Don't Speak - Book Review

By Katy Regnery

Synopsis

In this modern retelling of The Little Mermaid, a fisherman’s daughter from an Outer Banks island untouched by time, meets the son of the North Carolina governor at a fancy party where she is working.

Laire, who wants more from life than her little island can offer, is swept away by wealthy, sophisticated Erik, who is, in turn, entranced by her naiveté and charm. The two spend a whirlwind summer together that ends on the knife-point of heartbreak and forces them to go their separate ways.

Years later, when fate finds them together once again, they will discover the terrifying depth of the secrets they kept from each other, and learn that shattered hearts can only be healed by a love that willfully refuses to die.

Review

Don’t Speak is a new adult romance in this modern retelling of The Little Mermaid. The relationship between Laire and the people around her is what pulled at my heart. This novel is broken into two parts with an interlude. The first part is the journey of self discovery and the second part is about a second chance at love.

Laire is a girl that is becoming a young woman. She wants more for her life than her tiny island can provide. Laire is caught between what is expected of her and her dreams of seeing what is beyond her home town. Her family has outdated values and anything but settling down and starting her own family is out of the question. I found myself hating Laire’s family more and more through the story.

Erik is a young man who has dreams of his own but his future has already been mapped out for him. Erik’s mother is determined for him to achieve the goals that she has set for him. He is embarking on his own journey and did something he never thought he would do. He fell for an island girl while on vacation with his family.

Don’t Speak is an emotional journey for a young woman who must choose between who she is and what her family believes in. And for a young man whose own family provides obstacles on his way to happiness. I found the interlude especially gut wrenching and effective to mark the passage of time.

I definitely could identify The Little Mermaid in this story between Laire and Erk. And it made me see more complexity in The Little Mermaid. This was am emotional journey for this two people whose families were not on board for their relationship. And in the end they had to see past what was expected of them. This was a very effective retelling of a classic story.