This book is nothing short of amazing!  I read this once before but for some reason I didn't write a review on it but I loved the book so much I decided to read it again.  I very rarely ever read anything a second time but this one stuck with me.  I keep thinking about the characters and want to Know more.  I just can't say enough good about this book! It is fabulous!  I highly recommend!

Thanks Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing arc for my honest opinion.

Dr. Kit Bianic has been mourning her sister for fifteen years.  Their unconventional childhood led to a strained relationship and then Josie died in a terrorist attack while she was in France. It was the catalyst needed though to get their mother into rehab and AA.  Kit has thought of her sister often in the last fifteen years, but one night she catches a brief news story where she swears she sees her sister in the background. Her mother saw the same news story and pleads Kit to go look for her sister. So, Kit takes off for New Zealand with one goal in mind. Find her sister. What Kit didn't expect was meeting the handsome Spaniard, Javier.  She sees it as a vacation fling, but Javier sees it as much more. 

Josie left her past behind when she moved to New Zeland and reinvented herself as Mari. She has a good life with her husband, Simon, and their two children. She knew there was a risk of her past coming to light when she got caught on camera the night of the fire, so she wasn't all that surprised to see her little sister show up in New Zeland. She lies and tells Simon that Kit was her childhood best friend because she knows that the truth will destroy her marriage. Will she be able to reconcile the past and save her marriage at the same time?

For the most part, I enjoyed When We Believed in Mermaids. The two sisters had a pretty traumatic childhood. Not just neglect from their parents, but the earthquake that tore their family apart. Then there was this random kid that literally swept into their lives. And their parents just treated him like a long lost son. It was clear that for the time that Dylan was with them, he was the stabilizing force for the sisters. Which is a lot to ask of a teen boy. I also really enjoyed the romance between Javier and Kit. I thought it was sweet and romantic. The end seemed a little rushed, though. The author spent all this time developing the characters and the story and then boom. It is over?  CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS. 

Bottom Line - When We Believed in Mermaids is a story about reconciliation, forgiveness and two sisters who struggle with both. 

Details:
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal
On Instagram
Pages: 352
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: 7/16/2019
Buy it Here! 
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

The premise of this book sounded extremely interesting, but I had trouble connecting to the characters.  I wanted to love this, but it didn't live up to the synopsis.

2 Stars ( I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I barely got through this book, I was listening to it on audio and got about 15 - 30 minutes through and then fell asleep for about an hour. It was odd from what I do remember and I have been more critical of books lately. Actually not finishing when I am not enjoying it.

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by this author, but I wasn’t sure how I felt about this one when I read the synopsis.  The plot seemed very far fetched and implausible.    The storyline borders on being soap opera-y, but somehow, some way, the author makes it work.    There are a lot of issues and themes about pretty much every relationship human beings can have with each other.  One might think that it would be too much to take on in one novel, but Barbara O’Neal brings it all together in a way that makes sense.  

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Kits sister had been dead for almost fifteen years when she appears on the news.  She was working in the e.r. as a doctor at the time. Josie has been missing with no body. Kit loves the beach. Josie had loved drama. The cove is empty with recent shark attack. Kits mother also sees Josie on the news . Kit is to go to Auckland with her husband Simon. Interesting but not a favorite ♥️

I loved this book.  The raw emotions just pour off the page.  The beauty of friendship and the heartache of loss.  All come across in beautiful prose that had me in tears.  For me this is easily one of the best books of the year.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a great storyline that pulled you in. It was emotional, beautifully written with mystery, romance and characters that you'll love and hate. Thank you for providing me with a copy!

O’Neal crafts an emotional narrative around the idea that maybe a sister isn’t dead.  She takes the readers with her as the sisters find their way back to each other.  Be prepared with tissues and time when you begin.

This was a great story about a woman named Josie everyone thought had died.  When her sister Kit accidentally sees her on TV, she knows she has to find her,  She goes to Auckland to search her out, and hopefully repair their friendship.  I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kit and Josie (aka Mari) grew up near Santa Cruz, on the California coast.  Their parents owned and operated a restaurant, perched on an oceanfront hillside, right next to their house.  From a very young age the girls were left to their own devices, and essentially raised themselves.  Although they were very different, they were very close, which was a good thing, because their parents were too busy with their volatile relationship and restaurant business to pay much attention.  At some point in their childhood Dylan, a homeless teenage boy, arrived at their home and stayed on.  He lived in their home, worked in the restaurant and took care of the girls.  Dylan's past was a mystery, but he ultimately became just like an older sibling to the girls.  

As the girls grew up they went their separate ways.  Kit went on to attend medical school and became an emergency room physician.  Josie (aka Mari) had a serious problem with both alcohol and drugs which sent her life spiraling, until she was killed in a terrorist bombing in Europe.

Several years later, Kit and her mother see a television news report about a fire in New Zealand, and in the background is a woman who looks just like Josie (aka Mari).  Kit promptly flies to New Zealand to try to find this woman.  

This was a fabulous book.  I was intrigued from the first page and loved the story right up to the very last page.  It was original and interesting and I highly recommend it to anyone.  Thank you to Netgalley, the author Barbara O'Neal and the publisher Lake Union Publishing for a complimentary copy of this book.  This is my honest opinion.

Barbara O’Neal is a wonderful writer. Although I felt this book had a slow start, overall I did enjoy the story. The only part that fell short for me was the subplot about a murder mystery. It felt out of place and completely unnecessary to the story.

Oh I absolutely loved this one! I was completely hooked from page one, and I really loved the relationships between the characters. I'm such a sucker for stories revolving around familial relationships, and this one really fulfilled all of my expectations. I loved the mystery that was tied into the story, and it really helped me to want to continue on with each chapter! I read this one so fast, and I definitely recommend this as a really fun summer read.

Loved this book! Readers are taken on an emotional roller coaster with twists and turns you’d never expect. A beautiful story full of secrets, betrayal, death, forgiveness and more. Can’t wait to read more by this author.

While very unrealistic and borderline fantasy I did enjoy this book. It was a cute read. Thanks for letting me read this book. I look forward to more by this author.

As with most books on NetGalley, this book is a great read. Captivating and intriguing. Thematically beautiful. Gorgeous writing.

I enjoyed this book, even loved it. But I got confused occasionally. The story kept me interested, but I found it a little unrealistic. But I read on and really liked the last half of the book (no spoilers). 

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.

After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.

Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.

This had so many twists and turns! I was on an emotional rollercoaster the whole way through!

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

A moving story of sisters,family, love and marriage.  Full of mystery and intrigue. Highly recommend.  This is my first book by this author. I have seen books written by her, but just never took the time to read.  That has changed! Thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy.

Your life has been plagued with loss. The instant you start to feel better again, your heart clenches at the thought of what sadness lies in wait for you just around the corner. Kit Bianci has lived her whole life this way, losing family and friends and safe places to call home. So, when she sees someone on the news who could only be the sister she thought was dead, she can’t ignore it. She has to investigate.

She hops on a plane to New Zealand to find her once-dead sister, and her life changes forever.

Barbara O’Neal’s When We Believed in Mermaids is a powerful story of love, loss, and the strength and resiliency of the human spirit. It is beautifully told from the perspectives of both Kit and her long-lost sister, Josie, tugging at the heartstrings and flooding the reader with raw emotion.

Kit and Josie are far from perfect, but they are strong and determined to move forward in life as best they can, spending each day atoning for and recovering from past mistakes.

I have to admit I may have a little extra love for this novel because the main characters are from my home state of California, but the story itself is so deeply moving; full of mystery and intrigue, wit and romance, and the simple thrills of catching an early morning wave, it’s impossible not to become completely engrossed in it.

When We Believed in Mermaids is a truly beautiful novel. It’s a new take on the classic family drama, and it is guaranteed not to disappoint.