Middletide by Sarah Crouch was a sharp, well written mystery! It starts off slow in the beginning, but don’t let that discourage you from finishing it! Once you get going you have to find out what happens next! I can't wait for Sarah Crouch's next book!

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC The cover is what read drew me in. It wasn’t my favorite but wasn’t terrible.

I really wanted to love Middletide, but I just could not connect with the characters. They were all unlikeable and I didn’t care for them. I will say, this book was very atmospheric and the author wrote the setting extremely well. I would still read another by this author because of how well the setting was written.

The language of the book was beautiful, and I really liked the way that the story unfolded. The mystery element felt a bit secondary to Elijah's story.

Absolutely loved the setting (PNW) and felt like it was talently woven story. Was quickly pulled in needed to know how the story would unfold. Would definitely recommended and will likely be a book club pick for us.

Sucked me in from the beginning and such a great mystery, although I thought it should've moved along a bit faster. The characters were strong and I overall enjoyed it!

I enjoyed the PNW setting, atmospheric writing and different timelines.

I will say if you are looking for a thriller, this isn’t it. However, I found Middletide to have a good amount of twists, hold my attention and although it’s a bit of a slow burn, I NEEDED to know what the outcome was.

This is the perfect camping read, or a book to add to your fall TBR! Sarah Crouch does such a great job with character depth and creating an immersive setting!
Such a great debut & I look forward to seeing what else Sarah Crouch writes!

Middletide had a lot of potential, but the ending and a major plot point really fell flat for me. The town’s beautiful doctor, Erin, is found dead, hanging from a tree on property owned by Elijah Leith, a failed novelist who returned home to work at an auto repair shop and pick up the pieces of his life. But when Erin is found, all signs point to Elijah as the perp, as he briefly dated Erin.

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Not my jam... thought it'd give me different things.
I enjoyed the writing but the plot choices not that much.

I’m gonna be honest, it took me a long time to want to pick this book up because the first few chapters seemed to drag for me. However, once I got into the story, I was INTO it. This whole concept was done so well and kept me very interested the entire time. And while the ending was a bit predictable for me, it didn’t take much from the story. Another thing I really enjoyed was although there were romantic aspects, it wasn’t cringy or a romance story. I hate the entire romance genre, so this was a huge plus for me and pushed the rating from a 3 to a 4. I also listened to the audiobook for some of the book and it was so well done!

You can never truly go back home, but many people try. Elijah Leith, an author, left his small hometown in search of fame and fortune. In doing so, he also left behind the love of his life, Nakita. When his dreams don't pan out, Elijah returns to Point Orchards, to the house his father built.

Adjusting to his old life is difficult at first, but he slowly cleans up the cabin, starts growing his own food, and makes an effort to reconnect with Nakita. When that doesn't work out, Elijah feels lonely and turns his attention to the town doctor, Dr. Erin Landry, who is beautiful but mourning the loss of her daughter. As time goes on, Erin is found hanging from a tree in what looks like a suicide, but circumstances point to Elijah, leading to his arrest and trial.

The book starts off slowly and seems to wander for the first half. It's not until the last 50-60% that the story picks up and becomes intriguing.

This is the author's first book, and while the story is good, it could have benefited from a faster pace in my opinion.

Middletide by Sarah Crouch - this book was FANTASTIC. It wasn't fast paced but it kept me interested the entire time. I loved getting to know the characters and see how they developed over time throughout the story. This was a really, really good read.

Middletide is a literary mystery with a slow-burn narrative, shifting between past and present timelines. The story centers on Elijah Leith, a failed writer who becomes the prime suspect in the death of Dr. Erin Landry, a local woman whose apparent suicide seems to mirror events from his own novel. As Sheriff Jim Godbout digs deeper, the town grows suspicious, and Elijah finds himself entangled in a web of love, loss, and revenge.

This debut novel excels in its atmospheric setting and character-driven drama. Elijah's ill-fated romance with Nakita provided a strong backbone for the story. But something about the story felt a little disjointed to me. The procedural elements have their moments but sometimes lack convincing detail, and the courtroom scenes made my attorney heart cringe. The ending wraps up the mystery, but it felt rushed, Overall, the story offers an intriguing premise with rich emotional depth, but its execution sometimes falters in balancing the various narrative strands, leaving the overall impact less cohesive than it could have been.

My rating 3.5 stars rounded down.
Special thanks to Atria and netgalley for the ARC.

There were parts of the book that I enjoyed. It was atmospheric, slow paced and I enjoyed the romance throughout the story. The murder case thrown in was strange and didn't feel really believable to me & the investigation was so sloppy. I wish they had left the murder part out of the story. Overall, it was an okay read.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The first two thirds of the book was so good. I was interested in what was going to happen next. However, the last third is where the book lost me. The trial set up was so unbelievable, the book lost me.

Found this tough to get into and stay engaged. I usually love atmospheric reads but this one wasn’t for me.

This was a very nice debut novel. I like the timeline jumping from past to present, but caught myself needing to double check which year I was in. This has a nice story of love, loss, small towns with a murder/suicide mixed in.
The author does a nice job of setting the stage for believing both sides of the story. I look forward to seeing more from her.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. It was released a few months ago.

A small town doctor is found dead in a tree and made to look like a suicide, and all evidence points to Ethan, a writer who left town years ago as a teenager but has recently returned. The murder happens exactly like the plot of his debut novel, and he does have motive, but did he actually do it? This book was very atmospheric and perfect for autumn, but I didn’t love it. The time jumping had me a little confused at first, and I had to keep flipping back and forth to figure out what was going on. The motives, courtroom scenes, and ending were a little far-fetched and too convenient for my liking. It just seemed like there was a lot of buildup for not a lot of conclusion. I enjoyed the plot; it just wasn’t wrapped up very well. I know a lot of people loved this one, but I would honestly skip it 🤷🏼‍♀️

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read before pub day! ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. MIDDLETIDE is out now!

Thank you @netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy of Middletide by Sarah Crouch. Elijah and Nakita meet in high school in their small town in Washington state. Elijah leaves town to go to college and become a writer, but they plan to meet at their favorite spot in four years. Nakita goes to the spot, but Elijah doesn’t show. Now he is back in town many years later, and she is a grieving widow, will they rekindle their romance? Then a beautiful young doctor is murdered, and it turns out that the murder follows the plot of the novel that Elijah wrote (which sold very few copies) very closely. Did Elijah do it? There is mystery and love, good story. #middletide #sarahcrouch #netgalley #bookstagram #lovetoread #readersofinstagram #takeapagefrommybook #bookloversofinstagram