This was a book that I ended up not finishing due to lack of interest in content. The audio narrators just did not capture me, and I could not continue to listen. For that reason I was unable to rate more than one star. I may revisit this book in print in the future.

This was my first book by this author and after this book I was set on reading her other books. I give this book a five stars as well, this one may be my favorite out of her books although the night sister comes pretty close to as good. Both amazing books

Date Published: May 17, 2021.
Blog: The Life & Times of a Book Addict.

REVIEW:

“Miracles are not without their price, my darling…”

After checking out the synopsis I was excited to read this book. I really enjoyed the dual timelines and was curious to see how everything would tie into the present day lives of Jax and her family.

Jax feels guilty for not having been there for Lexie when she needed her. So naturally after arriving back at Sparrow Crest, she wants to retrace her sisters footsteps and see what she was working on and discovered before her death. There were some things that Jax found out and that happened during her stay there that I wish had been explored more. I still have some unanswered questions about a couple of things even after finishing the book.

The Drowning Kind is a creepy and atmospheric tale that is also a little bittersweet…This story perfectly demonstrates that you can never leave the past very far behind. This is a slower paced suspenseful story, that’s well written and entertaining. I enjoyed very much and look forward to reading more books by Jennifer McMahon.



RATING: 4 OUT OF 5.

#TheDrowningKind#
By: Jennifer McMahon
Review by: I Love to Read, Librarian
A dark spring-fed pool with mysterious powers draws readers into a nail-biting thriller. The story moves backward in time chronicling deaths at the pool. The narrative continues in present time. This can become confusing when many characters are introduced in both time periods. Many claim the pool is cursed. Others believe it has restorative powers. In any event, to go into the waters one pays a price.
The author knows her craft and the book is beautifully written.
I found the ending rushed.
I received this book from #NetGalley# in return for an honest review. Thank you #netGalley# and publisher.

This was a solid creepy book to me, and I really enjoyed the ending. I listened to the audio and the narrators were not my favorites. They were a little to mechanical or monotoned for this type of book in my opinion.

The Drowning Kind made me want to read the rest of Jennifer McMahon's books. Unsettling ghost stories are my favorite ghost stories, and that ending hit me hard. Suspenseful, smart, and a must read/listen for supernatural horror fans.

Really enjoyed this book especially the shocking ending. It is reminiscent of The Haunting of Hill House which is one of my all time favorite tv shows. It was terrifying and sad and definitely hits you in all the feels.

The audiobook was so well done! It told this amazing story in such a great and different way. I loved the narrator and all the characters.

I’m definitely terrified of water after this one. I really felt chills at times when the author would describe these moments. I really enjoyed this one!

I actually don't have many thoughts on this one. I had expected to love this because I adored the Winter People and saw so many other people rave about this one. But alas, it just turned out okay.
I found the book pretty predictable. And the ones I didn't see coming, I didn't find any of the reveals particularly surprising or shocking. All of that making this just a decent book.
What I will say is that Jennifer McMahon never ceases to amaze me at how seamlessly she ties two separate story lines together. Despite being different people, from a different era, her books always end up feeling cohesive and very well book together.
I was highly anticipating this novel and feel extremely grateful that Simon & ShustER and Netgalley sent me an Audio copy in exchange for an honest review. So big thank you to them!!

Thank you @simonandschuster and @netgalley for my copy of The Drowning Kind for review!

@jennifermcmahonwrites is the queen of creepy atmospheric books.
And ‘The Drowning Kind’ is no exception.

This book has everything I love, Dual time lines that slowly tell you a story, interesting well fleshed out female characters, and a setting that will absolutely give you chills.

This book also really dives into what it’s like to have a family member who is struggling with mental illness.
I can’t speak to if it was completely accurate but it was heartbreaking reading our main characters guilt and grief.

Also I listened to this one on Audiobook and it was FANTASTIC.
We had two actors giving voice to the two different main characters and they both gave such good performances!

The Drowning Kind was all kinds of creepy and eerie - a little thriller, a little fantasy, and a lot of fun.

This book follows Jax in present day, who receives a call that her estranged sister Lexie has drowned in the pool on their grandmother's estate. When Jax arrives at the home to collect Lexie's things, she discovers that Lexie was learning more about their family history, which reveals some unsettling truths....

In 1929, newlywed Ethel is trying desperately to have a baby. Her husband takes her to Vermont, to a natural spring that is said to have healing properties. Ethel learns that the spring also grants wishes! However, the spring never gives more than it takes....

I was fascinated by this story the entire time I listened. I thought the story was so well done, and I loved the audiobook. I never knew what was about to happen, and I did NOT see the ending coming.

I read my first Jennifer McMahon book when I was on vacation a few years ago. The Winter People was so good and I immediately went out and bought more of her books! She has such a unique voice and I love the gothic/creepy vibe so much and I love that she is from Vermont and sets all of her books there. I can feel her pride and love for Vermont in all the books I have read by her.

When I saw this book was coming out, I couldn’t wait. It sounded eerie and I loved that mysterious cover so much. I haven’t listened to any of her books before so I thought this would be a great book to start with. My book club even picked it as our May read and we were all super excited to read and discuss it.

For me personally, I don’t think this book was as strong as some of her others but overall it was a haunting ghost story with a creepy connection to the past. I also loved the narrators. The historic narrator wasn’t my favorite at first (she was really wispy) but within a few chapters I started to really enjoy her soothing voice, but the modern narrator was great!

Summary
Be careful what you wish for.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

A haunting, twisty, and compulsively readable thrill ride from the author who Chris Bohjalian has dubbed the “literary descendant of Shirley Jackson,” The Drowning Kind is a modern-day ghost story that illuminates how the past, though sometimes forgotten, is never really far behind us (summary from Goodreads)

Review
Since I have read other books by McMahon, I had high expectations. I am eager to hear what my book club members thought at our next meeting tomorrow. As I said, I thought this one was just ok, if you are looking to read something by McMahon, I think this is a good place to start but personally I thought The Winter People was better but it was also more horror. This one had a ghost/horror element but it felt less horror than The Winter People. I listened to this one on my morning walks around a local slough and it was creepy enough that I found myself gazing out across the slough and wondering if there were monsters in the water.

It is a darker story that touches on everything from alcohol abuse to mental health but I think it really gave readers a lot to ponder and consider beyond just the ghost parts. For me it made the story more rich. Jax and Lex had a contentious relationship and there were times when I felt like Jax was being spoiled and unfair toward Lex but I enjoyed watching her character process those feelings as the story unfolded. The relationships in this book are multilayered and have a lot of depth which I think makes this one a good option for book club discussions.

If you are looking for an atmospheric book then this is it. I loved the setting and the pool truly has a creepy vibe. Sparrow Crest house had a great gothic presence in the story and fans of the gothic will love this one. For horror fans, you might want a little more horror in this one but overall it’s not bad. And let me just say this…..the ending will give you chills. I think the ending made the book for me. Up until that point I was hinging on a 3 star review but the ending bumped it up to 4 stars. If you love atmospheric books with great complex characters then you don’t want to miss this one!

Book Info and Rating
AudiobookPublished

April 6, 2021 by Simon & Schuster Audio

ISBN9781797119021 (ISBN10: 1797119028)LanguageEnglish

Free review copy provided by publisher, Simon & Schuster, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: mystery, thriller, horror

✨Book Review✨

First off, thank you to @netgalley and @simon.audio for the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Jennifer McMahon, but I requested it because I have The One I Left Behind, The Night Sister, and The Winter People all on my mountainous #tbr list. Ladies from my old book club have recommended them all and I just haven’t gotten there yet. 🤦🏼‍♀️

So, this is a semi spooky story about a woman with a bipolar sister and their grandmother’s property has a swimming pool spring...with a history.

The story flips between modern day and a woman from the early 1900s, each storyline revolving around the springs. These springs have “healing powers.” But, of course, all is not as it seems.

I’m not much into scary stories, but I love a good thriller. This book is somewhere in between. It was good and I liked it, but not my favorite. I’ll read at least one more McMahon from my list above, but I’ll be hoping for a higher rating. This one is a sold three for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I absolutely love Jennifer McMahon's writing style. This book has dual time lines and very interesting characters. The way the plot unfolded and the development of the character arcs was spot on. I always feel creeped out when reading her books but I also love the humanity she puts into her stories. If you want a fast paced and creepy, but not too scary great time, pick this book up!

Jennifer McMahon has made her way to my favorite authors list! I never thought I would enjoy the historical fiction aspects of her books, but I actually love it. She keeps me engaged and I seriously have a hard time putting her books down. The Drowning Kind is no different, absolutely loved this book! After a month long reading slump, this was just the book I needed to get me back on track. Definitely pick this up, you won’t be disappointed!!

A ghost story that is going to make you second guess your dip in the pool. Creepy but also covers some deeper themes of grief and the bond between sisters.

I read my first Jennifer McMahon novel in January of this year (The Winter People) and immediately knew that she was going to be a go-to author for me. So, when I got the opportunity to review The Drowning Kind on audio from netgalley and Simon And Schuster Audio - I jumped at the chance.

This book did not disappoint for me. It has the same eerie vibes that I loved about the Winter people. It is clear that McMahon has a formula that works and I plan to read more of her work. I didn't like this one as much as The Winter people, but it was close. I could taste the water in my mouth based on her descriptions and feel the eerie darkness of the story. I love the way McMahon flips easily through multiple generations and keep the plot moving. The ending also didn't disappoint. I really enjoyed this one!

#netgalley #SimonandShusterAudio

Jax gets the call she has dreaded for years. Her sister, Lexie, is dead. Jax is a social worker but Lex, who growing up was the golden girl, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her early twenties. Their grandmother had left the family house to Lexie and Jax was so upset to be excluded that she moved across the country. She had suspected that Lexie was off her meds as she had been getting phone calls on her message machine and each sounded more frantic and out of control. When she called her aunt Diane and asked her to check on Lexie Diane found her floating in the pool, already beyond revivial.

There were rumors about the pool and had been their entire life. Years before, a hotel had stood where their house now stood, a hotel built around the springs that provided water that many said could provide cures for any illnesses. But there were also whispers that if the springs gave something they would also take something. More drownings that would be expected had happened there and the hotel went out of business. Even after Jax's grandfather bought the land and springs, things continued to happen in the pool. Jax and Lexie's oldest sister, Rita, had drowned there when they were small children. Now Lexie has met the same fate.

As Jax returns to handle the funeral she gets caught up in the stories about the pool. She remembers things from her childhood that seem to reinforce the rumors and Lexie was firmly convinced something was going on and had focuses all her time and attention to finding out the truth. What is the truth? Is there something there that will rise again to cause more tragedy?

I listened to this novel. The narrator was female and captured the rising tension in the book, the back and forth between the questions about the pool and the certainties Jax has that it is all just rumors. The story is told in alternating chapters between Jax's trip home and the story of her grandmother who made the first bargain with the pool. The narrator handles both these voices quite well, differentiating between them to make it clear which woman is speaking. This book is recommended for readers of psychological thrillers.

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

Brief Summary: Jackie is estranged from her sister Lexi, who has bipolar disorder. But when she ends up dead in their grandmother’s pool, Jackie wants to understand why. This story alternates with Ethel in 1927, whose struggles with infertility lead her to a spring at a famous hotel. This is my first novel by Jennifer McMahon.

Highlights: I am a clinical psychologist, and by far my favorite part was her portrayal of Lexi as a loved person with bipolar disorder. I thought her portray was realistic. Unfortunately, this plot never really sucked me in. I found too much jumping around and the end predictable. This one just wasn’t for me but I am also not a fan of creepy ghost stories. The nature of this story does require suspension of reality which I always struggle with. The audiobook narrators did a great job of setting the stage for the creepiness. The plot was slow moving and it took me forever to get through this book.

Explanation of Rating: 3/5

Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster Audio for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Note to Publisher: I’m sorry this review is late. I was recently hospitalized for a GI Bleed.

This book....wow. The writing is superb. The dual timeline and the way they’re woven together at the end, perfection. At one point during my listening, I was so creeped out that I yelled out loud when my dog brushed by me. I highly recommend!

I received an advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.