What the Tide Brings In

What the Tide Brings In is a perfectly paced, heart-shattering mystery that you won’t be able to put down. Right when you think you know where the story is headed, Sierra Benayon-Abraham cleverly pulls the rug out from beneath your feet—and you don’t even realize until you’re halfway through the fall. If you’re looking for a story about the dangerous places to which insecurity drives people, and how desperate they can become to keep their secrets buried, this is the one for you.

What the Tide Brings In offers a refreshing and emotionally charged entry to the YA murder mystery genre. The story follows the adorably relatable Maven, her cousin Kiley, and their best friend Holice on their highly anticipated winter break trip. From the get-go, it is clear how close the three are. Their friendship is instantly believable: warm, loyal, and full of the easy familiarity that comes from years of shared experiences. Along the way, the trio forms an unexpected bond with Holice’s cousin Finnick and his friends, Parker and Landon, creating a dynamic group whose chemistry quickly becomes the emotional core of the story.

Benayon-Abraham’s characters are the true driving force of this novel, and it takes no time to be charmed by all of them. The more you read, the more you come to love the characters—and the harder it is to ignore the voice in the back of your head that reminds you of what’s coming. You know it from the very first chapter. The book makes no attempt to hide it: someone is going to die.

Maven and her friends form the perfect group of amateur detectives, each bringing their own strengths to the investigation. Watching them navigate a dangerous murder mystery complicated by dark secrets and raw emotions is nothing short of thrilling. Benayon-Abraham excels at illustrating how quickly connections between people can deepen—and how profoundly those connections can shape the choices we make.

As the investigation progresses, the story steadily reveals new layers beneath the surface. And even when the answers appear obvious, ever-curious Maven is unable to turn a blind eye. When she senses something missing, she won’t stop until every piece of the truth is uncovered. Every element of the novel, from the evolving relationships between the characters to the carefully placed clues that form the larger picture, is constructed with precision. Nothing is accidental. Every detail falls into place in a way that is both surprising and deeply satisfying.

Sometimes trying to uncover skeletons in the closet leads to answers, and sometimes it leads to more skeletons. Luckily for the reader, Maven wants answers more than anyone, and she and her friends don’t stop at bones. In What the Tide Brings In, Benayon-Abraham builds a mystery where every secret uncovered reveals another buried truth, and Maven and her friends refuse to stop digging through the past until the full story is finally brought to light—and the justice their friend deserves is served.

—CANREADS BOOK REVIEW

Published by RE:BOOKS

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