Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy to read.

Wow! I couldn't stop reading, even when it scared the crap out of me, up until the very re-readable ending. Good read, nicely written.

Big thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house, and the author for allowing me an ARC e-book in exchange for an honest review.

So this is a mixed review. There's a long history of drownings at the springs at Sparrow Crest. Family stories abound and everyone in town has their opinions about the springs. Some believe the water makes miracles happen; makes the crippled walk again, makes the terminally ill heal up. But the springs give as good as they take. There may be a price for all the "miracles". Some people in town who are familiar with the springs, namely the people who live close to them, understand the price.
Jax has a bipolar sister who goes off her meds from time to time whom she has pushed away in an attempt to lead a "normal" life. The sister stays at the family home, Sparrow Crest, where the springs make a natural pool just behind the house. The sister drowns. That is the beginning of the current storyline. The story is also told from 1891 timeline again with the springs being the subject at hand.
Without revealing anything I shouldn't I will stop here. Interestingly, I was listening to the TV over the weekend and there was a program about Native Americans, the Cherokee people, who believed that there were certain springs in the US which acted as a portal to "the other side" and gave "miracles" as well. I wonder if this legend is what gave the author the idea.
I do have a confession. I did not much care for the main character, Jax. Perhaps it is a personality thing. She irritated me. But none the less I was interested to see what happened to her and the others in the story.

This was my first read by Jennifer McMahon..... where do I start with this one?

I absolutely was drawn in by that beautiful and creepy cover. The premise had me on edge and felt this would be the perfect spooky Halloween read.

Unfortunately, I fell hard for all those 5 star reviews I saw on Goodreads for this one. Don't get me wrong... there were a few instances I was pretty creeped out and loved the creepy and ghost story vibe this one.


But, it just didn't do it for me. I felt like I was getting hit in the head by the amount of repetitive storyline here with the natural springs and swimming pool that is said to "grant wishes." Also, the amount of repetition between Jax and her sister Lexie was eye rolling.

And that ending?! Ehhhh.... no.. I was disappointed and felt that it was an easy cope out to the storyline.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. But, with all the high praise and 5 star reviews.. maybe you'll enjoy this one.

3/5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 4/6/21
Published to GR: 11/1/20

This is a fantastic creepy and mesmerizing story. Told in two different points in time, this is a story about a natural pool rumored to help with ailments, but the pool gives and the pools takes. The story focuses on Jax and the loss of her sister to a drowning. When she returns to her childhood vacation spot (grandmother's home) she has to face her demons and deal with her choice to ignore her sisters' last phone call. The story alternates back to the early 1920's and the beginning of connection to the pool for this family. This books was hard to put down and I really enjoyed the twists. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion

“The pool gives and the pool takes.”

Jax is a social worker who receives many missed calls from her sister, Lexie, one night. Unable to answer, she wakes up the next morning to find out Lexie drowned in the pool at Sparrow Crest...the house Lexie lived in, and where they used to spend every summer with their grandmother.

Jax returns for the funeral and to settle affairs. The pool is just how she remembered it: Pitch black as night, earthy smells, freezing cold, unknown depths, a strong presence in the water.

Segue to 1929 as Ethel Monroe and her husband have a rare chance to visit the new Brandenburg Springs Hotel. It’s new, and quickly becomes popular due to the pool’s source of water...the springs. The water is known to have many positive effects on people. Ethel quickly finds out that when you let the water heal you or someone you love, you have to give something back.

Brandenburg Springs Hotel burnt to the ground a year later, and is now the home where Lexie lived.

Told in concurring storylines, Jax, in the present day, feels like there might be more behind Lexie’s drowning. Some of the reasons include: flashes of hands reaching out from the murky depths of the pool, the squish of wet feet walking on the floor, buried secrets that are uncovered.

Be careful what you wish for.

This is a haunting and extremely atmospheric tale. The fantastic writing provokes a strong sense of unease that doesn’t let up. I felt as if I was in both timelines. The pool is a character itself, and it’s a place I never want to get near.

“In the water, dark and deep
Where she waits, fast asleep
All alone, pale and cold
Don’t wake her up, or she’ll catch hold”

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press, Jennifer McMahon, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Be careful what you wish for."

In Brandenburg, Vermont, there is a natural spring that reputedly heals anything from gout to consumption. And even more, it seems to grant wishes..."But for each wish it grants, it takes something in return. Something to 'balance the scale.'"

This is a psychological tale, a ghost story that involves one family, two timelines. In 1929, a grand hotel called the Brandenburg Springs Hotel and Resort is built at the springs, and to that resort come a middle-aged couple named Will and Ethel Monroe. Ethel desperately wants a baby and when she hears that the spring grants wishes, she can't help but whisper her heart's desire to the pool.

In 2019, Jackie, a social worker in Tacoma, Washington, learns that her estranged sister Lexie has drowned in the pool at their grandmother's home in Brandenburg, the house that Lexie has inherited. Jackie received several calls from her sister the night before but ignored them all. She assumed her manic sister had gone off her meds once again. Now she has to deal with guilt on top of her grief as she flies back home to Brandenburg to sort things out.

McMahon deftly weaves these two timelines and stories together. As Lexie scribbled on a note: "The key to understanding the present is to look at the past."

Sibling rivalry and family relationships are explored here but the real focus of this story is that spring, that dark, mysterious pool. So creepy!

I've read several of Jennifer McMahon's psychological thrillers and she never disappoints. This thriller is not publishing until April of 2021, but I couldn't wait to dive in now. What better time for a scary ghost story than the Halloween season? I could not put it down!

I received an arc of this new book from the publisher via netGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity!

Amazing, layered, deep dive into what the cost of getting one's wish granted can mean. Jennifer's writing has captivated me for more than a decade, and she just keeps improving. This is a fantastic book for the Shirley Jackson loving readership.

I am always excited to dive into a Jennifer McMahon novel, The Winter People and The Invited are at the top of my recommendations to friends if they want a little bit of spooky in their reading life. I enjoyed The Drowning Kind but it did fall a little flat for me compared to her previous two novels and I'm still not entirely sure why. The elements were all there - mysterious deaths, historical foreshadowing, interesting settings, and smart characters. Ultimately, I feel that the mythology of the springs was one-note, I understood what was going on very early on so each and every historical or modern-day revelation about the spring wasn't a surprise to me.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon.
OMG - Mcmahon takes the reader on such a journey with each of her novels. Mixed with the current and the past, she has the habit of keeping you engaged and suspended in time.
In her newest novel, a young woman, Jax, is caught up in her sister's drama - she's always calling about something, she's disturbed, but that's her sister. But after several missed calls, Jax discovers her sister is dead. Burdened with guilt, she returns to her sister's home and discovers that she was looking into her family's history. Soon Jax discovers the past of her family home is connected to her sister's death. And there's something going on that Jax realizes is scary and mysterious and ghostly. Is her sister's death part of the family curse? Is Jax next to fulful any prophesy of the past - and Jax is suddenly drawn in and hopefully can get out before it's too late.
Very good - 4 stars.

The Drowning Kind is a story about a haunted spring that grants miracles but is not without tragedy. The book time shifts between present-day Jax, social worker and younger sister to Lexie, the spirited older sister who seems to radiate chaos, and Mrs. Monroe, who lived 100 years ago and is attracted to the springs because of her infertility and its rumor to grant wishes.

This is a gripping supernatural read. I finished this book very quickly, as it is very difficult to put down. The time shifts were expertly done. Each period in time gives you just enough to move the story forward and heighten the intrigue and then boom, back to the other time period for the same buildup. The reason why I choose to give 4 stars instead of 5 is that there were some plot holes that I would have liked to have been buttoned up. I would recommend this book and I’m excited to read more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review

I loved, loved, LOVED this book.

Is there magic in the springs? Can it cure whatever ails you? Can it grant wishes? Or are they cursed? Does it come at a cost? The story goes back in forth between the present and the past surrounding natural springs in Vermont. When Jax's sister Lexie drowns in the pool of the family estate, she searches for answers. Was Lexie solely mentally ill or is there something else? Lexie leaves clues behind that she believes there is something in the water. It is up to Jax to find out the truth.

This was a perfectly spooky, chilling read. This book tells two stories taking place in different timelines. In the present is the story of Jax and Lexie, sisters who grew up spending summers at their grandmother's house. There they spent the days swimming in the spring-fed pool which may or may not be bottomless. Rumors abound regarding the people who have drowned in the pool and many think the place is haunted. Jax is drawn back to the house after her sister becomes one more person to have lost her life in the pool. The other story takes place in 1029 with Ethel Monroe and her husband. She desperately wants a child and, during a trip to the new luxury hotel and springs, makes a wish. Her wish comes true but with consequences. The author does an excellent job of shifting between these two stories and weaving the connections bringing to the novel to an exciting finish. Definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This was my first book by this author and I'm hooked! This book was so good. I can't wait to read the other books by her!

Fantastic book
As a social worker who gets sucked into the lives of the people I work with, I really felt an extra investment into the main character.
A sense of gothic tone throughout, a mystery that does not reveal its secrets without first making you beg.
Loved it. Thanks for the chance at an early look, my second Jennifer McMahon book and looking forward to my third.

4 stars for another Jennifer McMahon hit!

The Drowning Kind is a perfect October read--spooky and satisfying! The dual storylines were equally interesting and woven together well and McMahon's writing is as always atmospheric and engaging. There were a few loose ends that I wish had been tied up, but overall I'm very satisfied with the read and would recommend to any suspense lovers.

I love McMahon's books so even though this is a "ghost story" I knew I would like it! You've heard of haunted houses and woods, but a haunted spring? Jax gets the news that her sister Lexie has drowned and even though they've been estranged due to Lexie's mental issues, Jax is of, course, devastated and returns to Sparrow Crest where they grew up and swam in the dark waters of the pool/springs even when odd happenings plagued the family. Going back and forth in time between the hotel's inception and its purported "healing waters," the novel focuses on the belief that the springs can perform miracles that you wish for but will always take something in return. Chilling, right? But oh so good and even though I'm not a huge fan of the paranormal, this is lovely!

Lexie and Jax, sisters, spend summers at their grandmother’s Vermont house. Highly competitive, Lexie outshines her sister in everything, especially water feats which most often she performs in the spring-fed pool on her grandparents’ property. The legend of the springs is two-fold: it heals or harms, depending on the storyteller. When Lexie drowns in this same pool, Jax seeks answers from the erratic notes left behind by her sister. DisturbIng revelations about family and friends are discovered, intensifying the suspense. Jennifer McMahon establishes an unsettling and frightening atmosphere, resulting in slightly unreliable characters and a page-turner experience.

Wow! Jennifer McMahon writes another mind blowing novel! As in her other novels, McMahon beautifully ties the past to the present. Jackie, or “Jax”, travels back to their Grandmother’s home she and her sister spent their summer at as children., after her sister tragically drowns in the pool. While back, Jax digs deeper into the sinister past of the pool, which her sister, Lexie, had been researching. Flipping back and forth from the 1920’s to modern day, McMahon seamlessly intertwines the tragic and dark family history with characters from past and present.
Dark, unsettling, creepy and most definitely TWISTY, this is a must read! I loved it!

****A huge thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC

Last year I read The Invited by Jennifer McMahon and I have been obsessed ever since! So I jumped for joy when I was given an ARC copy of Jennifer McMahon’s The Drowning Kind! Jax is a social worker, who maintains her distance from her family. Her sister Lexie, who she hasn’t spoken to in a while, calls multiple times one night, and all the voicemails make it sound like she is having another manic episode. Jax is not ready to deal with what is going on. However, that may just be her biggest regret after she finds out her sister drowned after making the phone calls. Lexie is not the only person to drown in the dark pool that once belonged to their grandmother. Lexie was investigating something, and now Jax is determined to find out what and the past is way darker than anyone could have anticipated.

This book did not disappoint! It gave me all the chills. In fact, I don’t think I will be able to swim in a lake ever again. At first, the story presented itself as a psychological thriller but it went even darker. There are dual timelines: the present and the year 1929. It flowed perfectly. I loved how the past gave the background but fed the plotline of the present.

The characters are fantastic, dark, and complex. It just goes to show what anyone to do for the ones that they love. But the concept of the water can’t give without taking something in return is positively ominous. I love the sisterly bond but also that the author shows how difficult a sisterly relationship can be, especially when mental illness and jealousy are involved. However, this goes beyond the sisters. There is a history and it revolves around the pool and the darkness within. This is so suspenseful and will leave readers gasping.

Trigger warnings: infertility, pregnancy loss, family loss. This book doesn’t come out until April, 6th 2021 but you will want to pre-order it right now! It is not a book you will want to miss! I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Wow. I love this one. Absolutely brilliant prose, great characters... intriguing plot. The women in this are so believable. I really felt empathy for Jackie as she dealt with the guilt over her sister’s death. And Lexie, who’d discovered the truth about the water and the pool, is a fully round character even in death. The other perspective in the past is not quite as strong, but still very intriguing. Altogether a great read.