Middletide is a satisfying slow burn debut which is heavy on atmosphere, loss, grief, and mystery. Slow burns usually don't work for me, and there were times in the beginning I wanted to give the pace a gentle push along, but the later part of the book made up for slow beginning.

Two fishermen find the body of their town doctor, Dr. Erin Landry hanging from a tree on the land of Elijah Leith. Elijah had big plans of being a famous author when he left town after a relationship with Nakita, who lives on a nearby reservation. He returned home in shame after his father's death and tries to keep a low profile while living in his parents’ cabin. Living off the land, he hopes to rekindle his relationship with Nakita, who is experiencing her own grief. Natika and Elijah aren't the only characters experiencing grief in this book. Dr. Erin Landry recently lost her daughter in a car accident.

Loss and grief are dripping off the pages in Middletide.

This book becomes a mystery as an investigation ensues to determine if the doctor's death was a suicide or murder. When investigators learn that her death mirrors a homicide in Elijah's poorly selling book, eyes turn to him.

As things begin to unfold, I became more and more invested in the plot. It snuck up on me and I enjoyed the mounting sense of dread and tension. I wanted answers as to what led to Dr. Erin's death. The book is told through past and present timelines. Readers are given glimpses into Elijah's and Nakita's young lives and love. Then we see them years later, after they have both experienced many life experiences. I enjoyed this touch.

The mystery and relationships in this book were intriguing and I thought the author did a great job depicting loss.

Overall, this was a satisfying debut novel and I do look forward to reading more of what Sarah Crouch writes in the future.

Atmospheric, well thought out, and mysterious.

This book took a long time for me to get into. The premise was good but ultimately this book fell pretty flat for me. Pretty bummed about that!

As with any debut novel, you never really know what the author is going to give you. Sarah Crouch gave more than I could have anticipated. The moody cover set the tone for me in what this story set in the Pacific Northwest would be like. It's a book filled with mystery and murder and a love triangle, and I just never knew what to expect as the story unfolded. I'm excited for more from Crouch.

This book completely gripped me from the get-go. The book immediately jumps in with the mystery/thriller aspect of the story, which I loved. A woman is found murdered and slowly throughout the story the information leading up to the event is described through multiple timeline and beautiful atmospheric narratives. The setting and characters are masterfully created and you can't help but keep turning the pages. I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.

I cannot say I either liked nor disliked this book I’m in the middle. It starts off slow but the last half of the book gets the attention to find out the truth of the murder. I will say as others have brought up the background of some of the characters in this book were not needed for the story line but didn’t make me dislike it or not want to finish till the end. The hopping back and forth was a bit at first but I got used to it and followed it through.

Would I recommend this sure just not to everyone. If you like slow burn and a twist that’s not extreme but love atmospheric this is your jam. Give it a try you never know.

Thank you Netgally and Atria books for the ARC of Middletide.

Middletide 🌊⛵️🩺✍🏽

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery
Author: Sarah Crouch

“‘Let’s make a pact right now that on August 22, exactly four years from now, let’s meet at this tree. I’ll have finished college, and no matter where I am in the world, no matter where you are, or where life has taken us, we’ll meet right here.’”

Elijah and Nakita plan to meet under a tree in four years, but when that time comes, Elijah doesn’t show. He didn’t come back because he was signing with an agent to publish his debut novel, Middletide. Erin Landry, the town’s doctor, is found hanging from the same tree on the trail from Elijah’s cabin. Her death is identical to the death in Middletide. Did Elijah write a book about a murder he would later commit, or is someone setting him up?

This book is set in the Pacific Northwest, and the atmosphere becomes a character of its own. It is an intriguing mystery that had me guessing until the very end. With very few characters, I felt I was able to really get to know each suspect and their motives for the murder.

The only issue I had with this book was the multiple timelines. In the beginning, I found it confusing trying to keep up with the dates. I had to take notes when beginning each chapter to figure out when the events were taking place. As the story progressed, it was much easier to follow.

I like that the entire plot did not feel like a murder mystery. There are elements of romance, lost love, grief, and growing up/finding yourself along with the suspense. For this being Sarah Crouch’s debut novel, I am impressed and excited to read more from her.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for this ARC!

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The ending felt rushed and a little forced. Also, the first 40% of the book felt like nothing much was happening. Essentially, the pacing was off. I would read other books by this author!

Another debut novel for 2024!
Might have to put this in the category of “expected more”.
Crouch has a knack for writing great descriptions of landscape and scenery in the Pacific Northwest. Puget Sound came alive on these pages and being immersed in this lush environment made me most definitely want to visit. Where I think this novel gets great marks for descriptions, it really never took off. A slow start introducing characters through multiple timelines, and a mystery that lacked that tension that makes you want to continue. This has been compared to Crawdads, but I really didn’t see it.
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*Many thanks to @atriabooks for the e-arc of Middletide in exchange for an honest review. It will be published June 11, 2024.

The bio of this book drew me in immediately, but when I started reading I was having a hard time following the timelines before the event and then the current timeline. Once I got the flow, the story was really interesting and unique! The vibes of the atmosphere were perfect for this murder mystery.

I really liked this mystery but the end was pretty unbelievable.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars.

Gosh I enjoyed most of this book. It gave me all the vibes, the writing was wonderful, and the storyline was engaging. I wanted to know what happened and I loved the dual timelines the author had going there.

The characters are also fascinating as we follow an incident that happens at the beginning of the book and a timeline that unravels the events leading up to it.

Elija was an interesting character, and I loved how well-rounded the author made him. I loved that he lived off the land that his parents built for sustainability.

My biggest issue was the last part of the book. It felt kind of flat for me, not reaching the 4 stars that I was hoping it would be.

I did not understand why Elija did not take the stand to defend himself. Maybe at the risk of sounding repetitive? But it felt like it would have been a necessary part of the story.

I also did not understand why the defense did not question the events that happened at the lake from a different point of view. I thought maybe there was a potential for a strong argument there.

The rest felt kinda rushed and I wasn't completely buying it.

Overall this was an interesting read, despite the ending and I enjoyed the author's writing, the atmosphere, the mystery and the characters. I would read from Sarah Crouch in the future.

i got a copy of this book for a review from the publisher in exchange of an honest opinion.

Middletide
Sarah Crouch

One peaceful morning, in the small, Puget Sound town of Point Orchards, the lifeless body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of prodigal son and failed writer, Elijah Leith. Sheriff Jim Godbout’s initial investigation points to an obvious suicide, but upon closer inspection, there seem to be clues of foul play when he discovers that the circumstances of the beautiful doctor’s death were ripped straight from the pages of Elijah Leith’s own novel.

Out of money and motivation, thirty-three-year-old Elijah returns to his empty childhood home to lick the wounds of his futile writing career. Hungry for purpose, he throws himself into restoring the ramshackle cabin his father left behind and rekindling his relationship with Nakita, the extraordinary girl from the nearby reservation whom he betrayed but was never able to forget.

As the town of Point Orchards turns against him, Elijah must fight for his innocence against an unexpected foe who is close and cunning enough to flawlessly frame him for murder in this scintillating literary thriller that seeks to uncover a case of love, loss, and revenge.

This is a decent debut novel. The plot development was quite slow for the first half of the book, and while I have nothing against a slow burn, I considered DNF’ing this quite a few times. Character development was a little lacking, and the ending somewhat rushed. I do have a problem with the author inventing a fictitious Native American tribe in the PNW. One does not need to be Native American to write responsibly about them – I myself have written about Native American issues; it takes research, immersion, and most importantly, honest conversation to get to know the people you are writing about so you may have a chance at responsibly and honestly depicting them, or any portion of the lives and heritage. While this is a work of fiction, to simply invent a fictitious tribe…

My appreciation to NetGalley and to the author/publisher for providing an ARC for review. This is an original, unbiased, independent review.

Wow, this was a fantastic debut novel!

The atmospheric setting, especially at the beginning reminded me of the first time I read book 1 in the Boxcar Children series as a kid.

I couldn't wait to see how the book unfolded and "whodunnit.". I look forward to reading more from this author!

3.5 stars.

The biggest issue with the story is that there is a large focus on a fictional indigenous tribe (which already worries me). But then, there is no exploration of Native culture or customs. They are just characters that happen to be Native. It really is not clear to me what purpose this serves or why it is included in the story.

If we ignore the fact that this fact, I enjoyed reading the first ~85% of the novel. But then it goes all Gone Girl -- but it was not subtle or surprising. It was a disappointing end to an otherwise intriguing story.

Considering it is a debut novel, I will be interested to see how her writing evolves.

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

Elijah Leith returns home to Port Orchard, Washington after spending years in San Francisco chasing his dream of becoming a writer, his tail between his legs, feeling like a failure. He sets about getting his life in order...getting a job and rekindling old friendships in his small hometown. But when the local dr ends up hanging from a tree on his property, Elijah's sweet life begins to crumble.

I have to say I really enjoyed this debut novel by Sarah Crouch. The plot was simple enough, but interesting and kept me reading to find the twist. The characters were likeable, and I found myself rooting for Elijah and Nakita as they navigated rekindling an old love while being true the the loves they had lost. The book is written in split time...before the incident and after. You really have to pay attention to the date on the chapters as you read to follow the story as it's not told in chronological order, but once you get it, it's good.

Recommend!

Doesn't everyone deserve a second chance? Even if you are accused of murder?

This is an amazing debut book from athlete turned author, Sarah Crouch. It's a book within a book, within a suicide made to look like a murder. We first meet Elijah when he returns to his hometown in the Puget Sound after spending many years in San Francisco trying to make it as a writer. He does publish one book, 'Middletide', which is not that well received and has a short publishing run. Upon returning home to Point Orchards, he tries to rekindle the teenage love affair with Nikita, a girl from a neighboring Indian reservation. When this fizzles, he goes on a few dates with the local town doctor, Erin Landry. When Erin's body is found hanging from a tree in the woods near Elijah's house, he becomes the prime suspect in her murder. It doesn't help his case that her death is described in exactly the same way in his book. And someone mailed the sheriff his book and told them to look into Elijah. Thus begins his quest to save his name and new life.
The book then goes back into the past to give us more detail about Elijah's and Nikita's relationship, Elijah's relationship with his alcoholic father, and his desire to escape his small town and move to the big city. There's great character development here as Elijah tries to reinvent himself upon his return by restoring his family cabin and living off the land. There are many sections devoted to nature and the isolation of living alone and hunting and growing your own food. Which is interesting, if you like that kind of thing.
This is a love story, a courtroom drama, an ode to nature and familial relationships. Once Elijah is arrested, Nikita's father, the local preacher, who has a semi-completed law degree, agrees to defend him. This was a bit implausible that it would be legally allowed, but there is so much evidence against him, Elijah appreciates the assistance. Once embroiled in the trial, the focus is on finding the one piece of evidence that can set Elijah free, which is mostly hearsay.

I would say this is a valiant, impressive effort and the writing style and pacing was good. The descriptions of the woods made you feel like you were there with Elijah. Looking forward to seeing more from this newcomer!

A great debut novel! Loved the multiple timelines and atmosphere. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this captivating & suspenseful murder mystery!

Middletide is the debut novel by professional marathoner Sarah Crouch. It opens with the discovery of a hung body of a woman in remote woods by a lake, in January 1994. The owner of the land, Elijah Leith, a writer, soon becomes the main suspect.

The novel is told in alternating timelines, as we learn the story of Elijah and ultimately, his involvement with the dead woman. The writing is so compelling, with vivid descriptions placing the reader in the story. While the twist was not a surprise, knowing it was coming in no way detracted from the quality of the story. Overall, it was compelling and different from other thrillers. I hope the author continues her career as a novelist, as I will continue to read her work.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Atria Books/ Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

I was really excited about this book, and was really let down by the end. I felt like the book was slow and couldn’t connect with the characters at all. The ending was too unbelievable for me. Elijah acted more like an adolescent than a grown man. I’m glad I finished reading it, but it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

After high school, Elijah leaves his small town to become a famous writer. His writing career was a flop and his failed book, Middletide, only sold a handful of copies. Elijah gives up on writing and moves back home. He fixes up his family home and restarts his life as a homesteader, living off the land. Elijah mostly keeps to himself and works hard to rebuild his life.

Years later, Elijah is accused of murdering the beloved town doctor. The murder follows the exact storyline of his failed book. Elijah is left having to claim his innocence of the exact crime that he had planned out in his book.

I really enjoyed the murder mystery storyline and the trial. My one complaint is that the pacing felt off. It was a very slow burn through lots of homesteader chapters before I felt like it got to the good stuff.