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.

Mariana’s father is running for the highest office in the land. Mari knows he’ll make a
good president, but for her, the campaign is turning into a nightmare. From a disastrous live
TV tour of their home to doctored photos that go viral, she is right in the middle of it all–and
not in a good way. Worse, until now, she was unaware of her father’s political positions. But as
the campaign heats up, Mari finds it harder to ignore not just the news but the growing student
activism at her school, activism that seems pointedly against her father. She has always known
him to be a good, generous man, but maybe he isn’t who she thought he was. And confronting
him … well, that’s not an option. Or is it?

This inspiring, authentic, and gorgeously written novel about waking up and speaking up
will stay with you long after the last page is turned.