Breathe and Count Back from Ten

Starred review from May 23, 2022
Peruvian American teenager Verónica feels most at peace when she’s swimming—where the pain caused by her hip dysplasia fades and she doesn’t have to deal with other people’s perceptions of her body. When she meets kind Mexican American Alex, who sees a therapist and takes medication for his depression, she must maneuver her growing feelings for him alongside her overprotective immigrant parents’ disapproval. They have been distrustful of her ever since they misconstrued a private moment with a boy, consequently shaming Verónica for acting on her desires. They also don’t approve of her “childish” dream to be an aquatic performer at a local Florida tourist attraction, Mermaid Cove, fearing that the role’s physicality is too much for her. But when further health complications and increasingly tense interactions with her parents embolden Verónica to take control of her own life and body, she eagerly auditions for and receives a role at Mermaid Cove. With attentiveness rooted in the author’s lived experience, Sylvester seamlessly explores bodily autonomy and familial expectations through a perceptive protagonist, sharp narration, and complex relationships. Verónica’s progress toward overcoming the boundaries created by family, friends, and society alike is powerful and engrossing. Ages 13–up. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary.

September 2, 2022

Gr 9 Up-A disability should never be a stigma or a barrier and in this book, main character Ver�nica refuses to let hers stop her from achieving her dreams. The Peruvian American teen has hip dysplasia, for which she has had multiple surgeries and does rehabilitation. One of her types of rehab is swimming. Her dream is to become a mermaid at a Central Florida theme park the summer before her senior year, but her parents do not agree with this. However, Ver�nica refuses to give up her wishes, as she faces her fears of disappointing her strict Latinx family and possibly rejection from her dream job at Mermaid Cove. Readers will relate with Ver�nica's struggles as a teen and root for her, especially when she battles a crush on a cute guy who her parents would never let her be with, and finds the strength to determine her own path. As the book twists and turns, drama further ensues when she realizes her parents might be hiding something from her about her disability. VERDICT Teens will be unable to put down this book filled with drama, hope, and family conflict, including great Latinx representation.-Aurora Dominguez

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from March 15, 2022
Stifled by her loving but repressive parents, a teen endeavors to take charge of her own life. Seventeen-year-old Ver�nica Renter�a's parents forbid many things, especially promiscuity--which includes any romantic gesture, however innocent, leading Vero to feel ashamed of her own desires. But above all, she and her younger sister, Dani, must never attract attention; her family immigrated to Florida from Peru when Vero was small, and her parents caution that their permanent resident status is tenuous. Vero feels constant pressure to make their sacrifices worthwhile, but she can't help standing out: Numerous surgeries for her hip dysplasia have left her with scars. And ever since her parents caught her making out with a boy, they've treated her like she's "impossible to scrub clean." Even her body is out of her control since her parents handle all of her medical decisions. Swimming is her only freedom, and Vero idolizes the aquatic performers at Mermaid Cove, a popular tourist attraction. So when Mermaid Cove advertises auditions, she wonders: Could becoming a mermaid enable her to finally tell her own story? Sylvester, who has hip dysplasia herself, poignantly braids multiple issues into Vero's angry, vulnerable, and lyrical narration, including disability, sexism, and biculturalism. Vero's messy but supportive relationship with Dani compassionately acknowledges the friction that can arise between disabled and nondisabled siblings, and her romance with Mexican American Alex, who deals with depression, gently explores trust and self-discovery. Intricate, nuanced, and empowering. (author's note) (Fiction. 14-18)

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April 15, 2022
Grades 9-12 Having been diagnosed with hip dysplasia, 17-year-old Ver�nica Renter�a has undergone multiple surgeries, leaving her with an asymmetrical gait and scarring, making it nearly impossible to ""blend in"" like her Peruvian immigrant parents wish. Adding to her stress are her overly involved parents, particularly her dad and his incessant insinuations that Vero is promiscuous after catching her kissing a boy. The only thing keeping her afloat is her best friend, Leslie, and the water, where she finds peace in her body's fluidity. After her parents keep a major progression of Ver�nica's condition from her, she contemplates trying out to be a mermaid at a popular Florida attraction, despite their disapproval. Sylvester (Running, 2020) uses her experience of having hip dysplasia to paint an authentic portrait of a character who wants to be seen for who she is and not the limitations placed on her. But Vero's story is about so much more. From managing dual identities, sexism, and career expectations from her immigrant parents, Vero's warranted anger and sometimes impossible life is one worth rooting for.

COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

September 1, 2022
In this powerful story set in the fictitious Florida city of Mermaid Cove, Sylvester blends the compelling struggle of a young woman trying to find her voice with the effects of living with a serious medical condition. When Veronica swims in her apartment-complex pool, everything else disappears; the water blurs the pain and the scars of her many hip surgeries and helps her forget that doctors, nurses, and others seemingly have more control of her body than she does herself. The water is as much her home as it is for the mermaid performers she admires in Mermaid Cove's tourist attraction. But her Peruvian immigrant parents are serious only about work, academics, and being model citizens, and they insist that mermaid tales are a childish obsession she needs to forget. When a lucky opportunity presents itself, Veronica will have to decide what -- and who -- defines her. Peruvian folklore and facts about Florida are seamlessly integrated into the skillful first-person narration, and each chapter begins with a term's dictionary definition followed by Veronica's definition. An appended author's note tells more about the real town on which Mermaid Cove was based, the condition of hip dysplasia, and the Peruvian legend of Huacachina. Alicia K. Long

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
In this powerful story set in the fictitious Florida city of Mermaid Cove, Sylvester blends the compelling struggle of a young woman trying to find her voice with the effects of living with a serious medical condition. When Veronica swims in her apartment-complex pool, everything else disappears; the water blurs the pain and the scars of her many hip surgeries and helps her forget that doctors, nurses, and others seemingly have more control of her body than she does herself. The water is as much her home as it is for the mermaid performers she admires in Mermaid Cove's tourist attraction. But her Peruvian immigrant parents are serious only about work, academics, and being model citizens, and they insist that mermaid tales are a childish obsession she needs to forget. When a lucky opportunity presents itself, Veronica will have to decide what -- and who -- defines her. Peruvian folklore and facts about Florida are seamlessly integrated into the skillful first-person narration, and each chapter begins with a term's dictionary definition followed by Veronica's definition. An appended author's note tells more about the real town on which Mermaid Cove was based, the condition of hip dysplasia, and the Peruvian legend of Huacachina.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)