After a tragic kayaking accident on the ocean, Hazel is left physically scarred and worse still, loses her beloved Mum. In the two years since, her Mama has moved Hazel and her sister every six months or so to a new locale, so that they end up all the way on Maine's Atlantic Coast after starting from their California home. The ocean is just outside their front door, which frightens Hazel but what rattles her even more is when her mother realizes that their closest neighbor is an old flame. Can Hazel bear to see her mother move on? And can she ever glide past that horrific day and learn to love the ocean again?

This was a book that covered some very deep topics, namely grief and PTSD. While I appreciate the honest look we got at these by having the book narrated entirely from Hazel's point of view, I feel it had too few moments of levity or fun to help alleviate the bleakness of the book. (At times, I was reminded by the book's premise of the middle-grade novel The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise, which had its own flaws but did not lack in charm while still handling grief.)

I also really, really, really came to hate the character of Mama and did not like the "pass" she got at the end of the book for doing the bare minimum after her daughter basically has a mental breakdown. She provides NO support for her grieving child who witnessed her own mother's death for goodness's sake and just assumed everything was okay because Hazel didn't say otherwise. She moved the children from place to place abruptly, refused to have any physical acknowledgement of past traditions or anything regarding their Mum, apparently didn't comfort or even hug/cuddle her own child FOR TWO YEARS, let alone talk to her or get her professional help. She also doesn't sit down and talk to the children when she herself is ready to consider dating again, which can be a big thing for any child. And, in one eventful night, they all go to a town-wide party and her two children (ages 12 and 5) wander off and she doesn't seem to notice or care where they are in the HOURS they are out of her sight.

The other characters were all fine and I think done well enough on the whole. The author is certainly wordy at times, describing every single thing every character in the room is wearing every single scene, or close enough for how it felt. The author also felt the need to describe the only non-white character as Asian the second that character is introduced. However, there's definitely points for diversity here with bisexual, lesbian, and nonbinary characters all portrayed just as human beings (as they are and should be portrayed!). There's a smidge of magical realism in the book with the coastal Maine town's local legend of a girl lost at sea years ago being rumored to still 'haunt' the area as a mermaid. I found this subplot one of the more interesting parts of the book.

On the whole, I just felt like this book dragged on for a long time and it felt like I was slogging through it instead of enjoying it. The essence of the story and the characters were fine, but it needed fewer descriptions of no consequence (e.g., what everyone is wearing all the time) as well as fewer repetitive passages (e.g., Hazel talking about her grief in similar terms over and over and over again in every single chapter). I think the book has merits but I'm not sure I'm rushing out to recommend it to anyone right away. ( )

Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea is an exploration of love and loss. Ten year old Hazel was kayaking along the California coast with her Mum when the ocean got too rough and overturned the kayak. While Hazel only suffered facial scars, her Mum didn't survive. Since then, two years ago, Hazel's Mama has dragged Hazel and her sister, Peach, from place to place, never staying longer than several months. Her Mama has clammed up, never talking about Mum, not touching Hazel the way she used to. Hazel feels guilty for not having been able to save her Mum and is now super cautious.

This summer, they end up on the coast of Maine and on the first day there, Mama runs into her childhood school friend, and maybe first crush, Claire. Decades have passed but they seem to hit it off as if they had never parted. Claire is suffering her own trauma and the two women seem to be good for each other. But will Mama getting close to Claire make her forget Mum? Can Claire's daughter, Lemon, about the same age as Hazel, and Hazel help each other get through their respective grief?

This is a tender middle grade story with a wonderful mermaid myth thrown into the equation. However, kids of all ages will enjoy it. ( )

4.5 ( )