I went into this with such high hopes. But unfortunately the book just wasn't for me. The premise made it feel mystical, and it was not. Thank you NetGalley for th ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Gallery Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Easy read, compelling, mystery and suspense.

This is a delightful read . It has both a bit of a sci-fi feel to it, and very much of a mystery. What happens to Cara/Brendan and her lost son when they vanish in the ocean. You must read to enjoy and I know you will.
Thank you NetGalley for this ebook for my enjoyment. Emma Fedor will be seen and heard from again.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this story but it was pretty frustrating at the same time. I was left feeling so confused! I really enjoyed the romance mixed with the thrilling suspense of the book and the alternating timeline was spot on to help you understand Cara's perspective. But I'm still not sure how this ended. It left me with more questions and I'm not sure if there will be a sequel. Was Brendan a military experiment? Was he suffering from mental illness? How could Cara still feel anything for him after he stole their child? Heck, How could she love him after his cruelness and her naivety made me cringe. I think if I had these questions answered I could have given it a solid 5 because the author's writing style keeps you interested.

I think like everyone else we are hoping the author finishes Cara and Brendan's story because there is so much left unanswered.

I love the cover which caught my attention to this book. It’s a page turner with love and mystery involved. But the ending seem like it was missing something. I would like to know more about what happened to Brendan, perhaps another sequel . I did enjoy the story but I would like to know what happens next.

At Sea, Emma Fedor
A young woman (Cara) fresh out of college, staying with family on Martha’s Vineyard for the summer, meets a charming young U.S Special Forces operator (Brendan) who, despite initial hesitation, she falls in love with. The young man has a secret ability to breathe under water that he uses for the special forces, but there’s more to him lingering just below the surface. Right when when their love is perfect and their son (Micah) is the piece that completes them. Brendan and Micah go missing and Cara is left devastated.

The characters were really well written for this book. Cara and Brendan seemed really well matched to me despite his ongoing issues. Its sad that got in the way of things. Not a super big fan of Graham. He was a well written, well developed, but I felt like he was only pretend supportive of Cara and I didn’t like that. I loved the plot as a whole. I went into it expecting to get sci-fi thriller and got a lesson on how mentally illness affect multi-generations of families. The pacing though seemed fast and slow at the same time. At times I was like OMG HURRY UP and then other times I was like wait we just sped through that moment. I loved that Brendan left her whale carvings as messages. Probably one of my favorite parts of the story. I felt like the end where the government people were like, “BUT DID YOU SEE him have these abilities?” And Cara was like, “uhhhh no maybe not really?” When it was clear at the beginning of the book she did. This was a frustrating moment because she’s making him look more crazy. I feel like the audience this was intended for will really like it and can already anticipate their questions.

Overall I highly enjoyed the book and hope there is more to the story or at least from this author. This will make a great book club book! Would definitely recommend to my reading circles. 5/5 rating.

I really am undecided about this book. In part, I loved the writing, but I found the plot and some of the characters very hard to process. Though I liked the character of Cara, I found Brendan offensive, with his combination of cruelty and illness. Seeing Cara as his victim made me angry

There is an element of sadism and sadness that runs through this book which stopped my total engagement.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

At the Sea was not my usual type of fiction. When I first started I didn’t know if it would be a book that would hold my interest. Within the first two chapters I was hooked. She creates a vivid image for the reader through her setting, character and character relationships. As the reader you are taken through the emotions and feelings of finding your first love. You are immersed in the life of main character Cara. As she explores life post college it is hard not to relate to the emotions and feelings she experiences as she embarks in independent adulthood. Emma creatively peels the layers of the characters throughout the book which keeps you wondering if this is a mythical book. This is Emma Fedor’s first book and I am hopeful it will not be her last.

A different type of story that had me questioning reality vs. mental health through out the entire book. At times I felt so bad for Cara and other times I wanted to shake her. A pleasant gem of a story.

Unique, fast paced with a mystery. I loved the story and had to keep reading. This book captivated me and I found myself thinking about this book and just wanting to read it.

For all paranormal romance readers, this is a book you are gonna want to read.


Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was well crafted and easy to read. The issue for me was that it was not engaging in the sense that i was not invested in the characters. The whole setup for Brendan's mental illness was too vague.. This would be a much better book if the characters were more three dimensional.

At Sea is a dual timeline/mystery/supernatural/romance about Cara and Brendon on Martha's Vineyard. In 2008 Cara, a new college graduate, is spending the summer on the Vineyard with her aunt and uncle while she figures out the next step in her life. She meets Brendan, and they quickly form a romantic relationship over the summer. Brendon reveals to Cara that he is in the special forces, and he can breathe underwater. In 2014 Cara is married to Graham, and searching for her son Micah, who Brendan disappeared with shortly after the boy was born.
I really wanted to love this book, and while I did like the writing, the plot and the story as a whole, I found I didn't really care for Cara at all, especially in the 2008 chapters. She came off as immature and gullible which may have been intentional given her age, but she read more as a YA character than an adult at times.
I felt the story as a whole wrapped up well. The mystery and supernatural elements explained and thought out well and I did feel satisfied with the ending. Overall, I did like the book, I just wish I liked the main character more.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of At Sea in exchange for my honest opinion.

"At Sea" was unique, fast-paced, and had me hooked from the very beginning. I genuinely really enjoyed this book and how it was not like anything else I have read. While the ending was not entirely satisfying for those who may like a story wrapped up in a nice bow at the end, I enjoyed it and liked that it left me wondering and wanting more. Sometimes it is nice to not have all the answers!
Author Emma Fedor does a great job of painting the picture of the setting, its landscape, and its characters. She also does a great job capturing main character Cara's emotions throughout the story. She weaves a fantastical element throughout the story without turning the novel into a fantasy work, which I really appreciated. Fantasy is great but sometimes just a tough of it is enough and that is certainly what Fedor has mastered in "At Sea."
I will say that I don't think this book had enough of the "thriller" element that I was expecting it to have. Definitely more of a mystery than a pure thriller.

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?” 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐝
“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?”
“𝐁𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫.”

When Cara’s father moved the family to Arizona, she decided to remain rooted to her life in Vermont, the original idea was to choose a college that would be close enough to care for her sick mother. With her mother’s death coming way too fast, Cara decided to stick with her original plan. She would always prefer the cold winters of New England to the suffocating heat of Arizona, remembering when her mother was alive, and her family was still together. Her future is in art, she wants nothing more than to make a living selling paintings and showing her work in galleries. She fears, though, she may end up a teacher instead. For now, she is kicking around Martha’s Vineyard, holding fast to the memories of her family and their vacations there, a family tradition while her mom was still alive. Staying in her mother’s old room at the Bexley House, not even her aunt and uncle’s presence can stop the ache of loneliness she is feeling, nor the painful rush of the past.

One day she is sketching on the cliffs when she spots a handsome, young man dripping with seawater and flirtation. Despite her best efforts, she falls hard and fast for Brendan who tells her he is with the US Special Forces. It is, however, his darker, unbelievable secret that will alter the course of her future. Due to an experiment with the military, he can breathe underwater, a very useful commodity. She has no reason to think he is lying, when all evidence supports his claims. They become lovers, it is a passionate and exciting love, if confusing. He must leave on a mission, she promises to wait for him. The problem is he disappears often, and the things she sees confuse her. Just what is he wrapped up in? He has his moods, his secrets but it’s only natural a man of his expertise and career in the special forces would. She has taken such things into account, seen the bigger picture, but there are so many missing pieces.

Just when she thinks he is gone for good, he returns, and she is back in his arms. Before the summer of their romance comes to an end, Cora will be pregnant with Brendan’s son, Micah. One day both her son and Brendan will vanish, leaving in their wake crushing grief. Life moves on but she never stops watching the shore with impossible hopes. She finds love with a man named Graham, Brendan’s complete opposite, a man that is solid, and more importantly, present. Then one day a fisherman brings news of a man and child ‘treading water in Nantucket Sound’. Is she insane to hope it could be Brendan and Micah?

Mysteries will be revealed, breaking what remains of her heart, but what is the truth? Is everything that happened a trick of the mind or a fantastical reality? Just how much should you support the man you love?

This was a quick read and a strange, yet original idea. It is, in a sense, about the blindness of love, the ‘tunnel vision’ so many experience. The tale also focuses on loyalty, at least for me, going back to when Cora first chose to help her mother and here again, putting all her faith in Brendan. It is also about hope, who could ever give up a search for their missing child? Not my usual read, but an enjoyable story. Everything happens so fast, love is sometimes a gush.

Published March 7, 2022

Gallery Books

Interesting book with a premise that I have yet to find in a book. You’ll find yourself loving the main character, Cara, and rooting for her love story.

Woah! At Sea by Emma Fedor is an excellent story.
And for this to be her debut novel she rocked it!

At Sea is a very well written and engaging debut.
With characters that are so full of emotion and fierceness that just rolls right off the pages. I couldn't imagine going through what Cara, this mother went through.
The secrets, the lies, the unknown.
You just have to read it y'all!
Emma Fedor held my attention through the entire book. Never once did I feel bored or lose interest.
Her writing style is amazing and she is one Author I'm adding to my list... because her writing is remarkable.
A unique, riveting, interesting read.
And I so look forward to reading more in the future.

"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own."

Gallery Books,
Thank You for your generosity a d gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of At Sea.

The premise was intriguing but once I began reading, I discovered it's actually misleading.

The narrative is divided into the past and present; in 2008 we first meet Cara, newly graduated and still mourning the loss of her mother from cancer from the previous year.

When she spends the summer with her aunt and uncle, she meets a mysterious, handsome man named Brendan. Their relationship is hot and steamy, punctuated with his erratic mood swings and odd behavior.

In the present, 2014, Cara is mourning the loss of her son, Micah and her lover, Brenda, who both disappeared five years ago.

When a local fisherman tells Cara a possible sighting of her son had been spotted, she's reluctant to give up hope, but will it once again to tragedy?

The story is really about the troubled relationship between Cara and Brendan; there is a subtle tinge of a science fiction subplot but that's quickly diminishes when you realize Brendan is suffering from a mental illness.

The writing is great, but bogged down with filler; plenty of expositional details about minor characters, the island, the people, who does what.

I love exposition as much as the next person; background is essential to developing a character, but I felt it was necessary.

There was no suspense, no drama, just a relationship. between two young people who barely know each other.

Cara was tough to like; I know she's. young, mourning her mother, and vulnerable, but I questioned some of her decisions. They made no sense.

I also couldn't understand how and why Cara and Brendan are together; he made jokes and Cara talked frequently about how handsome he is, but there's no rapport, no connection, it felt more like Cara was in lust, not in love, which is fine. But the love between them....I didn't feel it.

When Micah and Brendan disappear, that traumatic moment is almost downplayed, written in a less than urgent tone, like an afterthought..

The ending is almost anti-climatic; wrapped up quite neatly despite the agony Cara had to endure as a mother whose child is missing.

Instead, the author chooses to focus on Cara's past, the signs that Brendan was troubled and she continued to ignore, which I get. When you're in 'love,' you see only what you want to see.

I was looking for a thriller/suspense novel, but this was a bit too romance-y for me.

At Sea
By Emma Fedor

A story about young love, a possible double-life and a mysterious and sudden disappearance of the ones you deeply love. What could possibly happen next?

Synopsis:
Cara, a young artist fresh out of college meets a mysterious guy named Brendan one afternoon while vacationing on Martha’s Vineyard. She is grieving over the death of her mother and decides to spend the summer with her Aunt Moira and Uncle Ed to help clear her mind and figure out her post-graduate next steps. She’s immediately taken by Brendan’s good looks and charm. He also holds a secret that he has never told anyone-he can breathe underwater. He not only can stay underwater for long periods of time, he is also apart of a “secret experimental unit” for the US Special Forces.

This is a story about one young woman’s heart-wrenching first love and the ties that bind them together (loss and the weight of secrets).

Likes:
-I was convinced a few chapters in that this was going to be more of a supernatural/fantasy sort of book. As the story unfolded I realized that was not the case and felt more like a psychological thriller.

-Without trying to give away too many spoilers, I liked how Fedor had Cara still wondering if what Brendan had told her all those years was really true. She loved him so much and wanted so badly to believe him! As the reader, I couldn’t help but question it as well!

-More than halfway through the book I began to feel like the book was dragging and I almost put the book down. But given the subject of the book (mental illness), I like how Fedor took the time to develop the relationship between Cara and Brendan. The push and pull, frustration, fear, outbursts-a character like Brendan with all that he embodies needs to time to develop. Cara’s love for him was so strong and heart-wrenching that there was no way this character was going to simply walk away.

This is Emma Fedor’s debut novel and I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Cara and Brenden meet and there is an instant mutual attraction. Brenden tells her after they have been out a few times that he is in Special Forces and has been surgically modified to breathe underwater. Cara is skeptical but he proves it to her.

I loved the writing style of this author, I became so immersed in the story that I didn't turn my light out until 1:30 this morning so I could finish it. It was with mixed emotions because I wanted to continue reading about these characters. I became so close to Cara and all she was going through as well as those around her.

I would have liked a little more clarity at the end, but it was satisfactory. I'll look for more books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and to Gallery Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book.

Wow!!! I really loved this book. I read it so quickly I couldn’t put it down. I enjoyed the dual timelines between past and present so we could learn about cara and brendans history and what led up to him being gone for 5 years. Also the ending really left us on a cliffhanger!!! Would definitely recommend this book to friends.