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A review by saylaurmoon
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
4.0
↠ 4.5 stars ⭐️
I went into this book blind. I was pretty clueless on the general premise, but I knew it had a strong focus on mental health and honestly just the title itself drew me to read this book. I wasn’t disappointed.
I really enjoyed this story! Ava Reid’s writing is immensely atmospheric and captivating, weaving a hauntingly beautiful and eerie atmosphere. The story itself was fairly predictable. However, I personally didn’t think it took away from it, as it has a lot of depth to it, and there are several themes it centered around, including but not limited to misogyny, sexism in academia, mental illness, and childhood trauma. It is deep, complex, and thought-provoking.
I loved the FMC, Effy. She is extremely relatable. She is soft yet strong, anxious but brave. We see her growth throughout the story and I love it and her. I saw this in another review somewhere, but she really is for the soft anxious femmes.
I also really appreciated Preston, the MMC. Sure, he was a little smug at times, but he genuinely respected Effy. I enjoyed their rivals to allies to lovers romance. It was very sweet how their relationship evolved.
I initially rated this a 4, but considering I’m still thinking about it and the absolutely mesmerizing writing, I upped it to 4.5 (god why doesn't goodreads allow partial stars????)
This was my first read from Reid (haha), and it certainly won’t be my last. She is undoubtedly an expert at whimsical storytelling.
Notable Quotes
“You’re not just one thing. Survival is something you do, not something you are. You’re brave and brilliant. You’re the most real, full person I’ve ever met.”
___
“We must discuss, then, the relationship between women and water. When men fall into the sea, they drown. When women meet the water, they transform. It becomes vital to ask: is this a metamorphosis, or a homecoming?”
___
“It’s not the most original argument, and I’m hardly the first scholar to make it—that the ephemerality of things is what gives them meaning. That things are only beautiful because they don’t last. Full moons, flowers in bloom, you. But if any of that is evidence, I think it must be true.”
___
“Lovely and dangerous and vast beyond mortal comprehension, the sea makes dreamers of us all.”
___
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’s terrifying.”
“Most beautiful things are.”
___
“The weight of a memory is one thing. You get very used to swimming with it dragging you down. Once it’s loosed, you hardly know what to do with your body. You don’t understand its lightness.”
I went into this book blind. I was pretty clueless on the general premise, but I knew it had a strong focus on mental health and honestly just the title itself drew me to read this book. I wasn’t disappointed.
I really enjoyed this story! Ava Reid’s writing is immensely atmospheric and captivating, weaving a hauntingly beautiful and eerie atmosphere. The story itself was fairly predictable. However, I personally didn’t think it took away from it, as it has a lot of depth to it, and there are several themes it centered around, including but not limited to misogyny, sexism in academia, mental illness, and childhood trauma. It is deep, complex, and thought-provoking.
I loved the FMC, Effy. She is extremely relatable. She is soft yet strong, anxious but brave. We see her growth throughout the story and I love it and her. I saw this in another review somewhere, but she really is for the soft anxious femmes.
I also really appreciated Preston, the MMC. Sure, he was a little smug at times, but he genuinely respected Effy. I enjoyed their rivals to allies to lovers romance. It was very sweet how their relationship evolved.
I initially rated this a 4, but considering I’m still thinking about it and the absolutely mesmerizing writing, I upped it to 4.5 (god why doesn't goodreads allow partial stars????)
This was my first read from Reid (haha), and it certainly won’t be my last. She is undoubtedly an expert at whimsical storytelling.
Notable Quotes
“You’re not just one thing. Survival is something you do, not something you are. You’re brave and brilliant. You’re the most real, full person I’ve ever met.”
___
“We must discuss, then, the relationship between women and water. When men fall into the sea, they drown. When women meet the water, they transform. It becomes vital to ask: is this a metamorphosis, or a homecoming?”
___
“It’s not the most original argument, and I’m hardly the first scholar to make it—that the ephemerality of things is what gives them meaning. That things are only beautiful because they don’t last. Full moons, flowers in bloom, you. But if any of that is evidence, I think it must be true.”
___
“Lovely and dangerous and vast beyond mortal comprehension, the sea makes dreamers of us all.”
___
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’s terrifying.”
“Most beautiful things are.”
___
“The weight of a memory is one thing. You get very used to swimming with it dragging you down. Once it’s loosed, you hardly know what to do with your body. You don’t understand its lightness.”