This is gothic fiction at its finest. A creepy, isolated house; a girl who may or may not see ghosts; an enigmatic author; a dark secret. Reid’s writing is beautiful, dark, and atmospheric. Her worldbuilding is incredible, as always, and had me wishing I could live in this world with Effy. The romance was well-done and didn’t feel rushed. Without revealing too much, one theme in the book is PTSD — and I think Reid handled it in a nuanced and accurate way: hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, irritability, freeze response, etc. (Note: there is no on-page sexual violence as far as I can remember, just allusions to it.)

“Her body remembered what it felt like to be afraid so well that it would take time, a long time, to teach it something new.”

Ava Reid is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

The writing is beautiful and the undertone is woven in so well. The vibes are perfectly moody and the storyline so intriguing and yet this story wasn’t for me. I can tell that it’s going to be a popular one though!

Wow, this book. I read this in two days. I would have read it faster if I didn't have responsibilities, dang being an adult. I could not put this down. I was immediately pulled in with the dark academia & historical fiction. I stayed up late for the gothic mystery & fairy core elements. It was haunting and elegantly written with beautiful world building and an aching romance. This book has it all and I will be rereading again upon it's release. We follow Effy, her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him— in hand as she heads to study architecture, though she'd rather study literature. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to students to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny. There she meets Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin’s legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them—and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

This will be one of the best books of this year. It was an enthralling, never put down book. So much happens in this book. There is institutional sexism, magical realness, dark academia and rivals to lovers. It it upper Ya.

Unfortunately I didn't love this. I haven't read from this author before, but I heard amazing things so I was excited to jump in! I think this book however was another case of "it's not you, it's me". Slower paced atmospheric books are very popular, and a lot of readers love them. I think I just needed a faster paced easy to get into book at the time that I read this. Maybe I'll give it another try later and see if it is for me, maybe it was just the time I read this.
I will say that the atmosphere was great, I loved the feeling of the old dangerous house, I felt like I was there with the characters.

"Bestselling author Ava Reid makes her YA debut in this dark academic fantasy perfect for fans of Melissa Albert and Elana K. Arnold.

Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she's had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad - Emrys Myrddin's epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him - is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin's family announces a contest to redesign the late author's estate, Effy feels certain it's her destiny.

But musty, decrepit Hiraeth Manor is an impossible task, and its residents are far from welcoming. Including Preston Héloury, a stodgy young literature scholar determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. As the two rivals piece together clues about Myrddin's legacy, dark forces, both mortal and magical, conspire against them - and the truth may bring them both to ruin.

Part historical fantasy, part rivals-to-lovers romance, part Gothic mystery, and all haunting, dreamlike atmosphere, Ava Reid's powerful YA debut will lure in readers who loved The Atlas Six, House of Salt and Sorrows, or Girl, Serpent, Thorn."

Doesn't everyone survive because of a tattered copy of some book?

Effy believes in fairy tales and always has done. Especially since she has been haunted by visions of the Fairy King. Finding solace in the pages of Angharad, an epic by Emrys Myrddin, Effy is only kept afloat in her architecture course by her own tattered copy. So when the Myrddin estate announces a contest to design the late author's house, Effy thinks it's fate. There she finds another has made it their temporary home but with much different intentions.
This gothic YA fantasy is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot happening. We’re almost instantly introduced to a world where not only is there rampant sexism in the academic world but also how their stories and voices can be ripped away from them at any moment. It was heavy. And that is brilliantly woven together within a mystery at an almost haunted house. I don’t want to give too many spoilers but I loved this story so much and I loved the characters.
Effy was one of those characters that you can’t help but want to put in your pocket to try and protect them. And watching her throughout the progress of this story was… just heart wrenching but at the same time you are screaming encouragement and threatening fictional characters.

Ava Reid doesn't hold any punches back and the mood here is really something to read. I enjoyed what I read for the most part and I liked it.

Effy Sayre has been plagued by visions of the fearsome Fairy King ever since she was young. When Effy tried to confide in those around her about it, instead of believing her, they gave her pills to quiet her mind. Effy's only solace is in her tattered copy of Angharad by Emrys Myrddin. The story is about a brave mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King and destroys him. Angharad has been like a lifeline for Effy, so when the Myrddin estate announces a contest to redesign the family's manor, Effy jumps at the chance.

But when Effy arrives at the remote Hiraeth Manor, it's even more decrepit than expected. Effy's barely passing her architecture courses and knows this project is more than she can handle, but she refuses to give up. To Effy's annoyance, she also has to contend with Preston Héloury, a literature student determined to expose Myrddin as a fraud. The pair decide to work together, but the more they investigate, the more secrets they uncover.

I've only read one other book by Reid that I thought was okay, but I couldn't pass this up. I loved how atmospheric this was. I could picture so clearly in my mind this crumbling estate perilously perched on a cliffside. It was eerie and cold and lived up to the Gothic description. I also enjoyed the characters. There are so many things about Effy that felt otherworldly but also relatable. She's one for the anxiety-ridden girlies; for those who overthink and second-guess everything. She and Preston have a little rivalry at the beginning, but it feels one-sided. I liked seeing their relationship blossom. I also thought Reid did a wonderful job tackling tough subjects such as mental health and sexism within academia. If you're looking for a dark, compelling read for the fall, I recommend checking it out.

A big thanks to YABC, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for providing both a physical, eARC, and advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A dark academia mixed with the fanciful of fairy tales, sign me up.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is a YA gothic about a girl named Effy Sayre, who aspires to create the best home design for her favorite fairy tale author. Effy has always believed in fairy tales, especially when one of them lives inside her head. But as fanciful as her mind is, she is dedicated to her only allowed studies of architecture. Until her favorite author's family decides to renovate the old home, and is only looking for a bright student to make up the design. And Effy is the perfect candidate. But not everything is as it seems, as she must be better than her rival and try not to let herself drown in the rising sea.

What I liked most about this book, is that it combined the eerieness of being a gothic novel, with a mostly desolate house overlooking a raging sea that seems to be haunted by something supernatural. With the more fanciful fairy tales of the youth. Ie. Fey. I also just really liked Preston (just a tad bit more than Roman from Divine Rivals, sorry not sorry). BUT ALSO THAT END LINE. You can't go wrong with that kind of ending.

I've tried and been burned by Ava Reid (I'm looking at you, Juniper and Thorn) and I really wanted to love this one. But just couldn't. The first thing I absolutely detested, was the mere mention of a student/teacher relationship. Even if it was off page in the past. I thought I could get past this, but it kept getting mentioned over and over again. And I know this was a huge trauma point for the main character, but I just couldn't get behind it.

Overall, this was a solid read. Just not my exact cup of tea. But I would highly recommend it to anyone needing something following the devastation that is Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross and just can't wait for Ruthless Vows.

This was an eARC I was granted access to via NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers

I read this on my Kindle, no page counts.

Review:
I WANTED to love this. I WANTED Ava Reid to be redeemed after the no love lost story that was Juniper and Thorn.

Alas, my wants were not granted.

It took me about 40% to get invested and interested in this novel. It held my attention in a vise up until about 48%. Then, it lost me again.

I guessed the "plot twist" as soon as Effy arrived at Hiraeth. I knew her and Preston were going to be...friends.

The insta love was *puke* but I understand it needed to be done in order to piss off the Fairy King.

This could have been half as long as it really was.

Honestly, even with the parts that had me intrigued, as much as I disliked Juniper and Thorn, I think it was the better book.

This was just not it for me. There was too much that didn't need to happen. If the house was really that deteriorated, it wouldn't have stood a chance even before it fell into the sea.

The letters were burned/tossed but yet somehow ended up in a drowned basement and were perfectly legible?

There was an iron horseshoe above the door but yet the Fiary King could still get into the room?

All of the things made to reject the Fiary King actually trapped him instead of warding against him?

No. Just no.

To add:
It's very shallow and lacking proper world building. There is no character development until the last 98% and the trauma that Effy experienced when younger, it was never unpacked.

Also...don't changeling babies happen as....babies!? Not 6 or 7 years old? And because the baby is sick or lame, not misbehaving?

My new favorite book by Ava Reid. This story follows Effy, an architecture student, who actually wants to study literature but the college doesn't allow women. She is given an opportunity to design an estate for her favorite author, and the story goes on from there. I felt like the story was a perfect mix of dark academia, horror, romance, and mystery.

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

If you’re looking for a book about the sexual harassment of young girls, here you go. 😂 Major trigger warning for that!!! Most of the plot lines in this book can be pared down to just that. And the overarching plot was kind of meh, and pretty predictable actually. There was no real “twist” for me here. I predicted the ending almost to a tee. 🤷‍♀️

The characters were overall fine. I didn’t have many complaints with either main character and both of them had a few nice scenes. I liked Preston well enough - and he was cute in his liking of Effy. But neither character will stick in my mind much.

Honestly after a few weeks, I bet the whole book will be reduced to my first line up there. Because that’s all I will remember about it. 🙃

I think others will like this more - maybe people who want a dark and creepy tale of dark academia and the Fairy King. But meh, it wasn’t really that great and just fine for me.

Wow this book was amazing. A dark academia novel with fantasy and mystery. The creepy elements were so great. I couldn’t put the book down.
I loved the writing style of this book. I loved the issues that the book dealt with and how the author addressed them.
I am almost speechless.
This is a favorite for 2023.

I recently finished The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi and was looking for something similar, so this title on NetGalley caught my eye. I was intrigued by the descriptions of it being an atmospheric, gothic mystery.

From the description, "Effy Sayre has always believed in fairy tales. Haunted by visions of the Fairy King since childhood, she’s had no choice. Her tattered copy of Angharad—Emrys Myrddin’s epic about a mortal girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, then destroys him—is the only thing keeping her afloat. So when Myrddin’s family announces a contest to redesign the late author’s estate, Effy feels certain it’s her destiny."

I grew to love our unreliable narrator, Effy. At first, she seems like a typical college girl with typical college girl problems. However, the more we read, the more we realize there is more to Effy's story than what appears on the watery surface. The fantasy part of the book is slowly revealed as we learn the story of another girl, Angharad, the heroine of Effy's favorite novel. Effy shares her thoughts about and "memories" of the Fairy King, the same Fairy King from the novel, the same Fairy King she thinks is pursuing her. Effy seems uncertain if her experiences are real or not, leaving the reader in a perpetual state of cognitive dissonance. What is real in this book? What is imagined?

I enjoyed the the rivals-to-lovers relationship between Effy and Preston as they solve the mystery of who wrote Angharad, all the water (so much water in this book), and the uncertainty of Effy's mental state throughout.

If you like atmospheric gothic fantasy YA romances with possible fairy kings and crumbling watery mansions, this is the book for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books/HarperTeen for the advance digital arc in return for my honest review.

A Study in Drowning is, at its heart, a haunting examination of the mythology behind "great men" and the secrets that are kept and the stories that are buried, often at the expense of women or girls, in order to prop up our heroes.

The main character of A Study in Drowning is Effie, an architecture student who wanted to study literature, but was denied the chance due to being a woman. Effie is a lifelong admirer of Myrddin, the beloved national author of her country, Llyr (which is, essentially, a fantasy version of Wales). Llyrian people are known for being more superstitious and fanciful than their neighbors, the Argantians, and Effie believes in the Faerie King, a figure from Myrddin's epic work of fantasy fiction, Angharad. She has seen him, and believes in his truth, and in Myrddin's work she found a voice that echoed her own. When Effie is given the opportunity to design the renovations on the late Myrddin's estate, she jumps at the chance.

When she arrives, she finds a literature student there, Preston Heloury, who is determined to prove that Myrddin's works are a forgery, not written by Myrddin at all, but perhaps one of his associates. Although Effy is at first highly insulted that Preston, who is only half-Llyrian, dare question her hero, as strange happenings take place, and Myrddin's son, Ianto, shows a more predatory side, Effy herself begins to wonder. It is her connection with Preston, which is more respectful and genuine than what she experiences from her idol's son, that convinces Effy to join in his quest for the truth, even if it means the destruction of Myrddin's legacy. A Study in Drowning plays with the idea of subjective truth and whose stories get to be told, and by whom, in a very clever way. Effy is a girl who has often been written off as frivolous or hysterical. She takes medication to keep hallucinations at bay, and we are never quite sure if Effy's hallucinations are real, or not. Preston is the only person who tells her that regardless of whatever else, what matters is that she believes they are true, This applies equally to the faerie king, as to Effy's sexual assault by her professor, which is the subject of much gossip at their university. Preston never question's Effy's account, or causes her to question herself. A rare thing for Effy!

The ultimate reveal in A Study In Drowning is not surprising, although I do not think it was meant to be. Most readers will figure out the truth behind Angharad well before Preston and Effy do, but that does not make the reveal any less satisfying. The story of the victims of sexual assault and abuse is centered in A Study in Drowning. Effy and Angharad are both victims and the heroines of their own stories. As it turns out, these stories are not the stories of great men, but the stories of the women who survive them.

Ava Reid has an atmospheric and lyrical writing style that really brings the rotting old mansion, drenched in rain and seawater, to the forefront. A Study in Drowning is positively dripping with water imagery that evokes the catastrophic Drowning that sunk large portions of the lower coast of Llyr. It is a real pleasure to read. Although the book is listed as YA, the style and subject matter is quite mature, and certainly more of an upper YA book than lower.

“why was it always girls whose form could not be trusted? everything could be taken from them in an instant.”

a study in drowning is a beautifully eerie and gothic dark academia novel. it examines misogyny within academia, how women’s voices are constantly being diminished by the older, powerful men around them. how many ways can a woman’s voice be taken from her? it contemplates the relationship between author and reader, questioning who a book truly belongs to. it is also a beautifully sweet and tender romance between two academic rivals, effy and preston.

effy means so much to me. reading about her made me feel like i was reading about a younger version of myself. shy and anxious, always jumping between hiding inside myself or otherwise trying to find a way to escape it. though soft, she proves time and time again where there is softness there is also strength. survival is an act of bravery, too. she is a refreshingly vulnerable heroine.

a lyrical love story to those who were afraid to speak up. to those who have had their voices taken away from them time and time again by others as well as themselves. to those who have loved a book so fiercely that it became a part of them. a study in drowning has no doubt become one of my favorite young adult fantasies. it is raw and it is vulnerable. it is a mystery, a love story, and a fairy tale that challenges the confines of it’s genre. within this book is my heart.

a study in drowning comes out on september 19! thank you to netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review

A haunting story full of magic and heart. I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved falling so completely into the world Ava Reid created. I have nothing but good things to say about Ava Reid's newest release, so prepare for a review that's simply singing its praises. A Study in Drowning is a story about monsters, about the inescapable nature of the past, about trauma and healing, about how society looks at those who have been harmed by people in authority, about gender, and, layered among the others, it is a story about love. I adored following Effy and Preston through their journey as they learned about themselves and each other, about their agreements and disagreements, about all the things that kept them coming back together. I sobbed for Effy throughout her story, but nothing made me cry more than the ending and how deeply she deserved the light of it.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It had a good amount of suspense with some romance mixed in. It also had a lot of very unique themes that were interesting to read about. Would definitely recommend!

Ava Reid does NOT miss with atmosphere. Effy was an incredible main character from page 1, and the first few chapters, set at university, gave me five star vibes. I didn't like it quite as much once we got to the spooky manor setting, although it was still really well done.

I really liked the love interest as well here. Aside from the atmosphere, my favourite part was absolutely the way that Effy's past with sexual assault was handled. Everyone kept calling her beautiful and alluring, and she was so viscerally uncomfortable with so many things that happened to her but also saw them as unavoidable and normal, and it was heartbreaking and REAL.