A review by jessdekkerreads
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

Ok ok don’t come for me. I know SO many people who loved this and who cried at the end, and I can absolutely see why. I know I don’t have to “defend” my rating to anyone, and a 3 star is a good rating, but I feel like I should, as I built up this book to be my first 5 star read of the year, especially having loved both of McConaghy’s previous novels. 

I did love the writing style, as always, McConaghy is a master at atmospheric nature writing - I can always count on her for that. 

I loved the first half, the build up - but the latter half felt rushed, predictable and a bit unbelievable for MY personal taste. Like a straight to streaming B movie on Netflix. I couldn’t look past the almost “insta-love”, I needed more time, more build up to the characters’ relationship w/ one another, maybe another 50 or so pages, and a longer timeline within the story itself.  

I appreciated the messages in the story: how we each grieve differently, how there is rebirth after death; how we are lucky to love and it’s worth the fears that come with it; to not hold back in that love, to love fiercely; the current state of our natural world makes my heart ache. I loved the haunting feeling throughout and the way this family loved each other. 

This is just personal taste, very subjective, as I’m just not a plotty gal or a mystery/thriller gal, I’m a litfic girly, through and through - I was compelled to turn the page, every step of the way and I KNOW this is and will be so many people’s favorite book, it’s just not mine and that’s okay! 

Please, I urge you to go read Morgan DePerno’s review of this book on substack or bookstagram. https://open.substack.com/pub/bookshelfkeeps/p/reviewing-wild-dark-shore-by-charlotte?r=1vsiqh&utm_medium=ios

I should have listened to the audiobook, as Morgan suggests, the narration brings the characters and story to life, maybe that’s where I went wrong here.