When We Believed in Mermaids

Book: When We Believed in Mermaids
Author: Barbara O'Neal

Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.

After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.

Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything. -Goodreads

Review: Josie was killed in a terrorist attack 15 years ago when her sister Kit, sees her on TV report about a fire in Auckland. Kit embarks on a journey to New Zealand to track her sister down. Told in alternating narratives and timelines, we learn about the Bianci sister's childhood (wild, crazy, heartbreaking) and where they are now. 

I enjoyed this book. The strongest sections were learning about their turbulent childhood and how that impacted the paths they each took. I really liked Kit's search for her sister although her romance with Javier could have been condensed. Mari (previously Josie) was a complex character and while I understood her actions, I was still angry with her decision making. My main beef with this book is how quickly everything was resolved between Kit and Mari. It just didn't seem realistic. 

Grade: 3/5