Interesting book, but strange. It's definitely a science fiction, which I did not expect. I didn't really get into the characters. The action moves pretty quickly and Jenn does improve, but I can't say I liked it.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

3.5 stars but I’m rounding it up to 4 for creativity.

If you are looking for a serious book about ____________ (insert any topic here) this is not the book for you.

If nothing else, this book will entertain you and force your brain to create images of sea monsters not yet known to mankind. There is something for everyone in this book. Squidoodles, dinosaurs, a tentageddon and even a hot carpenter. (Looking at you Sharon. I told you there was something for everyone!)

This pretty much sums it up:”life is absurd. We have to revel in the absurdity.”

Team Wave Blast all the way.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This was a fun, quirky book. I liked that it felt like a fresh and unique concept. I also really liked the humour and the Mom’s internal dialogue.

Unfortunately, about halfway in, it was really dragging for me. I ended up having a hard time getting through this. That being said, I would definitely try something else by this author. I just wish this one wasn’t quite as long.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

A boy who’s been missing for 30 years walks out of the ocean just when his childhood friend returns to the area, and things get really weird from there. This a fun and fast paced story that had some very light romance and a lot of interesting ideas. The characters felt like real people that kept even the craziest parts of this from feeling too unbelievable.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

this was definitely an interesting sci-fi romance(ish) book and i thought it was good just not necessarily for me. when jenn is a child growing up on pearl island her mother is a single mother so she spends a lot of time by herself. one summer she befriends a boy named timmy and after a tragic accident that summer timmy drowns. fast forward 30 years jenn is good through a messy separation and in an impulsive attempt at control she takes her children to pearl island. freaky things start happening and there are odd sea creatures and a sea monster that is out for blood. overall super interesting just not really my cup of tea.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc of this book.

This was a very...interesting book. I did like it, and it kind of reminded me of Emily Habeck's Shark Heart in a way, but more sci-fi, especially towards the end.

It is fast-paced and definitely action-packed at times. However, sometimes I felt like the story jumped around a little all over the place, but it came together at the end.

The main character Jenni is going through a divorce and dealing with complex emotions with that while also dealing with a friend from her childhood who supposedly drowned comes back from the dead to "save the world" with the help of Jenni and her children. You see how she evolves throughout the book to become a better version of herself for herself and her children.

The constant pop culture references throughout the book really brought charm into the story, especially all of the pokemon references, which were hilarious! It really is hard to describe this book as it is just something you have to experience for yourself, which I recommend as I think you'll at least be a little entertained.

Under the guise of clearing out her late mothers' house and finishing her latest novel, (but mostly to get away from her responsibilities and her soon-to-be-exhusband), boring, burned out, middle-aged novelist Jen impulsively takes her 2 kids and their dog to the beach island where she grew up. Pretty mundane life stuff.
Shortly after they arrive, Jen's best friend from age 10 walks out of the ocean. Missing and presumed drowned for 30 years, Timmy remains 10 years old, unchanged and un-aged. And that's when things start getting weird.

Thirty-years ago, 10 year old Jenni watches as her best friend Timmy Caruso disappears while swimming near her beachfront home. Present day, Jen is an accomplished author on the verge of a divorce, and she takes her kids back to her beachfront home after her mother’s passing when a young boy appears on the shore, claiming his name is Timmy Caruso, and Timmy states he’s on a mission to save the world. Here Beside The Rising Tide is a mashup of sci-fi/horror/fantasy genres, with some humor thrown in the mix. The plot is a bit of stretch, which includes sea monsters, time travel and weather anomalies. The book reads like a YA novel at times, and the dialogue among the children can be maddeningly juvenile and was a major distraction that spoiled most of the story for me, and unfortunately was too large a part of the novel. Was hoping for more sci-fi and less YA. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NETGALLEY and Hyperion Avenue for eARC

Plot: 3 (Concept is a 5, hence my ARC request)
Characters: 4
Writing Style: 3.5
Cover: 5 (I fucky love it)
Enjoyment: At first, 5, but then it lost steam and went to a 3ish. At one point, I wanted to read King's "Finders Keepers" more, despite the deadline. Sadge.

& that's a low 3, mind.

This sci-fi romance action book is told through third person POV, mainly from our MC, Jenni, though sometimes from the children or other side characters, coupled with excerpts from books within "(T)he Rising Tide" world. Quick-paced, humorous, cozy setting (until it's not, of course), non-linear timeline. The dialogue, though, it's awkward more often than not, even if it works in certain situations. It honestly came down to. There being. Too many. Short sentences. Distracting. Coupled with the overabundance of action words -- "SQUELCH SQUELCH SQUELCH" & "bang-bang-bang-bang-bang-bang", etc it dissolved into a push to finish, which was a bummer, considering how hard it started off. I loved the book at first. And then that underwhelming battle conclusion... sigh. IDK what happened, sorry.

SPOILER CREATURE REVEAL, MAYBE? BELOW!




P.S. Uhhhhh, you can't just, um, have 🦕 left in modern day. Just sayin'.

This book was not what I was expecting. Nail biter, page turner, could not put down. Loved that there were second chances and battles. Different but good book. Highly recommend!

This was alllll over the place, kind of in a good way and kind of in a bad way. I like the weird and fantastical, but I feel like there was almost not enough weird and fantastical in this, or maybe just not executed in a very organized fashion. I enjoyed the aspect of self discovery and reconnecting with yourself and your childhood self, but the plot and execution were a little strangely executed. Most definitely unique, I have not ever read anything like it before! I liked the differing points of view, I almost wished the switched more often or in a more organized way. Overall, if you’re looking for something different and love sea monsters, I would give this a try.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

Here Beside the Rising Tide from Emily Jane is story with a fantastical plot involving a beachside town and a sea monster.

Jenni, a romance author, is going through the opposite of romance i.e. divorce when she returns to Pearl Island with her children. Jenni grew up in Pearl Island and had one glorious summer with her friend Timmy Caruso. They spent the entire summer swimming, running on the boardwalk, and enjoying all the benefits of summer. Then, Timmy disappeared.

Now, her Pokémon-obsessed children in tow, she's trying to find herself again. Then....late one night, a boy comes out of the sea. He says he's Timmy Caruso and he's 10 years old.

Jenn rents a summer house on Pearl Island. But shortly after she arrives, a boy emerges from the nighttime sea. His name, he says, is Timmy Caruso. He’s ten years old. And he’s on a mission to save the world. While dealing with her hilarious children, "Timmy" and a too-hot-to-handle contractor, Jenni tries to manage everything. Then, shark attaches, sea-creatures addicted to sugar, and tidal waves start occurring, Jenni has to wonder if "Timmy" was telling the truth.
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This isn't a deep story. It's lighthearted and does show growth and change. The location helped immensely, as who doesn't want to spend a summer at a beach town.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

⭐️

I did not finish this book because I could not get into it. It started out too slow for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Emily Jane for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

whimsical, kinda sci-fi but really more of a whimsical, chaotic fantasy. not much consistency in the worldbuilding, btu that worked very well! 5 stars, tysm for the arc.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to review the ARC.


I was a bit scared because I am not a huge sci-fi or fantasy book person. But this didn’t really have sci-fi like her last book. I actually really enjoyed this book. It was fast paced and it was fun. There were some mysteries too which I loved loved!!!

such a fun and unique read!! this would be so much fun to read on the beach. it was so whimsical and crazy and quirky and full of childlike wonder. I loved that it was so easy to fall in love with the characters. A perfect blend of mystery, motherhood, romance, sci fi, and probably more. I’m so happy I got to read this, thank you netgalley for the early copy!!

Jenn, a recently divorced mom of two, brings her kids to her childhood home. The home, falling into disrepair, has been vacant since Jenn's mom died. The cottage on Pearl Island was the site of a life-changing event for Jenn. As the only child, she reluctantly returned home. She is shocked at the condition of the house and its contents, debating whether demolition or renovation made the most sense. As she struggles with this decision, she needs inspiration for the next book in her popular mystery series. Jenn's writing has kept her away from her kids. She wants to develop a bond with them, but how? Strange events will lead her to a shift in her world and bring her in touch with her children.

Jenn is the proverbial divorced mom desiring a relationship with her children. Her focus has been on writing and custody arrangements will keep her out of her children's lives part of the time. She believes showing her kids where she grew up will bring them closer. Hurt by the divorce, healing will be slow. The events that unite Jenn and her children are unusual and I found the abrupt shift into fantasy surprising. The circumstances that Jenn and her children find themselves in are unbelievable. I never reconciled myself to the fantasy theme in the second half of the book The author has a great imagination, crafting a unique storyline. Her character development needs work. Many questions remain unanswered making the ending feel incomplete.

What a lovely weird and bizarre book! I have no idea how to box this one up because it spans many genres in such a fun and unique way. All I can say for certain is that most everyone will live this!

What a wild ride….what a charming tale. I never thought that a book about sea monsters could make me cry, but this one did. Jenni is a soon-to-be-divorced Mom of 2 who’s also the author of the popular series about the kinda female Bond. Jenni’s husband has dumped her and wants the kids. Under pressure from her editor to finish her next book, she grabs the kids and the dog and heads to Pearl Island for the summer. Jenni grew up there and it was the location of a traumatic event in her life. At age 10, Jenni meets and becomes best friends with Timmy Caruso who was visiting Pearl Island with is wealthy family for the summer. One day, Jenni and Timmy are at the beach and Timmy just disappears…no body was ever found and Jenni has never had a best friend again. Now back in Pearl Island, Jenni must decide what to do with her recently deceased Mother’s house, finish her edits and avoid increasingly angry texts from her husband. In the middle of this chaos, a 10 year old boy appears on the beach and claims to be Timmy. He befriends Jenni’s kids and says he’s return to save the world along with strange green squid-like sea creatures who love sweets. Next, there are unexplained huge waves up and down the Atlantic seaboard, missing swimmers, surfers and fishermen and the appearance of a black, huge, sea monster destroying everything in it’s path. Also the sexy contractor hired to fix up Jenni’s Mom’s house seems to always appear when needed…. It sounds crazy but this good is delightful!