seriously romantic: kiss the girl by tara sivec

to be fair, i haven't read the previous two books in this series, so perhaps i would have found ariel a bit more charming in the opening pages of kiss the girl if i had those books under my belt. she's kind of horrid and is yelling at literally everyone for no good reason at the start. and it's not that i don't appreciate a heroine who has balls and attitude, but like screaming at your friends for calling you on the phone doesn't seem like the best way to keep people in your life.

but this does allow us to see her growth. she's still loudmouthed and crazy and somewhat inappropriate, but she also has a heart and the moments where she's vulnerable are absolutely precious. although to be honest my actual favorite moments are every time eric opens his mouth and says the exact right thing. like oh my god, there has never been a character better at saying exactly the right thing that makes you want to swoon at the fact that he's dreamy and sweet and kind and badass.

this is an enjoyable retelling of sorts, it doesn't really follow the plot of the little mermaid, but has all the characters repurposed and somewhat true to the original. i mean, sebastian the crab ends up being sebastian the douchey ex. but basically everyone else is kind of on point.

but, i will say, perhaps the main flaw this book has is that all freaking day i've been singing "kiss the girl" in my head. even the "wah wah wahs" from the birds. it's a lot. sha na na na na...you guys it's a freaking earworm.

**kiss the girl will publish on september 4, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (swerve) in exchange for my honest review.