Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon is an enchanting family drama tinged with supernatural horror. The book revolves around Jax whose sister Lexie dies drowning in a pool during one of her manic, schizophrenic episodes. Before she died, she called Jax several times and left cryptic messages, but Jax ignored her calls in an effort to set up boundaries between her and her sister. Guilt-ridden after Lexie's death, Jax decides to investigate what Lexie was doing and what really happened the night that she drowned.

Here is an excerpt from the prologue of the book::

"My sister loved the pool. I hated it; the water was black - so dark that you couldn't see your feet when you treaded water. It stank of rot and sulphur, tasted like burnt matches and rust, and was colder than the ice bath my mother plunged me in once when my fever got too high. It sucked the breath out of you; numbed your limbs, left your skin red and your lips blue. Each time we came out of the water, we really did look like the dead girls we were pretending to be."

Chills went down my spine as I read the description of the pool with black water and the drowning game that the two sisters played as children in the prologue. I was engrossed in both the family drama and the supernatural horror aspects of the book. As Jax investigates what happened that night, she has to deal with disbelieving family members, fraught family relationships, as well as frequent hauntings, which might be Lexie's ghost or some other entity. I was very intrigued by this aspect of the book and could not stop reading until I finished. In my opinion, the weakest aspect of the book was the diary entries from the 1920's that were interspersed between the chapters in the present. I took off one star for them, but the fast-paced, thrilling plot of the present was enough to keep me engaged and more than made up for them. Overall, I highly recommend The Drowning Kind for all fans of family dramas, mysteries, and thrillers, especially if you enjoy books with a bit of supernatural horror. If that sounds intriguing to you, you should check out this book when it comes out!

This was so creepy! I loved The Invited so I knew when I saw this one I immediately needed to request it on Netgalley. There’s something sinister granting wishes in the water, and it was so unsettling. I loved the dual timelines and thought they added something very interesting as they came together. Definitely an author I’ll look for more from in the future!

When Lex returns to the family home after her sister’s death, she knows something is amiss. In her last days, the departed sister has left the house littered with notes and trash. What was she up to? This work is a beautifully crafted tale of love, family ties and ghosts of the departed. The plot is eerie, the characters are well developed and believable, and the writing is mesmerizing and flawless. This book was a joy to read and I look forward to more from this author. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.

When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined. In 1929, 37 year old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Brandenburg Springs in Vermont. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives. review: Last year I read my first book by Jennifer McMahon, The Invited, and I absolutely loved it. I added this one to my list as soon as I saw it was coming out! This author does a great job writing an atmospheric paranormal book and the plot line of this one was really intriguing. The dual timelines of this book were fascinating and I loved seeing how the two stories converged over time. This book definitely requires you to suspend belief in order to read it, but if you like a creepy mystery with a bit of supernatural aspects, be sure to grab this one. The ending was so surprising to me, so much so that I had to read the last few pages again! rating: 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery/Scout Press, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

Well, the 3rd time is the charm for me! I've read two McMahon books before this one. In both cases, the books looked like they'd be perfect for me: mysteries wrapped in atmospheric spookiness. Yet in both previous cases, the books just didn't work. The endings seemed to get away from me and leave me unsatisfied. However . . . . this one works--really well.

From the beginning, McMahon ratchets up the unease that is following the protagonist as she confronts her past after the sudden death of her sister. There is a mystery to unravel and a supernatural component that is just creepy enough to make your skin crawl. The story is told through two narratives; both are engaging, which is rare for me. Usually I prefer one over the other and feel this type of narration slows down the plot. In this case, though, I was anxious to see what would happen next in both storylines and it kept me flipping the pages. And the ending is great.

I highly recommend this one. It's spooky and unsettling--and great fun!

This book was "okay" for me. Not necessarily bad, but something was off the mark. While the book had a slow unraveling, it felt like it just went no place. I liked that the book switched between past and present and found myself more interested in the past story, rather than the present day.

I felt like I spent a fair amount of time waiting.. waiting for that "a ha" moment, but it just never came. There were no twists or turns... Just a fair amount of time waiting.

Would not recommend.

"The key to understanding the present is to look at the past."

The Drowning Kind is such a nailbiting, spooky read. The story is told throughout two time periods: 1929 New Hampshire where Ethel Montrose wants nothing more than a child, and present day Sparrow Crest where sisters Lex and Jax spent their summers growing up swimming in the supposedly haunted springs.

In 1929, Ethel and her husband take a weekend getaway to Bradenburg Springs. The springs' water is rumored to have healing powers and grant wishes, but not without taking something in return. Those same springs later run through the pool in the backyard of what becomes the home of Lex and Jax's grandmother. The springs are home to several tragedies throughout the year, and people believe it is cursed.

Jax finds herself back at the springs after her sister is found dead in the water. She is dealing with the guilt of not having answered her sister's phone calls the night before, and for not being in her life for the past year. Being back at Sparrow Crest is not easy for Jax as she tries to uncover what her sister discovered before her death.

This is a chilling read and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the story. It's very much a be careful what you wish for type scenario. Without giving too much away, I will say this book will leave you guessing right to the very last page.
4 star rating but would love to give it 4.5! Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. This book comes out April 6th - definitely go pick it up!

There are so many thrillers on the market right now, it's hard to know where to start. However, when I read the synopsis of McMahon's <i>The Drowning Kind</i> I was immediately intrigued and was reminded of the pool games my sister and I would play at my grandparents' pool years and years ago. This book is a lot of creepy fun. The story centers on Jax, a social worker now living on the west coast after trying to put distance between herself and her mentally ill sister Lexie who has recently inherited not only all of their grandmother's money, but her estate, which contains a natural spring pool that locals believe grants wishes. When Jax gets a call from her Aunt Diane letting her know that Lexie has drowned in the infamous pool, she has to return to the family home to put together the pieces of Lexie's death and figure out what was haunting her sister in her final days. As others have said, it's really atmospheric and easy to get pulled into.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

This book gave me the heebie-jeebies. I stayed up late to finish it (I don’t usually stay up late to read) because I had to know the ending and I may have been too creeped out to sleep at that moment. I loved the supernatural aspect of it. Usually in thrillers you think there might be a ghost, but just like in Scooby Doo, it's always a person in disguise. But this book had an awesome twist. There weren’t any lulls in the pace either. Jennifer McMahon does a fantastic job of keeping you intrigued then switching to the other character.

What I didn't like was the plot holes and I was left with unanswered questions. The characters are all so unstable and I didn’t feel like I wasn’t “for” any of them. Finally, even though I liked the ending, it was abrupt. I felt like the book just came out and slapped me in the face and decided it was done with me. Not sure I liked that.

Overall I give The Drowning Kind 4 stars. I loved the story and it surprised me at the end. It was creepy enough to keep me up, but I was still able to sleep when I finished it. I think this solidifies that Jennifer McMahon will be an auto-buy author from now on since I loved The Invited and Winter People. If you haven't read her yet… do it now! The Drowning Kind will be published April 6th. Happy Reading!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, I only picked up this book because I was sent a widget by the publisher. I had tried McMahon's book The Winter People a while back but it couldn't capture my interest. The Drowning King was much the same.

With a book that features a slow unraveling like this, I find I always need a series of questions, like breadcrumbs leading me in a firm direction (even if that direction turns out to be wrong - perhaps especially then). Instead, everything felt very straightforward to me: sisters with a shattered relationship because of one's mental illness and the other's exhaustion/trauma/resentment from the first's mental illness; and a woman who makes an unwitting Faustian bargain with a supernatural entity in order to have a child.

I felt like I spent the whole book just... Waiting. Waiting for something interesting to happen. Waiting to be caught off guard. Waiting for the intrigue to start. Add to that my personal distaste for books that include historical sections, and this book was just a miss.

Jennifer McMahon did it again! I’ve loved McMahon since “The Invited” and “The Winter Sister”. I truly enjoy reading books that can successfully incorporate thriller, mystery and the paranormal all together. The Drowning Kind is another amazing book by this fantastic author.

Jax and Lexie are sisters. They both grow up living their summers at Sparrow’s Crest (their grandmother’s estate). They swim in the black pool which connects to the springs. The springs have sordid tales all its’ own. People have said their cursed, others gush about the magical healing powers. Jax has always been apprehensive while Lexie lived in the water.

As adults, Jax and Lexie become estranged. Jax can’t handle Lexie’s manic episodes anymore and ends up moving across the country. It’s not a surprise to her when she returns home from work to find 9 missed calls from Lexie. She figures Lexie must be having another manic episode and she pushes her sister out of her mind. The next day, Jax gets the shock of her life when she gets a call that Lexie drowned in the pool the night before (the pool that she grew up swimming in, the one she knew like the back of her hand).

Wrought with grief and guilt, Jax returns to Sparrow’s Crest. While going through her sister’s belongings, she finds that Lexie has been doing some research. Some of it seems to be the ramblings of a manic episode, but as Jax dives deeper, she realizes that things aren’t exactly as they seem.

The Drowning Kind is a great, twisty, mystery/thriller! I can’t recommend it enough!

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC.

It seems like it is much easier to come up with a creepy idea and a creepy story than it is to FINISH a creepy idea or a creepy story. How often have you read a great book and then the ending ruins it all for you? Far too often. There are two things you tend to remember, the first thing you see and the last thing you see. That last thing can make or break it. The Drowning Kind starts creepy, continues creepy, and ends creepy. The hair on my arms was standing up during different parts throughout and I was left with that wonderfully delicious shivering feeling. It hits all the notes, as they say.

I will admit that part of my connection with this book was personal. I kept picturing this pool that my friend had growing up. It wasn’t a natural spring but it had a waterfall coming into it and was stone on the bottom and all around. It looked pitch black all of the time. It was downright ominous at night. In my own back yard we had our own version. We were not quite in the build-a-huge-pool-that-looks-like-a-small-lake tax bracket. But we did have a creek running through and my stepdad did excavate one end into a pretty good sized pond before it left our yard again. I spent a lot of time in that thing, too. Reading this, I felt like I was dragged back to the past. A time when swimming in the pond or pool was freeing and swimming at night seemed almost dangerous.

Lexie and Jax are sisters. They are three years apart but practically inseparable. Sidebar-I was so jealous of this relationship. My older sister is almost exactly 3 years older than I am (just a matter of days from being exact) and she had not a single second to spare for me. Lexie isn’t my sister. She is completely devoted to her little sister. She teases. She taunts. She acts like an older sibling. But she still loves. Jax, as is so often the case with the younger sister, is tired of being in her manic and magnetic sister’s shadow. She moves as far away as she can and starts her life. Her disconnect from her family isn’t helped when her grandmother leaves the family home and land to Lexie and nothing to Jax. She’d had enough of her sister and her drama.

At this point I feel like I need to address something I read in other reviews. I’ve seen a few reviews that, unfairly I think, put the burden of Lexie’s mental illness on Jax because she is a social worker. I would imagine that those people have never had the experience of complete emotional exhaustion of caring for a person with such needs. There is a reason you are not supposed to treat family. You cannot and should not be able to disconnect from a loved one enough to treat them.

The pool in the back of the house has a history of miracles and tragedies. At one point, people flocked to the spring for it’s healing waters. Others called it cursed. There is no good without a bad to balance it out. The narrative switches from the present to the past. Starting in 1929, the story tells of a desperate woman visiting the spring. There are tales of miracle cures, but also of terrible drownings. A small child, the woman who owns the hotel that use to sit next to the spring, and even Lexie and Jax’s own aunt as a child, all succumbed to the depths of the water. Eventually, Lexie herself. Jax has to come back and deal with what is left behind. She is haunted by her own past and the mess her sister left behind.

As the tales weave together there are a lot of reveals. I have written in the past about the need for a “twist” that is so shocking that it somehow saves the book. Thankfully, that is not what I am talking about here. Most of the reveals involve the identity or connections of characters. Most were not surprises at all. Just those moments as a reader when you say to yourself, “Yeah, that makes sense.” And anything else would have just been trying to manipulate and jolt the reader. There are a few of that are a little less easy to see coming. Still, none take away from the overall suspense or continuity of what you are reading. You are not left going, “Oh, come on!”

This book was almost a 4 star review for me. I was completely engrossed. I was literally given chills. The ending seemed to be going in a direction that I thought brought the story to a decent close and made sense. It wasn’t though, a truly satisfying ending to the story. It didn’t feel like the perfect ending. But then, we have one more chapter from Ethel and one more paragraph. The epilogue brought my 4-4.5 star review up to the 5 I’m giving it now. I give 5s when I know I am going to tell people to read this book. I enthusiastically do that now. Read this book. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. And my reviews are always honest. This is one I am buying and rereading.

Jennifer McMahon has become my go-to author for horror. After reading "The Invited," I was hooked. McMahon's spin on the paranormal and its presence in our everyday lives is both fascinating and compelling. I then picked up "Winter Sister" and knew that I had to get my hands on all her books.

"The Drowning Kind" is no different--it's a chilling tale of family secrets that come to the surface to shed light on mysterious circumstances. Jax is a social worker who has been estranged from her sister after their grandmother died and left her home to Jax's sister. Jax, struggling to pay her bills, tries to hide her resentment, but she carries some of the bitterness with her. When Jax's sister is found drowned in the family pool, Jax must face her demons while also trying to uncover the mystery of how her sister drown, being her sister is an accomplished swimmer who should have no reason to drown in a pool.

The pool holds secrets of its own, secrets that we uncover as our plot jumps from present day to the 1940s. In understanding the home's history, more of its secrets are unraveled.

I couldn't put this one down. What a fabulous thriller!

This book started out very strong for me and I couldn’t remember the plot going into it so I enjoyed going in unknowing what was to come. I personally enjoyed this book a lot. The writing was solid, not too many characters to track and I liked the dual timelines. About halfway through the book, it got a little slow for me but then it picked back up again and I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

The Good: Jennifer McMahon writes with exciting purpose. There isn't anything that feels unnecessary or underdeveloped. I was entranced throughout The Drowning Kind, thanks to the haunting and peculiar premise that was equally fascinating. I was invested the characters and their challenge in mourning. I was curious of Sparrows Crest and its secrets. But most of all, I was drawn to the springs, much like the people in this fictional world.

The Bad: I went in this story with somewhat low expectations, expecting to only be moderately pleased. This was due to my mixed experience with The Invited, the only McMahon novel I had ready previously. Perhaps it is for this reason that The Drowning Kind took me by surprise in the way it did. I was looking for downfalls, but didn't really find anything. As the novel moved along, I found myself more comforted and sure of this experience. No real complaints come to mind, is what I'm getting at.

The Verdict: Not only did The Drowning Kind exceed my expectations, it kept me hooked from start to finish. Settings can make or break a story for me, but the springs and Sparrows Crest were teeming with too much life and mystery to disappoint. This was an engaging and highly satisfying read!

*REVIEW POSTING TO GOODREADS, WWW.AIDENMERCHANT.COM, AND WWW.SNOWCAPPEDPRESS.COM THIS WEEK*

What you have with “The Drowning Kind” is a hauntingly creepy tale that you can sink right into. I confess, I don’t know how to swim and I find deep, dark waters frightening. This story reaffirms all the reasons to stay out of the water, especially at night. This one comes out early April, so grab yourself a copy and get your summer reading started!

There is a dual timeline in this thriller. The 1920’s and 2019. In the early years, there’s a young couple who hear of a spring-fed pool with healing powers at a beautiful weekend resort. Depending on who you listen to, you also might hear the water is cursed, somehow haunted, and definitely something to avoid. The alternate timeline involves a family property where two sisters vacationed in Summer as youngsters while staying with Grandma. The plot twists and thrills, so dive into this one and be careful what you wish for.

I also had the opportunity to listen to an audio version of The Drowning Kind as well. I really appreciate the enhancements of audio reading. For one thing character voices are well done and sometimes there’s an entire cast along with control over reading speed (audio speed is adjustable!), multi-tasking is easy with audio, and It’s a wonderfully convenient way to increase the number of books consumed per year so you can actually add more to your TBR!

Jennifer McMahon has quite a few thriller books under her belt and the reviews show an ever-increasing approval rating from her readers. This book was the first I’ve read from her, and I have 3 or 4 more on my to-be-read list. Her book summaries are intriguing and the cover artwork captivating with mysterious children or creepy buildings.

Thank you to #netgalley, #jennifermcmahon, #gallerybooks, and #simonschusteraudio for the advanced copies of #theDrowningKind in exchange for an honest review.

** Thank you to Netgalley for the early copy in exchange for my honest review **

McMahon has done it again!! She takes these character driven stories and eeriness and makes an unforgettable story. She’s an author I love straying up at night devouring.

Jax is a social worker who finds she has received missed calls from her sister Lexi. The next morning she learns of her sisters death, drowning in the pool at Sparrow Crest, the house Lexi lives in and where both girls would spend the summer with their grandmother. As she comes home to attend the funeral and settle affairs, she comes to that same pool.. that pool that has always been dark and eerie and full of secrets.

I really loved the unique ghost story and the multiple points of view from Jax and a character name Ethel, who was at the house or hotel as it was in 1929. It was a spooky mystery that grabbed me from the first page. And that ending.. that ending will stick with you!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the creepy new book by Jennifer McMahon, a definite go-to author for me. 4.5 stars.

In the late 1920s, living in New Hampshire, Ethel is desperate for a baby with her doctor husband, Will. Trying to cheer her up, Will books a vacation at a new hotel in Vermont built near a stream that supposedly has magical powers. However, it is well-known among locals that the stream will also take back in equal measures.

In 2019, Jackie (Jax) is a social worker who moved to Washington, far away from her family and especially her sister, Lexie. Lexie has bipolar disease and can be very irrational when off her meds. Lexie leaves a series of increasingly frantic phone messages to Jax which she ignores. Then she gets word that her sister has drowned. Jax heads back to Vermont to the family home where Lexie was living, full of guilt for not answering her sister's calls.

Beautifully written, both timelines draw you in to the mystery surrounding the people living among the pool that is rumored to have no bottom. It will pull you into the atmospheric creepiness surrounding this remote castle-like home and pool. Another winner by Jennifer McMahon!

Loved this book. This is a new author for me, I will be checking out her other works. I was never quite sure if I was reading a supernatural book or not. And I did not see the ending coming, Which I love. Loved the multigenerational aspect of the book as well.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Something's in the water. That's not a new premise. However, Jennifer McMahon, in The Drowning Kind, turns an old trope into a page-turning thriller not easy to put down.

Jax ignores multiple phone calls from her older sister, Lexie, assuming Lexie is going through another one of manic episodes. The next day Lexie is found dead, drowned in the pool at their grandmother's estate. The one people whisper about. The one that grants wishes, sort of. Be careful what you wish for.

The Drowning Kind is the first book by Jennifer McMahon I have read. While I have had several of her books listed on my to be read list, I just never got around to reading any. What was I waiting for?

McMahon's style of writing made good stopping points hard to find, so it is hard to put down. She is skilled at describing the grief experienced when someone dies. It is this ability that makes the reader remember their own grief, which adds to the story. Weaving two timelines together enables her to show the darkness and hope long associated with the water.

This novel should be added to readers of supernatural horror or thriller TBR's list.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com on April 6th, its release date.