Joonie is in love--with a fictional character. All of the many dates she has with many different guys--well, they all let her down in one way or another. So she turns to her favorite books with her dream man, er, mer Ryke. Yep, that's right, Ryke is a merman.

When Joonie finds out that Ryke is based on a real human, she sets off to New York to find him. After all, her dream guy is out there.

Definitely chick-lit. Joonie is angsty, and not in an endearing way. Some readers might like that kind of character. She was a little too reactive for me.

This is almost two books in one, because the author has written the Ryke book between chapters of this novel. That was a nice touch. It gave me a reason to fall in love with Ryke too.

All started out okay, but on the way to New York the story derails in a big way. To me, in an unbelievable and unnecessary way. What's worse is that this derailment really doesn't have much impact nor does it come to a resolution.

Sit down and talk with the author. I LOVED her author's note. Based on what she wrote there, I was looking forward to a real treat. Empowered women? Yes, please. Sensitive women? Absolutely. I think the author's note was the best thing about this book (second being the story about Ryke) and felt like what she promised she didn't deliver. That's too bad, really. Without giving away too much, frenemies to lovers was a trope I wasn't expecting, based on the author's note.

A bit disappointed.

Has written other novels. Maybe they're similar? I don't intend to find out.

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Created Feb 06, 2026 at 8:35pm • Submit your own review...