Spooky, haunting, and suspenseful. Be careful what you wish for because the water gives and it takes.

Grief can do funny things to the mind, especially when it’s laced with guilt. And Jax is both- grieving and guilty. She’s returned home to the family estate upon the death of her estranged sister. But nothing seems to make sense. How did her sister, Lexie, who was an accomplished swimmer, drown in the very pool she had learned to swim? And what caused Lexie’s manic behavior right before she drowned. Nothing seemed to add up. As much as Jax tries to make sense of it all, she can’t seem to. Was grief unraveling her- or was there more? This question kept me hanging on until the very end.

The secret to understanding the present was in looking at the past. The author adeptly intermingles Esther’s journal from the 1920s into Jax’ story. Fleshing out what the two timelines had in common, beyond the setting, added an appealing extra dimension to the plot.

The story starts out as a mystery with a thriller component mixed in, but fairly quickly the storyline begins to dabble in the supernatural. If you like mysteries that involve the metaphysical, this should be your next read. It pulled me in and kept me fascinated, even though I am not normally a fan of the paranormal. I think this book will have a niche following that will greatly enjoy it.

The author did a great job of creating a spooky atmosphere around the pool. It took on a life of its own creating a creepy backdrop. Deep, murky waters can be a bit unnerving as it is, and McMahon definitely took that a step further. I certainly didn’t feel comfortable whenever a character would get a touch to close to the pool.

Ultimately, while the book kept me interested, in spite of my distaste for the paranormal, the ending left me dissatisfied and disappointed. And for that reason, this book fell flat to me.

Many thanks to Jennifer McMahon, Gallery Book, Scout Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

𝕣 𝕒 𝕥 𝕚 𝕟 𝕘 : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/𝟝

Have you ever read a book you just didn’t want to end?

𝕤 𝕪 𝕟 𝕠 𝕡 𝕤 𝕚 𝕤 : We follow two timelines (which is quickly becoming my favorite trope). One in 2019, where social worker, Jax, receives nine missed calls from her sister, Lexie. Lexie is manic and is not always in touch with reality so she doesn’t answer, but the next day Lexie is dead. She has drowned in the pool of her grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives to go through her Lexie’s things she realizes Lexie was doing research on the dark secrets of her family’s estate and pool. Intrigued, Jax gets wrapped up in the trying to uncover family secrets held for years and the mysterious properties of the pool.
The second timeline is in 1929, following Ethel Monroe who is wishing desperately for a baby. Trying to distract her, her husband whisks her away to a resort where the natural springs are said to have healing properties. While there, the hotel owner’s wife tells Ethel to make a wish in the pool for what she wants most....let’s just say...be careful what you wish for.

𝕥 𝕙 𝕠 𝕦 𝕘 𝕙 𝕥 𝕤 : I LOVE THIS BOOK. Goodness Jennifer McMahon has done it again. This ghosty book was so creepy and atmospheric. I didn’t want to finish it because I was enjoying the mystery and intrigue so much. I would have to stop reading at night sometimes because it was quite creepy. The ending was so good, in my opinion, and I love how the two timelines twisted together. It had me guessing the sanity of everyone involved till the end. If you like darker, gothic tales I’d say pick it up!

💫📖𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 📖💫

📖The Drowning Kind
👩🏻‍💻 Jennifer McMahon
📅 pub date: 4/6/21

🌟𝗔𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗼𝗻: no reviews yet
🌟𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀: 4.19/5
🌟𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴!

🏊🏻‍♀️𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: ( from Amazon) 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.
🏊🏻‍♀️𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: I loved how the story went between present day and past and how the story intertwined. The chapters were quick and it was a easy read.
🏊🏻‍♀️𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝: I think people will ever love or hate the ending, I was the latter. I felt like I climbed a mountain and was left at the top ( no spoilers here!!)
🏊🏻‍♀️𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐠𝐥𝐲 : Overall, I think the book was written very well, the ending just wasn’t for me. I think other people may really enjoy it though.

🌟 𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 3.8/5

This was a great scary work of fiction with a compelling storyline, alternating between "historic/past" and "present." The story revolves around a freshwater spring in the northeast with potentially mystical healing properties. But the healing and "miracles" come with a cost - is it worth it? The pure spookiness and, if I'm honest, terror, that comes from a seemingly bottomless pool of black, murky, icy cold water, is chilling. When townsfolk get spooked just talking about it, is it just small town superstition, or is there something more? Have people really seen figures beneath the water? Heard splashes in the pitch dark of midnight when no one is around? Felt the icy grip of a hand grasping at the feet of some swimming in the pool? So many questions and so many chills. You will not want to put this book down.

TW: self harm, mental illness, bipolar disorder, alcoholism

This is the book you do NOT want to try to read in one sitting! Rather, you want to savor it, and enjoy its lyrical quality. This book will hav you on the edge of your seat from the second chapter, but resist that urger to speed thru! Enjpy its gothicness- it's so rare to find a good gothic tale these days! ennifer does an excellent job of mixing the past and the present, and keeping the reader excited to learn what has gone on before that is influencing the present. Add ths one to your must read list!

How do you even rate a book that creeps you the hell out?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a story that crosses many generations and intertwines families like no other story you have probably read. It reminds me of the creepy stories told around the campfire or at sleepovers with your friends. The ones where you try to scare the crap out of everybody.

This author took that and ran the ball with it. I will certainly never look at a deep pool the same way again. Thankfully, mine’s pretty shallow. LOL

The story is told from different perspectives and in two different times. One from the 1920s to 30s and the other from today. We get the beginning of the story in slow drip’s throughout and then we have the present. When the two finally blend together, it’s definitely not all that you expected.

Some things you can guess. Some things you expect. But the ending is definitely a surprise and a creepy one at that.

McMahon loaded this story with psychological twists, psychosis, foreshadowing, the paranormal, and the all-around creep factor. She weaves a magnificent story that sucks you in, while holding your breath, afraid to believe, but yet wondering could it really be true??

This is one book you have to read to decide for yourself!

The Drowning Kind is a thriller told by two narrators over two time periods. The story was intriguing and the characters were well-developed. This book is perfect for thriller lovers who shy away from violent or gory storylines. It was propulsive, twisty, and suspenseful. The Drowning Kind was equally enjoyable in print as it was as an audiobook. Give this one a try!

Growing up, Lex and Jax were inseparable, spending summers at their grandmother's estate in Vermont, known for its underground springs rumored to grant wishes ... but also take things in return. When Lex dies in the pool, Jax returns home and begins to learn more about the house's supernatural history, including the story of a woman in 1929 desperate to have a baby. The Drowning Kind was a perfectly spooky read making you wonder if there really is something in the water, or is it just Lex's manic imaginings.

Jax and Lex are sisters that couldn’t be more different. After a night of frantic missed calls from Lex, Jax discovers that Lex has drowned in the family pool. A pool that was the source of many childhood memories they shared. As Jax tries to piece together the last year of Lex’s life and the mysterious history of the pool and house, she finds out that things aren’t what they appear to be on the surface.
What follows is a wonderful story with multiple timelines, a creepy house, an even creepier pool, and a surprising ending I didn’t see coming.

"The Drowning Kind" started out as a creepy thriller, then took a hard left turn into the supernatural. While I enjoyed the story and how it flowed, I could see it not being for everyone. I read this story in just a few days, I was intrigued and just needed to know what was going to happen. While morbid and creepy throughout, I was highly satisfied by the ending, which usually doesn't happen with this kind of book. I would recommend to others if you like a good supernatural mystery. Thanks Netgalley for this ARC!

I’m obviously not the majority when I say I didn’t like this book. Nobody else thinks this story was a bit morbid? I tried the audiobook too so I could switch back and forth but the book honestly gave me the creeps and the narrator had a strangely nasal voice that I didn’t like.
Maybe the author was trying for that...idk. If so she gets ten stars! Two little girls favorite game was to play dead in the same pool their aunt died? After that I just couldn’t get into it.

I've been a fan of Jennifer McMahon for the last 6 years and was excited to delve into this new story. It blends a thriller, ghost story, and history into an interesting tale. I enjoy that McMahon isn't afraid to let the supernatural not be debunked.

I received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with such a deep sense of foreboding throughout the whole thing! This book kept me intrigued and guessing right up until the last page. I can also say without giving anything away that this book seriously creeped me out so many times. The descriptions of the sense of something else being in the dark with you just beyond what you can see. Just fantastic! I loved how two stories from different moments in time were weaves together to make the plot that much more interesting and gave the reader more to figure out in the mystery. I have loved Jennifer’s other books and am so glad I got to review this one.

So THAT happened...

I'm not sure what to say about this one - or, perhaps more appropriately, what I CAN say without giving anything away. I liked it, mostly. I found it odd and off-putting and eerie and never knew what in creation was going on (mostly in a good way).

The characters were not terribly likeable but were oddly compelling. The mystery was seriously twisty - from the opening pages I didn't know whether this was going to be horror, supernatural, a Scooby Doo-type "aha, it was Old Man Carruthers in a mask!", a Gone Girl-type unreliable narrator tale, or an exegesis on the evil of men... The pacing and plotting were well-managed and kept me just the right amount of off-kilter for the story throughout.

The inability to pigeon-hole this story is, to my mind, one of its greatest strengths - and potentially one of its weaknesses. You need the right reader in the right frame of mind to be willing to travel down a path with no markers. I think there are enough of us out there that McMahon will do well with this one, but if it doesn't work for you, that may well be why.

The writing is quite easy to fall into, and the gothic atmosphere is thick as Tupelo honey, despite the story being set in New England. I quite enjoyed it, mostly - and when I didn't, it was because of creepiness rather than any failing at all of the story. I really liked the ending, and actually reread it because I was flipping pages so fast that I couldn't believe it at first... This is a crazy read - in a good way - but it may not be for everyone...

The Drowning Kind is a deliciously creepy thriller. Jennifer McMahon weaves a family saga of mysterious drownings and a home that always calls to you. Jax has spent most of her adult life trying to find space between her sister Lexie. Lexie is a force that pulls people in, but can also push you out. When she is found in the family pool and it’s ruled an accidental drowning, Jax isn’t so sure. This tale has you turning the page, looking for what’s next, but also peering over your book to make sure you really are alone.

“…be a little afraid when swimming in deep dark water. You tell yourself there’s nothing down there, but there is. There always is.” And so begins the eerie, atmospheric thriller The Drowning Kind.

Social worker Jackie has had a difficult relationship with her sister Lex. Lex is bipolar, creative, frequently unmedicated and Jackie, unable to set boundaries, has distanced herself from her sister. So when Lex, in the grip of mania, calls her multiple times one night, she ignores her. In the morning, Lex is dead, drowned in the dark pool behind the family home in Vermont. But she’s not the only family member who has drowned in that pool…

Ethel Monroe and her husband Will desperately want to have a baby. She has tried everything from special drinks to carrying a sparrow’s egg in her clothing and is becoming more and more anxious. Will plans a relaxing getaway weekend at a luxurious hotel near a spring that is rumored to have magical powers if you drink it or bathe in it. It’s not that simple.

There are two horror stories in The Drowning Kind. Jennifer McMahon wraps them together in alternating chapters until they become one. With a superb writing style, she slowly builds suspense and tension, until you are afraid to look behind you. I read this in one sitting. You will too. 5 stars.

Thank yo to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Jennifer McMahon for this ARC.

A spring with miraculous healing power, but the healing comes at a cost. This story alternated between past and current generations of families affected by the spring. The book moved along well, but there was a bit too much of people seeing or feeling something in the pool and brushing it off as their imagination. And then the people that did believe there was someone in the spring being thought crazy even though there are tragedies over and over.

This was an amazing book !!! It holds you in its spell from the first page to the last !! The best kind of suspense book...you can’t figure out all the little twists and turns until the very end. Highly recommend it to everyone .

I typically love Jennifer McMahon, but this one felt as cold and flat as the icy black swimming pool in Vermont. So many unreliable narrators, so many creepy wet women coming out of the mossy water. It was definitely spooky but reminded me too much of her book The Uninvited and also of Riley Sager’s Home After Dark. Enough with the cold ponds and the Vermont home construction/renovation.

The Drowning Kind is a fantastic mystery, creepy, ghost story that keeps you guessing until the end. I love how the story weaves the history of the spring with the current family that occupies the house.