• Beautiful writing
• Achingly human
• Amazing portrayal of grief
• Characters you feel invested in
• Predictable but intriguing mystery
• Atmospheric and immersive
• Job inspo because I would kill to cozy up and get paid to transcribe old tapes
• Really cool magic system (not even sure if it's magic but just read it and find out)

The Underwood Tapes is a story of grief, mixed in with with a thrilling story of time-travel.

Grace is spending the summer with uncle after losing her mom, in her mom’s hometown. She starts an internship at the historical society transcribing tapes that were originally documenting town archives. Somehow Grace starts talking with the boy who originally made the tapes, 30 years prior. Her job and conversations make her look into more history about the town and she starts piecing together a 50 and 30 year old mystery that relates to the Underwood family.

This is a fantastic story about navigating grief, small towns, and the secrets they keep.

Omg, The Underwood Tapes by Amanda DeWitt is such a wild ride! The mystery totally sucks you in, and the characters are so fun and relatable—it’s impossible not to root for them. I loved the mix of humour and suspense; it made the whole thing feel super fresh and exciting. There were a few parts I wanted more from, but honestly, it was such a fun read I didn’t even care. If you love twisty mysteries with awesome characters, you’ve gotta check this one out!

✰ 3.25 stars ✰

​​​​“Time is like a tide here,​ pulling us along with it and finally, finally pushing us together.​”

​​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Time, itself, is such a strange and unexplained phenomenon that the way they were able to communicate was interesting and intriguing. The way The Underwood Tapes served as a ​mysterious gateway​ -'all too new—too fragile, too daring, too impossible—​' that not only to figuring out the truth behind Jake's disappearance, as well as his own mysterious family, but also how it helped not one, but two people find closure in the grips of dealing with the unsolved and unresolved grief of a loved one's death.​ 😔

​“​How impossible must it be to lose someone and not even know why? How impossible, to lose someone and never be able to tell the truth?”

​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ For that was truly what was explored and touched upon the most​. The author vividly captured Grace's hurt and heartache. The lengths and the extent one would do to help themselves understand, while al​s​o finding a way to forgive and move on from a death that has shattered their hearts so much that living pales in comparison to their not being there.​ 💔​ 'Grief is all different yet​ all the same, so much like looking in a mirror that it hurts.​' Grace and Jake were still bearing the trauma of a loss so heavy that it made them desperate to find the much-needed closure to it.​

​“​How often do you get to talk to someone through time?”

​​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Grace and Jake's friendship was also depicted in a beautiful light - a true kinship of recognizing in the other the loneliness, as well as the guilt of carrying the trauma for so long that it shielded their hearts to everything else.​ The cassette tapes was a nice nostalgic touch - 'something that can’t be destroyed but can’t be held either​' - a memory of a recording that is 'like a little piece of​ them is saved forever.' 🥺​ Jake's story, especially is the centerfold of Grace's determination to not only understand her mother's reluctance to return to Hermitage, Florida - ​a town 'stuck in its own cycles, in the endless push and pull of the​ tide' - but also, what really happened to Jake's uncle, and most importantly, Jake, as well.​ And yes, I have to commend the description of the Gulf and the tide - the swell of uncertainty that lay in its force and the hypnotic pull it had on the characters.... 😢

​​“There’s nothing you can actually say that will put the world back together again when it’s fallen apart.”

​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ​I do think the mystery was a predictable one, but it was nicely built upon​ as Grace followed the trail from cassettes to newspaper clippings to eventually bending time to discover the truth. The fear and uncertainty of the horrible truth that Grace would not only witness but shed light on was vividly captured. ​'You can’t let it go, or time won’t let​ go of you?​' However, the ending sadly faltered in a severely anti-climatic way that just brought down the reading experience. 🙎🏻‍♀️​ I liked the way The Hurricane Club was a way for Grace to feel closer to her mother, how it also paved the way to hidden truths and secrets buried for so long that even their reveal was not as satisfying as it could have been. But, still, I felt ​at least​ spirits and hearts were ​finally put to rest - especially for Jake. A heart-wrenching guilt and burden lifted from both hearts, which perhaps, was the most rewarding and deserving part about it. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

​​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It is a heartfelt and sincere depiction of how we learn to forgive ourselves and not shoulder the blame for something that was not in our control. In solving Jake's mystery, Grace also comes to terms with her own pain, which in a way helped Jake, too. It is impossible to imagine the past merging with the present, but time can reach beyond the scope of our possibilities. And how it takes patience as well as closure to take a step forward 'one foot in front of the other, Mom used to tell me. It’s what you do when you feel like you can’t do anything else.' 🙏🏻

​*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✰ 3.25 stars ✰

​​​​“Time is like a tide here,​ pulling us along with it and finally, finally pushing us together.​”

​​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Time, itself, is such a strange and unexplained phenomenon that the way they were able to communicate was interesting and intriguing. The way The Underwood Tapes served as a ​mysterious gateway​ -'all too new—too fragile, too daring, too impossible—​' that not only to figuring out the truth behind Jake's disappearance, as well as his own mysterious family, but also how it helped not one, but two people find closure in the grips of dealing with the unsolved and unresolved grief of a loved one's death.​ 😔

​“​How impossible must it be to lose someone and not even know why? How impossible, to lose someone and never be able to tell the truth?”

​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ For that was truly what was explored and touched upon the most​. The author vividly captured Grace's hurt and heartache. The lengths and the extent one would do to help themselves understand, while al​s​o finding a way to forgive and move on from a death that has shattered their hearts so much that living pales in comparison to their not being there.​ 💔​ 'Grief is all different yet​ all the same, so much like looking in a mirror that it hurts.​' Grace and Jake were still bearing the trauma of a loss so heavy that it made them desperate to find the much-needed closure to it.​

​“​How often do you get to talk to someone through time?”

​​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ Grace and Jake's friendship was also depicted in a beautiful light - a true kinship of recognizing in the other the loneliness, as well as the guilt of carrying the trauma for so long that it shielded their hearts to everything else.​ The cassette tapes was a nice nostalgic touch - 'something that can’t be destroyed but can’t be held either​' - a memory of a recording that is 'like a little piece of​ them is saved forever.' 🥺​ Jake's story, especially is the centerfold of Grace's determination to not only understand her mother's reluctance to return to Hermitage, Florida - ​a town 'stuck in its own cycles, in the endless push and pull of the​ tide' - but also, what really happened to Jake's uncle, and most importantly, Jake, as well.​ And yes, I have to commend the description of the Gulf and the tide - the swell of uncertainty that lay in its force and the hypnotic pull it had on the characters.... 😢

​​“There’s nothing you can actually say that will put the world back together again when it’s fallen apart.”

​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ​I do think the mystery was a predictable one, but it was nicely built upon​ as Grace followed the trail from cassettes to newspaper clippings to eventually bending time to discover the truth. The fear and uncertainty of the horrible truth that Grace would not only witness but shed light on was vividly captured. ​'You can’t let it go, or time won’t let​ go of you?​' However, the ending sadly faltered in a severely anti-climatic way that just brought down the reading experience. 🙎🏻‍♀️​ I liked the way The Hurricane Club was a way for Grace to feel closer to her mother, how it also paved the way to hidden truths and secrets buried for so long that even their reveal was not as satisfying as it could have been. But, still, I felt ​at least​ spirits and hearts were ​finally put to rest - especially for Jake. A heart-wrenching guilt and burden lifted from both hearts, which perhaps, was the most rewarding and deserving part about it. ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

​​​ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ It is a heartfelt and sincere depiction of how we learn to forgive ourselves and not shoulder the blame for something that was not in our control. In solving Jake's mystery, Grace also comes to terms with her own pain, which in a way helped Jake, too. It is impossible to imagine the past merging with the present, but time can reach beyond the scope of our possibilities. And how it takes patience as well as closure to take a step forward 'one foot in front of the other, Mom used to tell me. It’s what you do when you feel like you can’t do anything else.' 🙏🏻

​*Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

warm and sweet take on friendships building across time. there's a mystery constantly going on, kinda, but the friendship is the star. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

Amanda DeWitt’s The Underwood Tapes is a quirky, heartfelt mystery that blends humor and emotion with a unique narrative style. Told through a series of tapes, this engaging story follows the protagonist as they uncover secrets while navigating the challenges of family, identity, and belonging. DeWitt’s witty writing and memorable characters make this an enjoyable read for fans of character-driven mysteries with heart.

This book really made me sad about my own archival job because I don't get to solve mysteries or talk to people who disappeared decades ago.

I don't typically read much contemporary with paranormal elements or magical realism stories, but The Underwood Tapes intrigued me. I don't know exactly what genre to classify it as, but it's a story about dealing with grief and the dark pasts of small towns.
After losing her mother in a tragic car accident, Grace decides to spend the summer in her mother's hometown working at the local archives. She's given the task of listening to audio transcriptions when she realizes that she can share messages with the last boy to work in the archives, Jake Underwood. I liked the mystery elements a lot, and I honestly didn't mind the "drama" parts either. The paranormal aspects were incorporated pretty well, though we never fully address how/why things happen...though I guess that's fine for the genre. I did think the ending was pretty rushed (there's barely even a chapter of resolution), and I didn't cry, but I liked the story as a whole and enjoyed trying to figure out the plot twists.
I also liked most of the characters. I liked Grace as a main character and narrator, and from what I've seen in other reviews, her actions are relatable for someone who is grieving. Jake reminded me of Charles from Dead Boy Detectives for some reason, and I was really intrigued by his personality/reactions to everything. The older secondary characters were also all interesting, especially when they reacted to Grace's accusations and questions. I didn't mind Lara or Griffin, but they didn't get much page time.
Fans of low-stakes mysteries, small-town secrets, and stories of grief will enjoy The Underwood Tapes.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4/5

HUGE thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me this ARC.

This bool better get the attention it deserves when it will be out in february, it deserves everything! Please someone make a special edition of this book.

This book was everything, more than it promises, it will stay in your mind for a while after you finish it.

This is a story about love (not romance don't get me wrong), grief and hope. This book was really well crafted.
The characters were deep and I loved how they interacted with each other and see their relationships evolve as the story goes.

We follow Grace who is grief stricken by the recent loss of her mother and decides to leave her home for the summer and goes to the town where her mother had grown up and where no one seems to ever leaves.
She is doing an internship were she has to transcribe tapes registered by Jake who was a teen at the same time as her mother.
Along that we follow mysteries about a family that no one seems to want to talk about. Grace is determined to discovers the truth.

This book is just so good, just read it. I have so much love for it.
You know, you know how the book is going to end but you are still heartbroken in the end but you're also happy and sad and happy to have read this story.

I absolutely loved how everything played out with the tapes. I originally picked up this book because it made me think about Archives 81 ( which is nothing alike storywise). It was well used and it was interesting to read about, two people in different time communicating through tapes.

I will just finish this review by recommanding this book, I'll be recommanding it a lot to my friends too.

If you were here with me, you would possibly fighting with tears because this book is beautiful and my heart is still trying to ease into the realisation which will hit you when you read the conversations between Jake and Grace and the way friendships build, even many years apart. Sometimes it takes only two record players and sometimes all you have to do is take one step after another.

This book is intricately woven, with exactly the right balance between past and present, fleshed out side characters, exploration of generational trauma and growth, and a gripping mystery at the center. The Underwood Tapes is starkly different in tone compared to Amanda DeWitt’s other books, but no less impressive. This one gripped me and didn’t let me go—I suspect it won’t for a very long time.

Thank you Peachtree and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Absolutely loved! Grace Cain’s mother just died and she is struggling. She decides to move to her mom’s hometown to feel more connected to her. She gets a job at a museum, she’s transcribing tapes from the 1990s. The tapes were made by Jake Underwood and somehow the two make a connection a crossed time. Together they’ll work to solve a mystery from the 70’s. Can they solve it? How are they able to communicate? This one had me in my feels! I felt for both of them as they processed their grief and helped each other! A unique tale of loss, time travel, mystery, and hope! Highly recommend!

I always find the concept of time bending fascinating, so this book's premise hooked me from the start. It got retro elements, intriguing mystery, and important message about grief. The writing style is fluid, the portion of narrative and dialogue is just right, and the crafted first person POV helps me see Grace's struggle and feelings without feeling overwhelmed. No wonder I could spend an entire evening finishing this book with just little stops.

While the supernatural part is interesting and the emotion portrayal is realistic, I wish the stakes were higher like it was promised, because I was surprised Grace took it rather easily and not being cautious enough. And sometimes when I was engrossed with Grace and Jake's interaction, the next page would tell about something else and it felt like something jerks my shoulders. So did when the investigation was just about to escalate, the next thing would explain about the town or something, and I lost the vibe.

I also wanted more of Jake and Grace! They are definitely best friends but it needs more than Jake's excitement and Grace's voice to make it to "I love you romantically" phase.

I liked the concept, the writing, the cassette tape aspect and how it becomes the 'wormhole' for Jake and Grace. However, I found the ending underwhelming and there are so much stuff going on that it put relationship between Jake and Grace a little behind the focus. If you want to explore YA with a magical twist and/or are currently on reading slump, pick this book.

The Underwood Tapes is a complex book dealing with the loss of a parent, teenage grief, time travel, mystery, and self discovery. Grace Crain is a young woman struggling with the sudden death of her mother. She travels to her mother's home town and works in the small museum where she transcribes cassette tapes from the 1990s. She makes a connection through the tapes with the Jake Underwood, the boy recording the tapes in 1991. Grace and Jake work together to solve a mystery that occurred in 1972.

This book has a little bit of "The Lake House" vibes without the romance. The time travel concept was interesting and unique. Both main characters, Grace and Jake, are struggling to deal with the loss of a parent while trying to find meaning in their lives with that parent gone. Their grief they experience is palpable at time.

I enjoyed this book, and I would recommend it to students who are grieving.

Trigger Warning: Excessive use of the F-word, death of a parent, mention of suicide.

3.75 stars. Really close to 4.
I think my main issue with this book is that I’m a few years off of the targeted demographic, and I struggle with connecting to a teen character. However, everything else in this book hit me in a way I wasn’t expecting. Even tho I didn’t had the cathartic cry I was promised, I did got emotional.

the threat of me crying in a brewery as i read this was real enough that im sniffling and pretending its allergies in late October. thankfully no one called me on it because GOD a parent being dead and you not coping well is so relatable

Actual rating: 3.5

Well, that ending was kinda disappointing? I found this book extremely compelling and I loved the timey-wimey elements and the way Grace and Jake were connected across thirty years. I don’t like how it all resolves though. I was also promised a cathartic cry by the synopsis, but it did not deliver. There are some really great emotional moments and great examinations of grief and dealing with the loss of a parent. I also did like the ways Hermitage being such a small, insular town played into the way the secrets of Hurricane Club and Underwood family were buried and kept secret for so long. I had trouble putting this book down and I overall enjoyed the journey that Grace and Jake were on and the mystery was interesting, but the resolution was lackluster for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy!
I'm a sucker for anything time travel related. So, when this popped-up it was an immediate request. I really love the way it is dealt with here. Because it shows that time doesn't change, everything you find out through the story is set in stone. Everything has already happened and now you have to watch it play out with all the grief and tragedy that ensues. If you like everything explained and wrapped up, I wouldn't recommend this one. There are still quite a few questions, I would have answered or I would have liked stretched out a bit more, but this was a good read.

I have to admit that it took me some time to get into this story. Grace was constantly listening to those tapes, and I was waiting until something would happen. But when she sent Jake a message, and he sent one back, the good part began!

I’m always a sucker for sadder books, and I loved how Amanda DeWitt gave grief a place in this book without referring to it directly. It just lurks in the background but is always there. But this story is not only about grief. It is about healing, too.

What I love is that this story is so different from her previous books. I still love Wren Martin Ruins it All the most, but this one is also great!

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in February next year. I cannot express how much this book had me in a chokehold. It's so fucking good. Excuse me while I go sit with my emotions.