This book had really good bones, but the overall story just felt messy to me. For one, there were too many dead bodies for me. Both of Elijah's parents are dead, the town doctor dies, Nakita's husband is dead, etc. That's right, there are more dead people I didn't mention, and only the town doctor is the one whose death is a mystery. To me, Elijah's story of coming home and having failed your dream while also dealing with the grief of losing a parent would have been a good enough story. I thought the murder mystery was just shafted into this story.

Middletide is told through multiple time frames. Some are in the past when Elijah is in high school, and some are in the "present day" during the murder investigation. The story really follows Elijah as he tries to make it as an author and then as he is licking his wounds in his hometown after failing. He reconnects with his high school sweetheart who is dealing with her own profound grief. To me, that story of grief was so well done and could have been the focus. Introducing a third character to act as a foil was too much. There were already so many heavy themes; a divorced doctor whose toddler had passed was just too much.

Oh also, Middletide is the name of the novel that Elijah wrote that only sold 13 copies. This is an important plot point as it ties in with the murder mystery later in the book, but it just felt like it was repetitive. HEY THIS GUY WHOSE BOOK DIDN'T SELL. HE'S A LOSER. But also someone murder someone else based on this book.

Middletide is a good book, but the murder aspect of it could have been abandoned and it would have been even better.

3.5 stars.

The first couple chapters had me hooked on this book and the story. I think the premise is very well done. I do feel like there were a few things missing from this book, and the "big reveal" was not as shocking as it could have been. Around 70% of the way through, I felt like the story lost some steam. I will definitely read more books from Sarah Crouch in the future though, I did enjoy her writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria books for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was an interesting book, though I found that there were maybe a touch too many plot lines, romance, mystery, revenge, court room drama and of course murder/mystery. I think focusing on a few less would have tied this story line together and made the flow more even. Elijah thinks he can write the great American book, he has it all planned, he'll go to school in San Francisco, publish his novel and come back to his home town to marry the love of his life Nakita, at least that's the plan. Things start to fall apart when his novel sells dismally and he returns home much later than he had promised, Nakita had since moved onto another and has no interest in him. Elijah had been left the cabin his father owned, which was in bad condition, so he starts to renovate it, fixing it so it's livable and growing his own food, and sourcing his morning eggs from wild chickens. There are two timelines one in the present day, and one a few years in the past where a local Doctor had been found hanging, Erin Landry and Elijah had briefly dated during a period when she was mourning the loss of a daughter and he was missing Nakita who had refused to get back together with him. Since the Doctor was found on Elijah's property, the police have him as the prime suspect. I found the story dragged quite a bit until the plot lines started to come together in a resolution which was the best part. I would however look for another book by this author as I did find the story interesting. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Atria for the ARC.

This book was so good! It was atmospheric and intriguing, and that ending blew me away! One morning, Dr. Erin Landry is found dead, hanging from a tree. And it is extremely reminiscent of a book written by local, failed author Elijah Leith. This book took some crazy turns I was not anywhere near expecting, and I whipped through it in a day! I cannot wait to read whatever Sarah Crouch puts out next!

I received a free ARC ebook of Middletide from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Elijah has dreams of leaving his sleepy coastal town and his uncommunicative father behind as he makes his way to San Francisco to write novels. He leaves behind the girl he loves, Nakima, with a promise to return in four years. He fails to keep his promise.

Elijah does return eight years later. His father has died and his career as a novelist as fizzled. Tail between his legs, Elijah slowly reintegrates himself back into the community and longs to reconnect with Nakima. The discovery of a woman's body hanging from a tree on Elijah's property throws his carefully reconstructed life into chaos.

I really enjoyed this novel with its powerful sense of place but the last quarter of the book lost some of that.

This debut novel opens with two fishermen discovering the dead body of the small-town doctor, Erin Landry of Point Orchards, WA hanging from a tree on the property of Elijah Leith. Is her death a suicide or a murder and if so, who is her murder is the primary focus of this novel. Elijah is our primary character, and the book jumps back and forth from 1994 when Erin is murdered to several years prior when Elijah returns to Point Orchard from San Francisco after failing to make a successful career as a writer.
This book is sold as "gripping and intensely atmospheric", but for me it fell a bit short of that mark. I certainly enjoyed it overall and was interested in how the story would resolve itself, but at times Elijah didn't feel like a realistic character. The mystery itself was relatively easily solved in my opinion, but seeing how the author tied it all up and resolved it for the characters was still interesting, and overall, I would say this book is a worthy and well written debut, even if it doesn't quite meet the expectations of that marketing blurb for me.
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Thank you Sarah Crouch, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Elijah left his small town for bigger and better only to return years later. Once he returns he is caught up in a murder that closely resembles one he wrote about in his debut novel many years ago.

I enjoyed Middletide, there is a dual timeline of the past and present. It gives slight Where the Crawdads Sing vibes, but oh so much more. I liked the small town aspect of a northwestern town and figuring out what really happened throughout the book. The atmosphere of the book was so well done.

3.5/5
I really liked this book. It had me completely in the dark about who could have possibly been the one to pull off the crime and its a little bit Meta which I always find to be creative and interesting. Elijah's work at homesteading had me wishing for a bigger yard and a few chickens as well haha. I also enjoyed the setting of the PNW since it feels really familiar because I live there.

I wish I could say I loved it, but the big reveal felt a little early and a tiny bit anticlimactic. Even still I never would have guessed it!

Overall a great debut by Sarah Crouch and I would definitely read more of her work when I comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

I liked this atmospheric mystery. It moved a little slow for me, but I was intrigued to find out how it ended.

I really liked the way the story was told. It felt atmospheric and it kept me hooked. Then it took a turn into 'Gone Girl' territory and it was a little too imitative. Very much enjoyed the storytelling, though.

Absolutely gorgeous book. Crouch captivated me from start to finish, with beautiful imagery of the settings and scenery, and a slow build throughout the book. I requested the book b/c Patti Callahan Henry wrote a snippet on the front, and I'm so glad I did. Hands down 5 star book for me!

You can never go home again but many try to. Elijah Leith, an author, had left his small town for fame and fortune. Not only leaving the town, he also left the love of his life, Nakita, but as Elijah fails to get what he seeks, he returns to Point Orchards, to the home his father built.

His adjustment to life is shaky but gradually he cleans the cabin, and starts to grow his food, and desperately tries to connect with his lost love. When that also fails Elijah is lonely so he turns his attention to the town doctor, Dr. Erin Landry, beautiful but also grieving for a daughter who died. As things progress, Erin is found hanged from a tree, in what appears to be a suicide, but attention and situations place the blame on Elijah and he is arrested and brought to trial.

The books starts slowly and seems to meander for the first half. It isn't until the last 50-60% that the story takes off and intrigue begins.

This is the author's first attempt and she had a good story but just needed to move it along at a faster pace in my opinion.

Thank you to Sarah Crouch, Atria Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this story due out in June.

Many thanks for the complimentary ARC kindly provided by NetGalley and the author/publisher.

The book in the story was panned because “readers wouldn’t be able to suspend their disbelief.” Unfortunately that’s exactly what hampers Middletide. It had great potential.
When the story is a law and order type plot, then the job of law enforcement becomes crucial to making it a believable read. Once the police jumped to conclusions with a complete lack of investigative effort my mental brakes came to a screeching halt. A police procedural has to be based on reality.

If you’re looking for something along the lines of Where the Crawdads Sing, this isn’t it.

Written in multiple timelines.
The dead body hanging from a tree is identified as local doctor Erin Landry. Considered a suicide at
first, the medical examiner determines the cause to be murder. Main suspect is Elijah Landry who
has just returned home after failing as a writer. Unfortunately, Erin's murder follows the one portrayed in
Elijah's only published novel, Middlemarch. Why would Elijah want to kill the doctor? Who else
had reason to murder her? As the town turns against Elijah, he must trust that his old love Nakita
and her father will be able to prove his innocence.
#Middletide #Atria #NetGalley

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 then he discovers that the circumstances of the doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.

Elijah had returned to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. 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.

Sarah Crouch has given us an engrossing literary thriller about love, loss, revenge, and redemption. The echoes of this novel will stay with the reader well after the last page has been turned. Highly recommended. #Middletide #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthorSeries

This has been pushed heavily for fans of “Where the Crawdads Sing,” and since I liked that, I thought I would try this. And it was great. I loved the nature writing and the mystery really caught me. Since I’m not a male, I don’t know how men think. But this was written by a female, and it felt like it was written by a female. Lots of thoughts of life and love and loss…but I’m not sure how accurate they are to the male mind. So that was my only hiccup. Some female writers tend to project their convoluted female emotions onto male characters, and it’s unclear (to me) if men accurately think like this. But I’m not here to debate the gendered psyche of thought.

I did get an inkling of how this might end, so I skipped ahead and read the ending. And for once, I was right. And that’s saying a lot because I’m dumb and rarely catch an ending. But I loved how this ended. I didn’t complete the book because I didn’t want to go back and read about the trial. But I still highly recommend this book. It was fun. For a debut author, I will definitely be watching for what she writes in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for the advanced reader copy. This was my honest review.

This was a great debut novel for this author. With vibes similar to Where The Crawdads Sing, the main character Elijah gets caught up in a murder/suicide situation and looks to prove his innocence. The language and imagery in this book was written beautifully. Although I thought the last 15% of the book felt a bit brisk, this is a perfect cozy mystery that will have romance & mystery readers wanting more from this author. The multiple timelines sometimes made it hard to follow, but once you understood how each timeline was going it wasn’t too bad.

Decades ago, Elijah Leith left the small, placid town of Point Orchards in Puget Sound to pursue a writing career that began and ended with a single novel, "Middletide." Before long, the publishing front grew quiet and Elijah was left with no other option but to return to Point Orchards and forge a life in the community where he was raised. And for a time, Elijah's life stayed quiet and unassuming.

Until, that is, the body of community doctor Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the outskirts of Elijah's property. In a blink, Elijah's life is upended as the search for the truth behind Erin's death unearths long-buried secrets that suggest Point Orchards' resident writer may have more to hide than anyone could have imagined.

Initially hailed as moody, atmospheric, and made for lovers of "Where the Crawdads Sing," "Middletide" is a debut mystery that, on paper, should have checked every box for me as a reader. The narrative, the Pacific Northwest setting, the premise of a small town death and a misunderstood main character who finds himself at the center of it all. Unfortunately, I found "Middletide" both poorly-paced and poorly-executed; the writing felt underdeveloped and noticeably lacked the descriptive qualities that make novels truly atmospheric.

With further revisions or developments, I think this novel could have absolutely been likened to "Crawdads" but pales so much in comparison that I can't help but heartily disagree with those reviews. The mystery itself played out neatly and predictably without a compelling emotional quality, making this one of the more forgettable books of 2024 thus far. "Middletide" goes to show that judging a book by its (admittedly beautiful) cover is still bound to lead you astray once in awhile.

The writing was engaging, the mystery kept me guessing, the description of the scenery painted beautiful pictures in my mind, however, the switching back-and-forth with all the timelines that were so close to each other was a bit confusing to me. I often had to hop back to the chapter before to get straight in my mind exactly where we were and I found it distracting. I will definitely read another book by this author, if it does not have competing timelines, because I did enjoy the story. I will give the book a generous four stars, but I cannot go five because the dates seemed too close together to be jumping back and forth. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance read copy.

I love how this was being compared to When the Crawdads Sing, because I most definitely felt that atmospheric mysterious storyline throughout the novel. I really felt the love of the countryside and small-town living. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thank you for the opportunity to read this e-galley.