This book is the perfect example of a slow burn mystery, which I usually tend to enjoy. That being said, this one took me a particularly long time to warm up to and I wasn't sure if it was going to be for me. However, I'm glad I persevered because I did end up enjoying it overall. It starts off with a bang, tapers off shortly after, then picks up momentum for a riveting courtroom finale (which I loved!)

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for access to the e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

What a fun puzzle, along a nice story about an aspiring writer who wants to get back to his roots (sort of) after his dreams didn’t work out in the big city. He goes back to Puget Sound (great atmospheric detail) in Washington State and before you know it, there is a dead woman hanging on a tree, and while it might LOOK like a suicide, there is way more to this mystery than first appears.

In previous efforts, author Sarah Crouch respresented the U.S. in the Olympic marathon…and now she has begun what I suspect will be a good career as a mystery novelist. Thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for this honest review. It is a solid four stars, might have been five but I’m midway through some medical treatment that has interfered with my focus…but I actually loved it so it is highly recommended.

The synopsis of this book sounded so interesting, I couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, I got 50% into it and decided to give up. The book was so boring. Nothing interesting happened. It was written with two timelines : the present and when Elijah and Nakita when they were teenagers. It was supposed to be about the death of Dr. Erin Landry but half way in and I didn’t know anything about her death and had just found out that the murder was exactly like the book that Elijah had written. The fact that Nalira’s father was a Christian preacher and the leader of an indigenous group really through me off, This book just wasn’t a right fit for me.

Middletide by Sarah Crouch is a thriller/mystery and I was excited to get my copy. I love a good thriller and this had all the makings of a good one. The body of Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree in a quiet Puget Sound town. It first seems like a suicide but it eventually is deemed suspicious. The fact that is found on a hometown guys, tree, doesn’t help the rumors and speculation of the town. Elijah Leith is a famous writer who comes home and is now seemingly unable to write. The fact that Dr Landry death comes straight out of one of his books, is even more shocking.
Sheriff Jim Godbout’s investigation is all over the place. Things just seem to perfect to be the truth, so he has to investigate and ignore some of the obvious clues and dig deep to find out the real reason for her death.
Now Elijah has come home for reasons or doesn’t want to talk about. He is out of money and tries to make a new life in his old home. He also starts a relationship up with an old love.
As the town is more convinced of his guilt Elijah must fight to prove his innocence. Who would be able to frame him, so well? How could it be anyone other than him?
This story had me a bit confused. There was so much going on and I couldn’t keep up. The story just wasn’t for me. It was hard to like/understand the characters. Too many twists and turns makes for a very tough read. I want to thank Netgalley, Atria Books and the author for my copy for an honest review. It goes without saying, that I love the opportunity to read any and all stories. I am lucky to have the opportunity to read and review and I try to be as fair as I can be. This book just missed the mark for me. I am sure though it was for someone else. What are your thoughts?

I will fully admit I was drawn to read Middletide purely on the cover. It is a gorgeous cover. The story idea sounded like an interesting mystery and I did enjoy it but wish it was so long. Some parts felt drawn out and I know why but it seemed like there were lulls here and there. Overall loved the ending and the twists.

Although I was under the impression that this book was a mystery or thriller, I think it was really more of a romance. I enjoyed Elijah's story very much but found it unbelievable that he would have been so utterly destroyed by one bad review. Any author is going to receive bad reviews. But, I did enjoy his journey of self discovery and living off the land. Nakita was also very likable but I felt that I never really got to know her. I think my chief complaint about the book was the sections about legal and court room procedures appeared to not have been researched at all. All and all, though, I found the book to be entertaining and enjoyable with some unexpected twists and turns. This was a debut novel and I would read a subsequent novel by this author.

Best book I’ve read this year!!! I absolutely cannot recommend this one enough! Best I’ve read in a long long time. I felt at home from the first page. Will be rereading this fall!!

I wasn’t the intended audience of this book. I did not find it interesting. It jumps back and forth between present day murder and the past. At first I didn’t know the point of the past, it didn’t fit with the present day and was dull. There was 1 present day chapter, then 2 from the past and I was just wanting more about the present day murder. There was so many details and back and forth, the story was all over the place. I finished it so I could write a review since I got this from netgalley, but really I should have DNF this one.

What I enjoyed:

_Mix of genre kept it interesting.
-complex characters
-immersive setting
-small town

What I struggled with:
-slow burn, like very very slow
-fictional tribe

Thank you for allowing me to read and review this book. I thought it was good for a debut and would recommend it to others. I look forward to following the authors career.

I really enjoyed this book and was impressed to discover it is Sara Crouch's debut novel. Yes it starts a bit slow but kept me turning pages to unveil the mystery. It has a mixture of romance, crime drama, mystery and courtroom drama

I really enjoyed "Middletide" by Sarah Crouch! A beautifully written novel, murder mystery as well as a drama, with a serene backdrop, living a simple life while exploring talents, finding true love, and full of (mostly) good people. Interesting and intriguing. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Wow!
This one had coming of age, murder mystery, romance, courtroom proceedings, small town, family relationships. Great pacing and great development for the shorter page length.

Elijah returns to his hometown after a failed attempt as a writer. His childhood home is situated on a secluded piece of property. Not long after his return a body is found on the property and Elijah becomes the prime suspect. This story is not only a mystery but a love story between Elijah and Nakita, his childhood love. This book was just ok for me. I felt the murder trial and ending were rushed and the twist at the end somewhat unbelievable. Thank you NetGalley and Atria for the advanced reading copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
This was such an atmospheric book about a small town murder. The beginning had me hooked when Dr. Erin Landry is found hanging from a tree on the property of Elijah Leith. Elijah wrote one novel. As the investigation of Dr. Landry’s death unfolds it looks as if the details were straight from Elijah’s novel. I enjoyed the dual timelines of this small town mystery/thriller. The middle was a bit slow for me, but overall I really enjoyed it.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

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

I felt this was a slow burn and it took me awhile to finish it. I was not really excited to keep picking it up, but I wanted to finish it to find out how it ends. It is more of a mystery and a crime fiction than a thriller, so if you go in thinking it is a thriller you will be disappointed. It begins with a body that is found hanging in the woods by two fishermen. It appears as a suicide but then the police begin to wonder if maybe it is a murder staged to look like a suicide. The body is found on the property of Elijah Leith, who had a brief relationship with the town doctor, Erin Landry, who is the body that was found hanging on Elijah's property. Elijah had written a mystery years ago that did not sell, and the body was staged right out of the pages of Elijah's book. I enjoyed the mystery, but I did end up guessing what happened. I felt the ending was rushed but I enjoyed the court scenes. This is a debut, and I think I will check out any other books the author writes in the future. I think she will get better with experience. It was very atmospheric as it takes place in the pacific northwest and the woods and the cabin and the land that Elijah owns becomes a character in and of itself, which I really enjoyed.

Lovely writing but the pace was so slow! I DNF’d at 22%

Hoping maybe it’ll be better as an audiobook?

I actually genuinely enjoyed this book what can I say? It’s VERY hard for me to be shocked about a book , especially a thriller or mystery and I really thought I knew who did it AND THEN I DIDNT! Wow wow wow 🤯
I don’t know why I put this book off for so long it was a good quick read and pallet cleanser from all romance I typically read.
The idea of using the book against him was giving To Kill a Mocking bird for some reason and I LOVED it.
3.8-4 star rating

Sarah Crouch makes her authorial debut with Middletide, a mystery set in the Pacific Northwest near where she grew up. Atmospheric and tense, it’s a damn fine start to what is sure to be a promising career.

My thanks go to NetGalley and Atria Books for the invitation to read and review. This book is for sale now.

The premise is that Elijah Leith leaves home when he reaches adulthood, eager to flee his violent alcoholic father, and make a name for himself in San Francisco. But his father dies, and when his first novel goes nowhere and he runs out of money, Elijah returns and takes up residence in the cabin where he grew up. He hopes to rekindle a relationship with his teenage sweetheart, but she has moved on, and since he was unreliable the first time around, she is reluctant to trust him anyway.

Then the cops find the body of Dr. Erin Landry hanging from a tree on Elijah’s property.

This whodunit is original and intelligently written. The pacing is perfect, and I never would have guessed the ending, at least not until nearly the end when the author spells it out. Elijah is not the most lovable protagonist, but Crouch develops him so that, although not a prince or a hero, he is nonetheless a decent human being by the end. Some will consider the solution to be over the top, but it’s only far fetched if the author fails to convince us that it’s true, and I am persuaded.

Those looking for a fun read to pack for a vacation, or just to occupy a weekend at home, here you go. Grab your book, your lemonade or your whatever, and head for your happy place. You can thank me later.

Middletide by Sarah Crouch
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After the suspicious death of a beautiful young doctor, all the clues seem to point to a reclusive young man in town.
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My thoughts:
-This was definitely an atmospheric story. It made me want to snatch up a cabin in a small northwestern community and teach myself to homestead. (I draw the line at churning my own butter though.)
-This mystery was good because it had me going back and forth between probably three possible solutions.
-My heart rate really picked up during the court case.
-This book was pretty sad but I was happy with how it ended.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A very slow burn mystery, with an unusual ending!

Elijah grew up in a small town on the Puget Sound, and had plans to come a writer and after graduation from high school he left his father and his girlfriend to pursue his dream. Years later, after his father had died, he returned, not in triumph, but as a writer whose book had been a failure, and he resolves to live off the land in his old house. Then he gets involved in a murder. I did not care for the characters enough to get involved in the story, and the time frames were sometimes difficult to follow. I would choose a different book again. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc and no pressure for a positive opinion.