When I first read that publishers summary I was incredibly intrigued. A boy is left on a raft at camp and then no one can find him - surely he drowned? Who was haunting Alex ... was it actually Joey or someone else?


When you meet Alex as an adult his personality is so-so. I remember not being crazy about him but also not totally hating him. He is the typical macho, businessman who is a semi-family man but also a bit of a sleaze.


As Alex is close to nailing a business deal, he starts to get weird signs that relate to Joey Proctor, the boy who he left out on a raft all those years ago. You definitely can see how the signs/haunting would be Joey but there is also an underlying feeling that something more sinister is going on.


Throughout the novel, you want to scream at Alex for being such an idiot and not going about things the way he should've but that was really the only complaint I had ... but in reality, what is a book if you don't want to yell at the protagonist at least once?


At first, I thought the book was going to be a typical ghost story with a twist or two but Smith takes Alex on a journey I never would've figured out. The plot twists that occur are really wild; there are a lot of deaths, cover-ups, and fake outs plus the ending is not what I expected.


I flew through this book because it kept me on the edge of my seat and kept everything really interesting. If you need something thrilling and to keep you guessing, you will obsess over "The Drowning."

Dark mystery that sucks you into a different place. A nightmare where no one wants to be. Good read. Can’t put it down. Wondering where it’s going to go And which way to turn

While I found this storyline interesting there was just something that was missing for me and it did not allow for me to get as involved with the storyline as I had hoped. I also felt like there were a number of loose ends which was rather annoying because I prefer when everything is wrapped up by the end.

This is a fun, quick read. It’s not the best I’ve read because I didn't fall in love any characters and I don't feel that there is anyone to root for, but the ending has a satisfying twist. Like most readers I expected most of my answers to be addressed towards the back end of the novel, so I indeed enjoyed the fact that Smith didn't spell everything out or tie it all up conveniently in a bow. It'll stay with me for quite some time I suspect. So if you like questions to ponder or ruminate on this is a highly entertaining and immersive mystery thriller which poses some thought-provoking and intriguing questions.

Thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC of this book.

I read this book over Memorial Day weekend while relaxing by the pool. It was a good book for that as I was able to read it pretty quickly. Some parts of the story seemed very improbable but overall I enjoyed it. I will check out more from this author....

LOVED THIS BOOK FROM BEGINNING TO END. IT KEPT ME HOOKED THE ENTIRE TIME. I CAN NOT WAIT TO FIND MORE BOOKS BY THIS AUTHOR. I WILL BE RECOMMENDING THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO WILL LISTEN!!!

The Drowning is a fantastic thriller,well written, great characters, and some good twists. This is a must read for the year.

Joey Proctor can’t swim, but that doesn’t stop camp counselor Alex Mason from leaving him out on a raft in the middle of the lake in a fit of rage. Alex only meant to scare the kid, teach him a lesson. He didn’t mean to forget about him. But now Joey is gone… and his body is never found.

Flash forward twenty years later, Alex is a successful businessman, with a beautiful wife and daughters. No one knows what happened at summer camp all those years ago. But now, things start happening to Alex which make him relive that day at camp. Did Joey actually drowned?

This book hit the ground running. J.P. Smith tells a suspenseful story, truly bringing the novel to life. It held my attention up until the very end.

Such an entertaining read. I really enjoyed this one! I love books that center around a summer camp and this one had location and a unique plot to go with it. I read how other readers did not enjoy the ending, but I thought the ending was thought provoking and fit with the storyline. I love that everything isn’t wrapped up all in a big bow. This is going to be a great book to pack for a weekend! I think the discussion questions invite a whole lot of interesting conversation. So glad I picked this one up!

While the writing was good and fast paced, the ending left me confused. I THINK I know that was going on but I'm not sure. It's totally like an open ended question....
I really didn't like Alex. He was too cocky and too damning for his own good. While I enjoyed the thrill of "who is tormenting Alex?".... The ending just threw me off and I didn't like the end at all.

A camp counselor loses his cool, sets an outrageous punishment on a boy, then when the boy is lost and can't be found, the counselor thought he could escape consequences. And there are always consequences. The story has good lead up to the disappearance of the boy with plenty of character building so you feel like you're part of the story. Once the story moves to the present time, 20 years after the incident, you find the counselor has built an amazing life with no regrets for his actions. And then comes payback, and we all know that payback is a badddddddd thing. The thriller builds as the counselor has to work fast to figure out what is going on. A good book that was worth my reading time.

This was a good book, the story really kept me guessing! I love a mystery that keeps me from figuring things out over and over. This book did it for me! I thought over and over that I had a good read on the characters, but several twists and turns later, the author proved me wrong! Great storytelling, great characters, and great concept. I definitely recommend this book! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC for free in return for my honest opinion!

The Drowning by JP Smith was a book I really enjoyed. I loved the darkness and the secrecy surrounding the main character and I loved the twist at the end.

I would definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in return for my honest review.

I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com and the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark. Thanks to both for the opportunity to read and review.

The Drowning is edgy and atmospheric in it's story and pace. Written very visually, it centers on a man who isn't incredibly likeable but you end up empathizing with which is no small feat to accomplish.

Suspenseful and well crafted, the author has placed you smack in the middle of a noir who-dunnit. Wouldn't be surprised if this didn't end up a movie.

4 out of 5 stars. Recommended read.

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 star review. It was an enjoyable and I would recommend. to others. Generously provided to me through NetGalley

This book sucked me in from the very beginning. What a fast paced thriller. Loved it. This is a must read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This book starts out at a summer camp, around the campfire when the counsellors are telling as usual, a creepy camp story this one about boys going missing every seven years and a scary mystery man who leaves in the woods. By the end of the next day, one of the boys has gone missing and is never seen again, or is he? Mason, one of the counsellors has a secret he kept from that summer, but as his life went on, he becomes successful and wealthy and forgets about the little boy that he left on a swimming raft, but now strange things are happening and he wonders if that boy has come back to make him pay. This was an interesting story with unique ideas and a creepy understory. It was a quick read that left me wondering about the story and what the author left unanswered.

This is the first book I have read by this author, I will most likely check out more
Books by this author.

“The Drowning” by JP Smith was a an enjoyable quick read that kept me guessing and being wrong over and over.
The author reveals that as a young boy he was at camp and a counselor left him on a raft and told him he would swim back or stay there and die. That is how the story of Joey Proctor the young boy in the story and Alex Mason his counselor who is a bit of a bully can’t to be.
Joey Proctor is spending time st a summer camp away from his unhappy home..
Joey can’t swim but Alex feels he just needs to jump in and overcome his fear so he drags him out to the middle of the lake and abandons and then forgets him. Joey disappears and his body is never found.
Twenty years later Alex has it all. A beautiful wife and daughters, a successful hotel empire and respect and recognition wherever he goes.
That begins crumbling with what at first seemed to be a prank but then escalates. Has Joey been hiding all these years and come now to seek revenge.?
Alex is not mentally equipped to deal with a problem he cannot fix with money or bullying and his life begins to come apart as he makes increasingly bad decisions.
Kudos to the author for a twist we do not see coming but as other reviewers have mentioned there are too many unanswered questions and the ending is abrupt.
I read this in one rainy afternoon and enjoyed it but think it could use a few less loose ends.
Thank you to Net Galley and Landmark Sourcebooks for providing a copy of this book and the opportunity to provide my opinion. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I love it when I get introduced to an author I haven't read before and now I have to read all their other books! That's how much I enjoyed The Drowning. It had me hooked from the first chapter. What a page turner, I struggled to put it down and do life without thinking about when I could pick it up next and continue reading! Alex a camp counsellor leaves Joey on a raft to swim his way back to shore by himself. Joey is never seen again. Did he drown? Was he abducted? I was obsessed with finding out throughout the book. 21 years later Alex is successful and living his best life no thoughts of Joey or what happened at camp that year. Then things start happening....blood in his swimming pool.....and a message from Joey carved into the pool itself. Did Joey survive and is he now seeking revenge? Alex's life starts falling apart as Joey returns to his life. A spellbindingly great read. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest and fair review. #thedrowning #jpsmith #goodreads #tea_sipping_bookworm #litsy #amazon

This was a good and suspenseful story, I really got caught up in it. Would definitely read more by this author, I really liked the writing style.