An incredible book. So well composed to keep you reading, wondering, and hoping for a good ending. It does not disappoint. At the center is Elijah Leith, a defeated novelist back in his home town trying to just live and regain the trust of his long lost love Nakita. Swirling around Elijah is Erin Landry, suicide or murder victim. Elijah is the only suspect in this twisted tale.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This books beautiful cover and wonderful prose took me to misty and old woods of the Pacific Northwest. The writing evoked the feel of an insular community close to fictional reservation land. The pond, the woods, the fishing it all felt very natural and with this book being Sarah Crouch’s debut novel it is clear she has a gift as far as descriptive scene setting prose goes. The thriller itself, slow building and intricate, literary from the start tells the story of the town doctor - beloved and beautiful but now dead (not a spoiler, she is found dead on the first couple of pages) - and the town’s prodigal son Elijah returned from California without actually making it as a writer, living in his homesteading parents old cabin and working at the little garage. It is also a coming of age story and a story of love and loss. But at the end of the book the author tried to veer into legal thriller territory and as a working judge I truly hope that the author will research more if including legal proceedings in her next books (which I will read, I liked it but the legal stuff ….;-)).

Middletide follows Elijah Leith through the years leading up to and following a murder of a local Doctor found on his property. I loved the small town setting and nature elements to the story. I did end up guessing the ending, but I really enjoyed the story leading up to it.

I received an ARC from Atria Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a great debut! I was sucked into this book from the start. I enjoyed the beginning with Elijah and Nakita, their young love and some background into their lives. This story and the writing remind me a lot of Where the Crawdads Sing. The description of the area Elijah grew up in and returned to makes you feel like you are there. I did feel there were some pacing issues and I felt it slowed down in the middle. The relationship between Elijah and Erin seemed so forced, which we find out why, but when you are reading it, I felt it was played out odd.

I wouldn't really call this book a mystery or thriller. Yes, there was a death and courtroom proceedings but they felt more generalized. I enjoyed the writing but felt that most of the story was not believable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC of Middletide by Sarah Crouch for an honest review.

Underdeveloped characters, a predictable mystery, and inconsistent plotting make this short novel a less than satisfying reading experience.

I am a sucker for a small town mystery and this did not disappoint! The book was the definition of atmospheric and fully immersed me. Definitely more literary than thriller, but so well written.

This was a great debut mystery novel and it sucked me in from the very first page. I believe that Sarah Crouch is a fantastic new voice in the mystery genre and I definitely look forward to more novels by her.

This novel followed Elijah Leith from 1973 when leaves the small town he grew up in only to return and then be accused of a horrible murder years later in 1994.

This book sucked me in from the very first page and I couldn’t put it down. The setting really just gave me gloomy vibes and it added to the atmosphere of the novel. The story was so good. It was a mixture of mystery and lost love and getting true justice.

Middletide by Sarah Crouch is a very promising debut—atmospheric, gripping, and intense. In other words, the perfect ingredients for a satisfying read!
I devoured this book. And it did not disappoint.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I can’t believe this was a debut book! I am not normally a mystery reader, but I was hooked into this story from the very beginning. I loved the moody atmospheric setting of Washington. I really recommend this to anybody who likes mysteries or even people who normally don’t vibe with mysteries. Congratulations on an excellent debut.

Thank you #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of your Middletide. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience, and I am delighted to share my thoughts with you.

I have rated your book 4 stars, and it truly deserves this high praise. One of the standout elements for me was the exceptional character development. Each of the main characters was crafted with such depth and authenticity that I found myself deeply invested in their journeys. The nuances and complexities of their personalities added a rich layer to the narrative, making their interactions and growth all the more compelling.

As the story unfolded, I found myself on the edge of my seat, particularly as it approached the climax. The suspense was palpable, and I was literally holding my breath during the final moments leading up to the verdict. Your ability to build tension and keep readers guessing was masterful. The story was refreshingly unpredictable, with twists and turns that kept me engaged from start to finish.

Thank you once again for allowing me the privilege of reading your work. It was a memorable and enjoyable experience, and I look forward to seeing more from you in the future.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the eARC of this title.**

I really enjoyed the thriller and mystery elements of this book, and Crouch can certainly paint a picture. Middletide is beautifully written and super atmospheric, which is something I appreciate in a book.

This one was a bit too "literary" for me, and a bit on the nose as well. I am rounding up to 4 stars for the writing, but the story was closer to 3 stars for me.

I've seen a lot of people that have really enjoyed this one and I'm not writing this author off by any means. Middletide will just not be in my top 10 for the year, lol.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Middletide is the story of Elijah, a young man who left home to become a writer. His first novel was the subject of a scathing review and sales dipped until the publisher dropped the book. Because his alcoholic father scorned his choice of becoming a writer, Elijah never came home until after his father’s death and he struggles with guilt over not reconciling with him before he died.

Once home, Elijah has tries to rekindle his previous relationship with Nikita and it doesn’t go well. He then dates Erin, the local doctor for a brief time before realizing she is not a good fit for him. Elijah and Nikita manage to work out their issues and become a couple once again.

Meanwhile, Erin its found hanging from a tree on property owned by Elijah. Naturally he becomes a suspect. When the local sheriff is mailed a copy of Elijah’s book, he realizes that Erin’s death is the exact death of a character in Elijah’s book. Elijah is arrested and has to find the one mistake made in the death in order to get himself free.

I found the story predictable, but I enjoyed anyway. I would have liked to have seen more character development with Elijah and Nikita. Overall I felt this was a good debut mystery.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an advance copy. I am happy to give my honest review to other readers.

I tried to get through this, but in the end I had to stop reading. I didn't realize before starting this book that the author had made up a fake indigenous tribe (why??) or I probably wouldn't have picked it up to begin with, but I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt so I pushed through the first half of the story. The premise seemed interesting and I wanted to like this one but it never came together for me.

There's no reason for the made up tribe, honestly, and it's just a weird not to the story. The plot started out interesting but the characters just never held my interest. I wouldn't recommend this one.

Marketing this book as similar to Where The Crawdad Sing? First mistake.
Spending the first 70% of this book on homesteading details and a relationship so basic and shallow that I truly didn’t realize that was supposed to be THEE story? Second and third mistakes.
The motive? Not at all believable.
Loved the idea of a copycat crime from a book, but execution was not my cup of tea.

Middletide, by Sarah Crouch, is a debut novel that blew me away! It is a compelling mystery set in an isolated, rural area of Washington state. The main characters are complex and multidimensional that you are hoping will achieve what they most want. The book covers approximately twenty years, spanning the end of adolescence to the mid-thirties. My only criticism is that the time line jumps forward and back frequently and somewhat abruptly in spots. Focus on the dates at the beginning of each chapter. Although you might want to linger a bit over the beautiful descriptions of nature, it is otherwise a quick and very twisty read. Definitely recommend! Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

Thanks for the review copy. I wish I had chosen this for my Book of the Month box. I loved the twists throughout the book.

Elijah Leith is attempting to make a fresh start back where his life began.

This story covers the years 1994 back to 1973 & everywhere in between. Elijah left Point Orchards, Washington for the big city to write the great American novel. He was supposed to come back for his summer love, Nikita, but he fails to hold up his end of their agreement & by the time he slinks home (a failed author) to his deceased father’s cabin, she’s moved on. But their story doesn’t end there, & just when things are looking up: Elijah is framed for murdering a woman in the exact same way as the story in his only published work…

This debut author does a flawless job of keeping the timelines from being too confusing & giving the reader timely information. The tangled web of small-town living was intriguingly unraveled as we witnessed overwhelming emotion in many characters, & what it pushed them to do. I enjoyed the homesteading aspect of the book, the love of the great outdoors, & it was fun that the main character shared some traits with the author of the story (being a runner & a writer).

Thank you to NetGalley & Atria Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was extremely slowwww in the beginning and took me a long time to get into. Probably the last 50 pages really gripped my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I found the debut novel "Middletide" by Sarah Crouch to be an addictive, interesting & well written story that pulled me in right away & didn't let me go until its final page.
I enjoyed the author's writing style, how she told the story using the past & present timelines.
I am excited to see what Ms. Crouch decides to write next.

I will start with the good: the book is relatively well written, and has an extremely strong sense of place and mood. It definitely read like a small town in the Pacific Northwest, very dark, gloomy, isolated at times, people in their feels. Twin Peaks-y, ya dig? I dug that.

Now for my criticisms. I don’t usually actually find a lot of fault with books, but I *100%* think it would have been better to either not have Nakita and her family be Native American at all, or if they still were, to use and reference a real tribe. The disclaimer in the front of the book almost made the fake tribe’s inclusion more odious to me. Nakita and her family living on a reservation and being Native American really had no bearing on the plot and felt like tokenism, one step away from her being referred to as “exotic.” Nakita, her dad, and Chitto deserved better than that, and the teenage star crossed lovers thing at the beginning.

Character-wise, only Elijah was really fleshed out and allowed to grow. Nakita’s growth occurred off the page. Erin’s character was almost never truly observed and then we had one sudden chapter from her perspective seemingly to just sort of confirm everything Elijah had theorized. I just don’t really get the choices here, I guess.

The plot itself was interestingly paced. After the initial jolt, it was sort of slow and ominous for a while. And then, it wrapped up super quick and nearly with a bow. It also just reminded me of Gone Girl with a suicide.

I think this writer is talented, I hope she writes more and maybe spends some more time developing her characters and if desiring to represent any Native characters, maybe consulting with people from the relevant tribes and asking their input.