This book had a very unique plotline that I found refreshing. Unfortunately, the pacing in the beginning was much too slow. I didn't find myself truly invested in the story until half way, and it still was missing something. Overall, I enjoyed the setting and plotline but found the writing and pacing a little off.

This book sounded so interesting! But I found myself bored and after picking it up and putting it down a few times I ended up DNFing it.


Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this src in exchange for my honest review

I will admit, this book started out very slowly for me and that is usual, for me, the kiss of death. However, I persisted because the subject matter of the environment and the planet was an interesting plot for me.

About chapter 4 or so, the story picks up and then I kept the next few days picking this up, even if I only had 5 minutes to read. Turn after turn, I was completely twisted around and by the end of the book, I was asking myself "how did the author bring me here?". I LOVED it.

Writing is crisp and I could not find any issues with the plotline.

Loved this one.

A little bit of sci fi and speculative fiction, the novel wass entertaining because of the premise, the unfolding of an original and unusual plot that focuses on the severity of climate change and what could happen in the future. The book is set not too far in the distant future, only about 12 years, so it is a wake up call about what continous flooding and global warming could bring to all countries.

Ess wakes up adrift on a boat, not knowing who she is or why she is marooned on the vessel. The plot slowly reveals who she is and her influence on what people might be doing during the drastic times of countries under climate devastation.

I enjoyed the novel of suspense and was surprised at every turn by the prediction of a kind of dystopian future of our own making.

This book had so many twists and moved at a rapid pace. What would you do if you woke up on a sailboat with a splitting headache and your memory erased? As the main characters digs to find out what happened, layers are peeled back in this story that touches on climate change and the power of friendship and humanity.

Adrift addresses whether a person would go to the lengths to wipe their memory in order to start over with a new life. Ess wakes up on a boat and doesn't know who she is, but she soon finds herself possibly in danger and wondering if it's worth finding out. She sails to Nanaimo on a hunch that someone there knows her former identity and in the process becomes friends with siblings Hito and Yori. As she gets to know them more and settle more into herself, she decides this new life wouldn't be so bad especially compared to the solitude her previous identity seemed to have. Overall, an interesting concept of how memory makes a person. The aspects of climate change and the stress that causes is another major focus of the book.

Synopsis:
"The truth doesn't always set you free...
Ess wakes up alone on a sailboat in the remote Pacific Northwest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. She finds a note, but it's more warning than comfort: Start over. Don't make yourself known. Don't look back.
Ess must have answers. She sails over a turbulent ocean to a town hundreds of miles away that, she hopes, might offer insight. The chilling clues she uncovers point to a desperate attempt at erasing her former life. But why? And someone is watching her...someone who knows she must never learn her truth.
In Ess's world, the earth is precariously balanced at a climate tipping point, and she is perched at the edge of a choice: which life does she want? The one taken from her―and the dangerous secret that was buried―or the new one she can make for herself?"

My Thoughts:
This book starts off slow as Ess is trying to understand her situation. I think the author did a great job writing the confusion, terror, and total loss that Ess was feeling. I will say that the story felt a bit monotonous and at times frustrating throughout the first half, but I feel like that may have been intentional to help the reader connect with Ess.
At the 60% mark I guessed the twist, but I kept reading to confirm that I was correct. The second half of the book picks up with some excitement and the reader is rewarded with a well crafted story.
As someone who likes a scare or thrilling twist in my books, this one doesn't have that and took me a while to read. However, I'm so glad that I kept reading because it was a fun and unique story.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookmarked for the gifted copy of this book.

What did I just read? As a reviewer, I'm reading a lot more books of a similar vein. So you start to see certain trends and stuff. When I read the synopsis of this book, I was excited. It was different and it caught my attention. Even though I wasn't fond of how it started, I thought it would get better and tell a different story. Unfortunately, it just kept getting worse. The both the writing and characters were infuriating. I cared nothing about this story or the outcome. I don't like giving bad reviews, it takes a lot to write a book. Unfortunately, this really was a one star read for me, but gave a star foe the creation to tell it a different direction.

#ADRIFT. # NETGALLEY #LISABRIDEAU

Imagine waking up on a sailboat and having no memory of anything before. That is how Adrift starts and if you're like me, the story will captivate you into reading it as much as possible and thinking about it when you're not reading it. Sarah Song wakes up with a terrible headache and can't remember anything. She finds a note on the sailboat that tells her not to look into her past or she will be in danger. The note tells her to lay low and not make herself known to anyone. She looks in the mirror and doesn't recognize the face looking back at her. How is this possible? There are pills for her headache left by someone. She takes one each morning to help with the pain. She finds papers that she owns the boat the Sea Dragon, she finds cash, id for Sarah Song, a passport, and an offshore bank account. Even though she can't remember anything she knows how to make complex sailing knots somehow. She finds a map and sets off to one of the closest towns.

Why does Sarah who calls herself Ess have no memory of anything? Who is responsible? Why does she know how to tie knots and sail, but can't remember ever doing it? How is she supposed to live without making connections with people? Who can she trust? She must hide that she has no memory and try to act normal, but what is normal when you have no prior memory? As she's sailing why does she keep seeing the same boat behind her? Is she being followed? Is someone after her? When Ess sails over a rough ocean to a town hundreds of miles away, will she be up to the journey? What will happen when the Harbor Authority pull up behind her and board her boat? Will she be arrested? Will she be found out that she's a fake? News reports are now saying that other amnesiacs are being found floating in boats. Others like Ess? What is going on? Will Sarah find out who she was before? Does she want to? Will Sarah Song be happy with her new life? You'll have to read Adrift to find out!

I absolutely loved Adrift and was shocked to learn it was Lisa Brideau's first book! Wow, what a fantastic debut!! I can't wait to read more from this amazing author! I rate Adrift 5 stars and give it my very highest recommendation!
I'd like to thank NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of Adrift in exchange for a fair review.
#Adrift

Ess aka Sarah wakes up alone on a sailboat in a remote part of the Pacific Northwest without any recollection of how she got there. She finds a note warning her not the come back but to start over. So she sails on with little clues and the fear of being watched.

I think this book touches on the darkness of being trapped, alone, and no memory of what happened l. Trying to piece together the past and also trying to listen to that voice that says to not look back. It’s a bit psychological thriller in that way. Traveling the stormy seas and mysteries.

The unpredictability of this story and the wanting to know is what is the driving force behind this story.

When our protagonist wakes up one day, she has no idea who she is or how she came to be alone on a sailboat called the Sea Dragon. All she has by way of explanation is a note telling her to start over and to not look back.

Her Canadian ID identifies her as Sarah Jane Song, but she knows instinctively that it’s a fake name, even if nothing, not even her face, feels familiar to her. She realizes that she must have amnesia, even before the note lets her know that the condition was purposely induced in order for her to better escape a shadowy “them.” At least she knows her way around a sailboat, as she slowly pieces together her location, just south of Alaska in the Pacific Northwest.

Unfortunately, whoever arranged for her to be on the Sea Dragon missed a few key issues with the ship. Most pressing is a lack of drinkable water, due most likely to a leaky water tank. With the help of the Sea Dragon’s library of sailing charts, she makes her way to land and slowly begins to feel out what exactly is going on, both with her and with the world, and how she can hopefully find answers and fix things.

Canada in the year 2038 is a magnet for climate refugees, and has tightened its borders in response. While her paperwork is all in order, our heroine – who’s chosen to go by the name Ess – can’t help fearing that she’ll somehow give away the fact that she has no idea who she is due to amnesia-induced social awkwardness. It doesn’t help that other amnesiacs have been found drifting in boats off of Canada’s western coast. Their condition is treated as a dodgy scheme for asylum, as Hito, a newly made acquaintance in the Harbour Authority, lets her know. As curious about the other amnesiacs as she craves human company, she decides to pursue her relationship with Hito further:

QUOTE
She’d shown up at Hito’s door that morning because he held the possibility of distraction and the possibility of answers and Ess wanted both badly even though they were pathways in opposite directions. She wanted the name of the neurologist he’d mentioned. To get it, she had to hide who she was, hide the only salient fact about herself that she knew: her amnesia. At a dinner whose purpose was to get to know each other better. And if she gave herself away for what she really was, she’d get thrown in a cell, get her face plastered on the news, attract whoever was after her before she could even find out why she was in this mess.
END QUOTE

Ess has to tread a fine line between getting the answers she needs while maintaining her privacy and safety, even as her feelings for Hito and his troubled younger sister Yori grow. But as unprecedented storms lash the Western seaboard, she’ll have to ask herself how far she’s willing to go in order to uncover the truth, and whether she’s willing to risk these fragile yet precious new friendships in order to reclaim a past that, it becomes increasingly clear, is perhaps not worth remembering.

Adrift is a near-future eco-thriller that raises interesting questions about identity and memory through its amnesiac heroine’s struggle to do the right thing. Lisa Brideau’s depiction of a future where climate change leads to sudden and catastrophic weather events is highly convincing. I also enjoyed the way she grappled with issues of human migration, underscoring the belief that no human being is illegal and that thoughtful, compassionate resettlement is the only moral solution to any refugee crisis.

But it’s her ruminations on memory that form the heart of this novel, as Ess tries to figure out who she is when she can’t consciously remember anything about who she used to be. A confidante tries to assure her that there’s more to her than a memory bank:

QUOTE
“I don’t know about amnesia”--he spoke so softly that Ess had to lean in to hear–”but even without long-term memories, I think you’re still you. The experiences that formed you still formed you, even if you don’t remember them.”

Ess thought about this, turning the idea over like a pebble, wanted it to be true. “Aren’t we our memories? Don’t all those experiences layer on top of each other, form us like a cake? Or a pearl? Or something else with layers. Without the memories, what’s left?”
END QUOTE

Ess’ stubbornness and naivete can often feel exasperating as she has to continually learn to allow her body to take charge over her conscious mind, but as the solution to the mystery of who she is and what happened to her unfolds, everything about her starts making perfect sense. The contrast between the relatively small stakes of her personal life against the backdrop of high stakes climate change serves to highlight the importance of both, anchoring each in believability despite the inherently speculative nature of the fiction.

ok honestly the beginning was good since it's the first time that i read a thriller in the future ( I usually don't read that many thriller) and I did like the premise of waking up with no memories and on a boat in the middle of nowhere but It got to a point that it was just going like it was not that thrilling, like it didn't keep me on edge and dying to know what's going to happen. Also the sailing reference was a bit confusing since I don't sail nor ever been near anyone that sail, had me stop and google the word to make sure that I understood what the author was talking about besides that It was a good read and I do recommend this book since it is pretty entertaining

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

What would you do if you woke up on a boat with no memory of your life? That's exactly the scenario our protagonist awakes to in Adrift. Finding only a fake ID proclaiming she is Sarah Song and a note to not dig into her past, Sarah, or Ess as she comes to call herself, is left to cope with the fact that she doesn't know who she is or why her memory is gone. With only a few clues linking her to her past, she sets sail on the Sea Dragon in order to find answers. As she begins to dig into her past, Ess finds out she is far from the only one of the amnesiacs that have been discovered drifting at sea.

Adrift also provides some stark social commentary on climate change, global disasters, and immigration. The setting of an ecologically ravaged world and the ensuing migration of climate refugees was extremely compelling, especially because some of it is not out of the realm of possibility.

Overall Adrift was an interesting read. I'd categorize this as a near-future speculative fiction with some mystery elements. If you go in expecting a thriller you might be a bit disappointed. The worldbuilding and setting of a climate-apocalypse-ravaged world was enough to keep me interested when the plot fizzled out in some spots.

Crossposted to Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5540200141

If I'd been in the right time frame when I started this book, I would have possibly finished it in one or two sittings but even in the busy week I started it, I read it pretty quickly!! It was very hard to put down and the story was immersive and captivating.

Swipe for a synopsis but basically the main premise of this story is that a woman wakes up on a boast without any of her memories of who she is or how she got there. She is left with very little information and ultimately makes some decisions about who she is or wants to become. It's set in 2038 on Vancouver Island and the world looks a bit different than in 2023 - climate change is an even bigger problem, understandably, and technology has changed a bit too. It was kind of fascinating to conisider these fictional future realities and also a bit disheartening! Eek!

For me, this book was a bit more plot-driven than character driven but I still enjoyed the character development.

I'd recommend this for fans of thrilling scenarios but it doesn't quite delve totally into the gory type of thriller genre and I appreciate that in my reading life. It would make a good beach read! It certainly made me want to visit Nanaimo BC again because it has been years!

Hmm. Not too sure where to begin.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I thought the premise was very cool. The main character wakes up on a boat and she doesn’t remember anything. There’s a big focus on amnesia and the process of memory, which I found very interesting. But otherwise, I felt that the book fell flat for me.

I can’t really pinpoint anything negative in particular. I just found myself to be very bored throughout the whole thing. There were good characters and the writing was well done, but I still felt like I was sludging through.

Also, it seems to be marketed as a thriller but I would not consider it one at all. It’s more of a slow burn drama/mystery.

I do believe that a lot of people would love this book, but it just wasn’t a good fit for me. I still recommend that you read the synopsis and give it a try if it sounds interesting!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my gifted copy!

Ess wakes up all alone on a sail boat in Canada, outside Victoria and no idea how she got there. She sees a note that says Start Over, Don’t make yourself known, Don’t look back.

Ess thinks that she must have answers, but she isn’t sure how to get them. As she follows the clues she gets some answers but to what lengths is she willing to go to solve this once and for all? Will she trust her not and move on while not trying to figure it out? Or will she try to get to the bottom of this, and at what costs?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun take on an amnesia book. I enjoyed the hints at climate change though a few things seemed over the top. It was obvious that this was a Canadian author, and she thinks Canada is amazing. Right, it is. But also, not everyone wants to move to Canada. I’m not sure how much people care about globalized healthcare when the climate is crap and it’s 125 degree out. Just a couple lines about how great Canada were really turned me off, and I’m a huge fan considering half my family is Canadian. It just felt out of place for the book.

However, the story was a fun one. I loved Ess and the journey she goes through to figure out who she is. Not necessarily before she had amnesia but just how much she has grown as a person since not knowing. I loved how she truly connected with her friends and they tried to help each other out.

The story is well paced and kept me wanting for more. I was sad when it ended but it was a good ending point.

I am so glad that I was able to read this e-arc from Sourcebooks Landmark, @bookmarked, and Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend you grad yourself a copy of this out May 9th! It will keep you guessing.

An enthralling, layered book! Awakening with no memory of who she is, Ess sails down the British Columbia coast in search of answers. Finding herself in a nightmare of climate change and environmental disturbances, she must survive in a changed world. Recommended reading.

Adrift is a climate change thriller. I haven't read a book set heavily into the climate change crisis. Usually, they are dystopian, set after some sort of cataclysmic event has occurred.

I found this imagining of what it will be like as temperatures rise, weather events become stronger and more frequent, and water levels swallow up entire communities, terrifying yet realistic.

Set in 2038, only 15 years from now... a little too soon for my comfort! Our main character, Ess, wakes up on a boat anchored near some uninhabited islands, with no memory of who she is or how she ended up on the boat. All she has is a note telling her to go live her new life and not try to find out about her past. But, that is hard for Ess to do. The desire to know her past is too strong. Otherwise, she just feels adrift out in the world.

Ess is running from people who would want to hurt her, but also more and more "refugee amnesia" cases are showing up, and authorities are on the hunt for them. If she is found, she'll be locked up indefinitely, considered someone trying to gain access to the country through illegal means.

Adrift is a slow-paced thriller. It is fairly character driven as we watch Ess struggle with the loss of her identity. She has to learn how to move on, create a life for herself, and trust others. There are definitely themes of redepmtion, forgiveness, starting over, and found family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced digital copy of this book. My thoughts are my own.

Adrift is a speculative suspense novel set in the near-feature west coast of Canada, both on land and on the water, in which a woman wakes on a boat with all her biographical memories gone—and a note stating it was done to her purposely for her protection. She’s not the first person who this has been done to, but she differs from the others in having both money and identification, which reveals her name is Sarah, although she instead chooses to go by Ess. Against the warnings in the note to not investigate her past, Ess begins doing just that, befriending various people while attempting to conceal her amnesia for her safety and find something—anything—that will offer her some sense of who she once was.

Adrift is also a harrowing work of climate fiction, taking place in a world where the current climate emergency has resulted in unprecedented yet entirely predictable impacts, including extreme weather events, massive sea level rise, and millions of “climate refugees” all over the world. The mystery of how Ess ended up in her predicament was both tense and fascinating, as was her grappling with the person/non-person she’s become and the question of whether it’s one’s past memories or present-day actions that define the self.

I did find Ess an odd duck at times, her behaviour strange and inconsistent with someone trying to behave like a “normal”, non-amnesiac person, and also somewhat inconsistent in general, but maybe that's actually realistic for people with that condition. I also wasn’t entirely certain <SPOILER> she actually deserved the positive ending she received given what we eventually learn about her past and how she came to lose her memories, particularly the outcome of her actions immediately before it happened. </SPOILER> There is an argument to be made for it, though, which is the sign of a thoughtful, though-provoking, and enjoyable story. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

Adrift by Lisa Brideau is a starkly foreboding preview of the quality of life in the not too distant future. Brideau brilliantly creates a foreboding environmental crises by concentrating on a single the trauma of a single character. Ess awakens one morning on a boat in the Pacific Northwest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Unlike typical amnesiacs, Ess has no autobiographical or humanitarian memory; however, she is able to remember the process to perform certain actions such as sailing a boat. Throughout the novel her one goal is to discover who she really is. But does she really want to know is the constant question in her mind? In Adrift, we clearly see the possibilities of the possibilities of a planet in an environmental crises. Brideau touches on the potential to recreate yourself, climate displacement, survival, politics of migration, and human kindness. Adrift is a searing thriller that will keep you mindful of every environmental reaction that is currently occurring.
#ThankyouNETGALLEY#thriller#environmental crisIs