I could not put this book down! I loved this b00k because this story was unlike any I have read. The mystery vs supernatural element had me guessing the whole time, and just when I thought I had figured out the outcome, the twist at the end was the cherry on top. If you love mysteries, do yourself a favor and pick this book up.

Ok. I was not ready for this book to be as creepy as it was!

This book is told from two timelines, in the early 1900's and in 2019.

I will keep it brief since I do not want to give spoilers; I am glad I hadn't read any reviews before listening, but this book was chock full of twists and turns! I have never read anything by this author before, I am ready to read more books from Ms. McMahon! 👀📖

This book was amazing! The spooky vibe I got from this was great!
The narrator was everything! I could follow along easily!
I loved the story this book told about the pond! And the different timelines and how they intertwined was great!

This book had me going back and forth between wanting a copy because a passage was so good to just being alright and ultimately the pacing and the build up are what made this a 3.5 but then the ending/resolution dropped it to a precarious 3. I would be interested in reading more books by the author just to see if this type ending was just their style or not.

I enjoyed the modern characters and I felt like there was enough there to drive a good story but we didn't see all the potential for each character.((it wasn't a character driven book but was almost written like one))

The characters in the past just felt wrong to me, I had just read a book set in the 20's and these characters did not feel as well thought out or written. I think there were two stories going on and they never really connected in a satisfying way.

This was a creepy, spooky supernatural read! I loved that it was a dual time-line, telling the story through the 1929 view of Ethel and the 2019 view of Jackie. The writing created a very atmospheric feel to the story, truly drawing the reader in. This story is full of twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I highly recommend it!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to receive and review this Audiobook.
I love a good, creepy, ghost story! This book, made me jump when my toast popped up from the toaster, while I was making breakfast!
The Drowning Kind starts with Jax discovering her sister Lexie, has drowned in a pool at their late Grandmother’s estate. The land, where the estate is located, has a spring which feeds water to the pool. The land and the water have a haunted past, which Jax discovers Lexie was researching, prior to her death
The story alternates with present day Jax and Lexie and a family living in the 1920s. This family has ties to the land and the water, where the estate is currently located. The water is rumored to grant wishes, but for every wish the water must take something in return. Would you be willing to have something taken from you, in return for your one, most wanted wish, to be granted?
The author tells this story with just the right amount of creepiness, without making it too scary, or gory. The pool is very creepy, and made me not want to look out my window at my own pool.
I discovered Jennifer McMahon last year, since then, I have been attempting to read every book she has written.
This was my first Audiobook. I didn’t think I would enjoy an Audiobook, as much as a real book, but I was wrong! It was great being able to listen at work and in my car, especially when you are stuck in traffic. The narrators of the story were easy to listen to and really made the story come to life. This book is a must read, you will not be disappointed!
#TheDrowningKind #NetGalley

This book was AMAZING! I've only read a couple books by this author in the past but I've never been disappointed. This one was just the same. It was a great mix of reality and supernatural and easy to get your mind twisted into the story. The epilogue was bomb. Definitely a must read for those that enjoy suspenseful thrillers with a hint of horror.

I enjoyed this book! I listened to this as an advance copy from NetGalley. I really kept guessing on how this twisty, horror book was going to end. I am a big fan of the author and the Vermont setting (which most of books are set in). Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This audiobook itself is done really well. The book bounces between two timelines and perspectives but it was easy to follow with (I believe) the two different women narrating or the one who just changed her tone. I enjoyed it and it was easy to listen to.

The story itself was pretty good. We follow a young woman in our current times as she is dealing with the death of her sister and her trying to figure out what really happened. The second timeline is another young woman in the 1910's-1920's and her husband going to a hotel that has a magical spring pool that heals/grants wishes. It was fun to see how the two stories intertwine and how the possibly evil springs affects them.

I found the book to be entertaining and a pretty good mystery. There really weren't any twists or moments that were shocking but I did find the ending to be satisfying. The story was unique to me and the characters were fairly likable. I mostly connected to the woman from the early 1900's and sympathized so much for her and her struggles.

3.5/5

The Drowning Kind, by Jennifer McMahon, was one spooky, creepy, and suspenseful book! I listened to this on audiobook and the narration was excellent. I had no idea going into this that it was going to be a paranormal listen, but I was completely drawn into the story of The Brandenburg Springs resort/Sparrow Crest pool and it’s “healing powers”. The pool is known to heal and grant wishes, but there is always a price to pay.
The story is told from the perspective of Ethel in 1929 and Jax in 2019. I found both of these characters so interesting, but found myself super frustrated with Jax at times.
And the end. I was like what?????? I went back immediately and re-listened to the last chapter.
I would definitely recommend this one if you like a haunting story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook for an honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for an audio copy of The Drowning Kind. The narrator did a really good job with this book although in my opinion, it needed to be done with 2 different narrators for the 2 different timelines. The story was entertaining but I felt that the ending didn't vibe with the storyline.

The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon is about the women in three generations of the family. It is a mix of ghost story, mystery, and women's fiction. The story is told in a past and present fashion. The typical writing style of the author. The reader will appreciate this version of story-telling because it is how the story and events will make sense. Though not needed, the audiobook is performed by two narrators. Joy Osmanski narrated the part of Jax and Lexie's story in 2019, while Imani Jade Powers narrated the part of Ethel Monroe in 1929. Oh, how I love Imani Jade Powers' lyrical and soothing voice. She sounds so elegant and fitting for that era.

What I didn't like is there are some parts where the book kind of dragged for a bit. It was somewhere in the middle that I kind of lost interest. All in all, this is a worthwhile read. I would just say it is not one of my favorite mystery and thriller stories. I enjoy those with a lot of human nature in action. This one is more on the side of horror than mystery.

I'd still recommend if you enjoy stories about the past that is set in Brandenburg, Vermont. You'll learn about the history and culture of that place, as well as if you enjoy women's fiction, ghosts, sisters, and family generation.

Many thanks to NetGalley, publisher Simon & Schuster Audio for granting my wish, and author John Hart for providing an advance audiobook copy of the book. All reviews are voluntary, honest, and my own.

The Drowning Kind is a slow burn, quiet horror/thriller dealing with grief, mental health, addiction, and complicated family relationships. It's pretty creepy, but it takes its time and is quite character driven. It follows two main characters in two different time periods.

In the modern day, Jax is a social worker helping troubled kids, but her relationship with her sister is distant due in part to her sisters bipolar disorder. After she ignores phone calls from her sister, she turns up dead. Drowned in the swimming pool at the estate she inherited from their grandmother. A pool fed by springs that might have healing powers, but might also be haunted.

In 1929, a 37-year old woman is trying to have a baby but unable to conceive. So her husband takes her to a resort with healing springs where she makes a wish. But there is a price to pay for anything given.

These stories eventually intersect and get increasingly creepy and disturbing. It explores the challenges of having family members with mental health issues and addiction, grief, and infertility. I thought it was very good if quite intense, although there are a couple of plot threads that I didn't think had a satisfying arc. (particularly the use of a side character who is patient of Jax). I also thought the audiobook was fantastic. The narrators use voices that really emphasize the difference in time periods. I received an audio review copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Content warnings include: graphic depictions of self harm, grief, anxiety, paranoia, family with addiction and bipolar disorder, depictions of a very sick infant, pregnancy and childbirth, drowning, death, suicidal ideation.

A story where a house is the mai character. The past and the present collide in this book where 2 sisters have to face the reality of rheir family home.
That was an interesting audiobook with excellent narrators. I enjoyed listening to it. It even scared me at some parts.

Jennifer McMahon does it again! Breathtaking mystery with twists and turns, intriguing family dynamics and ending that I didn’t see coming.

This story is told from two perspectives: Jax in present day and Ethel in 1929.

Jax has a sister named Lexie. Lexie has a habit of going off her meds and becoming manic, erratic and losing touch with reality. One day, Lexie calls Jax repeatedly, leaving rambling messages, Jax ignores her calls.
The next day Lexie is found dead. She drowned in the pool at her grandmother’s estate.
When Jax arrives at her grandmother’s house, she comes across the research Lexie had been doing. Jax begins unearthing the family’s dark past...

1929: Ethel wants a baby more than anything in the world, but she has been unable to become pregnant.
Her husband decides to surprise her with a trip to a gorgeous newly built hotel. The hotel brochure boasts of its beautiful natural spring.

After they arrive, they hear rumors that the water of the spring grants wishes. Ethel makes a wish....
________________________________

This is a beautifully written supernatural thriller. It’s haunting and creepy and delves into mental illness and grief with a resonating rawness.

The Drowning Kind, by Jennifer McMahon, is a spooky, twisty ghost story of sorts. Told from dual perspective and in different timelines, the story unfolds how the various characters are all connected to an old family home with a dank, dark spring fed pool. 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. But when her sister drowns and she’s left to settle the affairs, she begins to fully understand the supernatural occurrences related to the pool. I enjoy a mystery when I can’t solve the ending and enjoyed the family drama that accompanied the ghost story. The author is able to relate you to the pool, the house, the eeriness and the family that continues to live at the haunted manor.

The Drowning Kind was a solid 3.5 stars for me. Like any Jennifer McMahon book, there was a good storyline about ghosts. The story is told on 2 differing timelines - one in the past, the other in present day. It lagged a bit in the middle for me, honestly as not really much of anything interesting was happening. However, it definitely picked up in the end!

I rounded the stars down on this one because of the narration. Narration is the KEY to any audiobook. The narration in this one was painful. Too slow, too "perfect" in the annunciation of words. Just read the story! Make it natural, not this fake sing-songy nonsense! I had to speed the audio up to be able to moderately tolerate it. I wish that I had read this one rather than have listened to it. I would have definitely rated it higher!

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

.5 rounded up. Are you into ghosts? Spooky ghooooooosts?! This book is for you! The author did a great job of creating a very creepy atmosphere and layered backstory. The plot was very interesting and I did not want to stop listening, even when I had other stuff I really needed to do. The story definitely had its creepy, cold long fingernails imbedded into me, and I had to finish before it’d let me go.

There’s some room for improvement, definitely: the entire character of Lexie was incredibly annoying, the story was repetitive and in great need of a major edit to trim the fat, and in the audio edition I listened to, I could not STAND either of the narrators. The narrator for Jax sounded like she had a head cold, and Ethel had a weird, overly smooth guided meditation voice. It’s hard to explain, but I really disliked them both. And lastly, Ethel’s character - who told us the origin to the spooky springs story) was constantly stabbing and cutting herself with pins. I feel like I’ve been seeing the self-mutilation cutting trope a lot in these sorts of books, and I am just not that interested. Also the author takes lots of time to talk about the protagonist’s job as a therapist, including her work with one very troubled little boy. Those plot lines recur throughout the book and are never resolved. If they’re important enough to bring up, resolve them. I suspect that all could’ve been cut.

So, if you love a good ghost story, I would get it and put it on your “October TBR” list and prepare to be spooked.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Simon&SchusterAudio for the ARC of #TheDrowningKind! ❤️

Maybe it's just my slight aquaphobia (mental note, never EVER Google image search 'fear of drowning' again), but The Drowning Kind gave me a major case of the howling fantods. Serious willies over here. The dual narrative tells of both present and past tragedies, all centering around a spring-fed cut-out-of-the-granite pool. Now just why anyone would want to go to that much effort just for a creepy cold-water pool is beyond me. Again, see my above-referenced aquaphobia...

I kept finding myself wondering if I was reading a ghost novel or a horror novel, and the truth is, it's neither and both. Definitely there was some creepy ghost stuff going on. But there were also moments of psychological horror and terror. The truth is that there were a few holes in the plot, and some not-so-fantastic writing (especially in the past narrative thread), but I didn't even care because it kept making my hair stand on end.

I look forward to checking out more works from the author. If you enjoy a good scary story, definitely give this one a go.