If I could erase my memory just to experience this book for the first time again, I would.

The Undertow of Evelyn Graymore is everything I want in a romantasy: emotionally devastating, addictive, atmospheric, and impossible to put down. From the very first chapter, I was completely swept away by the dark siren mythology, the morally gray characters, and a story that never stopped surprising me.

As someone who used to live in Seattle, the setting was an experience all on its own. The author captured the city's atmosphere so perfectly that it felt like stepping back into a place I know by heart. From the moody waterfront to the constant drizzle that somehow becomes part of the city's charm, every detail felt authentic and brought back a wave of nostalgia.

The characters are what truly make this book shine. They feel incredibly real, making it impossible not to become emotionally invested in every choice they make. I found myself rooting for them, hurting with them, and questioning everything right alongside them.

The romance is a masterclass in slow burn. Every interaction builds the tension until you're hanging on every glance and every conversation. The love triangle never felt forced, and I genuinely understood the pull toward both love interests, which made every emotional beat hit even harder.

And then there's the ending.

I thought I had pieced together where the story was going, but I was wildly unprepared for what actually happened. The final reveal completely shattered my expectations in the best possible way, and I finished the book staring at the wall trying to process everything I'd just read.

This is one of the best romantasy books I've ever read, and I'm still reeling from that ending. I have no idea how I'm supposed to survive the wait for book two, but one thing is certain: I'll be recommending The Undertow of Evelyn Graymore to absolutely everyone.

ARC review for The Undertow of Evelyn Graymore by Matteo Franco was hands down a 5/5 ⭐️ 1/5🌶 for me. I am STILL reeling after this book and am demanding a beta copy for book 2 STAT 🤣🤞🤌🫶

I had to sit with the ending of this book for a day or two and process what happened. I was NOT expecting that ending or a cliffhanger like this. I loved how Matteo mixed fantasy, horror, and romance into one genre. The horror scenes and nightmares were INTENSE and I loved how vividly I pictured them. His writing style is INCREDIBLE.

Evelyn Graymore is a the definition of female rage and I have never cheered so hard for someone to murk a guy. Evelyn was m*rdered and dumped in the ocean by a rich affluent brute named Preston Willows. In her final moments her rage and turmoil summoned a creature of the deep, Layne Murrows, who offered her a second chance for revenge. Evelyn agrees and is reborn as a siren with the ability to eat hearts and consume the darkness of the corrupt.

Evie then sets out to find Preston and exact her revenge. While hunting and consuming Seattle's dark hearts, she meets Ethan, who works for Preston and becomes her biggest lead to track him down. In the process, she falls in love with Ethan's pure heart and kind nature. Her siren form comes with a dark catch however-- she cannot fall in love with a human or her heart's desire will be killed by the curse. To complicate things even MORE, Layne is a total hottie shadow daddy who accepts her and her darkness in her new form, but sweet anxious innocent Ethan reminds her what it's like to be human.

Evie is stuck choosing love and killing Ethan, or exacting her revenge and being with Layne and giving up her humanity. The ending of this book is INSANE and I cannot believe I have to wait for book 2 now. I am dying for more spicy romance scenes, and idk whose team I'm on because WHY CHOOSE!?

The fact that I had to sit and process what happened in this book for SO long before I could even write a review says something.
I was genuinely blown away and left speechless for hoursssssss after finishing this. This is a DEBUT novel.

Let me start this out by saying that I’m sure we all had the same hesitation when we heard this book was taking place in modern day Seattle… but I’m begging you to push past that! After reading this, I can 100% say that this book can’t take place anyway else. The whole modern day, dark, grunge, rock n roll vibes just work SO well, it’s amazing. The flow of trying to hide mystical mermaid magic in modern day was so fun to read.

This is not just another siren book, this is different, it’s dark, full of revenge, and left me needing more. In this story you follow Evelyn Graymore who has been murdered and dumped into the water. As she was taking her last water filled breath she struck a magical bargain, in hopes of getting her revenge and is brought back to life as a siren. As a siren she has the power to take her revenge on the man that hurt her, as she also finds herself in between two men that she wants for different reasons.

“For when the world tried to kill you, but you refused to stay dead. To every woman they tried to drown. This is your undertow.”

This world and characters are so well put together, the author did an incredible job of bringing the story to life! I really fell in love with the characters and the story itself. I went through every emotion with them, I was excited when they were excited, crying when they were crying..
For those of you that arnt visual readers like myself, you don’t even need to worry because there is STUNNING artwork of the characters and scenes of this book.

I am begging you to read this book. Yes, this book has a lot of hype around it already, but you won’t be disappointed, it 100% lives up to the hype.
I think I’m diving right back in for a reread as I impatiently wait for book 2!