ARC, 272 pages
Release Date: July 1, 2025
Published by: Scholastic Press
Read from: June 6-12, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: The publisher (I received a free ARC from the publisher and their app. This did nothing to influence my review.)
Content Warning: Murder, Classism, Death, Blood, Grief, Vomit
For Readers Interested In: Family Diversity (Parent Incarcerated), Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Black), Action, ARC, Sparkly Covers, MG, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, Realistic Fiction, ThrillerGet ready for THE (creepy) beach read of the summer! Mega bestselling and award-winning author Tiffany D. Jackson (The Weight of Blood; White Smoke) makes her thrilling middle-grade debut with this can’t-put-it-down murder mystery set on Martha’s Vineyard. Think JAWS for a whole new generation!
This summer, there’s blood in the water…watch out for sharks!
Kaylani is a born-and-bred Brooklyn girl. She expects to feel like a fish out of water spending the hot and sticky summer on Martha’s Vineyard with family friends, the Watsons. But her mother insists, especially since Kaylani still spends long hours on the phone with her imprisoned father.
The Watsons live in the town of Oak Bluffs, a place with a rich Black history that fascinates Kaylani. Though the Watsons’ daughter, London, is snobby and unfriendly, Kaylani ends up connecting with some other kids in the town, who show her around. The beach IS really nice, and there’s good ice cream to be had. Maybe there’s something to Martha’s Vineyard…
But then a shocking murder–or was it a drowning? A shark attack?–rocks the community to its core.
Kaylani is determined to solve the mystery but in order to do so, she will come face-to-face with sinister truths and shocking secrets that promise to forever change her life as she knows it.
Tiffany D. Jackon’s acclaimed and bestselling YA thriller have made her one of today’s biggest authors. Now she brings her dazzling talents to a slightly younger audience, and lucky us–we get to be the publisher!
*MY THOUGHTS*
At this point, I would read TDJ’s grocery list. This woman has written picture books, YA fiction, a YA biographical fiction, short stories in bios, and now a MG. She just doesn’t miss! And this one seemed like the perfect mix between mystery and MG murder lol You definitely won’t want to miss this one!
Kaylani doesn’t want to spend her summer at Martha’s Vineyard where the bougie are. She’d much rather stay home with her mom and talk to her dad when he can call. But no. Once she gets there she meets the Watsons and learns the rich history that can be found there. The shark attack that happens while she’s there tho? Completely unplanned.
Ok so I loved the mystery, but I did think the ending was abrupt. It was like here’s the whodunit, and then it’s over. It went so fast! But also, I’m not sure what else I would have added? TDJ is a beast and she can really write her ass off. I was enthralled from the beginning to the end. And I actually learned a lot. She put so many facts in this book that I didn’t know about and ended up Googling.
The setting was amazing. I’ve never been to Martha’s Vineyard, but I was born and raised on an island and I know the exact things she was dealing with. The summer people and the people who stay there year round, the things that only pop up during the summer, and so much more. It really made feel at home again. And yes I went to go look up the different things like the lobster ice cream and the Black History that was present in this. Definitely gave me everything that I needed to feel like I was on the island with them.
The characters were what made this story tho. I HATED London. Jackson wrote her too real because she annoyed the crap out of me. And what she did to Kaylani…. I do not condone violence, but please know that I will have been okay with whatever Kaylani had done to her lol And her sister was no better. Kaylani was the sweetest and she didn’t mess with anyone, but everyone was messing with her.
Kaylani was hella smart too. Idk how she figured out what happened and I didn’t. I thought for sure I had the right person. Definitely started figuring out what it was when she did lol Which is hilarious because I figured out all her YA books. This one is jaw dropping and has a creepy shark that I was terrified of while reading lol
This was so good. I can’t wait for tweens everywhere to get their hands on this to read and enjoy it. I need to know if y’all solve this like Kaylani did lol Because I was not prepared for what I found out.
Overall, I give this
