Unrequited love is hard enough when you’re a normal teenage girl, but for mermaid Lily Sanderson, there’s no such thing as a simple crush. Lily has a secret, and it’s not her huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Lily’s mermaid identity is a secret that can’t get out, since she’s not just any mermaid—she’s a Thalassinian princess. When she discovered three years ago that her mother was actually a human, Lily finally realized why she didn’t feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she’s been going to Seaview High ever since. Living on land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren’t really the casual dating type—when they bond, it’s for life. When Lily’s attempt to win Brody’s love leads to a case of mistaken identity, she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned. Gr 6-10–Lily, 17, is a mermaid princess living on land and attending a high school where no one knows her real identity. She needs to find a mate before she turns 18 in order to inherit the throne. Her big crush on Brody is going nowhere until her obnoxious neighbor, Quince, intervenes. A surprise kiss from the wrong boy leads to a tidal wave of unexpected consequences. In this lighthearted and mostly enjoyable novel, Childs stretches the relationship drama out perhaps a little too long for impatient readers, but the end result is sweet and satisfying. The ending hints of more mermaid tales to come. Kathy Kirchoefer, Prince Georges County Memorial Library System, New Carrollton, MD © Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Hans Christian Andersen's “The Little Mermaid” meets Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief (2005) in this frothy romantic fantasy. Lily may look like a run-of-the-mill high-school student, but she is actually the mermaid heir to the throne of the ocean kingdom of Thalassinia. Half human, Lily is able to maintain her bipeds in order to snag a human beau, who will then turn into a merman to rule by her side with a single kiss. She has her fins set on champion swimmer Brody. But when Lily accidentally busses bad-boy biker Quince instead, she moves heaven and sea in an attempt to swim off into the sunset with her first crush as planned. But it isn't long before the scales fall from her eyes, and she realizes which boy truly loves her, tail and all. Full of fishy expressions (“Son of a swordfish!”), mermaid lore, and breathless, underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teen and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer. Grades 6-9. --Jennifer Hubert “Full of fishy expressions, mermaid lore, and breathless underwater kisses, this lighter-than-air read will charm teens and tween girls who prefer their supernatural romances to be more Meg Cabot than Stephenie Meyer.” - ALA Booklist “Tera Lynn Childs has created an enchanting world of romance, magic and endearing characters you can’t help but root for. FORGIVE MY FINS had me hooked from page one, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in its sequel! I simply adored this book!” - Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author “bubbly, inventive and well worth a plunge” - Kirkus Reviews “you can’t ask for a much more perfect beach read” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Lily Sanderson has a secret, and it's not that she has a huge crush on gorgeous swimming god Brody Bennett, who makes her heart beat flipper-fast. Unrequited love is hard enough when you're a normal teenage girl, but when you're half human, half mermaid, like Lily, there's no such thing as a simple crush. Lily's mermaid identity is a secret that can't get out, since she's not just any mermaid—she's a Thalassinian princess. When Lily found out three years ago that her mother was actually a human, she finally realized why she didn't feel quite at home in Thalassinia, and she's been living on land and going to Seaview High School ever since, hoping to find where she truly belongs. Sure, land has its problems—like her obnoxious biker-boy neighbor, Quince Fletcher—but it has that one major perk: Brody. The problem is, mermaids aren't really the casual dating type—the instant they "bond," it's for life. When Lily's attempt to win Brody's love leads to a tsunami-sized case of mistaken identity, she is in for a tidal wave of relationship drama, and she finds out, quick as a tailfin flick, that happily ever after never sails quite as smoothly as you planned. Tera Lynn Childs is the award-winning author of several books for teens, including the first two books in the Sweet Venom series, the mermaid romances Forgive My Fins , Fins Are Forever , and Just for Fins , as well as another mythology-inspired series, including Oh. My. Gods. and Goddess Boot Camp . Althou