We Don't Swim Here was...fine. Arkansas isn't the midwest, but whatever. Thank to you NetGalley for the ARC!

There are a few pieces of the backstory that aren't explained, but overall this is a really fun, creepy, ghostly mystery! I liked both of the main characters and was very interested in the backstory. Again, there were a few things that didn't get closure (ghost bus?), but I'd recommend this to any of my high school readers!

I absolutely love books that have urban legends, whether made up for the story or based on real life urban legends. I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Review has been posted on Amazon.

Swimming is Bronwyn’s life, so much so that she hopes her future includes being a part of the Olympic swim team, so when she moves to Hillwoods for a year–her grandmother is dying and her family is there to care–and is told numerous times that “We don’t swim here,” her heart drops. The school’s pool is empty behind locked doors, along with the rec center’s pool, leaving Bronwyn with many questions about the town and their aversion to swimming. Anais, her cousin, lives in Hillwoods as well, but she won’t give up its swimming secrets. Bronwyn, who refuses to simply accept things, begins her own investigation, taking her to places with the potential for danger. ⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣

We Don’t Swim Here is an interesting, young adult supernatural thriller that I flew through. The events are seen through the eyes of cousins Bronwyn and Anais, allowing me to immerse myself in their lives and the mystery through their unique, individual voices. While Bronwyn did seem like a whiny teen at times, she, as well as many of the other characters, are honestly portrayed. I appreciated how Bronwyn is not only a strong, independent character, but she is a member of the LGBT community and a person of color. While she represents these groups well it wasn’t overly focused on; these things were a part of the story but they didn’t overshadow the mystery within the narrative. We Don’t Swim Here is a page-turner of a novel that kept me guessing throughout, revealing a few surprises along the way. Revenge, mystery, family secrets…what more could one want?

I LOVED Burn Down, Rise Up and was looking forward to Tirado’s next novel. Unfortunately, this book did not keep me guessing and engaged in the same way. If this author wasn’t apart of my immediate community (Queer Afro-Latindad) I might have DNF’d but I really wanted to give it a fair chance. Shout out to the Yaniqueque reference, little elements like that kept me holding on.

I would not recommend this audiobook because it switches between two different perspectives and the voices didn’t sound significantly different for me. Lastly, the name Anais is pronounced like (A-NA-ES) not like (Anai-IS) maybe Tirado Okay'd it how it was said but it sounded wrong to me.

This was a great YA story that was high on the creep scale. The multiple POVs did take some getting used to because they could be confusing to keep up with who was who at first, but overall I thought the storytelling was fantastic and I was sucked in.

Bronwyn just wants to make it through the year without a breakdown. When her family moves due to her grandmother's ailing health all Bronwyn wants is to find her stress relief at the pool. Doing laps, participating on.the swim team, preparing for being a possible Olympian someday soon. Her cousin, Anias, quickly informs Bronwyn of one of the towns quirks: We Don't Swim Here. Legends and lore of a woman who latches onto you in water flood Bronwyn with scepticism, until she starts hearing voices coming from an old abandoned pool. What horrors await both Bronwyn and Anais, and how much of themselves will they have to sacrifice to set things right?

4.5 stars rounded up to 5. It's pretty hard to get closer to perfection when it comes to possession than what I found in We Don't Swim Here. A great story to support the non spooky parts: ✅. Intriguing characters who make you pay attention and care: ✅. Ghosty goodness with a great backstory to boot: ✅✅✅✅✅. Bronwyn finds herself mixed up in something she doesn't fully understand and by the time it truly hits her it could be too late to come back to herself. This theme was really felt for me, how far gone one could get, how empty and hopeless before someone becomes unsavable. Anais could have handled all the situations presented to her better, but it's those moments we can reflect back on that help one grow.... hopefully she continues to soul search after the prologue.

A book that keeps readers guessing from beginning to end, We Don't Swim Here is perfect for the upcoming spooky season! Recommended for fans of How to Sell a Haunted House, The Seven Visitations of Sydney Burgess, and such other spook-tacular novels. Grab a mug of your favorite hot beverage, curl up, and let We Don't Swim Here wash over you....if you dare. Age recommended for 12+.

4 or 4.5, haven't fully decided yet. I didn't love this as much as Burn Down, Rise Up, but it was still very good.

I liked this mystery! I liked the whole creepy town aspect that have their own like rituals and I enjoyed the dual POV. i enjoyed that this was more than just a mystery/horror story and that it had much more to it.

We probably don't get enough books about the racial issues around public pools and swimming. So it seemed pretty obvious to me that those ideas were going to be central to this plot. And I like how it also explores the nature of ghosts, narrative, and public perception. I found the writing a bit cluttered and confusing.. There ere details that seemed unnecessary to the plot, that added confusion rather than richness.

Included in this post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CuK1YXsg6mw/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Vincent Tirado writes a queer thriller for the ages with We Don't Swim Here. It was eerie, captivating, and a tale I was unable to put down -- even while I feared for what came next.

We Don't Swim Here is the story of two cousins as they explore the secrets of their town's past. Bronwyn and her father move back to their hometown when her grandmother gets sick. Bronwyn is miserable and there are weird unspoken town rules. Bronwyn's cousin Anais tries to protect Bronwyn from the town's peculiarity. As the secrets of town come to light, Tirado tell a story of small town evils and the reckoning that must come along with it.

This book, told by two cousins living in the highly creepy and mysterious town of Hillwoods, Arkansas, has some major potential. Bronwyn is a recent implant to Hillwoods, having moved back with her parents when her abuela becomes ill.. She doesn't understand the secrets, the strange rituals, and why everyone is so aghast when she mentions that she loves to swim. Anais has been living in Hillwoods her whole life and follows all of the rules that have put into place to keep people safe. But having Bronwyn in town make everything more serious, more scary, because now Anais doesn't just have to protect herself anymore.

Like their first novel, I love how Vincent Tirado uses real historical injustice as the genesis of current horror. That is the real strength of this novel and once those details start to be revealed, the pace picks up and all of the characters become more interesting. I loved the cousins' relationship and how the story was told by both of their voices. The only thing keeping me from a 5 star rating is that there were some questions and mysteries that were never fully resolved/explained (the mysterious death bus) and that the ending felt a bit rushed. I would have liked 10% less build-up if I could have 10 more resolution and explanation. But overall, this was an intriguing story and I think my students will love it right from the premise.

This was very much a book of two halves for me. The first half was fantastic. The author did a great job building tension and setting a very creepy atmosphere and I loved the idea of a town with set rules to follow to prevent calamity. I enjoyed both Bronwyn and Anais as protagonists and thought that their extended family and it's drama was really well done and interesting. Unfortunately for me, the second half of the story just went a bit off the rails. I found it pretty disjointed and the resolution was a bit underwhelming. I would definitely still recommend the book, but just wish the great vibes of the first half had carried on throughout.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am unsure of my review for this book. I didn't enjoy it...at all. The characters were bland. The plot is nonexistent. It felt like a number of stories that the author crumbled together. The blurb is very misleading. There were extra characters that had zero impact on the story but were tossed in. All in all, a 1.5 star read for me.

Tirado hit it out of the park again with this one. Though it seemed to drag just the tiniest bit in places in the middle, the sheer delight of such a creepy and heartbreaking ghost story so easily outweighed any issues with the pacing. 10/10 would read again, and add to any summer reading list.

An eerie folk horror story told in dual POV between cousins about a small town where people avoid going near the water. This had very creepy vibes and was an interesting read. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future. This story entranced me and had excellent commentary.

This book definitely delivered on the creepy vibes! Vincent Tirado is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me. I didn’t love this quite as much as their previous book, Burn Down, Rise Up. However this kept me on the edge of my seat and guessing the truth behind everything until the very end.

I would highly recommend this one to fans of YA horror, particularly ones that have some social commentary thrown in.