As a historian, Alice Murphy lives safely in all pasts but her own.
She works at Chisholm University delving into tomes and histories to forget about her own tumultuous childhood, filled with the abandonment of her mother and the emotional neglect of her father.
When scientists at the university discover time travel and approach with an idea to send historians back in time, Alice finally decides to take a leap. A leap that leads her straight to the Titanic’s doomed maiden voyage to uncover the tragedy that unfolded so many years ago.
Alongside her best friend Ben, Alice is thrust into a restrictive life of women in the past and finds herself inexplicably drawn to one of the passengers, a steward named Charlie Hughes—a man who is doomed to die.
Through uncovering the truth about the Titanic’s demise, Alice uncovers love and must decide if saving the man who finally broke through her walls is worth changing history forever.
Read as a Beta Reader in the summer of 2024: I couldn't stop thinking about this story for weeks. The characters are so unique and the FMC is so relatable. The build up at the end is very well done. As readers who know what happens to the Titanic and when, there is already some suspense as you go through each chapter - each day closer to the sinking of the ship. Shannon adds even more twists and stakes that make it impossible to put this one down. I also really enjoyed the perspective of modern people traveling back to relive a tragedy, but unable to help. If you are a fan of historical fiction and sci-fi (time travel), this is the story for you.
This was a fantastic women's fiction/ romance time-travel story. The writing was easy to read and had some really beautiful poetic tidbits scattered throughout each chapter. It was more than a romance and more than a time-travel novel. It had self-discovery and self-awareness and self-love intertwined throughout the plot, and I was here for that! I loved the main character's background in history too!! 4.5 stars!! A beautiful debut novel!
I really enjoyed this !! Alice grew up with her mom walking out on her . She struggled most of her adult life with this trama. She then gets picked to be part of a project team to go back in time to document the happenings of the Titanic. She learns a lot about herself during the adventure, and brings a piece of history back with her …. So thankful to be able to read an advance copy of this.
I adored this book and this story so much. I saw a lot of myself in Alice and her internal journey. It was well written, well fleshed out and I highly recommend the read!
“If this is where my story ends, I want it to end with you.”
What if you finally found the love of your life but you can’t have him because he’s destined to die on the Titanic??
Yeah. That’s what happens in this book. We follow FMC Alice who gets a once in a lifetime chance to time travel back to the Titanic. She was only supposed to go there to do research but she gains SO much more than information.
Alice is relatable especially to us anxiety-ridden girlies. She’s closed off and in her head but she learns to let down her walls and finally take risks. It was a WHIRLWIND of emotions chapter 25 onwards. If you read this book, you must must must listen to the playlist while you read. It makes it THAT much more emotional I promise you. I felt like I was there with Alice also having survivor’s guilt because I know how it’s supposed to end.
If ya’ll know me, I am a SUCKER for a good time travel book (if it’s done right and there’s not a lot of back and forth). This book was perfecttttt. Great character development for the FMC dealing with grief, finding a sense of self/purpose and most importantly, love. This was a perfect ARC to read. Thank you Shannon for giving me the opportunity to meet Alice and Charlie 💓
Some memorable quotes:
“If this is where my story ends, I want it to end with you.” DUH
“From the moment I met you, the moment our hands touched on the suitcase, I knew my heart was yours. Wherever I am, wherever you are, it’s yours. Keep hold of it and I’ll always be with you.”
“It’s not as if I didn’t know how the story would end. I only just avoided it. And yet, knowing all this. I’d do it all over again if given the chance.”
“If your face is the last thing I see, Alice Murphy, then I’m the luckiest man in any century”
While this particular story doesn’t need a sequel, I’d be very disappointed if there aren’t more to make this a series. As an avid Titanic fan, I loved taking this journey back in time with Alice and everyone. Since his body was never found, I was somewhat hoping Alice could’ve found some way to save her great great grandfather, maybe she had brought him with her into the future, but then Violet would still be alone.
Give this story a chance. It was such a good read and I’m glad I found it. I think the scientists could’ve used a better fleshing out, and I’m not a fan of heavy use of the word smirk (it feels a bit fanficy if it’s used too often - and I say that as someone who enjoys fanfiction so it’s not a complete criticism), but overall I enjoyed the world and the characters Shannon has created.
I would’ve loved to have seen more with the Cal based character. Does Alice discover what happened to him? He was such a snot bucket but you gotta have at least one villain.
I would, as I said before, love to see more but I know these things cannot be rushed. I remember reading a book back in the early 90s about a group of time travelers. I think it was a bunch of scientists. However one of them strayed from the designated path, crushed a butterfly, and changed the entire world once they got back to their present. I forget what the book was called, but I remembered it when I read this book.
Anyway, great book. I hope to read more time travel books from you in the future. Pun intended. :)
I was obsessed with the Titanic when I was younger, so when I saw this I was like gimme gimme!!
I knew right away that this book was going to have me ugly crying and I. Was. Sobbing😭 this was such a profound and Emotional story of love and loss. This is a retelling of the Titanic and her doomed maiden voyage but with a twist. In this tale we follow Two modern-day Historians as they travel back in time to 1912. There, they were only meant to observe and collect data and conduct research on what really happened on that fateful day. But things don't go as planned and we soon find out that love and loss is inevitably, can two people find true love across time? Or is all doomed to disappear Beneath The Waves? (See what I did there👀)
Can I just say, this was so well written and so encapsulating I was staying up well into the night just to finish it! I loved how each chapter head was a song title, after I read each chapter i listened to the song and it was perfect! (I Found by Amber Run Happens to be one of my most favorite songs!) I loved the character development for Alice, What she was going through was so relatable. Such a good story, definitely had me entranced the whole way through until the very end!
I love when I get to read a debut novel! There’s something so special about it 🥹 The friendships made within the book and the family that has been made feels very real, kind of raw. It works with honest emotions and there are SO many beautiful quotes within the story. I loved part of the meaning the story held that it’s okay to forgive yourself for how you’ve responded to traumatic things and to understand how it takes *time*, which there can be so little of for some people, to understand your sense of self. Every day has a new lesson to learn. Alice was a strong FMC and I loved getting an insight into her mind. I did feel personally that the romance was a bit rushed between Charlie and Alice but what a sweet romance it is. A beautiful touch- not only is there a playlist but each chapter specifically lets you know which song is tied to it. It definitely helps set the scene and made it really easy to understand the feelings our friends, Alice, Ben, Charlie, Sarah, Eric and the others were going through.
This book is written beautifully with a very well-told plot. The complexity and depth of the main character, Alice, is beyond compare. The author was really able to lay it out there every thought, every emotions and every struggles. Shannon Carse has this way to word things that makes each statement in this book wonderful and memorable. The only thing I am not a fan of this book is the reaction of Charlie when he knew the truth. I mean, that was such an overreaction from a man who knew this woman for, like, 3-4 days. I think I would understand his reaction if they had spent more time than they had or if they have already slept together and confessed their love for each other. But they were just flirting and he flipped out on the confession. But aside from that, this is a must read book. Such an amazing story about forgiving, healing and moving on.
This is officially my TOP read of 2024 and unlike anything I have ever read before. The mix of fantasy, science fiction, magical realism, historical fiction, romance and self-help is utterly breathtaking. This book is a timeless heartfelt story that will reside deep in my soul for a long time. From the first page, I was completely entranced from how unique this book was. The FMC, Alice, has such a beautifully emotional story that tugged right at my heartstrings. Her growth over the course of the story is so empowering. Although I do wish there was a little more depth to the romance, I really appreciated that it was not the prominent aspect of this book. I honestly loved this book so much that I immediately bought a signed copy from Shannon Carse. If you like Matt Haig books, I highly recommend this book.
Beneath the waves is such a heartfelt, emotional story with an added layer of excitement thanks to the time travel aspect of the plot. the characters — particularly Alice — are lovingly written and deeply relatable (even the ones from 1912!!), and it is impossible not to become invested in the high-stakes whirlwind romance. I loved every single page of this book — and bonus points for the great playlist too!! thank you to Shannon Carse for sending me an advanced reader copy of Beneath the Waves; it comes out on December 13th on Amazon in paperback and ebook and is also available on Kindle Unlimited! an easy five stars 💙🌊
I read 75% of this book in one day (and only stopped because it was midnight and I needed to sleep). That’s how invested I was. This story is “Timeless (Taylor’s Version)” in book format. Alice (the MFC) travels back in time where she meets her soulmate- Charlie (the MMC). The two of them have a love that transcends time. Literally. The growth that Alice makes from the beginning of the book to the end is beautiful. The imagery, the emotion, the characters (main and side)- gorgeous (and relatable).
If you love time travel, romance, history, and an HEA-this is definitely a book you should read.
I would add the following TW: childhood abandonment, death of a parent (off screen).
If you love books that tug at your heartstrings and then patch you up with a dose of hope, Beneath the Waves is for you. This story takes you on a journey—not just emotionally, but literally, as the characters navigate their messy pasts while traveling back in time (because who doesn’t need a little time-travel therapy?).
The raw emotions in this book hit hard, but in the best way. At one point, I wanted to hug the characters, and at another, I wanted to yell, “Get it together!” But hey, isn’t that the mark of great storytelling? By the end, I was a puddle of happy tears.
Thank you to Shannon for the ARC—this book was an absolute gift to read!
Personally, I LOVED this book. I generally read high fantasy, but this was a great, easy, relaxed yet heartwarming read. The character of Alice is so relatable, so REAL, I felt like I personally was seen so many times I can’t even put a number to it. If anybody has doubts about taking a shot at this book, don’t. You’ll love it, and there’s so much more to it than romance. It’s the story of a girl finding herself, her place in the world, and healing from her past trauma. This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. Thank you to Shannon for allowing me to read it early. 🫶🏻
received as an arc :) Outlander meets Titanic (1997) vibes enjoyed the plot and the characters, however i found there to be an overall lack of depth :( a lot of time is spent reiterating Alice’s personal issues when more time should’ve been dedicated to the build up of her and Charlie’s relationship. Still enjoyable but i was just left wanting more
Not going to lie, I was hesitant about this one. I don’t always enjoy time travel in books but I took a chance and read the ARC and I’m so happy I did. This book was so much more than what I expected.
Ali and her friend Ben work as historians at Chisholm University. They are approached by scientists at the university that have discovered time travel and request their assistance with a project. They are sent back to the Titanic to learn everything they can about the event and the people on the ship. Ali meets Charlie, a steward on the Titanic, and is instantly drawn to him. Ali and her colleagues learn more than they anticipated abroad the Titanic.
I had no idea how this romance would work but wow did the author make it work! It was so sweet and wholesome. I love Ali and Charlie so much. They are each other’s missing puzzle pieces.
I really enjoyed Ali’s character development. I highlighted so many of her epiphanies and I really felt connected to her story and experiences. The way the author wove her experiences with her parents into the story was so well done. You can see just how much parents and life experiences can impact you as an adult.
Charlie was a cutie pie and just an all around great guy. He treated Ali with such love, kindness and respect and it was a joy to watch their relationship grow and flourish.
Also, the friendship between Ali and Ben was amazing. We all need a Ben!
Beneath the Waves is a story of romance, self-discovery, forgiveness and healing. I feel like reading this book helped heal a part of me that I have ignored for a long time. You definitely need to pick this one up.
I absolutely adored this book. Alice and Ben my babies 🥹🥹 Their type of friendship is beyond goals! I'm glad to see a platonic friendship described so beautifully.
I was enamored with the detailed descriptions of this novel. It felt like I was immersed in the story and the emotions Ali was going through had me crying with her 😭😂 [Im already a cry baby as it is lol].
This book was a wild ride. It caught my interest with the Titanic aspect and sucked me in quick! I got off to a slow start, due to life, but once I got halfway in I finished it in 24 hours. Alice’s story is amazing and so well written! It had me sobbing in one chapter and on cloud 9 with happiness in the next. I highly recommend reading it!!
Beneath the Waves was such a fun, quick read about adventuring outside your comfort zone, the importance of family (whether biological or found family), and advocating for yourself. I fell in love with all the characters and could have spent so much more time with them.
Beneath the Waves by Shannon Carse is one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read. I didn't feel like I was reading. With the vivid imagery, the depth of emotion, and the wonderfully relatable characters, I felt like I was in the story experiencing everything myself. The character growth from the beginning of the story to the conclusion was phenomenal. I was rooting for Alice the entire time while simultaneously wanting to reach into the pages and give her a big hug. Ben, Alice's best friend, is the kind of supportive and loving person I feel everyone deserves. He called her out when she needed it, and he pushed her to be the best version of herself. He had her back, and she had his. Charlie was incredible. Kind, honest, and oh- so lovely. Definitely book boyfriend material! When I tell you Beneath The Waves made me ugly cry, I truly mean UGLY. We're talking fat tears, snotty nose, and gut-twisting sobs. I had to take a break from reading to pull myself together, haha. The events in this story broke my heart into a million pieces and put it back together again. If you're a fan of magical realism, whirlwind romance, healing and personal growth, and being kept on your toes, I would highly recommend giving this novel a go.
I absolutely loved this book! The inclusion of a playlist for the chapters was such a thoughtful touch. I always get excited about books with playlists, and this one was extra special with a song dedicated to each chapter. The Taylor Swift songs sealed the deal for me, it was an instant yes.
As someone who loves reading about the Titanic, this book hit all the right notes. The historical aspect was incredibly well done, and the story managed to blend heartbreak and warmth perfectly. The doomed fate of the characters was devastating yet beautiful, and I found myself so emotionally invested in Alice’s journey.
Alice and Ben’s friendship was such a joy to read. Their connection felt so real, and I absolutely adored Ben. The romance with Charlie was equally touching, even as the stakes grew higher. The twists in the story kept me guessing, and I loved being surprised at every turn.
The writing was engaging and fast-paced, making it hard to put this book down. It was a perfect blend of history, emotion, and intrigue. I laughed, I cried, and I am still thinking about it. Beneath the Waves is a definite five-star read. If you love historical fiction with time travel, deep character connections, and a touch of romance, I cannot recommend this book enough. Just do not forget the tissues!