Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book!

[3.5 stars rounded up]

Our Wives Under the Sea gave me A24 horror––it is mostly vibes and little plot. It's a slow unraveling. We follow Miri as she tries to figure out what is wrong with her wife, who has returned after a 6 month disappearance on her submarine expedition. We also follow Leah on said expedition. I liked both POVs and thought both Miri and Leah were great characters––I did enjoy Leah's POV *just* a bit more, because it was more where we got the horror. It felt so claustrophobic and, well, horrifying.

I did want just a bit more from this novel. Like an A24 film, there aren't really any answers. It's more so about how both of the characters respond to what is happening around them. I love a good quiet horror, but I love the main synopsis so much that I couldn't help but want to go further into that.

That said, I think this would be a fun beach read for folks who love horror that focuses on the ocean.

There just wasn't _enough_ of this book. And I don't necessarily mean length wise, because I think the novella form worked well, but there just wasn't enough content. Not enough horror, for sure. Not enough Leah chapters, because Miri's really weren't as interesting.
It had some beautiful lines in it but I think I was expecting something I could really sink my teeth into but instead it felt all surface.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review!

The reason I applied for the arc of this book is because I heard it was sapphic AND had a deep sea diving mystery. I definitely loved this book for those aspects of the book.

The book itself was written very beautiful. It told us exactly what the characters were thinking in a beautiful way and Miri's character felt so realistic to me. This book can be kind of confusing if you have trouble paying attention to details but I loved it nonetheless. My favorite parts were the later chapters that were set in the Submarine. Those felt like the creepiest and most intresting parts for me. Unfortunately that led me to not caring as much for Miri's chapters and wanting to go back to Lea's chapters. I also adored how the ending was described and felt it was very fitting for the rest of the book and for the characters.

I don't really have many gripes except for I wished we had more time in Lea's chapters. Like I said her's were more interesting to me and I kept wanting to read those instead of getting interrupted by Miri's chapters but the book was still great nonetheless.

If you want a sapphic book with beautiful writing and imagery definitely pick this book up.

I went into this book thinking it would be a simple story evaluating two women's marriage through a time of turmoil. What I wasn't expecting was for the absolute grief and horror this book would fill me with (in the best way possible). Julia Armfield is a master at her craft, seamlessly weaving in themes of womanhood and love with those of absolute loss. Not only is this book the only of its kind, it will remain that way.

Our Wives Under The Sea by Julia Armfield goes back and forth between the present urban setting where Leah lives with her wife, Miri, and flashbacks of the submarine in which Leah and her crew sink to the bottom of the ocean. It is interesting to learn about some of the creatures that survive at the bottom of the ocean. Leah and the crew may have come into contact with one of these rare creatures.

Leah is a marine biologist who is on a research expedition when the submarine sinks. She and the crew think that it is unusual that their workplace, the Centre, has stocked enough food and supplies for much longer than the trip was supposed to be. They wonder if they are the ones being examined.

When they resurface, Leah is not the same. Miri calls the Centre constantly to find out anything about what is happening. Leah spends most of her time in the bathtub or with all of the taps running. She has to drink salt water to feel a bit better. Miri says that when Leah does get out of the bathrub, she leaves a weird film in the tub. Could she be disintegrating?

Miri realizes that the Centre is no longer contacting her and seem to have disappeared. How will she find any answers to save her wife?

Towards the end of the book, Miri meets Juna, the sister of one of the crew members. She also knows that something weird happened on the expedition. They might not find out what but they confirm that they aren’t imaging things. They both need a friend that knows that the Centre is hiding the truth.

Miri and Juna move Leah to a house by the sea. It seems like the best place to take Leah because she is reaching the end of her life. It doesn’t seem fair that they might not know why. Only Leah’s flashbacks give a glimpse into what it might have been that caused her to disintegrate.

If you are a fan of things like the movies Leviathan or The Abyss, then you may enjoy Our Wives Under The Sea. If you are a sneaky research facility with something to hide or a gigantic yet lonely octopus, then you might not enjoy it as much.

I received this book from NetGalley. This is my honest opinion. Obviously.

Strange and haunting lyrical story of love and loss. The writing is so gorgeous I had to highlight passages I want to remember. Described as a sort of love-horror story, I would have thought this was not for me, but the writing and strangeness of the narrative won me over. Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Not only is this genuinely terrifying and weird, the prose is rock solid. I highlighted so many passages as I was reading, and there's something about grief that this hits extremely well. I'm not sure whether I would've wanted the mystery to stay a mystery, since it seems extremely beside the point what exactly she encountered down there anyway, but i'm very intrigued by the sff worldbuilding hinted at here. God I hate the ocean.

This book captivated me in exactly the same way that so many of Per Petterson’s novels have: there is a beautifully haunting chorus of internal dialogue in this book, and I absolutely adore any book that can take this sometimes mundane and scattered dialogue and turn it into something heartfelt and soul scorching.

This novel is so beautifully written. I ache for both Miri and Leah. It’s a novel very much about what we do for those we love - what we tolerate and accept, but also what we grieve and yearn for, what we miss and what we surrender.

Adore this novel. Very highly recommended!!!

“I want to explain her in a way that would make you love her, but the problem with this is that loving is something we all do alone and through different sets of eyes.”

So says Miri, whose wife has Leah just returned from a prolonged submarine mission and “come back wrong.” Leah bleeds from the pores of her skin, bathes all day, and drinks saltwater — and she doesn’t talk to Miri anymore except in odd non sequiturs.

In alternating chapters we watch as Miri grasps at straws and copes (or doesn’t) with the loss of the wife she knew while Leah describes her time at sea in snapshots of a disaster she hoped to recount to Miri. Only we find she is unable to do so, as once she’s safe on land she may not be safe at all.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a tragic, quiet reflection of grief. The prose is gorgeous and held by attention for what is, in the end, a pretty quick read. Although what happened to Leah may sound exciting, don’t expect it to be fast-paced in the sense of a traditional disaster novel - this story is about relationships ultimately, and how we cling to them and let them go. In some ways it reminded me of Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation, and I believe fans of that work will enjoy this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the ARC.

"The deep sea is a haunted house: a place in which things that ought not to exist move about in the darkness."

Holy crap you guys. This book is all the things... and it's immediately, deliciously creepy even though we don't fully understand why.

Miri and Leah are married, and Leah is sent off for what should have been another routine deep sea mission. Until it isn't. Leah and her crew suffer a loss of power and communication as the submarine begins its initial decent. They try not to panic, as they sit stranded somewhere at the bottom of the ocean- how deep did they drop, exactly? how will anyone know where to find them? and what is emanating that strange sound that's suddenly surrounding their vessel?

Meanwhile, Leah's return date has come and gone, and her company calls to inform Miri there's been a delay, and appears to be apologetic as their continued updates begin to become more vague and less frequent. After five months of this, Miri assumes Leah must be dead. But a month later, she receives a call that Leah has been released from quarantine and is ready to be picked up.

However, Leah is not the same. What happened to her down there in the deep darkness all that time? And can Miri adapt to the changes in the face of not knowing? Who is this woman who has returned to her?

Told in alternating timelines - Miri's in the here and now, and Leah's from her time in the submarine - we begin to understand just how deep their love for one another once was, and how the ocean and the secrets that it contains can seep inside.

Part psychologial thriller, part body horror, and hella atmospheric, I am certain Our Wives Under the Sea will remain towards the top of my favorites list this year!

A lyrical exploration of grief and learning to let go, tinged with just a bit of the weird. The main characters' relationship feels well fleshed out, their interactions filled with the tiny human moments that often go unremarked. Beautiful and heartbreaking in the best of ways.

Our Wives Under the Sea is a book difficult to classify. It is a love story, told by two women in alternating chapters. It is a small mystery and it could be called a horror story. In the end, it is the love story between these two women that will stay with readers. Julia Armfield writes beautifully and hauntingly. This is a book that I will recommend to certainly friends--the ones who will want to be challenged and not simply entertained. I will recommend Our Wives Under the Sea to friends who are willing to think about the ending and remember the past.

Thank you to author and publisher for giving me this ARC to read and review. My review is honest and true. Not every reader will want to read Our Wives Under the Sea. Not every reader will want to be challenged to let Miri and Leah's story into her/his life, but those who do, will spend a great deal of time staying with this love story and rereading it.

This is the most intimate horror story I've ever read: a love story, a horror story. I love the "what if they person who comes back isn't exactly the person who left' stories, and this is certainly that. It's dreamlike and immersive. Armfield's prose is, as ever, gorgeous. I window display loved it.

Beautiful and haunting. The premise of this reminded me a bit of Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer which is one of my favorite stories, so I make the comparison favorably—but the prose in this was so gorgeous. Armfield is so great at her craft.

Our Wives Under the Sea is probably my favorite book I’ve read this year. It’s so beautifully written, I was pulled in right from the start. This book had me laughing and crying. I love that the book was told from both Miri and Leah’s perspectives and we could see both sides of their relationship. I honestly hated all of the deep sea talk, but it was also really interesting! (I just hate the ocean) I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can share it with everyone!

A slow burn, filled with heart and dread. I loved every moment of every page and I only wish I could go back to the beginning and read it for the first time all over again.

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is by far one of the most well-written books I've read so far this year. The writing was so beautiful and haunting. I will definitely read anything that Julia Armfield writes just because of the writing.

Days after finishing this book, I couldn't stop thinking about these two women and what a unique and creative story this was.

I will be recommending this to literally everyone I run across.

This is a beautifully written and haunting book. The story of these two women's love for one another, and the connection to the sea, was truly creative and left me with many thoughts both during my reading and afterwards.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for the chance to read this book!

Our Wives Under the Sea is a slow paced and beautifully written novel about grief and loss. It starts very slow and kind of drowns in the melancholy tone. I felt depressed on behalf of these characters.

We follow two primarily, alternating between their points of view. Miri and Leah are married. Leah is a deep sea diver and has been at sea for about six months. Leah was only supposed to be at sea for about three weeks, so we follow Miri first through her depression about her wife being gone with a lack of communication from Leah's employers about the delay, and then later after Leah returns about the (PTSD?) she has suffered being trapped in a submersible for six months.

Despite the beautiful writing I think I only really pushed through this because it was short in the beginning. It was painfully slow and if I'm being honest not really that interesting. I did enjoy finding the beautiful turns of phrase sprinkled about here and there but I just hadn't been given enough of a reason to care about these characters before being plunged head first into their grief. There are a couple reflections on happy moments here and there but there weren't enough.

About the sixty percent mark is when we get a hint that there is "more" going on then just the depression and trauma. I think in the end what's happening is ultimately just some larger metaphor for releasing grief or healing from trauma but I like the weird and the bizarre and the horror so I enjoyed it.

I will definitely read more from Armfield in the future and keep my fingers crossed for something a little less depressing in tone.

Thank you to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautiful and haunting story- 4.5 stars for me!!! For fans of anything related to the deep sea, you will love this. If you enjoyed nonfiction such as Deep by James Nestor, or The Wave by Susan Casey, you will love all the scientific facts peppered in, along with the author's depiction of the mysterious unknowability of the ocean. Fans of novels like Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant or The Swarm by Frank Schatzing will also love this, as it has a similar setting- a dark sci-fi adventure/discovery in the deep.

What made this truly special for me compared to other books I have read about the ocean was the way the author wrote Miri and Leah's relationship, from flashbacks to their first dates, to their marriage and domestic life, to the way their love changes and endures after Leah's return- it was so beautiful and felt very real. Miri's relationship with her mother and Leah's with her father were also quite raw and emotional to read.

I only wish that I had a deeper connection with Miri, as her point of view was the primary one but I felt more in touch with Leah's character. I am always falling in love with books that make me cry like a baby, and think if I had felt a bit more connected to Miri then the ending would have definitely left me in tears! For those readers that relate more to Miri, then that might very well be the case. I also wish we had just a couple more chapters on Leah's experience in the ocean because the ending was a bit unclear, but fun to speculate about myself, especially thinking of some other sci-fi stories I have read about the ocean.

Overall a really lovely story of two women's love for each other alongside the mysteries of the sea.