I listened to the audiobook version, and thought the narrators did a very good job,

In Brandenburg, Vermont, there is a natural spring that reputedly heals anything from gout to consumption. And even more, it seems to grant wishes..."But for each wish it grants, it takes something in return. Something to 'balance the scale.'"

This is a psychological tale, a ghost story that involves one family, two timelines. In 1929, a grand hotel called the Brandenburg Springs Hotel and Resort is built at the springs, and to that resort come a middle-aged couple named Will and Ethel Monroe. Ethel desperately wants a baby and when she hears that the spring grants wishes, she can't help but whisper her heart's desire to the pool.

In 2019, Jackie, a social worker in Tacoma, Washington, learns that her estranged sister Lexie has drowned in the pool at their grandmother's home in Brandenburg, the house that Lexie has inherited. Jackie received at least 9 calls from her sister the night before, but ignored them all. She assumed her manic sister had gone off her meds once again. Now she has to deal with guilt on top of her grief as she flies back home to Brandenburg to sort things out.

McMahon does an excellent job of weaving these two timelines and stories together. As Lexie scribbled on a note: "The key to understanding the present is to look at the past."
Sibling rivalry and family relationships are explored here but the real focus of this story is that spring, that dark, mysterious pool. So creepy!

This is the first book of McMahon's I have read, and I will definitely be reading others by her.

I received this book as and audiobook ARC from Simon & Schuster through Netgalley. A haunting tale of a spring from the past and present. I was drawn in to the mystery of the spring. You almost don't know who to believe or what is real. I really enjoyed this story and will definitely pick up more from Jennifer McMahon.

Thank you Simon & Schuster, Jennifer McMahon, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for the honest review. I liked the dual timelines, made the story more interesting and liked the different perspectives. The narration, which is crucial to an audio, is well done. 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 rounded to five for Goodreads rating book from me. My first book of hers but definitely not the last.

Sisters, Jax and Lexie, the x-girls, were fairly close when they were growing up. They spent every summer at their Grandmother's property in Vermont and have a lot of great memories from that time. Lexie, the older of the two, was different than Jax, however, in a lot of ways. Lexie was more like their father, flighty, free-spirited and at times, manic.

The older the girls got, the more apparent the differences in their personalities became. It was clear that Lexie's mental health was not well. She struggled to remain rooted in reality. It became a real problem for her. Jax was always the more grounded of the two. She followed the rules, excelled in school and became a social worker. Over the past year, she's also been estranged from her sister.

When Jax receives nine calls from Lexie one night, none of which she answers, she assumes her sister is just having another one of her episodes. The increasingly frantic messages Lexie leaves don't even make sense. Jax isn't dealing with it. Not her problem.

The following day Jax receives news that Lexie is dead; drowned in the pool on their Grandmother's estate, Sparrow's Crest, which Lexie had inherited. Jax is shocked. Why didn't she pick up the phone when Lexie called? Heart-broken and full of regret, Jax makes the journey to Vermont to bury her sister and settled up her affairs.

Once there, reunited with family, including her Aunt and Father, Jax discovers that Lexie had been researching the history of their family and the property. It turns out Sparrow's Crest has a dark past and it could possibly be linked to Lexie's death. Jax dives into the research herself, mostly centering around the property's infamous pool and the natural spring it is fed from.

As with Jennifer McMahon's other stories, The Drowning Kind follows two timelines. The present, mentioned above, and then a historical perspective focusing on the history of the property. The more the Reader learns from the historical perspective, the more the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place for Jax. It is such a spectacular format. The pace is excellent!

I have found that sometimes when an author tries this dual timeline format, one of the perspectives will be more interesting than the other. Because of that, you rush through one perspective in order to return to the other. That is definitely not the case here. Both the present and past timelines are equally foreboding and intriguing. I was fully committed to both.

Another aspect of McMahon's work that I always enjoy is her sense of place. Sparrow's Crest is a character. It is so well developed, you can almost hear it talking to you. The idea that places remember, that pieces of history live on through the land and the structures upon them. I love that whole concept and it is tangible within this story.

In short, this is a phenomenally constructed multi-generational ghost story that will stick with me for a long time. The ending, chills. Exceptionally well done. I can certainly say I didn't see it coming!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Audio, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I highly recommend it and cannot wait to see what McMahon comes up with next!

**As far as the audiobook goes, I thought it was really well done. I listened to it at 1.75x speed and that was the most comfortable listening speed for me. The narrator was fantastic and I think she did a great job with all aspects of the story. It felt really natural hearing it in her voice. I think a lot of listeners will enjoy it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Shuster Audio for and ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Jennifer McMahon is one of my favorite authors, so I'm a bit biased. But I will say not all of her books are necessarily 5 stars. But this one fits the bill! Growing up I read Stephen King and lived for the creepy stories. So this book was right up my alley! On the creepy scale this was a 10 out of 10!
I enjoyed this audiobook right from the start. Watching Jaws as a kid and more times than I dare to count, I grew up with a natural fear of deep and dark water. But a spring fed pool? Yep! Dark and endless , the spring where people go to make wishes is known to have a dark side. The water is dark and deep and the rumors around town say that if you ask for something, the water takes something in return. JUICY! So this story links the past to the future with 2 different women's POV about the Spring and their own experiences of being drawn to the water.
Definitely a Horror book, first and foremost, and I loved all of it.

I listened to the audiobook edition of The Drowning Kind. I thought narrator did a great job. It was an easy book to listen to without confusion between the two timelines/POVs.

I enjoyed this gothic, twisty tale. Both timelines kept my attention and the world building, as usual for Jennifer McMahon, was expertly done. I appreciated that this book touched on mental health and how both mental illness and grief can really effect an entire family.

Where this book failed for me was the ending. I found it to be pretty underwhelming. Overall, I didn’t think this book was as strong as The Winter People or The Invited, but it’s still an entertaining read.

Unfortunately the narration isn't to my liking. I don't find voice changes pleasant (when a narrator changes their pitch to portray a child, say). I might seek this one out in print.

This FREAKING book! Omg! This was so good. It was all I could think about all weekend. I listened to it on audio non stop. It kept me entertained while driving to work and it made me laugh and cry. I highly recommend this one. A true thriller that keeps you hooked the whole way through. I loved the characters and the intertwining storylines this is a MUST READ! It was creepy and heartwarming all at the same time. LOVED IT!!!

WOW WOW WOW. I absolutely LOVED this book! It was so so spooky and I loved the alternating timelines. Each time it switched I just had to keep listening because it left off on cliffhangers! I got through this entire book in a day on double speed because I was so invested I couldn't stop. I loved how atmospheric and creepy it was, and each twist caught me by surprise. I am such a huge fan of this book!

I got this audio on Net Galley as an early release.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Jennifer Mcmahon's writing is so accessible, the pacing is perfection and I'm a sucker for a good multiple perspective narration. We also follow a couple different timelines in this story. I thought the characters were wonderful. I found myself enjoying both timelines/characters equally. This was a great balance of mystery, thrill, family drama, and that uneasy creepy factor that Jennifer writes so well. I have yet to be disappointed by her!

Trigger warnings:
There is a focus on mental illness in this book, from the perspective of one of our main characters who is a therapist. There is also lots of talk about drowning, so if that makes you uneasy, maybe skip this particular book. Also discussion of infertility and childhood illness.

This was an interesting read and I did enjoy the twists and the ending. I liked the time shifts. As for the audiobook, I did not really like the narrator

The cover is brilliant! Both beautiful and chilling.

I have The Winter People sitting on my shelf and have not yet picked it up to read. I often hear about how creepy that book is and I am eager to work that into my TBR schedule this year. When I saw this new book available as an audiobook on NetGalley, I was so excited to request and be approved for it. Being my first read from Jennifer McMahon, I was eager to get started.

The idea of a ‘haunted’ body of water is nothing new. In fact, as I grew up, I always had thoughts that there were spirits in most bodies of water. To have a story that focuses on this idea drew me to it immediately.

The dual timelines showing both the past and present experience with the families that lived or visited the springs was well laid out. Both timelines were interesting and kept me intrigued to see how/if they would connect together in the end.

Characters were likable. Mental illness for some characters was woven into the story, creating the ’did it happen or was it all in her head’ paradox.

The narrators did a great job for the audiobook, making it easy for me to connect with the characters.

I really enjoyed the story, and the mystery was interesting. However, there wasn’t anything really creepy or even shocking that occurred, so it was a good, solid read, but not spectacular.

The Drowning Kind is my second Jennifer McMahon and I’m so appreciative of the opportunity to read this before the release date! I’ve never liked paranormal anything until I fell in love with The Winter People.

This book is written in dual timelines, in the present following Jax as she’s mourning the death of her sister and discovering the secrets of her family and their pool... THE POOL!! I’ll never think of a pool the same!! And the other timeline is in the past, following Ethel Monroe and her family in 1929 as they use mystical water from springs to start a family... but the water gives and the water takes.

So spooky and so good!! Water is definitely a big fear of mine and I feel like Jennifer McMahon took all the childhood fears of swimming in the deep end and made it real and horrifying!!

I really liked this book. It was eerie, spooky, and very intricate with its weaving of time between the 1910s and 2019. I think the author did a great job of going back and forth between the two times, and keeping the mystery of the pool and the healing water. Really good ghost story. The narration was really well done too.

I received an e-ARC of this book by the author and publishing via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

“’There was someone there, in the water.’ Her hand trembled as she held her teacup. ‘Ethel, if I tell you what I saw, you mustn’t think me mad.’”

You bring the hot dogs and marshmallows; I’ll bring the matches and a real good story. It’s time to head for the campfire, and—hey, look! It’s getting dark already. Do you scare easily?

My thanks go to Net Galley and Gallery Press for the invitation to read and review. This is a fun one! I was able to access both the print and audio versions, and I moved back and forth between them. I would give a slight edge to the print version here, but the audio isn’t bad, either.

Our story takes place in Vermont, mostly, and the time period and point of view alternate. We begin and end with the present day; our protagonist is Lexie, a social worker. Jax grew up very close to her older sister, Lexie. As they grew older, however, bipolar disorder gripped her elder sister, and Jax has been forced to set boundaries with regard to her sister’s obsessions, lest she be pulled under herself. And so, when she finds nine missed calls on her voice mail, all from Lexie, Jax figures she’s off her meds again, and she chooses not to respond. She has work to do. But the next call comes to tell her that Jax is dead. She drowned in her backyard pool.

Our alternate protagonist is Ethel Monroe, and the year is 1929. Ethel is nearly too old to conceive; she and her husband desperately want a baby. The doctors are stumped; then she hears of a resort whose springs are said to have healing powers. With nothing to lose, she and her spouse hop in the car and make their way to the magic waters. In time, they are told that the water should be avoided. Whenever it grants a wish, it takes something else back for itself, often something that devastates those it has aided. But Ethel is pregnant now, and there is nothing, nothing, nothing more important than her baby.

Of course, there are all kinds of connections between Lexie and Ethel; after all, they are using the same waters, nearly 100 years apart from one another.

McMahon has a well established writing career, but the first time I read her work was when the last book, The Invited, was published. Both stories have certain elements in common, and perhaps because of this, I enjoyed the last one a wee bit more than this one, because it was completely new to me then. Both stories take a sensible, modern-day female character that doesn’t believe in spooks at the outset, and then spin them around every which way until they do. And in both, I see classic elements that include urban legends, but the story McMahon tells is fleshier, updated, and original.

In listening to the audio version, I was at first taken aback, because when the reader shifts from Jax’s story to Ethel’s, no mention is made that we are changing protagonists. The print version captions the new chapter, and since I had both versions, I grabbed the print version once I became confused and saw what had happened. However, it would have taken me longer if I had simply purchased the audio book and been forced to figure it out. The two characters are voiced (in the first person), and Ethel is given a very distinctive speaking style; I found the style to be annoying at first, a bit contrived, but once I got used to it, I was all in. Ethel’s odd speaking style does make it easier to tell when we have switched characters, and perhaps that’s why the reader chose to do it this way.

The pacing never flags. I believe Jax from the first page, and eventually I believe Ethel as well. I successfully predicted the ending, but we are eighty percent of the way in by the time I make my prediction, so I am not disappointed.

For those looking for a deliciously creepy tale, look no farther. This book becomes available to the public Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

“The springs exact a price equal to what was given”

Jennifer McMahon does it again! Another addicting, page turning, goosebump inducing book. The Drowning Kind was so atmospheric and creepy and I could not stop listening to it. I had to know what happened.

The book is broken up in to 2 time lines, one taking place in 1929 and the other in 2019 and they are connected by a magical spring that people believe have healing properties, but is the healing worth the price you pay in the end?

I had to listen to the epilogue 3 times because I couldn’t believe what I heard. The ending was nothing I expected, yet everything I expect from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Scout for the ALC of this book for my honest review.

Lexie and Jax, the x sisters. This story kept my attention throughout with how it would bounce from the sisters story to Ethel Montrose story from 1929. Ethel Montrose, seemingly barren, her husband takes to to a grand new hotel in a New Hampshire where they find a pool that grants wishes. Next thing you know Ethel is pregnant and delight. But when the baby is born something is wrong.
Jax and Lexie have been estranged for a year now when Lexie keeps calling Jax. After lot answering her sisters calls, Jax receives a call that her sister drown in their grandmothers estate pool. While staying at the estate for the funeral, Lexie finds research her sister had found on the history of the pool and estate. Why did Lexie drown in a pool she had been swimming in since she was a young girl?
This is an intriguing sci-fi, thriller that will keep you on your toes.

"The water gives and the water takes."

This book was eerie. I listened to the audio version of the story. The story is told from 2 POVs, one from 1929 and one from 2019. I enjoyed the narration. I did have to speed it up quite a bit. It kicks off when Jax misses a call from her estranged sister, Lexie. Before Jax can call her back, Lexie turns up dead. She drowned in the pool. This pool is a problem. Lexie isn't the first to die in this pool. The story follows Jax down the rabbit hole of figuring out what's going on and it leads her way into the past. The Drowning Kind has a supernatural, spooky vibe. The story is so vivid, you will feel like you are there and can picture everything as it occurs. I am stuck in the middle here as I enjoyed the story but I didn't love it. The story just never clicked for me. I encourage you to read it and make up your own mind.

I received and voluntarily read an audio book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I love Jennifer McMahon and was so excited to grab The Drowning Kind. This story is so darn good. Two timelines and a dysfunctional family, I’m in. I really devoured this. Narration was great and I couldn’t wait to see what was really going on with this pool. You know when books have that wtf moment. This one came right at the end. I actually said out loud, wait what?! Then I rewound the audiobook and listened to the last chapter again. Yeah wow. Ok that happened. Well done Jennifer, well done.

Go grab this if thrillers are your thing, also if you like domestic thrillers or supernatural plots too. The family dynamics are great in this one. Fantastic story and yeah you got me. See my thriller reel for my well I didn’t see that coming thriller moments. Thank you to @gallerybooks @scoutpressbooks @simon.audio @netgalley and the author for a #gifted copy of this book to read and listen to. Grab this one soon.

Jackie has moved across the country to distance herself from her sister. When Lexie begins calling and leaving multiple messages on her answering machine, Jackie ignores them. Then she receives word that Lexie is dead, drowned in the pool that they played in as children. Lexie was an excellent swimmer, but this isn't just any pool. Not a swimming pool, but a natural spring fed pool said to have magical 'powers'. It's waters heal, but can also grant wishes. The catch...the pool gives, but it also takes. This is the general wisdom of the old timers in the area. Was Lexie 'taken'?
This spooky story moves between the 1920's and 2019, giving us some background on the legend of the pool. It is definitely a creepy read, if that's what you're looking for, with an ending that I did not see coming.