Main character is a whiny, spoiled brat. She is so oblivious to everything but herself. ( )

I thoroughly enjoyed Goldfish. Lou is a wonderful mix of strong and awkward, with a quick wit and a self-deprecating tone. Her relationship with her sister and parents was fun and believable, and her angst in returning to school without her best friend and as a "normal" student for the first time (as a non-swimmer) was palpable and cringe-worthy at times.

The storyline was outrageous and fun (and for the disbelievers, yes, a synchronized swim team did compete on Britain's Got Talent in 2012, so none of this is out of the realm of believability). Having a child play a competitive sport, the response of Hannah's parents was equally realistic (and unfathomable).

I admit, I struggled with why she would have to quit what sounded like the school swim team when she didn't qualify for the performance school, and at times, the wording felt a bit bi-polar, as if some of the wording was edited for a US reader (but leaving some British slang and terminology).

What a fun read for young adults (and this grown up) alike! I'll be recommending this on my blog as a great pick for summer reading

Disclosure: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )

Funniest book I’ve read in a LONG time! I was laughing so hard in public that I had tears streaming down my face, with people staring and starting to laugh themselves.

Lou (short for Louise) has had one goal in life: make the British team to train for the Olympics in swimming. Today is the trial to be selected for the High Performance Training Camp. Today is not a good day--she comes in last. Failure has never happened before. Her best friend, Hannah, does amazingly well and will be leaving Lou to attend the Training Camp in a town three hours away. For the first time, Lou is without her best friend and will attend school alone. She’s never cared about school and quickly discovers that she is uneducated and has no friends. Operation get friends ensues. Her attempts to answer questions in class are amusing.

Lou lives with her family, and they all have a great sense of humor. Her parents are divorced, but her dad lives in their tiny home because he lost his job and needs a place to live. Be prepared for puns and a funny family dynamic. Because her family is supportive and humorous, Lou has a pretty good sense of who she is. She knows who is popular, who is mean, and who isn’t worth one’s time. She is who she is and just needs to find some people with whom to enjoy being friends. Three handsome boys end up hiring her to teach them synchronized swimming in order to audition for Britain’s Got Talent. Being seen with these guys will help her gain some good notice (usually when she’s noticed it is because of her clumsiness) and she’ll earn some money. As Lou coaches the boys, she finds friends yet worries about Hannah who seems to be too stressed at the Training Camp.

There are so many hilarious scenes. The author is a stand-up comic and is also a screenwriter. It shows. You’ll see these scenes in your head and know that a movie would be awesome. It’s so nice to read a well-written, hilarious book about a family that gets along and cares about each other and others outside the family. Stop NOW and read this novel! ( )

This was okay, but not really my cup of tea. I liked Lou's voice but the plot was ridiculous. Except for the main protagonist all the other characters, especially the boys, were rather two dimensional and bland. The romance at the end was totally unnecessary, and did nothing to enhance the book. This was a debut novel, but I think the author has belittled her intended audience. ( )

The book, “Gold Fish”, written by, Nat Luurtsema, takes place in a suburban town in England. This book shows the obstacles of friendship and self-identity. Throughout the novel describes a fifteen-year-old, Louise Brown, finding her own identity. Louise known as Lou lost her one dream of going to the Olympics for swimming. Her one and only friend Hannah did. She has always been Hannah’s shadow in everything. Lou only cared and lived for swimming. She does not care about how she looks, dresses, and acts. She does not change for anybody but herself. Lou lives with her older beautiful sister Laverne and her two parents, who are divorced. Lou attends high school being a social outcast. One day, after school Lou decides to swim again, when suddenly three popular boys approach her Gabe, Pete, and Roman. The boys ask her to coach them how to synchronize swim, so they can be on Britain’s Got Talent. Weeks pass coaching the boys a routine for the show, but they hit obstacles on the way. After Lou is put in the hospital due to an illegal adventure to an Aquarium, she is still determined to help coach the boys win Britain’s Got Talent. In the end, they don’t win Britain Got Talent but a bond is made between them. Lou ends up dating Gabe and identifies herself as a normal teenager who does homework, hangout with friends, and worries about anything but swimming. ( )