*The Pelican Tide* is an engaging and fast-paced thriller that draws readers into a world of suspense and intrigue. Set against the backdrop of a coastal town, the novel masterfully intertwines the lives of its characters, each with secrets that slowly unravel as the plot thickens. The author's vivid descriptions bring the seaside setting to life, making you feel the salt in the air and the tension that grips the town. With well-developed characters and unexpected twists, *The Pelican Tide* keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. It's a compelling read for fans of mystery and drama.

I just finished The Pelican Tide by Sharon J. Wishnow - audiobook -
Narrated by Sophie Amoss; Joe Knezevich.

Josie Babineaux has been paying off her husband's gambling debts for months. It was the final straw that broke their marriage but things are looking up. Tourist season is ramping up and her interview in a travel magazine will bring in more business. Hopefully they can pull their little cajun restaurant back from the brink.

Her relationship with her daughter, Minnow, is fractured especially as she doesn’t know the real reason she left her dad.

No one could have predicted an explosion on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico and all Josie’s plans are shattered in an instant. Not only is her business now in shambles, the pelican who lives under the restaurant deck is now in danger too. Can Josie reconcile her family and save their restaurant? So much is on the line and everything seems hopeless.

Narration was good, I felt very connected to the story.

Josie is the epitome of a doormat in her marriage. She is taking all the blame for her husband's mistakes and it is ruining her family. I could feel what it was putting her through but I also understand why she took the blame. I am not sure I would have accepted being the bad guy for this but she is a better person than me. I get gambling is an addiction but not facing it as a family at the beginning just made things worse.

I loved the pelican mascot! I thought the whole story was so well done. I cannot imagine how much devastation something like that could impact not just the sealife but also all the people who live right on the coast. The smell, the tainted seafood, the loss of revenue from tourists…. It’s a huge problem that takes years to fix. I loved how Josie came up with a new way to fix her finances.

It was a book full of determination, a whole lot of family drama. It was really impactful and a great read.

4.5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @brilliancepublishing for my gifted copy

What an emotional read. I remember when this incident happened. It was devastating. The author has created a fictional story about a family dealing with a lot of difficult issues before the explosion that are further exacerbated by the disaster. Will it bring them all together of be the final nail in the coffin? Josie is trying to keep her family afloat after separating from her husband after she discovered his gambling addiction and that he has used every bit of savings they had and even stolen and sold some of her jewelry. She is beyond angry, devastated and feeling so very betrayed. He is supposed to tell the children the truth, but makes her out to be the bad guy. She has moved out of their home while trying to catch up financially as tourist season is coming and she is an amazing chef. Their family restaurant is all they have and she is truly amazing. Then the disaster hits and things go from bad to worse. Its a tough road back. The author has seamlessly knitted a real life incident with a fictional story about love, tough times, amazing friends and community and forgiveness. Josie is amazing. I am not sure that many people would be so forgiving.

I received a free Advanced Reading Copy via NetGalley in exchange for a complete and honest review.

A young woman returns to her coastal hometown to confront her troubled past and unravel long-buried family secrets. The Pelican Tide is an atmospheric, introspective novel that explores themes of grief, guilt, and the indelible pull of home. Wishnow's lyrical descriptions of the South Carolina lowcountry vividly evoke a sense of place. While the pacing occasionally meanders, her skillful rendering of the complex mother-daughter relationship at the heart of the novel makes for a poignant, emotionally resonant read. With nuanced character work and an air of delicate mystery, this book will appeal to fans of literary fiction.

The Pelican Tide by Sharon J. Wishnow and narrated by Sophie Amoss; Joe Knezevich is a story of fortitude and tenacity in extreme adversity.

This is a novel about what happens to a community after all the camera's go home and people are left to try and survive, to recover their lives following a huge disaster. The Pelican Tide is a fictional account of families trying to rebuild after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the massive oil spill that followed, descimating their coastline, their businesses, their families

I remember the disaster being on the news, all over the news and the book describes the human side of such disasters, not just the event itself, but their lives before, during and after. A really nice touch in this book, was the stories and roles of individual characters. The people associated with working on the rig, from local citizens, to the specialist rescue, to local transport. How everybody pulled together as a community and the stresses and strains of trying to survive

Wishnow's extensive research is apparent in an authentic account of the experience of living through a disaster and the ramifications of the the same. The characters are wonderful and their stories are poignant and relatable. Gumbo the Pelican is a wonderful hub and anchorpoint who draws a lot of people together and Josie Babineaux is a fantastic FMC, both giving a strong foundation to a powerful, poignant story

The narration is clear, heartfelt and on point. A really good listen

Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio, Sharon J. Wishnow and the narrators Sophie Amoss and Joe Knezevich. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

This is in the running for my top book of 2024, and I think you should absolutely read it. Even better, grab it for your book club. There's so much to discuss!

We follow Chef Josie Babineaux, her family and the townsfolk of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The story that is woven through is absolutely beautiful, and it has you cheering until the very end for everyone including the town's Brown Pelican, Gumbo. I loved every page.

The Pelican Tide follows Josie, a chef who lives in Grand Isle, Louisiana. She's separated from her husband Brian, largely as a result of his gambling addiction, and the two share custody of their teenage daughter and younger son. Josie has a complicated relationship with her deceased mother, her father, and her brother, who co-own the family restaurant that she runs. What makes this novel stand out from others in the women's fiction genre, a categorization I have very mixed feelings about, is the background against which these personal dramas play out - the 2010 environmental disaster that was the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and a hurricane which hit the area a few months later. The author was able to show the many varied impacts of the catastrophe through the Babineaux family. Brian worked on the rig, although he wasn't on it at the time of the explosion, something his family wasn't certain of . We see their fear for his safety, then their more generalised worry for the safety of friends and colleagues, then his grief at the loss of some friends and the life- altering injuries suffered by others. There's the economic impacts as workers are laid off, beaches are closed and tourists stay away, and local businesses lose much of their income, not to mention the almost inevitable friction between locals and government agencies and officials. And of course, there's the environmental impact, which was a strong thread in this story through daughter Minnow, a budding orthnitholigust and environmentalist, and Gumbo, the restaurant's semi-tame Pelican mascot. Another strong thread relates to Josie's attempt to keep the restaurant afloat by entering a BBQ sauce competition. This not only made me hungry but showed her family and wider community coming together in a really heart-warming way. A solidly told story of a woman coming to terms with her past, working through complictaed family dynamics, and forging a new path forward, but one which is elevated by its environmental storyline and themes.

Many thanks to @NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC. The Pelican Tide releases today.

I don’t think this book was terrible, but definitely hard for me to engage in. I felt this dragged a little at the start and the content of this read did not keep my focus easily.
This is definitely a book for someone! It was well written, nonetheless.

Thank you to Brilliance Publushing & Netgalley for the chance to listen to this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fictional story related to an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico provides a heartwarming story with interesting details and emotions connected to it's affects on the wildlife as well as the community that surrounds it. My favorite character is the restaurant's mascot Gumbo, a rescued pelican. Family and community runs deep in this story and the narrator does a good job depicting the overall warmth and concern throughout this story. Thank you for the Net Galley and Brilliance Audio for the advanced audiobook of this book coming out June 11.