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

Ok, so. I was super excited when I saw this. The Lumberjanes people, but mermaids? Sign me up! I was, however, VERY disappointed.

It started off with three very different mermaids--yes, good so far. And then they were getting drunk. (That's problematic, even ignoring the physics of that.) What will they do when they run out of booze?? Go to the surface, of course! Where they run around naked, steal people's stuff, commit identity theft, and get drunk some more.

In the end, yes there were mermaids. And yes they were thirsty. I appreciate the body/appearance variation and lgbtq representation, but I was otherwise distinctly not a fan of this. (That's not even saying "I wish it were longer so I could get the whole story." No, it concludes--or ends, rather.)

Kat Leyh's books are delightful from the colorful and unique illustrations to the quirky characters. I loved Thirsty Mermaids. Tooth, Pearl, and Eez are thirsty mermaids who drink a spell to change them into humans so they can go on land for a drink. When they discover they don't know how to turn back, the three friends have to get jobs, well... clothes first, and make their way, as Ariel would put it, "where the people are."

Hilarious, yet it tackles some real issues and ways that those who don't fit in get treated. I want to be a part of their pod.

This is a story about outcasts, found family, friendships and being true to yourself. But that might give you the wrong picture of a warm-hearted, child-friendly story. It is not. It features a small group of mermaids who are loud, swear a lot and drink a lot. So if you like a story with a positive message but isn’t preachy and isn’t goody-two-shoes, this is for you. The characters are quirky and enjoyable. A fun read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I received a digital ARC through NetGalley from Gallery 13 Books. This graphic novel is for older teens and adults. Three mermaids use a magic spell to walk on land, but don’t know how to change back. While trying to figure out a spell to get back to their true forms they spend their time drinking, finding jobs, and finding their way on two legs when they crave the ocean.

This started out with a lot of cursing and drinking and I almost put it down, when suddenly the characters and story started to come to life. Their 3 distinct personalities and cravings emerged. I enjoyed their wayfinding and the friendship they formed with Viv who took them in when they had nowhere to go. Overall, a pleasant surprise when you get into the story. Good representation. Reminded me of an aquatic version of Rat Queens.

Kat Leyh created an amazingly fun graphic novel. I love the artwork and characters. I love her previous work and she did not disappoint. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher/author for the chance to read.

I'm a big fan of Kat Leyh's work on Lumberjanes, and loved her graphic novel, Snapdragon, so I had high expectations for Thirsty Mermaids. And my expectations were met. The illustrations, both in design and color, were fantastic and the story was hilarious and interesting.

The story centers around three misfit mermaids who have formed a sisterhood, or a "pod" as its described in the novel, who transition into humans by way of magic, and go in search of human alcohol (because these "thirsty" mermaids like to have a good time). Unfortunately, they find themselves stuck in their human forms and are forced to acclimate to the human world in ways they never expected. As they search for a way to return to the ocean, they are faced with difficult and often hilarious obstacles in their pursuit to fit in. They form strong bonds with one human in particular, who takes them in and helps guide them in the human world. The sense of sisterhood and friendship, as well as the difficulties and beauty in being different, are expressed beautifully in this novel. I highly recommend it!

On the surface this book was a fun story of friendship and getting through tough times. When you look deeper it's about found family and the love and commitment found there. I loved this story.

Thank you to Gallery 13 and NetGalley for an e-ARC!

Looking towards land for adventure, three mermaids magically change themselves into humans and meet a host of fun characters. But, are they able to turn back into mermaids and return to the sea?

I enjoyed reading this graphic novel. The three mermaids all had their own distinctive personalities, and it was interesting to see how each faced their situation of being "stuck" as humans.

The artwork was fun and bright, and I enjoyed their adventures on land.

I would have liked a more compelling solution to how they fixed their problem, but otherwise, I enjoyed it.

It takes a minute to get used to the sense of humor of this graphic novel (very raucous and sweary), but by 20 pages or so in I was totally onboard, and I ended up really loving it.

The story is: some mermaids use magic to turn themselves into landlubbers to...well, to get drunk mostly. But then of course they get stuck and have to figure out clothes and money and jobs, and they make some human friends. I fully laughed out loud multiple times at their shenanigans, and it’s also very sweet! I actually teared up at a couple points.

I wasn’t sure going in if this was YA or not, and I think not (there is a fair amount of nudity and swearing, and also just feels more about adult concerns).

It is very casually inclusive/diverse, with different body types & a trans main character, and pretty much everyone is queer, it seems.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

TW: potential attempted suicide (not really, but seems like it at the time)

Very fun and very queer!
Full review will be posted at Shelf Awareness shortly before release date.

I received a digital copy of this book for review.

I requested this book because it’s getting close to the end of the year and I’m trying to get as many books as I can in before the reading goal deadline at the end of the month. Plus, I love reading comics and Thirsty Mermaids seemed like an adorkable and hilarious read.

Thirsty Mermaids follows three mermaids who have found some wine in a sunken ship. After drinking all of their found booze, they do what any drunk being does, and set off to find more alcohol. Which might just lead them to dry land.

Thirsty Mermaids was an incredibly sweet and funny graphic novel that stressed the importance of family, acceptance, mental health and support. Besides having characters that were beautiful and quirky and flawed but full of pride, the story was relatable and extremely hilarious. I especially loved how the characters were represented as more gender-queer and non-binary and how one of the main characters was trans. However, the characters' genders were not plot-lines of the story. They just were. This is exactly the kind of representation that needs to be seen more!

I absolutely loved Thirsty Mermaids!!!

This book is funny, touching, and feel-good with a great cast of characters. Good friends are like family (maybe better?) and the book left a big smile on my face.

When three mismatched merfolk watch their last bottle of wine go out to sea and decide to venture on land (by way of a magic spell) to find more 'alcohols,' you know you're in for a fair amount of things being lost in translation. They befriend a human or two and learn about themselves as well as the world. But what they really need is the spell to allow them back into the sea.

My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't really liking this to start with. The humor felt forced and over done and it really put me off. However, as I went on, I grew to love the quirky and unique characters...
This is about a ”pod” of mermaids who decide to cast a spell to go on land to drink booze. Only to realize too late that they have no idea how to turn back into mermaids and are now stuck on land. Recipe for an interesting story right? Well I agree. The moral being about found family and being unapologetically yourself. To love yourself inside and out. And the added bonus being that the graphics/ colors were absolutely stunning!!
As I previously stated, I adored the characters and their individuality. They're definitely not what you would imagine a mermaid to be and I was here for it! There was so much diversity in all of the different characters and it was really refreshing to see so many different kinds of people represented. I loved getting to see what it would be like for a mermaid (mermaids with big personalities for that matter) to be on land and how they navigated everything. There were parts that definitely had me giggling!
I do wish that it was mentioned some where that this isn't intended for kids though 😅 The cover is very eye catching and I can see it appealing to a child. Plus, where a lot of the authors other works are intended for kids, I can see this being confused for a child's graphic novel.
Over all, I enjoyed this and can see me picking up more by the author. This just wasn't a favorite graphic novel of mine. But I do recommend giving it a read if it seems like something you'd like!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC!!

Okay, so this comic was definitely not what I was expecting and I absolutely loved it (especially the joke involving the title Thirsty Mermaids itself). Tooth, Pearl, and Eezy are 3 mermaids who form their own unique pod and love life and each other with an exuberance that made me wish I was one of their human friends like Vivi, the human who helps them find their land legs, so to speak. The themes of gender identity/sexuality were done tastefully and respectfully. The way mermaids and magic portrayed in this comic had a new flair to it that was unexpected but welcomed. It gave me many more ideas for my writing and a better understanding on how one can use magic outside of the commonality people tend to expect. This story played out beautifully and I look forward to seeing more by this author. I really hope that there are more stories involving these characters as I still have so many questions! I definitely recommend this comic to anyone who loves mermaids, found family, and finding a place to call home among those you love.

Unfortunately, too adult to sell at the kids bookstore I work at. Super inclusive story that isn't centered on a typical LGBTQ plotline. Lots of depth to the story which you don't see in every graphic novel. Really fleshed out characters and varied character designs.

This is a book full of mermaids, found family and a lot of booze and I loved every bit of it! Pearl, Tooth and Eez are such fun characters, both as mermaids and in human form and I loved their friendships with each other. They all had such distinct personalities and had really different and intriguing experiences as humans. Vivi is also such a fun part of the book and I loved the way she took in the three of them so kindly and taught them about the human world. Both the story and the art for this book are so fun and I loved reading it. I will definitely be recommending this story to anyone looking for a fun graphic novel to read about some funny, fiercely loyal, and alcohol-loving mermaids.

Hmmmm???? Yeah this graphic novel could mean a bunch of different things but I will tell you this right now, not for children or teens, this is an adult graphic novel/comic book about this group of mermaids who wanted to drink booze on land so they changed into humans and caused trouble everywhere. Haha! Sounds like fun right??

First, I live for all the different kinds of people who are represented in this graphic novel. It was amazing seeing that. Second, there were a lot of fun and hilarious moments that I could definitely understand as a young adult. So with those aspects I had a lot of fun.

On the other hand, I was lost in the plot especially when it came to the timing of events. This could have been because this was a pdf graphic novel and not a physical copy but sometimes the panels were confusing but also the jumping back and forth between events. Because of these points, I have to give this graphic novel a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I am excited to see how this volume is going turn out physically and love it.

Kat Leyh has composed a visual treat in Thirsty Mermaids. The artwork weaves an entertaining story in glorious fashion, and is sure to please graphic novel fans and a wide range of readers. Energetic and fun reading!

This is such a sweet and fun and unapologetically queer found family story. I loved it.
The diversity of characters types and body types in the art was extremely nice to see and the underlying kindness of the comic was a balm to my soul. The colors are nice and vivid and warm, and the story is straightforward, but compelling, emphasizing the relationships between the characters and that sweet sweet found family trope.

Would recommend for fans of found family and kind-hearted mermaid tales (tails??)

This was so good! I’ve never read anything quite like this before. If you’re looking for a book about friendship, mermaids, and magic, this is the one for you. And if you aren’t looking for that, why not? I enjoyed this so much that I finished it in just one sitting.