funny and sexy romance that’s as unique as the place it’s set in. I loved living inside this world for a while.

Eve Abbott returns to Moonflower Bay to take possession of the Mermaid Inn, which was left to her by her great-aunt. She’s going to leave town as soon as possible—though she blissfully spent most of her childhood summers in Moonflower Bay, now the town holds only memories of the great betrayal committed by her former best friend and first love Sawyer.

But as they often do in romance novels, thank God or Sarah MacLean or whomever you pray to, plans often go awry, and Eve encounters Sawyer, now a sheriff, right away. Even worse for Eve, thanks to a dictate in her great-aunt’s will she has to stay in Moonflower Bay for a full year if she wants to sell the inn, so she’ll keep encountering him...over and over again.

Second chance romance is often a hard trope for me. I’m at the point in my life when couple break-ups make me (maybe disproportionately) sad whether they’re people I know or celebrities I don’t even really care about. But it’s really well done here, especially since Sawyer wears his yearning, affection, and regret on his sleeve. Like Eve in one relevant scene, I wanted him to be a little more aware of how annoying/damaging his highhandedness was (being guilt-ridden doesn’t necessarily equal being 100% remorseful for Sawyer) but overall, he seems ready to do the work needed for a proper second chance.

And as much as I rooted for that eventual HEA, I cheered Eve on for not making it easy on him. She has a right to be very upset and she makes him earn her forgiveness in a way that I appreciated.

Those dynamics aside, it’s clear this couple has some stuff to learn and the burden of communication’s on both of them. It’s a process that both characters have to embrace for any kind of a future together, whether it’s fully clothed and in the outside world communication or dirty talk during their super sexy not-as-clothed bedroom moments, and that resonated with me.

I wanted more legwork done to justify one particular aspect of the direction that Eve’s life takes in the conclusion, but overall, this is a well-rounded romance where little is taken for granted. It’s not just the leads who matter—it’s also their family and friends, their homes, their neighbors—and that thoughtfulness comes across throughout Mermaid Inn.

I can’t wait for the next time I’m in Moonflower/Matchmaker Bay. Once this girl *gestures toward self* falls for a book/community/place, she doesn’t mess around.

Aside from Jenny Holiday being Canadian and setting her books in Ontario and including bookworms (and a librarian!) in her books, I love her smart writing, great friendships, and upstanding male lead characters too. This book was so fun to read and second chance isn't always my favourite, but I loved these characters and this town and everyone in it. Very Gilmore-Girls ish in some ways (with the Inn thing) and if you are a fan of the Little Mermaid, this might just end up being your favourite book ever with all of the references. :) The writing is on the wall here for a few other couples in this series and I CANNOT WAIT for that too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover made and title me stop and read the editors blurb. I am so glad I requested and received a copy to read. An absolutely sweet lovely read perfect escape from the hectic world we live in. Eve left Matchmaker Bay 10 years ago with a broken heart and made a promise to herself that she would never ever return. She kept that promise until her beloved aunt passed away and left her the Mermaid Inn. It used to be a summer town, but has grown into a year round getaway with a beloved funny cast of characters. She wanted to get in and get out. No chance of that happening in the tiny town where privacy is just an illusion and a word in the dictionary. The last person she wants to see is Sawyer, aka, the heartbreaker. Not likely as he is the police chief and sees to be everywhere. Join Eve over the next year while she rehabs the Inn, reestablishes old relationships, finally discovers why Sawyer pushed her away and comes to terms with all of it. A well written fun second chance romance with of course a terrific happily eve after.

This story comes as a fun, enjoyable read. It's a second chance romance that started out really great for me even though almost from the beginning I could predict what was going to happen. Jenny Holiday's writing was engaging, thorough, and convincing. The characters are ones you want to root for and spend time with. The second chance aspect of the story fit well with the drama that happened to them as kids even though I wish it would have been a bit more fleshed out and dramatic so I could really feel that old connection. However, the chemistry they had once in the same town again was ever present. The entire cast of characters was colorful and motley creating a true sense of friendship and understanding. The setting itself and the very aptly named Mermaid Inn was as fitting as it was charming. The predictably of the story was a strike for me and then the book really drug on from around 50-75% with the forward motion being stunted. I started to get bored with it because I wanted something a little deeper for these two adults. I was so invested in the characters though that I had to see how it ended and I'm really glad I did. It's a great beach type read for holiday or a relaxing reading experience. I'll look forward to more from Matchmaker Bay particularly a couple of secondary characters that Holiday really left interesting breadcrumbs about.

Mermaid Inn is a fantastic start to Jenny Holiday’s new Matchmaker Bay series. This slow burn, second chance romance is its own perfect getaway in a few hundred pages.

Eve is a Toronto librarian who inherited her aunt’s Mermaid Inn, an adorable lodging in a small town on the Ontario shore of Lake Huron. Eve stayed with her aunt during the summers growing up, but stopped coming to visit after Sawyer broke her heart before she went to college. Ten years later, Sawyer is the police chief of their quaint town and has never gotten over Eve. Eve’s plan is to sell the run down inn as soon as she can, but her aunt included a clause in her will that says Eve must wait a year before she can sell. As these things happen in books, Eve takes a leave of absence from her job in order to renovate the inn and increase its sale value.

Naturally, romance ensues. One of the many things I loved about this book is the way each and every character is as well developed as our heroine. The town residents are hilarious, but each stands out on their own without being stereotypical. The reader can’t help but cheer on Eve and Sawyer as they take their time becoming reacquainted. I usually get impatient with a book that takes a long time to draw out the slow burn, but Holiday’s sense of timing is spot on. The author’s sense of quaint vs hilarious works overtime to make Mermaid Inn impossible to put down. And, fans of her other romance novels will cheer yet another vital scene with grilled cheese.

I adored Mermaid Inn and can’t wait to see what happens next in Matchmaker Bay.