I really enjoyed the relationship that built between Ross and Sean, and I really appreciated the non-binary rep from Ross. In the world of Mer, gender identities don't exist, making all merpeople nonbinary with they/them pronouns, as well as Mer neopronouns which Ross does not employ on land because they're trying to keep their Mer identity a secret. Out of the Blue was an adorable coming-of-age story involving teenage love and struggling to find where you fit in the world. Combined with humourous characters, brilliant lgbtq+ rep and merfolk (!!), this turned into the perfect little comfort read for me. While there were certain scenes that were a littleee over the top, it is a romcom involving 16 year olds, so what else can be expected? Super cute.

Again, it's not the sex I have a problem with; its the fact that every scene in the book is an opportunity for the characters to make it sexual/physical and then say it's love. There are inklings of other potential plots -- like Sean's interest in film, or swimming -- but they're ultimately just vehicles for physical moments. Like, everyone is *constantly* making out with each other. Which...maybe this is the equivalent of me identifying with King Triton in The Little Mermaid, but it just bothered me that those things are equated like that. Lust and Love are too very separate, albeit intertwined, things. Maybe if we had broadened out more -- spent more time with Kavya or other characters or one dates where they actually talked about things, the "romance" aspect would have come through stronger. Do you know who manages to be a distinct character with a will while only being able to speak via fragments from the radio? Goddamn Bumblebee from Transformers. FROM TRANSFORMERS. This one is tough to review, largely because I'm so torn between the things I loved about it and the stuff that just really didn't land.That did not take away from how generally well the depiction of grief was done though and especially seeing the way different people grieve and what it does to relationships too. I want to shake the book until answers fall out. But nothing is going to fall out. I doubt there is an explanation. Broxton, Anthony (1 December 2022). "The lessons of Liz Truss's political obituary". Tribune . Retrieved 16 December 2022. For me, though I loved the idea of a queer mermaid, and I was excited by the rep at large, this really wasn't the book for me.

Also doesn't help that I could barely get onboard with the romance that was in the book. One day I will find a f/f couple with actual chemistry (that isn't in a Sarah Waters novel) and on that day I will weep with joy. Announced by HarperCollins as Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of Liz Truss and Her Astonishing Rise to Power shortly after Truss took office in September 2022, with a planned publication date of 8 December, it was re-titled Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of Liz Truss and Her Explosive Rise to Power amidst the October 2022 United Kingdom government crisis. Truss's announcement on 20 October that she would resign as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom prompted Cole and Heale to rewrite parts of the book and add a chapter at the end, and led to a second change to the book's title and the moving-up of its publication date. One of the strongest elements in this book are the family and specifically sibling relationships. I don't think that any of the character stood out much individually but there's so many complex relationships and so many important aspects that get talked about and I really loved that. I adore when you read a book and can very clearly see where everyone is coming from in a conflict and it very much felt like that reading this book. Crest is also certain humans are awful, is really rude about people existing, and weirdly is super offended by people eating fish.... as if other sea creatures don't eat sea creatures. They're offended and looking for a fight for so much of this book.

Out of the Blue: The Inside Story of the Unexpected Rise and Rapid Fall of Liz Truss is a non-fiction book about the British politician Liz Truss, written by Harry Cole and James Heale, published as an ebook on 1 November 2022 and in print and audio on 24 November.