In this gorgeously written and authentic novel, Verónica, a
Peruvian-American teen with hip dysplasia, auditions to become a mermaid
at a Central Florida theme park in the summer before her senior year,
all while figuring out her first real boyfriend and how to feel safe in
her own body.
Verónica has had many surgeries to manage her disability. The best form
of rehabilitation is swimming, so she spends hours in the pool, but not
just to strengthen her body.
Her Florida town is home to Mermaid Cove, a kitschy underwater
attraction where professional mermaids perform in giant tanks . . . and
Verónica wants to audition. But her conservative Peruvian parents would
never go for it. And they definitely would never let her be with Alex,
her cute new neighbor.
She decides it's time to seize control of her life, but her plans come
crashing down when she learns her parents have been hiding the truth
from her--the truth about her own body.