The Rising Tide, by Sam Lloyd {Book Review}

I read The Memory Wood, by Sam Lloyd in December, and as a debut novel, it really excited me. Six months later, I was thrilled to receive The Rising Tide, by the very same author, to read and review! Did this book rise to the occasion? Let’s get into the review…..

What is The Rising Tide about?

Life can change in a heartbeat.

Lucy has everything she could wish for: a beautiful home high on the clifftops, a devoted husband and two beloved children.

Then one morning, time stops. Their family yacht is recovered, abandoned far out at sea. Lucy’s husband is nowhere to be found and as the seconds tick by, she begins to wonder – what if he was the one who took the boat? And if so, where is he now?

As a once-in-a-generation storm frustrates the rescue operation, Lucy pieces together what happened onboard. And then she makes a fresh discovery. One that plunges her into a nightmare more shocking than any she could ever have imagined . . .

My Review

Characters and Story Line

The Rising Tide is a psychological thriller, where Lucy is living her worst nightmare. The family boat has been found out at sea, and there’s no trace of her family…this also happens during the worst storm their town has ever seen….. This story is mostly told from Lucy’s point of view, with the occasional narration by the lead detective on the case, Detective Inspector Abraham Rose. There’s also an anonymous narrator, that adds to the chill factor that is ever present in the book.

The main characters are Lucy and her family….husband, Daniel and her kids, Billie and Fin. I feel that Sam really brought the characters of the kids to life on the pages. Billie is such an amazing human, sister and daughter….and Fin is such an old soul and full of life. They were my favourite characters in the book. Daniel and Lucy….the way the book plays out and the way Lucy reminisces about their marriage, it was a bit contradictory. This was intentional, as it forms part of the storyline…but the result was that I couldn’t decide if I was on Lucy’s side or not while I was reading. By the end of course, I knew who I needed to back 😉

My thoughts

What was interesting about the writing style, was that Lucy’s chapters flitted between the present and the past. Usually I’d be a bit distracted with that, but Sam really executed the transition beautifully I thought.

I really struggled initially to get into this book. I found the first 100 pages to be quite drawn out and repetitive, a bit of a slow burn. Something told me to just stick with it, and I am glad I did. The 2nd half of the book really picks up the pace and delivers some heart stopping moments. I did not expect this book to evoke so much emotions for me. The tears were streaming at one stage, while my heart broke into a million pieces. This had a complex storyline, one that delivered twists, suspense and made for a thrilling reading experience.

My Rating

The Rising Tide has a 4.4 star rating on Goodreads, which shows that the majority of the reviewers on that platform really enjoyed the book. I definitely enjoyed it, and it gets a solid 4 stars from me. If not for the fact that the beginning was a bit too drawn out for me, I probably would have enjoyed the book a lot more than I did. Sam Lloyd is definitely on my auto buy list at this stage! You won’t regret picking this one up!

Disclaimer: The Rising Tide was sent to me by Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.