At no point did I know where this was going. I’m actually impressed that the author managed to trick me as many times as she did. This book is full of twists and turns and unexpected ends. I would have liked for Brendan’s story to be more explored in terms of his past and his psychological diagnoses and what the actual truth ended up being, but overall, great book

This was an unusual story of a mother's love and struggle. Cara meets Brendan shortly after graduating from college. The two fall in love and he shares with her his secret about being able to breath underwater as the resultant effect from a US Special Forces experimental surgery. Their romance changes when Cara becomes pregnant. Brendan's moods and behavior change, and then they both disappear. Five years later, Cara is still struggling to come to grips with her life and losing her son, when a fisherman claims to see a man and child in the water. I wasn't sure what to expect with this story, and it had many more twists and surprises than I anticipated. Not my usual genre, but the story was interesting. Thanks so much to Emma Fedor, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

I loved this book! After I read it I was actually up for about 20 mins that night just thinking about the book. I would definitely recommend this book so if y9ur reading this review, buy the book you won't be disappointed.

I didn't know what to expect while reading AT SEA, but I was very pleasantly surprised. The writing is beautiful and haunting and I can't stop thinking about the story. I really enjoyed this and think that its a good pick for those looking for an unexpected thriller

This was a good book that was so close to being great, but I felt it ended much too soon to be great. There were so many other things that I needed for it to have to give it 5 stars. The ending was much too abrupt for my liking. And honestly I don't know that I really got closure as a reader. I feel like real closure would have been knowing what happened to Brendan more so than with Micha and Kara.

Special thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I don't know if this book is a mystery, a romance, supernatural ability, possibly coming of age. For me it was a good read, nothing really earth shattering. .entail illness plays a part here as well

Cara meets Brendan who can stay underwater a seriously long time...a merman, idk. She's so in love with him she's blinded by what he tells her about this supernatural quality. Then they have a son Micah who both disappear on Cara. Just as she's putting her life back together 5 years later a man and a boy are spotted out in the deep where possibly nobody could survive except Aquaman.

The ending left me disappointed and with questions.

I enjoyed this novel and the story, although I did get super frustrated with the narrator at times throughout reading.

I brought this book on vacation with me, and read it in less than 2 days. I loved the format of going back and forth in time, it kept me turning the pages so I could find out what happened next and how Cara found herself in this situation.
I can’t wait to read this new author’s next book!

Normally, at the end of the book, you have all of your questing answered. Not with this one! The entire book, I was interested, intrigued, and impressed with the writing and the story. Then comes the end. Color me disappointed.

This book is much different than my normal choices. This had a bit of magical realism intertwined with mystery. Mental illness is a factor here, so if that is a trigger just be aware.

Boy meets girl love story, Cara is the main character who falls in love with Brendan who has gills and can live underwater. Cara is completely blinded by her love for this man-fish... merman? Brendan disappears with his and Cara's child, and she searches after them. Five years later a man and boy were spotted in the ocean and Cara- who has long since moved on and married- believes it with all her soul that these people are Brendan and her son.

Very imaginative, but just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I could not put this book down for anything. I loved how it went between two different timelines. It gave the book the feeling of me actually being there. I definitely thought the book was going to be all about mermaids, but it was something completely different. An amazing love story which also involved extreme heartache and mental illness. I can't wait to read more books by Emma Fedor.

3.5⭐

Featuring ~ single 3rd person, dual timeline, debut, missing husband and child

Cara's ex, Brendan, went missing with their son 5 years ago. Brendan apparently has gills and can just live underwater, so are they chilling under the sea with Ariel or are they really missing or has something involving his job caught up with him?
Now there's been a spotting of a man and child floating in the water, maybe it's them or maybe it's just a coincidence.

I like that it was written with a dual timeline so Cara's past life with Brendan was slowly built up to what led to the disappearance. I don't know about Brendan as a character though. He was fun at the beginning of their relationship, but his mental health seemed to decline. Why would he think his son could also breath underwater when he didn't have the same procedure as he did? Like that doesn't seem like something that would be inherited, I don't think.
Cara's current husband, Graham, seemed very patient and understanding under the circumstances.

Overall, an interesting debut with a premise that I don't think I've read before. I'd give Emma another shot.

I wanted to love this story as the description sounded right up my alley but I struggled to connect with this story and these characters. The setting seemed intriguing and and the mystery of the island kept me reading but the characters didn't really keep me engaged as much as I had hoped. It took me longer than I'd like to admit to get through this one but I will definitely be watching this author to see where she goes.

I loved the island setting of this story and the mystery surrounding what exactly happened to her husband and her son. Cara went through so much without knowing why for such a long time. The mix of thriller and romance in this story is perfect!

The course of evolution can be traced in the human body. Our ears evolved from gills; hiccups are thought to derive from that ancient path. And humans have always been drawn to the sea. We fought our way out of the ocean, but many long to return.

At Sea, Massachusetts author Emma Fedor’s gorgeous debut novel, is a reminder that the seductive ocean can hide all sorts of dangers beneath its waves. And that love can make one blind to jeopardy.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

When reading this I was drawn right in by the romance and secretive nature. It made it hard to put the book down. Creating a happy life and having a child then to lose both is heartbreaking. Moving on with life is almost impossible, but being able to reconnect and find her child seems to close yet far.

Is a man’s ability to breathe at sea magic, science fiction, or mental illness? Visit the island world and find.
When Cara and Brendan first meet, she’s fresh out of college and spending time on Martha’s Vineyard trying to figure out her next steps. Brendan is naked and on leave from the Armed Forces. After several dates, Brendan reveals a secret: he has gills and has spent up to several days underwater. He explains it was an experiment trying to make a better soldier. Their summer romance becomes longer-lasting when she becomes pregnant. Then he and the baby disappear. Fast forward five years and Cara is rebuilding her life: her art in shows, married to a patient man and trying to get pregnant. Things might have gone smoothly if she hasn’t heard someone say they saw a man and child out where no one swims. Emma Fedor tells Cara story’s story in two timelines while creating a magical world.
The magic doesn’t depend on just the supernatural elements of the story. The charm of the book is in the details: the details of the place; the details of Cara’s life; the details of her relationship with Brendan. The island comes through clearly and it seems so foreign, so relaxing so the plot points seem counter-emotional. Because when I use words like magic and charm, don’t think that the story doesn’t get dark. Fedor looks at mental illness with an honest lens and a lot of heart.
I found the time spent between the past and present is uneven. We spent so much time in the past as the siren’s call of the future and the spotting of Cara’s child called to the reader. There are things from the past that could have been removed that wouldn’t have affected the plot or the points the author was trying to make. The future period then feels rushed losing the magic Fedor has instilled from the beginning.
At Sea has some great writing and a good story. There is an issue with the balance of this charming story.

I struggled to connect with the story and characters in this novel. I liked the originality of the story, but it ultimately felt too chaotic.

The protagonist is a likable character in this book…wondering where her husband and child went to…living underwater…a premise with which I am not familiar with and did not appeal to me…love…friends…enemies…mystery and intrigue…possible loved ones out there somewhere…careers…themes running throughOut this book…this novel was sent to me electronically for review from Netgalley.

This was a lukewarm read for me. When Brendan meets Cara at Martha’s Vineyard, she is a bit lost. She has just lost her mother, she’s fresh out of college and is trying to figure out the next steps in her life. She is instantly charmed by Brendan and falls in love with him. He is secretive and says that he is a member of the US Special Forces and based on military experiments he can secretly breathe underwater. He also disappears without warning at times and has mood swings. When she becomes pregnant she assumes they will have a normal life. When he disappears one morning with her son after attempting to drown him Cara doesn’t know what to believe. I think I was expecting a bit more fire in Cara as she comes across as naive and weak. She seems to ignore all the red flags of mental illness which is frustrating. The book lagged in the middle and had some plot holes. I liked the focus on mental health and wish there was more of an emphasis on it in addition to answers as to where Brendan was in those 5 missing years. 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.