This book was a fun ride of mystery. I appreciate the chance to read an advanced copy. Looking forward to more books by this author

Unfortunately, I just could not get into this story, so for me it was a DNF. Thank you for the opportunity to read!

DNF @ 20%

I had high hopes for this book as it is set in Washington (a state I grew up in). The descriptions of the landscapes were amazing and made you feel like you were there. As much as I loved the setting, I did not like the characters and being a character reader, I need to connect with at least one to keep going.

Couldn't really get into this one. I tried and then set it aside to try again later, but ultimately I just think it's not for me. Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book! At this time I will not be reading or reviewing. I will update if I do read in the future!

He had heard once that every man dies twice, the second death coming when no one left on earth remembered his name

I haven't been this engrossed in a mystery in quite some time. After the extremely disappointing SHAW CONNOLLY LIVES TO TELL, I needed an actual interesting mystery to get me going. I knew you could do it, Atria. As a publisher, they rarely let me down, no matter the genre. Trust.

I admit, I was questioning the indigenous rep, but Sarah left a detailed note. I'm not indigenous, so I don't know if they were written with care, and will refrain from judgment.

I'm interested in both of the timelines, which is rare. In the before, Elijah leaves Nakita behind to try to make it as a writer in San Francisco. He doesn't. When he comes back in the later timeline with his tail wagging between his legs, she has since been married and widowed. He chases her anyway.

Perhaps the problem was that his taste in women seemed to land squarely on those who were recovering from tragic marriages and weren't ready to fully move on.

When that doesn't work out, he chases the beautiful blonde doctor in town, Erin. Spoiler alert: This doesn't work out, either.

When Erin later dies in a murder made to look like a suicide in a scene from Elijah's own book, things go awry. Whodunnit? Do we trust Elijah, who reads like an incel? Do we trust Nakita, who says she would do anything for someone she loves? Do we trust Erin, who has layers beneath that city girl veneer?

Book pairings: THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK | WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books

I couldn’t get past what I felt was low quality writing, or the fact that someone staged a suicide but did such a poor job of making it look like a suicide. I tried once before this came out, and I have it a second chance today, but it is clear that Middletide and I are not compatible.

I am immensely grateful to Atria Books and NetGalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a debut novel and it wasn’t terrible. If netgalley allowed me it would be a 3.5 rather than just a 3. There is no doubt this author can write perhaps my rating is based on the story itself. I really don’t know how to explain that. But I believe many other people would enjoy this.

This was our April 2025 book club read, and the discussion it generated was lively.

A sound mystery set in Pacific NW woods, with a writer at the end of his rope - no, that's the lady doc at the end of the rope. The writer (Elijah) has just lost his dad and his writing mojo. Still, with friends, a chance at a long lost love, and a cabin to rebuild he definitely has a chance at recovery.

That is, until the law thinks he's the one who offed the doc. Not the best place to be for him, but when the flashbacks begin the read moves right along. That's all you get from this reviewer who recommends you take this along on your next excursion into the woods.

*A sincere thank you to Sarah Crouch, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

I got this as a book of the month read also. I usually love a court room dram but the chaos of the trial in this one had me thinking no sway this is real. I was hooping for more.

“𝘐𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦.”

Thank you Atria Books for an advanced readers copy last year via Netgalley. I’m still playing catch up on galley approvals.

While atmospheric I felt it was a slow burn, and I don’t mean that negatively, just don’t expect it to be super suspenseful and intense. It’s likened to other small town setting mysteries like Where the Crawdads Sing. Personally I liked it better than Crawdads but it still isn’t a favorite. We have characters who have secrets, are unreliable, some are shady, some are unlikeable, and I had a theory of what happened that while it ended up not being correct the actual conclusion/climax itself fell a little flat. The writing was good and though the story itself didn’t hit for me I would be willing to read more from Crouch should she publish more in the future. Content includes non-detailed descriptions of murder scenes and tragic loss of loved ones.

Middletide completely drew me in with its moody, small-town atmosphere and slow-burning mystery. Sarah Crouch’s writing is so rich and immersive—I could practically feel the mist rolling in off the water. The characters are layered and complex, and the tension builds beautifully. If you like literary thrillers with emotional depth, this one’s definitely worth picking up.

Strong setting and interesting mystery. I liked the blending of multiple timelines to tell the story. This book has a little something for everyone and is a quick read.

I was really excited to read this book but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. There were parts of this book that were interesting but there were parts that just took forever to get through. There was a lot of repetitive descriptions that we could have done without. I also felt like the murder and the investigation just missed it. I did think that some of the writing was beautifully done and it felt atmospheric. Overall, this wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't the one for me. Thank you to Atria books for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book captivated me from the start. It was mysterious, atmospheric, and a satisfyingly slow burn debut novel. I will definitely read more of this author’s books in the future.

I liked the drama and mystery mix a lot, but I felt like it was a little too obvious at times. I wish the author would have trusted the reader more to figure out things for themselves.

This was such an atmospheric read. The setting pulled me in and the mystery kept me guessing. Loved the small-town vibes. I would say it had some slow parts but overall such a solid read.

Middletide is a deeply satisfying slow-burn debut, rich in atmosphere, tinged with loss, grief, and an intriguing mystery. I’ll admit, slow burns don’t usually hook me, and there were moments early when I found myself wishing I could nudge the pace forward. But trust me—the latter half more than makes up for the measured start, delivering a story that lingers long after you’ve turned the last page.

In short, this book has it all: murder mystery, romance, courtroom drama, small-town vibes, complex family dynamics, and no explicit language or steamy scenes. It’s the perfect pick for gifting!

This book kind of seemed like a romance/mystery. Definitely a slow burn. It didn’t really keep my attention.

I loved everything about this book. It held my interest from the beginning and all the way through. The characters were fully fleshed out, the story was unique, and it was completely engaging. The ending was slightly rushed and unrealistic, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I'm excited to see what she comes out with next.