This one was hard to get in to. Partially because of the slower feel to it. I ended up skimming a lot of it towards the end.

The Floating Girls by Lo Patrick is a novel about a young girl in the marshes of Bledsoe Ga. Kay Whitaker comes from a very poor family and has nothing but free time. It’s during this time that she finds a house on stilts in a neighboring marsh. Andy Weber and his father have just moved back to Ga, from Ca. They moved to Ca to get away from rumors that surrounded them and have only come back, because they have no where else to go. Although, Kay’s dad has told her to stay away from the Webers house, she just can’t do it. Her home has so much sadness and overtly she can’t keep herself there. She finds herself going over to the Weber place more and more. Kay’s sister goes missing and things start to change. Secrets come out about most of the people in the marsh. No-one is safe from rumor or secrets and Kay and her brothers must piece together all of it to survive. This was a good story.. a little slow paced at times and it was very depressing. The writing was good but this just wasn’t the story for me. I couldn’t really get into it. Over all it was a 3 star read for me. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my copy for an honest review. It is always a pleasure to read and review each story.

This was a cross between “Where the Crawdads Sing” and “The Glass Castle.” The setting was incredible and such a force in the book. I enjoyed the POV from the tween girl, it felt very accurate for a boy-crazy girl who only hears snippets about her world she’s trying to understand more clearly. I felt like reveals took too long, and made for a very long act two and three but I was very intrigued and wanted to figure out how it all fit together. The ending was a little bit too opaque for me, but it made sense when I reread the prologue.

I read this a while back. I was hooked for most of it. I sped through it and wanted to find out how everything got resolved in the end. I liked some characters and the sequence of events. It unraveled in a way I hadn't foreseen. I really liked Kay's characterization. It was different from what I usually read. I liked the atmosphere and the weather. They were unfamiliar and therefore interesting. What really bothered me about the book, and perhaps kept me from reviewing it sooner, were the loose ends. There were too many of them and not ones that made sense.

3.5/5 rounded up

If there is one thing I am sure about regarding The Floating Girls it is that Lo Patrick really brought it with her descriptions of Georgia and its atmosphere. I could practically feel the oppressiveness of the heat and it was easy for me to visualize Kay in all her glory. There is a little bit of a mystery aspect to the story because of her sister going missing, but I can’t say I was very satisfied with how that part of the plot ended. However, it brought with it some surprises and I get the idea that the focus of the book was really supposed to be how Kay sees the world through her age and where she lives. There are some triggers in here so I would recommend looking into those prior to reading, but I thought the way they were written was realistic and they were heartbreaking topics.

I honestly think the best way to enjoy this book is by listening to the audio, and even though it's about 10 hours long, it goes pretty quickly. Taylor Meskimen is also a fantastic narrator, and I was really impressed with her narration for Kay. She fits that character so perfectly, and I thought she was able to fully capture her quirks, strength, and of course, the way she spoke. I felt like I could have been listening to the ‘real’ Kay tell the story, and for this reason, recommend the audiobook 100%. From what I have seen, I believe this is Patrick’s first book, and while some of the execution was missing for me, I think she has a lot of talent for atmosphere and writing first-person characters. I will be curious to see what this author’s sophomore novel will be, and I will definitely be reading it!

A coming-of-age debut set in the hot, sticky marshes of the Georgia coast with mysteries dated in the past and present. This is told in the narrative of a smart and independent, twelve year old chatterbox.. Kay Whitaker. It follows her life and family through hardship, tragedy, her mothers mental illness, and the eventual arrest of her parents after terrible family secrets are revealed.

It’s a quiet, emotional story that didn’t necessarily pull me in to where I enjoyed it as much as I wanted to. This was on my most anticipated 2022 releases list. For southern fic readers looking for a slower-paced family drama voiced in a child’s perspective. 3 stars. Pub. 7/12/22

Much thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark via NetGalley for kindly approving a digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Damp and bleak setting…equally bleak story. I was equal parts amused and annoyed by the young narrator of the tale. For me, the ending seemed rushed, after a long buildup…and I was left with unanswered questions.

**2.5 stars**

I wanted to love The Floating Girls but it was just ok. The author did evoke the humidity and setting of the South and it the coming if age part was spot-on, it is just missing much mystery.

**thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

It took me awhile to really get into the book, the main protagonist's (Kay) character was annoying to me and she's not even real, I suppose however that for the purpose of the book, she was written well. There were some parts where I got lost in what was happening and I have no idea what time period this was set in. I kept taking guesses every time something popped up but there was no clear indication as to when exactly this book takes place and I find it to make reading it a bit confusing. Overall it was a good read though and I enjoyed being able to think on it quite a bit.

Interesting read but a bit slow. Similar in some ways to Where the Crawdads Sing but more realistic.

The Floating Girls seemed like was trying to be a Crawdad's Sing type of book and I was wary. The first few chapters disproved those thoughts and I was 100% hooked.
Midway through it got slow going for me. I finished but could've stopped if not committed.

Southern fiction at its best. Loved the main character 12 years old Kay Whitaker. The story has mystery and southern family secrets and is full of well developed characters. The writing is both engaging and descriptive.
This book reminded me of both Where the Crawdads Sing and Whistling Past the Graveyard.
Amazing debut book and I will eagerly await more from Lo Patrick .
Highly recommend to readers who enjoy a good southern fiction mystery
Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sending this book in exchange for review recommendations. All opinions are my own

Set in the coastal marshes of Georgia, the Whittakers are poor and isolated. So, when 12-year old Kay meets Andy Webber, she is instantly enthralled. She believes she is in love, but her parents warn her to stay away from him and his family. She finds out that Andy's mom died mysteriously years ago. Now, Kay's sister Sarah-Anne is missing.
Kay is wise-cracking and bold in her language and her opinions. The mysteries that surround her family and the Webbers mold her for life.
I liked Kay's character, but I don't like books that allow you to wonder what actually happened. The ending is unclear, although I think I know - but I don't like the vagueness.

I love the "voice" of 12-year-old Kay - she's quite a kick in the pants! She's sharp as a whip, and witty, but naive about the bigger themes and undercurrents of her life. Her "style" kept the story moving along as well as fun.

Overall, if removing the Kay lense, the tale is a sad one of a large family living almost off the grid and very poor. Mom is silent and Dad is a bit overwhelmed and mean. While you root for the kids, by the end you don't know who to feel more sorry for. Kay seems optimistic, though, even if more than a bit jaded.

The title of the book does not make an appearance in the novel, and neither does the scene depicted in the cover art, both big "no no's" in my book. And also a bit disappointed that this story plays into the stereotype of Southerners being broke and backwater. Mitigated by the author being from the South, but only slightly.

Still enjoyable, if you're okay with the cliffhanger ending.

Read it? Let me know what you thought!

Thank you to SOURCEBOOKS and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for a review. This novel released on July 12, 2022.

I loved this novel. It had great characterization and I wasn't always sure where it was going - which was great. I enjoyed the characters and all of the lessons they learned along the way. It was realistic, how not everything in life is predictable.

Loved this book...kind of a Crawdads feel to this book but it was a beautiful story with beautiful writing. I highly recommend this gem of a read!

Review posted on Goodreads, 23 February 2022:

Like many Southern novels, THE FLOATING GIRLS boasts a strong sense of place, a setting so vivid and FELT that it becomes a character in its own right. The bleakness of Bledsoe, a swampy Georgia backwater, saturates every page. Set against this grim backdrop, Kay Whitaker—our 12-year-old heroine—is a bright, sparkling star. Cynical yet more hopeful than any of her kin, she observes her wretched life with a truly wicked sense of humor. I laughed out loud numerous times at her antics and words. She's a firecracker, for sure. The other characters in THE FLOATING GIRLS are just as well-drawn. They're a complex bunch.

Although this is a mystery novel, it's not a gripping, edge-of-your-seat kind of read. It's a slow burning, character-driven tale. The mystery (mysteries, actually) unfold at a snail's pace. Because Kay kept me so entertained, I didn't mind the gradual buildup. My problem is with the book's abrupt ending, which leaves one of the novel's big questions pretty much unanswered. To me, it seems like the book is missing its last few chapters, the ones that wrap everything up in a satisfying, bow-tied conclusion. I read an e-ARC, so it's possible this is the case. I'll have to check against a final copy when those are available. I think the obscure ending is intentional, though, and that's unfortunate because it definitely left me unsatisfied, which tainted my opinion of the novel. Considering the overall tone of THE FLOATING GIRLS (sad and depressing), I didn't expect a nice, neat happily ever after, but I absolutely wanted more than I got. Especially for the lively Kay.

There are a couple other things about the book's plot that I found illogical and confusing. The relationship between Nile Webber and Clay Whitaker, for example. That one made no sense at all. Again, I felt like I didn't get a lot of the answers that would have made the story really come together.

So...I give THE FLOATING GIRLS props for its atmospheric setting, its memorable heroine, and Patrick's solid skills with prose. It loses points for me because of its holey plot and disappointing end. All in all, then, I'd give this novel 3 1/2 stars if I could; since I can't, I'm rounding up.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 3.5, pretty good read overall but it did take me a little while to get into it and it felt kinda long for the length, would reread though.

A very heartwarming coming of age story that will stay with you after the last page. Loved the setting and the characters.