This wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. I was thinking it was going to be some type of water monster and that it would scare the pants off me. However it was not exactly that. I wasn’t scared at all and it was a lot of slow happening.

The way I was so upset about this book. With horror you have to grab the reader right away. With this premise I thought this was going to do just that. But when I finished reading it, I realized I had been reading it trying to figure out when that grab was going to happen. It was so disappointing. Then once it started getting scary, it wasn’t really explained well. It like told the facts but there were no details that made it like the reader would be scared of. Like the book was basically like “I kept blacking out and I didn’t know how I got to these places.” And like wtf I could have done that? I guess I’m just really pissed because it wasn’t what I thought it was.

The reason for the ghost character was a little out of left field tho. I know there are some readers who don’t want to read anymore books centering racism, so just a small warning if that’s you. I won’t say anything more to avoid spoilers, but since it is something from the past, racism does play a part in it. I understood it, but a small part of me wanted to keep this all Black. I wish they had found a way to make it scary without the racism added. But then again, I did like not being the complete villain for once. I had a complex about this book that I clearly haven’t worked through.

What annoyed me the most though was the pacing. There was nothing explained up until page 60. And even then its not a clear one. It’s more than half over when it finally gets actually good. Idk the first half felt like a slog but the second half I flew through. I wish there had been more red herrings or something happening throughout the beginning. And the characters were weird too. Like they just kept popping up out of nowhere. Like that weird reporter? She had absolutely no purpose but to further the plot because she showed up at the places where they otherwise would have gotten caught. It was kind of weird.

The narrator was great. I liked the voices they gave the different characters and i really liked the little sounds and things that were inserted into the audiobook. I guess they're called sound clips? Idk it definitely set this audio apart from others that I've read.

This wasn’t what I was expecting, but it was still ok. I do wish things were a bit different, but again I do wish they had kept it all Brown for once. Definitely gave me some things to think about. I hope all of you go read it and let me know what y’all think. I really would like to discuss some things. So let me know if y’all read it!

I enjoyed this - even though there are some questions I still have. It's a fun YA with Black protagonists and queen representation. It was twisty and creepy enough without being gory. Would be a great addition to my library- and would be a really fun companion to The Lottery for students who want a bit of supernatural mixed in with their questioning of rituals. Would be happy to have a copy in my classroom.
Thanks to Netgalley for the audiobook preview.

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.

A small town where no one swims and any newcomers can’t seem to figure out why they don’t swim? Definitely had me intrigued. This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I had no idea what was going on lol. Small towns, Rituals, sirens, ghosts, possessions, it’s got it all!

I really enjoyed this book and feel lucky to have gotten to listen to it early! I thought Anias could of been a little better about telling/not telling her cousin about the towns secrets and rules. I understand she wanted to protect her by keeping her in the dark but it seemed like she was just annoyed and angry with Winnie lol. But then again she’s a high schooler living in a town where she thinks the water will kill you. So you can’t ask for too much, right? Lol. I listened to the audiobook version and felt Winnie’s character was way too calm and chill about everything happening to her, i think if i read the book instead of listening I wouldn’t have perceived her tone to be so chill. Overall, absolutely loved this and I think everyone should read it! I also think this would be a great tv show/movie!

Bronwyn and her family move back to her dad’s hometown of Hillwoods to help care for her dying grandmother.

But Hillwoods has secrets. “We don’t swim here.” As Bronwyn tries to navigate her new HS, she is shunned and avoided by all her classmates, even her cousin Anais. There are urban legends surrounding secret rules, dead spots, ghost buses and a siren in the local lake the demands human sacrifices.

This was YA horror, with all its quiet torment, and angsty silences, awkward relationships and secrets from all the adults.

I struggled with the story because the book opened with the ghost bus and then that story line was dropped. Anais appears to have some sensitivity to spirits and certain places in town give her nosebleeds and migraines, we never learn how or why this happens. There seems like there is a story line about pollution in the lake? But that is not related to the real haunting which is Sweetie. Sweetie appears to have been murdered because of a hate crime, but it is glossed over.

This book is murky at best, but if you like YA horror and read it quickly and don’t look for logical progression, this can be fun jaunt into a scary possession story.

This wasn’t for me. I thought the premise of this sounded so interesting and a really suspenseful horror/thriller but sadly the story and characters fell flat and I was left confused to what was actually happening and the ending especially. However saying this, I do think many people will love this and I’ve seen loads of 5 star reviews for this but personally it wasn’t the book for me.

Audiobook Review - This is an amazingly creepy YA Thriller!! The pools have all been drained and the lake is off limits. No one swims in this town where tourists are known to disappear. But why does no one swim? Is there really a siren in the lake or is the cause for all of the disappearances and tragedies something less supernatural? Readers will fly through this book till the very end!! fantastic narration. Recommended for all YA collections where books that give you the creeps are popular!

thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has great supernatural elements mixed with small town secrets and superstitions. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes YA mysteries. The only problem that I had was the way the narrator pronounced the name Anais. I get it that one character couldn’t speak Spanish. But the fact that the character whose name it was didn’t even pronounce it correctly is wild. They’re a Dominican family and Anais (Ana-ees) was pronounced was A-ny-is

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book gave me the creeps! They story was interesting and was unique. I really did think there was a siren in the lake by this town at first, but was surprised to find that was not the case.

3.8
This eerie book about not swimming because of the horror that happens. Both creepy and ominous and kept me on my toes.

I enjoyed this book. If I was allowed half star ratings this would be 3.5 stars. A small town with a past, an “outsider” who doesn’t understand, vengeful ghosts - what’s not to like? I found the story engaging and the audio narrator was great. The atmosphere of the story is its best aspect and is decently creepy. I would have liked to know a bit more about the origins of some of the town’s rituals - some of them make sense to me but not all of them. I would like to read Tirado’s first book too.
Thank you to Netgalley and Tantor Audio for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Bronwyn's family moves to her dad's childhood town to get his mother's affairs in order being she passes. Bronwyn is an avid swimmer, but when she mentions swimming in this town she's told it's not allowed. Through the story readers will learn why.

This book was beautiful. A mix of horror and mystery as the readers, alongside the MC figure out the towns secret. The story line was very intriguing and so I was very keen in finding out the end. The sheriff being behind it all was not what I expected at all and so I didn't see that plot twist coming. Also the backstory of sweetie was actually very touching and I'm glad the author didn't make the ghost do wicked stuff because "its a ghost" but there was an actual reason behind it. It showed the perfect example of how people would do things just because it's "tradition" and not find the core reason on why this tradition actually started. I would 100% recommend this book!! Thank you very much for giving me this copy.

I would like to start by thanking Netgalley for giving me the oportunity to listen to this audiobook. The audiobok "we don't swim here" by Vicent Tirado.
I had never tried an audiobook before, and I started r with one that blew my mind. I simply loved. Full of suspense. The plot of the book is very good. I love the jump between cousins and there points of views. The fact that the main entity has a voice suprised me a lot.. The writing has rhythm and captivated me after the first paragraph.
As for the voice , I have to say that it did a wonderful job. I always imagined that an audiobook would be something monotonous, I didn't expect what I found in this book. And I end my review by saying: I had been close to drowning somewhere in the passt, so this book just made my hair stand from the start till the finish... and watch out because in this sinister small town "We don't swim here."
#wesontswimhere
#vicenttirado
#netgalley
#audiobook
#thriller

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of reading Vincent Tirado's 2022-YA Horror debut, Burn Down, Rise Up. First, let me say, if you are a YA Horror fan who enjoys stories involving urban legends, settings with a dark history, as well as a deep sense of place in the storytelling, you really should pick that one up.

I had a lot of fun with it and was instantly drawn in by Tirado's creativity and writing style. I loved how quickly the action kicked off, no wasted time whatsoever.

Additionally, there was some fantastic horror imagery within that story that really got under my skin. Not too long after completing that book, I heard some buzz for Tirado's latest release, We Don't Swim Here. I immediately made it my mission to get my hands on it.

I was so blessed to receive an early copy of the audiobook from Tantor Audio and I'm not even lying to you, when I say I listened to it twice this weekend. Explanation as to why I listened twice: I was on a long solo road trip and had a lot of steering wheel time and it was that good.

The narration of the audiobook is FANTASTIC. I absolutely recommend it as a format. The narrator, iiKane, was able to channel a overriding sense of urgency to the entire story. It had my pulse racing, even when nothing overtly scary was happening.

This story follows two cousins, Bronwyn and Anais. Their grandmother, LaLa, is in ill health and because of that, Bronwyn's father, moves their family to the small Arkansas town, Hillwoods, where he grew up and into LaLa's house, while she is in hospital.

Anais calls Hillwoods home. Her Dad and Bronwyn's Dad are brothers, but because their two fathers have a strained relationship, Bronwyn and Anais, don't know each other all that well, even though they're cousins.

Bronwyn takes the move pretty well. She's a good girl. Her biggest disappointment is that she was a really successful swimmer at her old school, and this school doesn't have a swim team. In fact, in seems like there is no place to swim in the entire town. While that's a major bummer, as soon as she starts school, Bronwyn is more distracted by how weird everyone is acting to care too much about the whole swimming thing.

One overly-enthusiastic girl befriends her and seems to be hovering around like an annoying fly every time Bronwyn turns around. Additionally, other classmates are super strange and elusive. It's like they're all hiding something from her; some giant collective secret.

This story is fast-paced and it involves a lot. That's why I didn't mind listening to it two times in a row. I was sure there were little things I might have missed the first time through, in my haste to get to the bottom of what was happening in Hillwoods.

Overall, this is a solid read. It's quite trope-filled, but honestly, for YA Horror, that's what I'm here for. It did have some of my favorite things too. There was a lot of local lore, missing outsiders, odd acting locals, the new girl, a found diary, a nosy reporter digging into the past and an older character guiding the younger ones, whilst also providing a bit of levity.

Mystery, intrigue, dark imagery, a spooky town, it has it all. It felt like a mix of the 90s movie, The Faculty, with Hex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt + diversity. It's so freaking mysterious. I had no clue what was going on in the beginning and it had me disturbed.

My slight criticism is that it almost did too much. I could have delved more into certain areas, while leaving other areas out, if that makes sense. Digging deeper into certain aspects could have made it feel more tied up at the end; more focused.

This is just my opinion though and at the end of the day, I know nothing of writing and certainly could never have created what Tirado did here. Also, I read it twice and gave it four stars, so clearly, I still really enjoyed it.
For a sophomore novel, this showed growth and I'm super stoked that Tirado stayed in this lane. I'm so glad to have a new voice in the YA Horror space that I can obsess over.

Thank you to the publisher, Tantor Audio, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I definitely recommend this one, as well as Tirado's debut.

Also, if you have enjoyed Tiffany D. Jackson's Horror novels, I think you'll enjoy this as well. The synopsis definitely got that comp right.

Junior Olympic hopeful swimmer Bronwyn is disheartened to learn her family has to move back to her Dad's rural hometown for a year to take care of her aging Grandmother. What positive outlook she has left disintegrates when they arrive and she quickly learns that "We Don't Swim here."

This one was a really good story for people who loved "Are You Afraid of the Dark". The whole time I couldn't help but think, "Welcome to the Midnight Society..... this is The Tale of the Lost Bus," or "The Tale of the Empty Pool" or something. It had that same kind of creepy local legend vibe that I absolutely ate up.

The only thing I struggled with was the narration. I really struggle with southern accents and even at 1.5 speed I absolutely had this one. I have a lot more time to listen to books (at work, while walking the dogs, commuting, ect) than I do to actually read a physical book.... but I feel like I would have really preferred this as a print book.

Highly recommended for fans of "Are You Afraid of the Dark"!

Bronwyn and her family have just moved back to her father's hometown because her grandmother is sick. Since her dad never spoke of it much, she doesn't know what to expect and finds some of the seemingly unspoken rules to be confusing and arbitrary. Annias, Bronwyn's cousin, has grown up in this town and is well aware of its quirks and rules. But she can tell Bronwyn doesn't get it and is afraid she may stir up trouble. With the secrets and rules that abound in this town, it’s only a matter of time before someone makes a mistake they can’t take back.

This was a well written atmospheric work. Almost immediately I was immersed in the setting and the events of the book. The author did an excellent job at setting up the atmosphere, creating and building tension, and incorporating spooky supernatural aspects. I also liked the bit of esoteric exploration that was included regarding the "rules" of the town and its inhabitants. It was a meaningful inclusion to this YA read and added an interesting layer of conflict. But at the same time, there wasn’t enough explanation as to why the rules existed and how they came to be in such a short time. This book shouldn’t be thought too critically about in relation to the rules/rituals/timeline – I can’t get into details without spoilers, but there were several things that didn’t make that much sense and other things that weren’t explained well or were built up to be a big deal then disappeared into nothingness.

This story is told from the dual POV of Bronwyn and Annias who are cousins. The author did a good job with their characterization despite them being quite similar. The characters were all well written and were engaging, adding much to the tension of this work. However, there was a lot of repetitive dialogue between the characters that didn’t add much to the work and detracted from the spookiness as well.

One quick note: the text didn't necessarily condone revenge killing but it certainly didn't seem to be against revenge killing. Now this is a work of fiction so I don't mind that the characters felt that way, but not all readers may be okay with this.

This was an enjoyable YA supernatural mystery that was entertaining overall (and the narrator did an amazing job!). My thanks to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for allowing me to read this book, which will be published 16 May 2023. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really wanted to love this one. I loved the blurb sounded right up my alley. Mysterious reasons why we can’t swim? It had to be some haunted reason. I was immediately thinking of Riley Sager “the last time I lied”. But the plot had so many holes and loose ends. I love a confusing story, don’t get me wrong. I want to be confused to the very end, and have a major reveal blow me away. However, this one had too much suspension of disbelief, and I couldn’t connect to the characters enough to look past it. Also, the narrator wasn’t the best. Usually if a story isn’t winning me over, I can push thru with audio. This just wasn’t engaging or realistic enough to keep me involved. Thank you so much NetGalley and RB Media for the opportunity to read / listen and review this book.

This was another enjoyable horror read from Tirado. Once again, there is a lot of social commentary interwoven in the story. My only real complaint is I don't feel like the general concept was that different from Burn Down, Rise Up. I would like to see a little more variety - but overall a great read.

The narrator was good - but the audiobook really would have benefited from two narrators since we get two POVs. The voices used were a little too similar and sometimes I lost track of whose POV we were in.