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Real Mermaids #2
Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath
Jade begins her summer confused. Yes, there's that whole "will this be a leg-day or a tail-day" kind of confusion, but Jade's got even bigger problems: it's been three weeks since Mom returned to the ocean with no news of her whereabouts. Plus, it's been twenty-one days since Jade first kissed her mer-boy Luke and now-nothing.
Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird?
The SEAquel to Helene Boudreau's critically acclaimed Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze.
Will Mom find the enchanted tidal pool that will allow her to become human? And why is Luke acting so weird?
The SEAquel to Helene Boudreau's critically acclaimed Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings is as energetic and fresh as a salty sea breeze.
231 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
83 people are currently reading
1461 people want to read
About the author
Helene Boudreau
22 books252 followersHélène Boudreau writes fiction and non-fiction for children and young adults. She is also a compulsive walker, a chicklet wrangler and a lover of cheese and cheap chocolate.
Her tween novel REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS is a 2011 Crystal Kite Member Choice Award Finalist.
Her tween novel REAL MERMAIDS DON'T WEAR TOE RINGS is a 2011 Crystal Kite Member Choice Award Finalist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
June 27, 2012
Cute story! Fun and fresh, I had no trouble diving into this book, falling into the world quickly.
Being that this book is the second and I still have not read the first, I did not have any trouble picking up where the author left off. The author does a great job on catching up the reader without it being too much. The subtle hints and past thoughts help the reader move at a smooth pace along with the story.
The plot line of this book is enjoyable. There is some action in it that made me feel giddy. I love that Jade is practical in all that she does. At times, she acts way more mature at her age. I admire that about her. Jade is just like any other teenager, a plate full of school, drama, and of course, her adventures under the sea. I especially enjoy the little plot twist here and there. The reader doesn't expect them, so it makes the book so much exciting with each page turn.
The love interest play out good too. I like that Jade takes everything in so calmly even through she is freaking out in her head. Her thoughts and feelings are well describe for the boy. The excitement that Jade feels of smirks, drama, and life in general makes me feel young again.
Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath is an sweet and enduring story. With the rise and fall in the plot, it hold the reader in their seat. Made to be charming, you can't help but love this book.
Being that this book is the second and I still have not read the first, I did not have any trouble picking up where the author left off. The author does a great job on catching up the reader without it being too much. The subtle hints and past thoughts help the reader move at a smooth pace along with the story.
The plot line of this book is enjoyable. There is some action in it that made me feel giddy. I love that Jade is practical in all that she does. At times, she acts way more mature at her age. I admire that about her. Jade is just like any other teenager, a plate full of school, drama, and of course, her adventures under the sea. I especially enjoy the little plot twist here and there. The reader doesn't expect them, so it makes the book so much exciting with each page turn.
The love interest play out good too. I like that Jade takes everything in so calmly even through she is freaking out in her head. Her thoughts and feelings are well describe for the boy. The excitement that Jade feels of smirks, drama, and life in general makes me feel young again.
Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath is an sweet and enduring story. With the rise and fall in the plot, it hold the reader in their seat. Made to be charming, you can't help but love this book.
May 4, 2017
Butterflies over Boutiques!
Cute and quirky. A fun quick read to relax before my upcoming finals. Kind of disappointed that the next book is not on Kindle Unlimited.
There is a bunch of fun humor within this book, so that was fun. Lots of fish puns. It was a quick read to help me stay on track with my reading challenge in between classes.
But I feel for the characters in this book, being a teen is hard. Especially when you end up getting a tail. But I also do not remember having as much freedom when I was 14 as the characters do. So it seemed a bit odd but worked out in the end.
Cute and quirky. A fun quick read to relax before my upcoming finals. Kind of disappointed that the next book is not on Kindle Unlimited.
There is a bunch of fun humor within this book, so that was fun. Lots of fish puns. It was a quick read to help me stay on track with my reading challenge in between classes.
But I feel for the characters in this book, being a teen is hard. Especially when you end up getting a tail. But I also do not remember having as much freedom when I was 14 as the characters do. So it seemed a bit odd but worked out in the end.
September 19, 2018
“Don’t hold their Breath”is a book about a mermaid that is a fourteen year old girl named Jade and had a best friend named Cori, she was a mermaid the only person who knew was her mother, but her mother is missing and Jade is trying to get her mom on dry land with legs since the mother only has a tail.The mermaid and her best friend Cori would always hang out together they would always get ice cream with each other. Then they meet up with a girl named Chelsea but they called her Chelse for short. Chelse would always be on her phone with earbuds on. The narrator was talking about Chelse and how much she would always be on her phone but also how much of a great person she was. The narrator was also talking about how much she loved being Cori’s friend she was also explaining what she liked about her and why she wanted to be her friend in the first place when she met her. So now let me tell you a little bit about the story Jade is totally confused because she doesn’t know if she wants to have legs forever or if she wants to be in a tail forever. Jade is also confused because she had her first kiss with a boy named Luck and she hasn’t got a text messages or a call from him since the kiss happened. But Jade doesn’t have time to figure this stuff out about boys or how to use her stinky new tail since we has always had legs but her mother is a mermaid so that makes her a mermaid as well, The only biggest problem is that Jade is afraid of the ocean because she doesn’t want to get stuck in the water again. This is one of my favorite books because it’s interesting and it’s just fun to read I think anyone could read this parents, teachers, and middle school students. If you wanna know more about the story then you could buy it on GoodReads or you could just check it out from the library.
February 19, 2019
Cute and fun book. I haven't read the first book but wasn't lost at all. Jade found out that she is half mer in the previous book. In this sequel she is worried about and teying to find her mother while working in an ice cream parlor. She has that headstrong I-can-save-the-day attitude these tyoes of books known for but not in an annoying way. I'm going to go back and read the first book for sure. Oh and she (and mothers) save more than her mother.
June 3, 2018
This was really fun and enjoyable but still the writing was pretty bad.
April 17, 2020
Not as good as the first one.
The sequel was good but I felt like it was a filler book. Jade is still a good main character. The Luke stuff needs to get figured out though.
The sequel was good but I felt like it was a filler book. Jade is still a good main character. The Luke stuff needs to get figured out though.
December 3, 2018
Much to my surprise, I ended up enjoying the second book even more than the first. While the first book had the charm of having Jade turn into a mermaid for the first time, and deal with the problems that entailed, this one features a larger cast, a more intricate plot, and some interesting twists to the established lore. It also had some really funny moments, especially from Gran.
Jade has learned that her mom didn't drown after all, but was pulled into the lake by a group of mer-prisoners, called freshies (since they are kept in a fresh water lake). In the previous book, Jade was able to rescue her mom from the lake and return her to the ocean - but unlike Jade, her mom can't just simply walk out of the water and turn into a human. It requires the use of a special tide pool, and takes time to transform. When they escaped, they took another mermaid with them - a girl named Serana, who was the daughter of two of the prisoners in the freshwater lake.
Now the problem is that Jade needs to find out where the tide pool is and use it to turn her mom back into a human. She also has to deal with the continuing problem of hiding her mer-secret, as well as her crush on fellow mer Luke.
Jade continues to be a fun character to follow. She has a wry sense of humor, and even when things are dark, she manages to push through and try to find a way out. Her friendship with Cori was a lot of fun, I also liked her burgeoning relationship with Luke - a mix of awkward and adorable that felt true to both characters.
The expansion of the mermaid world was pretty cool - I'm always hesitant about how writers approach having a mermaid society, but I like the explanation for how they've managed to stay hidden - that their natural frequencies interfere with sonar and radar and essentially mask them from detection. I liked that there was a council and that the society felt more realistic than simply having a human way of living underwater. There's no classes on how to comb your hair or how to sing and lure sailors to their doom. It's just...a society that happens to be underwater.
The side characters also get a bit of time to shine, like Bridget and Lainey.
The central drive of the story, about Jade's quest to get her moms legs back, was also a cool take on the whole mythology. The fact that it has to be gradual and controlled, and can't just happen without an external cause, was a nice touch.
All in all, it was a fun continuation of the story and world introduced in the first book. It manages to balance the typical YA tropes with a fun mermaid adventure.
Jade has learned that her mom didn't drown after all, but was pulled into the lake by a group of mer-prisoners, called freshies (since they are kept in a fresh water lake). In the previous book, Jade was able to rescue her mom from the lake and return her to the ocean - but unlike Jade, her mom can't just simply walk out of the water and turn into a human. It requires the use of a special tide pool, and takes time to transform. When they escaped, they took another mermaid with them - a girl named Serana, who was the daughter of two of the prisoners in the freshwater lake.
Now the problem is that Jade needs to find out where the tide pool is and use it to turn her mom back into a human. She also has to deal with the continuing problem of hiding her mer-secret, as well as her crush on fellow mer Luke.
Jade continues to be a fun character to follow. She has a wry sense of humor, and even when things are dark, she manages to push through and try to find a way out. Her friendship with Cori was a lot of fun, I also liked her burgeoning relationship with Luke - a mix of awkward and adorable that felt true to both characters.
The expansion of the mermaid world was pretty cool - I'm always hesitant about how writers approach having a mermaid society, but I like the explanation for how they've managed to stay hidden - that their natural frequencies interfere with sonar and radar and essentially mask them from detection. I liked that there was a council and that the society felt more realistic than simply having a human way of living underwater. There's no classes on how to comb your hair or how to sing and lure sailors to their doom. It's just...a society that happens to be underwater.
The side characters also get a bit of time to shine, like Bridget and Lainey.
The central drive of the story, about Jade's quest to get her moms legs back, was also a cool take on the whole mythology. The fact that it has to be gradual and controlled, and can't just happen without an external cause, was a nice touch.
All in all, it was a fun continuation of the story and world introduced in the first book. It manages to balance the typical YA tropes with a fun mermaid adventure.
September 9, 2012
One word for this book: cute. The cover drew my attention first. I mean, how cute is it? I love that the mermaid tail is drawn on a chalk board and looks like it could or could not be attached to the girl. Super cute. That air of whimsy carries over into the book as well.
I did not read the first book in the series, but that didn't seem to matter. The author does a nice enough job of highlighting the main points from the earlier plot without retelling every single detail. As I've said, I had fun reading Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath, but it didn't "wow" me. I'm not sure why I didn't find myself caught up in the story. It was a fast read that I enjoyed, but it didn't really leave a lasting impression. I'm sure a tweenage reader would appreciate it more than me.
I really don't have a lot to say because it didn't wow me. The story line was tightly woven and consistent, which is always a must for a good story. That much I did appreciate. The characters were "cute" and came across as wholesome. I think that was the biggest issue I had with the story. The characters were too perfect and everything seemed to wrap itself up with a nice little bow in the end. I need more conflict in my books! But, like I said, it's probably just right for younger readers.
I did not read the first book in the series, but that didn't seem to matter. The author does a nice enough job of highlighting the main points from the earlier plot without retelling every single detail. As I've said, I had fun reading Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath, but it didn't "wow" me. I'm not sure why I didn't find myself caught up in the story. It was a fast read that I enjoyed, but it didn't really leave a lasting impression. I'm sure a tweenage reader would appreciate it more than me.
I really don't have a lot to say because it didn't wow me. The story line was tightly woven and consistent, which is always a must for a good story. That much I did appreciate. The characters were "cute" and came across as wholesome. I think that was the biggest issue I had with the story. The characters were too perfect and everything seemed to wrap itself up with a nice little bow in the end. I need more conflict in my books! But, like I said, it's probably just right for younger readers.
September 24, 2025
Today we’re here to talk about Real Mermaids Don't Hold Their Breath by Helene Boudreau, in which Jade the teenage mermaid gets in on some environmentalist action to save a tide pool crucial to mer-kind.
Genre and Target Demographic?
• YA Contemporary Fiction (with a sci-fi flair)
• Younger end of YA, 12-14
Part of a Series?
• Yes, second novel in the “Real Mermaids” series
Is it a Little Mermaid Retelling?
• No
Mermaid Type and Presence?
• Traditional mermaid, can shift depending on what they’re breathing
• Moderate
◦ Main character is a mermaid, but little time is spent in mermaid form
~*~
Content Warnings?
• False Imprisonment
• Hospitalization
• Kidnapping
• Vomiting (mentioned)
~*~
You Should Read This Book If You Enjoy:
• The first book
• Awkward dialogue that is endearing instead of cringey
• Stories about plus-size characters that are free of fat-shaming
• Environmentalist stories
You Should Avoid This Book If You Dislike:
• The first book
• Comically evil villains
• Rehashed plot points
~*~
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes. TL;DR, it’s a small step up in quality and intrigue from the first book with a larger focus on mermaids and less gross-out stuff.
First of all, the Book 1 recap at the start of the book? Chef’s kiss. Voicey, snappy, and didn’t even take up a whole page. Cool, we’re all up to speed.
But then it immediately dovetails into undoing all of the progression of Book 1 with Jade’s mom being missing AGAIN, and Jade putting her foot in her mouth and inexplicably breaking up with Luke. To quote the blurb on the back cover, sigh.
The rest of the book follows Jade as she fights against an environmentally-unfriendly mall construction to save a tidal pool, and makes some genuine and refreshing female friendships with Chelse, Serena, and even (almost) former-bully Lainey along the way now that she’s no longer dealing with her jealousy and insecurity issues from Book 1. Jade is honestly really starting to come into her own in this book, and outside the opening foot-in-mouth chapters, I like her character a lot more here than in the first book. I am downright thrilled to continue on her journey of character development through the next few books.
I will say that the detour into the underwater world with the cartoonishly evil Mermish Council is the weakest point in the book, and when everyone escapes and gets back on land and the plot returns its focus to the environmental conflict, things thankfully pick up again and start to fall into place.
Also, Jade and Luke are still incredibly cute, and even though their flirty banter exists for all of one page, I adore it and them. They are once again a couple by the end of this book and I SWEAR TO NEPTUNE if they break up again at the start of the next book I am going to have a freaking sea cow. JUST LET THESE TWO DARN KIDS BE HAPPY, GOSH.
~*~
THAT SAID…
While it treads the status quo in terms of plot progression, the character progression is delightful, and is still an improvement from Book 1 that does an adequate job setting up for Book 3.
~*~
Happy reading for those who dare to delve into these pages, and swift sailing for those still searching for their perfect mermaid tale!
Genre and Target Demographic?
• YA Contemporary Fiction (with a sci-fi flair)
• Younger end of YA, 12-14
Part of a Series?
• Yes, second novel in the “Real Mermaids” series
Is it a Little Mermaid Retelling?
• No
Mermaid Type and Presence?
• Traditional mermaid, can shift depending on what they’re breathing
• Moderate
◦ Main character is a mermaid, but little time is spent in mermaid form
~*~
Content Warnings?
• False Imprisonment
• Hospitalization
• Kidnapping
• Vomiting (mentioned)
~*~
You Should Read This Book If You Enjoy:
• The first book
• Awkward dialogue that is endearing instead of cringey
• Stories about plus-size characters that are free of fat-shaming
• Environmentalist stories
You Should Avoid This Book If You Dislike:
• The first book
• Comically evil villains
• Rehashed plot points
~*~
Did I Enjoy It?
Yes. TL;DR, it’s a small step up in quality and intrigue from the first book with a larger focus on mermaids and less gross-out stuff.
First of all, the Book 1 recap at the start of the book? Chef’s kiss. Voicey, snappy, and didn’t even take up a whole page. Cool, we’re all up to speed.
But then it immediately dovetails into undoing all of the progression of Book 1 with Jade’s mom being missing AGAIN, and Jade putting her foot in her mouth and inexplicably breaking up with Luke. To quote the blurb on the back cover, sigh.
The rest of the book follows Jade as she fights against an environmentally-unfriendly mall construction to save a tidal pool, and makes some genuine and refreshing female friendships with Chelse, Serena, and even (almost) former-bully Lainey along the way now that she’s no longer dealing with her jealousy and insecurity issues from Book 1. Jade is honestly really starting to come into her own in this book, and outside the opening foot-in-mouth chapters, I like her character a lot more here than in the first book. I am downright thrilled to continue on her journey of character development through the next few books.
I will say that the detour into the underwater world with the cartoonishly evil Mermish Council is the weakest point in the book, and when everyone escapes and gets back on land and the plot returns its focus to the environmental conflict, things thankfully pick up again and start to fall into place.
Also, Jade and Luke are still incredibly cute, and even though their flirty banter exists for all of one page, I adore it and them. They are once again a couple by the end of this book and I SWEAR TO NEPTUNE if they break up again at the start of the next book I am going to have a freaking sea cow. JUST LET THESE TWO DARN KIDS BE HAPPY, GOSH.
~*~
THAT SAID…
While it treads the status quo in terms of plot progression, the character progression is delightful, and is still an improvement from Book 1 that does an adequate job setting up for Book 3.
~*~
Happy reading for those who dare to delve into these pages, and swift sailing for those still searching for their perfect mermaid tale!
November 22, 2024
A truly solid sequel to the first book. I read the first and this second book about a million times when I was younger and I’m happy to be re-reading them. I need some escapism and nostalgia right now, ok?! We join Jade as she goes on a rescue mission to find her mermaid mom and bring her home, while dealing with a construction project taking place near the magical tidal pool her mom is using to transform back to human. Besides this HUGE development, Jade also has to deal with a new job and normal teenage girl drama. We met more mer-people (good AND bad), learned of some mermaid political intrigue, went on oceanic adventures, got to see more of her and Luke being an awkward teenage friend-couple, and got a message on environmentalism thrown in as well, because why not! Cori is FINALLY let in on Jade’s (and Luke’s and her Mom’s) big mermaid secret, because you HAVE to let bestie know what is going on, otherwise are you even besties? We also get to find out where Serena, the mer-criminals’ daughter, swam off to. Turns out she’s been chilling in the tidal pool with Jade’s mom, transforming into a human! She hangs out on the surface for a bit, getting up to the kind of shenanigans a mermaid-turned-human-for-the-first-time could get up to. But, she ends up back in the lake where her parents are because she considers that her home. Sweet stuff, but it felt a little silly since Jade and her mom went through a lot of shit to get Serena outta the lake. Also?! Not Jade’s dad’s first name being DALRYMPLE?! That cannot be a real name there’s genuinely no way (I googled it. It’s real, unfortunately. Sorry to all the Dalrymple’s out there). The book ends in the best, most cheesy way possible; Luke whips out his guitar and plays a song for Jade on the beach, right after pulling a girlboss move by exposing Mr. Chamberlain (and the mayor?!) for being a crook in front of a huge crowd. Love it. This book series is just so fun and so teen-Disney-Channel-show/movie-in-the-2000s in the best way possible!
July 31, 2021
The summer before school, Jade has a job at the local ice cream shop to help ‘secretly’ pay for the canoe she borrowed to save her mom, who’s disappeared again. They track her down to a pond in the marshlands that are being filled in for a new shopping mall.
Meanwhile her relationship with Luke is uncertain. Are they friend friends or dating friends? But after they find her mom but lose Luke.
I love Jade’s unexpected expedition to the underwater society, even though it was a terrible situation.
Fave scenes: Cori’s discovery, Lainey’s call to the Coast Guard and Gran’s grand gesture.
Meanwhile her relationship with Luke is uncertain. Are they friend friends or dating friends? But after they find her mom but lose Luke.
I love Jade’s unexpected expedition to the underwater society, even though it was a terrible situation.
Fave scenes: Cori’s discovery, Lainey’s call to the Coast Guard and Gran’s grand gesture.
January 4, 2021
This book is about a girl named Jade. The base of this story is to find the tidal pool (located in the back of Port Toulouse Mall.) and get her mother back on land. In order to do that Jade has to find the Tidal pool. She gets her mother back on land and her friend Serena. The main characters of this story are Jade, Luke (Jade's future boy), Cori, Trey, Serena, Micci (mom), and Darymple (dad), oh and possibly Shaky Eddie, and don't forget Reese. XD. Jade ends up getting her mom back on land. But at the end of the book, the best part Jade and Luke confirm their Bf and GF status!!!
February 13, 2018
Cute and fun like the first book but I am not a fan of the 14 year old dating situations... Too young in my opinion. I really wish I could find some books for girls with strong positive female characters that do not include romance.
September 8, 2020
Quick read that had me rolling my eyes because it literally was skipping around from here to there to over there and back again. But it was a good followup to the first book and I'll be moving to the next one in the series soon.
July 30, 2024
I’m absolutely obsessed with this middle-grade book series about mermaids where every single person and plot line gives off major ruby and the well energy. like OBSESSED. Lainey and Cedric give off major sharpay and boi energy
May 17, 2017
The adventure continues and it's exciting and fun
November 15, 2017
AWESOME!!!
January 23, 2018
Awesome book!
March 17, 2018
There were no mermaids holding their breath in this book. Yet there were finally toe rings.
July 13, 2019
This is a fun series. Is cute and clever and just a bit sassy. Great read.
Read
December 15, 2019two copies
March 5, 2020
Honestly one of the best things about this series (even though it's for like 5th graders) is its emphasis on familial ties and relationships.
June 10, 2020
Unlike some series, these books keep getting better.
August 17, 2020
I am just loving this series more and more! It's filled with suspense, magic, and underwater tension that I can't get enough of.
January 4, 2021
I absolutely love this book. It is hilarious and does have a little Romance it is my fav book out of the series. I would recommend this.
October 25, 2022
This was a great sequel. I can’t wait to know what’s next in Jade’s mer life.
November 25, 2022
This book was Mako mermaids but the main character is almost 14 and acts like she’s 16
November 14, 2023
Fun mermaid adventure with new friends, missing family and maybe first love. It also doesn't hurt that the author included a a yummy, chocolate snack recipe in the back of the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews