Out of the Blue

Written by Jason June

Narrated by André Santana and Neo Cihi

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

From Jason June, author of the breakout teen debut novel Jay’s Gay Agenda, comes Out of the Blue, a stand-alone dual POV queer rom-com that asks if love is enough to change everything you’ve grown up believing. Perfect for fans of Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas and Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly. 

Crest is not excited to be on their Journey: the month-long sojourn on land all teen merfolk must undergo. The rules are simple: Help a human within one moon cycle and return to Pacifica to become an Elder—or fail and remain stuck on land forever. Crest is eager to get their Journey over and done with. Humans are disgusting. They’ve polluted the planet so much that there’s a floating island of trash that’s literally the size of a country.

In Los Angeles with a human body and a new name, Crest meets Sean, a human lifeguard whose boyfriend has recently dumped him. Crest agrees to help Sean make his ex jealous and win him back. But as the two spend more time together, and Crest’s perspective on humans begins to change, they’ll soon be torn between two worlds. And fake dating just might lead to real feelings . . .

This sophomore novel from Jason June dives into the many definitions of the word home and shows how love can help us find the truest versions of ourselves. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: May 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9780063015234

Jason June

Jason June (it's a two-name first name, like Mary-Kate without the hyphen or the Olsen twin) is a bestselling author of young adult contemporary rom-coms that celebrate queer love and lust and chaotically gay shenanigans. His works include Jay’s Gay Agenda, Riley Weaver Needs a Date to the Gaybutante Ball, and the instant New York Times bestseller Out of the Blue. When not writing, JJ zips about Dallas, Texas, with his husband and their Pomeranian, Pom Brokaw. JJ is a tried and true Laura Dern stan, and he is actively looking for an Andalite friend. Find out more about JJ and his books at heyjasonjune.com.  

Reviews for Out of the Blue

[Kayla Pratt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was uber cute!

I don't think I was expecting this to be a a kind of fantasy but it was. A YA, RomCom, Fantasy and I enjoyed it. I was a quick read and I literally finished it in one sitting.

4 stars

[ForFor · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very cute, super fast paced story! I wish for a happier ending, but it was cute!

[Julieta Garcia Raya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was okey,band it was cute, the end was a stone machine but the rest was average

[Keighley Patrick · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It was super cute. I enjoyed it and it was light and a good read.

[Liane De · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great! Not so sure about the end tho. Still it was amazing!

[Ekene Ogbue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Slowly starting to get into mermaids and this was really good. Also helped that both narrators made the story more fun

[Adam Hegg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

That was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time THAT ENDING THO

[ktreads22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I read this in one sitting and I'm so glad I picked it up.

This book was a JOY to read. This book has everything you need, rom-com, LA and movies, smol loves big bear, mer-people, meddling, and non-binary rep!

I finished this book in one sitting and it was SICKENINGLY cute. I LOVED it. I felt that it was a great read for the LGBTQ YA genre. The book itself was a fantasy romance, where you could totally feel the love Ross and Sean felt for each other. It wasn't just a teenage hormone overload, and the level of romance was tasteful. It had the usual teenage drama of course-- making an ex jealous and the fake dating trope, but I loved the twist of the usual formula.

The overall plot gives Little Mermaid vibes while also having a hand in teaching the correct lessons (unlike The Little Mermaid); you don't need to give up everything about yourself to be with the person (or mer-person) you love, and vice versa. The only way to truly give your heart to someone is if you first love yourself for being you.

I LOVED Sean, because he reminded me of my own partner: lovingly large, hairy, and so kind-hearted and full of love. I don't find that kind of representation in most books, and it made my heart so happy while I was reading. Of course, Ross was just as wonderful. I loved their sarcasm and endless courage navigating this strange new world, while never stopping to be their authentic self. I can't emphasize enough how much I loved that they both understood that while they loved each other, they couldn't make a decision so permanent to their lives. It was so well done that I can't put it into words myself.

This is SO CUTE. Highly recommend.

[bibliovermis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

On the one hand, this was a cute YA fantasy romance, with mermaids, dealing with first heartbreaks, and with very sweet messages about the great wide world of gender and about body positivity. On the other hand, I found it kind of hard to connect with the romance amid what I found to be kind of distracting interruptions of clearly deeply thought-out, very specific world-building details about mer bodies and lives and practices and "scaling". At times it seemed more like the start to some epic fantasy series about mermaids than a land-based fish-out-of-water romance.

[bumblybee-190414 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Out of the Blue is an empowering fish-out-of-water (literally!) YA queer romance. Sean, a lifeguard and aspiring film director, has just been publicly dumped by his boyfriend when he meets Ross, a stranger who seems to have washed up on the beach. As Sean and Ross get to know each other - and as Ross gets their land legs for their coming-of-age Journey - they both learn a lot about their cultures, rom-coms, and the importance of growth. First of all, the characters. I don't know what it is about Sean and Ross, but as soon as I started reading, I could not get them out of my head. They feel incredibly real, and I appreciate that we're given both of their perspectives throughout the book, as I think it would have been less enjoyable had it only been written from one or the other. I loved how they described each other; while Ross is fascinated by humans in general, there's something special about how they talk about Sean that's clear even from the beginning. The only thing that I can complain about - and this really is a personal thing more so than an actual issue - is the ending. I understand why it ended the way it did; I don't think it would have been true to the message of the book if it had concluded any other way. That being said, my stupid little heart was a little disappointed - not enough to write off the book by any means, but enough to lower my personal star rating for it. I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did - as soon as I finished reading my eARC, I actually tracked down where I could pre-order a signed, personalized copy for my own collection, which I practically never do. Though the ending wasn't what I'd hoped for, the characters are so rich and wonderful that I was thinking about them long after I finished the book, and ultimately that's the draw for me in any read. Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.