A review by aforestofbooks
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I really truly wanted to love this book. After reading Juniper and Thorn I had such high hopes, but unfortunately this book just didn't live up to my exceptions. Ava discusses a lot of important themes in her stories, and this book is no exception. My main issue was with the main character and the enemies-to-lovers romance. Effy was just not very likeable, and while she has reasons for being the way she is, it made it really difficult to enjoy the story. Her interactions with Preston in the beginning felt almost forced, like the author was really trying to push the "enemies" part of their relationship. It wasn't until chapter 7/8 when I finally started to feel a little more invested in the story. Considering the book is 17 chapters long, that's pretty much the halfway mark. The romance made me roll my eyes a little, but that's definitely me. I think after reading Emily Wilde, my romance expectations were higher, and everything about Effy and Preston constantly touching annoyed me. Like at one point I just wanted to shake them and tell them to hurry up lol. I did kind of guess where things were headed, so the ending wasn't super shocking to me, and while the vibes were definitely there to an extent (I mostly mean spooky vibes, I don't know if I would personally classify this book as dark academia), it didn't improve my overall experience of reading this book.