Here Beside the Rising Tide had a beautiful, almost haunting atmosphere that really pulled me in at first. The writing was lyrical, and the coastal setting gave everything a dreamy, melancholic feel. That said, the pacing felt uneven, and I found myself wishing for a bit more development in the plot and characters. There were moments of real emotional depth, but they didn’t always land as strongly as I hoped. Still, there’s something compelling about the tone and mood of the book that stuck with me—worth a read if you like introspective, moody stories with a touch of mystery.

Politely… what did I even just read? I’m not sure even what genre I would put it in… some people said science fiction but the sea monster aspect was totally weird — add in time travel and I was confused. Was it mystic was it sci fi was it urban fantasy? I liked the premise of a mom trying to figure out her life after confronted with the plot of divorce and how she bonds with the children, but by the end it’s like she tried to blend the plot of the characters book with the storyline and I got confused all over again. Maybe if I would have expected it more (Nina did you read the back cover, yes I did) but still. Final verdict… I read it, I didn’t really like it (sorry) and I wouldn’t recommend it :(

This book went far beyond my expectations of it. I expected a bit of fun, which this absolutely was. But it was also so gripping! Between the engaging action scenes, the immersive setting, and the fantastic characters, this was thrilling from start to finish.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting fun read, I would recommend it.

I really loved Emily Jane's descriptive writing style with this book! I thought the concept was cool and refreshing, and sea monsters? C'mon sign me up. This book was quirky, sometimes weird, but those two things kept me really engaged and enjoying this read. Will be picking up a physical copy for my shelves at home!

The combination of science fiction and romance elements in this book won me over; it was strange and entertaining.

I absolutely adored Emily Jane’s debut novel, On Earth as It Is on Television, so I was elated when I saw her second novel was available. Here Beside the Rising Tide brings us more of her humor and insights and whimsy, in a magical tale told in two connected timelines that explores the depths of childhood and parenthood, reminding us of the magic we sometimes lose sight of in adulthood.

Thank you Emily Jane, Hyperion Avenue, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

A romance author takes a trip to her childhood beach home, but her summer is upended by the startling return of a deceased childhood friend, newfound love, and . . . sea monsters

In a nutshell, Here Beside the Rising Tide is about a bestselling romance novelist, her 2 kids and a time-traveling childhood best friend team up with an unexpected species to battle a sea monster. It’s fun and well-paced, and even had a couple moments that teared me up.

Emily Jane has a descriptive style that is refreshingly unique - I found it kept my brain engaged and interested (no easy feat with our shortened attention spans!) with creative and amusing plot lines. Really looking forward to her next book!

Whimsical, weird, and occasionally moving, this novel blends domestic drama with speculative coastal fantasy in a way that’s more charming than it is cohesive. The premise is undeniably intriguing—a missing boy returns from the sea, unchanged after thirty years—but the execution wobbles between tones, never quite settling on whether it wants to be a heartfelt family story or a quirky sci-fi romp.

Jenn is a relatable protagonist—overworked, emotionally frayed, and juggling the chaos of parenthood with the strange reappearance of her childhood friend. The nostalgic flashbacks to her youth are some of the book’s strongest moments, grounding the more surreal plot points in real emotional stakes. That said, the story’s pacing can be inconsistent, and some of the absurdity (sugar-addicted sea creatures, for instance) feels more distracting than delightful.

This is a summer read with plenty of potential and moments of insight, but one that doesn’t fully commit to its strangeness or its sentiment.

This one has me going between a 2 and 4 star rating, so I’ll average it out and put it at a three. I enjoyed most of this book but other aspects just… didn’t hit.

I didn’t like this one as well as I liked On Earth, which I really enjoyed. This started strong for me, but really drooped in the middle, and then was a slog to finish. It felt like a pacing issue - nothing happening for long stretches except taking swimsuits on and off and eating candy. Lots of repetition of ideas and worries. By the time the final battle rolled around I was ready to skim. The story had drawn out so long with so little happening, I just wanted it to be over. The children were the same children as in the first book, in many ways, and I did not particularly sympathize or connect with the main character, Jenn. She didn’t have a lot of personality except wanting her children to like her and wanting to drink wine. In On Earth the strange or grating personalities of some of the characters are explained by the plot. But I just felt like I was sharing a beach house with a family I didn’t like, which would be annoying in the best of circumstances, let alone when the world might be ending.

All that being said, I read the acknowledgements and they helped me see the ways that this is primarily a grief tale, and possibly a pandemic tale. It explains some things and makes me more understanding of them. And I still feel warmly toward the author and interested in the way she sees the world, so I’ll give her next book a shot!

I swear my last handful of reviews have either disappeared or not linked properly! So going back in and adding them for books I've read the past few months.

A messy romance author and soon-to-be single mom escapes with her two kids to the quaint seaside town where she vacationed - and was traumatized by the drowning death of her best friend - as a child. Soon, strange creatures begin turning up in the water, a strangely persistent tsunami brings a tide of dead sharks to shore, oh and an eldritch horror of a sea monster is keeping the whole town trapped there. And the dead kid turns up.

If this sounds like the setup to a gothic horror, it’s somehow not that at all. This is my first Emily Jane, but by all accounts, Here Beside the Rising Tide deploys her signature blend of humor, whimsy and weird. As a main character, Jenni is a relatable one: stubbornly avoiding her ex, her agent, and desperately trying to out-cool parent her husband with her preteen daughter and younger son. She drinks too much, finds herself inconveniently attracted to a local contractor.

The plot took a turn for the too-much in the book’s final faceoff with the sea monster,and I found myself wishing Jane had stuck with weird rather than the Marvel-esque battle where hundreds or thousands of people are being killed but their deaths are too small and too numerous to register.

Overall this is fun, even if the ending left me not wholly satisfied.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 3.5 stars rounded down
Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It was an interesting read and while I am not sure if I agree with how you t ended up, I throughly enjoyed the journey. It was so hard to figure out what to say about this book but I did like it.

What a wild ride! Here Beside the Rising Tide is a mobster mash of genres… literary fiction, sci-fi, romcom, Super Hero.
Sometimes I had whiplash from trying to figure out where we were headed, but I had to find out what WAS going on. Since I just took my students to Space Camp, and ended up reading this on the bus ride there and back, I appreciated the timely references.
The characters are loveable, the plot is out of this world, and I did find myself with a page turner because I needed to find out… what was going on. All in all, this was a quick and enjoyable read.

While this was a unique read, I am not sure this book hit the mark for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review and I hope this book finds its audience.

Thank you, Hyperion and Netgalley, for allowing me the opportunity to read and review.

A nostalgic blend of mystery, fantasy, and summer escapism, *Here Beside the Rising Tide* brings readers back to Pearl Island, where childhood memories resurface in unexpected ways. When Jenn returns with her kids for a much-needed break, she’s shocked to encounter Timmy Caruso—her best friend who vanished thirty years ago, still ten years old and claiming to be on a world-saving mission. While the premise is intriguing and the writing engaging, the story’s mix of magical realism and family drama didn’t fully come together for me. A fun, quirky read, but it didn’t quite hit the mark.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. I had read Jane's previous work so I had a general idea of what I might be getting into but this still went beyond that. I don't know that I agree with the blub of this being flat-out fun as there are some heavy topics therein and it is very heavy on the sci-fi. This is not The Expanse or space opera, to be sure, but there are real topics of divorce and grief and longing in here. There is a happy ending here but goodness me the turns it takes to get there. Not sure my particular audience would like this but it may be worth your while. 3 stars.

An interesting romsci-fi (romance x sci-fi) book about a child growing up on pearl island with her single mother and spending a lot of time alone. One summer she befriends a boy and after a tragic incident, he dies. Fast forward 30 years and the same girl is now a woman dealing with a messy separation and a bad attempt at control over her life as she takes her own child to pearl island, where she grew up. Weird things start to happen with creates and monsters out for blood. Personally, this was not for me. I'm more into fantasy than sci-fi, but this felt like a somewhat digestible sci-fi to a reader who like mostly contemporary romance and romantasy. The writing wasn't anything I'd particularly write home about, and I never felt compelled to keep reading, but I didn't mind it either. It was a bit of a palate cleanser and a little break from the usually romance books I read. If the concept of the novel sounds interesting to you I'd def try it out, just not personally for me!

I really enjoyed reading this book—it's a very interesting mix of genres, definitely with some sci-fi and fantasy elements, but I would say it's a character-forward story above all else, with very high plot stakes! I won't say too much about said plot, since one of the pleasures of this weird little gem is seeing it unfold and not knowing where it' going next, but the premise was excellent and I felt the book delivered on that premise. Emily Jane is truly a beautiful writer—there were several places I stopped to contemplate an image or line of dialogue that really struck me. I will definitely be looking out for future books from her!