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I received a copy of this arc from NetGalley for an honest review. This will be a great new teen book to add to our collection. Strong characters and plotline.

I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was an emotional story that covered hard topics with a fresh perspective. I really enjoyed "The Sound of Drowning". Being a very character driven story you would need to feel a connection in order to appreciate it and I think it really delivers on this. Even with guessing some of the twists and finding the ending going in an odd direction, it really speaks to tough decisions made and the process of grief.

Hit me right in the feels! And twists on top of twists. Some were predictable earlier on in the book and some were not as obvious. The setting was interesting and so were the characters.

I loved this book more than I expected! Meredith is dealing with choices she's made and the grief and pain her actions have caused her and those around her.

But this story is such much more than you expect on the surface. It's also a story of hope and second chances and coming to terms with things we aren't ready to accept and how to move on towards those second chances.

It's a beautiful story with twists upon twists! Meredith is a strong character who eventually finds her own feet but it takes her a few faultering tries before she's able to finally trust herself.

This story had lovely side characters also. Ben was sweet and perfect and wholesome. But Wyatt was a favorite of mine. I loved who he was and what he stood for.

The story wasn't what I expected, it was so much better! Big kudos to the author for this story!

The Sound of Drowning caught me off guard with waves of emotion. Tension, betrayal, young love and loss, all play a role in Meredith's story. The Outer Banks setting felt so real it jumped off the page. The struggles, which are hard to describe without using spoilers, are devastating. The ending was surprising and had me staying up way too late to finish. What a beautiful book.

Sweet and heartbreaking, I felt this one. The characters were real and relatable. The plot is laid out brilliantly. Easy to follow and get hooked on.

And just when I thought I had it all figured out, a twist!

One of my favorite reads this year!

Meredith (Mer) told a lie, something so bad that she’s damaged or destroyed every relationship she has and has abandoned her dream of professional windsurfing because the ocean betrayed her. Only her lifelong best friend and 1st love Ben, who has always had her back, chooses to forgive her despite being hurt worse than anyone else. When her parents think she’s going to her job every night, she’s actually meeting him at their spot on the beach and working to rebuild their relationship. One night, sexy Texas boy Wyatt washes up on shore after getting lost kayaking, and, in his brash and flirty way, worms his way into her life and perhaps her heart. The emotional turmoil of this love triangle confuses Mer: does she continue living this half-life with Ben where she can only visit him at night and keep it a secret from both families or does she choose Wyatt who doesn’t know her past and brings excitement and color into her life after so many months of heartache?

This YA novel grips you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The secret Mer is keeping causes so much pain and suffering for everyone she loves. What has happened to make her afraid of the ocean that was her life before the lie? The range of emotions this damaged and self-destructive young woman elicits makes us waver between wanting to hug her and hate her. She is torn between two amazing, loyal and protective young men, but risks losing them both. When you think you finally have everything figured out, Fleet throws us into a maelstrom, tossing us around until we don’t know which way is up and ultimately leaving us in tears. Powerful and unforgettable! Highly recommended for libraries serving teens.


I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Page Street Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

This book... it's everything! On one hand, I was left speechless once I finished it. On the other hand, I had all of the words to say about this book. Fleet has topped herself in this one! I loved her debut book, and this one surpassed it by a long shot!

I saw somewhere in a starred review that said, "A heartbreaking love triangle, for readers who can’t stand love triangles." It is the perfect embodiment of this story. Holy heck it is not the love triangle you are imagining in your mind. It's its own unique version of a love triangle that will blow your mind! 

I am struggling for words right now. I can't really say all of the things I want to say. I don't want to spoil this book at all. It needs to be taken in page by page without any knowledge of what it really is.

What I can say is I cried. Legit, sobbed for about that last twenty percent of this book. Before that, I had a warm heart and a smile on my face more times than I can count. I do admit, I was torn for a bit. But then it happened... the turning point in this book that broke my heart and put it back together over and over again.

This book takes you through the earth shattering parts of love, loss, healing, and moving forward in such a way, you won't be able to tell what is up and what is down. The journey to heal is not pretty, but it will end beautifully.

The Sound of Drowning was a surprising story about coping with loss and moving on through painful circumstances. I think the author did a great job at writing characters that you could love and feel for. The relationships were adorable yet heartbreaking. The overall plot line had an element of mystery and kind of shocked me in the end-which I love from a book! Though this is a YA, it was so deep and dealt with some serious issues. I definitely recommend this book!

You guys my expectations for this book were so low. I've read some good books this year (2018 when writing this review), but overall I haven't read too many that knocked my socks off. More than anything most of the books I've read have just been okay. I've been in a bit of a slump since like August. Not a full slump, but enough of a slump to lower my expectations on just about every book I pick up. I've not read Katherine Fleet before. And I almost passed on this book due to the description. I'm so glad that I picked this up. The Sound of Drowning was probably the most surprising (in a good way) book that I've read in 2018--in large part because my expectations were so low.

It did take me about 10% to get into the story, but I was interested by that point, hooked by 30%, devouring by 50%, and unfortunately, I had to put it down at 90% which totally ruined my momentum as far as the emotion that I was feeling. The last 10% was still good for me, but I wish I'd been in a position to finish it while I was on a role. Real life folks.

I mentioned that I almost passed on The Sound of Drowning because of the description. That's because I have a fine line of preferences between enjoying books that are about characters moving from an unhealthy or immature relationship to a better fitting, healthier, more mature relationship and also hating cheating books. And sometimes it's hard to tell from a description which was which. I won't specifically mention which of these The Sound of Drowning was but I assume you can guess based upon my enjoyment of the book.

The Sound of Drowning is told in the present but also sections of flashbacks or memories Meredith has--usually revolving around Ben and their history together. Early in the story, Meredith alludes to lying to Ben that caused some damage to their relationship. The two have moved forward, but you can tell that the lie has caused damage between them. Figuring out what the lie was about was the biggest driving force for the first 50% of the book. I had the fleeting thought that we'd been given the information too soon in the story because it felt like this piece of information must have been linked to the biggest story conflict--and it was. Just not at all in the way I expected it to be. So my expectations of the major conflict and how it would be resolved changed. And then (I don't know what % because I began devouring so quickly that I didn't have a chance to look at my progress) a big old stinking plot twist happened that I didn't see coming at all. And you know what, even that plot twist wasn't the last of the twists to come. I think there were at least two more after that one. I'm trying to be vague but also show that The Sound of Drowning certainly kept me on my toes and ended up being completely different than I expected.

At the 55% mark my heart broke. But this wasn't so much for Meredith exactly. My heart broke for Meredith's mother. See Meredith and her mother don't have the closest relationship. Usually, I'd see this from the daughter's perspective, but since becoming a mother, I can't help but view things from that perspective as well--often times my primary perspective. My heart broke knowing that Meredith's mother likely wanted a better relationship with her daughter but didn't know how to achieve it. Meredith always had a great relationship with her father. And I know my daughter is only three but this is currently how things are with us. My daughter all but worships her father. And I don't begrudge them that relationship, but it wouldn't break my heart if she and I had a better relationship as well. All of that to say that I felt like I could relate to Meredith's mother. And then Meredith drops this bomb on her and I couldn't help but think how I would feel if my daughter were Meredith and she came to me about a similar situation. Oh, I got teary during this section. And this wasn't the last time that I felt for her mother just as much if not more than Meredith.

Aside from putting myself in Meredith's mother's shoes, Meredith herself has a heartbreaking situation and her decision would spark much debate. Oh, the things I want to say but can't because of spoilers. And then Meredith's sweet little sister, Rachel, too. Hugs to her also.

Favorite quotes:
-"I know it because I see how strong and amazing you are. And even if you get too tired to keep trying, I won't let you go under."

-"...before I talk to you, I go over every conversation a million times in my mind I evaluate different approaches, come up with contingencies, and you still surprise me. Every time, you leave me feeling unprepared and unequipped. I feel like I fail more times than I succeed."

I also want to say that there was one part that I was shocked with one of the twists and thinking that it meant my hopes for the ending might not be possible. But then when they still were possible it almost felt too cheesy. I couldn't decide if I was fully happy that I still got the ending I was rooting for or if I was disappointed. In the end, I decided not to overthink it.

The Sound of Drowning ended up being such an unexpected and pleasant surprise. It was emotional. It was fun. It was gripping. I related to multiple characters. I want to say more, but I really think you should just check it out for yourselves. The Sound of Drowning gets 4.5 Stars. Have you read The Sound of Drowning? What did you think? Let me know!

Rating: 4.5 Stars

She betrayed her best friend and first love, and thought she had lost him forever. The guilt forced Meredith to isolate and abandon the things that brought her joy, until she met Wyatt. The exact opposite of Ben, Wyatt helped Meredith work through her pain, but will embracing her friendship with Wyatt result in betraying Ben?

• Pro: Fleet did a fantastic job laying this story out. She kept me reading, because I had to get to the truth, and she expertly meted it out to me, piece by piece.

• Pro: I thought I had the whole thing figured out. I believed the big THING was one of two options, and it was revealed, that I was right. And THEN, there was more revealed, which I wasn't shocked by, but didn't expect. And THEN, this third thing comes out of nowhere, which really surprised me. All I have to say is, well played, Katherine Fleet.

• Pro: We got to know Wyatt, who was fantastic, in real time, while we met Ben mostly during flashbacks. Fleet let me share so many beautiful, and sometimes, painful moments with Ben and Meredith, but I really could see why he was such an important person in her life.

• Pro: Back to Wyatt. He was such an interesting character. He seemed almost like a caricature, when I first met him, but then his deeper layers were revealed, and that made me really adored him.

• Pro: There were a lot of interesting details running in the background of this story. I loved the Outer Banks setting, and the way Fleet sort of made it another character in the book, and it had a big emotional impact on me. There was also: wind sailing, motocross, beach bowling, and The Yellow Rose Cafe were just a few of those little things that enhanced my enjoyment.

• Pro: The ending was bittersweet. Hopeful, but at the same time, a little sad.

Overall: A beautiful and heartbreaking romance, which was suspenseful and had me feeling all the feels.

I really enjoyed The Sound of Drowning. The Outer Banks setting was perfect. It's been awhile since I've read a book that I couldn't put down, and this broke through that. I love a good love triangle! I adored Meredith. My heart was with her throughout the book.

I am not a huge YA reader and don't read this genre often. However, one of my closest book friend's told me it blew her away and I had to read it. I was in a huge book funk, so I ran to NetGalley to request a copy. THANK YOU Netgalley, Publisher and Author for the advanced copy and getting me out of my book funk!!

The Sound of Drowning is a book that will swallow you up completely. It will play with your heart, it will break your heart but it will open your eyes to so much more. This book has a deep message and will remain apart of me.

Mer, Ben and Wyatt are characters you will give your heart to freely, without a second thought! I just love everything about them. Their strength, determination, and being there when it matters the most to the people who need them.

This book kept me on the edge on my seat. I did not want to put it down. The suspense of trying to figure out what is going on and what Mer is hiding, had me devouring this book in less than 24 hours. I could go on and on about this book but you have to experience it for yourself. You won't see it coming! Have some tissues ready because you will need them!!

This was my first book by Katherine and I am already really excited to see where Katherine take us next. Her writing and storytelling is amazing. Now I am going to read her first book, The Secret of Letting Go!

A great YA story that had me questions my own mind as i thought i guessed the twisted and then assumed i was wrong though abortion topics can be a difficult sell in this genre

I'm not really sure what to say about this book without giving too much away. I will say that I recommend going into this book blind.

Things I enjoyed:

*The emotions presented are powerful and realistic, and I could relate to Mer on so many different levels. The description of her feelings of trying to cope with her situation were authentic and relatable. I felt the darkness and struggle the Mer felt through the writing.

*I'm a sucker for a love triangle, and this one was believable and I found myself as conflicted as Mer as her relationships progressed with Wyatt and Ben.

*They mystery surrounding what happened that rocked Mer's world kept me engaged and wanting answers. Details surrounding it were revealed slowly but effectively.

Things that weren't my favorite:

*I loved the first 3/4 of the book, but the last 1/4 took it to a place I was hoping the foreshadowing would not go.

Overall, a compelling read that kept me up into the early morning hours to finish.

One of the best, most emotional rollercoaster books I have read in a long time!! I had no clue what was goin on u til the very end when I was surprised by the ending. Would definitely read this book again and again!

This was a book that read easily because it keeps you intrigued! I fell in love with the story right away and could not wait to get back to reading it when I had to walk away. It was sad to reach the last page, but it was a great read!

Romance and the Outer Banks, yes please! Meredith, Mer, pretends to be going to work nightly, but is sneaking to the beach to see her childhood friend turned boyfriend, Ben. As they rebuild their relationship, Mer’s devotion is pulled towards the new guy in town, Wyatt. Wyatt is the nod towards every girl’s bad boy. He’s handsome, cocky with a larger than life personality. All the girls want him, and he only has eyes for Mer.

This is hard book to review because of the way the story unfolds! One can’t say too much because it will spoil the book. I read it in a day, and didn’t want to put it down. At first, I was concerned about a clichéd plot with the love triangle and there some of those typical scenes, but there’s more to plot, which is worth the wait. I thought I had it all figured it out early on, but there were plenty of things I didn’t see coming.

If you are looking for a YA romance with a twist, read The Sound of Drowning.
You’ll see a character struggling with heavy, real issues, and the intense ending will engage many teens.

I enjoyed this read and I finished it really quickly. The characters were all likable (even the mom and aunt who at first I kind of hated). I don't want to give to much away but this book isn't what I was expecting when I picked it up. It's definitely more than just a teen romance book. There are some major issues that the teens deal with.......

Possible Spoiler:
It definitely had a "It's A Wonderful Life" vibe to it which made it fit in with the upcoming holiday season.... at least for me it did, even though this is not a Christmas time book. This book would be good for teens dealing with the loss of a loved one. Teens might figure out whats going on with the characters, but the end gives this book a bit of a twist (hence the It's A Wonderful Life connection).