I liked this one. The start was a bit slow for my taste, but the last half was hard to put down. Overall, it was a solid crime mystery. I was able to figure out the mystery before the reveal, but I enjoyed the atmosphere and small details surrounding the story.

What to expect:
✍️ slow build
🌲 atmospheric PNW setting
✍️ nonlinear timeline
🌲 secrets and drama
✍️ crime mystery

My rating: 3.5⭐️

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the advanced reader copy. Opinions are my own.

Thank you Atria Books, NetGalley, and Sarah Crouch for the advanced reader copy of this novel!

Elijah Leith has one dream: get out of Point Orchards as soon as he graduates high school. He’s got a scholarship to college and a plan to write the next big American novel. Nakita Mills is 16 years old and in love. Of course she said she would wait for Elijah to return; a love like this can stand the test of 4 years, right?

Now Elijah’s back, over a decade later, and not because he’s coming back for Nakita. No, his novel flopped, his dad passed away, and he has no money to his name. Elijah sets out to homestead, remembering the lessons taught to him by both his parents. But when he hears that Nakita is newly single, he cannot stay away.

At the heart of this book is both a second chance romance and a murder/mystery. When I say that I didn’t have the ending guessed, I TRULY did not see that coming. Beautiful writing and flawed characters made me want to continue reading for “just one more chapter” over and over.

What I didn’t like about the novel? Crouch makes up an entire Native American tribe, put the FMC’s father as a Native American pastor, and sometimes the sorry gets lost in the multiple timelines.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Middletide and I think others will too. This novel is out June 11th

"Middletide" by Sarah Crouch is a solid debut that combines elements of mystery, romance, and suspense, set against the atmospheric backdrop of the Pacific Northwest. The story kicks off with the discovery of Dr. Erin Landry's body on the property of Elijah Leith, a failed writer who returned to his hometown after his career tanked. What unfolds is a tale of intrigue, with Elijah becoming the prime suspect in what initially appears to be a suicide but quickly raises suspicions of foul play.

Elijah's return to Point Orchards is marked by his attempts to rekindle a relationship with Nakita, his high school sweetheart from a nearby reservation. The inclusion of a fictional Indigenous tribe in the narrative adds a layer of complexity, although it may not sit well with all readers, as the portrayal and cultural depth could feel superficial.

The novel's strengths lie in its evocative descriptions of the Pacific Northwest and the small-town dynamics that play out as the community turns against Elijah. The alternating timelines, revealing Elijah's past ambitions and current struggles, help build a sense of mystery, though the pacing can be uneven, especially in the first half.

The courtroom drama towards the end is where the story picks up steam, although some aspects, like the trial proceedings, might stretch credulity. The resolution ties up the plot neatly, perhaps too neatly for some readers looking for more complexity or ambiguity.

Overall, "Middletide" is an engaging read with beautiful prose and an intriguing premise. It shows promise for Sarah Crouch as a writer, even if it doesn't fully escape the pitfalls of a debut novel. Fans of atmospheric mysteries and small-town secrets might find this book worth a read, despite some pacing issues and character development gaps.

Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC!

This was such an interesting thriller with a complex cast of characters. The dual POV that switches between the history and the crime helps paint a picture that is so clear, but then it totally switches it on the head. The right and wrong in this story and the strong sense of justice can be seen throughout. The prose was also fantastic.

This book was mostly a skim read for me. By the 40% point, I realized I hadn't connected with the story or the characters and just kind of skimmed the rest.

I wouldn't say this was a bad book. The writing's decent and descriptive. Very atmospheric. I can see why it was compared to Where the Crawdads Sing. I didn't care for the format with all the time changes though. It was kind of hard for me to keep the different eras straight.

There is definitely a lot of promise here. I did like the writer's style and feel like a different story would've appealed to me more.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

Thanks, NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC!

This was a slow burn but it still kept me captivated enough to continue reading and find out what happened. It was a solid 3-star read for me. It wasn't the best mystery I've read but it was far from the worst. The setting and atmosphere were set up very well. The storylines were done well, too. I think overall I just wanted a more fast-paced read, but that's just my personal preference. I'd still be willing to give any future books by this author a try!

I enjoyed this book, however it was a bit slow for me. With the limited pages I felt like it needed to have a quicker pace and more thriller aspects. Not sure if I was mislead, but the love interest arc didn’t do much for me. Overall still a great book, just not what I expected. Thank you NetGally for the arc.

Thanks to Atria Books for gifted access via Netgalley. I did also purchase this one as my Book of the Month. All opinions below are my own.

Elijah is a writer whose first work did not gain any traction and so he is forced to go home to his little town with his tail between his legs. He moves into his late father’s remote cabin I’m slowly begins to rebuild his life. Until one day the towns doctor is found dead in the very same way described in his first book. What looks like a suicide is very quickly reclassified as a murder with Elijah as the main suspect.

This one has a really slow pace and yet I enjoyed the atmospheric world building and jumps back-and-forth in time. While I was able to figure out what happened before it was revealed, I really enjoyed the journey. There are no thriller aspects here just a really well thought out mystery.

When one returns home and thinks himself a failed he is an easy target for a murder. When the first page has you seeking the truth you know are in for a wonderful read. I was brought into the town of Point Orchards and craved to know who the murderer was. As Elijah fights to prove himself innocent one is rooting for him yet spellbound by the cunning ways one has decided him. I look forward to reading more by Sarah Crouch in the future.

3.5/5 stars

Gone girl meets where the crawdads sing is an accurate description of this book. However, it was just not executed the same as either of those books. The first half of this book is all crawdads and very beautifully written. It starts slow as we follow Elijah and Nikita through their early lives and start switching to present day where the murder took place of Doctor Erin Landry. The second half switches and becomes police investigation/a quick jury trial/super fast ending.

The main thing keeping it from being 5 stars for me is that the police investigation and jury trial were just not correct. Jurors can't show bias literally during the cross examinations and you can't have surprise witnesses or evidence that you pull out at the last minute to save someone. The trial also barely lasted 20 pages and happened like one month after the murder/two weeks after an arrest. Who edited this??

Anyways, a beautifully written book overall but I have too many lawyer friends in my life to read something incorrect and just flow with it! Thank you NetGalley and Sarah Crouch for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Literally one hundred percent of people die. Every single thing you're going to do in this life comes with a risk, but that doesn't mean it's not worth it."
Overall, I enjoyed this book; the setting was described beautifully. The descriptions Crouch uses to set her scenes are top tier!
Middletide was a successful slow burn! An ultimate Whodunnit!?
While the characters were depicted well, the ending felt a bit skipped over.
I look forward to more of what Crouch will release!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

What an interesting book / concept, but I'm so torn. I really enjoyed her writing style and characters, but it felt so much like "Where the Crawdads Sing". (which is a book a devoured in one day)..

Elijah is arrested for the murder of the beautiful, well loved small town doctor. He claims he didn't do it, but it's hard to proclaim innocence when the murder is exact reenactment of the murder is his book "Middletide"..

3.5 overall.. rounded up bc the writing was great, but I wish I could round down bc it was obvious...

SPOILERS:



After the first reading of her diary, I knew she was setting him up. I thought "I wonder if she blamed him bc he was her mechanic".... It was a little predictable.

Grated I thought the last bit would be the "psyche, I really did it and got away with murder" bit (man I'm glad they didn't)

Thank you netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book- the characters were complex and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. It had an unexpected twist! I loved the fictional town and how well the author kept me interested. Thank you NetGalley for the digital copy 4⭐️

Slow burn mystery that is mostly about homesteading and the return of a writer to his small, Pacific Northwestern town. Elijah grew up in Point Orchards and fell in love with a Native American girl named Nakita. Elijah wanted to move away to attend college and fulfill his dream of becoming a writer but promised to meet Nakia in four years time in a certain spot by the river. Elijah's novel called Middletide was a failure and pride didn't let him return home or seek out Nakita. The novel goes back and forth in time between the 1980's and 1994 when the body of a young doctor named Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree. We find out about the body immediately but the book takes a very long time to return to the mystery part of the story. Most of the book is about Elijah's return, now in his 30's after the death of his parents. Elijah moves into his childhood home, a cottage deep in the woods and he is determined to restore the home and live off the land. The author does a great job of describing homesteading and the climate and wildlife that surrounds Elijah's home but I kept waiting for it to return to the murder story.

Elijah meets up again with Nakita who is part of a Native American tribe which was invented by the author. I'm not sure why she felt the need to create a fictional tribe or that is was necessary for the story. Elijah begins to work at a garage in town owned by an old friend who is of the same tribe as Nakita. When he meets up with Nakita again, he finds out that she was married and her husband died. She is still in mourning and not interested in rekindling their romance. Instead he briefly dates the doctor, Erin who is later found murdered. Elijah and Nakita do eventually reunite but then he arrested for Erin's murder, mostly because her murder fits the murder in his novel almost exactly.

The ending part involves the trial but it is not written with the same care as the rest of the book. Nakita's father who once studied law but never graduated and is now a minister, is allowed to represent Elijah. Information is withheld from the defense and we are told that Washington state requires doctors to give any blood taken to a police database so they can access it if anyone becomes a suspect. That seems wrong to me as usually you would need a warrant to obtain DNA but I don't know the laws of that state. A last minute witness comes forward for he defense, but the whole courtroom scenes could have been more exciting. I would read more by this author because she is great at nature details but I think this would have worked better without the murder element. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

** spoiler alert ** 3.5☆ rounded up.

This novel had a lot of promise, but, while I mostly enjoyed it, under delivered in some areas that kept it from being truly wonderful.

Overall, the story was compelling and the love story beautiful. I loved the descriptions of the setting and the clear appreciation for nature that is shown.

However, while building a world full of love and exploring feelings of finding oneself as an adult, I felt that the themes of grief were not met with the emotional depth they called for. Especially in Erin, grief was acknowledge, but the feelings were not shown. Erin's grief and emotional turmoil were so intense that she killed herself and spent her last months on earth plotting her revenge on the person she felt was to blame; this is emotionally intense, but none of it was shown in this novel. Rather, Erin was portrayed as cold and calculating, even in the single chapter that showed her inner-monologue. I truly wish that Erin's perspective and emotions had been more fleshed out, it would have made this a truly great and complex book.

Thank you NetGallery and Atria Books for this ARC. All opinions shared are honest and my own.

2.5⭐️ rounded up

This book ended up just being okay for me. I found the flashbacks hard to follow because of how they jumped around to random times. I thought a lot of the investigation/courtroom procedural parts seemed flawed. I was surprised at how quick the trial was, and wish that part had been a bit longer.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Elijah always dreamed of getting out of his small town and making it as a writer. Before leaving, he promises his girlfriend that he will be back for her in four years, but as it often does, life got in the way. Years later, Elijah moves back to town after his book, Middletide, does not make him the best-selling author he had hoped to be. He is ashamed of his failure and never wants to write again. Years after his return, a beautiful and beloved doctor is found hanging of an apparent suicide on Elijah's property. All signs point to Elijah, but he is adamant in his innocence.

This story is a dual POV told by Elijah and Jim, the city's sheriff. This book is very reminiscent of Where the Crawdads Sing in that it is about a lonely outsider who dates someone seemingly out of his league, which causes suspicion to be raised amongst those in town. I wanted the story to give me so much more than it did. I didn't understand why the Elijah and the FMC were as in love as they were and it was never truly explained. While the story was enjoyable, I found that it dragged far too much for my liking and the ending twist was apparent all along in my opinion. I kept waiting for a great reveal that seemingly never came. I did enjoy the aspect of Elijah's novel playing out in real life, but the other aspects of the story didn't grab my interest enough to rate this book higher than two stars.

I highly recommend this book. I really enjoyed the entire storyline. The plot centers around a the death of Doctor Erin Landry that appears to have committed suicide. She was found on the property of a "failed writer" named Elijah Leith. The story does shift back from present time to the past and brings a storyline of a young summer love between Elijah and Nakita. The story continues to shift from past to present. In the present time we see the investigation unfold which leads to Elijah as the main suspect. In the past time, we learn about how Elijah's past and all the decisions he made have led up to the point where he finds himself in the present time. Elijah works hard to prove that he is innocent but in order to do that he must find out the truth.

I really loved how the story progressed. I will say that there was a great level of sadness throughout the book. I couldn't help but feel so bad for Elijah and the things he went through as he clearly has some regrets with choices he made in the past.

Thank you Netgalley and Atria Books. All opinions are my own.

Elijah’s return to his family’s cabin after his father’s death and his attempt to live off the land while fixing up the cabin and working with Chitto in the garage represented healing and closure from his failed attempt at being an author and his broken relationship with the alcoholic father he grew up with after his mother’s death. Rekindling his childhood relationship with Nakita was all that was left to come full circle. However, the apparent murder of the town’s doctor on Elijah’s property threatens the life he’s carefully been rebuilding, culminating and his trial for her murder.

I loved the intensity of the book and the role the physical environment played. It was slow and plodding (until the ending, which wrapped up a little too quickly and simply). What a great debut. I’ll be looking for future books from this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

"In this gripping and intensely atmospheric debut, disquiet descends on a small town after the suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor, with all clues pointing to the reclusive young man who abandoned the community in chase of big city dreams but returned for the first love he left behind. Perfect for fans of All Good People Here and Where the Crawdads Sing.

One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout's initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor's death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith's own novel.

Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.

As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge."

Oh, a murder just like he wrote? Someone's trying to frame him!