Review: Natalie Whipple's Fish Out of Water

Mika is about to fulfill her dream of working at the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium when her plans are derailed by an unexpected arrival—her estranged grandmother Betty. Betty has dementia, and is no longer able to take care of herself. Betty is in need of her family’s help—and she’s not going to be particularly nice about it.


Mika has to give up her summer internship at the Aquarium and stick to working part-time at Animal Zone in order to take care of Betty. The manager at Animal Zone has hired his nephew Dylan to work there, and Mika thinks he’s entitled and annoying. Or is he just trying to become a better person?

Mika is trying to be as patient as possible with her grandma—but Betty doesn’t make that easy. And neither does Dylan. 

_______________________

When I saw that Natalie Whipple was looking for reviewers for her latest contemporary, I eagerly signed up and was glad to get the arc in the next few days. 

Fish Out of Water follows Mika and her trials and tribulations working part-time at the Animal Zoo for the summer what with being in charge of a new hire and also coming to terms with helping out her grandma who has Alzheimers. 

I loved how the story began and how attached Mika was to the fishes. I loved those fish bits. Absolutely loved them. When Mika's grandma came things got a bit serious and that made me sad as I wanted a fun story like one usually expects with contemporary's. But I still love it when realistic/serious stuff is incorporated into the stories as that is what makes it so relate-able.

I started appreciating the serious bits as they seriously touched some concrete meaningful stuff. I loved how the fishes were used as a metaphor for someone you love.  Or how someone who loves fishes so much can do the same for people--- in this case Mika's Alzheimer-stricken granny.

Mika and Dylan both learn the importance of family through fishy interactions and also from each other and their surroundings. 

FOoW had its sweet boy-girl moments and some family bonding moments along with some awesome friend(ship) scenes.

I loved how Mika was obsessed with Saag. LOL.

This book was cute, sweet, family-oriented and carried some serious life lesson(s). My first Natalie Whipple book and I wasn't disappointed.

Teaser:

Rating:

Thank you Natalie for providing me with this review copy.

FOoW comes out tomorrow. February 5th, 2015!

Add to goodreads!!! 

Buy: Amazon, Kobo, Book Depository

Other cover(s):

About Natalie:

Natalie Whipple, sadly, does not have any cool mutations like her characters. Unless you count the ability to watch anime and Korean dramas for hours on end. Or her uncanny knack for sushi consumption.

She grew up in the Bay Area and relocated to Utah for high school, which was quite the culture shock for her anime-loving teen self. But the Rocky Mountains eventually won her over, and she stuck around to earn her degree in English linguistics at BYU. Natalie still lives in Utah with her husband and three kids, and keeps the local Asian market in business with all her attempts to cook Thai curry, Pho, and “real” ramen.
Connect: Website, Twitter


Other books by Natalie:


Toodles.