🎧 MIDDLETIDE by Sarah Crouch
Genre: thriller
2 stars

Goodreads review: “idk if i could tell you a single thing about this book”
💭: this book is described as “gripping and intensely atmospheric” and unfortunately it was not gripping and only atmospheric but with no engaging plot everything fell flat and the atmospheric part made me bored which is sad bec it seemed so promising

A classic murder in a small town story with a picturesque Pacific Northwest setting. After a doctor is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Elijah, a man who has recently returned to his hometown finds himself under scrutiny.

This story was beautifully written and the characters were well developed however, I feel like the narrative was very slow to start and then super rushed at the end.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Middletide was an atmospheric, small town mystery that had a unique plot point in that the crime is straight from the main character’s own novel. There was a lot of tragedy and low points in this book, but the first 60ish percent was still very slow moving for me. It felt like a lot of telling rather than showing, and as everything is revealed, you understand how it all connects but it didn’t make up for the slow start in my opinion. I was glad to see this one through but I was looking for more connection to the characters in the beginning.
Thank you Atria Books for the copy through NetGalley!

This was such a great story! I loved the setting and the pace was really compelling… I will definitely be recommending this one to my fellow bookworms and anyone who is looking for a great whodunit with some real character and steady storytelling!

Middletide is a story of complex characters and community, with the backdrop of the Puget Sound its own character. This book will be for lovers of Where the Crawdads Sing. It certainly was full of unexpected turns. Will definitely recommend!

The title captured my attention, and I went into this without reading the blurb.

Elijah returns home to the Pacific-Northwest area after a failed attempt at being a writer. His one and only book was panned so he sought comfort in the familiar by living alone in the cabin he grew up in. During this time he rediscovers a love for living off the land, and solitude, while still reminiscing about his childhood love who still lives in the area.

This story is told in 2 timelines - 70’s and 90’s, and through multiple POVs, primarily Elijah’s. Like I mentioned, I didn’t really know the premise of the book but I happily read and listened along, finding his day-to-day existence in this setting fascinating. Isolated but fascinating. It isn’t until the body found at the beginning of the book is tied to Elijah later that the story seems to gain specific direction. The murder eerily resembles the one in his novel, and he becomes the prime suspect. The change in tone gave me chills, and the addition of a diary as another POV made everything go topsy turvy. Everything I took for fact up until then went out the window. Honestly, it’s brilliant!

I don’t want to give anything away. This is a clever mystery that truly makes the reader wonder what’s the truth and what’s not. I loved how Crouch introduced the different POVs, adding nuanced layers to the story. She sneakily has you second-guessing everything.

Highlights:
* Suspense/ mystery
* Small town, Pacific Northwest
* Multiple POVs
* Self-discovery
* Second chance romance

Be aware of: grief (loss of child), strained relationship with parent (memory)

This is a quietly addictive, slow paced mystery that gradually picks up momentum, keeping you on your toes! I also listened to the audiobook excellently narrated by Kaleo Griffith. You can’t go wrong consuming this book in either format. Kudos to Sarah Crouch on her stunning debut!

Thanks to @atriabooks for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. Audiobook by @simon.audio borrowed through Libby app.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. This book was too slow paced for me, as I found myself bored with the plot of the story. I did not enjoy our main character Elijah, and I was not interested in reading from his perspective.

I don't understand how I haven't heard much of this book. The plot follows Elijah, a frustrated writer that published an unsuccessful novel and came back to his hometown to live in the cabin in the woods where he grew up. He finally finds contentment in his simple life when the body of the town's doctor is found in Elijah's propierty. This book is narrated with different timelines that provided good context relevant to the plot. The writing is engaging and well-paced, it doesn't have a crazy plot twist, it actually is very predictable, but I think its development is what really stood out. I especially liked Elijah's insights as a writer. Highly recommed.

Middletide is a slow burn mystery set in the Pacific Northwest. This novel was definitely heavy on the character study and atmosphere.

At times, I got frustrated with the pacing and found my mind wandering. I prefer my mysteries to be faster paced. However, Sarah Crouch is clearly a very skilled writer. I would love to see more books from her set in the PNW and I can’t wait to see what she does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria publishing for the electronic arc.

My rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I enjoyed this one. I think if you liked Where The Crawdads Sing, it’s definitely worth checking out. Mystery, courtroom drama, and a love story at the core. Time jumps were a little confusing throughout. It wasn’t apparent how or why the 90’s were chosen as the time period of the book. Overall kept my interest throughout. The resolution was not as good as I felt it could have been.

3.75 First off I want to thank NetGalley for receiving an ARC of this book though I am just now getting to it. Over all I enjoyed this read. The first part of the book held my interest once I got all the characters straight. Though I will say, the ending felt rushed and some parts were not believable.

MIddletide by Sarah Crouch was a decent enough thriller. The atmosphere was good and the characters were solid. I wanted to like it a little more than I did, but I think it was a perfectly fine book. I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it, but I wouldn't steer anyone away from it either.

I was given access to this arc to read thanks to NetGalley. A fun mystery. Great read. Would read more by this author.

This book was really hard to get into. I appreciated the mixed timeline but it created some confusion in the story. It was sometimes hard to keep track of what happened when. I largely enjoyed the plot. It was an interesting story line that, when I did get into it, I really liked.

The trial was ridiculous, though, and took too much away from the story for me. A little effort to make it even a little accurate would have improved this book’s rating drastically.

My hopes were really high for this one. I saw so many raving 5 stars for this and all the hype!!

It's always hard for me with the really hyped books because I tend to lean on the outlier island. But, I've read a few that I also really enjoyed.

It started off with a young doctor whose body was found hanging in a remote area-trying to find out if it was a suicide or a murder.

It somehow flipped to a teenage love story. This honestly threw me for a loop and I was confused.

The pacing of the novel was awful. It was so slow.. I mean really slow. IT's not until way over half way into the book that it started to pick up. This didn't go over well with me. At this point, I should have probably dnfed.

This just wasn't for me. I felt the plot was underdeveloped and the characters needed more development. Also.. that murder trial?! Really? That was so far fetched and it was ridiculously rushed.

2/5 stars

Thanks to Atria for my copy.

This one was just a little too slow for me. It was really hard for me to get into, it might just be me and what I needed in the moment. I found myself not into the mystery

This book was well done! I really enjoyed the different perspectives because it adds to the suspense and mystery of the story. I will say that near the end when the twist is revealed it feels like there could have been a different way to do it. Overall though I did enjoy how this was a multilayered story about love, family and also murder. I enjoyed this and would recommend this for people that like a mystery with a little bit of a non-traditional structure

This one was just a little predictable. A death that is thought to be a suicide and then foul play is suspected. The "obvious" suspect pleads his innocence... Just okay for me.

Wow I have not seen this book around enough! So multifaceted- a murder, wrapped in a love story, wrapped in the hubris of a man! So well done.

Reminded me a lot of Where the Crawdads Sing but much much better. A recluse, a possible love, and a murder.
It did all the characters and their histories justice.

Middletide is Sara Crouch's debut novel. I do think this book started slow (it picked up about 30% in) and keeping track of the changing timelines and dates was a bit confusing in this book but overall I really enjoyed this one! It kept me intrigued to try and solve the murder mystery. I also loved the Pacific Northwest setting and reading about Elijah's homesteading and living off his land.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy.