When Penelope Schleeman learns that her debut novel "American Mermaid" is picked up by twin screenwriters in Los Angeles to be adapted into a movie, she packs up her life in Connecticut and jets out to the West Coast for a taste of the new, author-of-a-bestseller life that awaits her. What she finds in California, however, is not only a startling loss of control over her story's integrity, but something else that suggests her book about a wheelchair-bound scientist-turned mermaid might be coming to life.

As the synopsis suggests, "American Mermaid" is a lot of haphazard plot to digest, readers. Personally, I was drawn in by the reviews that hailed this debut as "full of heart" and "laugh out loud funny," but found myself trudging through the story when I had hardly made a dent in it.

While the first few chapters about Penelope, high-school-teacher-turned-feminist-author, did have me in near-tears from laughing, once the laughs subsided (and they did, rather quickly, giving way to total and utter confusion) I found there was no plot or character development of substance for the story to lean on. The entire thing read like a first draft that tried oh-so-hard to be meta; normally I would applaud the efforts of a book-within-a-book, but to say that this didn't work for "American Mermaid" is a drastic understatement. The chapters that reads as "excerpts" from Penelope's book felt like filler and read like a low-budget sci-fi movie, and not in a good way. More weird than witty and woefully-lacking in really anything aside from a few good laughs in the beginning, this is unfortunately a debut I'd encourage readers to skip.

This was a really unique story, it was basically two novels in one. You have Penelope, who writes a novel that goes viral and is tapped for a movie. Penelope is writing the screenplay, and her experience in Hollywood is not the best, to say the least. The other story is of Sylvia, the mermaid in Penelope's novel.

Very original, recommend! Thank you Netgalley and Doubleday Books for the ARC!

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I’m interested in how movies get made, and I read books about the film industry and how to write scripts and even attempted to write a screenplay (it was terrible), so I felt like I should have enjoyed a story about a schoolteacher who publishes a book that becomes a hit and goes to Hollywood to turn it into a script. I liked moments, but that’s about it.

Penelope is teamed up with two experienced screenplay writers who have a history working together. These two men keep changing the actual story of a woman who uses a wheelchair and discovers as an adult that she’s a mermaid when she hits water. In the original novel, Sylvia is an androgynous feminist eco-warrior, but they are sexualizing her and making other changes, which is frustrating Penelope, making her feel that she’s sold out the story she really believes in. She goes to parties and hobnobs with the rich, which is interesting enough. My problem with it was that I found it a slog to get through. I really had to force myself to keep reading.

NetGalley provided an advance reader copy of the novel, which RELEASES MARCH 21, 2023.

What a fantastic Meta tale with a Mermaid set front and center in this book within a book. Our school teacher turned Novelist, Penelope, heads to LaLa land in hopes of landing the big bucks on her surprisingly successful book entitled, American Mermaid, as it is adapted into a feature film.
Penelope herself has been subsidized by her parents for which she resents them, the money, and for what they stand. Conversely, it is not lost on the reader that Penelope is seriously dazzled by the rich and famous of Hollywood and wants a piece of that pie for herself.
Penelope is very protective of Sylvia, the mermaid and main character of the book. As the book morphs into a screenplay, the more Sylvia is changed into something more fitting for a Hollywood blockbuster. Penelope scrambles to protect Sylvia's character while odd things begin to happen. Told in alternating chapters of excerpts from American Mermaid, and the ongoing plight of its author, Penelope, it sometimes gets a bit muddled if not confusing. However, it is so richly packed with witty, feminist observations and goofy characters the reader just hangs of for the ride.

Thank you to Doubleday for my early copy. All opinions are mine own.

This was WILD. I'm not really sure if I loved it or was just confused by it. I'll say that it's unlike anything else I've ever read.

Go into this blind and be prepared for something unexpected.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

It took me the first 50 or so pages of American Mermaid by Julia Langbein to get into it but once that happened, I couldn't put it down. What a completely unique and interesting story. I didn't want this book to end and I love it when that happens. It's written so beautifully and enjoyed that we got to read parts of the book that was being adapted, as well.

I will be recommending this book to everyone and I cannot wait to talk about it.

English teacher Penelope finds herself the "toast of the town" in Hollywood when her first novel, "American Mermaid" is optioned for the big screen. Moving from Connecticut to LA, Penelope is determined to participate in the creation of the screenplay. Being assigned two young male screenwriters with which to work, Penelope finds that her story of woman power and self determination is quickly becoming a mermaid story for 12-year-olds and her smart, empowered protagonist is now a live action sex toy. As Penelope loses control of her work, she is convinced that her mermaid, "Sylvia" is actually real and is causing all kinds of havoc with the script. Is Penelope losing her mind? Is there an explanation for the sudden script changes that she and the others have not made? Is there more to Penelope's own story beside that of the meek and mild English teacher? Plenty of ideas and causes to investigate among these pages both in Penelope's story and that of her heroine, the mermaid Sylvia.

I really tried to give this book an honest effort, but this hot mess was a DNF for me. Was it trying to be edgy? Funny? Angsty? I’m honestly not even sure what I just read.

Wow! This was something else. Interestingly, I can see this working as a mini-series perhaps a bit better than it did a book (if you've read the book, you'll get why that's interesting) - it sagged a bit in the middle. But overall, what a creative, fun, read! I'm not totally sure who I'll recommend it to, but I will recommend it.

I think the concept for this book is original, but I liked the premise more than I actually enjoyed reading this book. One of the big things that was missing for me was that for the most part I didn’t find it all that funny. That is subjective and other readers will find this more humorous and more entertaining than I did. There were also points when the plot was either confusing or dragged a bit for me. The main character, Penelope, was definitely just confusing to me, and I never got a handle on who she was or why she was doing anything, and that became tedious.

Again, this is a unique plot and I appreciate that. I know this book is going to appeal to many readers. I liked how chapters from the book that the main character wrote are interspersed throughout; I think that really worked with the parallel storylines. I also liked the ridiculous characters and the bizarre reality that is the movie business in Los Angeles.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the chance to review American Mermaid. I enjoyed this . Sarcastic, funny and a book within a book is always a good theme for me. I am interested to see what else Langbein has in store for us.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. This book was very well written, and it's impressive that the author created basically two intertwining novellas. There was definitely some solid dark humor in here, but make sure you're into magical realism before diving in to this one. Pun intended.

American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
Available on March 21st.

American Mermaid is a story within a story. Penelope is a Connecticut teacher. While drinking one night, she wrote a book about a mermaid named Sylvia. The book proved to be a success. Penny relocates to LA in order to network with people that can help her advance her career for the Hollywood adaptation of her book. Things turn awry when Penny starts believing Sylvia is real and is upset by the scriptwriters' changes, including Penny herself.

Penny's Hollywood struggles are interspersed with experts from her book. The first half of the book is enjoyable, but then it takes a different turn that was a bit tricky to keep up with. This book is worthwhile, but probably not a topic for all readers.

American Mermaid is a debut for Julia Langbein. It will be a pleasure to read more of her work in the future.

Thank you NetGalley, and Doubleday Books, for sharing this incredible book with me. Your kindness is appreciated. 3/5

#American Mermaid

I love a story within a story and this one delivers. I thought about it long after I finished, and will definitely add it to my stack of things to reread when I am in a slump. Looking forward to more from this author.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Doubleday Books and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A shockingly beautiful debut novel. It’s a tale that’s hard to put down. The writing is funny, unique and brilliantly executed. Pick this up for your next book club read.

American Mermaid follows Penny, a high school English teacher-turned best-selling author through her lackluster Hollywood experiences as a screenwriter. Within the chapters of this book are excerpts from the book she wrote, American Mermaid. This is the real story, it seems.

I could not get into the main plot line. Penny is one-dimensional and boring, as are the other characters. The book she wrote is where the real excitement is, but even that doesn’t move as quickly as I would like. I did really like Sylvia and Dr. Masahiro.

This author is good with words, but at times, tries too hard. She goes on and on, with paragraph-long sentences at times. I wanted to like the book. I wanted to care more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

American Mermaid is weird. And even more weird is the fact that in a story about an author that writes a story about a young woman who discovers that she’s a mermaid and her adoptive human father wants to destroy the world, the mermaid story feels more cohesive than the author’s life in LA. If the book had only been about Sylvia, the mermaid, it probably would have still been pretty offbeat, but I feel like it would have been easier to stay engaged with. As Penny, the author, flits around LA, going to parties, getting drunk, getting high, and getting lost in the diaspora that is Hollywood I regularly felt myself tuning out, getting completely confused, or desperately hoping for more mermaid excerpts. In all fairness, Penny starts losing her mind (and her dignity) the further the reader gets into the story, so it’s not that hard to get lost. Between the parties that accomplished nothing, and the passive aggressive arguing with the bro-twin screenwriters (that remind me why I spend WAY more time reading books than watching TV) I couldn’t get into this storyline at all. The best thing I can say about it is that it lays bare all of the banality that exists and how much gets stripped out of good stories for the sex appeal that brings eyeballs to screens. This story may appeal to those that like quirky books that get pegged as literary, but it was just not the right type of book for me. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AMERICAN MERMAID by Julia Langbein // When Penelope’s book about a wheelchair-bound woman who discovers she’s a mermaid is optioned for a film, she leaves behind her teaching job and heads to LA to work on the script. I really liked the first half of this book - Penelope is a fish out of water (ha!) who is dazzled by the culture shock of LA and starts to seriously spiral. But the constant interjections of excerpts from Penelope’s book (which I hated) became really annoying for me and the second half just fizzled. Penelope is a strange person and I really hoped her strangeness would lead somewhere surprising and bring everything together, but it didn’t for me.

Thanks to @doubledaybooks for this #gifted ARC. Out 3/21/23.

Penelope, a teacher from Connecticut, writes a book about a mermaid called Sylvia which ends up becoming a huge hit. With the book set to be adapted into a big Hollywood movie, Penny relocates to LA to mingle with the right people while helping write the script. However, things don't go according to plan when Penny starts believing Sylvia has come to life and is mad at the scriptwriters, including Penny herself, about the changes they're making.

I enjoyed the writing style and I really liked the first half. It's funny and a little out there but enjoyable to read while dealing with issues like climate change, feminism, and the entertainment industry. The chapters alternate between Penny's life and excerpts from her book American Mermaid. The further I got into the book, the harder it became to really follow along though. I honestly didn't really understand the ending - maybe the intention was to leave the reader confused about what was real and what wasn't but I couldn't tell if Penny was having a psychosis at the end or if mermaids were actually real.

While I greatly enjoyed the first half, this probably isn't really my type of book.

This took me a long time to finish. The premise was great but it didn't come together the way I'd like. I enjoyed the book within the book more than the writers story itself. I applaud the ambition of the story but I didn't get what I'd want for the time invested.