1.5 rounded up for that pretty cover.

I just do not understand the hype around this one. The plot felt silly - who fakes a death when they aren't on the run? I didn't reallh like Josie. I thought the sub plot about the murder and the house distracting. I didn't really care about Simon and his drama either.

I did like Kit. I liked how guarded she was and how she slowly let go of some of her worries and fears as the book progressed. She developed as a character and it made the story at least interesting. The rest, meh. Not my thing. ( )

Kit is surprised to spot her sister, Josie's face on a news story about a nightclub fire in Auckland, New Zealand since her sister died 15 years before in a terrorist explosion on a train in France. Kit's mother encourages her to travel to NZ to find out if it is her sister. Josie had used the train explosion to get a fresh start and leave behind the addicted screwed up life she had. She now has a loving husband and 2 children and fears the picture may bring her world down. The story alternates between the 2 sisters giving bits and pieces of their early life as Kit searches. There is a love interest for Kit in NZ and a fascinating story about a house that Josie has just acquired. Good story about a dysfunctional family. ( )

A very well-written, easy-paced read that keeps the reader engaged. I would recommend this book, Barbara O'Neal has done a good job and has a good read here.

SPOILER ALERT - or maybe this is more of a personal reveal - I think Ms. O'Neal was a fly on the wall regarding my lost sibling. A subject few, if any in my circle know about even decades after the fact, but one that shaped my life as a young adult - the effects of a missing sibling presumed to be dead.

Unlike the protagonist, Kit, and while I appreciate this book was not intended to be a true account or hard-hitting for that matter, learning the sibling you thought for years dead is not only alive and thriving, but had conveniently just decided to hide from their grieving family for years, is far more a punch in the gut and unfathomable than in this softball pitch. That harsh statement aside, Ms. O'Neal broached the subject superbly and gave this reader much to think about in her real life.

If you read this book and have experienced this type of personal "loss," be prepared to have far more questions than answers and to be left with a pit in your stomach. In that regard also, Ms. O'Neal nailed it. Nicely done. ( )

An okay book about sister?s of a sister believed to be dead, but has reinvented herself. She is now clean, sober and a wife and mother with a new name. The sister finds where her sister is and must come to terms with the deception that sister has created and how it effects the mother and sister she left behind. Goodreads: From the author of The Art of Inheriting Secrets comes an emotional new tale of two sisters, an ocean of lies, and a search for the truth.Her sister has been dead for fifteen years when she sees her on the TV news�Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It?s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit?s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions¥grief, loss, and anger¥that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who?s been living a lie.After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who?d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.

DNF @ 16% - I dunno, I just found I didn't care about the characters. And things were purposely written vaguely "to make you wonder" I guess. I would have liked the characters to be introduced properly - like what happened to Dylan, or her parents? Might revisit this one in the future, but a DNF for now.

I've had this audiobook for a long time and finally got to listen to it. Although, not perfect, it certainly kept me listening. ( )

Somewhere between 3 and 4 stars. I had a little bit of a hard time connecting with these characters (maybe because I was reading it during midterm week and was distracted?!). While I didn't mind picking it up at the end of the day I also didn't find myself thinking about it during the day as I do with books that truly captivate me. And then everything magically gets wrapped up in the last couple of pages and everything is happy. There was so much build-up in so many arcs and then it almost seemed like the author didn't know how to end it so it was just done, it was a little odd. It was a good read overall though. ( )

O'Neal writes her characters so completely---you feel as though you know them inside and out, especially as all of their "secrets" are revealed in the story. From earthquakes to surfing and to California and Auckland....great settings for a story that was hard to put down. ( )

I think I won this in a Goodreads giveaway or something a while ago and I just now read it without knowing it was a romance which is just so silly because that's not what the book was sold to me as and also I am very sleep deprived and this isn't making much sense but there were a lot of underdeveloped plotlines and all of the big reveals had already been revealed to the reader so it was no surprise, and it felt like a trashy thriller erotica combo which is just horrifying to think about. It was kind of interesting at points but like. I don't recommend this. ( )

What a wonderful story and so well written. I loved the character development and enjoyed listening to the audiobook with a different voice for both main characters. ( )

Wow! I am in shock at how much I loved this. The first third or so I was debating if I even wanted to finish but I'm so glad I did.

Review to come ( )

Josie Bianci was killed years ago on a train during a terrorist attack. Gone forever. It’s what her sister, Kit, an ER doctor in Santa Cruz, has always believed. Yet all it takes is a few heart-wrenching seconds to upend Kit’s world. Live coverage of a club fire in Auckland has captured the image of a woman stumbling through the smoke and debris. Her resemblance to Josie is unbelievable. And unmistakable. With it comes a flood of emotions—grief, loss, and anger—that Kit finally has a chance to put to rest: by finding the sister who’s been living a lie.

After arriving in New Zealand, Kit begins her journey with the memories of the past: of days spent on the beach with Josie. Of a lost teenage boy who’d become part of their family. And of a trauma that has haunted Kit and Josie their entire lives.

Now, if two sisters are to reunite, it can only be by unearthing long-buried secrets and facing a devastating truth that has kept them apart far too long. To regain their relationship, they may have to lose everything.

This had so many twists and turns! I was on an emotional rollercoaster the whole way through!

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review* ( )

The harm addicts inflict on their children is staggering. The novel really sets out the consequences of selfish parents on our nation. ( )

A very sweet story full of heartache. I quickly fell in love with the characters and was rooting for Kit! ( )

When this book began, I looked forward to what appeared to be a mystery and family relationships story. However as it progressed I was so disappointed to see it veer into such an unrealistic track. Girl, assumed dead, appears on the nightly news>sister flys to New Zealand to look for her>sister manages to find her and meet the man of her dreams in 1 week. Please ( )

Kit Bianci, an ER doctor and surfer in Santa Cruz, believes that Josie, her sister, died in a terrorist attack on a train fifteen years ago. When she sees her in a video broadcast from New Zealand, she and her mother are astonished. Her mother insists that Kit go to New Zealand and search for Josie. The reader knows, and Kit discovers that Josie has reinvented herself as Mari, is married to Simon, and has two children.

Josie/Mari had a troubled childhood and became an alcoholic and drug addict as a youngster. She figuratively killed off her old self and started anew. The author leads the reader to consider the extreme pain of abuse and neglect, leading to a perceived need to bury the past for healing. The idea that one can dismiss one’s birth family and create a new one is part of this novel’s underlying message, and it does a good job showing the concomitant grief and heartache.

In addition to the main story, the novel includes Kit and Josie’s backstory. Both daughters describe their parents’ lifestyles as restaurant owners and incompetent nurturers. We also learn different points of view of Dylan, a young man who worked at Eden, the family restaurant, lived with the Bianci family, and became a surrogate nurturer even though he was an addict and, in retrospect, not such a good role model. Of course, Kit also falls in love while traveling in New Zealand. Javier, a well-known singer, becomes her soulmate and fulfills a need that she had been ignoring.

The book is an easy, engaging read with realistic, relatable characters.

See all my reviews:
https://quipsandquotes.net/ ( )

The first powerful sentence promises an amazing story. O'Neal delivers. Quirky, struggling characters reveal their connections, their triumphs and tragedies in teasing snippets that drive the reader headlong through the pages for answers. The bonds that shape lives in one Santa Cruz family thread through their lives no matter where they go. The bond between sisters continues to tug on them regardless of time and distance.
Breathtaking in scope and depth, the emotionally complex story of sisters Kit and Josie resonates with truth and pain and longing.

( )

I loved this book. It was out of my norm but it had also been a book that I had on my list. It is life in a nutshell. There are no positively happy stories. There is a mystery, there is romance and there is a lot of darkness that ends in light. ( )

At times "When We Believed in Mermaids" was a bit far-fetched and the 'mystery' was weak. However, I loved the strong, sisterly bond Kit and Josie shared as well as all the lush descriptions of New Zealand and the ocean. I think this novel had the potential to be a really great novel but, sadly, it didn't reach the mark. ( )

"When We Believed in Mermaids"was light and easy to read but with many undercurrents of emotions to delve into. I enjoyed how the story unfolded. It was not merely a chronological description of events but stories of the past which gave insight into why the characters were who they were; many kinds of love - sibling, parental, romantic; and beautifully drawn images of surfing and locations. This is not a masterpiece and has its problems but it is a joy to read nonetheless. ( )

I liked this novel, but the story seemed convoluted and could have been told much more succinctlyz ( )

A family saga where one member thought dead in a crash is resurrected with a new name and new life. A typical family drama filled with secrets and revelations but with the sea as a uniting force. ( )

This was a really interesting book. Not something I would normally read, but I'm glad I did. Although, to me, it was a little repetitive in a few places, but all in all a really good story line. I would have liked to see more happen between Javier and Kit towards the end.
I feel the ending was rushed, almost like the author was cutting it too close to her deadline. There was a great build up, then the last chapter was "bam" the end. That's just my opinion though. I'm still going to stick with the fact that it was a good read. I really enjoyed having something different and having it keep my attention. ( )

Sisters Kit and Josie grew up in an "it's complicated" kind of childhood on the coast of California. Josie, the older of the two, fled as soon as she got the chance, living a somewhat free and hazardous lifestyle. Then she was killed in a train accident in Europe, victim of a terrorist attack. Or at least that's what Kit and her mother were led to believe, until one day they see her as a bystander on a news report out of New Zealand. Needing to know the truth, Kit hops on a plane to the Kiwi Land and ends up discovering more than she bargained for.

This book was a pleasant surprise. I was not familiar with this author or this title, though several friends had recently read and enjoyed it, so I gave it a go. While in the wrong writer's hands this had the potential to possibly be a sappy story, it wasn't. It was written well and had a lot of elements that I enjoy in a novel: some family dysfunction, underlying secrets, drama, good character & relationship development, etc. I was really sad to see this one end. And now I really want to travel to New Zealand. ( )

Entertaining--kept my interest. Sisters with rocky upbringing confront their issues later in life ( )