Middletide is the whole package - a beautifully written murder mystery interwoven with a love story that's hard to put down!

It took me a while to finish this book - it wasn’t bad or anything, just took me a bit to get into it. This is one of the May BOTM but I was able to get it on NetGalley as an ARC - so thanks to them!

I thought it did fairly well in flipping from past to present and from different storytelling perspectives. I just don’t think anything was truly *fantastic* about this book. I thought the ending was super obvious and I could have done with one more good twist. I honestly kind of want to give it the same critic that Elijah’s book in Middletide got - it just didn’t really seem to be a feasible murder-suicide plot.

Again- I don’t think this was a bad book, just in my opinion didn’t live up to how good BOTM usually are.

Middletide, Sara Crouch’s debut novel, starts with two fishermen finding the body of Erin, the small town’s well-liked, beautiful, young doctor who died from an apparent suicide. She was found on Elijah’s property, with her suicide looking exactly like the book Elijah wrote, and he quickly becomes the main suspect.

I loved the moody atmosphere of this book and the multiple timelines, especially for the nostalgic feelings of the 90’s. This book is also about nature, love, grief, failure, and revenge. The characters seemed one dimensional and the ending felt rushed but overall I really enjoyed this novel. I look foward to reading what Sara Crouch comes out with next!

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

Overall, I really enjoyed this! I had a hard time deciding my May book of the month between Middletide and The Return of Ellie Black. I chose the latter, and I was super happy to get this book. I have slight complaint. I felt that some of the characters (Chitto, Jim, and Jeremy) were a little cliche, but at the same time, I liked them and enjoyed reading about them.

Elijah, the main character, wasn't 100% likable, but I felt like you were supposed to feel that way about him. He was kind of a jerk to his father and Nakita. Nakita was probably my favorite character. She was well developed, and her story was very interesting. I also liked Erin a lot. The women were definitely the best developed characters.

I thought I had figured out the killer, but boy, was I wrong! Sometimes, to me, plot twists and turns can go a little too far, this one did not. It was an easy, quick read. I finished it in about a week. If you are a mystery fan, this would be a great beach read. I thought it was great for a debut author. If Sarah Crouch wrote another book, I'd most likely buy it. Middletide was a fun read. If you're looking for something that's going to shake your soul, this isn't it. But, if you're looking for an entertaining book, especially if you're a mystery fan, I'd check this out.

Slow start, but this debut did pick up after about halfway point. It had good reviews so I took my time and did decided to finish it (even after a slow start) and I am happy that I did. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The author’s ability to describe the Pacific Northwest setting was what really made this book immersive. I have to admit I didn’t find the main character Elijah to be very interesting, but I loved reading about his cabin and homesteading activities. Overall this was a quick, enjoyable read.

I picked this up on a whim when I wanted something quick to read over the holiday weekend. Alternating between print and audio, Middletide was surprisingly entertaining and not completely what I expected. It's more of a mystery than a thriller (maybe my interpretation of its marketing was wrong) which I found to be propulsive and oddly cozy. The setting was reminiscent of Virgin River, as were some of the characters. The relationships were more of a focus than I anticipated, which ended up being one of the aspects I appreciated the most. Two small quibbles: It was hard to keep track of the timeline and characters at first, but eventually I settled into it; and the indigenous community is one the author made up, and from my understanding she doesn't have any personal experience with being a part of an indigenous culture, which gives me pause. I'd like to find read thoughts from own voices reviewers to see if how she managed that seemed respectful.

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!