e-Audio, 07:20:57
Narrated by: Alejandro Antonio Ruiz
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Published by: HarperCollins
Read from: June 4-5, 2025
Stand-alone (?)
Source: Netgalley (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher and the Netgalley app. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Death, Mention of Drowning
For Readers Interested In: Audio, Horror, Sparkly Cover, Netgalley, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Puerto Rican), YAFans of You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight and Your Lonely Nights Are Over will love this thrilling YA horror about a string of disappearances and “accidental” drownings in the Hamptons, the changing relationship between two best friends, and their desperate attempt to not be the next victims of a Lovecraftian monster terrorizing the coastline.
All Gabi wants is to spend the summer in his room, surrounded by his Funkos and books, but with his mom traveling, his bags are packed for the last place he wants to visit—the Hamptons. Staying with his best friend should have him willing to peek out of his cave, but ever since Ruth’s nouveau riche family moved, their friendship has been off.
Surrounded by mansions, country clubs, and Ruth’s new boyfriend, Frost Thurston—the axis that Hampton society orbits around—it doesn’t take long for Gabi to feel completely out of place. But when he witnesses a woman being pulled under the ocean water, and no one—not the police or anyone else in the Hamptons—seems to care, Gabi starts to wonder if maybe the beachside town’s bad vibes are more real than he thought.
As the “accidental” deaths and drownings begin to climb, Gabi knows he’ll need proof to convince Ruth they’re all in danger. And while the Thurston family name keeps rising to the top, along with every fresh body, what’s worst is that all the signs point to something lurking beneath the water—something with tentacles and a thirst for blood. Can Gabi figure out how the two are intertwined and put an end to the string of deaths…before becoming the water’s next victim?
*MY THOUGHTS*
First of all, I want to praise myself on reading this book and actually finishing it. Not because it was bad or anything like that, it’s just I heard this was a book with a squid like thing and yeahhhhhhhh if you know me, you know that I’m afraid of three things, and one of them is squids lol
Why am I afraid of squids? I HATE the way they move (ESPECIALLY on land). And the way they camouflage themselves and the way they have like suction on their tentacles. And of course, how many tentacles they have. (8 legs is too many ijs) So in short, I hate that they exist LOL But in reality, I shouldn’t have been scared at all. They do a lot of talking about this thing, but not enough SEEING it if that makes sense. In fact, no one had really seen it at all. All that’s really seen is a couple tentacles that rise out of the water and how they’re feeding it. But there’s nothing that SHOWS it. I was annoyed lol
I did like the build-up of things tho. So I guess that would be the writing style. I was really into the way she made me get all creeped out and scared. I just wish she had followed through? Like made the thing come out of the waves or something. But because she didn’t, it ended up just being a waste of those feelings.
The setting was the beach and of course it was amazing. A little ol quaint beach town. And literally everyone and everything in that place was corrupt lol But the other thing that bugged me was the fact that I knew who it was as soon as they were introduced. You won’t have to think too hard to solve this one, but it was still good enough to finish. I hope y’all read it and let me know if y’all figure it out too.
So yeah I liked it, but I think it felt more like a filler for a series. And this was disappointing because we don’t even know if it’s going to be a series yet. Idk. it was solid in some ways, but in others I wanted more. This one comes out tomorrow and I really want to know what y’all think!
Overall, I give this
