Breathe and Count Back from Ten

Verónica is a Peruvian-American teenager living in Central Florida with hip dysplasia, a condition that has shaped her childhood through surgeries, physical therapy, and her parents' constant worry. The summer before senior year, she does something just for herself: she secretly auditions to become a mermaid at the local theme park, drawn to the water as the one place her body feels free and capable rather than fragile. Around that dream, Sylvester weaves Verónica's first real romance, her growing need for independence from protective parents, and her dawning insistence on having a say over her own body and choices. The result is a warm, honest coming-of-age about a girl reclaiming her story.