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When the Tides Held the Moon
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Debut Novel (2025)With lush illustrations and buoyant prose, Venessa Vida Kelley blends historical fantasy with epic romance at the turn of the 20th century in this unforgettable New York fairytale of queer identity and found family.
Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds everyone, especially the eccentric sideshow proprietor who commissioned it. Benny’s work earns him an invitation to join the show’s eclectic crew of performers—his first welcome in the city—and share in their astonishing the tank Benny built is a cage for their newest exhibit, a living, breathing, in-the-flesh merman stolen from the banks of the East River under a gleaming full moon.
The merman is more than a mythic marvel, though. Benny comes to know Río as a clever philosopher, an observant traveler, and a kindred spirit more beautiful and compassionate than any human he’s ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny’s heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own.
A cage is no place for a merman to survive. Though releasing Río means betraying his new family, bankrupting their home, and losing his soulmate forever, Benny must look within for the courage to do what’s right, and find a love strong enough to free them both.
Benigno “Benny” Caldera knows an orphaned Boricua blacksmith in 1910s New York City can’t call himself an artist. But the ironwork tank he creates for famed Coney Island playground, Luna Park, astounds everyone, especially the eccentric sideshow proprietor who commissioned it. Benny’s work earns him an invitation to join the show’s eclectic crew of performers—his first welcome in the city—and share in their astonishing the tank Benny built is a cage for their newest exhibit, a living, breathing, in-the-flesh merman stolen from the banks of the East River under a gleaming full moon.
The merman is more than a mythic marvel, though. Benny comes to know Río as a clever philosopher, an observant traveler, and a kindred spirit more beautiful and compassionate than any human he’s ever met. Despite their different worlds, what begins as a friendship of necessity deepens to love, leading Benny’s heart into uncharted waters where he can no longer ignore the agonizing truth of Río’s captivity—and his own.
A cage is no place for a merman to survive. Though releasing Río means betraying his new family, bankrupting their home, and losing his soulmate forever, Benny must look within for the courage to do what’s right, and find a love strong enough to free them both.
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First published April 29, 2025
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About the author
Venessa Vida Kelley
1 book590 followersVenessa is a Nuyorican author, illustrator, and aspiring mermaid who writes fairy tales about the real world so she can draw them too. They hold a BA and MA in English literature with concentrations in film from the University of Delaware and the George Washington University respectively, and their illustrations have decorated LGBTQ+ books worldwide. Venessa lives in Washington, DC, with their spouse, two sons, and an overabundance of teacups and washi tape.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,400 reviews
February 21, 2025
A metal worker from Puerto Rico builds a big ol’ fish tank for a sideshow’s merman in this, a book that made me cry several times. The merman is grumpy (which is understandable, as he’s been fish-napped) and the metal worker is constantly facing ethical conundrums except not really because his moral compass is pretty true. The band of misfits on Coney Island is as accurate a depiction of found family as I’ve ever read, certainly, and they made me cry too so sure, just call it a sob fest I’m a big crying baby for the merman book and you will be too and if you’re not, that’s like, on you. Then the metal worker and the merman fall in love and I was extremely concerned about how they were going to make it work, given the difference in backgrounds and oxygen processing, but have some faith. Death cannot stop true love and neither can societal norms. I love you, merman book.
August 7, 2025
crazy to think that maybe my asthma is because I actually have four lungs and i can heal it through the power of fish sex
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November 19, 2025This is one of Book Riot’s Best Books of 2025:
Fantasy! Romance! Historical Fiction! Found family! Gorgeous art! Venessa Vida Kelley’s dreamy debut When the Tides Held the Moon has something for everyone. Puerto Rican blacksmith Benny is tasked with building a giant glass tank. When he delivers it to the 1910s Coney Island carnival sideshow that commissioned it, he realizes it was constructed for a real merman captured from the East River. And when he falls in love with that merman, Benny realizes he’s constructed his prison and now must find a way to help him escape. The ensemble cast of “human curiosities” and Vida Kelley’s vivid illustrations make this story truly shine.
- Susie Dumond
Fantasy! Romance! Historical Fiction! Found family! Gorgeous art! Venessa Vida Kelley’s dreamy debut When the Tides Held the Moon has something for everyone. Puerto Rican blacksmith Benny is tasked with building a giant glass tank. When he delivers it to the 1910s Coney Island carnival sideshow that commissioned it, he realizes it was constructed for a real merman captured from the East River. And when he falls in love with that merman, Benny realizes he’s constructed his prison and now must find a way to help him escape. The ensemble cast of “human curiosities” and Vida Kelley’s vivid illustrations make this story truly shine.
- Susie Dumond
June 11, 2025
rating: 3.5 𓇼
I was really excited for this one but it just didn’t deliver for me.
tbh tho once i saw that it was comping the greatest showman and shape of water, i had a feeling I wouldn’t love it bc both of those absolutely bored me.
it had some great elements: the period and setting, a sideshow family, the immigrant experience, a queer romance w a mermaid… but it just didn’t come together right.
it moved quite slowly, and I didn’t really feel any chemistry between rio and benny. rio felt like a very generic old-as-ages mythical creature who speaks a bit omnisciently, and all their scenes were them just talking in the tank. I don’t even remember what benny was supposedly doing all that time in everyone else’s mind.
it just didn’t work for me, but i’m happy other ppl have enjoyed it. the art throughout was great.
I was really excited for this one but it just didn’t deliver for me.
tbh tho once i saw that it was comping the greatest showman and shape of water, i had a feeling I wouldn’t love it bc both of those absolutely bored me.
it had some great elements: the period and setting, a sideshow family, the immigrant experience, a queer romance w a mermaid… but it just didn’t come together right.
it moved quite slowly, and I didn’t really feel any chemistry between rio and benny. rio felt like a very generic old-as-ages mythical creature who speaks a bit omnisciently, and all their scenes were them just talking in the tank. I don’t even remember what benny was supposedly doing all that time in everyone else’s mind.
it just didn’t work for me, but i’m happy other ppl have enjoyed it. the art throughout was great.
January 17, 2025
I have been really struggling with how to review this book since I finished it last month. This was such a highly anticipated read for me, and when I finished it I felt really conflicted overall.
The story itself is written beautifully with imagery that is very distinct and well painted. The artwork is stunning. The romance I loved. It’s a slow burn, and while it takes us a moment to get there, Rio and Benny were really wonderful to read.
However, I was disappointed by aspects of the book that I have yet to see anyone review, and while I debated publicly reviewing since I seem to be the only one who noticed this, I felt in the end it was important for me to voice it anyway.
As a fat person, it is exceedingly difficult to find really good fat rep. Even in books that have the best intentions, rep can fall into harmful stereotypes really quickly (which I know is also true of racial rep and queer rep by folks who don’t have those exact identities).
In the first chapter, there is an antagonistic side character (a guard) whom Benny describes as “wobbly-jowled”. It immediately took me out of the story because I really dislike when we paint unlikeable characters’ physical appearance in a negative way. In this instance, focusing in on the jowls felt pointed and unnecessary. And while it’s not immediately indicative that he’s a fat character, Benny describes himself as thin later down the page, which, even if unintentionally, insinuates the wobby-jowled character is the opposite.
This was then made worse by Benny nicknaming the character by their “saggy jowls”, which really put me off. It also, to me, perpetuates the narrative of the fat lazy cop that we have to work to dismantle. Police and soldiers are negative characters, yes, but painting them as fat and lazy as media often likes to do, just harms fat people more than it does authority.
Later in the book we do have a positive secondary character who is fat, but I felt let down here too. She is the fat lady in the act, and at one point she is trying to change her act and turn herself into the bearded lady which makes her cry because she’ll be “ugly”. As a fat person with PCOS this was disappointing to read. She is also in need of mobility aids in the book. And while there are many fat people who are also disabled and rep for them is still important, when the author is thin and this is their only fat rep, it leans too far into fat stereotypes for my liking.
I really wanted to love this book. And while the romance overall was beautiful and there was so much I did like about it, I was just too disappointed by the fat rep to really enjoy it fully. I just don’t think it’s the positive rep we need and I’m honestly pretty uncomfortable with it being marketed as such.
Anyway, I’m fairly prepared to be alone in this, but it felt important for me to voice. It is very hard to do rep outside of our own identities and experiences justice, and we’re not always going to get it right.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Edit: I did initially have this reviewed as 3 stars. But since sharing my review on Instagram, I was messaged by the author and the sensitivity reader about my review, which is a huge breach of the reviewer/author boundary. I did not tag the author. While Venessa did back off when I pointed out reaching out to me privately about my review felt like a breach of that boundary, the sensitivity reader did not. I was accused of only wanting “tolerable fat rep” and argued with for not wanting to discuss my review because we were mutuals, when it is common knowledge this sensitivity reader is friends with the author. I informed this person that they unfortunately made the situation so much worse. I have lowered my star rating because of this experience. Incredibly unprofessional and pretty manipulative of the reader/reviewer space. As a fat person whose experience of the book was affected by how I perceived the above pieces in my review, I am really unhappy with how this played out, and I just cannot in good faith recommend this book when it feels like you are not allowed to critique it in any form.
The story itself is written beautifully with imagery that is very distinct and well painted. The artwork is stunning. The romance I loved. It’s a slow burn, and while it takes us a moment to get there, Rio and Benny were really wonderful to read.
However, I was disappointed by aspects of the book that I have yet to see anyone review, and while I debated publicly reviewing since I seem to be the only one who noticed this, I felt in the end it was important for me to voice it anyway.
As a fat person, it is exceedingly difficult to find really good fat rep. Even in books that have the best intentions, rep can fall into harmful stereotypes really quickly (which I know is also true of racial rep and queer rep by folks who don’t have those exact identities).
In the first chapter, there is an antagonistic side character (a guard) whom Benny describes as “wobbly-jowled”. It immediately took me out of the story because I really dislike when we paint unlikeable characters’ physical appearance in a negative way. In this instance, focusing in on the jowls felt pointed and unnecessary. And while it’s not immediately indicative that he’s a fat character, Benny describes himself as thin later down the page, which, even if unintentionally, insinuates the wobby-jowled character is the opposite.
This was then made worse by Benny nicknaming the character by their “saggy jowls”, which really put me off. It also, to me, perpetuates the narrative of the fat lazy cop that we have to work to dismantle. Police and soldiers are negative characters, yes, but painting them as fat and lazy as media often likes to do, just harms fat people more than it does authority.
Later in the book we do have a positive secondary character who is fat, but I felt let down here too. She is the fat lady in the act, and at one point she is trying to change her act and turn herself into the bearded lady which makes her cry because she’ll be “ugly”. As a fat person with PCOS this was disappointing to read. She is also in need of mobility aids in the book. And while there are many fat people who are also disabled and rep for them is still important, when the author is thin and this is their only fat rep, it leans too far into fat stereotypes for my liking.
I really wanted to love this book. And while the romance overall was beautiful and there was so much I did like about it, I was just too disappointed by the fat rep to really enjoy it fully. I just don’t think it’s the positive rep we need and I’m honestly pretty uncomfortable with it being marketed as such.
Anyway, I’m fairly prepared to be alone in this, but it felt important for me to voice. It is very hard to do rep outside of our own identities and experiences justice, and we’re not always going to get it right.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.
Edit: I did initially have this reviewed as 3 stars. But since sharing my review on Instagram, I was messaged by the author and the sensitivity reader about my review, which is a huge breach of the reviewer/author boundary. I did not tag the author. While Venessa did back off when I pointed out reaching out to me privately about my review felt like a breach of that boundary, the sensitivity reader did not. I was accused of only wanting “tolerable fat rep” and argued with for not wanting to discuss my review because we were mutuals, when it is common knowledge this sensitivity reader is friends with the author. I informed this person that they unfortunately made the situation so much worse. I have lowered my star rating because of this experience. Incredibly unprofessional and pretty manipulative of the reader/reviewer space. As a fat person whose experience of the book was affected by how I perceived the above pieces in my review, I am really unhappy with how this played out, and I just cannot in good faith recommend this book when it feels like you are not allowed to critique it in any form.
June 2, 2025
The sweetness of E.L. Massey’s Like Real People Do meets Shaun David Hutchinson’s historical setting of Before We Disappear. Add beautiful prose and fantastic illustrations, and Vanessa Vida Kelly presents you When the Tide Held the Moon.
Told from Benigno’s perspective (I refuse to call him Benny), interspersed with amazing illustrations and Rio’s voice, this book is a remarkable debut. Benigno and Rio both were such beautiful persons: Benigno, the young Puertorican blacksmith, so gentle and caring, and Rio, the merman who kept his distance from people at first because they killed his mother and held him captive in the glass container that Benigno had made until Benigno gained his trust and something beautiful grew between the two of them.
Oh, and I simply love Matthias!
I already loved Venessa Vida Kelly’s illustrations, and now I want to read more of her writing. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next! Because of those illustrations, I recommend buying a physical copy of this book!
Thank you so much, Erewhon Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!
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Told from Benigno’s perspective (I refuse to call him Benny), interspersed with amazing illustrations and Rio’s voice, this book is a remarkable debut. Benigno and Rio both were such beautiful persons: Benigno, the young Puertorican blacksmith, so gentle and caring, and Rio, the merman who kept his distance from people at first because they killed his mother and held him captive in the glass container that Benigno had made until Benigno gained his trust and something beautiful grew between the two of them.
Oh, and I simply love Matthias!
I already loved Venessa Vida Kelly’s illustrations, and now I want to read more of her writing. I can’t wait to see what they have in store for us next! Because of those illustrations, I recommend buying a physical copy of this book!
Thank you so much, Erewhon Books and NetGalley, for this fantastic ARC!
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February 3, 2025
Puerto Rican blacksmith falls in love with merman in 1911's New York. Sounds intriguing for sure, but this short little sentence basically describes the entire plot of the book and that just wasn't enough for me. It started out well enough. 22-year-old blacksmith Benigno Caldera is commissioned to build a glass tank for a Coney Island sideshow called "Morgan's Menagerie of Human Oddities". Benny quickly becomes involved with the show's newest exhibit – the merman Rio who was violently captured from a river and is now held in Benny's tank. I really thought this would make an interesting dynamic for Benny literally built the cage that is holding Rio captive, but Rio was pretty forgiving towards Benny and they quickly warmed up to each other. The story is very straightforward from that point on – they talk and fall in love and plan to free Rio. Not a single surprising thing happened, and I was quite bored while reading. The whole sideshow theme wasn't used much either, because it's off season for the majority of the book. There are a lot of "human oddity" side characters, but I didn't care much about them even though some of them got little backstories. The character illustrations by the author were great, though. The relationship between Benny and Rio was nice, but it was a little strange how no other character seemed to care much for the literal supernatural sea creature in their midst. All in all not a bad read, but not one that will stay on my mind for too long.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
May 6, 2025
Excuse me as I toss myself into the ocean. I need 9 to 10 business days to of floating face-down to wallow in my feelings.
At first glance, When the Tides Held the Moon is a romance. A gorgeous, magical,seafoam-stained, historical romance. Beneath that? It’s a story about home, and what it takes to find that not only in other people, but within yourself. It's about finding who you are when you’ve spent so long shapeshifting to survive, you've forgotten the real person beneath the mask. It’s about the terror and beauty of being seen--truly seen--and the wild, irrational, breathtaking joy of being loved anyway.
Benigno and Rio's romance is so unbearably sweet. It brought me back to my kid years when I'd lay in bed (after reading an embarrassing amount of lotr fanfiction), and dream about some magic prince or princess coming to sweep me into their arms. Not that this book is childish, of course, or that the couple's love story is little more than a young kid's fantasies. I mean to say that what Benigno and Rio share across these pages is that kind of love that could appease those private corners of our hearts that still yearn for something so sweet. So tender. So drenched in longing. Makes you feel like the ache of wanting something extraordinary might not be such a terrible, impossible thing after all.
And--the side characters? God, I mourn them. I shall grieve their absence right alongside our MCs. They were the soul of the story, the warmth in the storm. They’re warm and messy and fiercely loyal, I find myself one again aching for that found family that I've yet to, well, find.
When the Tides Held the Moon didn’t just tell a story--it held me. Kissed me. Gently, like I was something worth loving. I'm not saying I'm about to flee my home and become one with the sea, but I'm also not not saying that. Maybe you'll see me tomorrow, crying over another book. Maybe you'll find me floating in a tidepool somewhere, wondering why I wasn't born a mermaid.
Maybe you should read it. Join me in the waves. Listen for your own heartsong.
At first glance, When the Tides Held the Moon is a romance. A gorgeous, magical,seafoam-stained, historical romance. Beneath that? It’s a story about home, and what it takes to find that not only in other people, but within yourself. It's about finding who you are when you’ve spent so long shapeshifting to survive, you've forgotten the real person beneath the mask. It’s about the terror and beauty of being seen--truly seen--and the wild, irrational, breathtaking joy of being loved anyway.
Benigno and Rio's romance is so unbearably sweet. It brought me back to my kid years when I'd lay in bed (after reading an embarrassing amount of lotr fanfiction), and dream about some magic prince or princess coming to sweep me into their arms. Not that this book is childish, of course, or that the couple's love story is little more than a young kid's fantasies. I mean to say that what Benigno and Rio share across these pages is that kind of love that could appease those private corners of our hearts that still yearn for something so sweet. So tender. So drenched in longing. Makes you feel like the ache of wanting something extraordinary might not be such a terrible, impossible thing after all.
And--the side characters? God, I mourn them. I shall grieve their absence right alongside our MCs. They were the soul of the story, the warmth in the storm. They’re warm and messy and fiercely loyal, I find myself one again aching for that found family that I've yet to, well, find.
When the Tides Held the Moon didn’t just tell a story--it held me. Kissed me. Gently, like I was something worth loving. I'm not saying I'm about to flee my home and become one with the sea, but I'm also not not saying that. Maybe you'll see me tomorrow, crying over another book. Maybe you'll find me floating in a tidepool somewhere, wondering why I wasn't born a mermaid.
Maybe you should read it. Join me in the waves. Listen for your own heartsong.
November 11, 2024
This was really good 😭
Rating: 4 ⭐️
This book has such an amazing aesthetic. It is 1910s New York, with circus performers and mermen. I love it so much. And there are pictures. Certain important scenes are illustrated and it's amazing!
This story follows Benigno who, permanently down-on-his-luck being a queer Puerto Rican immigrant in the 1910s, finds himself embroiled in a scheme to capture a mermaid. Along with a circus troop, they find and capture a merman who is slated to become his very own attraction. Now imprisoned in a tank of Benigno's own making, Río and Benigno form an unlikely friendship and something... more?
More so than anything else, this book is about finding home. A place where you belong. These performers have created a family that is less about what you look like or who you love, and more about who you are.
Now, it wasn't perfect. There were definitely parts that frustrated me. While for valid reasons, Benigno was afraid to take action to protect himself and others and it made me want to shake him sometimes and say "you gotta do something, man! Time's a wastin'!" But I did really love him. Such a sweet, lost character just trying to find his way home.
Overall, When the Tides Held the Moon was a delightful read. It took me a little while to get into it at the start, but once I was in it, I was in it. The book started to fly by. I would recommend it to anyone who loves mermaids, found family, or queer romance 💘 Put it in your TBR!!
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
Mermaids/mermen are an automatic read for me 👏 every 👏 time 👏
This is only the first of 4 different mermaid books I requested on NetGalley!! Let’s go!
Rating: 4 ⭐️
This book has such an amazing aesthetic. It is 1910s New York, with circus performers and mermen. I love it so much. And there are pictures. Certain important scenes are illustrated and it's amazing!
This story follows Benigno who, permanently down-on-his-luck being a queer Puerto Rican immigrant in the 1910s, finds himself embroiled in a scheme to capture a mermaid. Along with a circus troop, they find and capture a merman who is slated to become his very own attraction. Now imprisoned in a tank of Benigno's own making, Río and Benigno form an unlikely friendship and something... more?
More so than anything else, this book is about finding home. A place where you belong. These performers have created a family that is less about what you look like or who you love, and more about who you are.
Now, it wasn't perfect. There were definitely parts that frustrated me. While for valid reasons, Benigno was afraid to take action to protect himself and others and it made me want to shake him sometimes and say "you gotta do something, man! Time's a wastin'!" But I did really love him. Such a sweet, lost character just trying to find his way home.
Overall, When the Tides Held the Moon was a delightful read. It took me a little while to get into it at the start, but once I was in it, I was in it. The book started to fly by. I would recommend it to anyone who loves mermaids, found family, or queer romance 💘 Put it in your TBR!!
Thank you to Netgalley and Erewhon Books for providing me early access to When the Tides Held the Moon in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
Pre-read:
Mermaids/mermen are an automatic read for me 👏 every 👏 time 👏
This is only the first of 4 different mermaid books I requested on NetGalley!! Let’s go!
June 2, 2025
Pulled in by the gay mermaid romance (and gorgeous cover!!). Delighted to find a Latino lead, very diverse cast (including disabled characters!), and loads of Puertorriqueño and NYC history woven into this magical story. I’ll be thinking about this one for a while!
October 23, 2024
✰ 4.25 stars ✰
“The moon and the ocean are lovers. Companions in the night.”
“When the moon is full and the sea is calm, it hangs so large and luminous in the sky; I would go to the surface just to bathe in the silver glow and feel the tides rise to greet it.”
I'm in awe. Just - I've been slightly speechless since reading When the Tides Held the Moon yesterday, trying to find the right words to describe the emotions this churned inside of me. As I was reading, I wrote down some words that came to me at that moment to define the writing. ✍🏻
Exotic lush imagery poetic harmonic
And when I read the final line, I literally internally screamed inside, that Yes, she gets it! 🥰🥰👌🏻
Such an exquisite read; the cadence of the writing was - it was exceptional. Such an uplifting and tender love story - for that is truly what it was. It was a love story of two souls - both caged and trapped not of their own volition, but because society does not accept that which it cannot explain, and finding the courage and determination to break free of the very constraints and restraints that tied them down.
I know this is a strange way to begin a review, but, honestly, I did not expect this stunning debut to hit as hard and so well, as I did. I don't read many merman stories, heck, this may be my first one, but this was a love story, a beautiful love story that felt like a love story. 🧜♂️💌 Set in early 1900s Coney Island, New York, it is the story of twenty-two-year-old Puerto Rican Beautiful Benigno aka Benny, former blacksmith, until the tides of fate led him to join the workforce of the conniving and the scheming Morgan's in his efforts to add his latest attraction to his menagerie of marvels' exhibit at Luna Park - El Triton - the mystical merman of the Seven Seas. But, when he and his motley crew do succeed in having stolen a god from the river, in caring for the the beautiful azure-skinned and copper-haired mythical creature, Benny's eyes awaken to a whole other side of his life and his heart that he had closed off - not realizing that it could have always been his, if had the courage to face what always was. ✨
“All I know is that he misses the moon. If I could, I’d ride a rollercoaster to the sky just to steal it for him.”
I fell in love. I fell in love with the gentleness in which Benny slowly won the heart and patience and kindness of a creature that he helped in trapping, but felt every compulsion of caring for. ❤️🩹 I loved the way Río spoke, how his thoughts echoed such hope and understanding of Benny, 'who works so dutifully to bring comfort to my circumstances, then sacrifices his own...' The hurt/comfort they both sought and provided each other - I can't tell you the moments that were so achingly tender, yet so heartfelt and poetic. 🥹
The connection that they built was so natural and real - once I began I could not stop. Such fluidity in Benny's yearning, as well as hesitancy, the gentleness that Río touched his heart and made him feel cared for - 'if he could see into my dreams and find himself there.' The way he fought so desperately to protect him, did not fight the need to be with him - I really commend the author for how she portrayed their relationship. From uncertainty to friendship to soulmates. Their conversations were meaningful and soulful, this gentleness that felt so pure. 🥲
“Río,” I whispered, out of breath, and not from wheezing. “You make me feel like I’m kissing the tides.”
“Benigno,” he whispered back. “You make me feel like I am holding the moon.”
I highlighted so many quotes! The love was radiating from the words - their fight to survive and be free - the power of love was so deep, so pure - just radiated with this lovable want - this innate and fierce connection that came from the depths of their souls - 'a promise to return... a promise to wait.' 🩵🤎 There's no underwater shenanigans that were too graphic, but the first time they even explored intimacy was so --- 'because no dream, no fantasy or myth, had prepared me for this—' just to feel that swell wash over you when the two of them finally meet - it says a lot when I re-read a scene twice at that very moment, and for that scene alone, I did. 🙂↕️🙂↕️
“Your heart in my keeping,” he whispered, “would always be safe.”
Even getting a glimpse into Río's thoughts every now and then added such depth to their characters' growth. He was smart and insightful, and so sensitive to Benny's own emotions that he never challenged him, but showed him a sight he had never seen before, much like he started to see Benny in a new light - affectionate and trusting and hopeful with expectations and desire for more. 🥺 Benny's gradual change also felt fitting and genuine; how he went from being 'even around a bunch of foreigners, I’m too foreign' to finally finding himself - leaving behind that trail of isolation and loneliness and feeling comfort and security in being his truest self. How Río cherished him and made him feel that he should never doubt himself, such warmth in his actions and words - so romantic - so swoon-worthy, and it never felt overkill - it felt -- like it came from the heart. 🥹🥹
And I'm not nothing if not a romantic at heart. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
“What a strange country America was.”
To deny that such atrocities did not take place is akin to denying history; how we as human race scorn and ridicule that which is not normal. But, if anything goes, it is this beautiful found family that behaved the most normal - the members of Morgan’s Menagerie of Human Oddities who possessed the truest of hearts and bravest of spirits that banded together to save those that they considered their family - 'how much I loved and admired them.' 🫂 Such a diverse cast of characters that each brought their own to the scene - made each stand out with their unique personalities and various languages - the Hindi made me laugh, because well, it is quite close to Urdu, so... 😌
The vibrancy of New York, as well as the potent swell of despair and danger was vividly captured. America truly is a melting pot and to have so many colorful faces from different parts of the world bind together and work hard to care for each other - love and honor their treasured union and ensure each other's safety and protection - how there was no judgment, no prejudice, no insensitivity, just a deep bond of acceptance and understanding and joy and love. Love to be free - even when caged. 🥺❤️🩹
“Your emotions are not madness. Nor are you broken. Everyone else—the cowards who taught you that keeping your heart safe meant caging it—they are broken.”
And I have said it before and I have said it again. Illustrations in fiction should become a norm. The lush imagery in the monochrome ink artwork added so much to their relationship - captured so much more emotions and dialogue than words could ever do so - really gorgeously drawn - I wish I could share all of them, but here is just a sneak peek that you really should not miss out on. 👍🏻👍🏻
I did have a few issues, but they are personal ones to me. Like, I felt the comment about the Book of Genesis - out of place; maybe as a challenge to the Heavens, but it did bother me - slightly. I would have loved an epilogue - a glimpse to their futures - y'know. 🥲 It left me wanting more - not ready to say goodbye to them. A few scenes were a bit of a challenge to keep up - mainly towards the end when the action picked up, but the tension was gripping and palpable, so I can let it slide. 😊 I am very much impressed by this incredible debut - still thinking about how it was able to be so good - for me! And I'm so nitpicky! 😅
I am very excited to see what else Venessa Vida Kelley has in store for readers; it does feel like the start of something special with a debut that was both devastating and beautiful. I know when it is an ARC, you can't really trust a reader's rating (cough *points at self* cough*) but it has also been very rare for me to read something so enjoyable and engaging for quite awhile. C'mon - just check my shelves - I'm not kidding!. I had my doubts at first, but this exceeded my expectations in ways I was not prepared for, but immensely grateful that it did. 🌟
*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
“The moon and the ocean are lovers. Companions in the night.”
“When the moon is full and the sea is calm, it hangs so large and luminous in the sky; I would go to the surface just to bathe in the silver glow and feel the tides rise to greet it.”
I'm in awe. Just - I've been slightly speechless since reading When the Tides Held the Moon yesterday, trying to find the right words to describe the emotions this churned inside of me. As I was reading, I wrote down some words that came to me at that moment to define the writing. ✍🏻
Exotic lush imagery poetic harmonic
And when I read the final line, I literally internally screamed inside, that Yes, she gets it! 🥰🥰👌🏻
Such an exquisite read; the cadence of the writing was - it was exceptional. Such an uplifting and tender love story - for that is truly what it was. It was a love story of two souls - both caged and trapped not of their own volition, but because society does not accept that which it cannot explain, and finding the courage and determination to break free of the very constraints and restraints that tied them down.
I know this is a strange way to begin a review, but, honestly, I did not expect this stunning debut to hit as hard and so well, as I did. I don't read many merman stories, heck, this may be my first one, but this was a love story, a beautiful love story that felt like a love story. 🧜♂️💌 Set in early 1900s Coney Island, New York, it is the story of twenty-two-year-old Puerto Rican Beautiful Benigno aka Benny, former blacksmith, until the tides of fate led him to join the workforce of the conniving and the scheming Morgan's in his efforts to add his latest attraction to his menagerie of marvels' exhibit at Luna Park - El Triton - the mystical merman of the Seven Seas. But, when he and his motley crew do succeed in having stolen a god from the river, in caring for the the beautiful azure-skinned and copper-haired mythical creature, Benny's eyes awaken to a whole other side of his life and his heart that he had closed off - not realizing that it could have always been his, if had the courage to face what always was. ✨
“All I know is that he misses the moon. If I could, I’d ride a rollercoaster to the sky just to steal it for him.”
I fell in love. I fell in love with the gentleness in which Benny slowly won the heart and patience and kindness of a creature that he helped in trapping, but felt every compulsion of caring for. ❤️🩹 I loved the way Río spoke, how his thoughts echoed such hope and understanding of Benny, 'who works so dutifully to bring comfort to my circumstances, then sacrifices his own...' The hurt/comfort they both sought and provided each other - I can't tell you the moments that were so achingly tender, yet so heartfelt and poetic. 🥹
The connection that they built was so natural and real - once I began I could not stop. Such fluidity in Benny's yearning, as well as hesitancy, the gentleness that Río touched his heart and made him feel cared for - 'if he could see into my dreams and find himself there.' The way he fought so desperately to protect him, did not fight the need to be with him - I really commend the author for how she portrayed their relationship. From uncertainty to friendship to soulmates. Their conversations were meaningful and soulful, this gentleness that felt so pure. 🥲
“Río,” I whispered, out of breath, and not from wheezing. “You make me feel like I’m kissing the tides.”
“Benigno,” he whispered back. “You make me feel like I am holding the moon.”
I highlighted so many quotes! The love was radiating from the words - their fight to survive and be free - the power of love was so deep, so pure - just radiated with this lovable want - this innate and fierce connection that came from the depths of their souls - 'a promise to return... a promise to wait.' 🩵🤎 There's no underwater shenanigans that were too graphic, but the first time they even explored intimacy was so --- 'because no dream, no fantasy or myth, had prepared me for this—' just to feel that swell wash over you when the two of them finally meet - it says a lot when I re-read a scene twice at that very moment, and for that scene alone, I did. 🙂↕️🙂↕️
“Your heart in my keeping,” he whispered, “would always be safe.”
Even getting a glimpse into Río's thoughts every now and then added such depth to their characters' growth. He was smart and insightful, and so sensitive to Benny's own emotions that he never challenged him, but showed him a sight he had never seen before, much like he started to see Benny in a new light - affectionate and trusting and hopeful with expectations and desire for more. 🥺 Benny's gradual change also felt fitting and genuine; how he went from being 'even around a bunch of foreigners, I’m too foreign' to finally finding himself - leaving behind that trail of isolation and loneliness and feeling comfort and security in being his truest self. How Río cherished him and made him feel that he should never doubt himself, such warmth in his actions and words - so romantic - so swoon-worthy, and it never felt overkill - it felt -- like it came from the heart. 🥹🥹
And I'm not nothing if not a romantic at heart. 🫶🏻🫶🏻
“What a strange country America was.”
To deny that such atrocities did not take place is akin to denying history; how we as human race scorn and ridicule that which is not normal. But, if anything goes, it is this beautiful found family that behaved the most normal - the members of Morgan’s Menagerie of Human Oddities who possessed the truest of hearts and bravest of spirits that banded together to save those that they considered their family - 'how much I loved and admired them.' 🫂 Such a diverse cast of characters that each brought their own to the scene - made each stand out with their unique personalities and various languages - the Hindi made me laugh, because well, it is quite close to Urdu, so... 😌
The vibrancy of New York, as well as the potent swell of despair and danger was vividly captured. America truly is a melting pot and to have so many colorful faces from different parts of the world bind together and work hard to care for each other - love and honor their treasured union and ensure each other's safety and protection - how there was no judgment, no prejudice, no insensitivity, just a deep bond of acceptance and understanding and joy and love. Love to be free - even when caged. 🥺❤️🩹
“Your emotions are not madness. Nor are you broken. Everyone else—the cowards who taught you that keeping your heart safe meant caging it—they are broken.”
And I have said it before and I have said it again. Illustrations in fiction should become a norm. The lush imagery in the monochrome ink artwork added so much to their relationship - captured so much more emotions and dialogue than words could ever do so - really gorgeously drawn - I wish I could share all of them, but here is just a sneak peek that you really should not miss out on. 👍🏻👍🏻
I did have a few issues, but they are personal ones to me. Like, I felt the comment about the Book of Genesis - out of place; maybe as a challenge to the Heavens, but it did bother me - slightly. I would have loved an epilogue - a glimpse to their futures - y'know. 🥲 It left me wanting more - not ready to say goodbye to them. A few scenes were a bit of a challenge to keep up - mainly towards the end when the action picked up, but the tension was gripping and palpable, so I can let it slide. 😊 I am very much impressed by this incredible debut - still thinking about how it was able to be so good - for me! And I'm so nitpicky! 😅
I am very excited to see what else Venessa Vida Kelley has in store for readers; it does feel like the start of something special with a debut that was both devastating and beautiful. I know when it is an ARC, you can't really trust a reader's rating (cough *points at self* cough*) but it has also been very rare for me to read something so enjoyable and engaging for quite awhile. C'mon - just check my shelves - I'm not kidding!. I had my doubts at first, but this exceeded my expectations in ways I was not prepared for, but immensely grateful that it did. 🌟
*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 24, 2025
Goddamn beautiful. If you watched The Shape of Water and thought to yourself “What a beautiful exploration of loneliness, exploitation, and the definitions of monstrosity and humanity … but I still want more. I wish it also tackled themes of race, found family, queer identity and the American Dream,” then this book is for you. I cannot wait to see what this author puts out next. She truly has a gift.
Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to Kensington Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
April 28, 2025
4.5 Stars
Beautiful prose, complex characters, poignant themes, vivid and immersive turn-of-the-twentieth-century world-building, soul-stirring romance, with a touch of magic and mysticism—this story was an all-consuming, deeply emotional experience and I relished every second of it.
Honestly, it took me about 10 seconds of reading to realise the expert level of debut talent I was dealing with here.
…And then I was hit in the face with the truly STUNNING companion artwork (done by the author herself), and I was simply gone over the entire thing.
At its core, When the Tides Held the Moon is about loneliness and isolation. It’s about embracing and celebrating our differences through adversity. It’s about finding our people and our place in the world. And, ultimately, it’s about friendship, (found) family, and transcending love.
It’s a beautifully crafted, deeply engaging story from open to close, and I hope a lot of readers, like myself, pick this one up not knowing much about the wonders within, in order to have an extraordinary (unspoiled) experience. Truly, you won’t regret it.
Venessa Vida Kelley is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the book industry and I can’t wait to watch the world fall in love with her characters, their stories, and her absolutely breathtaking artwork. It is inevitable.
***A special thanks to Erewhon Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.
Beautiful prose, complex characters, poignant themes, vivid and immersive turn-of-the-twentieth-century world-building, soul-stirring romance, with a touch of magic and mysticism—this story was an all-consuming, deeply emotional experience and I relished every second of it.
Honestly, it took me about 10 seconds of reading to realise the expert level of debut talent I was dealing with here.
…And then I was hit in the face with the truly STUNNING companion artwork (done by the author herself), and I was simply gone over the entire thing.
At its core, When the Tides Held the Moon is about loneliness and isolation. It’s about embracing and celebrating our differences through adversity. It’s about finding our people and our place in the world. And, ultimately, it’s about friendship, (found) family, and transcending love.
It’s a beautifully crafted, deeply engaging story from open to close, and I hope a lot of readers, like myself, pick this one up not knowing much about the wonders within, in order to have an extraordinary (unspoiled) experience. Truly, you won’t regret it.
Venessa Vida Kelley is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the book industry and I can’t wait to watch the world fall in love with her characters, their stories, and her absolutely breathtaking artwork. It is inevitable.
***A special thanks to Erewhon Books (via Netgalley) for providing an ARC of this eBook in exchange for an honest review.
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April 26, 2025
LGBTQ+ Romance
Found Family/Merman
4.5 Stars ⭐️
I absolutely loved this book. I am a sucker for an oddity circus trope because there’s always a diverse group of characters and this book did not disappoint. It delivered in not only giving a beautiful love story but had an amazing found family vibe. I absolutely loved the odd cast of characters but the main couple Rio and Benny just stole my heart. Their relationship felt so innocent and pure despite the situation and I couldn’t get enough of their interactions especially the first time Benny goes in the tank. This is one of those books where I didn’t mind having no sex. Their small touches and soft kisses were enough to make me feel everything I wanted and more.
This book also has beautiful illustrations throughout it. I had the arc copy which had rushed to print graphics but I loved this so much I preordered the color illustrated hardback after seeing how gorgeous it was and used a credit on the audiobook. I haven’t bought a physical copy of a book in over 10 years but I loved this so much that I wanted a copy. This is a debut but the author does illustrative covers for queer authors like Alexis Hall and Casey McQuiston and I can’t wait to see the completed version in person because what I can see online is absolutely stunning.
This takes place in New York City in the year 1911 on Coney Island. The setting is everything in this book and I felt like I was there experiencing it myself. The basic plot of this book is that there are multiple competing theme parks and the owner of one hunts down and captures a merman to headline his show. This choice sets off a series of events that will forever change the lives of everyone in the oddity show and beyond.
I do want to make clear that I think the actual story is closer to 4 stars for me but I cannot say why I feel that way because of spoilers. There are just some things that happened near the end that I felt were a bit rushed and I would have loved to know more about certain things. However, I am giving this 5 stars because there is so much more to this book than just the story. The illustrations themselves are worth 10 stars especially once I saw the final versions on this author’s instagram. The preorder hardback was available through small queer bookshops around the US and I absolutely loved supporting a store like that instead of a big corporation. I will definitely be watching for anything else this author writes in the future as I absolutely loved all of the characters and this book felt like a balm to my soul. I was reading this while going through something utterly heartbreaking and anytime I could get back to this, it eased my anxiety. I can’t wait to reread it again via audio and with the beautiful illustrations once it releases in a few days.
I received an arc from netgalley and this is my honest review.
Highly recommend this to anyone looking for something whimsical and a bit different.
Found Family/Merman
4.5 Stars ⭐️
I absolutely loved this book. I am a sucker for an oddity circus trope because there’s always a diverse group of characters and this book did not disappoint. It delivered in not only giving a beautiful love story but had an amazing found family vibe. I absolutely loved the odd cast of characters but the main couple Rio and Benny just stole my heart. Their relationship felt so innocent and pure despite the situation and I couldn’t get enough of their interactions especially the first time Benny goes in the tank. This is one of those books where I didn’t mind having no sex. Their small touches and soft kisses were enough to make me feel everything I wanted and more.
This book also has beautiful illustrations throughout it. I had the arc copy which had rushed to print graphics but I loved this so much I preordered the color illustrated hardback after seeing how gorgeous it was and used a credit on the audiobook. I haven’t bought a physical copy of a book in over 10 years but I loved this so much that I wanted a copy. This is a debut but the author does illustrative covers for queer authors like Alexis Hall and Casey McQuiston and I can’t wait to see the completed version in person because what I can see online is absolutely stunning.
This takes place in New York City in the year 1911 on Coney Island. The setting is everything in this book and I felt like I was there experiencing it myself. The basic plot of this book is that there are multiple competing theme parks and the owner of one hunts down and captures a merman to headline his show. This choice sets off a series of events that will forever change the lives of everyone in the oddity show and beyond.
I do want to make clear that I think the actual story is closer to 4 stars for me but I cannot say why I feel that way because of spoilers. There are just some things that happened near the end that I felt were a bit rushed and I would have loved to know more about certain things. However, I am giving this 5 stars because there is so much more to this book than just the story. The illustrations themselves are worth 10 stars especially once I saw the final versions on this author’s instagram. The preorder hardback was available through small queer bookshops around the US and I absolutely loved supporting a store like that instead of a big corporation. I will definitely be watching for anything else this author writes in the future as I absolutely loved all of the characters and this book felt like a balm to my soul. I was reading this while going through something utterly heartbreaking and anytime I could get back to this, it eased my anxiety. I can’t wait to reread it again via audio and with the beautiful illustrations once it releases in a few days.
I received an arc from netgalley and this is my honest review.
Highly recommend this to anyone looking for something whimsical and a bit different.
April 28, 2025
devoured this in one sitting. this was so beautiful! and the illustrations throughout?? absolutely GORGEOUS
June 15, 2025
I wanted to love this story but the lack of urgency on Benigno's part to save the enslaved Rio made this an awkward read at best. Also, I didn't fully understand the ending.
August 19, 2025
Thank you to Erewhon books for the pleasure of sending me the arc for this book.
reread finished 8/18/25:
i went to a tour stop for this book and the lovely audiobook narrator showed up and read an excerpt for us so naturally i had to re-experience this story again through audio. Lee did a phenomenal job to bringing Benny and the rest of the characters to life and the actual story was just as beautiful the second time around.
I should preface this by saying I read the fanfic this story was originally written as like 4 years organically on my own so it's no surprise that I loved this book 💀💀💀. I reread that fic in preparation for this, but I'm not sure if it's respectful to compare the two so I won't do that.
I've said from the start that this book just exudes Venessa's talent and passion. You can tell throughout this whole book that it's a love letter to the cultures and lives of the characters she created. In addition to this she has such a beautiful writing style that was able to fully immerse me into this world. I love the characters in this so much. I'm a sucker for a good found family and that's what this story gave me. I adore Benny. So. Much. I'm in a bit of a book hangover because I already miss having this book to look forward to every day. AND THE ART OF THE BOOK??? I'd be happy just to have a stick figure drawn by Venessa in my book if it meant I was to be blessed with the ability to look at one more of her art pieces. I'm so excited to see what Venessa writes next. Definitely check this book out!
reread finished 8/18/25:
i went to a tour stop for this book and the lovely audiobook narrator showed up and read an excerpt for us so naturally i had to re-experience this story again through audio. Lee did a phenomenal job to bringing Benny and the rest of the characters to life and the actual story was just as beautiful the second time around.
I should preface this by saying I read the fanfic this story was originally written as like 4 years organically on my own so it's no surprise that I loved this book 💀💀💀. I reread that fic in preparation for this, but I'm not sure if it's respectful to compare the two so I won't do that.
I've said from the start that this book just exudes Venessa's talent and passion. You can tell throughout this whole book that it's a love letter to the cultures and lives of the characters she created. In addition to this she has such a beautiful writing style that was able to fully immerse me into this world. I love the characters in this so much. I'm a sucker for a good found family and that's what this story gave me. I adore Benny. So. Much. I'm in a bit of a book hangover because I already miss having this book to look forward to every day. AND THE ART OF THE BOOK??? I'd be happy just to have a stick figure drawn by Venessa in my book if it meant I was to be blessed with the ability to look at one more of her art pieces. I'm so excited to see what Venessa writes next. Definitely check this book out!
April 29, 2025
E-ARC generously provided by Erewhon Books in exchange for an honest review, thank you so much!
4.5 stars. Gorgeously drawn in both illustration and writing style, When the Tides Held the Moon is a luminous beacon of a queer historical fantasy debut that combines ardent, lyrical prose with a romance so filled to the brim with yearning that it'll undoubtedly make any reader's heart ache.
4.5 stars. Gorgeously drawn in both illustration and writing style, When the Tides Held the Moon is a luminous beacon of a queer historical fantasy debut that combines ardent, lyrical prose with a romance so filled to the brim with yearning that it'll undoubtedly make any reader's heart ache.
November 21, 2025
4.75 stars rounded up.
A book that wasn't on my radar at all and only ended up on my radar because of the Goodreads Choice Awards, and what a book it was. This was beautiful, I loved the writing, Benny and Rio as well as all the side characters and I loved everything that came into play with this. The representation in this book was so wonderful to see. I just thoroughly enjoyed this. And how STUNNING is that cover. I will definitely keep my eye open for more books from this author. Incredible debut.
A book that wasn't on my radar at all and only ended up on my radar because of the Goodreads Choice Awards, and what a book it was. This was beautiful, I loved the writing, Benny and Rio as well as all the side characters and I loved everything that came into play with this. The representation in this book was so wonderful to see. I just thoroughly enjoyed this. And how STUNNING is that cover. I will definitely keep my eye open for more books from this author. Incredible debut.
June 6, 2025
The absolute satisfaction I get when a book with a stunning cover turns out to be an amazing read too.
When the Tides Held the Moon,set in the 1910s, follows Benigno, a young, colored, Puerto Rican blacksmith who's struggling to find his way and himself in New York chasing the dreams that have been sold to him, and Rio, a merman whose faith in humanity has dwindled after he's captured to be used as a circus act—a situation Benigno is unfortunately roped into and complicit in. Their relationship begins with guilt, a mother's dying wish and a connection and mutual understanding of losing their loved ones.
The best part of the book for me was easily the prose. Kelley weaves words so beautifully, while keeping the narration true to the era it's set in, that I couldn't stop turning the pages even as I was deep in the clutches of a reading slump. This, coupled with the illustrations that were also drawn by the author, made for a phenomenal reading experience.
The characters and the relationships between them were also an important part of the book and I loved that. The casual way queerness was shown, and the band of odd circus acts being Benigno's first interaction with other queer people like him was so interesting and quite frankly, cute!! Watching them go from wary to eventually being tight knit...ugh I loved them so much.
The relationship between Rio and Benigno was...refreshing. That's the easiest way I can describe it. We get to see them have conversations, be friends before falling for each other, ALL ON PAGE and it was REFRESHING!! Benigno as a character was so well written and developed. His struggles with finding himself and a home where he'd belong was so real and palpable and I felt so connected to him. I enjoyed reading as his enchanted admiration of Rio turned to understanding and eventually love. I can't say much about Rio without spoiling stuff but he was so cute. Its been over a week and I'm still thinking about them.
Every once in a while I read a new author that shocks me with how good their debut is and I'm so glad to say this is one of them!!
"Thank you Edelweiss and the author for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review
When the Tides Held the Moon,set in the 1910s, follows Benigno, a young, colored, Puerto Rican blacksmith who's struggling to find his way and himself in New York chasing the dreams that have been sold to him, and Rio, a merman whose faith in humanity has dwindled after he's captured to be used as a circus act—a situation Benigno is unfortunately roped into and complicit in. Their relationship begins with guilt, a mother's dying wish and a connection and mutual understanding of losing their loved ones.
The best part of the book for me was easily the prose. Kelley weaves words so beautifully, while keeping the narration true to the era it's set in, that I couldn't stop turning the pages even as I was deep in the clutches of a reading slump. This, coupled with the illustrations that were also drawn by the author, made for a phenomenal reading experience.
The characters and the relationships between them were also an important part of the book and I loved that. The casual way queerness was shown, and the band of odd circus acts being Benigno's first interaction with other queer people like him was so interesting and quite frankly, cute!! Watching them go from wary to eventually being tight knit...ugh I loved them so much.
The relationship between Rio and Benigno was...refreshing. That's the easiest way I can describe it. We get to see them have conversations, be friends before falling for each other, ALL ON PAGE and it was REFRESHING!! Benigno as a character was so well written and developed. His struggles with finding himself and a home where he'd belong was so real and palpable and I felt so connected to him. I enjoyed reading as his enchanted admiration of Rio turned to understanding and eventually love. I can't say much about Rio without spoiling stuff but he was so cute. Its been over a week and I'm still thinking about them.
Every once in a while I read a new author that shocks me with how good their debut is and I'm so glad to say this is one of them!!
"Thank you Edelweiss and the author for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review
April 27, 2025
I’m struggling to come up with a word that adequately encapsulates this reading experience, and the best I can come up with is brilliant. This is a masterpiece, and if it doesn’t become wildly popular, I’ll eat my proverbial hat.
The book is not short, coming in at 464 pages.
I read it in an evening. I could not stop reading. I neglected all other people and things to feverishly devour this hauntingly beautiful tale (pun intended).
You will come to love these characters. Your heart will ache for members of a found family, but especially for Río and Benny. I cried at least four times.
I also enjoyed the doses of Puerto Rico slang throughout. I speak Spanish and love learning more about different cultures and accents, so that was a huge bonus for me. Never fear if you don’t speak it—the author includes a dictionary at the end (which also includes other languages used in the book).
I read a ton of books every year. The experience I had tonight, of just reading and reading and completely immersing myself in a different world—I live for that feeling. Finishing this book was like being thrown out of Río’s tank to lie gasping on the cold, hard theater stage, when all I want to do is stay submerged with my heartsong.
You absolutely must read this. It’s a ten out of ten.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for gifting me an eARC. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.
(Psst…please write more books in this world! I’m bereft!)
The book is not short, coming in at 464 pages.
I read it in an evening. I could not stop reading. I neglected all other people and things to feverishly devour this hauntingly beautiful tale (pun intended).
You will come to love these characters. Your heart will ache for members of a found family, but especially for Río and Benny. I cried at least four times.
I also enjoyed the doses of Puerto Rico slang throughout. I speak Spanish and love learning more about different cultures and accents, so that was a huge bonus for me. Never fear if you don’t speak it—the author includes a dictionary at the end (which also includes other languages used in the book).
I read a ton of books every year. The experience I had tonight, of just reading and reading and completely immersing myself in a different world—I live for that feeling. Finishing this book was like being thrown out of Río’s tank to lie gasping on the cold, hard theater stage, when all I want to do is stay submerged with my heartsong.
You absolutely must read this. It’s a ten out of ten.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for gifting me an eARC. I am writing this review entirely voluntarily.
(Psst…please write more books in this world! I’m bereft!)
August 5, 2025
RTC 🩷
August 12, 2025
Should have looked up if this was Rainbow Rowell fanfic before reading it so I would have known it was Rainbow Rowell fanfic and then not read it because it’s Rainbow Rowell fanfic.
Revised: With the author crossing the reader boundary to disprove negative reviews from readers who are only sharing their personal experiences with the material, even on sites outside of GR, I’ve revised my rating to 1 star.
Revised: With the author crossing the reader boundary to disprove negative reviews from readers who are only sharing their personal experiences with the material, even on sites outside of GR, I’ve revised my rating to 1 star.
August 12, 2024
I had the immense honor of beta reading this and can just say that y'all are not ready for the torment and the joy and found family and the magic that is coming your way.
May 14, 2025
The audiobook is the way to go with this one. The accents and characters are brilliantly brought to life!
Benigno is a Puerto Rican immigrant in 1910s Coney Island who falls in with a circus troop who plot to capture and train their very own mermaid attraction.
Queerness, belonging, found family oddities, beautiful use of Spanish.
It is slow and smooth and beautiful. This is not your conventional mermaid story.
“Río,” I whispered, out of breath, and not from wheezing. “You make me feel like I’m kissing the tides.”
“Benigno,” he whispered back. “You make me feel like I am holding the moon.”
There are the classic moustache twirling villains greedy for money, however this is more a close intimate character study which explores identity and longing.
The found family here is based on who you are and want to be, rather than what people assign you or what you look like, love.
There is also representation of asthma.
I did feel that what you get on the packet is all there is. The plot is straight forward and predictable and, whilst I loved the characters, they didn’t feel unique to other stories.
Also, why was everyone so chill with a LITERAL MERMAN in their midst?! I would have thought there was more public interest or newspaper outcry.
Audiobook arc gifted by Libro.fm.
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Benigno is a Puerto Rican immigrant in 1910s Coney Island who falls in with a circus troop who plot to capture and train their very own mermaid attraction.
Queerness, belonging, found family oddities, beautiful use of Spanish.
It is slow and smooth and beautiful. This is not your conventional mermaid story.
“Río,” I whispered, out of breath, and not from wheezing. “You make me feel like I’m kissing the tides.”
“Benigno,” he whispered back. “You make me feel like I am holding the moon.”
There are the classic moustache twirling villains greedy for money, however this is more a close intimate character study which explores identity and longing.
The found family here is based on who you are and want to be, rather than what people assign you or what you look like, love.
There is also representation of asthma.
I did feel that what you get on the packet is all there is. The plot is straight forward and predictable and, whilst I loved the characters, they didn’t feel unique to other stories.
Also, why was everyone so chill with a LITERAL MERMAN in their midst?! I would have thought there was more public interest or newspaper outcry.
Audiobook arc gifted by Libro.fm.
Bookstagram
Tiktok
October 6, 2025
I generally don't like reading books that are categorized as representing the Hispanic community because most often than not, they feel like a very detached experience to me, as they are mainly written by people who are first or 2nd generation and have never truly known what it is like to live in Latam, so their life experiences and mine are vastly different. And when I do read them, I just end up annoyed by all the random Spanish phrases that are randomly thrown here and there.
I had had this book on my TBR ever since I saw the cover, and I was surprised to see it was included in the "Hispanic Heritage" category in Goodreads when I was browsing the eligible titles for the challenge. So I thought it was perfect timing to read it.
Beni has been living in the US for 3 years, and every time he forgot a word or didn't know how to say a particular thought felt so real and relatable that I couldn't help smiling because, like yes, I have been there too. The found family aspect was so nice, I could have read more pages just to know more about the backstory of the members in the company. Rio was such a mysterious figure, so magnificent and precious. I really enjoyed how he and Beni developed a tenous friendship and then a beautiful romance, the terms of endearment were killing me with how sweet they were, and I think we can all agree they are just superior in Spanish.
Even if it stressed me, the ongoing will we, won't we free Rio. I must say I deeply enjoyed this book; not only is the writing beautiful, but the characters are captivating and feel like well-rounded individuals.
I had had this book on my TBR ever since I saw the cover, and I was surprised to see it was included in the "Hispanic Heritage" category in Goodreads when I was browsing the eligible titles for the challenge. So I thought it was perfect timing to read it.
Beni has been living in the US for 3 years, and every time he forgot a word or didn't know how to say a particular thought felt so real and relatable that I couldn't help smiling because, like yes, I have been there too. The found family aspect was so nice, I could have read more pages just to know more about the backstory of the members in the company. Rio was such a mysterious figure, so magnificent and precious. I really enjoyed how he and Beni developed a tenous friendship and then a beautiful romance, the terms of endearment were killing me with how sweet they were, and I think we can all agree they are just superior in Spanish.
Even if it stressed me, the ongoing will we, won't we free Rio. I must say I deeply enjoyed this book; not only is the writing beautiful, but the characters are captivating and feel like well-rounded individuals.
August 7, 2025
A masterpiece. I have no words to describe how beautiful this was but just WOW.
Benny is a young Puerto Rican immigrant who smuggled himself into the United States after a string of misfortune he called childhood. He has never been the luckiest guy but he was good was his hands and a hard worker at that. So imagine his surprise when he gets called in to work on a large iron tank like structure for a sideshow of oddities. Naturally his curiosity is peaked and he follows them and lands himself a job.
Right off the bat, he is daunted by the merman. As anyone who just had colorful threats about having his innards spilled would be. But the relationship that blossoms between them is so pure. They are so raw and true to eachother in ways neither of them expected.
The entire story is so full of love and acceptance. The found family in this was so warm and silly in the best of ways. Benny and Rios ending made me so happy that I literally teared up on the last page. They both deserve it tbh after everything they both went through.
Benny is a young Puerto Rican immigrant who smuggled himself into the United States after a string of misfortune he called childhood. He has never been the luckiest guy but he was good was his hands and a hard worker at that. So imagine his surprise when he gets called in to work on a large iron tank like structure for a sideshow of oddities. Naturally his curiosity is peaked and he follows them and lands himself a job.
Right off the bat, he is daunted by the merman. As anyone who just had colorful threats about having his innards spilled would be. But the relationship that blossoms between them is so pure. They are so raw and true to eachother in ways neither of them expected.
The entire story is so full of love and acceptance. The found family in this was so warm and silly in the best of ways. Benny and Rios ending made me so happy that I literally teared up on the last page. They both deserve it tbh after everything they both went through.
July 1, 2025
me, sobbing: that's my manic pixie dream gorl fish
June 11, 2025
SPOILERS
Ngl I've never loved a Glossary so much in my life. A lot more of this novel was written in other languages than I expected. I think the other reviews were right in saying to read this on a e-reader instead.
Loved the beginning, disliked the middle but liked the ending.
Likes:
-Standalone
- The author did a good job in setting the scene which is why I didn't mind the slower start. You can tell they've done a lot of research on the time period.
- Well- written
-Romance felt very natural (enemies > friends > lovers)
-Loveable characters & a decent villain
- The epilogue. I usually skip epilogues or extras in books but you don't want to do that with this one. It gave me the closure I wanted.
Dislikes:
-Plot is predictable but that didn't bother me as the vibes made up for it.
-1st person POV. This is a personal preference.
-Satisfying but rushed ending
-The middle and here is why:
Sonia confides in Benny (MC) that she is being forced into prostitution by Sam Morgan (the showman) to these East Side gangsters so that they can get money for renovations to be done. She is only 19 yrs old.
It was a complete shift in tone from the whimsical one that had been at the start of the novel. It broke my heart. It distracted me from the romance because I wanted her to be ok so much.
Thankfully Sam Morgan dies by her hand in the end and she takes over Luna Park.
#Justice for Sonia was served
I'm kinda curious to see if this review gets taken down because it's not 5*. Other reviewers have alleged that any negative/ less than 5* reviews are being reported and taken down. If that behaviour is occurring then it's very sad. Goodreads should be for readers after all.
TW's: exploitation of immigrants, racism, , homelessness, domestic violence (off page), PTSD, violence, homophobia, internalised homophobia, forced prostitution
Ngl I've never loved a Glossary so much in my life. A lot more of this novel was written in other languages than I expected. I think the other reviews were right in saying to read this on a e-reader instead.
Loved the beginning, disliked the middle but liked the ending.
Likes:
-Standalone
- The author did a good job in setting the scene which is why I didn't mind the slower start. You can tell they've done a lot of research on the time period.
- Well- written
-Romance felt very natural (enemies > friends > lovers)
-Loveable characters & a decent villain
- The epilogue. I usually skip epilogues or extras in books but you don't want to do that with this one. It gave me the closure I wanted.
Dislikes:
-Plot is predictable but that didn't bother me as the vibes made up for it.
-1st person POV. This is a personal preference.
-Satisfying but rushed ending
-The middle and here is why:
Sonia confides in Benny (MC) that she is being forced into prostitution by Sam Morgan (the showman) to these East Side gangsters so that they can get money for renovations to be done. She is only 19 yrs old.
It was a complete shift in tone from the whimsical one that had been at the start of the novel. It broke my heart. It distracted me from the romance because I wanted her to be ok so much.
Thankfully Sam Morgan dies by her hand in the end and she takes over Luna Park.
#Justice for Sonia was served
I'm kinda curious to see if this review gets taken down because it's not 5*. Other reviewers have alleged that any negative/ less than 5* reviews are being reported and taken down. If that behaviour is occurring then it's very sad. Goodreads should be for readers after all.
TW's: exploitation of immigrants, racism, , homelessness, domestic violence (off page), PTSD, violence, homophobia, internalised homophobia, forced prostitution
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2025
Benigno, a talented ironworker, is assigned to make a giant tank, framed in iron and with unbreakable glass walls; as he learns too late, it's intended to house a captured merman, whom we come to know under the name Rio. The kidnappers' leader murders Rio's mother, who with her last breath asks Benigno to save her son -- and so he does, helped by the members of the "freak show" of which Rio is intended as the star. Of course Benigno and Rio fall in love on the way.
The historical background here is wonderful -- VVK has not only done her research (about Puerto Rican independence movements, about labor conditions in early 20th century NYC, about Coney Island amusement parks of the era), but also assimilated it, so the world Benigno moves through is thickly described and fully realized. I caught a few possible anachronisms in vocabulary, and that's all. The supporting characters -- the fake conjoined twins, the fat lady, the strong man, the firebreather, the tiny woman who has banned use of the m-word, the giant, and the contortionist -- aren't as fleshed out as Benigno, but each of them got enough page time to emerge as people rather than collections of attributes.
Notice I left Rio out of that list. I felt for him, I wanted him to get free and get his man, but ... unlike all the human characters, he's perfect. Merpeople in general are perfect. They're nonviolent, they live in harmony with the Current, they are healed by water and they heal it in return, etc. etc. Whereas shock! horror! human beings are capable of great stupidity and cruelty. I balked at all that mer perfection, which struck me as a lingering trace of the Noble Savage myth.
Kelley misses a few steps in worldbuilding -- sometimes Rio is familiar with an English idiom, sometimes not, in no consistent pattern. (Problems seem never to arise when he and Benigno are communicating in Spanish, though there's no apparent reason for Rio to know one culture better than the other.) I don't think it would ever have occurred to me to wonder why Rio knew so much about human life and language if Kelley hadn't made a point of his being baffled a couple of times. Oops. It's a minor point, really, but I did snag on it, so.
Saving dessert for last: My goodness, but the illustrations are lovely, even as seen in a PDF on Kindle. There's one on the author's website that I don't think appears in the ARC, of Benigno dreaming of Rio: do take a look. I'd like to get my hands on a physical copy of the book just to look at them all properly.
4.5 stars happily rounded up. Thanks to Kensington/Erewhon and NetGalley for the ARC.
The historical background here is wonderful -- VVK has not only done her research (about Puerto Rican independence movements, about labor conditions in early 20th century NYC, about Coney Island amusement parks of the era), but also assimilated it, so the world Benigno moves through is thickly described and fully realized. I caught a few possible anachronisms in vocabulary, and that's all. The supporting characters -- the fake conjoined twins, the fat lady, the strong man, the firebreather, the tiny woman who has banned use of the m-word, the giant, and the contortionist -- aren't as fleshed out as Benigno, but each of them got enough page time to emerge as people rather than collections of attributes.
Notice I left Rio out of that list. I felt for him, I wanted him to get free and get his man, but ... unlike all the human characters, he's perfect. Merpeople in general are perfect. They're nonviolent, they live in harmony with the Current, they are healed by water and they heal it in return, etc. etc. Whereas shock! horror! human beings are capable of great stupidity and cruelty. I balked at all that mer perfection, which struck me as a lingering trace of the Noble Savage myth.
Kelley misses a few steps in worldbuilding -- sometimes Rio is familiar with an English idiom, sometimes not, in no consistent pattern. (Problems seem never to arise when he and Benigno are communicating in Spanish, though there's no apparent reason for Rio to know one culture better than the other.) I don't think it would ever have occurred to me to wonder why Rio knew so much about human life and language if Kelley hadn't made a point of his being baffled a couple of times. Oops. It's a minor point, really, but I did snag on it, so.
Saving dessert for last: My goodness, but the illustrations are lovely, even as seen in a PDF on Kindle. There's one on the author's website that I don't think appears in the ARC, of Benigno dreaming of Rio: do take a look. I'd like to get my hands on a physical copy of the book just to look at them all properly.
4.5 stars happily rounded up. Thanks to Kensington/Erewhon and NetGalley for the ARC.
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