Such a beautiful mermaid tale of finding voice and rewriting stories that fit all bodies and souls. I've already recommended this book to several educators and libraries. It is one that stays with you after the last page.

Thank you so much to Clarion Books for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

It is going to be hard for me to adequately put my thoughts on this book into words. What originally caused me to be interested in Breathe and Count Back from Ten was the beautiful cover. I always tend to gravitate towards books that have something to do with water, but then I found out it was disability rep and I HAD to read it.

As I continue to read and review books it has become incredibly important for me to consume content that has disability representation. Personal experience causes me to connect to the story, but disability rep in mainstream media is so so important.

Breathe and Count Back from Ten was as beautiful as it was painful. Verónica's hip dysplasia has affected her life as long as she can remember. Sometimes it feels like her disability runs her life, but she is ready to be so much more than someone to be treated with care. More than anything Verónica wants to be a mermaid.

This was an easy 5 star read for me, and YA disability rep that I will recommend to anyone. Sylvester narrates what it is like for a Peruvian American teen with hip dysplasia to chase her dream all while also exploring first love, trusting ones body, immigration and living with immigrant parents and well as disability justice.

Again hard for me to eloquently write my thoughts on this novel, but please listen when I tell you that you should read it and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Breathe and count back from ten is an immersive, beautifully poignant and deeply emotional story.
Many Thanks to NetGalley and Clarion books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Overview:
In the summer before her senior year, Verónica decides to audition to be a mermaid at a kitschy underwater theme park- but the catch is she has hip dysplasia and the only place she has ever truly felt comfortable is swimming or in the water.
She has had many surgeries- but her strict Peruvian parents are steadfast against her doing this and getting into any form of relationship with a boy- which is really difficult when her cute new neighbour Alex is very much in her ideas of a future.
She tries to sieze control of her life- bbut when it turns out her parents have been lying about the extent of her condition will she make it through the hurdles being put in her way?
Review:
Plot- beautifully descriptive and enlughtening you can tell this story is full of heart and soul from the author. It as a raw, personal view of living with hip dysplacia and it knocked me out with how well this was done.
I’m well aware in the general book community that stories featuring disability rep can go one of two ways- either inaccurate and hurtful or beautifully putting some fantastic rep out there for others to read and diversify their understanding. This story falls solidly in category two.
This story is actually so damn underrated and I have barely heard anyone talking about it - I laughed, cried, felt so many emotions and genuinely wanted to fling this book at every person I could to read as it was just so so good.
Pacing wise, the story started slightly slow which is purely due to the fact it’s very heavy on the initial backstory behind Verónica, but once that is out of the way its fantasic. e

World building- Fantastic, a bit heavy at the beginning but once that’s done your basically in the world.

Characters- Verónica…what can I say. She was emotive, honest and brutally frank about her condition, everything she has been through and it’s a genuinely beautiful thing to see.
Her parents are….frustrating but honestly I understand it. They are trying to protect her in their own way but I’m glad it’s done in a well co-ordinated way.
It’s 5/5…I have no faults and I actually cannot believ how lucky I was to receive an ARC of this.


Final Thoughts,
A beautifully emotive story with great disability rep and an endearing protagonist that I feel honoured to have met.

A really lovely book and a very interesting premise. I’ve never seen a show like the one described in this novel so I can only imagine what it truly looks like but the idea of a girl wanting to be a mermaid in an underwater show was fascinating. I loved the discussions of bodily autonomy and disability and immigration and family and just how real everyone felt.

I loved this book so. much, and I can't say that enough. It's rare that disability is presented in fiction the way Veronica's hip dysplasia is, and I think it was really well done. This is an own voices book, and the author herself is Peruvian-American and disabled.

Veronica's parents are strict. Really strict. I imagine that this is an experience that many children of immigrants feel, and I imagine that it's also something that teenagers regardless feel on varying levels. Veronica has hip dysplasia, and it affects nearly everything in her life. The one thing it doesn't affect is her swimming though. She wants nothing more than to be a mermaid at a local attraction, but her parents would never let her. Mermaids aside, there's the cute boy who moved into her apartment complex to keep her mind occupied too.
She ends up caught up in a web of lies of her own making, unable to keep one straight from the next in a very teenage-esque story.

This was so heart breakingly sweet and adorable, I really can't recommend it enough.

Breathe and Count Back from Ten deftly and sensitively deals with disability in a way which is relatable and very real for those reading it.

Thanks for the read. The disability was handled very well in Breathe and Count Back from Ten. The book read a bit young but very interesting.

This YA book was fantastic! Young adults will enjoy this book for it's summer/mermaid vibes, love interest, family dynamics and disability representation. I loved how the mermaid training pulled me in with the descriptive writing. The "boy next door" romantic interest was so cute, and I especially enjoyed how each of the teens tried to understand the other's condition (hip dysplasia and depression) and be there for each other. The family dynamics were protective and strict, and at times I was angry with Vero's parents but am pleased how every character grew throughout the book. The fact that the characters were not perfect made this an even better read. The complexity of disability was depicted so well in this book!! Many passages resonated with me, and I know that many other readers will see pieces of their story in this book too. I would recommend this book to young adult and adult readers who enjoy character driven plots, great disability representation, complex family relationships, and teen MC's who are building their autonomy.

3.5 stars

I loved this! It had really great disability rep. And the themes of consent were handled amazingly. A lot of the time in YA books parents are either perfect or horrible, with no in between. But while Veronica's parents had their issues, we knew they were just trying to give her the best life possible.

The mermaid vibes were immaculate.

The ending felt a bit flat unfortunately, but that's my only real criticism.

What an absolute joy this book is! I adored all the characters and couldn't get enough of the mermaids. This is a book I wish I would've had as a kid with a disability.

Okay, it's official: Natalia Sylvester is officially on my "favorite authors" list. I was so excited to read more from her after loving her previous book "Running" and "Breathe and Count Back From Ten" did not disappoint!

It follows Verónica, a Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, during a life-changing summer when she gets a job performing as a mermaid at a local theme park. She's also falling in love for the first time and struggling to come to terms with the progression of her health condition. This book was so moving and honestly had me in tears! Readers will totally want to cheer Verónica on.

This book provides an honest look at disability and chronic illness. It doesn't shy away from the heavier aspects of this experience.

The only reason why I didn't give this a full 5 stars is that I found the romance plotline to be weaker compared to the other parts of the story (friendship, family, Verónica's health condition, her mermaid aspirations, etc.). It just didn't feel as fleshed out or as compelling as the other parts of the novel and I could have done without the romance altogether because I don't feel that it added much. However, that's just my opinion and I'm sure there are other readers who will love the romance!

I absolutely loved this book. I was looking for a light but still, address real-world issues. As someone with chronic pain, I was able to really relate to this text. I will recommend this book and possibly add it to a book club list.

I love a book with good representation and the story of Veronica and her hip dysplasia definitely satisfied. Certain storylines weren’t as deeply explored as I would have liked (more mermaids please!), but overall this is a cute read for contemporary fans.

This is a hard one for me to rate because I didn’t love the writing. I found it slow and hard to get into the groove up, but I think this story is so important for teens.

The representation in this one is phenomenal and the mermaid vibes are so fun. I want to go see Mermaid Cove! Verónica’s parents were too much for me for most of the book, but I understand that many parents treat their children that way.

I think a lot of readers will like this book and I’m glad it exists.

I'm so happy this poignant story is out in the world! A beautiful exploration of strength and the relationship with your body.

This book was truly a wonderful surprise - a YA contemporary about a Peruvian‑American teen with hip dysplasia who is trying to juggle her progressing diagnosis, strict parents, first loves, and a dream to perform at Mermaid Cove, where mermaids are real and people can escape our harsh world for a little while. Verónica is chasing her dream, but also letting it transform as her life slowly changes. My favourite parts were of course Verónica's journey both with her mermaid dream and her own diagnosis and the relationships in the story. At first, I thought that the slight insta love will throw me off, BUT it actually worked perfectly with the story - because while Alex and Verónica's relationship did play a role in this story, this was very much a Verónica book. All the relationships, be it with her sister, her friends, her parents, were there to challenge her - like they do us all - but they also lifted her up despite the occasional hurdles.

Breathe and Count Back from Ten is a beautiful #OwnVoices story that I believe will resonate with many - and I highly recommend you add it to your TBR since our world is in desperate need of more #OwnVoices disability stories. <3

I absolutely loved this YA story about a teen with hip dysplasia — it was so expertly balanced between Verónica’s budding romance, her relationship with her parents and sister, her desire to chase her dreams and dealing with her disability. I also just love the idea of her becoming a mermaid for the show in town — I think it’s such a great foundation for a story, and I’m so happy that the book lived up to such a fabulous beginning. And the way Vero talks about how freeing and magical the water is was very special to me, as that’s how I feel on many hard days.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for giving me this eArc to review.

I loved this book. Somehow it just felt like a warm hug as I read it. Verónica can be quite messy (like any 17 year old) but I enjoyed her journey throughout the book and I enjoyed the other characters within it. Many have flaws but they're understandable and I came to like pretty much every character.

This was a nice summery book to read.

Okay firstly, I have to say, growing up and being obsessed with mermaids .. I was immediately drawn to this book and oh my … IT EXCEEDED all expectations.

What I loved most about this story was the representation of disability. Veronica deals with a debilitating condition called hip dysplasia - in general terms the hip joint is mostly partially or completely dislocated. Although our protagonist lives with this condition, she still strives to achieve her dreams and within this book that dream is to become a mermaid.

We follow Veronica on her path and it was such a beautiful one.

Recommend this to all

Thank you so much to @clarionteen and @netgalley for my review copy. It had been a while since I had read a YA book and I’m so glad I read this one. This book reiterated why I love YA books.
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“That we’re not perfect. That out bodies have needs. That this doesn’t make us any less real. Any less human.”- Natalia Sylvester, Breathe And Count Back From Ten
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Verónica’s family is from Peru living in Florida. It’s the summer before her senior year oh high school and she has a new neighbor, Alex. Verónica learns there will be mermaid auditions at Mermaid Cove she wants be take the leap and audition. However, not only does she have further discomfort from her hip dysplasia but her parents would never allow her to audition.
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I think it was extra special that the author herself has hip dysplasia. Through out the book Verónica deals with not only her scars but also how people view her. Throughout the story Verónica learns to not only speak up about what she wants to do but also for her to be acknowledged when it comes to her hip dysplasia and making decisions for herself. There was also a sweet romance but I’m glad this did not overshadow the rest of the story.
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