Seven Tears at High Tide
The sea holds many secrets. Kevin Luong walks to the ocean's edge with a broken heart. Remembering a legend his mother told him, he lets seven tears fall into the sea. "I just want one summer-one summer to be happy and in love." Instead, he finds himself saving a mysterious boy from the Pacific-a boy who later shows up on his doorstep professing his love. What he doesn't know is that Morgan is a selkie, drawn to answer Kevin's wish. As they grow close, Morgan is caught between the dangers of the human world and his legacy in the selkie community to which he must return at summer's end.
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TBQH this was one of the sweetest, most charming books I have ever read in my whole goshdang life.
Ok so it wasn't the most technically perfect book, and the plotting didn't rock the boat (ocean humor), but oh my good gravy, THE CHARACTERS. Anyone who knows me is aware that I am here–nose buried inside a book –for my fictional sons and daughters. Well friends, do I have two new sons for you!
First we have Kevin, our Chinese-American, bisexual main character. Which is just \o/ to begin with. He is out & proud at his high school, and he refuses to hide for anyone. He's kind, he's principled, he's generous, and he's a huge nerd with a rock collection. A few more reasons you should (and will) love him:
- literally thinks of his boyfriend as ‘magic' (I mean he is magic but...how cute)
- gives Morgan his own fried Twinkie when he sees how much Morgan likes it
- keeps nylon rope in his room specifically to make blanket forts
- knows all the words to the songs in The Little Mermaid
- bakes a lemon and poppy seed cake??? what teenager chooses that? I'll tell you: Kevin Luong.
And then we have Morgan, actual angel (okay, actual selkie, but close enough) and the cutest innocent bab to ever bab. He is sent to answer Kevin's “Request” for summer love, and in the process, grows to appreciate what it's like to be human. He loves to learn new things, and takes in as much as he possibly can. More reasons to love him:
- wears Kevin's sweatshirt everywhere and pulls on the drawstrings so his face just barely peeks out
- introduces himself to Kevin's mom (the day after he meets Kevin) with “I love Kevin Luong”
- refers to the lunch Kevin buys him as a ‘food gift'; refers to sex as ‘mating'
- hugs 5 bags of potato chips and sinks to the floor in overwhelmed joy
The romance between them was so sweet, with the perfect small bit of angst to balance it out and make me really root for them. The pacing of their relationship worked well, and they actually TALKED to each other; the angst wasn't based solely on lack of communication, which I really appreciated. The supernatural element was also interesting without being either too much or too underdeveloped.
So next time you're looking for a delightful, feel-good LGBT YA book, Seven Tears at High Tide is ready and waiting for you.
