This review was first published on my website: https://oddfeather.co/index.php/2021/05/12/deep-water-by-sarah-epstein/

Deep Water is Sarah Epstein’s second novel, a YA thriller like her debut, Small Spaces. Thirteen-year-old Henry Weaver has been missing from The Shallows in NSW’s Southern Highlands since a catastrophic storm blew through, flooding the town and causing a landslide over the main highway that the year before had been closed because of bushfires.

Chloe Baxter, Henry’s closest friend, is doing everything she can to find him, because sh’’s not convinced he was washed away in the flood. Mason Weaver, Henry’s older brother, just wants to escape The Shallows and their abusive alcoholic mother, but is hindered at every turn by his circumstances and lack of options. Chloe suspects that Mason’s increasingly violent outbursts might be responsible for Henry being missing, but can she convince the rest of their friends that he might be responsible?

I absolutely devoured Small Spaces, so I was excited to find that Epstein’s second thriller also demonstrates her skills in maintaining excellent tension, well-written adolescent characters, and an unexpected ending that ties up all loose ends. The Shallows is a very recognisable small country town full of interesting characters, secrets, suspicions, good neighbours, bad eggs, and a group of young people gradually coming of age and the complications that come with it.

Deep Water is an excellent read for lovers of both thrillers and YA novels, with strong features of both that blend seamlessly into a brilliant second novel.

Another fantastic read for our teen fans of mystery and suspense! Epstein has done it again!

I loved Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein, and I was really looking forward to reading this book. We selected it as this month's book club book, so I was excited to read it and discuss it with the group. Unfortunately, it took me a little while to get into the story and I didn't find myself loving it as much as the previous book. But it was still a great read in the end, and I didn't guess the final twist/reveal. However, I did see Mason's secret coming a mile away which may have been the author's intention. Looking forward to seeing what Sarah writes next!

I enjoy reading characters that are morally grey, that you can understand and empathize with. I will admit that the setting isn't an area I know at all (I'm in the states), but it was easy to imagine the setting and believe where everything was taking place even though I've never been there.
I really liked how the suspense was built going from one character being third-person POV and one being first-person.
Without giving away any of the action, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and suspense, and characters. I wish I could go back and read this book for the first time again, but I think it would still be just as suspenseful and entertaining during a second read.
I was given this book to review from BookSirens, but my opinions are my own.

An entertaining story which kept me guessing. I really like this YA thriller genre, and this author does it well :)

This is my second book by Sarah Epstein (the first was Night Lights) and I found myself very invested in this book. This book follows a group of 7 friends Chloe, Henry, Mason, Tom, Rina, Raf, and Sabeen. They have all known each other for years and have grown up together.
One night there is a terrible storm and Henry (the youngest of the group) ends up missing with the only trace left behind being his bicycle which is found at the train station. Out of the friend group, Chloe is closest to Henry and is determined not to give up. She is very tenacious and persistent and even though she gets so much wrong in the end we do find out everything that happened that night.
One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that you got the story from 3 POVs Chloe, Henry, and Mason. On top of that, you also get different timelines, what is happening now as well as what happened in the lead-up to the storm. I thought the book was very well written and the ending was not what I expected. I do wish that we had gotten a bit more development of the characters in the friend group but overall I really liked it and would absolutely recommend it.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.