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.

This was really good! It took me quite a while to get through it (personal reasons, no fault of the book at all) but it gave perfectly suspenseful vibes and felt like I was watching an intriguing documentary!!

This book was a little less mystery than I was anticipating, but I still enjoyed it. I really loved how atmospheric it was.

I thought the writing was fantastic, but you need to be prepared for more of a slow burn.

I loved how the timeline was constructed for this book - it was a series of flashbacks and flash-forwards from multiple different perspectives. It added to the mystery and mystique of the MMC and the small town where the book was set. Part murder mystery, part thriller, and part romance, Middletide will have you questioning everything and everyone. I did figure out the twist fairly quickly (there is a very famous thriller with a similar twist so it was in my mind as a possibility) but still enjoyed the book.

Middletide offers a quiet, atmospheric story, but it struggles to leave a strong impression. The novel is set in a coastal town where the tides mirror the emotional ebbs and flows of the characters' lives. While the setting is beautifully described, providing a vivid sense of place, the plot itself feels meandering and lacks momentum.

The characters are well-drawn, yet the story’s slow pace makes it hard to fully invest in their journeys. The themes of reflection, change, and the passage of time are present, but they sometimes feel repetitive, preventing the novel from reaching a deeper emotional or thematic resonance.

For readers who appreciate subtle, introspective storytelling and enjoy novels that focus more on mood and setting than plot, Middletide will provide a serene reading experience. However, for those seeking a more dynamic or impactful story, this one may feel underwhelming. It’s a pleasant read, but not particularly memorable.

The premise of this book was fascinating and captivating. The writing was smooth and the chapters flowed very nicely. The story jumped around to various time periods and people and sometimes was a bit jumpy but it served the story well. I enjoyed this atmospheric, mysterious, coming of age, multi layered story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

Two and a half stars rounded up. This isn't a bad book, it's just incredibly slow paced. I've seen comparisions to Where the Crawdads Sing, and I can definitely see that. There's a lot of living off the land and living in isolation.

I almost quit half way through but I was very curious about who the killer was so I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. The big reveal is worth it.

There's a lot of mystery here, a love story, and a court case.

Middletide is a well constructed mystery thriller by debut author Sarah Crouch. Released 11th June 2024 by Simon & Schuster on their Atria imprint, it's 288 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback due out late 2nd quarter 2025 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

The author has an impressive facility with setting and the tension and politics between the local (non-native) and folks living on the reservation were deep and well rendered. The characters are three dimensional with believable motivations and drives and the mystery itself is well constructed.

It's not a cozy mystery and there are edges to the descriptions and themes, but it is well written, with a clear and direct voice. The story is told in scattershot flashbacks, but all the chapters are labeled with dates, so it's not too confusing. There are also some slightly overblown plot elements including an 11th hour courtroom denouement that was over-the-top, but again, generally well written and engaging.

Three and a half stars. Well done and, especially for a debut novel, worth a look.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Oh, I absolutely adored this! The vibes were incredible: if you like small town mysteries and tight knit, misty vibes, this is going to be a book you'll find yourself quickly immersed in and captivated by. There were a few parts I found slightly slower, like maybe this could be slightly shorter if edited differently, and so it'd be quicker to get through without that slog bit towards the middle, but overall I liked the pacing for most of the story and didn't find myself struggling to finish.

I went into this one blind and came out with some mixed responses.

Overall, I think this is a solid read that is well-executed. The story line is intriguing and pulls you in. The characters are well-drawn and rounded. The location and setting is also alluring and kept me wanting to come back for more.

However, I had a little trouble with the fictional indigenous group that was used as the backdrop for this story. I'm still not sure what I feel about that. On the one hand, it's fiction and using a fictional group allows the author better control and imagining (and, perhaps, license) to create the world she wants. On the other hand, it could be a missed opportunity to show a real indigenous group that allows the real history to come through with agency and authenticity.

But overall, I thought the mystery was well-paced and it kept me turning the pages. I will be back for the next novel by Crouch to see where she goes from here.

4.25/5

Funnily enough, my sister is the one who told me about Middletide and convinced me I should read it because she had been seeing it everywhere. It also doesn't hurt that my sister is a huge runner and Sarah Crouch is a professional marathon runner. 😉 I'm glad she talked me into it though because this was a fantastic debut! I appreciated the author's note at the beginning and where she got her inspiration for the fictitious Squalomah culture from being noted before the reader even starts. I really enjoyed the various viewpoints as well which made this into a romance, mystery, and crime/detective fiction novel all rolled into one.

I listened to the audiobook as well as kept the book handy, and I am exceedingly glad I went this route. I thought Kaleo Griffith did an excellent job as the narrator despite the multiple viewpoints, but I did find myself getting confused with the various time jumps at first. I was having a tough time keeping track of the timelines, but I finally caught on, and having the book helped a ton. The resolution of the mystery itself completely shocked me, and I didn't see it coming at all. I did find the pacing to be a bit on the slower side, but it was steady enough that I never got bored. I would be keen to check out whatever Crouch writes next and would recommend Middletide to readers who like a steady pace, a twisty but emotional mystery, and lots of layers.