A modern retelling of the selkie folktale with a twist. The plot meandered quite a bit and the characters were at times, unlikeable. The author did a good job at describing the setting and her affection for Martha's Vineyard shines through.

3.5, rounded up to 4 because this is a remarkably ambitious debut novel and, despite some flaws, it kept me engaged enough to finish the book. Slightly reminiscent of Melissa Broder's The Pisces, though more grounded.

I was drawn in by the premise and initially expected more of a science fiction or magical realism element, but this is a novel based in reality. Well, sort of. The most brilliant thing about Fedor's work is the tension she creates between reality, truth, delusion, and belief. What is the truth, when subjectivity shades our perceptions? There is no objective truth, which is also why the ending is left frustratingly open.

As with many of the other reviews, I agree that Cara was not the easiest character with whom to connect. I also struggled to really see the strength of the connection she felt for Brendan. However, I have been in a somewhat similar situation with a partner who had delusions about being involved with secret military operations, and I've had a few friends become involved with men who were impersonating military and police officers... So I think I filled in a lot of the gaps left by the narrative itself. I would have liked to see more of Brendan's luring Cara in, more of the mind games that made his story convincing, and more of her being woven into his story-- I wanted to have the moment where she questioned her sanity and his, but decided she couldn't bear to live without him and that she'd overlook his issues and willingly go along. Basically, I wanted her to be smarter... And then for him to still win her over.

All in all, this is a pretty great first effort, and I'm looking forward to reading Emma Fedor's next release.

The book had an interesting start but I felt like it lost me. This is not a happy feel good story. Cara is unlikeable and out of touch with reality. I was frustrated with some plot holes and feel like the book never really came together for me.

In 2008, Cara Hansen has just graduated from college with a degree in art and no job or internship in sight. She decides to spend the summer with her aunt and uncle on Martha's Vineyard. Cara and her family lived on the island too, until her mom died the year before Cara entered college. Within months of her mother's death, her father and younger brother moved to Phoenix and, to Cara's disappointment, show no interest in moving east again. It is in the summer of 2008 that Cara meets Brendan, who is charming, funny, and soon becomes her first love. Like most first loves, Brendan's and Cara's makes everything seems larger than life. There's a difference though, Brendan claims that the military performed surgery on him making him able to breathe underwater. He demonstrates his ability to Cara, and asks that she keeps his secret. She agrees. Brendan disappears on missions for altering lengths of time, often without notice. Cara finds herself pregnant, and the two are super-excited, and over the moon when their son Micah is born. Brendan's increasingly disturbing and bizarre behavior soon causes Cara and her family much concern. Then one morning, Micah is missing from his crib, apparently taken by his father. The case soon becomes a cold case.

In 2014, Cara, an artist, is married to Graham McIlroy. Graham left life in New York as a budding filmmaker to move to Martha's Vineyard and take care of Cara whose life stalled in 2008 due to multiple major losses; her inability to get over the death of her mother the year before she entered college, and the sudden disappearance of her first love and their son, Micah. Cara is trying to move on with her life and put the past behind her when a local fisherman reports that he saw a man and boy swimming far out in Nantucket Sound. When approached, the two dove down into the water and didn't reappear. Cara is convinced that the two people spotted are Brendan and Micah.

How far will a mother go to be reunited with the son she is certain is still alive? Was Brendan telling the truth about his abilities, or is he a delusional, troubled man? How long is Graham supposed to keep supporting his wife's seemingly impossible dream of being reunited with her son? And if Brendan is still alive, what does that mean for Cara and Graham's relationship?

I read this book quickly because I wanted to know the answers to all these dilemmas. I have some mixed feelings about this read but I'm ranking it a solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. The author did a fine job of engaging me right from the start and keeping me interested throughout the book. Overall, I found this to be a highly entertaining read.

My thanks to Gallery Books for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this novel via NetGalley. The book is currently scheduled to be published on 3/7/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are freely given.

𝙰𝚝 𝚂𝚎𝚊
𝚋𝚢 𝙴𝚖𝚖𝚊 𝙵𝚎𝚍𝚘𝚛

𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
First, let me start off by saying I like this book! But, writing this review is harder than I thought. 
A man that can swim underwater for 2 days but not a mermaid? I was intrigued.

The male character is struggling with an undiagnosed mental illness. I liked how the author tackled this topic. Mental Health is super important and needs to be talked about more openly IMO.

The female character lost her mom earlier in her life. Again, the author broached the topic well.

There were a few times in the story I was thinking "girl you need to think long and hard about the decisions you are making."  BUT, then I remembered that she was about 21 at this point of the story and she didn't have a serious relationship up to that point in her life. Love is such a strong feeling when it's your first love. Also, remembering she lost her mother and she was still coping with it might have effected her outlook on the sit. Remembering that really helped put the story back into perspective. It really was such an interesting read.

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝙸𝚏
🧜🏽‍♂️ you enjoy books where mental health is talked about in a positive way.
🧜🏽‍♂️  you like books about first love
🧜🏽‍♂️ you like books where main character has a supportive extended family

I'd recommend this book and mark it is as a 🅑︎🅐︎🅡︎🅖︎🅐︎🅘︎🅝︎ on the scale of Buy, Bargain, Borrow, Bud (audio) or Bust.  (I came up with the scale. I'm oddly proud of it!)

Thank you @netgalley, the author @emmamfedor & the publisher @gallerybooks for e-ARC of this book for my honest review.

This novel uses Martha’s Vineyard as the setting and the author does an amazing job describing the island. As a long time vacationer on Martha’s Vineyard, this novel transported me to one of my favorite destinations and I felt the magic as if I was there!

I was very intrigued by the premise of the book and was a little surprised of the direction it took. The author did a great job with Brendan’s character and truly showed the struggle of mental illness. I appreciated that his true character was delivered along with his illness. I loved the compassion he received from the army community, but I found the main character’s reaction in the ending a little too unbelievable. The bond between mother and child was too understated in this novel.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. I was hoping for more of a supernatural feel, but would recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchanged for an honest review.

One of those stories where you keep wondering if something is real or someone is delusional. I loved it although I had to keep reminding myself that Cara is very young, hence the bad decisions. Don’t know whether to love Brendan or fear him. Really good premise!

I have mixed feelings on this book. I loved the description and all the way thru it keeps you on the edge of your seat with so much suspense and not knowing what is true and what is not. I personally would like to have seen more of the supernatural side that was hinted at. I had a hard time putting it down. If I knew it was a series I would give it a 5 and if it does become one, I will change my rating later. However, after reading the last page, I had more questions than answers. If it is a series, this would be a perfect ending. I do love the author's writing style and the building suspense through the book. Thanks to NetGalley and Galley Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This has a lot of interesting elements. I thought it had potential. The pacing of the writing is good and the chapters have a lot of suspense that made me want to keep reading.
I found the characters either lacking depth or unlikable. They all seemed to hold judgements. The main character is a gold digger. Do people like this exist? Yes. I would have been okay with these characters if it weren't for the plot twist revolving around mental illness. It seemed that mental illness is used as a device rather than treating it like a human condition. It also wasn't a plot twist. It felt like an easy way to wrap the book without tying up loose ends. I was very frustrated by the AWOL explanation. At no point did it ever feel like he was actually in the military.
I would have enjoyed this a lot more if it explored the nuances of underwater life, explained the whale obsession, justified where the father and son had been the past few years. All of that was interesting. With the publication date being so far out for this book, I hope there is a major rewrite. It has potential! The settings were fabulous.

What a wonderful, enjoyable, human story! This book is well worth reading. It includes a coming of age story, the importance of discerning human truth and lies, a love triangle, relationships with and loss of ones’s mother, and a wonderful beach setting. What is true and what is not true? How well do we ever really know another person? And how well do we really want to know them? Perhaps we accept someone just because we love them? As a psychologist, the story had just enough mental health curiosity . . . It was clever with great character development and an interesting unfolding of the truth ( I think) at the end.

Thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. Much appreciated the opportunity.

The summary seemed okay when I was reading but it look like a good summer read through the cover so I choose to request this book. It was a pretty good book. I loved the twist and turns. I'm a little jealous I can't breathe underwater. That would make playing mermaids that much fun. In the end it was a book I don't regret reading. However I don't see myself rereading this book.

I had very high hopes for this book. The synopsis grabbed my attention and I thought it was going to be so good. I mean it was going to be a tearjerker, thriller, hopefully with a dramatic twist or two. It fell way short for me.

I felt bad for Cara but still did feel any kind of connection. Also I'm just not into the paranormal books. Magic Realism is usually not for me. I have read a couple that I enjoyed but this was not one of them. I hated Brenden almost from the beginning. I never trusted him and sure didn't believe a word he said. Cara was really smarter than she appeared. She should have told him where to go. Surely she would have known he was not being honest. Therefore I didn't like the main characters.

It was well written and could be a big hit for anyone that loves this type of book. It just was not one I enjoyed.

Thank you #NetGalley, #GalleryBooks, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

3/5 stars and even though I didn't enjoy it you may. Read it. Judge for yourself.

I was a bit wary because of the premise, but it was also similar to another book that I read and adored. This one didn't quite hit the mark for me but still kept me hooked from beginning to end.

This is a book paranormal romance readers will devour.So well written cstayed with me even when I wasn’t reading it.Characters that drew me in a unique story line an author I will be following.#netgalley #gaallerybooks

A women in love with a man who disappears with her kid! The main character goes through a lot but still stays focused on her goal. Cara gives the whole book life not just because the story is about her but if you love suspense, love and coming of age in away or growing up you will love this book. I didn't think I would like this. book but it keeps you engaged the whole time. A must read for the summer.

I knew going into this read that it would be on the magical realism read, but it turned out being more sci-fi than I anticipated.

I didn’t connect with Cara and feel what what she was feeling so it was hard to track with this read and finish. I did appreciate the dialogue and Caras relationship with Graham. He was a solid safe place for Cara in her times of need.

I will recommend this too my YA Sci-fi friends. I know they will enjoy.

*****UNPOPULAR OPINIONJ***************

2 stars: one for the cover and one for Cara

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I loved the characterization of Cara, she carried the plot. Brendan was an awful person... WOW!

Disappointed.

Thanks to Netgalley, Emma Fedor and Gallery Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Available: 3/7/23

At Sea tells the story of a fresh college grad named Cara. She is heading to an island to spend the summer before heading to NYC to try to make it as an artist. She will be staying with her aunt and uncle, in a home filled so many memories of her late mother. Once a place where they loved and vacationed, Cara, her brother, and her father (who is now remarried) have not gone back since her mother passed. Cara intends to spend the summer painting, sketching, and building her portfolio.

That plan gets derailed when she meets a gorgeous boy named Brenden very early on in the summer. He’s in the special forces, and tells Cara they’ve done experiments on him, and he has the ability to breathe under water – that he has gills. Things quickly get serious between them, and Cara winds up pregnant.

The timeline bounces between 2009, when Cara and Brenden meet, and 2014, when Cara is remarried, and trying to pick up the pieces of her life. One night, Brenden vanishes with Cara’s infant son. It’s been 5 years, and Cara still holds onto hope that they’ll return. She’s also holding onto hope that Brenden isn’t crazy.

At Sea was a page turner. Originally, I was worried this wasn’t going to be a thriller, but more of a sci-fi story — like a dramatic retelling of Aquaman. Thankfully, it was not.

I was torn between wanting to believe Brenden, and also wanting to shake Cara and ask her how she could believe him?!

And the last page left everything up to the reader. It was well-done, but I would have LOVED an epilogue. I don’t consider At Sea a “must read” but it was a quick read, perfect for a beach day! A solid 3.5!
https://www.heyitsjenna.com/2022/06/01/early-summer-reading-book-review-11/

At Sea follows the story of Cara who meets a strange yet charming man named Brendan at a nude beach. He is a man unlike anyone she has met and both intrigues and irritates her. He gets her to go on a date with her with a bet of holding his breath under water. After their date, he breaks the news of who he really is—a super soldier engineered to breath underwater. He eventually disappears with their son and Cara never gives up hope that she will find them.
This book was a roller coaster to read. It was beautiful, eccentric story. The writing style was immersive and engaging. Cara was a wonderful main character and Brendan was charismatic and hilarious man you want to love.
Big thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC reader. I would and already have recommended this book to others!

It takes a very talented author to write a plausible novel based on a character with a superhuman talent. I was captivated by this novel. The characters are well developed and believable, the plot was smooth and quick. I have read many novels where a mother is searching for a child, but this novel is truly unique. The ending gave just the right amount of closure while leaving room for conjecture. I will be recommending At Sea to my fellow readers who like a fresh, enjoyable read.