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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
e-arc provided by netgalley and the lovely publisher for providing this copy in exchange for an honest review
You can read my review of this gripping myster here: https://3mmakatariina.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/the-drowning
You can read my review of this gripping myster here: https://3mmakatariina.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/the-drowning
Twenty one years ago eight your old Joey Proctor was dropped off at summer camp a few days before he was to go home he disappears without a trace. Boys at the camp blame the urban legend John Otis, the evil man who is rumored to have been behind the disappearance of several boys in the same woods of the summer camp. The police are called and they believe Joey just wondered off or ran away due to his parents marital problems. Camp counselor and swim instructor Alex Mason knows what really happened, he left Joey on a raft in the middle of the lake that afternoon, to teach him a lesson he can either learn to swim or stay in the raft and try to swim back! Alex forgot about Joey after leaving him out there and now Joey is gone! Alex isn’t going to tell anyone what happened he doesn’t want to destroy his future due to a simple “mistake “ . Alex’s life goes on and twenty years later he’s older and extremely wealthy and has long forgotten his “mistake “, he lives in a mansion with his perfect wife and two daughters, until the day things start going wrong for him. Alex receives a sinister message in his pool “remember me” in blood! After the pool incident other strange events start happening. Threats against his family and him dark reminders of that day at camp that only Alex or Joey know about. Is someone out for revenge is Joey still alive? Or is someone else out for revenge against Alex. Alex is determined to figure out whose doing this to him before it’s to late. This was a quick read for me fast paced and extremely suspending. This whole book I was at the edge of my seat! The author has an amazing writing style! I highly recommend if you love a good mystery! Four stars!
OK, so my first thoughts with this book were, "Who the F leaves an 8 years old, who can't swim, on a raft in the middle on a freaking lake??!?!"... Alex Mason that's who.
So let's recap here to how we get to poor little Joey alone on a raft.
Alex Mason is a counselor at Camp Waukeelo, and also the camp swim instructor. Alex made a promise that ALL his campers would be swimming by the end of summer. Alex failed to consider children who are just too scared of water. Frustrated by Joey's fear to swim, Alex throws Joey in the lake, swims him over to the raft in the deep part, and tells him to either swim back or stay on the raft and die. (Kinda harsh, who employed this jerk to be a counselor for young kids?!?)
Welp, guess what ladies and gents, Alex forgets about Joey on the raft until hours later. By this time Joey is gone and no one knows where he went. Divers and rescuers searched lake and land, but little Joey was never seen or heard from again.
The books then fast forwards 21 years when Alex is at the top of his game. He owns a multi-million dollar real estate investment company specializing in the Hotel industry. He is married to a gorgeous wife and has two daughters.
What starts as taunting and vandalism, quickly escalates to more sinister endings. Someone out there wants Alex to remember Joey and what Alex did to him. From blood in his pool, to cryptic messages, some one is playing Alex. The taunts slowly start to unhinge Alex, and make him become his own worst enemy.
**
This was a nice quick easy read. I will admit the ending threw me off my game a bit. The title "The Drowning" is explained; but in a much different way that I anticipated. Everything was detailed and explained thoroughly throughout the book; but the ending didn't hold as much thoughtfulness in concluding everything. Just seemed to be quickly wrapped up; which left me with a bit too unanswered.
So let's recap here to how we get to poor little Joey alone on a raft.
Alex Mason is a counselor at Camp Waukeelo, and also the camp swim instructor. Alex made a promise that ALL his campers would be swimming by the end of summer. Alex failed to consider children who are just too scared of water. Frustrated by Joey's fear to swim, Alex throws Joey in the lake, swims him over to the raft in the deep part, and tells him to either swim back or stay on the raft and die. (Kinda harsh, who employed this jerk to be a counselor for young kids?!?)
Welp, guess what ladies and gents, Alex forgets about Joey on the raft until hours later. By this time Joey is gone and no one knows where he went. Divers and rescuers searched lake and land, but little Joey was never seen or heard from again.
The books then fast forwards 21 years when Alex is at the top of his game. He owns a multi-million dollar real estate investment company specializing in the Hotel industry. He is married to a gorgeous wife and has two daughters.
What starts as taunting and vandalism, quickly escalates to more sinister endings. Someone out there wants Alex to remember Joey and what Alex did to him. From blood in his pool, to cryptic messages, some one is playing Alex. The taunts slowly start to unhinge Alex, and make him become his own worst enemy.
**
This was a nice quick easy read. I will admit the ending threw me off my game a bit. The title "The Drowning" is explained; but in a much different way that I anticipated. Everything was detailed and explained thoroughly throughout the book; but the ending didn't hold as much thoughtfulness in concluding everything. Just seemed to be quickly wrapped up; which left me with a bit too unanswered.
Well-written! Was a page turner for sure, a book I couldn't wait to get back to when I wasn't reading it. Great twist! Highly recommend.
The Drowning is a who-dun-it following Alex, a rich and famous business man whose past comes back to haunt him. In the vein of Gone Girl, Smith weaves a tale that makes you both root for and against Alex. The book is well written, but with so many twists and turns I found myself having to go back to catch up. Definantly worth picking up.
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I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
---
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Who hasn’t heard a ghost story at camp, or when on a sleepover with friends? Normally, that’s exactly what these things are, stories, but for Joey Proctor and Alex Mason, the story becomes reality. The Drowning is cleverly shaped between the past and present, and charts the ripples and waves that occur from one thoughtless incident decades previously. It’s a clever psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing, and that had me hooked – I devoured the book in one evening!
All in all, I enjoyed ‘The Drowning’, and especially the depiction of characters – you’re given just enough information, but also enough scope to create your own picture. I’d have loved some of the smaller characters to be developed more deeply – Stephen, for example, seemed to play a pivotal role early on and then rarely mentioned. (I suspect however that this wouldn’t have contributed hugely in terms of narrative, but would have been nice for my own indulgence!)
Likewise, I found the ending unsatisfactory, mainly in the way that Alex doesn’t seem to experience justice from his crimes (not the original incident, but ones that occur through his blind ambition to keep the past hidden), but perhaps that’s why the book is a success – the reader is given the chance to shape their own ending for the story’s protagonists. What does happen to Alex? And more importantly, what did happen to Joey? I imagine ‘The Drowning’ will be playing on my mind for a while!
All in all, I enjoyed ‘The Drowning’, and especially the depiction of characters – you’re given just enough information, but also enough scope to create your own picture. I’d have loved some of the smaller characters to be developed more deeply – Stephen, for example, seemed to play a pivotal role early on and then rarely mentioned. (I suspect however that this wouldn’t have contributed hugely in terms of narrative, but would have been nice for my own indulgence!)
Likewise, I found the ending unsatisfactory, mainly in the way that Alex doesn’t seem to experience justice from his crimes (not the original incident, but ones that occur through his blind ambition to keep the past hidden), but perhaps that’s why the book is a success – the reader is given the chance to shape their own ending for the story’s protagonists. What does happen to Alex? And more importantly, what did happen to Joey? I imagine ‘The Drowning’ will be playing on my mind for a while!
I knew from the reviews that the ending would leave lots of questions. I feel like the author left it up to us to fill in the blanks.
I received a copy of The Drowning through a Goodreads giveaway.
3.5 stars
I really liked the premise of The Drowning and the storyline was great. Alex as a main character had no redeeming qualities so it made the book hard to connect with. The supporting characters were somewhat flat as well. The ending tied up a few loose ends, but left a whole lot of questions. It didn't leave a satisfied feeling as I have with other mystery thrillers.
3.5 stars
I really liked the premise of The Drowning and the storyline was great. Alex as a main character had no redeeming qualities so it made the book hard to connect with. The supporting characters were somewhat flat as well. The ending tied up a few loose ends, but left a whole lot of questions. It didn't leave a satisfied feeling as I have with other mystery thrillers.
Joey looked into the water at the edge of the dock, and beneath the reflected ripple of sunlight saw nothing but darkness and depth and mystery. He’d never been in water that deep, never explored what lived there.
This is such a fast-paced story, told in alternating perspectives between current time and 15 years previous (Seven years after Joey Proctor had disappeared). Generally, I prefer books with singular narratives rather than multi-character ones, but for this story, the multi-narrative works well because it's interconnected. I like the fact that it's told from a first-person narrative, which makes me feel close to the characters. Also, the storyline moves along nicely and is logically structured. Not sure a child disappearance can ever be classified as an enjoyable read but this kept me reading until late into the night. This is a psychological suspense novel by a wonderful author that will dismay you and surprise you.
Such a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The author skillfully portrays the intensity of the emotions. There are several surprising twists to the plot that kept me guessing right till the end. This was a brilliant case of a novel being both character and plot driven, I was totally captivated by this fast-paced and suspenseful domestic thriller and look forward to reading more from J.P. Smith.
Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and J.P. Smith for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#TheDrowning #NetGalley
All my reviews can be found here: https://shelleyann01.blogspot.com
This is such a fast-paced story, told in alternating perspectives between current time and 15 years previous (Seven years after Joey Proctor had disappeared). Generally, I prefer books with singular narratives rather than multi-character ones, but for this story, the multi-narrative works well because it's interconnected. I like the fact that it's told from a first-person narrative, which makes me feel close to the characters. Also, the storyline moves along nicely and is logically structured. Not sure a child disappearance can ever be classified as an enjoyable read but this kept me reading until late into the night. This is a psychological suspense novel by a wonderful author that will dismay you and surprise you.
Such a gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The author skillfully portrays the intensity of the emotions. There are several surprising twists to the plot that kept me guessing right till the end. This was a brilliant case of a novel being both character and plot driven, I was totally captivated by this fast-paced and suspenseful domestic thriller and look forward to reading more from J.P. Smith.
Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and J.P. Smith for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.
#TheDrowning #NetGalley
All my reviews can be found here: https://shelleyann01.blogspot.com
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5
[b:The Drowning|42347675|The Drowning|J.P. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539622731s/42347675.jpg|61879909] by [a:J.P. Smith|6570733|J.P. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1545253175p2/6570733.jpg] was my first time reading this author, but this book was so good that it definitely will not be my last!
What it's about: The legend goes that a little boy goes missing every 7 years at Camp Waukeelo in Massachusetts. So when the camp swimming instructor Alex leaves 8-year-old Joey Proctor out on a raft and he disappears, it seems like the legend is repeating itself. But no one besides Alex knows he left Joey out on the raft by himself, or so he thinks... Fast forward 21 years later and Alex is a successful businessman, but it seems like his past is finally catching up with him. Is Joey back for revenge, or is someone else out to get him? Only time will tell.
The end of this book is pretty open-ended which is usually something I hate, but for some reason with The Drowning it worked for me. I ended up figuring out part of the ending towards the end before it was revealed, but that didn't stop me from really enjoying this book. There are multiple viewpoints and very short chapters, and both of these combined made this an incredibly fast read. In fact, I managed to read it in one sitting and in under four hours. So if you are looking for a super fast read that you can get through in one sitting, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I really enjoyed J.P. Smith's writing style, and am a little disappointed in myself that I didn't read anything by him sooner. I did see that he says his other books are usually classified more as literary fiction, but since I enjoyed his writing so much I have a sneaky suspension I will love his other books as well.
Final Thought: If you don't mind open-ended endings in a book (one MAJOR loose thread), but love theorizing for yourself then I would recommend reading The Drowning. There were enough twists that it still kept me guessing, and the pace kept me interested the entire time. Bottom line, I definitely recommend this book!
So happy to have received this book for free from The Book Drop https://www.thebookdrop.com/ as part of being one of their Brand Ambassadors.
[b:The Drowning|42347675|The Drowning|J.P. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1539622731s/42347675.jpg|61879909] by [a:J.P. Smith|6570733|J.P. Smith|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1545253175p2/6570733.jpg] was my first time reading this author, but this book was so good that it definitely will not be my last!
What it's about: The legend goes that a little boy goes missing every 7 years at Camp Waukeelo in Massachusetts. So when the camp swimming instructor Alex leaves 8-year-old Joey Proctor out on a raft and he disappears, it seems like the legend is repeating itself. But no one besides Alex knows he left Joey out on the raft by himself, or so he thinks... Fast forward 21 years later and Alex is a successful businessman, but it seems like his past is finally catching up with him. Is Joey back for revenge, or is someone else out to get him? Only time will tell.
The end of this book is pretty open-ended which is usually something I hate, but for some reason with The Drowning it worked for me. I ended up figuring out part of the ending towards the end before it was revealed, but that didn't stop me from really enjoying this book. There are multiple viewpoints and very short chapters, and both of these combined made this an incredibly fast read. In fact, I managed to read it in one sitting and in under four hours. So if you are looking for a super fast read that you can get through in one sitting, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I really enjoyed J.P. Smith's writing style, and am a little disappointed in myself that I didn't read anything by him sooner. I did see that he says his other books are usually classified more as literary fiction, but since I enjoyed his writing so much I have a sneaky suspension I will love his other books as well.
Final Thought: If you don't mind open-ended endings in a book (one MAJOR loose thread), but love theorizing for yourself then I would recommend reading The Drowning. There were enough twists that it still kept me guessing, and the pace kept me interested the entire time. Bottom line, I definitely recommend this book!
So happy to have received this book for free from The Book Drop https://www.thebookdrop.com/ as part of being one of their Brand Ambassadors.