This one graphic novel was entertaining. Although some of the characters to me seem like fools. I can see kids reading this because of the ocean world. I also love this author and would most likely always read their stuff.

I loved the art style in this graphic novel! It was very well done. This was a great story and very enjoyable read!

Thank you to the publisher, author and Net Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

Jane's parents have passed away and for Jane to keep her home and her inheritance, she must get married. ASAP. The issue is, no one really likes her, but she finds a man willing to marry her, until he is pulled into the water by a beautiful face. Jane, grudgingly departs on a magical journey to underwater (with help). She battles magical crabs, meets a seal, and ultimately the mermaids who will change her view of herself, her future, and more. A story of growing into one's self and looking deeper than skin for answers on a strong future. Fantastic trip!

The girl saves the boy in this one.

This is my first Vera Brosgol book and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. Jane is an unconventional heroine as she is thrust into a journey to save Peter from a mermaid who captures him. Through her journey, Jane meets an unlikely ally as they traverse the sea. Along the way, they run into dangerous creatures, an underwater village, and the secret liar of the very mermaid who stole Peter. Jane's journey is not only physical, but mentally and emotional, too, as she finds in herself the strength and beauty she's always had.

There are many stories about plucky young girls who go on adventures. Girls who are lovely but come from low class homes and wish to improve their circumstances. This is not one of those stories. Jane is a character who has never been enough. Too plain for her mother. Too female for her father. Too much of a dreamer for her peers. She doesn't have a lot of options in society. And with her home threatened by a predatory relative, she goes after the one thing she thinks can save her - marriage to an attractive but low income young man in town. This sends her on a reluctant quest with mermaids and witches and undersea societies. With dynamic illustrations and pleasantly complex characters this book is a delight to read and leaf through time and again.

After her parents’ sudden deaths, Jane must marry, lest she become homeless. But who would want a plain-faced, chubby girl? Jane audaciously proposes to handsome Peter, offering her dowry as a way for him to escape his father. He accepts, only to be promptly kidnapped by a mermaid. Jane is determined to brave the sea, full of unfriendly creatures and lurking dangers, to rescue him. Along the way, she’ll make an unexpected friend and discover what true beauty she holds. This wonderful fantasy adventure graphic novel is another win for Vera Brosgol. I cheered for the intrepid Jane every step of the way of her arduous quest to find Peter and, more importantly, find herself.

I love Vera Brosgol's work and this was no exception. Vibrant art and a well written story make this a recommendation for me. I love that this is not a conventional romance and that more emphasis was put on the heroine's journey than the love story.

Utterly charmed by the story and the artwork. Vera Brosgol first caught my attention with BE PREPARED and I loved the quirkiness she carries through into her latest work. A winner for all ages but especially the pesky tween years. I will definitely be sharing with my niece.

Vera Brosgol does not miss. I really enjoyed this book and think it has good appeal across a range of ages. The seal friend was a real standout for me.

I loved the color scheme of this book. It indeed felt like being under water. I loved the messages within the story, and especially the adventure and fantasy elements.

Another great title from Vera Brosgol! I am still utterly in love with her art style, and the story did not disappoint. I was so delighted when the author delivered a plot twist that I did not see coming. All of the characters were wonderful and had some depth and nuance. Overall, it was just well done!

A book about loving ones self. Jane recently lost her parents and is kicked out of her own home by her cousin. In hopes of redemption, Jane convinces the prince to marry her with her hefty dowry. Unfortunately for Jane, Peter gets kidnapped by a mermaid and must now go and rescue the prince.
This book was very enjoyable to read. I love graphic novels that have life lessons that kids can take away from. Especially for the kids who do not enjoy reading anything but graphic novels. It will be a great recommendation for kids at the library.

Beautiful in both art and story, I was just absorbed into this book and couldn't put it down. Now that's it out, I'm planning on buying it so I can reread it for the third time!

I love anything from Vera Brosgol, and this is no exception. The amount of storytelling that she got into this graphic novel without rushing the pacing is amazing. Very fun.

Plain Jane and the Mermaid is an absolutely incredible graphic novel and a commentary on beauty standards and the pressures that people, especially women face. I loved that Brosgol showed the different challenges that women face especially with societal pressures. Jane, living in a time when women could not own property, would end up destitute without finding someone to marry. A difficult reality for so many women through the centuries. Brosgol balanced the lessons on societal pressures of beauty with banter, fantasy and the fact that beauty truly isn’t just what’s on the outside but the inside of hearts as well. A truly wonderful read and I enjoyed every minute of it!

Delightful.
Jane is the daughter of the wealthiest family in town. While no exact location is mentioned, it is a place and time where girls cannot own or inherit property. Jane's parents have been killed and she is the only living child. Since she is a girl, this means her loathsome cousin will inherit everything and kick her out with nothing.
Her parents have raised her to believe she is worthless. They constantly tell her she is unattractive, overweight, completely plain and unremarkable. Jane is, in fact, lovely, amazingly creative and resourceful. She has long loved the town's most handsome boy (at least in her opinion) - Peter. Peter is indeed handsome but also rather vain. And his father is a fisherman so - a bit stinky. Jane professes her love to Peter and offers him a deal - if he will marry her, she will be able to inherit the home and she will provide him with a life of leisure. While Peter is pondering this offer, he is lured into a swamp and then the water by a mermaid. Jane, of course, can't let this stop her so with the help of the village crone and a bit of magic, she goes after Peter. And learns just how lovable she is!

I really enjoyed this! The illustrations and coloring were amazing. And I just loved rooting for Jane on her quest to rescue Peter - while also rescuing herself.
Thank you, Net Galley, for a digital ARC.

This starts out in a very Victorian way: our heroine, Jane, is indeed plain and a bit chubby (something I have also been for much of my life), which distresses her parents, in particular her thin, beautiful by society's standards mother. There's a lot of body shaming directed at poor Jane, who really is a lovely young woman inside, and is the kind of person whose appearance will become beautiful to those who love her. But as I said, this is set in the Victorian era, where a young, unmarried woman's looks are a big commodity, and Jane doesn't quite make the cut. This is stupid and awful, but so are beauty standards, amiright? Jane's parents die (I won't say "unfortunately die" because honestly, they're awful), and by law, Jane can't inherit their house or fortune because she is female and unmarried. Her only chance is to get married within a week or her horrible male cousin will inherit everything. Now, Jane is a clever cookie, and quickly comes up with a plan - she makes a deal with Peter, the handsome but flighty son of a local fisherman that Jane has had a crush on since childhood, to have a marriage of convenience; Peter won't have to work anymore, and Jane can keep her house and fortune. Peter loves this idea (he really isn't a bad person, he's just a bit of a flibbertigibbet), and Jane's future is looking up - that is, it was, before she arrives just in time to see Peter get taken by a mermaid. Now Jane must come up with a way to rescue Peter, and she gets help from the village crone, who gives her some magic to let her exist under water for three days. Thus begins Jane's quest to save Peter, helped by an imprisoned seal she sets free by using her brain to trick the sea devil who has captured them both. Mr. Whiskers (she calls him that because he reminds her of her curmudgeonly cat) agrees to help her find the mermaid city, because she did save his life several times. He's gruff at first, but they soon become friends on the way to rescue Peter.I won't say what happens next, but I will say it was a very satisfying ending, and everyone got what they deserved. There are many nods to established fairy tales, which was fun, and this book can happily sit on the shelf next to Grimm, Andersen, Perrault, and other classic fairy tales.
The art, by the way, is gorgeous, and is perfect for the story, and Jane is just a marvelous character! Definitely recommended!

Oh, I adored this story! I've read some of Brosgol's previous books, and this is another winner.

Jane has been told she's plain her entire life. This has never really been a problem until her parents die and an unbearable cousin threatens to kick her out of the house she grew up in. With few options, she decides she needs to marry - fast. She's got her eye on the very pretty boy in town, but this goes topsy turvy when he's kidnapped by an equally pretty mermaid.

It's up to Jane to save her one true love - or at least the boy she thinks she's in love with.

The book is filled with fantastic characters from the witch who helps Jane, to the mermaids, to seal who seems very helpful. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves graphic novels, high adventure, or struggles to accept that looks aren't everything.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and First Second Books for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Brogsol has expertly crafted a new take on traditional mermaid folklore. Jane knows that she is incredibly plain, but that doesn't soften the blow when her cousin kicks her out of her home. In an attempt to control her own future, she proposes to Peter, a beautiful boy desperate to get away from his father and his job on the docks. Before an agreement can be made, a mermaid kidnaps Peter and Jane decides she has to save him. Along the way, she realizes there are plenty of important qualities beyond beauty and finds herself to be capable and loveable. Brogsol uses a muted above-ground palette and incorporates more colors as Jane goes into the ocean and gains more confidence in herself. Emotions are beautifully conveyed via detailed facial expressions and the mermaids tread the perfect line between beauty and terror. Perfect for readers who enjoy folk and fairy tales as well as tweens who have enjoyed Brogsol's previous works.

Upon the untimely death of her parents, homely Jane is about to lose her home to her odious cousin unless she can find a husband. Jane has a guy in mind, the best-looking guy in town, Peter. Jane thinks it would be a win-win for both of them, Peter could escape his father’s fishing boat and she could marry her long-time crush and not be penniless. But right after she proposes, a mermaid comes and snatches Peter down to the watery depths. An old crone in town hears her pleas for help and equips her for a 3 day rescue mission, but if she doesn’t rescue Peter in that time, she will drown herself.

There are some great messages about true personal value, outward vs inward appearance, and what kind of foundation love relationships should be based on woven into this graphic novel. Brosgol has written her own unique fairytale full of creepy mermaids, gruff but kind selkies, vodniks, the plight of orphaned, plain Victorian young ladies and [lost heirs (hide spoiler)]. I liked it a lot, and loved the messages. Highly recommended.

Notes on content [based on the ARC]:
Language: None
Sexual content: Nothing beyond a hug on page.
Violence: Two presumed fatal accidents happen off page (one is proved to have not been fatal). Another creature is presumed to have fallen into boiling water and not made it out. There are bones around as evidence of past eating of men and deaths of sailors.
Ethnic diversity: Jane’s town’s location isn’t identified, most of the town is White but her lawyer is a person of color. Fantasy creatures hail from a variety of cultures’ lore.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified
Other: Jane’s parents put a lot of pressure on her to look prettier and seemed ashamed of her.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.