What did I just read? A mystery, a supernatural fantasy, a romance, a coming of age? All of these wrapped into one I think. Loved Brendan’s character, at first, but then as his behavior became more unpredictable I found myself questioning why Cara would stay with him, much less choose to become pregnant.
The otherworldly claims that Brendan made were scary enough, but then his bizarre behavior and stories had me convinced he was struggling with mental illness. As I read more and more questions popped into my head and I continued to read seeking answers. Unfortunately very few were revealed which leaves me frustrated. Emma Fedor I needed the answers gift wrapped with a big bow.
Many thanks to Emma Fedor, Gallery Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this just released book.

Thank you to the publisher and NETGALLEY for allowing me to read this ARC.

We meet Cara when she is moving to The Vineyard after graduating college and unsure of her next move. One day she meets Brendan who sweeps her off her feet, but he has a secret: he can breathe underwater.

We flip back and forth between 2008 as we watch Cara and Brendan’s love story unfold and 2014 where Cara is married to someone else and Brendan and her son are missing.

I originally rated this 3 stars but the ending for me increased it to 3.5 stars as I think it addresses some important issues. I really didn’t care for Cara or Brendan as main characters.

Pub date March 7, 2023

At Sea
by Emma Fedor
Gallery Books

This is a powerfully complex story of one woman's search to find answers when her husband and child vanish. It is a multi-genre book, which could appeal to those looking for a different kind of story with suspense, romance, mystery, and a slower pace.

Thank you to Net Galley and for Gallery Books for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.

It's not possible to put At Sea into a bin. It's a little bit mystery, a little bit fantasy, and a little bit romance, all mixed together into an incredible novel. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect when I started Emma Fedor's debut novel, but I absolutely loved it. The power of Cara's love for her missing son shines through on every page. While her grief is sometimes raw, there's also beauty to be found in the power of her emotions and the drive to know what happened to Brendan and Micah, Emma Fedor also tackles mental illness in an honest and thought-provoking way. This is a book that I will be thinking about for a while and will stay with me.

I’m not usually drawn to books that feature characters with supernatural abilities but the blurb for this book intrigued me. AT SEA by Emma Fedor drew me in from the beginning and kept my attention throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allow me to review this ebook. 4 stars!

This was a really tough one for me to rate. If all I cared about was beautifully described locale and the idea that I need to get to the Vineyard some day (I live so close and have never been), then this would have been hit out of the park. I didn't mind the back and forth between past and present either. The characters, though, just were blah to me. Cara drove me crazy with her thought processes. I wasn't sure if this story was science fiction/time travel or something else and I suppose that was how we were supposed to view the story. Although I was not really invested in either main character or the storyline, I continued on believing there would be a twist/sucker punch. There was a tiny one maybe but I left this story feeling unsatisfied. The author does write well but the story left me a bit cold.

I was so mixed on this book. It goes into the mental illness lane with Brendan just disappearing with his and Cara's son, but she is very on the fence with what to believe. Part of her believes the secret military missions and Brendan claiming he can breathe under water, but the rational side kicks in too. Love can definitely be blinding and I didn't connect to Cara. She came off a bit weak and boring.

I liked the overall plot and premise, but the final ending left me thinking, that was it?

Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Sometimes a fairytale romance can only be a fairytale. But love can, just like that, become a fairytale. What if by chance a man meets a woman by the sea and their relationship becomes more than just the fairytale. A love story for the ages. But what happens when the love story and the fairytale begin to crumble. What happens then?

Cara meets Brendan unexpectedly and accidentally at the beach on Martha’s Vineyard one summer day. Fresh from graduating college, Cara, an artist is staying with her aunt for the summer before heading to somewhere to try and figure out what to do with her life.

But, on that day she finds Brendan, she discovers he is life! He’s funny, spontaneous, handsome and has an incredible career as a U.S. Special Forces officer, so, he’s even mysterious! Although he cannot disclose much to Cara, she finds out his mother died in a car accident. Cara’s own mother died years ago of cancer. He is wealthy, which Cara thinks can’t hurt, and he must go on secret special assignments and be away for periods of time due to his job. But one bit of information seems to scare her. Brendan tells her the Special Forces implanted him with an experimental apparatus which allows him to breath underwater for days on end. Something no one knows about.

As their romance heats up that summer and knowing Brendan will have to leave on an assignment soon, Brendan suggests they have a child. They already know they will be together forever. Cara is not sure. Not about the being together forever, that’s a given, but she had plans for herself. She wanted her art to be featured in galleries. If she stays in Martha’s Vineyard, would that ever happen. But Cara becomes pregnant. As her due date approaches, she begins to notice a change in Brendan. He starts to become erratic, with mood swings. But perhaps it’s just the fact they are bringing a life into the world.

And then Micah is born. He is beautiful and they are happy for a while. But Brendan starts to obsess about the fact that perhaps Micah was born with the same power he has. He needs to know. Brendan starts to frighten Cara and she fears for Micah. She leaves with the baby. But one morning, she awakens to find Micah gone and no sign of Brendan. Her heart is broken, and she fears she will never see her child again.

Five years later, married to someone else and an artist on the Vineyard, someone comes up to her and tells her they saw two people, one a child swimming out in the middle of the ocean with no boat to be found. Cara is in shock. She is determined to find out if this is true. Her husband tells her she needs to let this fairytale of finding her son go. They will never be found.

But first loves never dies. No matter who thinks she is delusional, she knows this romance which started so long ago has not come to its conclusion. She will fight to the end to find her son, and the man she gave her soul to.

At Sea is a beautiful love story about trust, coping with illness, never giving up, first love and first heartbreak. Do fairytales really come true?

Thank you #NetGalley #GalleryBooks #AtSea #EmmaFedor for the advanced copy.

This book takes place on Martha’s Vineyard and was absolutely riveting. Unraveling Cara herself and her inner thoughts was just as fascinating. Highly recommend. CWs for mental illness, pregnancy, and kidnapping/loss of a child.

For as long as she can remember, Cara has been an island girl. More comfortable on Martha's Vineyard and its waters than possibly anywhere else in the world, the New England shores have beckoned her back time and time again, even after her recent graduation from college. Days on the island are quiet and comfortable, until a handsome--and quite brazen--stranger quite literally emerges from the waters and enters into Cara's life.

As Cara tumbles headfirst into a whirlwind romance with special forces solider Brendan, life becomes increasingly more surreal, especially when she learns he has a secret: he too is drawn to the sea, because he can breathe underwater. As tourist-season-summer fades to fall and gives way to the hushed New England winter, Cara is pregnant and Brendan mysteriously comes and goes from Martha's Vineyard.

And once their son is born, one night, he and the baby leave and don't return.

"At Sea" is an atmospheric and truly genre-defying story; primarily romance but also general fiction, fantasy, and suspense, I'm already so curious to know what other readers will make of it. While for the most part, it was gorgeously-written, there were odd flickers of a young adult tone and "clean" fiction writing interspersed throughout that felt disjointed from the rest of the plot. For me, the story unfolded in a breathtaking, magical way and was bound by an impressive cohesion and solid pacing that many debut authors struggle to demonstrate.

Written for those who find themselves tethered to a sense of place (especially on the water), "At Sea" was a refreshing escape from reality that, even after the final page, left me wondering what within the pages was real.

At Sea by Emma Fedor was a wonderful romance mixed with mystery/thriller. It could not have been a better mix.

Fedor was able to paint a picture of every event that took place within this title. From the feel of the coast, to the smell of the sea, it was like the reader is right there the whole time. It really pulled at my heartstrings and made me realize the amazing things a person will do for their child.

I will say this title felt a bit more like a young adult read, but it was still good nonetheless.

I'm giving this title four stars.

Emma Fedor's 'At Sea' is a deeply moving tale of how far we'll go when our minds tell us something should be impossible.

MUSINGS:
- What I loved the most about Cara's story is that even though it's meant to be a mystery and thriller, it also gave me such deep romantic vibes. How far would I go if my husband disappeared one day? I really don't know?? At Sea's glorious for the fact that, psychologically speaking.. none of us knows if we would handle a situation any differently?
- This book should absolutely be a movie!!! It would do so well I think? I could see the story unfolding off the rocky coast of North East USA and feel the longing in Cara as she faced the salty sea spray.
- At Sea has a slow beginning and definitely took me some time to get into - but I loved it in the end!!

The other thing I loved -- there's a definite sci-fi component to this story that I wasn't expecting to find? Sci-fi has long been one of my favorite genres and I'm slowly getting back into it. At Sea is a fun way to dip your toe into the genre if you haven't read sci-fi before but also love thrillers!

Cara is young and naive. She barely knows this man but she is swept away by Brandan's charm and ignores the glaring signs. She was in a state of denial for most of the book until her baby was stolen from her. She drove me crazy with her naivety and I wanted to shake some sense into her. But I kept reading to see if my senses were right. Fedor keeps you hooked into the story even though you know where it is going. I like the Martha's Vineyard setting. Because the book sets in MV throughout the year, the cold and windy winters of MV added to the moodiness of the story.

I read this debut within 24h. The whirlwind romance and suspense kept me turning the pages. Jumps between the dual timelines (5years apart) helped the story maintain its tension. The premise is crazy and Cara herself calls it an incredible and dumbfounding tale but there were times I came very close to believing his claims. I was satisfied with the ending up until the very last page. At Sea is a quick read but it reads like a new adult romance/suspense.

Clara was not only one of the least likeable characters, but this book was a little far fetched. I loved the premise, but it didn't live up to the hype.

Do you want to root for a main character, yet kind-of hate her at the same time? This book is for you!
Cara first meets Brendan while she is painting a scenery at a nude beach. He immediately likes her & they hit it off. Then he drops the bomb that he can breath under water. All because he's in the Army Special Forces and had a secret surgery. Do Cara totally believes him, without question and they have their summer romance. Then Cara gets pregnant. Their son, Micah, is born and Brendan thinks his son "inherented" his ability to breath under water. He fears that "they" will be after his son & kidnaps him one night.
Five years later, a fisherman sees a man and a boy in the ocean & Cara is convinced it is Brendan & Micah.
This story had a great twisty premise! It's execution might have been a little off, but that might have been on purpose. Are we to believe that Cara was really that naive? Did she really get swept up in Brendan's delusions?
That ending bumped it up to 4 stars for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

One of the least likable characters I've read in a while coupled with a hmm, really story. Loved the cover, title, and the premise was promising but this was not for me

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this! I thought the idea of the novel was unique and eccentric, but wish we could've tied up more of the loose ends. I also am not big on the female character seeming oblivious, naïve, so blinded by love that they don't question their partner.

This is a story that glaringly parallels what I thought it was going to be. I wanted a good magical realism story with strong, capable characters. And while the book was arguably good, the aspects I wanted in it, the things from the synopsis that I was led to believe it would have, were just not there.

Instead, our main protagonist, Cara is the kind of female lead that I just don’t like. Blinded by a love that never seemed fully plausible in the first place.

I wanted more of a sci-fi plot. I wanted it to unapologetically go there… it wasn’t what I was hoping for but I do love when books can mix mental health and magical realism in this abstract way in which both are kind of represented without giving you a clear and definitive answer.

This synopsis was absolutely for me… the book itself was not.

Such an intriguing idea. I do feel like there was missing pieces but it was still very enjoyable and hard to put down.

What a great book! I love everything by this author and this book was no different! I couldn't put this down and was up all night waiting to see how it ended!