[TW/CW: Language, death of parent, cancer, anxiety, toxic relationships, divorce, gory scenes]</b>

<b><big>*****SPOILERS*****</b></big>
<b>About the book:</b>
Leah is changed. A marine biologist, she left for a routine expedition months earlier, only this time her submarine sank to the sea floor. When she finally surfaces and returns home, her wife, Miri, knows that something is wrong. Barely eating and lost in her thoughts, Leah rotates between rooms in their apartment, running the taps morning and night. Whatever happened in that vessel, whatever it was the crew was supposed to be studying before they were stranded, Leah has carried part of it with her, onto dry land and into their home. As Miri searches for answers, desperate to understand what happened below the water, she must face the possibility that the woman she loves is slipping from her grasp.
<b>Release Date:</b> March 3rd, 2022
<b>Genre:</b> Horror
<b>Pages:</b> 228
<b>Rating:</b> ⭐

<b>What I Liked:</b>
1. Nothing

<b>What I Didn't Like:</b>
1. Boring - story lacked l
2. Didn't like the writing style

<b>Overall Thoughts:</b>
<b><u>{{Disclaimer: I write my review as I read}}</u></b>

So I got the audiobook arc of this year's ago and finally have gotten to the book.

Is something going to happen other than them talking about their friends, jobs, and each other?? This is so boring.

<b>Final Thoughts:</b>
Honestly this book was boring. It was full of random words and sentences that went no where. One moment we'd be talking about the relationship between Miri and her Leah then into her(Miri) mother being ill. It all felt so unfocused.

Dnfed this 50% into the book. Hated the way the author told us so matter of factly everything that has or is happening. So bored.

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<b>Thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I am a huge fan of this author and have read a lot of their previous work, so I was honored to get this arc copy to read. After my long book hiatus after having my new baby, this was such a fun book to jump start my reading for the new year!

I had a really hard time following the plot. Sometimes I felt like the story was not very straightforward, almost like we were talking in circles about what was happening. Maybe that was the idea, but it didn't work for me. I look forward to reading others from Armfield to see if this was a 'me' issue, or just not a style of writing I prefer.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it during my commutes and was completely engrossed from the very start, which doesn’t happen often but is always a delight when it does. This book will appeal to a specific audience – it's quite slow-paced and filled with lengthy paragraphs, so it might not be for everyone. However, it resonated with me deeply, keeping me captivated throughout.

The writing is beautiful and flows effortlessly. Unlike some books where the author's effort to be descriptive feels forced, this one is natural and organic with its vivid imagery and introspective depth. The themes of grief and sapphic love are portrayed with such tenderness and melancholy, striking a unique chord with me. There's also a hint of horror that I found intriguing. The book is meticulously researched, intertwining oceanography with emotional themes in a fascinating way.

Overall, this is a stunning and unique book that has secured a spot in my top favorites of the year. I think most would agree that it’s practically a perfect read.

Fantastically narrated audiobook! We're following a married couple; one woman who went on an under sea mission, and the other remained at home. The missions didn't go as planned, and when she comes home, things feel off. In another timeline we are visiting the mission, and I loved how Julia let us experience the claustrophobia and see the impact that the job had on the crew. It's definitely weird and perfectly my vibe.

I enjoyed reading this book, but I kept waiting for the horror, but when it came I was underwhelmed. It did give me Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy vibes which I enjoyed.

I found this to be a Kleenex box tear jerker. Left me so sad yet reflective. Leah goes on a routine submarine dive but doesn’t return like Normal, Her wife is left in a panic to have the rescue teams find her Leah is gone for months. Her wife continues to wait for word. She never gives up. Then there is word they have retrieved the submarine and Leah is coming home. Once Leah is home she paces from room to roo every night. She isn’t the same sine she was in the submarine. Overtime, it becomes the long goodbye to her love, her wife.. it was a long goodbye to the listener too...one you never wanted to end. Such a fantastic look into the lives of this couple.yes I would definitely recommend.thanks to #NetGalley,#JuliaArmfield #OurWivesBe sure to pick up a copy for a different type story of true love.

Tough topic. A woman, after a deep-sea mission, comes back home to her wife. After going through major traumatic events, one might think, coming back home is everything a person might need. Not necessarily. People see stuff. People change. People carry grief and guilt of surviving while their companions didn't.

The book is about the aftermath of surviving and the other side of dealing with it - survivor family. Often, they just happy to have their loved one back home. But for them, it's a huge adjustment as well. I think the author quite well presented those perspectives.

The main problem I had with the book was the chaos of thoughts and events. It was hard for me to see when past ends and present begin. And I see how it might be the point, tho it made it difficult to understand it overall.

I'm glad I had the audiobook version because it gave smoothness to the rough edges. Yet, I am sorry to admit, that the story won't stay long with me.

Captivating horror/love story.

Told in alternating perspectives between wives Miri and Leah, OUR WIVES UNDER THE SEA recounts Leah's deep-sea mission and the days that followed her return. Marine scientist Leah was only supposed to be on a three-week research trip but was gone six months, a period of time during which the submarine's communications system ceased working and Miri eventually began to grieve Leah's death. Now that Leah's back, things are not as either of them expected.

I read this in practically one sitting, desperate for details author Julia Armfield slowly doles out. The narration by Annabel Baldwin and Robyn Holdaway was excellent and added to the text.

eerily gorgeous prose, Julia Armfield I have my eye on you. This is a perfect creepy literary horror novel to read when summer is slowly turning to fall. Loved the dual POV, although I found the narration by both voices a little dull. I would recommend reading this as a physical because the audio couldn't capture the special elements of this story for me.

This story is about the relationship between Miri and her wife Leah. Leah has just returns from a submarine mission and is acting strange and removed. She is slowly deteriorating, and Miri is trying to cope with Leah’s curious illness as Leah gets worse and worse.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a beautifully haunting story. Throughout the book there's just a sense of creeping dread and sadness.

Spooky and atmospheric. I expected this one to be open ended - but I do wish we had a little more insight into what exactly was happening. This is definitely a book for readers who don't mind some ambiguity in their stories. I particularly wish the conspiracy aspect had been fleshed out more - that was one of the most intriguing parts of the book for me and it just kind of fell flat when it came to that.

The audiobook was great! The narrator did a fantastic job.

Wow, that was unsettling. This novel is claustrophobic and expansive at the same time and I don't think I've read anything like it. Will definitely be looking forward to more Armfield.

The synopsis of the book sounded interesting to me and I heard many people recommend it so I decided to give this new author to me a try. Unfortunately, the book just fell flat for me and I was disinterested in the plot and felt no connection whatsoever to the characters. If you like literary fiction with lots of big words and heavy descriptiveness then maybe this is for you. A ton of people seemed to like it on Goodreads so I think I'm just not the right person for this book and just didn't get it. I also listened to this on audiobook so it may be different when reading but I still just didn't love this book. It's probably 1.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me an ARC copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts and opinions.

3 stars. I can appreciate the foreboding elements of dread at seeing one's loved one come back from a traumatic event and be changed drastically. I appreciated the concept and I found the last 40 pages of the book to be quite moving and profound, but this is boring. It feels tedious and hard to slog through. I am quite sad to not loved this one as much as some, but even cosmic horror done to this height could make me forget how painfully bored I was for the majority of the novel. I think this would've worked more as a novella and with less time being spent inside the mind of Miri. Leah's chapters in the ship were claustrophobic and fascinating and the ending was thought-provoking, but I can't help but feel as though I will forget everything about this book quite soon. More thoughts to possibly come.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield.

Oh my goodness, I felt this story in my bones! This was a quiet slow burn, but still full of tension, love, hope, and mystery.

When Miri's wife Leah leaves for a deep sea mission, she never expected her to be gone for as long as she was. But after months of no sign of her, or information, Miri expects the worst. But when Leah does finally return, she returns completely different. What happened in the deep and will life with Leah ever be the same?

I don't think I've ever read anything like this, and I was thoroughly captivated the whole time. I thought the author did a great job with the timing of the book as well as plot and character development. The uniqueness of it was a fun experience.

Genuinely this was such a drag to get through I feel so badly about stating that but it was written beautifully just not my personal cup of tea

**3.5 stars...This book was weird, slow, and sad. The narration was excellent! I was a little confused at times since I was listening versus reading because it would switch so quickly from the present day to reminiscing about the past and back again. I thought it was a little slow at times but the story kept me intrigued especially with Leah describing her experiences under water and Miri describing Leah's odd behavior upon returning home. It was so unique and creepy and the writing style was beautiful in a melancholic sort of way. I would definitely read another by Julia Armfield!

This book is eerie and amazing and not for me but definitely for other people. Our Wives Under the Sea is often compared to Annihilation and I can definitely see the parallels. This is a book about intimacy, grief and estrangement. One wife comes back from a months-long sea voyage diffferent and strange. I found the book slow. It spends time ruminating on the hurt of a loved one becoming different and the horror of the depths of the sea. I wanted this book to move faster, to tell me what happened, for one of the characters to make a choice, but instead it chooses to ratchet up tension by leaving the characters trapped together. I would recommend it to friends, but I didn't love it myself.

This story was spellbinding. The narration really elevated the experience and the writing was beautiful. So glad I read it.