The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon is atmospheric, spooky, and full of family secrets. The book tends to confound in spots, and I found the narrative back and forth a little difficult to follow. However, this is a solid story with twisted and deeply troubled characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the advance reader copy.

Oh man! This book was awesome. I haven’t met a Jennifer McMahon book yet that I didn’t absolutely love, but this one really feels exceptional. Flipping back and forth between the different generations living at Sparrow Crest built a beautiful history that explains the present. Characters that are so vivid and realistic. This is the perfect New England haunted springs ghost story, sure to creep you out any time of year! I guarantee you won’t look at a rural swimming hole the same ever again!
Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read this pre-publication edition in exchange for an honest review!

I am a fan of Jennifer McMahon, even though I have given only 2 stars to a few of her books that I have read. I don't always love the plot or characters, but she is always good at setting a scene and creating a disturbing and/or spooky atmosphere.

The Drowning Kind is possibly my favorite book I have read by her. Jax, estranged from her mentally unbalanced sister, returns to their family home when her sister drowns in the pool (really a natural spring) out back. Memories from Jax's childhood and present day occurrences are interwoven with a 100 year old narrative by Ethel, a young woman who becomes inextricably linked to the natural springs. During Ethel's time, the spring are part of a fancy resort hotel and spa with "healing waters." But, of course, the springs are not entirely what they seem.

So we have a small town in rural New England, an old hotel with creepy natural springs touted as a healing spa, mental instability, drowning, family ties, loyalties, curses. What's not to love?

McMahon weaves this all together so skillfully that the the surprises at the end caught me off guard. I was so immersed in the story that I didn't see all the hints pointing to the truth. I really enjoyed this one. Settle in on a dark and stormy fall night and get ready for a spooky ride!

WOW! Be careful what you wish for! Seems to be the theme of the book.

This is the perfect time of year for this book. I wasn't anticipating the haunted element to the story and was pleasantly surprised. I was totally engrossed and plan to read other books by this author.
The story has a slow burn which is played out perfectly to the ending, which leave you a bit shaken

This story was hard to put down... usually a good thing but not so much when you're supposed to be tending grandchildren for the weekend! I kept sneaking a chapter at a time, though, and continued to read after they finally fell asleep. It switches back and forth from the present to 1929-ish, and the connection is finally made clear.

Can there really be a pool of "magic water" that heals and grants wishes? You've heard the expression, "Nothing in life is free"? Well, the same is true of magic water! You'll want to read this and find out just what that means!

The ghost stories Jennifer McMahon writes are nothing short of fascinating. This book is just as good as The Winter People which was my all time favorite ghost story and also by the same author. This story takes place back around the 1920's and 1930's as well as present day. It hops back and forth between two stories that end up intersecting as the story progresses. I won't share more on that so as not to spoil anything.

This book was amazing and haunting. I could not put it down!

Jackie has just lost her estranged sister, Lexie. As she travels back to her family home, she tries to piece together the last year of Lexie's life. The more information she uncovers, the more questions she has- did her sister finally succumb to mental illness? is the family home haunted? is this an elaborate scheme to exact revenge? who can she trust? Jennifer McMahon will have you guessing until the very last page.

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon was a book that kept my interest and I thought it was very good, and was well written. The story spans 90 years and revolves around a pool that has magical healing powers. Not only does bathing in and drinking the water have miraculous results, your wishes also come true. But wait....wished have a price! One chapter will be set in 1929, and the next in 2019. The descriptions of the people as well as the places are very well done. I could picture myself in the story, and that I find is a good testament to any book. As I raced to the ending, I almost fell off my chair. I had to go back and read it twice just to make sure. I will highly recommend this book to all my book clubs, and will be ordering copies for my patrons at the library, Well Done Jennifer McMahon. I can’t wait to read your next book.
Thank You to NetGalley and Gallery Books for giving me the opportunity to read this great digital copy for an honest review..

I greatly enjoyed this creepy and unique book. I usually give a few lines of what I think stood out from the synopsis, but honestly the book description is spot on and I wouldn't change a thing. I love books that alternate between 2 POVs and really enjoyed the connection between the modern day story of Jax and the historical story of Ethel.

The story is creepy, focused on healing springs and a pool where you can't see or touch the bottom. The characters were well done, with even the minor characters like Jackie's dad feeling real and believable to me. Though we never meet Lexie other than in Jax's memories, I felt like I knew her and understood their relationship, and the behaviors related to her bipolar disorder felt authentic. The book was a bit of a slow burn but held my interest the entire time, and really made me think.

The ending had a great twist that I didn't see coming, which added to the creepiness of the whole book.

All in all, I enjoyed the book and think you will too if you like a ghost story tied in with a domestic suspense story. I am going to go back and make sure I have read McMahon's other books- if not, I will do so! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a bit of a slow start for me, but as soon as I hit the halfway point it really kicked in. I simply could not put it down. Every time that pool was mentioned it just kept getting creepier and creepier. I'll never swim anywhere that I can't see the bottom crystal clear! That ending needs to be talked about, without giving anything away it was just simply chilling. I absolutely loved this book. Thank you so much!

I’m not sure I’ve ever read a ghost story before and this is a doozy! It grabbed me from the very first page and I had a hard time putting it down. Set in 2 different time periods 1929 and the present. It’s haunting, twisting and lots of rumors going on in town about “healing springs”. I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a copy of this book to review!

The Drowning Kind
by Jennifer McMahon

WOW ! I was so excited to receive this book as it had been on my wishlist for awhile and it did not disappoint!

The novel revolves around mineral springs in New England that have proven to have incredible healing powers for those who bathe in or drink the water. However, like all good things, nothing is free and the power of the springs come with a cost.

Our protagonist Jax receives numerous frantic voice messages from Lex, her bi-polar sister who inherited and lives in the family home where the magical springs are located.

Tired of her sisters constant crazy behavior, Jax ignores the messages until she receives notice that her sister has drowned.

Jax rushes back to her childhood home to lay her sister to rest and find out what she was trying to convey in those manic voice messages.. Lex believed there may be something living (or non living) in those magical waters and she isn't the only one who has seen 'something ' come out of the water.

The novel moves between 1929 and 2019 sewing together the mystery of the springs and those who have benefited and suffered from its powers.

I strongly recommend reading this book !
It is a truly exciting , unique and well written novel. The characters are well defined, the plot intriguing and the ending unexpected. I was on vacation and I refused to put it down.

A 5 star novel for anyone else who enjoys reading a good mystery.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR!

There was a nursery rhyme recited by the children of Brandenburg, Vermont in the 1900's.

A time when people like Ethel O'Shay, believed in Superstitions, like carrying a sparrow's egg close to your breast when trying to become pregnant.

Or, that the underground springs which fill the pool at the Brandenburg Springs Hotel can not only heal what ails you, but can also grant wishes...

People flocked to the hotel from miles around, to bathe in and drink from the Springs...ignoring the warnings, laughing about the spooky stories which claim that the Springs are cursed.

THE WATER DOES NOT GIVE WITHOUT TAKING.

Sisters- Lexie and Jax, grew up swimming in a pool, on their Grandmother's property in Vermont.

But, it was no ordinary pool.

It was one that was fed by the famous underground Springs from the area.
Made from stone and granite, filled with moss and algae, and FREEZING cold.

Their Aunt Rita lost her life in the pool at aged 7, and the girls, spurred on by Lexie, would play "The Dead Game" when in the pool- floating facedown, holding their breath, eyes OPEN, looking for a glimpse of Aunt Rita, who Lexie believes lives on, in depths of the murky water.

"She's coming for you! Coming for us, both!" Lexie would warn her sister. "Don't you hear her at night?"

SQUISH SQUISH SQUISH

Now, Jax has returned to the family home, where Lexie had been living.
Where Lexie has now mysteriously drowned after calling her estranged sister Jax, nine times.
If only, Jax had answered she may have learned what Lexie had discovered.

Now, she will need to piece together the puzzle, on her own, and hope that she can assuage her own guilt at not answering the phone.

This ATMOSPHERIC story is told from the alternating timelines of :
1929: Ethel O'Shay Monroe and 2019: Jackie (Jax).

But, THE POOL, feels like a character with a story of its own, too.
It gave me CHILLS.

If you enjoy SUPERNATURAL stories with a strong sense of FOREBODING-this one is for you!
It was UNPUTDOWNABLE for me!

Available April 6, 2021

I received a gifted copy and it was my pleasure to provide a candid review!

Haunting. Creative. Thought-provoking. These are all words to describe Jennifer McMahon's writing. She is the master at crafting a beautiful, transcendent ghost story that is wholly unique, and The Drowning Kind is no exception. Using a very unsettling Vermont nursery rhyme, she weaves a chilling tale that links past and present flawlessly. The story centers around a swimming pool that has the ability to grant wishes. But is getting what you want worth the price you have to pay?

When I first read the premise, it reminded me a bit of Ronald Malfi's Cradle Lake. I was worried there might be more than a few similarities. However, after reading The Drowning Kind, I can say (like all McMahon's previous books) this one has a highly original plot, and I wasn't disappointed. There were thrills. There were chills. There were even emotionally poignant moments that made the book that much more enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Drowning Kind is a quiet book. It’s the kind that sneaks up on you with pretty phrases and rarified atmosphere and then simply stabs you in the gut again and again.

There’s pervasive eeriness, sorrow and even hope in every chapter.

And, as a mom, it really hits home. As you read, you ask yourself what you would do to for your own child…and the answer is – just about anything.

People who thrive on action may find the pace a little slow, but the payoff is worth it.

An engaging and chilling read.

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

This was such an unexpected dark joy of a book. Very interested in following this author in past and future books.

Jennifer McMahon is one of the best authors I’ve read in a while. I devoured this book in a sitting. It spooked me until the very end. The book had of lot of mental health aspects mixed with a good ole ghost story! I can’t wait to see what she releases next! If you haven’t read a book by this author I encourage you to do it. you will not regret it

I found this book to be laborious and repetitive. I read all the 4 and 5 star reviews. I do not agree. Perhaps, one reason is, I could not plug into the supernatural phenomenon. Granted, that’s a prejudice right there, that I bring to the table. But the repetitive dialogue, describing Lexie and Jaks’s relationship, was agonizing. The characters were lack luster. Jaks is a psychologist with more issues than her patients. Aunt Diane and Ted ( Lexie and Jaks’s dad) add nothing to the story. The way the author wove the past and present was, however, clever, but not enough for me. Thank you Netgalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this opportunity.

Do you love a thriller with some horror? A book that you shouldn’t read in the dark? Look no further! The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon is it.

The Drowning Kind follows Jax, a social worker, in 2019 as she goes back to her family’s old property after her older sister is found floating dead in the pool, but here’s the thing...she isn’t the first one to be found dead in those waters.

In 1929, Ethel Monroe is newly married and is desperate for a baby. But how far will her desperation go? Enough to make a wish in the Vermont waters despite the warnings?You know what they say.... be careful what you wish for.

I absolutely loved this book. It gave me goosebumps with how creepy it got. It was so creepy that I had to stop reading it when it got too dark and I had to put the chain on the door. The author does an excellent job creating And developing a plot and characters, while having
two timelines occurring in the novel. I, especially, loved Jax. Being a social worker, I thought her character and how she navigated situations was accurate and relatable.

The only critique I would have is that the ending seemed a little rushed and I wished it was more suspenseful in those last moments of the book. However, overall, I think this was a great novel. I loved the plot. The characters. The unraveling of the mystery. Everything.

Another excellent book by Jennifer McMahon! Its wonderfully subtle and creepy. It builds slowly and you never really know what is going on until you get to the very end. Lots of twists and turns as you learn the story in the past (1930s) and the present.

Jennifer McMahon's books are the best type of ghost story: slow-building, atmospheric, and lots of twists. The Drowning Kind does not disappoint!