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Fathom
All she wanted was to study the ocean. Instead, she uncovered its greatest secret. More than anything, eighteen-year-old Olivia Owens wants to win a marine biology scholarship, escape her broken home life, and enjoy a drama-free summer in La Jolla, California. But when she agrees to pose as a mermaid for her photographer best friend Samantha, she never dreamed what kind of trouble it would bring. Why would a crazy red-headed lady give Olivia a clam that glows on the inside? And why does the ritzy CEO Doran Linnaeus think Olivia—and the clam in her possession—are the keys to turning his failing theme park into an earth-shattering phenomenon? It takes some serious spy skills for Olivia and Samantha to discover the mermaids aren’t just a fairytale. Dangerous, dark, and suspicious, the vengeful denizens of the deep will do anything to keep their secret safe—even accept help from humans. In order to keep herself and Samantha alive, Olivia has to team up with the merpeople and a band of mysterious strangers. She must find the courage to do whatever it takes to stop Linnaeus from exposing and exploiting earth’s deepestsecret, all while convincing Samantha that flirting with a merprince is a terrible idea…and protecting her own heart in the process. Fathom is a modern fantasy adventure that takes place in San Diego, California. The story is filled with mystery, danger, friendship, mayhem, and merpeople. A fast-paced read for anyone who enjoys modern fairytale re-imaginings, suspense, action, and romance.
348 pages, Paperback
Published March 15, 2021
15 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 4, 2021
Not only have I never in the 23 years I have been alive have I read 200 pages, trust me it’s not something I am proud I haven’t done! So I made it a point that during finals instead of watching tv for a break I’ll read (once I start watching tv the procrastination continues). It would get me to read more while staying away from the tv! I pick Fathom for it’s topic surrounding Mermaids! I have always been on the look out for an adult mermaid book, a medium between a realistic/suspenseful Little Mermaid and a much less horrifying vide than those books about flesh eating mermaids with massive teeth! I finished fathom in under two days! I can’t express how much I fell in love with this storyline along with the characters! I am greatly anticipating Chasm, as the story continues for Olivia and her new merpeople friends!
April 6, 2021
Standage is a great writer who kept me interested in the story from start to finish. Each chapter ended at a place where I wanted to read another one just to find out what happens next! I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
April 5, 2021
Mermaids, friendships and mystery! This was such a fun, keep you on your toes read. It’s clean too! Can’t wait for the next one.
September 26, 2025
Brilliant!!!
No pun meant in the least: this book has a depth to it rare among those about merpeople.
I was first intrigued by how Writer Standage had three different genres bumping up against each other:
• Ordinary college age people summering in California, for fun and to work on their professional aspirations
• Merpeople
• Cloak and Dagger (literally) machinations of merpeople's enemies and supporters
Then, plot twist after plot twist brought everyone into a grand finale in a grand ballroom with a very special water tank....or was it the end?
On a boat far from shore, leaving the area....yes, there's unexpectedly more, a lot more.
This was a most satisfying, adventurous, and clean read!
Happy reading!
P. S. The mistreated aquatic life at a certain Aquarium get a much deserved happy ending.
No pun meant in the least: this book has a depth to it rare among those about merpeople.
I was first intrigued by how Writer Standage had three different genres bumping up against each other:
• Ordinary college age people summering in California, for fun and to work on their professional aspirations
• Merpeople
• Cloak and Dagger (literally) machinations of merpeople's enemies and supporters
Then, plot twist after plot twist brought everyone into a grand finale in a grand ballroom with a very special water tank....or was it the end?
On a boat far from shore, leaving the area....yes, there's unexpectedly more, a lot more.
This was a most satisfying, adventurous, and clean read!
Happy reading!
P. S. The mistreated aquatic life at a certain Aquarium get a much deserved happy ending.
July 30, 2022
This book is about mermaids. The story was entertaining and it did keep my attention. However, I felt that the author was young in her writing. I felt it lacked descriptions that would allow the reader to fully be immersed in the book. It felt as though the the writing was on a surface level barely skimming the water. I wanted there to be more depth to the story.
Olivia is a high school graduate that is housesitting for her aunt for the summer in California. Sam is Olivia’s best friend who tags along. Olivia dreams of being a marine biologist. She plans to spend the summer working on a project that will get her into a university to study her passion of marine biology. Olivia decided to check out the tide pools in the middle of the night to see if she can jump start her research project. While she is at the tide pools, after visiting hours, she stumbles upon a dangerous situation. Two people are also at the tide pools and seem to be up to no good. The 2 people are older men that tell her to leave. Olivia lost her phone is the process and is without a phone for the entire book. She decides not to tell her best friend Sam. Sam loves photography and seems to have frequent changes in what guy she is into. Sam makes a mermaid tail for Olivia to pose in for Sam’s portfolio. A dumb jock mistakes Olivia as a real mermaid. The dumb jock snaps a photo on his cell phone and sells it to a tabloid magazine. That’s when weird things start happening. Read to find out more.
Olivia is a high school graduate that is housesitting for her aunt for the summer in California. Sam is Olivia’s best friend who tags along. Olivia dreams of being a marine biologist. She plans to spend the summer working on a project that will get her into a university to study her passion of marine biology. Olivia decided to check out the tide pools in the middle of the night to see if she can jump start her research project. While she is at the tide pools, after visiting hours, she stumbles upon a dangerous situation. Two people are also at the tide pools and seem to be up to no good. The 2 people are older men that tell her to leave. Olivia lost her phone is the process and is without a phone for the entire book. She decides not to tell her best friend Sam. Sam loves photography and seems to have frequent changes in what guy she is into. Sam makes a mermaid tail for Olivia to pose in for Sam’s portfolio. A dumb jock mistakes Olivia as a real mermaid. The dumb jock snaps a photo on his cell phone and sells it to a tabloid magazine. That’s when weird things start happening. Read to find out more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 19, 2022
Found this author on tiktok and finally got to read this and absolutely loved it!
December 17, 2022
I throughly enjoyed this book. It’s also not easy to find a clean read now days but with enough going on to keep you turning the pages! A clean read for ages 13 and up.
August 2, 2022
This was a great page turner! I couldn’t put it down. Reminded me a bit of the Hiding Haelo series. Excited to read the next two books.
March 7, 2022
I loved everything about this book. The characters are so real and I just felt like I could run into any of them on the street. I wanted to be best friends with Liv and Sam too.
May 17, 2021
This is an enjoyable light novel. It concerns two young women, Olivia and Samantha (Sam), who have recently graduated from high school and are spending the summer in San Diego, where Olivia is working on a project that she hopes will get her into a good college to study marine biology. Mysterious things begin to happen, and Olivia fears some kind of criminal activity going on when she overhears a midnight conversation on the beach. Sam, an aspiring photographer, convinces Olivia to pose on the beach as a mermaid so that Sam can get some good photos for her portfolio. A stranger snaps some photos of her in the mermaid costume instead, and the adventures begin. There's a nefarious villain out to prove something, a group of interesting strangers from all over the world, and a mystery.
The story moves quickly and has good suspense and danger as well as some light humor. It is an enjoyable tale based in real-life kinds of situations that are then turned upside down by the fantastic. It definitely held my interest all the way through, and I read the last few chapters well into the night to find out how it ended. There are a few minor editing issues that need correction, but overall it is well-written and engaging. The author has a good grasp of the novel form, writes in standard English (can I just say how grateful I was that she wrote "lie down to sleep" instead of "lay down"? OK, I know I'm just being picky). I'd classify this as young adult fiction, but I am well past young and enjoyed it very much. It's a quick read.
The story moves quickly and has good suspense and danger as well as some light humor. It is an enjoyable tale based in real-life kinds of situations that are then turned upside down by the fantastic. It definitely held my interest all the way through, and I read the last few chapters well into the night to find out how it ended. There are a few minor editing issues that need correction, but overall it is well-written and engaging. The author has a good grasp of the novel form, writes in standard English (can I just say how grateful I was that she wrote "lie down to sleep" instead of "lay down"? OK, I know I'm just being picky). I'd classify this as young adult fiction, but I am well past young and enjoyed it very much. It's a quick read.
September 15, 2021
I really enjoyed reading Fathom! It’s an excellent novel, set in modern times but with an element of the fantastical. I’m not sure if that means it would be urban fantasy or not, but either way it is an entertaining read with fun characters and a compelling plot line!
Liv and Sam have a great friendship, and it was nice to see such a strong bond between the two girls. When Calder was introduced, the reader learns that he is from Scotland and Liv likes his accent. I have to admit that I was already enjoying the book, but when I realized that Calder was Scottish, I became even more invested. 😂 I have loved a lot of Scottish romances recently, so I may have a slight addiction to all things Scottish right now. (Haha, who am I kidding, it’s definitely an addiction!)
The twists and turns of the story were intriguing and kept me turning pages as quickly as I could. I didn’t expect the book to end the way it did, but I loved it, and now I’m really excited to see what happens in the next book!
5/5 stars!
Content:
Clean romance and no swearing
TW: the suicide of a side character is briefly discussed after the fact
Liv and Sam have a great friendship, and it was nice to see such a strong bond between the two girls. When Calder was introduced, the reader learns that he is from Scotland and Liv likes his accent. I have to admit that I was already enjoying the book, but when I realized that Calder was Scottish, I became even more invested. 😂 I have loved a lot of Scottish romances recently, so I may have a slight addiction to all things Scottish right now. (Haha, who am I kidding, it’s definitely an addiction!)
The twists and turns of the story were intriguing and kept me turning pages as quickly as I could. I didn’t expect the book to end the way it did, but I loved it, and now I’m really excited to see what happens in the next book!
5/5 stars!
Content:
Clean romance and no swearing
TW: the suicide of a side character is briefly discussed after the fact
September 26, 2021
Have you ever dreamed of living in the sea?
I found this book on Instagram and added it to my TBR. It finally made it to the top and I have to say I enjoyed the adventure it took me on!
We meet Olivia and Samantha as they move into Olivia's aunt Shannon's house in San Diego to house sit for the summer.
A creepy run in with two stooges at some tide pools, a photoshoot that turns into something a bit more and they find themselves thrown into a hurricane of dangerous events.
After being rescued by a mixed group of heroes... a German, and African, an Irishman, it sounds a bit like a joke, doesn't it? Yet you'd be wise to take them seriously! Of course, the Scott is the one who not only caught my attention but the eye of miss Olivia. Calder, whom I pictured as a young Chris O' Donnell made my inner teenager blush! Any guy whose favorite Harry Potter book is The Prisoner of Azkaban deserves book boyfriend history!
Thrown into a mysterious and magical world with this A-Team of sorts, and danger following them around every corner, will Olivia and Sam survive the summer?
Grab your copy and find out!!
I found this book on Instagram and added it to my TBR. It finally made it to the top and I have to say I enjoyed the adventure it took me on!
We meet Olivia and Samantha as they move into Olivia's aunt Shannon's house in San Diego to house sit for the summer.
A creepy run in with two stooges at some tide pools, a photoshoot that turns into something a bit more and they find themselves thrown into a hurricane of dangerous events.
After being rescued by a mixed group of heroes... a German, and African, an Irishman, it sounds a bit like a joke, doesn't it? Yet you'd be wise to take them seriously! Of course, the Scott is the one who not only caught my attention but the eye of miss Olivia. Calder, whom I pictured as a young Chris O' Donnell made my inner teenager blush! Any guy whose favorite Harry Potter book is The Prisoner of Azkaban deserves book boyfriend history!
Thrown into a mysterious and magical world with this A-Team of sorts, and danger following them around every corner, will Olivia and Sam survive the summer?
Grab your copy and find out!!
April 5, 2021
There are so many things I love about this book - characters I care about, a story that won't let me put the book down, and mermaids. But that moment when Standage invites you to step from reality into fantasy, and you leap without a moment's hesitation because it's so captivatingly believable...that's what sets this book apart. Buy this book! Follow L.L. Standage! She's going to be one of the great ones.
June 18, 2021
This book is super fun! The story is fast-paced and full of nail-biting action, and the writing is great as well. I could see this book getting really big in the teenage market ... it's a great YA and quite a page-turner. If you think you might like to read about two friends stumbling upon a hidden world, give this one a shot. You'll have a good time.
May 9, 2021
This books fills a mermaid shaped hole in my urban fantasy loving heart that I didn’t know was missing! Excellent pacing, interesting characters, and an intriguing plot - I look forward to the next installment and learning more about this world!
August 8, 2021
Excellent story. Exciting action, relatable characters, fantastic worldbuilding. The information comes out little by little, waiting just long enough for me to want it before revealing. What's not to love?
May 12, 2021
Mermaids and mystery and murder, oh my!
I loved the fast pace, humor and TWISTS of this fun urban fantasy. And it’s clean with a simmering romance—Great summer read for the beach!
I loved the fast pace, humor and TWISTS of this fun urban fantasy. And it’s clean with a simmering romance—Great summer read for the beach!
June 21, 2021
3.5 starfish
Do a photo shoot and the world goes crazy. This is a clean sweet story with one whale of a fish tail.
Do a photo shoot and the world goes crazy. This is a clean sweet story with one whale of a fish tail.
July 3, 2021
Very fun
Very fun read. I loved the adventure and the romance and how it turned out different than I predicted. Worth the read if you love mermaids
Very fun read. I loved the adventure and the romance and how it turned out different than I predicted. Worth the read if you love mermaids
October 3, 2025
Good story
I don't usually like mermaid books, but this book was a lot of fun. It had suspense, action, imagination and was well written. There were a few parts where I was confused, and a few small plot holes, but not enough to keep me from finishing and enjoying the book. I plan to finish the series and look forward to other books by this author.
I don't usually like mermaid books, but this book was a lot of fun. It had suspense, action, imagination and was well written. There were a few parts where I was confused, and a few small plot holes, but not enough to keep me from finishing and enjoying the book. I plan to finish the series and look forward to other books by this author.
December 1, 2023
Such a fun book! Lovable characters, clean & sweet romance, and of course... Mermaids! Excited to read the next one in the series!
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews