When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley is a wonderful, fun, and ambitious debut. I loved the setting (1911ish, NYC) and the wide range of diverse characters.

This book follows Benny, an immigrant from Puerto Rico, who accidentally stumbles into a ringleader’s plan to capture a merman for his oddities collection (very P.T. Barnum-esque). Benny joins the show as the merman’s caretaker and connects with the creature, both men similarly longing for home.

In short, this is a fantastic and immersive book. The world is well built and accessible while each character is thought out and uniquely motivated. The love story is sweet and nicely developed. Overall, I am impressed that this is a debut and can’t wait to see what the author writes next.

My only minor gripe is the pacing. It felt a bit slow at times, especially towards the end. Some scenes dragged on, and the stakes didn't always feel high enough. Still, I was hooked enough to finish it, even if I skipped a few pages here and there (oops!).

I recommend this to anyone who loves a good romance, wants to see more Hispanic representation, or enjoys period pieces. (I loved the reference to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire)

The illustrations are stunning and I can’t wait to see this book in the stores sometime in the near future! Fingers crossed that TikTok gets a hold of this book because it deserves to go viral.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
This was such a fun read, and an incredible debut for Venessa Vida Kelley! The characters were executed incredibly well. I think with a circus/”freak show” cast it could be difficult to have characters who play into harmful stereotypes without letting those characters be defined by them, but Kelley gave all these characters enough depth that they were engaging, and felt like real people. Personally I loved the relationship between Emmet and Benny. I think it was a great example of how being part of a minority group doesn’t prevent you from being ignorant about other minorities. I also loved the queerness and queer acceptance in this book. Of course, it is a gay romance, so I knew the protagonist and love interest would be queer, but it was nice to see some other queer/trans characters too.
I really appreciated the glossary including definitions of all of the non-english words/phrases. Since I was reading on kindle I was able to look up some phrases while I was reading, but sometimes Google translate doesn’t accurately translate things, especially slang.
Additionally, I would be remiss to review this book without even mentioning the gorgeous illustrations. Because this was a digital arc, the images on my copy were in black and white, but I follow the author on instagram where they’ve posted some of the dual tone versions. I absolutely adore when books have illustrations in them, I always think they help bring more life to the book, and Kelley's art style matched with the book’s environment incredibly well.
Thank you so much to the author and publishers for the pleasure of reading this digital arc!

The concept of this book is gorgeous, The cover is gorgeous. There are turns-of-phrases that are gorgeous,

I thought this book was good.

It is a good book. Unique and original, while still being familiar enough to make it easily palatable, even as it delves into some very dark and uncomfortable topics. (What else would you call a period of time where it was not uncommon to find living human beings on display at fairs?) Anyone who likes grounded urban fantasy will like this one, and appreciate some part of it, I like the emphasis on finding your place in the world, finding your people. It's a narrative theme that never fails to get at me.

The pacing was a little uneven, but I find that to be the case with most debut novels. It's easily forgivable here. There are lots of moments that need to sit with you to have their whole impact. Lots of things that need to be fully digested before you can move on. So if it is a little slow in places, it feels right in the moment when reading, regardless of how it feels looking back at the whole picture.

I felt this was thoughtful and thought provoking and I am glad I read it, even if I didn't wholly love it.

Rounding up on 3.5 stars. This is an ambitious story for a debut. I loved the idea and the characters, the setting was interesting, and the illustrations are a lovely addition, although I found the execution uneven. I really wanted to love this book because the author seems wonderful and I have been enjoying her fan art and illustrations for a while. The writing style didn't really work for me and it pulled me out of the story enough that it was a bit of a slog. But I'm glad I stuck with it because it was nice to see how it all played out. Again, I think it's a great story and worth reading and probably more enjoyable for people who jive with the author's voice better.

Such a beautiful story set in a carnival in 1910 NYC. The love story is so delicate, so lovely, between a young Puerto Rican man who doesn't feel accepted anywhere and a merman who was forced out of the ocean.
The Shape of Water vibes but make it gay with a dash of Big Fish.
I loved the found family, the beautiful writing, the gorgeous art in the pages.
I'm very emotional after reading this book (which is a good sign) It will be in my heart for long 💙

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for an early access copy, I was so interested in this book by the cover and description. I was not disappointed, I will admit did I struggle with the Spanish aspects and the words in spanish. Absolutely but that is not a knock against this book, thats more against my poor ability to learn languages. I loved the way this book was written regardless, the author phenomenally described New York City in a way that I could totally picture it during that time. I could picture the house that the company worked in, I could imagine the tank that Rio lived in. The way the other characters in this company are described you just can’t help but picture this rag tag team. I was so enthralled by the story and the budding romance between Buddy and Rio. I found myself really rooting for Sonia/Mary and Mathias and the others in the company. Except Sam but honestly he was written so well and it really was one of those things where you find yourself kind of okay with him at first and then gradually as the pieces fall into place and you start to get to know him you too begin to dislike him. The story was overall well done and the world was enchanting and a delight to read about. It meshed so well with the NYC backdrop.

I did receive an ARC for this book for a review.

Wow was a beautiful story! This was a really fun read that I would recommend to a lot of people. Especially if you’re in a reading slump and need a pick me up I think this is a lovely book. My only critiques are minor: there is a glossary in the book I did not realize this until the end when I finished and scrolled through it but there are some Spanish phrases that I didn’t know and just trucked through when I read but the author does define them in the glossary. I don’t think the story is anything crazy but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fun to read.

Definitely recommend and would love to read more of this authors work!

I received a free e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a bit of a slow start so I ended up putting off finishing it for a while. However, after the first few chapters (which at least appeared to be long on the kindle) it picked up and I ended speeding through it in a little over a day.

Honestly it was predictable in some cases, but it was still very good. The characters had a nice found family going that made the book feel homey at times. The art also helped with picturing how they looked, and I wish more adult books had illustrations like that.

It should also be noted that there are historically accurate slurs, racism, and homophobia in the book. Most of it is not constant, but it is still present in this book. I'd say there's more racism against the main character than anything else, as that is the first thing most of the other characters see about him.

That being said, I think this is exactly the gay mermaid book needed. I remember when the author was doing fanart of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for a fanfic (I might be wrong but I believe that became this book) and this book would be perfect for fans of Carry On. If anything When the Tides Held the Moon might even be better.

This ended up being an absolutely lovely, sweet tale of found family, and falling in love with a merman while you're a human man from the Puerto Rican diaspora, and ends up turning into a fun and wacky heist to get the merman back to the sea at a certain point. There are also some absolutely gorgeous illustrations in this. Absolutely worth your time and then some this spring.

Such a beautiful book! The author wrote such an amazing story about family and finding your home, while also staying true to yourself. I loved the setting, as it's not a historical era I've read that many books in. All of the characters were fleshed out with amazing diversity, and I loved reading the developing relationship between the two main characters. The writing was lyrical, and the dual POVs added more to the story. I also loved the illustrations throughout the book as it just added to the already beautiful writing. Tears were shed while reading this book! A really great debut novel and I will definitely read more from this author!

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for an eArc in exchange for my honest review!

What a fantastic storyline. I’ll admit that the setting of this novel is typically not my cup of tea, but, this novel may have convinced me otherwise. The characters had depth and diversity, the plot was enticing, the main love interest was beautifully written, and the main villain made me want to throw the book at the wall. It was awesome. The only hesitation I had was that I felt the beginning was a bit slow, but once the story picked up I could not put it down. Go read this one ASAP!

A delightful story about finding finding family, home, and where you belong while remembering where you came from.

The slow tension was absolutely delicious. I actually kept putting the book down to savor it and think about what I just read.

Short bits of dialogue and narration are in Spanish and it's fairly easy from context to guess their translation/purpose (from the perspective of someone who knows comically little spanish). But there is a handy translation guide in the back! ...Which I discovered upon finishing, and will dutifully make use of in my re-read!

Absolutely adored the assemble of performers and the diverse cast! And the queer rep!

MM romances that feature women with fleshed out personalities, wants, challenges, and contribute to the plot have a special place in my heart.

What a beautiful book. Set in an era and location we don’t see often in romance or fantasy - an era and location rich with opportunities for world building and creative antics. And a merman as one of our romantic leads? Delightfully unique and charming. There’s lush magic, social justice, a rag tag bunch of carnies, and an evil capitalist villain, which, touché. Beneath the magic and wonder, this is a story about found family, about learning to trust, to be who you are, and to let someone love you for all of your complicated failings. A complete delight.

The cover had me hooked! I'm not familiar with the author, but the title, description and again, the COVER! So pretty.

- historical fantasy (20th century urban fantasy)
- romance
- queer mmcs
- found family
- lyrical writing
- great world building
- merman <3
- merman trapped by a circus crew, forms friendship with the man who constructs the tank that entraps him
- emotional, tragic, heartwrenching
- amazing illustrations and art within the story

Uh-mazing!

Now, I'm usually not a historical romance reader, or any historical story reader, but I was pulled in by the concept (and the cover!) so even though it took me a bit to get started, once I did, I was swept up in the lyrical writing, and emotions of the characters. That feeling of being trapped, in more ways then one, was so well expressed.

x

it’s really hard for me to write this… Because there’s so many fantastic things about this book and the reason i ultimately DNF’d it is absolutely a “me issue”…. though I would prefer to say I paused this… Because I really wanna pick it up again eventually.

The cover and the artwork throughout this whole book are absolutely stunning! And it’s what Venessa is known for!
The story was so intriguing and I wanted to keep reading but my personal issue is the period appropriate writing… Which is probably something other people love about this book! But I was not at a point where my brain could process it and I could feel it drag me down… So I ultimately had to pause reading it for now…

Which in no way means that this was badly written or is a bad book… I really do want to pick it up again eventually!

Can we just hold space for the beautiful cover!!
This book is a truly beautiful queer book about love, family and identity and a perfect book to just lose yourself in especially if you’re looking for your next book that shoots you into a rollercoaster of emotions!!

"Your emotions are not madness. Nor are you broken. Everyone else - the cowards who taught you that keep your heart safe meant caging it - they are broken."

This book made me sob in all the best ways. A pairing and backdrop that I would have never imagined. A scrappy Puerto Rican immigrant who unknowingly built a cage for an enchanting and determined merman in NYC 1910s. Not to mention and amazing array of side character who form this Puerto Rican's new found family?

As a queer Puerto Rican, I wish I could have handed this book to me ten years ago. The want to escape to NYC for the American dream is still something that holds very true, 100 years after this book is set. And the fact this was a queer love story but everyone who mattered did not negatively react upon finding out that our main character prefers men, warmed my heart. They welcomed him, all aspects, with open arms.

And we do have a villain in this story, the head of the circus performers who captured the merman. However, I think the author did a good job and not just telling us he's a bad man, but showing us as the story developed until I was sneering any time this man appeared on stage. You really begin rooting for this couple and feel just as helpless and just as much heartbreak as they do at times.

I also loved the ending that all the characters had. If you love a queer love story as much as I do, Puerto Rican representation, and mermen - this one is definitely for you.

This book had such a poetic feel to it. It truly swept me away - pun intended! - on a romantic, lush ride.

3.5 stars rounded up! As a fan of Venessa’s art for years, I was SO delighted to get the chance to read their debut novel.

This books was lovely. Very well written, incredible illustrations (I wonder if these are temp art pieces or if the final release will look different? regardless SO stunning).

Pacing could use some work, the first half was pretty slow. And I often had to pretend I didn’t see a perfectly good solution to every one of Benny and Río’s problems lol but they were very cute and the ending was 🙏❤️ so cute

very excited to read what comes next from Venessa! ty Netgalley etc for the ARC!

I recently read an e-ARC of When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley. (Thank you to NetGalley!) It was an amazing read! There were a bunch of things I liked about the book:

- Beautiful illustrations
- A lot of great disability representation
- Found family
- Enemies to lovers
- GAY! MERMAIDS!!!!!

I really liked the main POV character, Benigno Caldera, and having some snippets from the point of view of the Merman, Rio, gave the book a fuller feel than a normal single POV romance. I also loved how the relationship between Benigno and Rio developed.

rating: 5/5