Left alone after her mother dies, Mara Westray has to move in to a new town with a father she hardly knows. He seems like a stranger though he shouldn't be, and the rightful strangers in the town seem extra strange, especially the allusive boy Josh, who Mara just can't stay away from. The longer she stays there, the fishier everything seems. Little does she know that the big secret will change her forever.

Mystery, mermaids, and romance collide in this wonderful book by Shana Norris. Mara is a strong girl and a stronger protagonist. From the first chapter, you begin to feel for her. She lost her mom, and now she is moving in with a father she met once, years ago. She has every reason to be falling apart, but she isn't. Though you can still feel her heartache at the tragedies around her, she fights through her sadness, sometimes with anger, sometimes with sheer will. She is witty and courageous, and her love of photography helps give her additional depth as a character. Her love interest, Josh, is swoony and intriguing, and it was easy to believe in their interest with each other that thankfully develops at a slower pace than immediate.

There are infinite possibilities on what to do with mermaid tales (and tails), and I love the direction this author takes them. There aren't any underwater kingdoms, but who knows what can be found in the depths on the ocean that Mara is only beginning to understand? The mystery behind them is fun, and I adore the lore added to it. I hope to see more of their secrets uncovered in the second book. The plot moved smoothly leading up to secrets I can't reveal, but it never lost my interest.

My favorite part of SURFACING wasn't Mara or the mermaid legends. What I loved most was the secondary character of Sailor. Sailor is damaged and angry. She lost her parents, and when Mara comes to town, she feels like she is losing everything else with all the attention and love Mara gets. Even when she first comes into the story with a chip the size of a glacier on her shoulder, I knew there was more to her than the first impression. Mara and her are so alike in a way that means they can only be the best of friends or the worst of enemies, at least for the time being. I really hope there is more of her in the next book.

Was this book perfect? No, it had its flaws. Some parts were a little predictable, some characters, like Dylan, Mara's friend she meets in her new town, I wanted to see more from. Even so, I completely loved this book. It had a charm to it that caught me from the beginning and grew into a deep love by the end. Maybe that's my love of all things mer-related talking, but I'm on the edge of my seat to see what Norris does next with this series.