If you’re looking for a super creepy thriller, this is it. If you’re looking for a strong plot and story; I’d look elsewhere. Jumping between the diary entries of Ethel Monroe from 1929 and the modern-day narrator, Jackie, the story is of a haunted springs that both gives life and takes it away. For most of the book, I felt the story trying to do too much. The plot spends most of the time on Jackie and her relationship with her recently-departed sister, Lexie, Lexie’s bipolar disorder and the attention she always received from the family, as well as flashbacks to Ethel and her desire for children all the while being haunted by what has happened at the springs. The creep factor was totally there and I was curious to find out how it would end but felt like the ending was lackluster and left a lot to explain.

Jax gets the call she has dreaded for years. Her sister, Lexie, is dead. Jax is a social worker but Lex, who growing up was the golden girl, was diagnosed with schizophrenia in her early twenties. Their grandmother had left the family house to Lexie and Jax was so upset to be excluded that she moved across the country. She had suspected that Lexie was off her meds as she had been getting phone calls on her message machine and each sounded more frantic and out of control. When she called her aunt Diane and asked her to check on Lexie Diane found her floating in the pool, already beyond revivial.

There were rumors about the pool and had been their entire life. Years before, a hotel had stood where their house now stood, a hotel built around the springs that provided water that many said could provide cures for any illnesses. But there were also whispers that if the springs gave something they would also take something. More drownings that would be expected had happened there and the hotel went out of business. Even after Jax's grandfather bought the land and springs, things continued to happen in the pool. Jax and Lexie's oldest sister, Rita, had drowned there when they were small children. Now Lexie has met the same fate.

As Jax returns to handle the funeral she gets caught up in the stories about the pool. She remembers things from her childhood that seem to reinforce the rumors and Lexie was firmly convinced something was going on and had focuses all her time and attention to finding out the truth. What is the truth? Is there something there that will rise again to cause more tragedy?

I listened to this novel. The narrator was female and captured the rising tension in the book, the back and forth between the questions about the pool and the certainties Jax has that it is all just rumors. The story is told in alternating chapters between Jax's trip home and the story of her grandmother who made the first bargain with the pool. The narrator handles both these voices quite well, differentiating between them to make it clear which woman is speaking. This book is recommended for readers of psychological thrillers.

I'm not sure what the hell happened. All these 5 star reviews and I just don't get it. I think the book I read must have been different because nothing about this book was worthy of 5 stars, in my opinion, at least.

This was another one that moved soooo damn slow. It took me weeks just to get to the 50% of mark and at that point I just started skimming. Not to mention, the redundancy...

The concept of the Spring healing and granting wishes, and then reaping what it is due was clever, but that execution not so much.

I will say I was more intrigued by Ethel's timeline than I was Jax's.

Anyway, not something I would recommend, but that's is just me. You might like it.

Thank you so much for allowing me to reach this! Jennifer is one of my favorites! Her writing style is hauntingly awesome on every level! OMG. This book....

Edge of the seat, nail bitter! What the heck happened at the end! I WAS SOOO SHOCKED! Seriously! I am not a reviewer who gives out spoilers, because well then why read the review? I just want the folks who read my reviews to know whether the book is worth their money and time and this one KNOCKED IT OUTTA THE PARK!

Grief, loss, sisters, haunting and someone at the bottom of a pool! Come on now, if that doesn’t grab you well then try this.....well written, fantastic story line and you will have this book sticking around with you for a long time after you close it, having read the final few pages.

Must read! Especially if you run the spooky genre as I do!

Well Done!!

A good solid creepy ghost tale/mystery. I loved the setting of this book as I have been to several historic hotels around springs that were known for healing properties. So the story itself was interesting and I could easily picture the setting and characters in my mind. I also thought the dual timeline was implemented well and was easy to follow. This one's for you if you love a good spooky tale in a historical setting.

Another thrilling novel by Jennifer McMahon . Jackie receives word her sister has drowned in the pool of her grandmother’s manor . She returns home to sort out the mystery and is drawn back into the life she left behind . Told on alternate timelines this book is creepy, scary , spooky and unputdownable. A must read

Review of The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is only my second book by this author but I cannot wait to read the rest. I love the creepy, spooky vibe throughout this entire book snd the writing was amazing.

Jax gets a call that her sister, Lexie, has drowned and died in her pool at her home and heads back to take care of the arrangements. Lexie inherited the house from their grandmother. Growing up the two sisters would spend the summers there and they knew all about their aunt Rita who drowned in the same pool as a child. When Jax returns she starts to find out more about her family’s history as well as the history of the pool and what she finds shakes her to the core.
An alternate timeline of the 1920s follows a Ethel and her husband as they desperately try to have a baby. They visit a resort said to have magical healing springs. Ethel becomes pregnant shortly after that visit but learns the hard way what the hotel owner warned her about: the water gives but it also takes away.

I absolutely loved this book and recommend it to all who love a spooky mystery.

This is going to sound weird, but for the first few chapters of this book, I kept comparing McMahon’s writing to Dan Brown. Not that their plots or sentences structures, etc. are anything alike but rather that it took me some time to get settled into the story due to what felt like cliched phrases, and cookie cutter characters.

So why am I still giving this four stars? Honestly, I’m vacillating between three and four and it seems most fair, then, to settle on four. Ultimately, the characters were more fleshed out and endearing to me but I worried about how long it took them to become so; in the first quarter I was close to DNF-ing. I just…. I would start reading sentence that described a character’s physical appearance or some aspect of their personality and I could always predict what it was going to end like, and that felt stock and basic to me.

Yet, somehow, as the characters’ stories progressed, I did become more invested, more intrigued, less concerned about these characterizations. I enjoyed the settings, the folklore, the plot that drew me in - while I didn’t have to drop everything, I was absolutely consistently drawn back and intrigued to see what was going to happen.

This is my third book by McMahon and was, despite my criticisms here, still strong enough to keep me interested and coming back for more. Her general ideas and plot lines are always right up my alley, and I suspect she’ll just keep getting stronger.

ARC provided by Gallery Books and NetGalley.

So this story gets an A for creep factor. Everything about it has a freaky vibe. The story begins with Jackie, who has a sister named Lexi who has a whole slew of mental health issues, and as a result they haven’t really been close the last several years. Jackie is summoned back to the family estate after Lexi drowns in the swimming hole that is attached to the property out in rural Vermont. It appears that Lexi may have suffered a psychotic break before her death, and she leaves behind a slew of information that doesn’t make any sense. Looking into the history of the place, Jackie discovers a history of drownings and tragedies attached to the old, super creepy swimming hole on the property of the family home. It appears that Lexi is only the latest casualty. I’m not really sure what genre this book lands in, as it seems to have some crossover, part historical fiction, part ghost story, part psychological thriller, it’s kind of everywhere. The setting, tone and descriptives are all very effective, although I didn’t love the ending. It just kind of left me sad, but I suppose it is open for interpretation and not every one may see it the same way. Review posted to Amazon, Litsy, LibraryThing, Goodreads, and Facebook.

This is Jennifer McMahon's typical spooky story without being too over the top. A woman loses her sister to a mysterious pool, but is she really gone? I really liked the ending.

First off, I want to say this book was creepy but in a good way. I loved the changes in POVs and I enjoyed many of the characters. I loved that is story was a little bit of horror and mystery. I haven't read many books that freak me out the way this one did. This was my first audiobook with NetGalley as well and I enjoyed it very much. I am very glad it was my first. I loved this book very much. I have not read anything by this author before so I will definitely be looking into more books. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

I'm sure you have heard the common expression, "be careful what you wish for". Well that phrase kept running through my head as I read this dark and creepy story of curses, dark & sinister pools and ultimately, the bond between sisters.

Having a sister myself, I felt that McMahon really articulated well the complex and deep relationships that sisters can have. The profound love I have for my sister is like no other and I too feel as if I am the most myself with her. I know this is a spooky story, but the heart is not neglected by McMahon.

As with other Jennifer McMahon stories, chapters alternate between the point of view of characters. In this story we have Ethel in the past and Jax’s in the present. Usually I don't appreciate alternating POV especially when one is historical but in McMahon's skilled hands, I found that I was fully absorbed and didn't skip ahead like I do in less well written books.

This is an atmospheric read, slowly building suspense and most importantly dread. As you get closer to the conclusion, you know that things were not going to end well.

I will highly recommend this and other McMahon titles to fans of dark and supernatural mysteries.

This is the second book I’ve read by Ms. McMahon and she once again did not disappoint! The Drowning Kind is a perfect creepy, mystery combination. There is just enough information spread throughout the beginning and middle of the novel to throw in the twist at the end and the author did a great job of bringing it all together.

Give me all the books this author has written and will write in the future! She is definitely in my list of favorite authors!

There are some trigger warnings with this book: alcoholism, cancer, cult-like behavior, mental illness, suicide


I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishing house, Gallery Books, for providing an advanced e-copy for review. All thoughts and opinions written in this review are my own. My review of The Drowning Kind can be found on Goodreads, Amazon, Beanstack, and my local library website.

I have never read a Jennifer McMahon story until now and I was not disappointed. What an intense ride, from beginning to end! The Winter people has been on my TBR for some time and now I think after reading this it will be bumped up to the top! This book pulled me in and kept me wanting more. I hated when it ended because dang... I want more.

Jennifer McMahon is definitely one that I will be keeping my eye on from now on. Thank you for the opportunity to read and share my thoughts.

5/5 Stars

This book has supernatural elements as well as dual timeline stories told in parallel. The stories center around natural springs, believed to have healing properties. Naturally, the stories connect toward the end of the novel as connections are made. I found this novel creative and quite clever, but this genre is not my favorite which made it hard to feel fully immersed or to truly love this book. That being said, those who enjoy supernatural tales with mystery would love this novel!

I was not sure what rating to give this one. On the one hand, it was definitely memorable. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of the Springs and the gradual buildup of tension with what was happening with the water. On the other hand, there were parts of the book that seemed to drag on and truthfully found the ending to be a weird mix of confusing, shocking and anticlimactic. The book has two different timelines: one from the 1920's and the present day with Jax. The writing was great and I was engaged with the story. But at some point, I just became bored and thought things were dragging on too much. The Declan part of the story is still confusing and maybe unnecessary. I'm still not sure how I feel about the ending. This one was just okay for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for this ARC. I enjoy thrillers but not typically a fan of the supernatural genre but this book and it's cover caught my eye. There are two timelines, one from the present and one from 1929, and two different points of view. I found that to be a bit confusing, as far as keeping the past and present straight. If you like paranormal story lines I think you will find this to be a good read.

I have always liked this author and I did enjoy reading this one. My favorite parts were about Lexie and Jax and wish we could have had more of their story. I felt like this one didn't grab me and have me hooked like some of her past books.

This is probably my fifth or sixth book by Jennifer McMahon, and I'm consistently impressed with her ability to deliver twists and turns and thrills in every book. This is a blend of spooky and edge-of-your-seat thrills, with plenty of atmosphere woven in as well. There are two main perspectives told via two separate timelines, and although this might have gotten confusing for another author, McMahon is so adept at these sorts of stories by now that she blends them together by the end perfectly. Even knowing that the two stories would somehow converge along the way, I felt myself being immersed in the eerie atmosphere and turning pages late into the night.

Like some of her other books, there's a lot of sadness here, too - it's not too heavy, but is worth mentioning! I love the creepy vibes she's been going for lately with her recently released stuff, and am excited to read more!

Jennifer McMahon writes the best gothic psychological thrillers. This is another winner and the library has already purchased for the collection. I will be recommending it to patrons!