Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake (review)

Twelve-year-old Hazel Bly once loved the ocean. Then a tragic accident at sea two years ago killed one of her mothers and caused her other parent to take her and five-year-old sister Peach on the road to escape the pain. Now they've settled in seaside Maine for the summer, where Mama strikes up an unexpected romance with an old flame and pushes Hazel into an unwanted friendship with local girl Lemon. Undaunted by Hazel's prickliness and hiding a traumatic loss of her own, Lemon soon draws Hazel into a summer Ocean Club, where the lure of more friends and local lore about a girl-turned-mermaid wait to challenge Hazel's selfisolation. Hazel's not as ready to make peace with the past as people want her to be, though, and when long submerged feelings bubble to the surface, the results may lead to more tragic consequences or create space for a new start. An undercurrent of mermaid folklore adds memorable mystery and a hint of hopeful magic to this portrait of profound grief, worn-thin coping mechanisms, and the power of friendship. Hazel's heartbreak pours from the page, and her resulting behaviors elicit deep empathy. Friends, including equally heartbroken Lemon, strong-willed Asian-American Kiko, and nonbinary friend-turned-crush Jules, are supportive and real, and sexual diversity is treated throughout with an informing matter-of-factness. The well-developed supporting cast, meanwhile, is rounded out by flawed, broken adults whose failures are mitigated by good intentions. At times heartwrenching but ultimately heartwarming, it's a story of resilience that readers will want to dive right into.