Breathe and count back from ten
(Book)

"Verónica has always dreamed of being a mermaid. When she's in the water, the pain caused by her hip dysplasia fades, and people can't see the scars from her numerous surgeries. On land, things are less clear. First, there's her cute new neighbor, Alex, who she's falling hard for but is afraid to get close to. And then - amazingly - a spot opens up at Mermaid Cove, a local Florida attraction where professional mermaids perform underwater. But she would have to lie to her overprotective Peruvian parents to audition. Even if she could convince them that she could handle the job's physical demands, being a mermaid is not exactly the ambitious future they knew what she was up to with Alex. Then Verónica discovers that her parents have sheltered her from the full truth about her medical condition. So maybe it's time for all the secrets to come out and for her to make her own choices, on her own terms. Because who's in charge of her body, and her life, anyway?"-- Back cover.