I have very mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed each storyline and how the connected, but I had a hard time suspending reality for this book for some reason. I think it’s because the beginning of the book is so rooted in reality, then it shifts to be based in the supernatural.

I thought that the character of Ethel was so beautifully developed that it made me that much more invested in her story.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Audio, and Jennifer McMahon for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I did like and enjoy listening to this, but the entire time I was listening, I felt like I was missing something. And that was how I felt at the end of the book as well. The story is well crafted, but maybe there is something lacking with the character development, so I failed to really connect or empathize with the characters like I should have. I also felt like any twists in the story line were a bit too foreshadowed, so they barely felt like twits at all, just inevitabilities in these characters tragic lives.

I did enjoy the pictures that were painted of the pools, Sparrowcrest, and when the time was turned back to the early 20th century. The author did do an amazing job of making me feel like I was in the cold heavy waters, this lovely old stone home and New England around the time of the Great Depression. I just wish that I could have stepped in to the characters shoes as well as I did the settings.

I would read more by the author.

A dark, hauntingly twisted read that spans for generations wishing a family and community. Jax receives several missed phone calls from her sister before realizing she’s died. Now she has to go home, return to the family dysfunction to sort out and make sense of Lexie’s death and the days leading up to it.

Riveting story and terrific narration by Joy Osmanski; and Imani Jade Powers. Kept me up well past midnight.

Jax and her older sister, Lexie, have had a complicated relationship. So much that Jax moved across the country to put some distance between them. And then one day Lexie calls her - nine times - and Jax ignored them all. The next day their aunt, Diane, calls Jax to give her the news that Lexie drowned in the pool at their grandmother's estate, Sparrow Crest. The very pool that has claimed life before. The very pool that was at the center of Lexie's mania. As Jax tries to come to grips with her sister's death, she realizes that there may be something more sinister at play and that the pool at Sparrow Crest has a history going back nearly a hundred years.



Jennifer McMahon knows how to write a good ghost story. When I hear the word "gothic" I always think of stories where the home (usually a large, historic home) plays a huge part in the story. Sparrow Crest fits the billing perfectly. But not just the home, but the pool. And the water that feeds the pool. Jax is a sensible character. She looks for the reason in the unexplainable. She moved across the country to get away from her flaky sister. The story moves between past and present, starting with Ethel Monroe and her desire to have a baby taking her to the Brandenburg Springs Hotel, which is the future home of Sparrow Crest. Jax struggles to understand what drove Lexie to her final act of madness, but in the end it doesn't matter. - CLICK HERE FOR SPOILERS. I will say that the twist took me by surprise.



Bottom Line - The Drowning Kind is a ghost story, through and through. As a reader you have to decide if you are in the "believer" camp with Lexie or the "non-believer" camp with Jax. Either way, you are in for a thrilling read!



Details:

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon
On Instagram
Pages: 336
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Publication Date: 4/6/2021
Buy it Here!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great creepy book. The ending was different which was great. Not totally expected. I really enjoyed this book. I liked the narrator.
Thanks to netgalley, author and publisher for an audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

There's something in the water...

I love the creepy reads that get deep into your bones and settle there. This wasn't a very scary read - more of a spooky, uncomfortable, hold-your-breath type of journey that's bound to give you goosebumps that linger long after you are finished.

The water at Brandenburg Springs has been rumored for decades to have healing properties, and the desperate and misfortunate flock to drink the magical elixir, in hopes for health - for miracles. But as the water may give. It also may take. And oh how the potential to cure one's ails, can drown out the inevitable devastating consequences of that greedy thirst.

I loved the spanning of generations as they held onto so many secrets and sorrows, and the twists were so atmospheric and sinister. A tension-filled eerie story that will have me thinking twice the next time I go swimming!

"From the New York Times bestselling author of The Invited and The Winter People comes a chilling new novel about a woman who returns to the old family home after her sister mysteriously drowns in its swimming pool…but she’s not the pool’s only victim."

Right from the start, there's a Gothic feel to this latest from McMahon - Sparrow Crest was built on the ruins of an old hotel, there are rumors and perhaps truths about the springs - healing powers, granting wishes - but is there a cost? Be careful what you wish for....

McMahon tell her tale in a past and present format - one of my favorite formats. The past takes us to 1929 and introduces us to Ethel, who desperately wants a child. Uh huh, you guessed it. In the present, Jax finds her sister's research into the springs and takes it in, but with a grain of salt. Lexie had mental health issues and this could just be part of her illness. But the listener is privy to both timelines and knows more - but not everything.

I'm always the one watching a scary movie from behind a pillow, yelling "don't go in the basement!" This time its 'don't go in the water." Dark water where you can't see the bottom? Ummm, no thanks. I got shivers every time someone decided to go swimming or visit the springs. McMahon has done a great job, building the atmosphere and keeping us in suspense 'til the very end.

I chose to listen to The Drowning Kind. I find I am often more drawn into a book by listening instead of reading. Such is the case with this book. Two narrators were used - Joy Osmanski and Imani Jade Powers - both readers I have enjoyed in the past. Osmanski voices Jax in the present. Her voice suits the mental image I had created for this characters. She speaks crisply, cleanly and her voice is easy to understand. She uses her voice to great effect, easily bringing the suspense of McMahon's book to the listener. Her voices for supporting characters are differentiated. Powers is voice for Ethel in the past. She has a slower, well modulated tone of speaking that is just right for this character. It absolutely captures the suspense surrounding the springs - almost a dreamy tone.

And the ending? It caught me off guard and I had to go back and read it again. But it was just right.

I don’t even know where Jennifer gets her ideas but, she’s absolutely brilliant with her stories. This is the second novel I’ve read of hers and it just makes me want to read more of her work.

Special thanks to the author, Gallery/Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the review copy. I enjoyed it so much. So much so, that I had to finish it tonight, in spite of my raging migraine. It’s creepy, mysterious, has great character development and the story is good. It invites you in and refuses to let go.

When Jax’s sister, Lexie is found dead in the pool, Jax is forced to go back to her grandma’s home that Lexie inherited. Forced to deal with the grief and guilt of not answering Lexie’s last phone calls because she didn’t want to deal with her. Things begin happening surrounding the pool and the history it keeps, will Jax find out the truth before something more horrendous happens?

Truly a page turner, highly recommend!

This was a slow, creepy story, with a vivid atmosphere and complex characters. The writing builds up in layers of juxtapositions and vivid scenes involving water. There are moments that I found enthralling like the description of a baby floating in the womb, a baby that exists because of a wish on a spring that takes as much as it gives. You are constantly questioning what's going on in this book and even though it's a slow burn, that uncertainty keeps you reading. There is also mental illness in this book, which was personally hard for me to get though, but I understand how it adds to all the uncertainty in the story, putting into doubt certain perceptions. I found myself wondering why so many people kept ignoring the apparent danger posed by the spring in exchange for fulfilling their wishes for they personal lost causes. It poses an interesting question about what we are willing to ignore or risk to get what we want most deeply. This would make a great book club selection.

I reviewed an audioARC and the narration was a great fit for this story.

BOOK REVIEW: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

Cold dark water. Feeling "something" swipe your legs from below. Catching a glimpse of movement at the corner of your eye.... Sounds like a great place to swim, right?!

Who doesn't have a memory of swimming in a lake, ocean, pond or somewhere where you felt something brush against you… But you couldn't see it? Making you jump out of your skin both in that moment… and even now in remembering it!

Weaving in an element of "jump scare" personal sense memory is a great basis for any ghost fiction… And that is where we start with The Drowning Kind.

A super-spooky black water pool fed by mineral springs that are both healing & cursed.

And when you are desiring a cure, the lure of the healing power of the water can overshadow the price it may cost you…

You may get your wish… But your wish may get you too…

In this story, we also have fictional characters with mental illness, specifically bipolar disorder. The continual murkiness of what is real and what is not adds in deepening this story beyond entertaining ghost thriller novels.

It made me so empathetic for the characters (and anyone) managing these issues... I really could feel both the frustration of not being believed and the frustration of not knowing what to believe.

Why do I like the story?
Features and elements of the story that I loved… Or story elements that I found unique and celebrate in exploring expansive reading experiences…

• Features strong physical elements and descriptions that activate our sense memory, which lifts the story off the page and really makes us feel like we are the experiencing the story for ourselves

• Features dimensional lead characters with bipolar disorder

What is my biggest takeaway from this book?
Be careful what you ask for... ✨😎✨

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Books & DIY Home Ideas | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com ... Including my features & videos to support you in bringing books to life in your life and home.

You can see my complete book feature on The Drowning Kind at https://www.thisismyeverybody.com/books/short-book-reviews-the-drowning-kind-jennifer-mcmahon

* A big thank you to Jennifer McMahon, Gallery Books / Scout Press, Simon & Schuster Audio and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in my reviews and content are my own… ✨😎✨

An ending that I didn't see coming! Great narration, characters are likeable and relatable. Story is new and fresh.

I have to say, this book started off slowly for me. This is the reason why I gave it 4 stars rather than 5.
I was eventually surprised and pleased as it started to pick up. I initially thought of the genre to be a thriller, but I now believe it to be more in the horror genre. There was a supernatural element, which I typically do not enjoy. However, I think I liked the supernatural element because it remained mysterious and subtle. Too often I feel like horror books over-describe, and it can cause the story to seem too outrageous or silly. I liked having wiggle room in my mind to imagine on my own what terrors could be lurking, without someone telling me flat-out what is to be feared.

Some notes on the audio. I listened on 1.25 speed because the narration could be very slow at times.


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3923047105

🎧 Audio

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

I’ve heard WONDERFUL things about this author, and this book did not disappoint! Can’t wait to read more of her work!

Ethel (1929) would do anything to have a baby. Her and her husband travel to the springs and she makes her wish. She soon discovers that the water gives, but the water also takes...

Jackie (Jax) learns that her sister Lexie drowned in the creepy, black water. While investigating all the strange things her sister was doing by the pool, Jax discovers the many secrets about the springs. And why people are so afraid of it.

It was a creepy, paranormal thriller/mystery, plus some family drama. Another great one to read or listen to in the dark! I found myself wanting to yell JUST STAY AWAT FROM THE FREAKING WATER! But where’s the fun in that 😜

Pick this one up! Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for this ARC!

I loved both of the two storylines and watching them both unfold. I think bouncing between the two kept a good suspense throughout.

More like 4 and ½ Stars!

I loved this book. So much.

A huge thank you to NetGalley &Simon and Schuster Audio for my advanced copy.

What I Loved-

*The Audio- This audio was fantastic. Joy Osmanski and Imani Jade Powers did an amazing job of bringing these characters to life.

*The Dual Timeline & Perspectives- I love a books formatted this way. This book was the perfect blend of historical fiction and modern day.

*The Atmosphere- This is my second Jennifer McMahon. I listened to her novel The Winter People earlier this year. In both books the atmosphere was eerie, spooky, creepy... all of the goosebumpy feels. I loved it. The family estate / swimming pool felt like characters themselves.

*The Characters- It's been a couple days and I'm still thinking about this book and its characters.

Why It Wasn't a 5 Star-

*Lexi- I know we don't speak ill of the dead but... this bish. I was annoyed lol. Everyone loved her and she was the favorite of the two sisters. I didn't get it. Like why tho?

*The End- Loved it but just a tad confused. How did we get there? Did I space out in the audio somewhere.

Overall- Highly recommend and will definitely be reading more by this author.

This audiobook is incredibly creepy and atmospheric! This book is definitely a paranormal thriller and those who love Riley Sager's writing will really love it as well. Jax, a child social worker has never gotten over the fact that she couldn’t save her sister Lexie from her mental illness. She and the rest of the family believe that she is her own worst enemy; the true problem lies within herself. Lexie frequently takes actions that make her sicker, but it’s been so long that she’s not about to change now. Every once in a while Lex will call her, drunk as all get out and fail to remember that her sister no longer speaks to her. She leaves message after message for Jax; mostly on the verge of verbal harassment. But still—she clings to the hope that one day Lex won’t try bring her down with her.


But then, the very day after she receives a series of phone calls from Lexie— Jax’s worst nightmare must be faced. For Lex is gone, drowned; and she’s never coming back. Or is she?

The more Jax digs into Lexie’s recent discoveries and behavior, she starts experiencing some of the same things that her sister spoke of. Could it be the grief causing her to go crazy or is there something truly happening with the water?

Told in dual timelines...2019 by Jax and 1929 by Ethel Monroe, this story is a creepy one. Ethel is a 37 year old woman who is so anguished at the thought of never having a baby —after a year of trying—that she makes a deal with the devil.

Creepy, atmospheric and completely absorbing. Completely haunting and what a chilling ending!! I love that the pool was used as such a rich character! Great original story!

In 2019, Jax learns that her sister Lexie has drowned in the pool on their late grandmother’s estate. The pool was created from a spring that was believed to have restorative powers, although part of its legend includes the belief that whenever the water grants a wish it also takes something away. In 1929, Ethel is newly married to a doctor and she desperately wants to have a child. She and her husband vacation at a grand hotel that boasts of a spring with miraculous powers.

This is another one of those dual time period books that I generally dislike, but In this case I thought the author did a good job of tying the two stories together. At least there was a rational reason for it in this book, which is often not true. As usual, though, I preferred one of the time periods. I found the Ethel story much more compelling, and I also preferred the narrator of that part of the audiobook. I thought that the Jax story spent too much time on Lexie’s bipolar issues, which she shared with her father. However, the Jax story was a lot scarier and more suspenseful. I definitely wasn’t expecting that ending.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

Such a compelling book! I love a good atmospheric novel filled with secrets, mysteries, tragedies, and spooky scenes. The creepiness factor in this was perfect with a fantastic addition of paranormal wonder that had me questioning swimming in deep water. Even if you are not a fan of paranormal, this story can be appreciated as there are questions of if the deadly events are supernatural happenings or irrationality; it had me questioning what I believed was really going on. I was also impressed by the multiple viewpoints as they worked well off each other from different parts of history and together told a compelling tale of the pool and its miracles. I listened to the audio book of this and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers and the paranormal.

While I liked the characters, there was something lacking in Jax that I struggled to discover. There were also some elements of the novel that seemed unfinished and left me questioning (the lightbulbs and Jax’s patient) which is why it was a 4 star for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for a review copy in return for an honest review.