This is not the book I expected, but it was everything I apparently wanted because I couldn’t put it down! If you take a pinch of fantasy, a dash of feminism, a cup of academia, add some romance to taste and finish off with mystery you get A Study in Drowning.

Such a unique story…This is a dark academia story with mystery and romance. Effy is our FMC and she is such a beautifully complex character. She is attending college as the only female architectural student. She decides to enter a contest to redesign the estate of one of Effy’s favorite childhood authors. Preston is a student that she is competing against, but his motives are different! He want’s to expose this author as a fraud. This sweet storyline is complex, twisty, full of angst and will keep you wanting more! Ava has a way of writing books that unfold before your eyes. She beautiful and lyrically pulls together all the pieces exactly as they need to come together and I am mesmerized by her writing style.

I highly recommend this read! Such a great story…



Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for this ARC of A Study in Drowing.

I was not prepared for how much I liked A Study in Drowning. This is my first novel by Ava Reid but it definitely won’t be my last because I absolutely loved her writing style.

We follow Effy, an architecture student who wishes she were a literature student. She finds solace in the classic novel Angharad written by the mysterious Emrys Myrddin, and then one day she is given the opportunity to redesign the Myrddin estate and she couldn’t be happier.

While working on her plans at the Myrddin estate, a literature scholar named Preston shows up and is determined to prove Myrddin’s works weren’t actually written by him. At first, the two butt heads over their differing opinions of Myrddin, but eventually some secrets come to light that cause them to join together against dark forces.

A Study in Drowning is a magical and atmospheric novel with a dark setting, historical undertones, discussions of academia, old secrets buried in a crumbling house, a soft romance, and ethereal and captivating writing. I really enjoyed the novel, and I liked that it had a completely different feel from the generic YA novel format. I would absolutely recommend this book.

A Study in Drowning beautifully joined the fantastical elements with those of dark academia. The writing had a wonderful flow and I loved all the comparisons to mermaids and sirens. This book had such an important story to tell and I loved watching the main character grow in confidence throughout.
I thought the narration was very well done. The voice was fitting for the flow of the story and kept you captivated with the lovely descriptions and different characters’ voices.
There are many young women especially who would benefit from this story of a girl learning to stand up for herself and finding her voice.

A big thanks to YABC, NetGalley, and HarperCollins for providing both a physical, eARC, and advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

A dark academia mixed with the fanciful of fairy tales, sign me up.

A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid is a YA gothic about a girl named Effy Sayre, who aspires to create the best home design for her favorite fairy tale author. Effy has always believed in fairy tales, especially when one of them lives inside her head. But as fanciful as her mind is, she is dedicated to her only allowed studies of architecture. Until her favorite author's family decides to renovate the old home, and is only looking for a bright student to make up the design. And Effy is the perfect candidate. But not everything is as it seems, as she must be better than her rival and try not to let herself drown in the rising sea.

What I liked most about this book, is that it combined the eerieness of being a gothic novel, with a mostly desolate house overlooking a raging sea that seems to be haunted by something supernatural. With the more fanciful fairy tales of the youth. Ie. Fey. I also just really liked Preston (just a tad bit more than Roman from Divine Rivals, sorry not sorry). BUT ALSO THAT END LINE. You can't go wrong with that kind of ending.

I've tried and been burned by Ava Reid (I'm looking at you, Juniper and Thorn) and I really wanted to love this one. But just couldn't. The first thing I absolutely detested, was the mere mention of a student/teacher relationship. Even if it was off page in the past. I thought I could get past this, but it kept getting mentioned over and over again. And I know this was a huge trauma point for the main character, but I just couldn't get behind it.

Overall, this was a solid read. Just not my exact cup of tea. But I would highly recommend it to anyone needing something following the devastation that is Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross and just can't wait for Ruthless Vows.

A Study in Drowning is a book that I struggled to find a way to review in a manner that wasn’t incoherent ramblings because it is one of those books that says so much that I feel I don’t know if there is really a satisfactory way to begin a review at all. Partially, I felt like A Study in Drowning trapped me within its pages in the same manner Angharad trapped Effy, and in planning to review this, I have had to untangle myself from the vines of this story as well as I could, if I was going to say anything worthwhile.

What I can tell you is that Ava Reid has written another masterpiece that is both timely and timeless in its subject matter, and is a story that will live with me for a long time. It is on par with recent additions to the dark academia genre including Babel by R.F. Kuang in its critique of society and academia and The Whispering Dark in its tender, bleeding romance.

Both of Reid’s previous works have been driven forward by their themes, and A Study in Drowning is no different, and there is no place where their commentary felt half-hearted. The discrimination and fears of violence (physical, verbal, emotional, and sexual) women face within academia are handled with care and nuance as Effy must make compromises with her family and institution, which forbids women from the Literature College, to study the work of the author she loves most dearly.

Stories, like the ones Effy reads and writes herself, are once again at the heart of A Study in Drowning. Reid asks the readers, along with Effy, to consider questions of ownership of works, the role stories play within politics, who is believed when they tell a story, and what our favourite stories can do to us throughout the book in a manner that feels like a fairytale and a conversation about each of our own stories, as well, bringing the reader into the tale alongside Effy and Preston, as well. As much as it is a dark academia novel, I think A Study in Drowning is worth considering as a key member of the canon about stories about stories for its poignant exploration of these themes.

Personally, however, I found it was Reid’s commentary regarding mental illness that sparkled like the sun on the sea throughout the entire book. Effy has seen the Fairy King most of her life in her dreams, and has dutifully taken her medication in order to be a “good daughter” instead of a burden to her family. Reid’s personal experiences with their own mental illness bleed from every page, and perhaps that is what makes them so touching. Reid does not shy away from sharing the gruesome, unproductive thoughts that come with mental illness, and the fears of being a burden, or worth being locked up that are directly tied into the themes of misogyny. Yet Reid nor her love interest diminish Effy for her struggles, reaching like like a warm hug to say that, in spite of a world that tells you that you’re mad, you are worth listening to.

There is also so much to say on the topic of Effy and Preston, the characters at the heart of this book. Their romance is so heartbreaking and heartwarmimg that I almost did not know what to do with myself when they were on the page together. I found myself screaming, crying, laughing, and smiling uncontrollably whenever they were, sometimes doing more than once. Effy and Preston are consistently challenging the other’s worldview, and watching both characters come to understand each other more deeply and fall further for each other because of it drove the tender slow burn of their relationship over the book deep into my heart.

Paired with Ava Reid’s characteristic, beautiful writing, A Study in Drowning has quicky become of my favourites of the year, and easily one of my favourite books of all time. Reid has truly mastered her command over a story, and I cannot wait to see where their exploration of stories takes us after this.

A Study in Drowning is a moody, slow-burn mystical realism book about fairytales and idols, and what happens when reality is oh so different than you were led to believe. Effy believes in fairy tales, she has been seeing the Fairy King her entire life-so it makes sense that her favorite book is an epic about a girl who falls in love with the Fairy King, and what happens afterwards. But when she is invited to compete to design her idols house it seems like an impossible task, especially with Preston Heloury there hellbent on proving the author a fraud. As this unlikely duo works together to piece together clues as to the mysterious author's history, what they will find will change everything.

I really enjoyed the mood that this book inspired in me. It was lightly dark, mysterious and just the right amount of moody. There were a lot of moments that made me so angry and distinctly uncomfortable, without being too graphic. The author superbly wrote about anxiety. There were a lot of hard topics that she didn't shy away from. I really liked the basis of the story, even if I found the ending rather anticlimatic.

This is a slow moving book, so if you like things to be succinct and fast-paced this may not be for you. Check the content warnings if you know you have subjects that trigger you!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It isn't a new favorite, but I'm happy to have been able to listen to it. The narrator does a wonderful job matching the moodiness of the story. YA fantasy lovers should definitely check this one out!

This is my first Ava Reid book so I wasn't sure what to expect. I did enjoy the gothic atmosphere but at the same time I was never really sure what was actually going on. I think part of that is that I listened to the synthetic voice audiobook ARC and it really took me out of the story. Everything was read in a flat tone so I found myself losing interest and when I came back to the story I didn't know what was going on. I didn't really enjoy Effy as a character, but I did like Preston. I found the middle of the book to be a little slow, but the last 25% was pretty good.

I'm not sure if I didn't like it as much because of the story itself, or because of the synthetic voice audiobook. But I think that if you've ready Ava Reid before and liked their work then you would probably like this one as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for providing me with an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

They say you should never meet your heroes. But what about redesigning their estate after they die?
Our main character is given this precise task, and she doesn’t feel she’s up for the challenge it presents — or is she?

This story just builds and builds and gets better and better as it goes!
FAN.TAS.TIC conclusion!!

I thought the beginning was a little weak because the setting was unclear, but around the halfway mark, I felt like any confusion I had was sorted out.

In the end, the character growth was excellent, the plot developed well, and the prose was so full of heart.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I’m a fan of the dark academia. The book was very eerie and atmospheric. I really love Effy and Preston. Fairytales are not always happy. A lot of times they are dark just like this one. I definitely recommend this one. I cannot wait to read more by this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Posting a longer review on the contents of the book on the ebook review, this is specifically just for the audiobook.

Really hoping the AI voice generated audiobooks do not become a thing. I realize this was made as a preview for NetGalley, but the voice just sounds off. I couldn't get through more than a chapter before I switched over to just reading the ebook.

Ava Reid has a main character that they excel at writing. They write heavily traumatized, unreliable narrators of girls who come to terms with their traumas and eventually grow to destroy the systems that created their trauma and that is not a formula that they should abandon anytime soon. There is the same feeling of a creepy fever dream to this story of an architecture and design student who is tasked to redesign her recently deceased favorite author's house while a literature student explores the author's work. Will they be able to come together and untangle the web of stories in the house and their own lives?
Ava Reid truly honed their authorial voice in Juniper and Thorn, and A Study in Drowning, while delivering quite similar feelings, expands upon that voice in a very authentic way. This was a much more clear and intentional story, but still continues to hit on incredibly difficult and dark topics in ways that, while they remain very uncomfortable, must be sat with. The tale is inherently feminist and feels much lower fantasy than the rest of the author's work. Overall, the story is engaging and strange and exactly what you want when you pick up the author's work.

5⭐️

“It began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous.”

Effy Sayre has had visions of the Fairy Kings since she was a child; nightmares keeping her awake at night, hallucinations in the light of day that only she can see. She has a constantly supply of little pink pills to keep the not real things away. The only other thing that kept Effy whole was author Emrys Myrddin's book, Angharad, that featured a mortal girl who fell in love with Fairy King and then eventually destroys him.

Now in her first year of uni, Effy is the only woman in the architecture program. When a competition arises to remodel the home of the late Emrys Myrddin, Effy jumps at the chance and wins. Hiraeth Manor is a broken down home on the top of a cliff, constantly at risk of crumbling into the sea. And when Effy arrives at Hiraeth Manor, she discovers that her rival, literature student Preston Héloury has also been invited to the manor and he is set to prove that Myrddin is a fraud. As the two but heads they discover that they can't believe everything they thought was true.

As soon as Ava Reid began promoting this book, I knew I would love it. A Dark Academia book set in a crumbling manor at the top of a cliff featuring rivals to lovers and a character called the Fairy King? That is all right up my alley. And when I wasn't able to get the ebook ARC on Netgalley, I was disappointed that I would have to wait until September. But then a Voicegalley Advance audio edition became available and I was so glad to get it!

I absolutely loved Effy; from her strained relationship with her mother, to her being the only woman in her uni program, to her immediate defensiveness in a desperate attempt to prove herself all endeared her to me. She is not a perfect person and never pretends to be. She's not necessarily the one who would run into battle, but will fight in her own way. As a fellow anxious girl, I can see myself in her.

I can appreciate how much faith Effy put into this book that got her through her life and how disheartening it is when you find out that the author doesn't live up to expectations. This tackled 'death of the author' fairly well. The book also captured the inherit sexism in academia as well as the abuse those in power inflict on those under them. The abuse of power is not only seen in sexism, but also prejudice against different cultures as seen with the treatment Preston receives. The fact that Effy and Preston can go from rivals to understanding the issues each has undergone in their fields was heart warming.

I do wish that the Fairy King was more prominent. It was a constant theme throughout the book and his presence seems to shadow almost everything, but I think I'd like to see more of him upfront and center.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing this ARC to me!

"We must discuss, then, the relationship between women and water. When men fall into the sea, they drown. When women meet the water, they transform. It becomes vital to ask: is this a metamorphosis, or a homecoming?"

I am obsessed with A Study in Drowning. The whole story and setting had me hooked right from the start. Picture a fantasy world inspired by mid-20th-century England/Wales, spiced up with some delightful Welsh mythology. It's like stepping into this Dark Academia vibe where mystery and romance take center stage in a crumbling and damp old house perched on a cliff that is about to be swept away into the sea. It delves into the clash between superstitious folklore and academic skepticism, shedding light on the rotten institutional sexism in academia. Reid nails it by portraying how young women are simultaneously dismissed as insipid and frivolous, yet somehow expected to shoulder the blame for the predatory actions of power-hungry men. I felt an instant connection to our unbearably brave FMC, Effy. She proves that being brave doesn't require the loss of being soft, and her softness is what helps her, and those she cares about, survive. This is a novel that is dedicated to those who survive. The blend of storytelling, lovable characters, gripping mysteries, and a touch of ambiguous fantasy makes this such a wonderful read. Honestly, there's not a single con I can think of. This book is hauntingly perfect.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 World Building: 5/5
🌊 Plot: 5/5
💫 Pacing: 5/5
🌸 Characters: 5/5
⭐️ Overall: 5/5

This rating only applies to the audiobook version (this version). I strongly advise against using AI for future audiobooks, as they are monotonous and difficult to comprehend. A separate rating will be shown for the ebook version.

After hearing only positive things about Ava Reid, I finally got my hands on one of her books. Unfortunately, I am part of the minority who did not enjoy it as much making the author wish they never gave away free advance copies.

The story follows Effy, an eighteen-year-old girl who is forced to study architecture because, in her world, women are prohibited from studying Literature (a fresh change of setting). From a young age, Iffy has been haunted by visions of the Fairy King, making her obsessed with Emrys Myrddin’s epic Angharad, which tells the story of a mortal girl defeating the Fairy King. When Iffy is offered an opportunity to work at Myrddin’s manor, she believes it is destiny working in her favor. However, upon arrival, she meets Preston, a literature student who threatens to interfere with her plans.

If I could rate only the last three chapters, the book would have a different rating. For me, those chapters felt like a separate story from the one I was listening to/reading; as if the narrative was focused on showing the reader a confusing and disconnected line of events that had, and at the same time didn’t have, anything to do with the final message. Miss Reid should have focused more on that message instead of throwing many subplots together such as fantasy, romance, Effy’s “oddness,” and the dark academic vibes.

The romance, which Ava considers a “true” romance book, was one of the elements that made me reconsider my rating. While Iffy and Preston made a good couple and nothing was rushed between them, the moments of intimacy felt awkward. Despite this, Preston deserves praise for being a gentleman willing to change the patriarchal system—the perfect combination of the perfect gentleman ready to fight the laws that held women back, but with enough skepticism to handle Effy’s fears.

I read on Goodreads that Ava mentioned she wrote this book for the survivors, “the people who aren't believed, who don’t have ownership over their own narrative, who tell themselves stories in order to cope." Once you get to the final pages you realize that this is a story of survival against the odds, a sad reminder of how many are silenced and mistreated to make room for others or simply because they lack empathy. For this reason, I highly recommend "A Study in Drowning." Don't give up after the first few chapters; the ending is worth it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an audiobook ARC!

This is a great read! I love books that include magical schools, so this one did not disappoint. The relationship between Preston and Ellry is engaging and fun to read. My favorite thing about this book is how it shows the impact a book or story can have on someone's life, which is something all of us readers can relate to. I would highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books — HarperTeen for the gifted Audio ARC for my honest review of A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy an atmospheric, gothic, dark academia, and feministic read. It’s the perfect book for fall! I really enjoyed the main character, Effy, and her battel with finding her inner strength and trusting herself to fight back against the men who seek to make her submissive to them and her inner demons throughout the book. This book focuses on sexism in the academic environment, women’s oppression, sexual assault, mental health, abandonment, and the relationship between authors and readers. There were truly many quotes that stood out to me, but I especially liked when the author stated, ”I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me.” If you’re looking for a fantasy book that focuses on heavy topics with many tab worth quotes this is the one to add to your tbr. I can’t wait to add the book to my bookshelves.

I was excited for this book, but I just couldn't finish it. I tried reading both the audio and the ebook, but couldn't get into the story. I'm not sure if this book just wasn't for me; because I have enjoyed Ava's other books. Or if I just wasn't in the right moment to read this story.

DNF @ 20%

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperTeen for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A Study in Drowning is one of my most anticipated books of 2023, so I was so excited to be able to listen to it through the audiobook. Unfortunately, I don’t think this audiobook is right for me, and I will wait until its release date to read it in a print format. I had a difficult time connecting with the narrator and getting immersed in the story. I’m not much of an audiobook reader, but when I saw A Study in Drowning as listen now, I didn’t hesitate to request it. I know A Study in Drowning is going to be a book I really enjoy as I love gothic books, dark academia, and Ava Reid’s other books, so I don’t want to hinder my enjoyment when I am not liking the format.

Effy Sayre wanted to be in the literature college, but they have never admitted a woman before. Settling for architecture, Effy is floating and a step away from drowning in despair. When she sees an ad to redesign the estate of her favorite deceased author, she leaps at the chance even though she is still a student. To her shock, she is invited to the crumbling cliffside of Hiraeth Manor. There she meets the author’s strange son and an intrepid scholar named Preston with ulterior motives. Effy will need to decide whether her sight can be relied on and whether she can trust Preston as she navigates the dark secrets of Hiraeth Manor.

I had chills in the best way while reading this book. I really enjoyed the mystery that slowly unraveled as Preston and Effy tried to uncover if Myrddin was the true author or whether he had plagiarized. The pacing was impeccable! I was on the edge of my seat and couldn’t put it down. The world-building about fairy stories and the Fairy King were very compelling. I was struck by the beautiful and deadly ways that water imagery was used. Reid writes captivatingly about women who are labeled mentally ill, the power of stories, what it means to save yourself, and how women can defeat monsters in all forms.

Effy is one of my favorite characters! Effy is someone who has been told she’s difficult, too sensitive, and that the things she sees and believes mean she’s mentally ill. I loved seeing her character growth and journey as she learns to trust in herself. Preston and Effy have such a sweet romance! I absolutely loved how Preston always believed Effy even when he didn’t have full understanding yet. Readers who enjoyed Erin A. Craig (House of Salt and Sorrows), Melissa Albert (The Hazel Wood), and Rebecca Ross (Divine Rivals) would love this book. I can’t wait to see what Ava Reid writes next!

Thank you so much to Ava Reid, Harper Audio, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

This book was not what I was expecting. But is definitely one I am going to suggest people to read.
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A girl who’s life has been hard, haunted by what men say and a fairy king who’s desire to take her has given Effy such an outlook on life where all you need to do is survive even though you feel weak.
Given an opportunity to help build a house for the son of the author she looks up to, she meets a boy who goes to the same university as her makes things all the different. At first she is determined to hate him but then is the only thing that makes her feel safe when every shadow is out to get her.