Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau

Title: Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings
Author: Helene Boudreau
Series: Real Mermaids, #1
Source: Bought
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Publication Date: December 10, 2010
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First zit. First crush. First…mermaid’s tail?

If she hadn’t been so clueless, she might have seen it coming. But really, who expects to get into a relaxing bathtub after a stressful day of shopping for tankinis and come out with scales and a tail?

Most. Embarassing. Moment. Ever.

Jade soon discovers she inherited her mermaid tendencies from her mom. But this revelation raises a serious question: if Mom was a mermaid, how did she drown?

Jade is determined to find out. But how does a plus-sized, aqua-phobic, mer-girl go about doing that, exactly? And how will Jade ever be able to explain her secret to her best friend Cori, and her crush, Luke?

This summer is about to get a lot more interesting…

The first book in the Real Mermaids trilogy surprised me. I was expecting a fluffy read about mermaids, which I got. But I didn't expect to actually be enchanted by it. You should know by now that I just adore any type of mythology-- any at all. So I was happy to read a little bit on mermaid lore (the webbed ones), but I was a tad disappointed with the actual mermaid content of the novel.

To me, it was too...I don't know, shallow? That's not really the word that I'm looking for, but it'll do for now. As I was saying, the underwater stuff, the mermaid change and stuff (and stuff, and stuff, ugh)? Well, I wish that it had been better done. In moments like those, I felt like I wasn't really a part of the book. And I can't help but wish that the lore part of the book had been more focused on.

Not only that, but the villians were super juvenile. But I can totally forgive that, because I realize that we're dealing with a younger age group here. But still, I like my villians bad. And I like my parent's realistic. The first time that Jade becomes a mermaid, her dad helps her out of the tub...but what self-respecting dad wouldn't screech when his daughter becomes a mermaid?? Especially when she changes back and she's naked...um. I may have missed something, but ick. I took that the wrong way-- maybe she has a blanket? I'll just assume that I missed something. (Oh, dear God in heaven please.)

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, this book was really cute. Jade was a terrific character, which lots of younger girls will definitely identify with, because she's experiencing every thing for the first time too-- girly things, growing a mermaid's tail (if you are, totally tell me, I'll be there for you!), and of course, her first crush. Which was adorable.

Jade's crush on Luke is very real and true to life, as is her lack of self confidence and her friend problems. All of that is something I'm sure that we've all experienced at one time, and I'm sure that you'll find something to love about Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings.