Ess aka Sarah wakes up alone on a sailboat in a remote part of the Pacific Northwest without any recollection of how she got there. She finds a note warning her not the come back but to start over. So she sails on with little clues and the fear of being watched.

I think this book touches on the darkness of being trapped, alone, and no memory of what happened l. Trying to piece together the past and also trying to listen to that voice that says to not look back. It’s a bit psychological thriller in that way. Traveling the stormy seas and mysteries.

The unpredictability of this story and the wanting to know is what is the driving force behind this story.

When our protagonist wakes up one day, she has no idea who she is or how she came to be alone on a sailboat called the Sea Dragon. All she has by way of explanation is a note telling her to start over and to not look back.

Her Canadian ID identifies her as Sarah Jane Song, but she knows instinctively that it’s a fake name, even if nothing, not even her face, feels familiar to her. She realizes that she must have amnesia, even before the note lets her know that the condition was purposely induced in order for her to better escape a shadowy “them.” At least she knows her way around a sailboat, as she slowly pieces together her location, just south of Alaska in the Pacific Northwest.

Unfortunately, whoever arranged for her to be on the Sea Dragon missed a few key issues with the ship. Most pressing is a lack of drinkable water, due most likely to a leaky water tank. With the help of the Sea Dragon’s library of sailing charts, she makes her way to land and slowly begins to feel out what exactly is going on, both with her and with the world, and how she can hopefully find answers and fix things.

Canada in the year 2038 is a magnet for climate refugees, and has tightened its borders in response. While her paperwork is all in order, our heroine – who’s chosen to go by the name Ess – can’t help fearing that she’ll somehow give away the fact that she has no idea who she is due to amnesia-induced social awkwardness. It doesn’t help that other amnesiacs have been found drifting in boats off of Canada’s western coast. Their condition is treated as a dodgy scheme for asylum, as Hito, a newly made acquaintance in the Harbour Authority, lets her know. As curious about the other amnesiacs as she craves human company, she decides to pursue her relationship with Hito further:

QUOTE
She’d shown up at Hito’s door that morning because he held the possibility of distraction and the possibility of answers and Ess wanted both badly even though they were pathways in opposite directions. She wanted the name of the neurologist he’d mentioned. To get it, she had to hide who she was, hide the only salient fact about herself that she knew: her amnesia. At a dinner whose purpose was to get to know each other better. And if she gave herself away for what she really was, she’d get thrown in a cell, get her face plastered on the news, attract whoever was after her before she could even find out why she was in this mess.
END QUOTE

Ess has to tread a fine line between getting the answers she needs while maintaining her privacy and safety, even as her feelings for Hito and his troubled younger sister Yori grow. But as unprecedented storms lash the Western seaboard, she’ll have to ask herself how far she’s willing to go in order to uncover the truth, and whether she’s willing to risk these fragile yet precious new friendships in order to reclaim a past that, it becomes increasingly clear, is perhaps not worth remembering.

Adrift is a near-future eco-thriller that raises interesting questions about identity and memory through its amnesiac heroine’s struggle to do the right thing. Lisa Brideau’s depiction of a future where climate change leads to sudden and catastrophic weather events is highly convincing. I also enjoyed the way she grappled with issues of human migration, underscoring the belief that no human being is illegal and that thoughtful, compassionate resettlement is the only moral solution to any refugee crisis.

But it’s her ruminations on memory that form the heart of this novel, as Ess tries to figure out who she is when she can’t consciously remember anything about who she used to be. A confidante tries to assure her that there’s more to her than a memory bank:

QUOTE
“I don’t know about amnesia”--he spoke so softly that Ess had to lean in to hear–”but even without long-term memories, I think you’re still you. The experiences that formed you still formed you, even if you don’t remember them.”

Ess thought about this, turning the idea over like a pebble, wanted it to be true. “Aren’t we our memories? Don’t all those experiences layer on top of each other, form us like a cake? Or a pearl? Or something else with layers. Without the memories, what’s left?”
END QUOTE

Ess’ stubbornness and naivete can often feel exasperating as she has to continually learn to allow her body to take charge over her conscious mind, but as the solution to the mystery of who she is and what happened to her unfolds, everything about her starts making perfect sense. The contrast between the relatively small stakes of her personal life against the backdrop of high stakes climate change serves to highlight the importance of both, anchoring each in believability despite the inherently speculative nature of the fiction.

ok honestly the beginning was good since it's the first time that i read a thriller in the future ( I usually don't read that many thriller) and I did like the premise of waking up with no memories and on a boat in the middle of nowhere but It got to a point that it was just going like it was not that thrilling, like it didn't keep me on edge and dying to know what's going to happen. Also the sailing reference was a bit confusing since I don't sail nor ever been near anyone that sail, had me stop and google the word to make sure that I understood what the author was talking about besides that It was a good read and I do recommend this book since it is pretty entertaining

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to read and review this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

What would you do if you woke up on a boat with no memory of your life? That's exactly the scenario our protagonist awakes to in Adrift. Finding only a fake ID proclaiming she is Sarah Song and a note to not dig into her past, Sarah, or Ess as she comes to call herself, is left to cope with the fact that she doesn't know who she is or why her memory is gone. With only a few clues linking her to her past, she sets sail on the Sea Dragon in order to find answers. As she begins to dig into her past, Ess finds out she is far from the only one of the amnesiacs that have been discovered drifting at sea.

Adrift also provides some stark social commentary on climate change, global disasters, and immigration. The setting of an ecologically ravaged world and the ensuing migration of climate refugees was extremely compelling, especially because some of it is not out of the realm of possibility.

Overall Adrift was an interesting read. I'd categorize this as a near-future speculative fiction with some mystery elements. If you go in expecting a thriller you might be a bit disappointed. The worldbuilding and setting of a climate-apocalypse-ravaged world was enough to keep me interested when the plot fizzled out in some spots.

Crossposted to Goodreads at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5540200141

If I'd been in the right time frame when I started this book, I would have possibly finished it in one or two sittings but even in the busy week I started it, I read it pretty quickly!! It was very hard to put down and the story was immersive and captivating.

Swipe for a synopsis but basically the main premise of this story is that a woman wakes up on a boast without any of her memories of who she is or how she got there. She is left with very little information and ultimately makes some decisions about who she is or wants to become. It's set in 2038 on Vancouver Island and the world looks a bit different than in 2023 - climate change is an even bigger problem, understandably, and technology has changed a bit too. It was kind of fascinating to conisider these fictional future realities and also a bit disheartening! Eek!

For me, this book was a bit more plot-driven than character driven but I still enjoyed the character development.

I'd recommend this for fans of thrilling scenarios but it doesn't quite delve totally into the gory type of thriller genre and I appreciate that in my reading life. It would make a good beach read! It certainly made me want to visit Nanaimo BC again because it has been years!

Hmm. Not too sure where to begin.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t a big fan of this book. I thought the premise was very cool. The main character wakes up on a boat and she doesn’t remember anything. There’s a big focus on amnesia and the process of memory, which I found very interesting. But otherwise, I felt that the book fell flat for me.

I can’t really pinpoint anything negative in particular. I just found myself to be very bored throughout the whole thing. There were good characters and the writing was well done, but I still felt like I was sludging through.

Also, it seems to be marketed as a thriller but I would not consider it one at all. It’s more of a slow burn drama/mystery.

I do believe that a lot of people would love this book, but it just wasn’t a good fit for me. I still recommend that you read the synopsis and give it a try if it sounds interesting!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my gifted copy!

Ess wakes up all alone on a sail boat in Canada, outside Victoria and no idea how she got there. She sees a note that says Start Over, Don’t make yourself known, Don’t look back.

Ess thinks that she must have answers, but she isn’t sure how to get them. As she follows the clues she gets some answers but to what lengths is she willing to go to solve this once and for all? Will she trust her not and move on while not trying to figure it out? Or will she try to get to the bottom of this, and at what costs?

I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun take on an amnesia book. I enjoyed the hints at climate change though a few things seemed over the top. It was obvious that this was a Canadian author, and she thinks Canada is amazing. Right, it is. But also, not everyone wants to move to Canada. I’m not sure how much people care about globalized healthcare when the climate is crap and it’s 125 degree out. Just a couple lines about how great Canada were really turned me off, and I’m a huge fan considering half my family is Canadian. It just felt out of place for the book.

However, the story was a fun one. I loved Ess and the journey she goes through to figure out who she is. Not necessarily before she had amnesia but just how much she has grown as a person since not knowing. I loved how she truly connected with her friends and they tried to help each other out.

The story is well paced and kept me wanting for more. I was sad when it ended but it was a good ending point.

I am so glad that I was able to read this e-arc from Sourcebooks Landmark, @bookmarked, and Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend you grad yourself a copy of this out May 9th! It will keep you guessing.

An enthralling, layered book! Awakening with no memory of who she is, Ess sails down the British Columbia coast in search of answers. Finding herself in a nightmare of climate change and environmental disturbances, she must survive in a changed world. Recommended reading.

Adrift is a climate change thriller. I haven't read a book set heavily into the climate change crisis. Usually, they are dystopian, set after some sort of cataclysmic event has occurred.

I found this imagining of what it will be like as temperatures rise, weather events become stronger and more frequent, and water levels swallow up entire communities, terrifying yet realistic.

Set in 2038, only 15 years from now... a little too soon for my comfort! Our main character, Ess, wakes up on a boat anchored near some uninhabited islands, with no memory of who she is or how she ended up on the boat. All she has is a note telling her to go live her new life and not try to find out about her past. But, that is hard for Ess to do. The desire to know her past is too strong. Otherwise, she just feels adrift out in the world.

Ess is running from people who would want to hurt her, but also more and more "refugee amnesia" cases are showing up, and authorities are on the hunt for them. If she is found, she'll be locked up indefinitely, considered someone trying to gain access to the country through illegal means.

Adrift is a slow-paced thriller. It is fairly character driven as we watch Ess struggle with the loss of her identity. She has to learn how to move on, create a life for herself, and trust others. There are definitely themes of redepmtion, forgiveness, starting over, and found family.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced digital copy of this book. My thoughts are my own.

Adrift is a speculative suspense novel set in the near-feature west coast of Canada, both on land and on the water, in which a woman wakes on a boat with all her biographical memories gone—and a note stating it was done to her purposely for her protection. She’s not the first person who this has been done to, but she differs from the others in having both money and identification, which reveals her name is Sarah, although she instead chooses to go by Ess. Against the warnings in the note to not investigate her past, Ess begins doing just that, befriending various people while attempting to conceal her amnesia for her safety and find something—anything—that will offer her some sense of who she once was.

Adrift is also a harrowing work of climate fiction, taking place in a world where the current climate emergency has resulted in unprecedented yet entirely predictable impacts, including extreme weather events, massive sea level rise, and millions of “climate refugees” all over the world. The mystery of how Ess ended up in her predicament was both tense and fascinating, as was her grappling with the person/non-person she’s become and the question of whether it’s one’s past memories or present-day actions that define the self.

I did find Ess an odd duck at times, her behaviour strange and inconsistent with someone trying to behave like a “normal”, non-amnesiac person, and also somewhat inconsistent in general, but maybe that's actually realistic for people with that condition. I also wasn’t entirely certain <SPOILER> she actually deserved the positive ending she received given what we eventually learn about her past and how she came to lose her memories, particularly the outcome of her actions immediately before it happened. </SPOILER> There is an argument to be made for it, though, which is the sign of a thoughtful, though-provoking, and enjoyable story. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

Adrift by Lisa Brideau is a starkly foreboding preview of the quality of life in the not too distant future. Brideau brilliantly creates a foreboding environmental crises by concentrating on a single the trauma of a single character. Ess awakens one morning on a boat in the Pacific Northwest with no memory of who she is or how she got there. Unlike typical amnesiacs, Ess has no autobiographical or humanitarian memory; however, she is able to remember the process to perform certain actions such as sailing a boat. Throughout the novel her one goal is to discover who she really is. But does she really want to know is the constant question in her mind? In Adrift, we clearly see the possibilities of the possibilities of a planet in an environmental crises. Brideau touches on the potential to recreate yourself, climate displacement, survival, politics of migration, and human kindness. Adrift is a searing thriller that will keep you mindful of every environmental reaction that is currently occurring.
#ThankyouNETGALLEY#thriller#environmental crisIs

Adrift
Author: Lisa Brideau
Genre: Mystery
Rating: 4⭐️

Synopsis: Ess wakes up alone on a sailboat off the coast of Canada. The only thing she knows is her name, having no memories of her past like or how she got there. A note on the boat says: don’t make yourself known and don’t look back. Ess sets off on an adventure to figure out who she was.

Thoughts: As someone who was not a fan of The Last Thing He Told Me, this one was a better read. It starts off slower but once you get to the main component of the story, it takes off. The idea of the world in the near future with people immigrating to Canada is very interesting and makes you wonder what would you do.

Read if:
* You loved The Last Thing He Told Me
* You question what the world will look like in the near future

Thank you to the author and publisher for an ARC!

This book was quite the wild ride. I never got bored and it kept me guessing the entire time. The ending was just perfect and really tied everything together. Such a unique book and so many twists and turns. One of my favorite this year, so far!

This book was fascinating! Mystery/thriller aren't my normal genres but this one was different. Set in the PNW, we get dropped into the action right up front and have to figure out what characters to trust / not trust. The book deftly weaves in climate concerns and concerns about immigration/refugees all while staying focused on the central mystery. While it doesn't resolve to my satisfaction, there was something comforting in the epilogue. Ess as a character is well developed - which felt impossible, given she has no memory - a successful feat on the author's part. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the free advance copy.

ADRIFT (Release May 9 2023) is a complicated and complex, but fascinating, Psychological/Climate Change Thriller. Set on Canada's Pacific Coast (North of Vancouver) in 2038-2039 (so not that far into the future), the globe is near or possibly just past, the Tipping Point of Climate Devolution, with many island nations already submerged and frequent "unprecedented" storms. Emigration and Immigration are hot topics, urgently, and as an estimated 50 million populace are confined to refugee camps or endangered by rising sea levels and flooding, established nations such as Canada struggle to balance national needs with the intensifying influx of Immigration. Suddenly a new issue arises: individuals discovered alone, on rickety boats, completely amnesiac. They speak English, have grasp of tasks, function normally, yet their autobiographical memories (personal experience) are absent. One of these discovers herself on a boat, Sea Dragon, anchored near an island chain in Canada's Haida Gwaii. With no recall, she sails to the mainland and from there to the town of Nanaimo, in pursuit of bizarre clues she finds on the boat, several times unwittingly endangering herself.

The outworking of the puzzling mystery of the "amnesiac refugees" is convoluted but ultimately valid. Author Lisa Brideau skillfully delves into deep-level characterization and study of Memory; and the Climate Change consequences are realistically depicted.

I absolutely adored this book! Ess is such a compelling character- I love the setup and how we are just dropped right into the action. I never quite knew who to trust and I really appreciate that the author was able to fold in very real environmental concerns with an action-packed story. Highly recommend!

Adrift is a dystopian, futuristic thriller set in a climate change crisis, as one women finds herself alone on sailboat with no memory. Ess has no idea where she's come from or how's she arrived in the middle of sea. Day-by-day she slowly begins to retrace her footsteps to undercover her past. This is a slow-burn has she uncovers the deadly truth, and determines what's next since her memory has been wiped.

The opening chapter draws the reader in, and soon you find yourself crashing into wave and wave of drama. The ending was incredibly satisfying. I would definitely read future works by this author.

Thank you SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the complimentary copy.

ᴛʜᴇ sᴄᴀʀɪᴇsᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʙᴇ ᴛᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ sᴛʀᴀɴᴅᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ᴀ ʙᴏᴀᴛ ᴀʟᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀᴋᴇ ᴜᴘ 🤯 ᴛʜɪs ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ɪs ғʀᴏᴍ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴏᴠ ᴀɴᴅ ɪs ᴀ sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ. ɪ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ʜᴀʀᴅ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴘɪᴄᴋɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴜᴘ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ, ʙᴜᴛ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴜsᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏɪɴɢ ɪᴛ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ɪ ᴡᴀs ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ. ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴀ ʟᴏᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ɪɴᴠᴇsᴛᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀʏ. ɪ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ sᴀɪʟɪɴɢ/ʙᴏᴀᴛɪɴɢ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴡᴀs sᴜʀᴘʀɪsᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ ᴅɪᴅɴ’ᴛ ғɪɴᴅ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜᴇ sᴘᴇᴄɪғɪᴄ sᴀɪʟɪɴɢ ᴘʀᴏᴛᴏᴄᴏʟs, ᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴏʟᴏɢʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴛs ʙᴏʀɪɴɢ. ᴛʜɪs ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ɪs ᴛɪᴍᴇʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴏᴘɪᴄs ʀᴇʟᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴄʟɪᴍᴀᴛᴇ ᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪᴍᴍɪɢʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟᴀᴡs. ᴛʜɪs ɪsɴ’ᴛ ᴀ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏʀ ᴛʀᴏᴘᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ’ᴠᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ᴅᴀʏ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɢᴇ - ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪs ᴀ ᴡɪɴ ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʙᴏᴏᴋ! ᴛʜᴇʀᴇ ᴡᴀsɴ’ᴛ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴀᴊᴏʀ ᴛᴡɪsᴛs ᴏʀ ᴊᴀᴡ ᴅʀᴏᴘᴘɪɴɢ ᴍᴏᴍᴇɴᴛs, ʙᴜᴛ ᴏᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ ɪ ᴡᴀs ᴠᴇʀʏ sᴀᴛɪsғɪᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴅɪɴɢ.

📖 ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ @bookmarked ᴀɴᴅ @netgalley ғᴏʀ ᴛʜɪs ᴀʀᴄ ᴄᴏᴘʏ ɪɴ ᴇxᴄʜᴀɴɢᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴀɴ ʜᴏɴᴇsᴛ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ 📖

Adrift is set in the near future with a world that is experiencing natural disasters never seen before thanks to climate change. Ess wakes up on a boat-no recollection of her name, her past, how she got to the boat and why, etc. ess finds she’s not the only one as there are news stories developing about the amnesia refugees washing up in boats on shores. Ess is determined to piece together what happened to her and these others and why..

I give the author credit here as it’s not common to find thrillers that are unique but this plot is. As others have mentioned, though, this is really a science fiction novel with a mystery developing rather than a straight on thriller. The climate change aspects aren’t heavily featured in the plot either and are more of a background device.

While I enjoyed elements of the plot, the story lost my interest as it plodded along, as it was paced to be a slow burner and not necessarily a page-turner. Great concept, uneven execution.

Thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thriller this is not. Psychological slow-burn mystery is a more accurate classification for this novel. Ess wakes up on a boat in the waters outside of British Columbia with no recollection of how she got there. She doesn’t know her name or have any memories of her past. All she has is a semi-stocked boat and a note from someone saying it's better this way.

It kind of reminded me of a less-action packed, lower stakes, Jason Bourne story as I haven’t read a whole lot of amnesia stories in my lifetime. The story unravels pretty slowly and since Ess is basically a blank slate with no identifiable personality straights I felt adrift for the vast majority of the novel. There is a lot of inner monologue and few interactions with other people. Towards the later half, events start to pick-up, our cast of characters grows slightly, and we start to piece together more information. The mystery was obvious only that there was a reason this happened to Ess and it was probably nefarious but I wasn’t able to piece together the details until it was revealed. I love when books can keep their mysteries just that until the time where it is supposed to be revealed.

I wished the climate aspect that is hyped up by this synopsis was better explored. Yes, natural disasters are featured and the effects are briefly mentioned. But it mostly felt like plot devices. The author just assumes everyone knows how the world got to this place. There’s nothing about politics or preventive measures. It just is. It's a reality of the characters lives without ever being examined.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.