Thank you Zibby Books for The Undercurrent, another strong book that captures subtle and hidden corners of women's lives, the challenges of memory and perceptions of past and present. Sawyer's work here is impressive for a debut, the writing creative and stylish in ways that reveal promise as a writer to follow. I really appreciated how Sawyer's leaned into, but in a balanced way, the experiences of postpartum life, new motherhood, for Bee as well as the all consuming experience of true crime, secrets, and the ways that the past sometimes refuses to stay quiet. My one quibble is at times the writing felt a little distant to me, it was at times hard to get into the characters and plot with highly descriptive and atmospheric writing but the story overall drew me in.

A surprising missing girl mystery involving two families. All the characters are enigmas and complex. The setting of Austin in the past and present is accurately depicted. The two mothers remind me of many women that I have known in my past, especially Mary, the mother of the twins. The character development of the talented female daughter finding her own demons is well paced and realistically presented. The ending is quite a surprise.

The Undercurrent is a multilayered story that spans from the Texas childhood of twins Bee and Gus, to 2011 as Bee navigates new motherhood with her husband in Maine. Drawn to reconnect with her past after a meeting with an old acquaintance, Bee returns to her childhood home and begins to unravel parts of her family's past. I enjoyed this book and found it to be a mysterious family saga, with each character not as I originally expected. Thank you to NetGalley and Zibby Books for this advanced copy, all opinions are my own.

A new mother gets tangled into a mystery of her past; a neighborhood girl who disappeared when her and her twin brother were children.

A slow and quiet mystery of the past, it was hard to believe this was a debut. There are multiple perspectives and this shows us the misperceptions and secrets that we keep. The story does not come together until the very end but it is satisfying when it does.

“People don’t just disappear. Of course they don’t. They take up so much space in the world. They are pounds of flesh, gallons of blood. Teeth, bones, fingernails. It all has to go somewhere.

The Undercurrent comes out 10/8.

Zibby books is fast becoming a tried and true publisher.

The Undercurrent is a literary mystery wrapped up in a family drama and this is a mash up i thoroughly enjoy. Sawyer did an excellent job in pacing and intrigue but the parts that really shined through for me were the themes around motherhood, they were raw and affective.

The writing was a tad over written in sections and was on the verge of being repetitive but for a debut it was a really strong and solid story, look forward to what this author explores next.

This is a slow burn twisty thriller about motherhood and what mothers are capable of while trying to protect their own. Bee and Gus are twins and their neighbor Leo all grew up on the same street and each had their own problems. The boys push Bee away to “protect” her and many years later when she is a mom herself she is reminded of the boys and their secrets and the young girl who went missing in their youth. As an adult Bee is looking for answers that could upset her life today.
Thank you Netgalley and Zibby publishing for the digital ARC.

3. 5 stars for me.

This was an entertaining read that held my interest throughout, but I struggled at times to connect with the characters. I did relate to the themes of motherhood and loss. All in all, I say this was a good read. A solid debut.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Undercurrent is a mystery in genre but much more an exploration of family dynamics - weaving back and forth from the late 1980s in Austin Texas and the earlier part of the 21st century in Portland. Bee, her twin brother Gus, and their friend Leo are living a strange adolescent existence on a quiet street in a neighbourhood undergoing change and growth. Their moms are polar opposites - Mary stays at home and Diana goes to work but each woman is grabbling with her own difficult marriage and thwarted ambition. Several things happen all together, dramatically cleaving apart Bee and Gus's family and ultimately estranging the friends and siblings. In 2011, Bee is a new mom struggling through that fever dream of time with a newborn, when Leo abruptly re-enters her life. Rather than saying much more, I would suggest that this is a taut, poetic and slow burn of a novel, that is perfect for lovers of literary suspense and family drama. Thank you to Zibby Books and NetGalley for the e-Arc.

"The Undercurrent" is an engrossing contemporary mystery.
A missing girls cold case comes to light as Bee, a new mom, starts to put together the pieces from her past.
The novel moves between two timelines to resolve these long hidden secrets.
This is a moving and complex book that I highly recommend.

A mystery buried in time only to be revealed decades later when a woman in the throes of early motherhood reconnects with a childhood friend. It’s a fantastic premise! However, I had a hard time connecting with this story. The descriptive writing was gorgeous, but at times it slowed me down instead of propelling me forward. Sawyer depicted her characters with empathy and tenderness, so this would be a great pic for readers who appreciate a slow burn type of novel. I look forward to seeing what Sawyer does next!

Really enjoyed this, interesting tale told from two perspectives. I liked how the author wove in complicated family details.

The premise for this one truly got me, but unfortunately this one was way too much of a slow build. I had a hard time wanting to pick it up, and getting immersed in it due to the pacing. I was a little annoyed with some characters and sometimes I was a little lost, information popped up that I had never seen and the author was telling me I was aware.. so that was a little confusing. I felt like I was missing some parts.

The Undercurrent is a slow building literary mystery, but I did not connect with the main characters. Two families live in the same Texas neighborhood, Mom Mary, with her trucker husband, Leroy, and twins Bee and Gus on one side, and across the street we have Diana, aspiring college professor in a failed marriage with one son, Leo. Leo and Gus are best friends, and Bee is always in their orbit. When the boys are in their teens, another neighborhood girl, Deecie, disappears. The novel is told through several viewpoints of Bee, the now grown up and married mother with an infant daughter, her mother, Mary, and Leo's mother, Diana. Secrets are gradually unearthed, and the bonds of motherhood, protection, and loss are all explored. Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced reader copy.

This debut novel expertly weaves together a mystery with a story of family, friendship and the meaning of home. The story is told in 2 different timelines, 1987 and 2011, and from multiple perspectives. The characters are drawn beautifully. They are relatable and real.

The book is definitely a page turner. The lives of the main characters, Bee, Gus, Leo, Mary and Diana are revealed at the same time the mystery of what happened to a young girl is explored. The characters evolve over the course of the book, and you learn that nothing is as simple as it seems. The book makes you realize that friendship is ever changing, but at the same time constant and reliable. Sawyer shows us that everyone's memory is fluid and our experience of the same event is colored by our won experiences.

In the end this is a book about relationships told in a masterful way so that the characters will stay with you for a long time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sawyer's debut kept me hooked from the start. Each chapter changing time line and perspective was such a great way to pepper in the facts needed to follow along as each secret unfolded. It is so true what they say everyone has secrets and sometimes they are located right next door.
When Bee can not find her footing as a new mom, and receives a phone call to drop everything to meet her old neighbor, crush Leo she jumps at the opportunity. The details that Sawyer intertwines of new motherhood are spot on, as a mother I found myself shaking my head. The mundane day to day, and obsession for something else to take hold of your thoughts. Remembering that summer long ago the one with the missing girl, ignites something inside of her to solve the case, while using her talents to do so. I read this so quickly, because I felt I needed to know what happened to each and every character. Sawyer does a wonderful job of reminding us, people go to great lengths to protect the ones they love.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars

From the publisher: An overwhelmed new mother gets entangled in the unsolved disappearance of a young girl from her Texas hometown—and unearths her own family’s dark secret. What sacrifices will a mother make to protect her own child?

The Undercurrent is a mystery-thriller debut novel by Sarah Sawyer. It moves back and forth in time between 1987 and 2011 and is told from multiple points of view. A young girl admires two older boys who hang out in a field that is scheduled to be bulldozed into housing. A new mother wrestles with her marriage, her newborn, and her past. Two mothers of teenagers agonize over their children and their own hopes and dreams.

I didn’t have much patience with Bee, the new mother. As described in the novel, she has a great husband, loving and supportive, and she seems to take him for granted and long for something “else” that she can’t even put into words. The most interesting characters to me were the two mothers, Mary and Diana. Their sons are best friends, but they aren’t best friends, and as we hear their thoughts we know how wrong their assumptions are about each other. (The two fathers/husbands are both vital to the story and almost irrelevant.)

Although I sometimes felt a bit lost, and thought the author assumed I understood things that I did not understand, The Undercurrent propelled me forward. I did want to know what was going to happen next. There are some contrived plot points to make sure the reader is suspicious and unsure about various characters and their motivations. I also didn’t love the ending. It felt flat and anticlimactic. However, I will read another book by Sarah Sawyer.

I read an advance reader copy of The Undercurrent. It is scheduled to be published on October 8, and the Galesburg Public Library will own the book.

There are several storylines that converge in this novel and lead to an unexpected ending. I love Bee and have high hopes for her relationship with Attie. I feel empathy for Diana who tries so hard and no one understands her sacrifices.

A really well written involving debut,I was immediately caught up in the characters the storyline. Sarah Sawyer is an author I will be following.& recommending.#netgalley #zibby oops.

What a beautiful debut book! This story drew me in as I love reading about complicated families and relationships. Sawyer does a wonderful job developing powerful characters and a plot that is fast-paced. It's a story I'll remember for a long time. Thanks to NetGalley and Zibby Books for the ARC.

"The Undercurrent" casts a powerful spell with themes of mothering, loyalty, sacrifice and misery. I was unable to do anything but read from the first page to the last in one sitting. Unnerving, suspenseful, tender and cathartic, it will be hard to find a read brilliant enough to top this! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
#TheUndercurrent
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