I love a good thriller/horror middle grade book, so Blood in the Water was one of my most anticipated books of the year!

I loved the coastal setting (a favorite of mine when it comes to thrillers), the murder mystery elements, and the main character Kaylani. She was fierce, true to herself, and determined to find out the truth. While I guessed some of the twists at the end, others caught me by surprise. This was a perfect quick summer read!


4/5 ⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and Scholastic Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In Tiffany D Jackson’s newest middle school novel, Kaylani summers in Martha’s Vineyard for the first time, feeling almost out of place and missing her dad. One night sneaking out to the older kids beach party , tragedy strikes and leads Kaylani down the path of discovery and what truly happened. The other twelve year old girl is typical, providing the mean girl energy and of course, at least one cute boy. But the historical reflections with our main character and the commraderie with Miles is where the story really shines.

The dynamic of the 3 girls feels very sisterly; Cassie’s treating her younger sister London like a kid and London treating Kaylani like a kid, even though they are the same age. Once it gets its footing in the dynamic, it works consistent. Especially when the sisters true colors really start to show.

An easy fast paced read- I could picture myself reading this between the age of 10-12; some of the dialogue ran a little young for the age and could be a little more polished. But it was enjoyable when Kaylani was truly getting to be the 12 year old kid she was. Everytime I read a book by Tiffany D Jackson, I can’t wait to read the next one.

This young adult novel is set in Martha’s Vineyard and shows the prejudices that are present within the black culture that stems from socio-economic situations. Kaylani is sent to MV to spend the summer with family friends after her father is sent to jail for embezzlement. Kaylani spends the novel declaring her dad’s innocence, but she finds that no one wants to listens and assumes that she is of questionable morals as well.

In the young adult novel, Jackson creates a fast moving story that focuses around a murder. As Kaylani begins to question the events on the island, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. The fast plot makes it appealing to YA readers, and Jackson creates sympathy from the reader for the protagonist. However, many of the other characters are less fleshed out, relying on some stereotypical behaviors for her teenage characters.

Tiffany D. Jackson is not playing in 2025! This is my second ARC read of hers and even with this being her middle grade debut I was sucked in completely. Kaylani was truly an entire force! She never let anyone play her and she knew that right was right. She was so in love with her father and knew that he would never do anything to put her and her mom in jeopardy. Mrs. Watson was a heck of a character as well, I mean money does make even the best of us evil but we learn that she’s been this way since forever! I like how Tiffany also pinpointed how Kaylani couldn’t and refused to be a liar, and then we have the Watsons who will do ANYTHING to save face. I like how all the characters felt real and even me as a 30+ year old could still throughly enjoy this novel! Another ten out of ten Tiffany D Jackson read for me!

Okay listen! This might be a Middle Grade book for ages 9–12, but I devoured it like a full-grown mystery junkie on a beach day snack binge. If you’ve got a young reader in your life who lives for twists, turns, and summer suspense add this to their list ASAP!

Meet Kaylani a smart, sharp Brooklyn girl with a whole lot on her shoulders. Her dad’s behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit, and her mom decides a change of scenery might do her some good. So off she goes to Martha’s Vineyard with family friends… we have Mr. & Mrs. Watson, Cassie, and her former best friend London.

Kaylani’s character was such a treat clever, brave, and totally relatable. I was all in on the mystery, whispering “who did it?!” with every chapter. Tiffany D. Jackson nailed the balance of fun, friendship, and suspense. It was a true page turner.

Wow, I loved this! Even though this is a Middle Grade story, it was still such a great read to me, as a 24 year old. I loved the setting of Martha’s Vineyard and learning about the history of Black people’s connection to it! Kaylani was such a wonderful main character, struggling with the recent arrest of her dad for something he did not do. She’s decided that she wants to be a lawyer and is doing all she can to prove her dad’s innocence. Those skills come in handy with the situation she finds herself in at Martha’s Vineyard. I loved the focus on Kaylani trying to just be a kid, as her dad encouraged her to do on this trip. The friendships and investigation were so well done. Also, the twists in this were crazy! Some things were pretty predictable (because it is middle grade), but other things were so unexpected. Overall, this was an awesome story! Definitely great for a middle grade audience, but I think anyone could find enjoyment in reading this!

I think this is a good book for the right age range! Entertaining, not too difficult to understand. Seems age appropriate.

A fine first entry into middle grade fiction by Jackson. Set on Martha's Vineyard, the book follows a middle school girl from Brooklyn who comes to stay with a wealthy Black family for the summer. It blends a death investigation with the Black history of Martha's Vineyard.

This was a perfect middle grade summer mystery. I really liked the characters and hated some. The story was shorter and moved at a great pace. For me, the end seemed quick, a bit unexpected and unbelievable. But is such a great book for teens!

Ive read all of this Authors YA thrillers and this MG mystery suspense is perfect for young readers to get into the genre. The pacing and plot were good. If you are familiar with her work she builds all the suspense and until closer towards the end and then the story immediately picks up when the story unfolds. I loved everything about this being set in the Vineyards and all the history ahead also packs into the story for the reader. A definite must read!

Man I LOVED this book. I'm a big fan of this author's YA novels and this MG story didn't disappoint. This is the perfect mystery/thriller story for kids who want to get into the murder mystery genre but aren't ready for YA, or aren't sure if they'll enjoy the story. My only complain is I wish the story was a little bit longer, more character development and some more smaller incidents would have driven the plot but I know that with this being a MG book, too long isn't the best option. A great summer read!

As a debut middle grade, I am far from the target audience but if Tiffany writes it, I'm going to read it. This was captivating and a quick read.
Definitely a fun summer thriller that I would suggest to the younger readers in my life. Thank you NetGalley and Scholastic for the ARC.

That was a quick read. Cute. I liked it. Great for preteens and maybe even teenagers. I knew who the killer was but still enjoyed how reading how it got there 👌🏽

Whoaaa! Who would have ever thought YA novels would be my go-to but Tiffany D Jackson has a way of making me fall in love with them so easily! Really enjoyed the writing of this book - such a smooth & easy read. Very fast-paced yet still captivating & exciting as you go. I'm sometimes nervous about the topic content of YA books but this is one I'll buy for my daughter when it releases. Great read!

Excellent Middle School Read
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book. I have read every single one of Jackson's books. Just when I thought Jackson could not write any better, she surprised me with this one. Tiffany Jackson wrote a fantastic middle school book. Although it was not her typical language used in her previous books, but then again it shouldn't be because the age level was for middle schoolers. Kudos Ms. Jackson
I have already pre ordered this book for my classroom library back in May for September.
I truly hope Ms. Jackson continues to do more books for this age group. Well done!!

This book was amazing!. I love how real Kaylani and her life felt. I found myself ready to go to bat for her. This book kept me on my toes and engaged all the way through! I am so excited to put this book in my classroom library for my students to read.

Kaylani is a young girl from Brooklyn whose home life changes due to unfortunate circumstances. She's sent to spend the summer with a family friend in Martha’s Vineyard, where a teenage boy is found dead. The mystery surrounding his death has Kaylani determined to find answers.

I enjoy Tiffany D. Jackson’s writing and was curious to see how her style would translate into a middle-grade book—and she did not disappoint! This was such a fun YA mystery thriller. I enjoyed watching Kaylani navigate her summer at Martha’s Vineyard, handling every challenge while staying true to herself. She’s incredibly observant—very little gets past her—which is a trait we could all learn from.

Thank you, NetGalley and Scholastic, for the digital ARC.

Blood In The Water by Tiffany D. Jackson
Rating: 4.5⭐️
Pub Date: July 1, 2025

I want to start by saying that I LOVE Tiffany D. Jackson and was thrilled to see she was writing a middle grade novel. I enjoyed the story and I think it's much stronger than many of the other middle grade mystery/suspense books out there. While I think it will be appealing to the younger audience it's intended for, I wonder if maybe a few of the details could have been left out, or left vague, to make it more age appropriate for the reading level it's written at.

Wow, what a great middle grade book. I confess, I don't always find middle grade books page turners myself (but I read them for my students), however this was completely age appropriate and extremely entertaining for me. I loved the mystery plot and the amateur detective skills of the characters. I also thought it was really neat how Jackson naturally incorporated the Black history of Martha's Vineyard throughout the story as well as the Jaws inspiration/symbolism. Both plot and historical context would give readers a lot to think and talk about.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy for an honest review.

This one has some potential, but I think the story could use some more development. The writing felt rushed and there were details about the plot and character that could use more context. I approached this as a former middle school English teacher and found that the plot points surrounding Kaylani’s father and his time with the Watsons could have been further developed, as well as the context between Chadwick, his relationship with Cassie.

I could see this being a good summer read for a middle schoolers and encourage readers to remember the intended audience when reading.