"The water gives and it takes."

A dark pool that is fed by the nearby spring water has healing powers. But be careful what you wish for. This eerie story of ghosts, spirits and curses reeled me in! It's unsettling and creepy. If you're afraid of water, go into this one WARNED. I love the alternating timelines of 1929 and 2019. Told by the dual POV of Ethel and Jax, the narration was seamless and perfectly done. And the last line in the epilogue...

This is my 5th book by Jennifer McMahon and she just proves again that she is the queen of haunting stories!

From best selling author Jennifer McMahon, The Drowning Kind is a twisted, supernatural thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Well written and well narrated, engaging storytelling that had me hooked from start to finish.

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon is a ghostly and supernatural story that kept me hooked. If you could make a wish, what would it be for? And would you still make that wish knowing something bad would happen in return. That is the mystery that Jax is trying to uncover when she returns home for her sister’s funeral. It was captivating to see what others wished for but dreaded hearing what the consequences of that wish were.

Really enjoyed this thriller very much. Engaging and well developed characters. The audio voices nailed it! They really added to the suspense and drama. of the timeline The POV was easy to follow as the story shifted between a century ago and current day.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Very good audiobook. You could definitely feel the creepy vibes. I was entertained throughout. Like the two timelines and the characters were very interesting. You will definitely enjoy listening. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing read! What a wild and crazy ride! A nail biting page turner. Two stories built around one place, a beautiful pool from a natural source known to give you what you most desire. But “All miracles come with a price.” A haunting tale of two generations that are connected forever and always. The end was an unexpected twist!

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.

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.

This is my favorite Jennifer McMahon book so far! It's so super creepy, and I loved how it came together in the end.

Synopsis: Jax returns to her grandmother's home after hearing that her sister Lexie drowned in the pool (Lexie had inherited the house after their grandmother's death.) Between Jax's story and an alternate timeline in the 1920s--Ethel visits the springs in the same area with a wish to conceive--it becomes clear that the water that feeds both the spring and pool is not normal water.

This was so delightfully creepy. As a horror lover, I just loved this all the way through. Jax's story is the main one, told in the present, but Ethel is such a haunted (figuratively) character, and I enjoyed her storyline just as much.

I wouldn't call it a thriller, it's the kind of subtly creepy that sticks with you though. I would also LOVE to see this adapted to film - there were so many eerie moments that would be great with a soundtrack set to it.

The epilogue made it for me, I thought that was perfect

Thanks to #netgalley and @simon.audio for an early copy of this!

Jax is living a pretty calm, stable life of a social worker when her sister Lexie tries to re enter her life. Lexie tried to call Jax nine times one night but Jax never answered, thinking her sister is just having another manic episode. However, the next day Jax gets the dreaded call ... her sister is dead. She drowned in the pool of the home their grandmother had left her. This sends Jax back to her grandmothers creepy estate to sort out the details Lexie has left behind.

The pool that took Lexie’s life is introduced in the story of Ethel Monroe. In the late 1920s Ethel is desperate to start a family. On a trip to Vermont Ethel and her husband learn about the natural springs on the outside of town. The springs are heavily guarded by the locals of being cursed. For the springs give miracles but not without a cost.

From the very beginning of the book the setting feels eery. There is a darkness cast upon the story that really sets up the unfolding events very well. It is definitely for readers that enjoy the dark and gloomy thrillers. Although, this is not a book I would normally enjoy I was very engrossed throughout the story due to it being written so well. The author really made the dual stories come together very cohesively. Overall a great couch read while snuggled under a blanket during a thunderstorm.

Trigger Warnings:

*Anxiety
*Child Death
*Death
*Depression
*Animal Abuse
*Hallucinations

Special thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

If I was a smoker, I would have lit one up and pulled my sweater a bit more tightly around me to process the ending of "The Drowning Kind", because it left me chilled and slightly unsettled. Adjectives that come to mind are surprising, creepy, atmospheric, mind blowing.

It seems like every book I read lately is split into two time frames and two points of view. This book is no different, but when it is used as effectively as it was in "The Drowning KInd", it is a real asset. In 2019 we have Jax, who is called back to her grandmother's home of Sparrow Chest. She missed a call from her sister Lexie, who has some mental issues. Then comes bad news and Jax has to rush back to Sparrow Chest and the inky black pool attached, which is the source of much speculation and gossip. The other story line takes place in 1929 and our main character is Ethyl Monroe who is married to the town doctor. The only disappointment in her life is her inability to conceive. Her husband will takes her to a beautiful hotel with a spring fed pool as a distraction. This decision will change the course of their lives.

The pool itself is a third character in the book. It is creepy, and brooding; refreshingly cold and healing on the one hand, but revengeful and menacing on the other. As an aside, my town had a spring fed swimming pool I used to go to as a child. It was wonderfully refreshing in the hot sun, but like the pool in this book, visibility only radiated about a foot because the water was so dark. I remember the lifeguard's whistle to clear the pool when a mother couldn't locate her child, and of course they couldn't be seen beneath the water. On one sad occasion an actual drowning did occur, so I could well understand the mystery of this pool.

This was not a traditional ghost story but it certainly had aspects of that genre. Be prepared to suspend logical belief as you read about this haunted spot! The story convinced me that I would never want to swim in this pool! A refreshingly original read, even if it did leave me totally creeped out for days! I listened to the audio of this book, and both narrators hit just the right tone.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon Schuster audio, and author Jennifer McMahon. I give it 4.5 starts and I'm rounding up.

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.

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 McMahon to show the darkness and hope long associated with the water. Using two narrators, Joy Osmanski, known for contemporary fiction, and Imani Jade Powers, a frequent narrator of Shakespeare, allows the listener to distinguish which timeline the chapter follows easily. Their voices are distinctive but work well together.

This audiobook and/or its 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.

This novel hooked me immediately. The narrator was captivating and the story was wonderful. I will be recommending this one to everyone.

The Drowning Kind drew me in right away. I loved The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon and was so excited to read her newest book. The theme of this book is to be careful what you wish for, you never know how your wish may come true. I love the dual timelines and POVs and the creepy twist this book took. The characters all were complex and richly written and the er of creepiness saturated each page. McMahon beautifully weaves the characters and storylines. I won't say too much, but I enjoyed this book even more than The Winter People.

A psychological and creepy (but not too scary) thriller full of secrets that you will NEED to solve! Grab this when it is published next week on April 6th!!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Audio, ScoutPress, and Netgalley for giving me my VERY FIRST advanced listener’s copy in exchange for my honest review. I will always remember this one! 🥰

Ok, you got me Ms. McMahon! Well done. Just when I was looking to my left, you hit me with a knockout punch from the right! This was a very fun read! Maybe that is a weird thing to say about a supernatural thriller that is bordering on horror? Truthfully, I can be a little bit wimpy, but this one didn’t keep me up at night and had absolutely no gore. The ‘be careful what you wish for’ and ‘for every gift it gives, it takes something in return’ themes are not necessarily original — Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, although very different, comes to mind — but they serve as a backdrop for a much deeper story about sibling rivalry, family relationships, and mental health issues over generations. I really appreciated the dual timelines (one is in the present day, the other is historical) and was fully invested in both. This novel gives off vibes similar to Shirley Jackson’s famous ghost stories. I enjoyed the narration of the audio book by Imani Jade Powers and Joy Osmanski, although I did have to speed it up to 1.25.

Sensitive content: mental health issues (bipolar disorder, self-harm), infertility, drowning, childhood death, death of family members.

Review can also be found on Instagram — @sanfranliterarygal.

The story unfolds in the 1920s and currently, surrounding the pull of a spring with supposed healing powers. In the present, Jackie ignores calls from her sister only to find she drowned in the pool she inherited from her Grandmother. Jackie is forced to face her feelings of resentment towards her sister and their past. In the past storyline, you learn the history of the spring and what it has helped and taken from those who dared to summon its healing powers.

With dual storylines, there are so many ways they can be polarizing and while there isn’t a strong connection between the two, other than the spring, I don’t favor one of the two.

The story is haunting and atmospheric. I felt the pull of the pool and was drawn into whether the spring really did have healing powers. The supernatural is usually on the very edge of my beliefs, but the author does a good job of hovering over whether or not there are supernatural forces at work.

And while the blurb mentions thrills, this book really isn’t a thriller. It is more of a slow build of the story.

I listened to the audiobook and seem to be in the minority of liking the narrators. I thought they did a great job setting the mood and I had no trouble telling them apart. But I will add there were moments, especially the end, when being able to flip back through the book would have been a plus.

If you’re looking for an atmospheric, slow building, haunting story, then this is the book for you.

I was pulled right into this book from the beginning, I love how you can listen to audio books while still doing other things. I listened straight through and the twists and turns kept me on my toes.

I listened to the audiobook version, and thought the narrators did a very good job,

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 at least 9 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 does an excellent job of weaving 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!

This is the first book of McMahon's I have read, and I will definitely be reading others by her.

I received this book as and audiobook ARC from Simon & Schuster through Netgalley. A haunting tale of a spring from the past and present. I was drawn in to the mystery of the spring. You almost don't know who to believe or what is real. I really enjoyed this story and will definitely pick up more from Jennifer McMahon.

Thank you Simon & Schuster, Jennifer McMahon, and Netgalley for this audio in exchange for the honest review. I liked the dual timelines, made the story more interesting and liked the different perspectives. The narration, which is crucial to an audio, is well done. 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 rounded to five for Goodreads rating book from me. My first book of hers but definitely not the last.

Sisters, Jax and Lexie, the x-girls, were fairly close when they were growing up. They spent every summer at their Grandmother's property in Vermont and have a lot of great memories from that time. Lexie, the older of the two, was different than Jax, however, in a lot of ways. Lexie was more like their father, flighty, free-spirited and at times, manic.

The older the girls got, the more apparent the differences in their personalities became. It was clear that Lexie's mental health was not well. She struggled to remain rooted in reality. It became a real problem for her. Jax was always the more grounded of the two. She followed the rules, excelled in school and became a social worker. Over the past year, she's also been estranged from her sister.

When Jax receives nine calls from Lexie one night, none of which she answers, she assumes her sister is just having another one of her episodes. The increasingly frantic messages Lexie leaves don't even make sense. Jax isn't dealing with it. Not her problem.

The following day Jax receives news that Lexie is dead; drowned in the pool on their Grandmother's estate, Sparrow's Crest, which Lexie had inherited. Jax is shocked. Why didn't she pick up the phone when Lexie called? Heart-broken and full of regret, Jax makes the journey to Vermont to bury her sister and settled up her affairs.

Once there, reunited with family, including her Aunt and Father, Jax discovers that Lexie had been researching the history of their family and the property. It turns out Sparrow's Crest has a dark past and it could possibly be linked to Lexie's death. Jax dives into the research herself, mostly centering around the property's infamous pool and the natural spring it is fed from.

As with Jennifer McMahon's other stories, The Drowning Kind follows two timelines. The present, mentioned above, and then a historical perspective focusing on the history of the property. The more the Reader learns from the historical perspective, the more the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place for Jax. It is such a spectacular format. The pace is excellent!

I have found that sometimes when an author tries this dual timeline format, one of the perspectives will be more interesting than the other. Because of that, you rush through one perspective in order to return to the other. That is definitely not the case here. Both the present and past timelines are equally foreboding and intriguing. I was fully committed to both.

Another aspect of McMahon's work that I always enjoy is her sense of place. Sparrow's Crest is a character. It is so well developed, you can almost hear it talking to you. The idea that places remember, that pieces of history live on through the land and the structures upon them. I love that whole concept and it is tangible within this story.

In short, this is a phenomenally constructed multi-generational ghost story that will stick with me for a long time. The ending, chills. Exceptionally well done. I can certainly say I didn't see it coming!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Simon & Schuster Audio, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review. I highly recommend it and cannot wait to see what McMahon comes up with next!

**As far as the audiobook goes, I thought it was really well done. I listened to it at 1.75x speed and that was the most comfortable listening speed for me. The narrator was fantastic and I think she did a great job with all aspects of the story. It felt really natural hearing it in her voice. I think a lot of listeners will enjoy it!