When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neil.  I have always enjoyed Barbara O'Neils novels and this one is no exception.  Her writing is smooth not overly descriptive and her characters come through strong and present.  I thought this storyline was quite original and meshed well with all that happens in the world today.

The premise is what initially drew me into this story, but the complex relationship between siblings is what kept me intrigued until the end. This a surprisingly "deep" read by an author known for fluffy romances; sexual assault, child abuse and neglect, mental illness, addiction, and suicide are all factors is this novel. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this quiet family drama.

I LOVE THIS BOOK. What a story. I was hook from the moment Kit and her mother saw Josie/Mari on TV. It was passionate, and it was thrilling uncovering all the details of the story. It has great romance and love of family.. I love the occupation of the characters and that love conquers all.
It was sad how the parents messed up their children's lives but when you don’t deal with your own childhood it will come out some way.
And finally I loved all the pets and a touch of the supernatural. The story definitely has a touch of your earlier novels(Rainmaker, Jezebel’s Blues) and the young adult series under Lark O’neal

This is a wonderful story of survival and the special bond of sisters. There are different ways to survive and this story shows how two sisters choose their paths. It's heartbreaking to read about the slippery slope of addiction. I loved the characters and the bond that Josie and Kit shared. The book is an emotional rollercoaster of sisterhood, love, secrets and the chance to find forgiveness. I highly recommend this book.

I enjoyed this book; however, I wish that the family's past had been fleshed out a bit more. There were many instances where the main characters alluded to neglect and abuse by their parents, but it wasn't ever fully explained. I kept feeling like there was going to be a big reveal and there never was.

“My sister has been dead for nearly fifteen years when I see her on the TV news.”

With that fantastic opening line, we drop in to the story of 2 sisters, one presumed dead and one barely living.
Two little girls, Josie and Kit, are raised by parents so enthralled with each other that they neglect their children, leaving them largely unattended in a little cove by their home. During a storm, a broken and unwanted teenage boy appears as their door, offering the girls a bit of security and stability but he has his own issues of neglect and abuse.

Josie dies in a terrorist attack, or at least seems to, until 15 years later, when Kit and her mother see her on the news. But Josie isn’t Josie anymore. Kit goes half a world away to track down her sister and get some answers.

The description of the events of these two lives, abuse, neglect, death, catastrophe and ultimately rebuilding of a sort, is like being battered by wave after wave, with periods of calm just long enough to catch your breath.
The ocean is a central theme in the telling of this story but also in how it’s told, the ebb and flow of past and present, the switching narrative of sister to sister.

O’Neal does a beautiful job with language, immersing the reader into the ocean, the atmosphere and even the food.

I could have done with less of the sizzling romance although I realize that it was important to show Kit letting her guard down and being open to reevaluate her life. I feel that this particular bit of story line as the story of Sapphire House detracted from the main plot, turning it from a 4 star to a 3 star for me.

A very moving book with great characters. Really enjoyed the plot and the pace was good. I'd highly recommend it.

A really good story about two sisters and family. I’ve read several books by this author and each keeps getting better. Love this author!

This is a beautiful story of the bond of sisters.
Kit’s sister Josie was killed in a terrorist attack 15 years ago.
So why is she on Tv reporting from New Zealand !
This begins Kit’s Journey to discover the truth.
A beautifully written story that alternates between the past and the present and the relationship between these two sisters
The writing is absolutely gorgeous and the story is one to be devoured!

“My sister has been dead for nearly fifteen years when I see her on the TV news.”

Secrets, family, and love are the messy, enduring threads that weave throughout this wonderful story.

“I wonder what it would be like to confess it all. To be fully myself with the man I love more than I thought myself capable of. It’s lonely to carry a secret.”

Equal parts feel-good and intriguing, the book engaged me from start to finish. The ocean setting and love themes made it even more charming.

“We can’t sleep unless we can hear the ocean.”

“He looks at her as if she’s the sun, as if she might command flowers to bloom and birds to sing. It’s clear that he’s trying to hide it, to be cool, but he’s smitten with her.”

Highly recommended for anyone seeking a feel-good story.

I loved this book so much ! Sisters Josie and Kit grew up in Southern California. They took care of each other while their parents were busy living their own lives and running a restaurant overlooking the ocean. Their heartbreaking childhood shapes who they become. Kit, an ER doctor and Josie, killed in a terrorist attack overseas. One fateful night Kit sees a news report of a tragedy in New Zealand. She swears she sees her sister in the background. This leads her to travel to New Zealand and begin a search for her sister. The country of New Zealand is beautifully written and sounds amazing. The story unfolds through flash backs and present day. I loved both characters equally. Actually, all the characters. I didn't want this story to end. Loved it !!
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this to review

When We Believed in Mermaids was a powerful story of two sisters and the love and closeness brought about by having rather indifferent, busy parents that essentially left them to raise each other. The inclusion of the solid, wonderful character of Dylan was genius. I would read another whole book just about Dylan if there were such a thing.

The bigger than life characters, the beautiful setting of New Zealand and the near-zero chances of finding one person among the entire population of that country are what pulled me in. What kept me reading was the beauty and powerfulness of Barbara O'Neal's writing.

I so wanted Kit's quest to succeed, but on the other hand I didn't want this book to end so I almost didn't want Kit to succeed. The back story of the girls' upbringing, the things they lived through and experienced really sets the characters up for what awaits them in the future.

If you appreciate family dramas/sagas, a true needle in a haystack quest and a little romance thrown in for good measure, this beautiful story by Barbara O'Neal is for you. I recently read this author's book The Art of Inheriting Secrets and it is just as lovely. I was so moved by this book that I actually emailed the author, fangirling about how much I loved it. She was gracious enough to respond, which made my day.

Do yourself a favor and pick this book up ~ today, if not sooner!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for approving my request for an ARC. All thoughts in this review are my own and willingly provided.

Book Court - Where I'm the Judge and Jury

CHARGE: Just because we have always believed something, does that make it true?

FACTS: When Kit sees her dead sister on television 15 years after she was presumed dead in a terrorist attack on a train, things begin to spiral out of control. Secrets, grief, loss, and anger punctuate a story of trauma and redemption. Will the truth allow relationships to restored? How does the truth affect relationships predicated on lies? The author’s beautiful rose made this a story that is very readable and un-put-downable. This is a fascinating story told with a full gamut of emotions.

VERDICT: Guilty, as charged. This is a story you won’t soon forget.

#WhenWeBelievedInMermaids #Net Galley

Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news…
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.
I wanted to love this book. Honestly I really wanted to love the book. The concept sounded so good. But I got so bored.
The first chapter was great, but slow. The pacing needed a little bit of a kick in the pants.
I struggled to relate to the characters and wanted more depth.
It was an okay read, not the best. There could have been a lot better development and avoiding filler like the relationship with Kit. The story would have been better without that relationship.
It was okay, nothing special. Hopefully others enjoy this one more than I did.
Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to review ahead of time!

The premise of the story was excellent and drew me in from the beginning.. Kit, a doctor, and her mother who live in California see a TV news report about a nightclub fire in Auckland, New Zealand. They “spot” someone who looks exactly like Kit’s sister, Josie, who died 15 years ago in a terrorist attack. It becomes apparent that Josie did not die during the attack but had decided to disappear and start her life again as Mari. Kit travels to Auckland to find out if it really was her sister..
I liked the backstory from Josie/ Mari and Kit’s point of view. They were both neglected in different ways during their childhood with selfish, self obsessed parents. The constant in their lives was Dylan, a young boy who was “adopted” by the mother and who looked after the two girls. . Dylan and Sarah (Josie’s daughter) were my two favourite characters.
I would have given this book 5 stars but I found the descriptions of Kit and Javier’s ( a Spanish singer she met whilst in Auckland) sexual exploits both unnecessary and irritating. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the book and would read another by this author.

When We Believed in Mermaids is a story of two sisters, Josie and Kit, who grew up very close.

Josie dies in a horrific terrorist attack, and years later, Kit catches a glimpse of her on a breaking news story. So starts her journey to find her sister.

I devoured this book, and loved how the characters were described.

Do yourself a favor and enter in on this amazing journey with twin souls, Kit and Josie.
Two sisters that loved each other and took care of each other until life changed and Josie is killed in a terrorist attack while in New Zealand.
Kit, now a physician in the Emergency room, sees a video on the television in the waiting room one evening, and swears that she sees her sister. Can this be? Could it be?
Secrets will begin to unfold as Kit goes in search of this woman who has a strong resemblance to her deceased twin soul.
This is an intriguing novel and I really loved it! There is amazing details and you can actually feel the love, hurt, sadness, and anger that come forth from these girls as their lives unfold.

It’s surprising to me that something written by an author I consider a good “chick lit” writer, leaves me with the one word description of “powerful.” It’s quite an accomplishment to write a book with torturous family dynamics, a love story or two, some good sex scenes, a hint of mystery and an even smaller hint of ghosts, and leave this reader with the description of powerful. Throw in a house that’s almost one of the book characters and a description of NZ that has me ready to book a flight, and you have just about a perfect chick lit book. This one moves beyond chick lit however, with the traumas the young Biancis experienced. And though it lacks O’Neal’s signature recipes, the food/restaurant descriptions almost make up for it.

Possible triggers - drug use, sexual abuse/endangered children.

This novel by Barbara O'Neal is an excellent book about family, relationships, mending rifts among sisters etc. After reading this book I went on to read 3 other Barbara O'Neal books because of her writing style, characters and themes. Kit a young Dr. in Santa Cruz works hard and loves to surf when she has time. One day while watching the news she suddenly sees her missing sister Josie in a report in New Zealand. Kit takes time off to fly to NZ and look for her sister. Along the way she meets a charismatic man on the plane who she later has a relationship with. Suspense comes in the form of Kit looking for Josie (Now Mari) and Mari trying to hide out after realizing she was on tv. When the two finally find each other Mari tries to explain why she disappeared. Long lost memories come to light and relationships are strained. The book is very well written and goes back and forth between the viewpoint of Kit and Josie(Mari).

Mysterious and tragic and beautiful and hopeful - all of these adjectives describe the wonderful book that is WHEN WE BELIEVED IN MERMAIDS. It is the story of Kit and Josie (aka Mari), how they lost each other and how they found each other again. Kit's sister Josie died in a train accident - or so she thought. But when she sees someone who looks like her sister in a news program about a nightclub fire in Auckland, Kit goes in search of Josie. Josie, now Mari, is living her best life in Auckland, but it is lonely having a secrets. Her husband and friends have no idea that she faked her own death and lives under an assumed name. Josie wants to tell them the truth, but is terrified that they will reject her. But when Kit comes looking, Mari's carefully constructed reality begins to unravel. Barbara O'Neal is a master with this plot, slowly revealing the girls' childhood and allowing the reader to put together the parts of Mari's story that led her to the woman she has become. WHEN WE BELIEVED IN MERMAIDS is well-written and so engrossing that I just wanted to read it straight through but real life got in the way.