Very readable thriller, recommend for vacation or holiday reading. Lou is somehow inextricable from her town, but also doesn't really belong.

This was a solid 4.5 stars for most of the book, but by the end, I felt like knocking it down to 3.5.

The writing in this was lovely. The prose flowed well without feeling either too simplistic or too flowery. The description of setting made the tone of the book mostly consistent.

For the most part, I felt connected to the characters. At times, however, it felt like too much telling. We are told a lot about Lou's infatuation with Joanna, but I could never understand why. Additionally, when Joanna returns to town, I couldn't find the tension I would have expected between two women who once had an intense, slightly romantic friendship. Near the 75% mark of the book, there is an event that occurs between them that I simply had no feelings about. Because I didn't understand why were supposed to have such conflicting feelings about Joanna.

On the other hand, I enjoyed the relationship between Lou and another female character (not sure if it's a spoiler, so I'll refrain from saying exactly who). Their scenes were tender, the conflict between them real and frustrating, and it made a lot of sense for them to be together.

I would say the strongest parts of this novel were that relationship, and the twist and turns of the plot. I had to keep reading so I could figure out what everything meant and how things were connected. It was more than just a murder mystery—I felt that it was more about the secrets of the people of the town.

I did take a while to get through this book. Around the 60% mark, I stopped reading, mostly because I was getting too anxious about what would happen, but also because I felt it was taking too long to get some answers. There were a lot of questions raised, but nothing was answered till almost the end of the book.

The main reason I had to give this a 3/3.5 is because of the end. I started to skim around 90% of the way through, because I became frustrated with how things were turning out. I didn't feel like any characters got what they deserved. There was not enough closure for me, and a conversation very near the end felt rushed, and like something we should have known earlier. However, I was satisfied with how Lou's romantic relationship ended up.

All in all, I recommend this as an atmospheric read and for those who like small-town drama and complex character relationships. I didn't LOVE this, but I would definitely like to read more from Rachel Cochran.

A wonderful LGBTQ+ debut thriller!
I really enjoyed this Sapphic Gothic Noir in a twisted small town with a fascinating cast of characters.

The Gulf is a mystery that you will enjoy from beginning to the ending. The book shows that we all must deal with hidden secrets in the family. The secrets will make the family stronger and love will always win. The book takes place in a small town and has all the feels of a small town read.

I was expecting a rich, atmospheric, literary thriller, and unfortunately, Rachel Cochran's debut was none of those things. This took far too long to get going, and even when it did, I found myself uninterested in the characters or their stories. The ending wrapped up far too quickly and tidy for a novel with such a grand lead-up, as well.

3.5/5 rounded up

If you are looking for small-town drama and a (very) slow-burning character-driven literary mystery, look no further than The Gulf by Rachel Cochran. I know they are marketing it as a literary thriller, but for me, there weren't any of the elements of a thriller that I usually expect, so I am going to call this a mystery instead. We go back and forth between the past and present, with Lou figuring out a lot about herself and the people around her along the way. Some people are not quite what they seem to be, and there are definitely secrets that come to the surface as Lou tries to figure out who killed her beloved Miss Kate. I was really impressed that this is a debut novel, and the queer rep was great as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook which is narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, and it was my saving grace due to the super slow pace of the story. It took a while for things to pick up, but thanks to Gonzalez's impeccable narration, I was content to wait it out to see where things would lead. There was a random cultish vibe to the story as well, which was unexpected for me but an interesting addition that I liked. There are quite a few things going on, and sometimes I did have a hard time paying attention and staying engaged in the story. I feel like Cochran tried to fit so much into the story that faster pacing might have helped keep me invested. Be that as it may, if you love a good character-driven storyline, you could love The Gulf! I will be keeping an eye out for future novels from this author, and I can't wait to see what she does next.

Happy (day after) Publicaton Day.

This took a little while to get going and has some minor pacing issues but I was totally intrigued once it started connecting its characters and their motives. I'm a sucker for a small-town Southern Gothic story with secrets and betrayals and unmanaged trauma- extra points for having a complex queer angle and unpredictable twists. I'll definitely read Cochran's next book.

In Parson, Texas, a small town that has been ravaged by a Hurricane and the Vietnam War, Lou struggles to renovate a mansion for her neighbor Miss Kate, who has been like a mother to Lou. She is mourning the death of her brother, who died in the Vietnam War. She is trying to heal and look toward the future but those hopes are dashed when Miss Kate is murdered. No one but Lou seems to care enough to find the killer. And the situation is then complicated when Joanna, Miss Kate's estranged daughter and Lou's first love, shows back up in Parson. She is not there to help but is there for the house. Her arrival uncovers secrets and betrayals that the town would rather stay buried but may be the key to discovering Miss Kate's killer and the motive.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper for this e-arc.*

Small town drama in 1970's Texas. Characters dealing with the fall-out of Vietnam, natural disasters, and suspicious deaths. Solid mystery title for any collection.

There was a lot that I enjoyed about this book. I loved the backstory of the characters, the town, and the idea of being stuck in the past. I was hoping for a lot because of the build-up, and it ended up with an anti-climatic ending overall It Feels like the story lost steam. I don't regret reading it, though.

This book started really strong--the first two chapters were magnetic and gave me high hopes. From there, however, it fell off. I struggle with books where secret-keeping and poor communication are used as central plot devices, and that was deployed early in the relationship between the MC and her girlfriend. From there, I had a hard time suspending disbelief and feeling the requisite buy-in to the questions the MC wanted answered and the choices she made. It felt so obvious so early that she should reunite with her aunt and her girlfriend's daughter, nothing that was keeping her in the storm-destroyed town made any sense to me. Because of that, I couldn't really enjoy the story.