"Sea Change" follows a genetically mutated teenager named Turtle. In an attempt to increase lung capacity, geneticists accidentally created a group of babies with both gills and lungs; the babies became known as the Mer. For years, the Mer have lived on an old cruise ship in pods under the supervision of a Normal woman named Constance.

Turtle misses her biological family, whom she was separated from as a child. After an encounter with a Normal teen named Kai, Turtle becomes determined to visit the land she once called home. Her desire grows stronger when she learns her father may have escaped prison, and that she may be able to track down her eldest sister. When doctors offer a way to reverse the genetic mutation, Turtle is torn between her life with her fellow Mer, and her desire to date Kai and reunite with her family.

Pros:

Written in compelling prose, "Sea Change" tackles hard questions surrounding genetic modification and the ethics of "playing God." I enjoyed how the story uses dialogue and excerpts from an in-universe history book to present multiple perspectives without passing judgement on either the pro- or anti-genetic modification arguments. Dialogue adds nuance and challenges the readers' expectations.

The setting and characters bring the story to life, especially during the second half of the novel. Turtle reminds me of a real teenager who makes mistakes and acts selfishly at times, but ultimately means well. There was one moment in particular where the "Little Mermaid' inspiration shines. Overall, the story was enjoyable and made me think critically about the portrayed topics.

Cons:

The story's twists were predictable and unoriginal. I immediately recognized one major twist but had to wait until the end for it to be revealed. I feel this particular twist did not have a satisfying conclusion and the ending felt rushed.

I felt there were too many characters, most of whom were not fully fleshed out. By the end, I was questioning the motivations of several different characters. Twice, I had to go back to remember who certain characters were after seeing their names again. Turtle's relationships with her sisters felt unsatisfying, and her relationships with her friends felt hollow. The remaining characters were not memorable or felt like plot devices. I spent the first half of the book wondering why Turtle and Kai liked each other when the text barely spends any time showing the characters interacting -- and this was supposed to be a central topic in the story.

The pacing of the first half felt awkward and clunky overall, which was disappointing considering the world building interested me greatly. The second half did improve the pacing issue (at least until the very end), but too much time was divided between too many characters. I feel the plot twists hurt the story more than they benefitted it.

Ultimately, this story is more of a social commentary piece than it is a teenage romance. The mystery and suspense also drive most of the plot points. This story is far from bad, but it does not tread new waters (pun intended).

This was a BEAUTIFUL book. The writing is gorgeous, the characters are interesting. The plot was unique and well done. Really excellent.

The writing in this book is absolutely stunning! It’s filled with several really well done passages that would be perfect for teaching descriptive writing and creating an immersive sense of place. As I read, I found myself wanting to pull so many lines to share with my students as examples of how vivid, engaging language can transport readers into a story.
This book would be a fantastic addition to any high school library, and I’d even recommend it to a mature middle schooler. This book was really cute, and well done! I strongly recommend it!

Reading Sea Change felt like standing on the edge of two worlds and not knowing which way to jump. Turtle’s story pulled me in from the very first chapter because, let’s be real, who hasn’t felt torn between two parts of their identity? The tension she feels between the underwater world of the Mer and the pull of the Normal world (and, okay, the charming Kai) hit hard.

What I loved most was how real Turtle feels. She’s stubborn, loyal, and sometimes a little reckless, but that just makes her all the more relatable. Her struggles—trying to figure out where she belongs, reconnecting with her past while navigating an uncertain future—felt so authentic. Even though the book is set in a world shaped by rogue gene editing and a society grappling with its consequences, the emotions are universal.

The world Susan Fletcher created is incredible. From the hauntingly beautiful underwater life of the Mer to the eeriness of drowned towns, every setting feels alive. But the heart of the story is Turtle and her relationships—with her friends, her family, and herself.

If you’ve ever felt caught between who you are and who you want to be, or if you love stories with a mix of heart and high stakes, Sea Change is for you. It’s equal parts breathtaking, thought-provoking, and deeply emotional—a story about love, identity, and what it means to truly belong.

I need to formally apologise, unfortunately due to recent life events I've had to dnf this book as commitments are now focused elsewhere. I've read a few pages so far and am loving it! I will definitely be reading this again in the future when I have more time on my hands and will leave a new updated review on soicals once completed. I am grateful to of have the chance to work with yous and again I apologise for the inconvenience my review may have caused.

A girl with romanticized dreams of a life filled with the love of a boy and the family she thought forgot her, her attention splits between the world and people she’s known and a new one, forcing her to face a life-altering choice in Sea Change by Susan Fletcher.
Fifteen-year-old Turtle is on a scavenging trip in a flooded house, which happens to belong to her grandmother, when she saves a stranger’s life in a way that only the genetically modified Mer, such as herself, would be able to when scuba gear of the Normals fails – with breathing help taking advantage of her gills until he’s able to escape from being pinned down. Captivated by Kai, the boy she saved, Turtle’s attention is pulled toward him, and they find ways to meet up secretly to have both land- and sea-based adventures. Turtle’s also keen to find her family, who had been forced by law to give her up due to having her genes illegally modified and seemed to have abruptly stopped writing letters years ago; with a bit of luck, she found one of her sisters locally and Turtle reconnects and reignites her familial connection. So when doctors suddenly board The Mermaid, the ship that houses the Mer, and claim that they’ve come up with a surgery that will allow the Mer to give up their gills and live as Normals, Turtle is incredibly tempted as it would make living with her family easier, not to mention the possibility of a future with Kai, but she’d miss her Mer friends and the freedom of traversing within the sea. Faced with a decision that will alter the course of her life, Turtle navigates a turbulent world of consequences with the hope that a brighter future might emerge.
Set within a near-future version of the world that’s ravaged by the destructive impacts of climate change and the socio-political consequences of genetic manipulation with the lurking question of “should it be done just because you can”, a narrative with strong themes of hope and family, both that of blood and chosen, is woven throughout escalating action that helps a young girl grow as she sees and interacts with a more expansive world around her amid the corruption that is brought to her attention that has had a controlling hand in shaping her life and choices, or lack thereof. With The Little Mermaid serving as a loose inspirational base for this tale, and echoes of it are easily seen through the desire to reside in and belong to both worlds, needing to make a sacrificial choice between the two, and heightened melodramatic adolescent romantic tension, the story places the cautionary element of the fairy tale into the near-future setting with ease as a sci-fi-esque narrative is an easy shift for a fairy tale to adapt to. There’s a larger genetically modified community with unique traits, which are a result of unintended consequences of the manipulated genes, who are discriminated against and swept up in the conspiracy that Turtle becomes acutely aware of and convinced to assist in combatting; however, this aspect of the narrative in comparison with the protestation of the Mer seems to be left more underdeveloped, along with general questions of a technological and logistical nature, despite the pivotal role a member of that community has as a catalyst for the changes in Turtle’s life.
Overall, I’d give it a 4 out of 5 stars.
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.