A rivals to lovers romance set in a crumbling, isolated mansion? This book is a perfect atmospheric read for the beginning of Fall, don’t you think?

"A Study in Drowning" earned a well-deserved nomination for Best Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction in 2023, and it’s easy to see why. The novel offers a richly layered narrative that delves into the treatment of young women and the unjust burdens placed upon them by men. The characters are crafted with remarkable depth, and their journeys of discovering love and overcoming formidable obstacles are both inspiring and poignant. This book is an excellent choice for fans of psychological thrillers, mysteries, and enemies-to-lovers stories.

I get the love for this book. It has pretty prose and a fun concept, but I do feel like it was lacking a bit.

The execution was off. It had a lot of limp storylines that are never fully resolved or glossed over.

I liked the vibes and it was perfect for a gloomy day, but it didn’t hit my expectations!

A Study in Drowning is a beautifully written, atmospheric dark academia novel with tons of gothic vibes woven in. The mystery is compelling and the story is full of dark secrets.

Effy Sayre is the only woman in the architecture program, and is further isolated when rumours about her and the professor begin circulating. Her favourite novel is a tale about a woman fighting the Fairy King, who Effy has been hallucinating since childhood, this book is the only thing that makes her feel sane. When she gets the opportunity to redesign her favourite author's manor, she jumps on the chance. When she arrives, there is a rival student working on a project of his own.

I think I went into this with such high expectations because of how hyped this book was... I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately it fell flat for me. I found it to be so slow, that it was dragging for me, but I did finish it in one sitting so its not like it was bad. I was intrigued with finding out what happened in the story, which is why I kept reading, but it felt anticlimactic in the end to me. I can't say I cared about any of the characters, and I wasn't a fan of the majority of them.

Overall, just very lack luster for me, but I know a lot of people really enjoyed this, so definitely check it out if it sounds like something you would like!

The atmosphere of this book was true to the spirit that is the Dark Academia genre. I love the academic rivals in Effy and Preston. They’re both such interesting and unique characters. The world building was truly fleshed out and given several dimensions which just added to the layers of this story. While not my favorite DA book I’ve read, it is certainly up there as one of the strongest in the genre

I loved the dark academia meets fantasy vibes.
The atmosphere really had me gripped. I loved the imagery of a drowning, rotting manor. It felt like an old school epic- think Tam Lin- given new breath

I was looking for something a little darker, a little more chilling. The story itself was a little confusing until the end and even then I didn’t particularly like the characters enough to care. Took me a long time to get through because the story was so very slow.

I was so excited when I got this book and started immediately! There were so many twists and turns, and I was drawn to the characters!

Thank you to Netgalley and then publish ler for providing me with an advance copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

The cover art to a Study in Drowning is absolutely gorgeous. It drew me in immediately, as did the description. However,nI found that the characterization of the main character, as well as the world building within the story, greatly detracted from my enjoyment of the story. It didn't quite hold together. Add in a romance that felt oddly heatless and I really didn't enjoy this title as much as I had hoped.

I did really respect the author's decision the center the main character'a trauma from facing constant misogyny as a young female academic who was also mentally ill. The book isn't bad by any means, but it didn't deliver what I had hoped for while reading.

Three stars.

An atmospheric combination of dark academia and gothic fantasy that emphasizing the topic of misogynistic. Took me a while to get my interest in the story but the last few chapters were quite satisfying to read. I wonder what the sequel will be about because i think the end concluded nicely…

Beautiful, atmospheric prose with a compelling mystery revealing dark secrets. If you like gothic horrors or dark academias, then definitely pick up this book.

I liked this story a lot though there were some parts of the fantasy aspect that I thought were weak and needed to be built on a little more (the sleepers). It was a little predictable but the writing was great and extremely engaging, especially in more suspenseful parts of the story.
I thought the romance element was really well done. I think the characters were all fantastically fleshed out!

Effy is a new student in the Architecture College at her university. She is ostracized in her college, being the only girl. Her only outlet is a fantasy novel written by a recently deceased author. To escape her college, classmates, and the desire to be in the literature college (which does not admit women), she applies for a contest to create a blueprint to fix the home of the deceased author. Once she gets there, she works with another student to uncover the true authorship of her favorite novel.

The story was hard to get into in the beginning. The book became interesting only after many of my suspicions were confirmed. I do like that what I suspected turned out to actually be what was going on, but it was also predictable. I was unsure why Effy and Preston did not consider certain theories. I realize that the book is set in a time where women were thought to be intellectually inferior, but that still did not excuse them disregarding the widow for most of the book. In the end, they were guilty of the thing they accused many of the men of doing in the book, which was focusing on the male characters and forgetting the only other woman besides Effy in the house. I do like how the story ended, and happy that Effy got justice and her rightful place at her university. Her and Preston worked well together throughout the book.

3.5/5

I found myself struggling with this book. I can’t necessarily explain why because I think it’s very beautifully written and the plot was great but I just didn’t find myself invested in the characters and I had to push myself to read it. This book is very metaphorical and maybe that’s what I didn’t vibe with because I just didn’t understand the deeper meaning of the book. I think if you like dark academia though you’ll love this!

This was a book I was very much looking forward to reading based on all the hype. I would say it lived up to the hype with atmospheric writing and gorgeous prose. This author does atmospheric fantasy and romance so well!

“You have no idea—I’ve read your book a hundred times, maybe more. It was a friend when I didn’t have any. It was the only thing that said I was sane when the whole world was telling me I was mad. It saved me in more ways than I can count. Because I knew no matter how afraid I felt, I wasn’t truly alone.”

There is something very raw and real about the way Ava Reid portrays womanhood, as well as mental illness. From the themes of patriarchy within the world of academia, to the experience of mental illness both on a personal level as well as a societal level, and the topic of authorship and the legitimacy of women in literature, it is abundantly clear that the words come from a very real place despite this being a work of fiction.

I also appreciated how she represented what it means to be an ally to women through Preston's character. He not only validated Effy's talent, intelligence and capability, but also used his privilege as a man in the world of academia to uplift her and offer an opportunity for HER to prove herself, instead of speaking over her or rushing in with a savior complex.

I especially loved the exploration of the connection between author and reader, and the analogy of the act of writing being like shining a beacon from a lighthouse, searching for kinship, connection and understanding. I was able to deeply relate to many things within Effy's character so I found that the way that she feels towards Angharad and its author is much like the way I feel towards this book and Ava. I am eternally grateful that I got the privilege to encounter a book such as this one in my lifetime.

“It began as all things did: a girl on the shore, terrified and desirous.”

Well. I guess I have a new favorite book. Again. I can’t stop thinking about this story. I want everyone I know to read it just so they can discuss it with me. I admit, the beginning was a little slow for me and it took me a few chapters to get invested. Then I did and I am obsessed.

“I was a woman when it was convenient to blame me, and a girl when they wanted to use me.”

Effy is an amazing and soft character. I loved her so much. She is very obviously traumatized by the misogynistic world she lives in, but she only gets stronger as the story develops. The only female student at the architectural college, her design to renovate her recently deceased favorite author’s home, is chosen in a contest. Once she arrives at Hiraeth Manor, the atmosphere becomes increasingly dark and spooky. She meets Preston, a literature student and rival, who is also staying at Hiraeth. The mystery of the manor and the author’s most famous work is intriguing. We also have a few glimpses of some otherworldly happenings. I really couldn’t stop reading once I started.

“How terrible, to navigate the world without a story to comfort you.”

This is my first book by Ava Reid and I cannot wait to dive into more of this author’s works. The writing was beautiful and I am extremely excited to see this book has a sequel in the works. Definitely a 5 star read for me, and possibly in my top 3 books for the year. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

5⭐️ I LOVED THIS BOOK
A Study in Drowning is a swirling tempest of hope, love, and finding a way forward against all odds. Enveloped in folklore and set in a Welsh-inspired fantasy world this book is a balm for every person who has been an outsider in their lives and for those still fighting to have their voice be heard.

i always trust my instincts when it comes to new fall releases because i know deep down i'm a sucker for gothic fiction. when a study in drowning was announced, i knew i needed to read it and boy did i have a good time with this story 🖤🔎🏛️

a study in drowning is actually a new adult in my opinion because of the curses and intimate (almost explicit) scenes that was included. it's definitely not young adult. so bare that in mind, in case you pick this book up. it follows the story of effy sayre who's the first female student to get into the architecture university program. her main goal was to get into the litterature program but she got rejected since it's a male body program (the fkg audacity). so she settles for architecture while still daydreaming about her favorite author's book, myrddin. he wrote a phenomenal story about a mortal girl who gets kidnapped by the faery king and fall in love with him just to destroy him in the end. amidst her messy life and unhealthy family, myrddin's words are truly keeping effy's afloat.

when they announce a project to redesign the author's manor after his passing, effy take advantage of this opportunity to show everyone's that she's capable. effy think it's destiny when her application is accepted but when she arrives there, she realizes how of an impossible task it is to recover the crumbling manor standing near the cliff. she meets a literature student, preston héloury, who's also there for a personal project and both of them team up when they start recovering clues about myrddin's legacy and expose him as a fraud.

i know they marketed this book as dark academia but i don't quite agree with it since the majority of the book is set in a haunted decrepit manor near the cliff. i think it's more of a gothic romance with fantasy elements inspired by the welsh folklore. i though this book was fantastic and perfect for autumn. honestly, effy was such an amazing character. her strengh and struggles were relatable and i loved how brave she was despite the odds. this book is about mental health and toxic abuse done by men in power (teachers). it was filled with female rage and feminism. honestly, i felt so much for the women in this story (except effy's mom, she deserves jail). as a gothic fan, i loved the gothic vibes, the haunted manor, the eerie atmosphere, the weird shady host and all the ugly secrets that were slowly being revealed.

preston as a love interest ? 10/10. he was our typical grumpy smart guy but so soft for his girl. i loved how he was ready to have effy co-write his thesis with him and help her get what she wants. their banter and secret midnight meeting to uncover the clues were my favorite. i love them so much. this story was also filled with fantasy elements and the faery king was quite present throughout the book.

this book wrapped up so nicely and it pushed me to set my eyes on ava reid's other works.



rating: 4 haunted stars.




thank you again to HCC Frency & HarperCollins Canada for sending me an e-arc my way 🖤