Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake

She knows how to make me emotional for sure. She is my number one favorite author without question. It is probably my favorite from the author now, even tho I've given 4 stars to all of her books. Because from Hazel's perspective yes, they were the bad guys, I felt her rage in my bones, because again, I went through the same thing myself, but as an adult, I wanted to hug those women and tell them it's alright, everything will be okay, just hold tight a little bit longer.

The conversation between her mom and Claire at the beach she eavesdropped on? Wow. I also loved the friendships, her relationship with her mom and sister, and even with Claire. The death of a parent and the grief is so personal to me and Hazel's grief was pretty similar to how I reacted and handled what I was going through. Like I sobbed so hard I couldn't see the pages. The ocean in the cover? It's salty, because it was made of my tears. I mean, I've read six Ashley Herring Blake books with this one. Idk why I thought this one will be a fun summery read.

Soon, Hazel finds herself just as obsessed with the Rose Maid as Lemon is-because what if magic were real? What if grief really could change you so much, you weren't even yourself anymore? And what if instead you emerged from the darkness stronger than before? To make it worse, she has a daughter Hazel's age, Lemon, who can't stop rambling on and on about the Rose Maid, a local 150-year-old mermaid myth. But when Mama runs into an old childhood friend-Claire-suddenly Hazel's tight-knit world is infiltrated. When the family arrives in Rose Harbor, Maine, there's a wildness to the small town that feels like magic. So for the last two years, the Bly girls have lived all over the country, never settling anywhere for more than a few months.

After Mum's death, Hazel, her other mother, Mama, and her little sister, Peach, needed a fresh start. But when a kayaking trip goes horribly wrong, Mum is suddenly gone forever and Hazel is left with crippling anxiety and a jagged scar on her face. Hazel Bly used to live in the perfect house with the perfect family in sunny California. A novel about a girl navigating grief, trauma, and friendship.

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake