Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Mermaid in Manhattan (set to publish in April 2026) follows mermaid and princess Iris who must leave the comfort of her coral palace to live life on the surface, at the request of her mother, the queen, and marry the mayor candidate Finn Westrock. He is everything Iris isn’t and in her opinion lacks a personality, or any emotion whatsoever. She must navigate the baffling life of Manhattan, politics and her own heart to keep a piece of herself and the sea while battling shoes and customs she knows nothing about. This book is perfect for fans of The Little Mermaid and Aquamarine.
Review
I love the concept and the world building of Mermaid in Manhattan, and I loved seeing Iris try and navigate the world above the surface and how she made new friends. I particularly liked her friendship with witch Selene and her demon wedding planning Arden. Both of those characters were so fun and interesting to read with a lot of personality. I especially loved the talking pelican Monty and his rise to fame and his escalates with brushing with the rich and famous.
The opposite personalities of Iris and Finn set the scene for a tense relationship and this was often brought to a head when Finn would often place his election campaign first because he knew nothing else. The moments where Iris stood up for herself and made it known that she wasn’t an accessory to help Finn win the campaign were well written and gave her depth. The struggle of her being away from land, away from what she knew, was really well written and the constant need to be performing for the cameras added a lot of stress and strain to Iris on land as well as her relationship with Finn.
I liked how Finn’s relationship with Iris broke down those walls of being everything he thought the people wanted, and reignited who he was at his core that he’d been forced to suppress. That being said, I did feel that his and Iris’s relationship lacked a little bit of emotional depth and would have liked to see those sides being drawn out more throughout their story. I think their relationship could have done with a bit more of a build up, but I liked all the ways that Iris tried to sabotage their engagement – especially all the fish puns. Iris at points felt a little juvenile and other times very serious, I think a little more depth would have helped bring her character to life a bit more. The paranormal world of manhattan was really fun and well throughout that I could really imagine Iris and Monty exploring the city and the side characters really pulled the story together and added a lot of humour.
Overall, I flew through this book and couldn’t put it down. It’s a fun and lighthearted read with a really exciting concept and I would love to read more books set in this world, especially one with Selene and Arden as the focus.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and her action-packed debut novel, CORNELIA FAIRFIELD AND THE DARKENED HEART is set to be published in 2026! For more content read Amy’s book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey posts.
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