This is a contemporary YA story that follows three teens: twin brothers, Ellis and Tommy, and a girl named Harlow, who is best friends with Ellis but enemies with Tommy. A lot is going on here with these three characters: Harlow is determined to save her small hometown of West Finch from falling into the ocean, as it’s slowly getting was washed away by the town’s seasonal storms. One of the twins has lost a leg from an accident, and the other is bi. One of them suffers from crippling depression and attempts suicide, and the other ignores his problems, hoping they’ll disappear. One is a track star, the other an artist.

This was quite a riveting character study, even though I found all three of them mostly unlikeable, and their relationships are overall unhealthy. But the fact that each of them was extremely complex and multi-layered, however, kept me eagerly reading the story. The complicated and odd dynamics between them sucked me right in. There were also so many compelling themes in this story, such as the pain that results from knowing someone too well, a complicated love triangle, disability, nature conservancy, climate change, depression, the need to “fix” others, and being emotionally shut off from those around you. I did enjoy the conversation and realistic portrayal of depression/mental health issues in the story and thought the author handled them exceptionally well.

Now I will say that I was not a fan of the ending, though, and felt mostly unsatisfied when I finished the book. It was more of a “non-ending” than an ending. Still, I thought this was a compelling story and well worth the read. The novel’s small-town vibe really worked for me, especially the colorful secondary characters. Ending notwithstanding, I found this to be a moving and emotionally searing novel about the deep bonds of family and friendship that is well worth the read.

Unfortunately, I was new to NetGalley when I requested this title and I was not quite sure how things work. This was my first audiobook approval, and I did not get a chance to download or listen to it before the story archived on the website. Therefore, I am unable to provide complete review of the novel itself. I wish I didn't have to give a star rating to submit my review, so please know the low number of stars is because I did not get the read it, not because I thought the book was poorly written or narrated. My most sincere apologies to both NetGalley and the publisher.

This book was archived before I was able to download it onto my phone and I'm unable to leave a review.

I was originally drawn to this book because of the title, however confusing it was. But it ended up being a DNF. I tried, I really did. But the world building was terrible.

this is a no from me. I couldn't even finish it. I always try to because I like to find out what happens in hopes that it gets better but I just couldn't. this is a big pass.

While this book did sound good in theory, I just couldn’t enjoy it because of the characters. I especially disliked Harlow’s POV.

CW: Depression, Discussion of Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Death, Toxic Friendships

<i>The Sea is Salt and So Am I</i> was an emotional read that hooked me from the beginning.
My thoughts aren’t very cohesive about the book. Other than being hard to read at times, I did love the book.
Immediately after finishing the book, I sat for a bit in my feelings about the end and then went to look at reviews. Whenever I have mixed feelings about a book, I’m more likely to want to see what other people think – in this case, the vague ending left me wanting more.
The reviews helped me cement my positive feelings about the book.
So, my review focuses on some of the common items I saw in negative reviews of <i>The Sea is Salt</i>.

<i>The Sea is Salt</i> is a book for fans of character-driven stories with a slow pace. It explores depression, how people around a depressed person deal with it, and messy teenagers being dramatic. The relationships shift throughout the book, but it doesn’t aim to tie everything off in a clean arc because it’s just about life. And life rarely happens in a neat narrative arc.

Many reviews complain about toxic, unlikeable characters, to which it’s easy to say, “but that’s the point of the book!” Did I absolutely hate Harlow at times? Yes – she said, did, and thought horrible things. But I also related to her and empathized with her. Same with Tommy and Ellis. Character-driven books try to make us think about ourselves and the people we know. How every person has a million little things making them the flawed human they are.

A few reviews also remarked that <i>The Sea is Salt</i> sets a lousy example for teen readers – the toxic friendship between Ellis and Harlow, how they perceive Tommy, and some of Tommy’s actions. I disagree – I don’t think kids are that dumb.

The main focus of negative reviews regards the depiction of depression. Some said it was necessary for the story, especially Tommy’s suicide attempt.

In my reading, Tommy’s depression and the suicide attempt are central pillars of the book. I don’t think it’d be the same at all if it were a near-death experience or the death of someone close to him, as some suggested. Tommy’s sections were always the hardest for me to listen to because they often said things I’ve thought and felt repeatedly. Many of them aren’t true, but that doesn’t stop them.

I had mixed feelings about the inclusion of the going off his meds plotline because the reasoning behind it of “I don’t feel anything” had me saying, “work with your doctor to find a better fit!”

Tommy’s attempt is the catalyst for the story – the reactions and emotions that follow shape the relationship between the three main characters and their own internal changes. Is everything that results good? No. Is everything magically solved afterward? No.

I know it is so important to have good representation regarding mental health. But I also dislike the overly peppy “there’s so much to live for” storylines because they make me feel worse that I haven’t <i>magically cured</i> myself. I like Tommy’s story because I saw my own experiences with depression and suicidal thoughts reflected, and I constantly thought, “yes, someone else is feeling this too.”

Someone else commented that the novel didn’t develop the side characters enough, and I agree to a point. For a small town of approximately 300 people, you got bits of everyone being in each other’s business, but it would have been nice to be fleshed out more. Almost everyone felt like the same nosy neighbor. On the other hand, I think it lends to the fact that the main characters, Harlow and Ellis especially, are very self-centered, and the lack of fleshed-out townspeople reflects that their focus isn’t on the miscellaneous people in town. It’s themselves and each other.

<i>The Sea is Salt and So Am I</i> is not for everyone, but no book is for everyone. I think sometimes we forget that.

Audiobook Review:
All three narrators did a great job. At first, I wasn’t sure if I liked the one for Harlow – it was a bit too peppy for me. After just a few chapters, however, I was convinced it was the perfect fit. Her performance truly captured the character.
I was a good portion in before I realized there were two different male narrators – I thought the guy was just good at changing his inflection. Which, I guess, was a good choice for identical twins?
Anyway, I’m glad I listened to the book!

DNF @ 40%

I really enjoyed the audiobook up to the point I listened to it and loved the multiple narrators. I found myself zoning out and some parts and having to go back until I no longer had access to it. I would love to pick the print version up at some point though!

A YA book told from three perspectives: Harlow, Ellis, and Tommy. All are dealing with complex issues: sexuality, mental health, and more. Where it falls a bit flat is with the split narration is that Tommy's voice is so much stronger than the other two. While strong in concept, it's a bit uneven in execution.

Many thanks to the author, narrator, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

I saw this book at B&N and the titled intrigued me. I knew nothing of it and perhaps that is why I enjoyed it. This is not a perfect book by any means, but there was something about these broken characters and their secrets that kept me turning the pages.

All in all, I enjoyed it and I know I will definitely check out future books by Hartt.

Three teens navigate life and their feelings in a town that is literally changing it's landscape due to erosion. This setting feels real and apt for the storms of adolescence that shape the pov characters. This book covers suicide ideation, sex, mental health and other serious topics but keeps the focus on its protagonists doing the best they can to grow up in an unpredictable world

I definitely wasn't fond of the characters in this book. I found Harlow and Ellis frustrating, cruel, desperate, users. Tommy is sympathetic, certainly. The plot about the town is interesting it gets very little attention in favor of the interpersonal issues.

I did not really know what to expect when I started this book, but I knew that it was going to be good. I had put it up on a pedestal and it did not disappoint.

We are taken into the lives of our 3 primary characters with chapters told from each of their perspectives. I like that we got to see the story unfold from each of them. The emotions and thoughts of each teenager I felt was explored and conveyed honestly and with grace.

I quickly became invested in what each had to say and how the story was going to end. I started and finished this book in one day.

It does have moments that could be triggering for some. I would advise to tread carefully if depression and suicidal thoughts are triggers.

Overall, I loved the environment of a coastal town preparing itself for hurricane season. The water imagery gives a melodic feeling to the reader and sets the pace for the entire story.

Unfortunately I couldn't get into this one so I had to DNF it. I think it's more of a me problem than the book problem so I won't give it a slating rating!

This is a book i was very excited to read so it was amazing to be able to listen to the audiobook early! I must admit that this story wasn't what i was expecting. I knew this was contemporary fiction, but i wasn't prepared to how dark it would be, dealing with themes like depression and even a suicide attempt. The main characters here: Tommy, Harlow and Ellis were difficult to read about, mainly Harlow and Ellis for being what i consider to be unlikeable characters at their finest. That doen't necessarily mean anything bad, just that it was someyimes frustrating to be in their heads. Tommy on the other hand, was my favorite character and the one i empathized with the most and everything i wanted was for him to be okay.

I know a lot of people might dislike this book for its characters' strong personalities, but i think the author handled that very well and was able to show how imperfect people tend to be in real life and their motives for that. I also liked the way she portrayed depression and mental health and how bleak it felt to be in the mind of someone suffering from that, because it felt very realistic.

gave this book 3.75 stars on Goodreads. I did enjoy listening to the audiobook, I thought that the narrator was great! This was a book that translated well into an audiobook format. Some books just don't transfer over well, in my opinion, but this one was great.
I have only docked this book a few stars because the ending was a bit underwhelming. I want to preface this by saying that I love all of the plot potential that this book has! There were so many great plot points and angles presented throughout the book, I just felt like many were not explored to their fullest potential. All of the concepts were great, I just feel like the execution fell a little short on some. This really takes nothing away from this book as a whole, and I think I may have a different appreciation for it after a potential re-read (from a physical copy) at some point in the future.
ALSO: As a book cover enthusiast/connoisseur, I must note that I am so sad that I don't have a physical copy of this book. The cover is STUNNING! I love the cover art! It is so well done and I just had to mention that here!
Overall, this was a good read. I highly would recommend for readers 13+. I am truly glad that I took the time to listen to this one! I did like the writing style, and I would be more than open to reading anything that this author writes in the future. I am very surprised by how little I actually heard about this book prior to its release. I went in completely blind----without even reading the synopsis. This is a good book, overall, but is really great for its intended Young Adult audience. I am a bit disappointed in how little I have heard about it, I know that lots of readers (specifically young adult readers) would enjoy reading this book!

This book was on my list of releases I was excited for! And I have to say it kind of disappointed me. It was definitely a enjoyable read but i expected more from it.

I found the story a bit hard to follow sometimes and when listened to the audio book I sometimes had to rewind and listen to a specific part again because I didn't know what was happening. Also I really disliked Harlow. I was so frustrated with her most of the book. But that not necessarily a bad thing. I don't always have to like all the characters in a book. I did really like Tommy though, he was such a strong character and I really enjoyed reading about him.

Overall I think it was an okay book. But i think there was just to many things happening at the same time. If she'd just stuck with the climate change, or the whole friendship thing it would have been a lot easier to follow.

Thank you net galley for the arc

I seriously think the plot, the story of the book is fantastic but the audiobook version just slows everything down. i did increase the speed but it made no difference. i think i will give the paperback version a chance because the story is great but i definitely did not like this audio book, it just spoiled the entire vibe.

DNF, which is pretty rare for me. I started listening to this one several times, but just could not get sufficient interest and momentum going to see if through. Perhaps I will pick it up from the library and give it a read instead, because I very much liked the description and had high hopes.

This book was extremely hard to rate because I have such mixed emotions about it.

This is definitely a very character-driven book that tackles some issues like depression, suicide and climate change. While the characterisation was very unique and the characters had pretty distinctive voices, I couldn't find myself connecting to them, especially Harlow. I get that she was made intentionally crude but she didn't seem to grow or develop at all. The first half of the book definitely was a bit dragged out.

The only character I felt for was Tommy and I thought his perspective was extremely well-done.

I enjoyed how atmospheric and no-nonsense the writing was. It definitely is something a bit more out of my comfort zone and it does remind me a bit of a John Green book with the small town setting with adventures but without the magical charm of the romance or the sparkle of John Green-humour.

The audiobook narration was great. The voices were very clear and easy to listen to.