I just dont like this authors writing. I want to like it, I read one other book by him and this just feels like the same book. The writing is exactly the same. The vibes are the same.

Extremely well written novel focusing on a dysfunctional family battling with trauma and abuse. This was emotionally rough reading at times…but a beautifully executed novel.

Y’all want a straight up lesson on gaslighting? Read this book 😅

Like, I lowkey have never wanted to punch a character so much as I did this dude. The author did an amazing job making me absolutely hate one of the characters. And you definitely feel yourself wondering what is truly happening.

Here’s the thing though. I have unanswered questions and I don’t like that. Without spoiling much, why did “that one person” do the stuff with the jewelry? I never got a clear answer on that and it bothers me. Especially considering what a “happy” ending the book had.

Also, the book definitely takes a while to take off and get interesting. I almost had to get 100 pages in before I became interested enough to finish in one night 😂

But, I did really like the themes of mental health and abusive relationships. And again, so many important examples of how abuse can revolve around gaslighting and emotions, not necessarily fists.

Adrift is a captivating story of a family isolated on a canal boat and the progression into toxic patterns and the desolate place it eventually leads them.

This book had the same tone as “The last thing to burn” which is one of my favorites. It comes across as a slow burn and at the same time the sinister atmosphere continues to build. You really can envision yourself in this situation and it’s terrifying.

The ending was very strong and made me very emotional. This is one of the books where the ending had the ability to bring this book from 4 to 5 stars!

ARC review for Adrift by Will Dean and… wow. My emotions were everywhere. I really went into this book blind and it totally wrecked me in a way I did not expect. It’s intense, heartbreaking, and so real that I could not put it down.

The author took on multiple tough but important topics including bullying, abuse and mental health.
Psychological abuse in a relationship isn’t easy to write about, but it was done in such a way that left you a better understanding of just how the victim can find themselves deeper than they ever expected. And why it’s not as easy as “just leaving”.
If you’re looking for something gripping, and emotional , this is it.

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I looooove Will Dean and I was so excited for a new one from him! This was a great premise- isolation, domestic suspense, and I loved the houseboat aspect. If you're as obsessed with Dean's writing as I am then you're in for a treat.

Firstly, big thanks to Net Galley & the publisher for this ARC!! This book gripped you once you started. A bit of a slow burn but, you could feel the tension, the eeriness. The author did very well building the setting, I often felt like I was on the boat with the walls caving in.

4.5 stars

A tense, claustrophobic slow-burn that pulls you deep into a family unraveling aboard a canal boat. Will Dean’s Adrift is a raw and haunting psychological thriller that captures the suffocating grip of gaslighting and isolation. Peggy and her son Samson are complex, deeply human characters whose hope flickers amid emotional turmoil and dread. The writing is immersive and powerful, though the pacing is deliberate and may not suit all readers. A compelling, unsettling read that lingers long after the last page.

Thank you to Will Dean, NetGalley, and Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Adrift is incredibly dark and unsettling in the best possible way. Will Dean draws you into a slow, creeping nightmare that’s hard to look away from. What makes it so powerful is how much you come to care for Peggy and Samson. It's a harrowing, beautifully written novel that stays with you long after you finish

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Adrift is a slow-burn descent into psychological ruin. It is claustrophobic, dreamlike, and raw. From the first page, Will Dean traps you aboard the narrow confines of a canal boat and never lets you up for air.

The novel follows Peggy,her son Samson, and the dreadful and controlling Drew, who all live on a tiny houseboat. Peggy is a woman whose quiet strength holds her fractured family together. Samson, at fourteen, is retreating inward, bullied and adrift himself, while the boat becomes both refuge and prison. As Drew isolates the family from civilization, the world tightens.

Dean’s prose is deliberately hypnotic, pulling you through Peggy’s unraveling reality. The gaslighting is realistic, made all the more harrowing by the way Dean captures Peggy’s internal conflict: a mother trying to shield her child, a woman trying to trust her instincts, a partner trapped in the ruins of love.

What makes Adrift truly chilling is its restraint. The dread simmers just below the surface—until it doesn’t.

Will Dean has written a story that feels like a bruise.

#Adrift #WillDean #AtriaBooks #PsychologicalSuspense

Thank you Netgalley and Will Dean for an advanced copy of this book!

Wow. This one hits right in the gut. Right away I was entrenched in this impending doom and isolation. It's dark, it's heavy, it's hard to read at times. Dean really puts you in the shoes of Peggy and Sammy with his writing. You feel their lack of control, Peggy's slipping, Sammy's naivete, the fear. This is not a happy book by any means which is part of the reason I could only give it 4 stars. It was just so much. It did lag a little in parts as well, which is another reason.

I also agree with another reviewer on the verbiage throughout the book. For it to be set in Midwest US there were some phrases and words used that are very clearly British and it took me out of the story every time.

Overall, this is a great book and I will be seeking out other Dean books in the future!

Will Dean's book, The Last One is one of my favorite books of all time so I was ecstatic to receive an ARC of Adrift and it did not disappoint. I've been in a bit of a reading slump but finished this in 2 days.

The story alternates POVs between Peggy and Samson, a mother and son who live on a boat with their controlling husband/father Drew. As Peggy starts to come terms to with the reality of their situation, Drew moves the boat further and further down the canal, away from the town.

In true Will Dean fashion, this book does not hold back from difficult topics, handling them in a very realistic way. I felt panicked and cornered for the characters throughout the book so it may be triggering for some people. The story had me captivated, unable to put it down because I needed to know what happened to these characters.

If you are not someone who would be triggered by this topic (along with bullying), I would highly recommend this book. I used to read a lot of thrillers but stopped because I usually saw the twist coming but Dean always manages to leave me guessing.

3⭐️ - I really wanted to rate this book higher, however it was just too much of a slow burn for me. Felt it kept dragging. I would have DNF it, however based on the 4+ rating on Goodreads, I stuck it out hoping it would get better. Finally towards the end it did, however I still wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

Tense and oppressive, you’ll feel just as boxed in as Peggy does when you open this book.

Dean’s writing here is unique and I found it a touch hard to get into at first. It’s hard to describe but his characters sometimes speak in stilted, jagged ways both in their heads and through the dialogue. But once I got used to it I realized how much it adds to the feel of this story.

Peggy is an aspiring writer and doting mother. She lives on a boat with her (also a writer) husband Drew and their son Sam. As Drew begins writing a novel, things get tense aboard their increasingly isolated floating home. Is Peggy misplacing things? Forgetting conversations? Or is something more sinister happening?

This book is heavy. You will feel uneasy, stressed, frustrated. It is a slow build. You will feel trapped and isolated. There is a moment or two where your jaw will definitely drop! I have a new character to add to my hate list. And another I absolutely adored. The ending was a satisfying wrap up and I appreciated the 2 separate epilogues.

My thanks to Atria Books and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the free ARC! This book is was kind of good, definitely not bad. I just couldn’t understand how the father is supposed to be an eloquent writer who writes beautiful poems, but grunts like a caveman and didn’t say anything above a third grade level the entire story. Basically, I wish the father had more depth.

This is an incredibly bleak and powerful read. Peggy and Drew live on a house boat with their 14 year old son, Samson, and Drew controls every aspect of their family lives. He also may or may not (according to Peggy) have committed a terrible crime when he was a teenager himself. As Drew doubles down on his gaslighting and mental/emotional abuse of Peggy, Samson is desperately experiencing his own coming of age and grappling with bullying, first love, grief and loss, and struggling to understand and make sense of the power dynamic between his parents. The chapters alternate between Samson and Peggy's point of view, and they are a complex, vulnerable mother and son who dream of life away from their current reality. It is a difficult read in the sense that there are very few bright spots of hope for these two characters, though they do exist in small bursts. The writing is raw and honest and compelling, and I truly couldn't put it down. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atria for this ARC! I think a lot of people will be talking about this book next year when it's published.

⛴ Adrift in Darkness: A Tense, Emotional Gut-Punch of a Read

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Peggy and Drew, two aspiring writers, live on an isolated canal boat with their fourteen-year-old son, Sammy. As Peggy’s writing takes off and Drew’s resentment builds, he moves their boat farther from civilization. With the family cut off and the pressures mounting, old traumas rise to the surface—and Drew’s gaslighting ignites a catastrophic unraveling.


When I read the Dear Reader note at the start of this book and saw all the emotions I might feel, I didn’t expect just how intensely angry I’d become. Drew is one of the most despicable, infuriating characters I’ve ever encountered. I wanted to climb into the pages and—well, I’ll spare the confession. Let’s just say I felt every ounce of rage Peggy and Sammy couldn’t always voice.

This is not a light or happy read. It’s dark, suffocating, emotionally raw—and yet I couldn’t put it down. The writing pulled me in, even as I wanted to look away. I was completely absorbed.

The bullying Sammy endures broke my heart. The school scenes were as hard to read as the gaslighting at home. And Drew’s manipulation? Absolutely chilling. If you’ve ever known someone with a toxic hold over another person’s life, this book will hit hard.

But amid all the darkness are two beautifully written characters. Peggy and Sammy are the heart of this story—vulnerable, complex, and impossible not to root for. I felt their hope, their fear, their exhaustion. Sammy especially stole my heart: brave, wise, and deeply empathetic, dreaming of freedom with a one-way train ticket in hand. Peggy, too, felt so real—fragile, strong, torn. As someone who has studied psychology and often tries to see the good even in damaged people… I found no compassion left for Drew. He drained every ounce of it.

The tension on the boat was claustrophobic. I could feel the isolation, the dread, the sense of being emotionally and physically trapped. Dean’s writing is vivid, immersive, and emotionally charged. Every scene felt real. Every emotion lingered long after I put the book down.

This was my first Will Dean novel, and it will not be my last. His writing has a natural flow and emotional depth that’s hard to come by. Adrift is domestic psychological suspense at its finest. If you enjoy authors like Lucinda Berry—who tackle trauma, pain, and psychological complexity—this one’s for you.

Mark your calendars: Adrift releases February 17, 2026. Add it to your TBR. You won’t regret it.

Thank you to Will Dean, NetGalley, and Artia Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book would be great for anybody studying abuse or controlling relationships. The story centers around a family of 3 with a controlling father who has cut them off from almost everybody and lives on a boat. It was a very slow moving and methodical novel. I personally couldn’t get into the story very well but others may find themselves engrossed.

Will Dean’s “Adrift” is a slow burn, psychological thriller that despite taking place on a boat, doesn’t really go anywhere.

You follow the Jenkins family, tough and hardened father, Drew, a gaslighter and controlling husband to Peggy and their son, Samson “Sammy”. What you get page one is the same experience you’ll get page 350 - for better or worse. Told from the PoV of mom and son, you will figure out very quickly that things are not what they seem and dad is probably not alright (but he is probably alt-right).

Despite how readable it was, it is fairly one note and followed the same formula start to finish: Son is bullied at school, mom is gaslit, dad is controlling (…and repeat). There are a few plot points here and some characters that appear on the outskirts of this story — one in particular seems to show up later on and have an (undeserved) impact on the Jenkins’ lives — that add some flavor to a sometimes stale story. But otherwise, this is by the books.

Can’t fault author Will Dean, who’s telling a story like this in a genre full to the brim with “suspenseful” family dramas. Despite the change of scenery here — we’re on a (house) boat! — he unfortunately doesn’t present a story that says or does anything new here. Set sail but for those worried, just don’t forget the Dramamine. Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

I have never wanted something bad to happen to a character so badly until Andrew Jenkins. I found myself feeling as though I was the one with the lapsing memory or slightly confused as Peggy had been. Some twists and turns had me saying "REALLY BUT WHY", thankfully those were resolved by the end. What I can say most is thank the world for people like Mr. Turner and Phoenix.