ARC Review: The Sound of Drowning

Author: Katherine Fleet

Publisher: Page Street Publishing

Genre: YA contemporary

My Rating: 5/5 stars

Release Date: 4.9.19

Synopsis:

“Meredith Hall has a secret. Every night she takes the ferry to meet Ben, her best friend and first love. Though their relationship must remain a secret, they’ve been given a second chance, and Mer’s determined to make it work. She lost Ben once before and discovered the awful reality: she doesn’t know how to be happy without him…

Until Wyatt washes ashore―a brash new guy with a Texas twang and a personality bigger than his home state. He makes her feel reckless, excited, and alive in ways that cut through her perpetual gloom. The deeper they delve into each other’s pasts, the more Wyatt’s charms become impossible to ignore.

But a storm is brewing in the Outer Banks. When it hits, Mer finds her heart tearing in half and her carefully constructed reality slipping back into the surf. As she discovers that even the most deeply buried secrets have a way of surfacing, she’ll have to learn that nothing is forever―especially second chances.”

I AM SO SHOCKED. STILL. I cannot stop thinking about this incredible story that is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s atmospheric, gripping, and full of emotion. There are a million things I’d love to talk about that I just can’t (because spoilers, of course) so I need everybody to go preorder this book and read it as soon as possible so I have people to talk to about this masterpiece.

Katherine Fleet has a talent for plotting novels. It felt impossible to put this story down! I avoid reading in public (because I cry a lot when I read) but I refused to put this book down and even finished it (and cried A LOT) all  while hanging out in public! The story played out unpredictably and I found myself so shocked in this story I had to physically set my book down to just think. I’ve never been so shocked. I’m talking mouth hanging open, eyes wet with tears, hand on my chest type of shock.

This story couldn’t be harder to predict. Every time I thought I had a grip on what was running in the background of this story I was always proven wrong. The book is told between the present and flashbacks that together piece up the whole picture. It perfectly captured that painful build up that a story needs to full deliver a twist (it also made the twist hurt 100 times more).

The characters in this story were lovely. Mer was wonderfully complex and a compelling protagonist. I loved her different relationships and the way her character was written. She was headstrong, brave, and she felt like a real person. Wyatt was AMAZING. Oh my gosh, I loved how Fleet dug into his character more as the story continued. His development was perfect. I adored him.

Lastly, the atmoshpere in The Sound of Drowning was lovely. The island vibes and community were written perfectly! I’ve never wanted to go visit a beach or local coffee shop more than when I was reading this book.

I highly recommend you do yourself a favor and preorder this book. This story is so much more than it’s synopsis. It’s written wonderfully and a story everyone can enjoy, even if love triangles aren’t your thing. I can’t stop thinking about this book, it was truly fantastic.

Thank you so much to Page Street Publishing to sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Preorder on amazon here