This story happens in dual timelines, the present when Emilia Oliveras is older and has two daughters, and the past where she is a young bride, who wants to be a concert pianist and her newly married husband, a cello concert player. He goes missing during their honeymoon cruise. The journey is a wild one and full of twists and secrets.
He was from a rich family with infinite resources, she felt intimidated by them as they tried to blame his disappearance on her. We get to hear a poignant story of love lost and filial loyalties put to the test. The author weaves a tale intermingled with Puerto Rican folklore.
The audiobook narrators were extremely good at conveying the emotional journey throughout the story. I felt the emotions running through the entire tale.
This book would appeal to fans of twisty thrillers with moving family drama.

Triggers
Child abuse
Intergenerational trauma
Pedophilia
Domestic Abuse
Murder
Injury detail

This was a solid and enjoyable mystery! The beginning completely sucked me in with the boat disappearance set up. I enjoyed the dual timeline of present day and the past, learning about the greater context of what happened after the disappearance. I think my only complaint is I would have liked more flashback or intro scenes with our main character and her husband prior to him going missing. But ultimately this was an enjoyable and easy to read mystery.

I was unsure how I would feel about this book. But I was hooked from the first few pages . I never would have guessed the ending of this book. I will be reading more from this author.

After the Ocean starts off brilliantly with evocative prose and a compelling opening scene. I was instantly hooked, and my investment in the story never wavered. There are a few scenes where I felt things took a somewhat theatrical turn, and the plot itself is reminiscent of a Lifetime movie. However, the narrators deliver the story perfectly, and I devoured it.

Thank you to RBmedia, Lauren E. Rico, and NetGalley for my advanced listening copy. My opinions are my own. After the Ocean is out now!

Plot - 4
Writing and Editing - 4
Character Development - 4
Narration - 5
Personal Bias - 4
Final Score - 4.2

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for gifting me the audiobook of After the Ocean for an honest review. I really enjoyed this story!

I went into this expecting more of a suspenseful mystery which it was not. That did not stop me from really enjoying this book and the stories of Emilia and her daughters as well as the side characters POVs. I think the audio was done really well and I’d highly recommend!

4 Stars

Man, this book had me hooked. Imagine thinking your man is dead for thirty years just for some random phone call to be like, “Nah, he chillin’.” Emilia really went through it—lost her husband, got blamed for it, ran off, started a whole new life, and still couldn’t escape the drama. Now her past creeping back in like an ex that won’t let go.

The family mess? Elite. The secrets? Juicy. And Puerto Rico? Chef’s kiss. The only reason this ain’t five stars is ‘cause some parts dragged a little, but overall? This was tea with a side of trauma, and I was here for it.

This book was...so good. At one point I was sitting there, covered in chills, and just thinking wow, I need to process this a minute. Honestly, I couldn't have told you where this book was going to go next, and while it started a bit slow, once I was hooked, I couldn't stop listening. The way this resolved had me on a rollercoaster of emotions, I was furious, sad, heartbroken, angry, happy, absolutely livid, but mostly I just wanted to hug everyone (most everyone).

I wouldn't have normally picked a contemporary fiction up to read, but this audio from NetGalley was perfectly narrated and I loved it.

I really enjoyed this book! I didn’t want to put it down! I wanted to find out what happened for each and every twist and turn! I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys a mysterious love story.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. A young couple get married, secretly, as the husband’s family doesn’t think the bride is good for him. During their honeymoon cruise he disappears. Authorities think she killed him. Years of hiding and mystery, lots of love. Enjoyed it quite a bit and narration was very good.

There was a lot of mystery. Back and forth between then and now was a bit confusing, but overall, it was a great book. I would recommend the read. I love this authors other books as well they always keep you wanting more

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Thoroughly enjoyable read. I tend towards multiple narrators and/or time periods, and this story had both! The use of multiple audiobook narrators added to my appreciation.

At its core, this story is about making messy choices rooted in love and protection. As in real life, we often discover after-the-fact that we contribute to our own chaos. Forgiving others involves forgiving ourselves.

4 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author and narrators.

After the Ocean is a beautifully written intergenerational family saga, about a long held family secret that is unearthed and will change all of this family forever. It has complex mystery, beautiful decades-long story of love and hope, and a family torn apart and brought back together. Through the unique multi-POV and dual timeline writing, you are able to weave together the tapestry one family’s story of love and healing in unexpected ways.

I really enjoyed this author's previous book, Familia, so I was really looking forward to reading this one! After the Ocean focuses on how several generations of a family deal with family secrets and trauma, both physical and emotional. Emilia and her husband Paul, both classical musicians, have their honeymoon cut short as his family seeks to separate them and as she seeks to escape her family and childhood traumas in Puerto Rico and create a new life with Paul. The story flashes forward and backward as Emilia's daughters, Gracie and Meg discover secrets that their mother kept hidden nearly 30 years and both try to adjust to the aftermath, readjusting their relationship with each other in hopes of healing their own traumas. A beautifully written story about confronting truth, healing relationships and being the person you are meant to be in life. I listened to the audiobook version and the three narrators did an excellent job alternating between Paul's story/the Puerto Rican detective, Emilia's story and Gracie/Meg's story. Their voices were expressive yet soothing, giving distinct voices to the various characters. I would have loved a bit more background and details of Emilia's and Paul's courtship before their marriage-- a bit of more insight as to who they were as a couple, more about the daughters' life growing up in Oregon and more details about being in Puerto Rico, both when Emilia was young and when returning. I also was curious about the hint of Gracie's "gift" that her grandmother mentioned that she believed she had. I loved these characters and their stories so much, I was sad to see it end, but I loved the hopeful ending that hinted at a happier future.

I was drawn in by the cover, title, and premise. This was a solid read but the structure surprised me. I did not expect the story to be told the way it was but I did enjoy the different timelines and POVs. Thrillers are not my go-to but I liked this. I was fortunate enough to win this through a giveaway on Goodreads and to get the audio ARC from NetGalley so I alternated with the physical copy and audio. The narration was really well done. Thank you to NetGalley for the audio ARC!

I will in fact always be Lauren E. Rico's number 1 hater. I think her books are set in Puerto Rico because she likes to use it a Diversity token and take space in own voice as a woman who didn't know she was Latina/Puerto Rican until later in love (her words.

This book, same as family, does the jump back and forth that is confusing. Even gives us the POV of the person that does commit the crime, I don't know why, maybe in this one was to gain sympathy because thanks to god he did the right thing by the end. We get a special appearance by corrupt cop Miguel, cause he did this shady thing of him getting her a new passport before he covers up the kidnaping of a child.

Trash, hate this. The fact that all Puerto Ricans are criminals in her point of view just drives me up a wall.

I got an alc of this book on NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This book was so so good! I was captivated from beginning to end and wanted more! Great narration

5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

I really enjoyed this audio book. I liked the narrator, and I liked how the story was told back and forth across 30 years.

I thought that the characters were well developed, and all were able to show growth throughout the story. This is an author that wasn’t in my radar previously, but will definitely be in the future.

This is a sweet story about the dynamics between families. When 2 sisters learn the past of their mother as it goes back and fourth between past and present they have to learn the meaning of love, forgiveness and family. Some parts were a little slow but I did like this story

I received an ARC of this book, and I’m so glad I did!

The story hooked me right from the start. Paul’s sudden disappearance immediately grabbed my attention, and I loved that the book featured multiple POVs, which added depth and complexity to the narrative.

The story begins with Emilia and Paul on their honeymoon aboard a cruise ship. After falling ill, Emilia stays behind to rest while Paul leaves for a day trip. When she wakes from a long nap, she realizes Paul hasn’t returned. Emilia alerts the cruise staff, but they dismiss her concerns. Desperate, she reaches out to Paul’s family, the Winsteds, only to discover they’re quick to blame her for his disappearance. This forces Emilia to go on the run and into hiding. Nearly 30 years later, she’s built a quiet life with her two daughters—until a phone call threatens to unravel everything.

I found all the characters to be incredibly interesting, and I loved the dual timelines. It added so much depth to the story, both with the conflict between the two daughters and everything that happened in the past, which kept things engaging. I also appreciated that every single character had some kind of character arc—it’s something I truly enjoy in a story.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it!

This was a thought-provoking and beautifully told story. The book drew me in from the very beginning and didn’t let go until the final page. The narration in the audiobook was excellent. Highly recommend.