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A review by harrowhcrk
The Drowning Summer by C.L. Herman
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Little, Brown Books for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Six years after three murders rocked their sleepy town, former friends Mina and Evelyn find themselves brought back together when the literal ghosts of their past come back to haunt them.
There are some strong bones to this story, and there were some bits that I really loved. I particularly appreciated how, despite having all these paranormal and haunting themes, the story wasn't particularly dark, and that character growth featured just as heavily as the mystery itself. Plus, it's just such an interesting take on ghosts--I think it was so cool how the author tied in global warming and pollution so effectively into the lore. It's such a unique take and I think it was carried out very well. And, of course, it's always so nice to see that bi rep. :)
While I actually really enjoyed the middle of this book, the first and last 25% definitely missed the mark for me. For the first 25%, the writing itself felt a lot sloppier, and the pacing of the intro was pretty all over the place. The last 25%, on the other hand, had a convoluted and underwhelming climax and ending that left me disappointed. Beyond this, throughout the book the author really falls into the hole of telling instead of showing--with pretty much everything. While some of this telling was beautifully written, it doesn't negate the fact that I would've much rather seen the characters change instead of merely being told they had. Overall, too, a lot of the descriptions were worded kind of weird to me--I don't know how else to say it, but there were plenty of little bits scattered throughout that just felt off to me. And, plotwise, having the primary event happen when the girls were 10 years old didn't quite work either.
Six years after three murders rocked their sleepy town, former friends Mina and Evelyn find themselves brought back together when the literal ghosts of their past come back to haunt them.
There are some strong bones to this story, and there were some bits that I really loved. I particularly appreciated how, despite having all these paranormal and haunting themes, the story wasn't particularly dark, and that character growth featured just as heavily as the mystery itself. Plus, it's just such an interesting take on ghosts--I think it was so cool how the author tied in global warming and pollution so effectively into the lore. It's such a unique take and I think it was carried out very well. And, of course, it's always so nice to see that bi rep. :)
While I actually really enjoyed the middle of this book, the first and last 25% definitely missed the mark for me. For the first 25%, the writing itself felt a lot sloppier, and the pacing of the intro was pretty all over the place. The last 25%, on the other hand, had a convoluted and underwhelming climax and ending that left me disappointed. Beyond this, throughout the book the author really falls into the hole of telling instead of showing--with pretty much everything. While some of this telling was beautifully written, it doesn't negate the fact that I would've much rather seen the characters change instead of merely being told they had. Overall, too, a lot of the descriptions were worded kind of weird to me--I don't know how else to say it, but there were plenty of little bits scattered throughout that just felt off to me. And, plotwise, having the primary event happen when the girls were 10 years old didn't quite work either.