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The Wild Beneath
Win a free print copy of this book!
29 days and 18:11:48
10 copies available
U.S. only
A REESE WITHERSPOON BOOK CLUB PICK! ‘Ethereal, languid, crafted of language that rushes and recedes like a tide, buoying a story that reminds us sometimes the impossible is possible’ Jodi Picoult
‘Entrancing, magical, spellbinding!’ Nita Prose
* * * * *
The pull of the land or the call of the sea…
Annie MacLeod always knew she was different, growing up on a sailboat, navigating by stars and swimming with sea creatures, alongside her best friend, Evan. But when a tsunami hits, Annie is stranded on land; her entire world, and her eccentric identity, torn apart and upended.
In the wreckage, she rescues a wordless man named Walker, who emits a hum only she can hear. Their connection is instant. Walker’s touch gives Annie visions of the ocean’s hidden world, a life she’s never known but feels inexplicably drawn to. Yet even as she is pulled toward him, Evan – the steadfast love who has always been there – remains on dry land, offering stability and security. Annie is torn between Evan’s grounding presence and Walker’s magnetic secrets. But then, Walker vanishes, along with the answers Annie needs about who she really is.
Six years later, Annie has left the sea and buried the past – until Walker returns, pulling her back towards the ocean and the life she abandoned. The truth has roots more ancient than she ever could have known, and Annie must confront a choice that will test her heart and determine her future.
A fierce and entrancing debut novel of one woman caught between two worlds that won’t let her go. Pre-order now!
* * * * *
‘I’ll never look at the ocean the same way again. Absolutely dazzling’ Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary
‘Part love story, part ode to nature, with a mystical, musical, mysterious quality that carries readers along like a gentle wave’ Nikki Erlick, New York Times bestselling author of The Measure
‘An incandescent debut. Pares the world down to its essentials and reminds us of the beauty and mystery of being alive … I did not want to come up for air’ Emma Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
‘Haunting and beautiful and strange, rich and lingering. It drew me in like the pull of the sea’ Emma Hooper, internationally bestselling author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James
‘An achingly lovely book about the melodic pull of the natural world and the steep cost of pretending we don’t hear its song … Sublime’ Lily Brooks-Dalton, bestselling author of The Light Pirate
* * * * *
Readers are swept away by The Wild Beneath : 'Beautiful. Breathtaking. Indescribable. Unlike anything I’ve ever read before' FIVE STAR Reader Review
'Completely pulled me under from the first page … moody, raw, and beautifully written … Fans of Wild Dark Shore will be absolutely obsessed' FIVE STAR Reader Review
'Ethereal, haunting, mysterious and so unique' FIVE STAR Reader Review
‘Entrancing, magical, spellbinding!’ Nita Prose
* * * * *
The pull of the land or the call of the sea…
Annie MacLeod always knew she was different, growing up on a sailboat, navigating by stars and swimming with sea creatures, alongside her best friend, Evan. But when a tsunami hits, Annie is stranded on land; her entire world, and her eccentric identity, torn apart and upended.
In the wreckage, she rescues a wordless man named Walker, who emits a hum only she can hear. Their connection is instant. Walker’s touch gives Annie visions of the ocean’s hidden world, a life she’s never known but feels inexplicably drawn to. Yet even as she is pulled toward him, Evan – the steadfast love who has always been there – remains on dry land, offering stability and security. Annie is torn between Evan’s grounding presence and Walker’s magnetic secrets. But then, Walker vanishes, along with the answers Annie needs about who she really is.
Six years later, Annie has left the sea and buried the past – until Walker returns, pulling her back towards the ocean and the life she abandoned. The truth has roots more ancient than she ever could have known, and Annie must confront a choice that will test her heart and determine her future.
A fierce and entrancing debut novel of one woman caught between two worlds that won’t let her go. Pre-order now!
* * * * *
‘I’ll never look at the ocean the same way again. Absolutely dazzling’ Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary
‘Part love story, part ode to nature, with a mystical, musical, mysterious quality that carries readers along like a gentle wave’ Nikki Erlick, New York Times bestselling author of The Measure
‘An incandescent debut. Pares the world down to its essentials and reminds us of the beauty and mystery of being alive … I did not want to come up for air’ Emma Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus
‘Haunting and beautiful and strange, rich and lingering. It drew me in like the pull of the sea’ Emma Hooper, internationally bestselling author of Etta and Otto and Russell and James
‘An achingly lovely book about the melodic pull of the natural world and the steep cost of pretending we don’t hear its song … Sublime’ Lily Brooks-Dalton, bestselling author of The Light Pirate
* * * * *
Readers are swept away by The Wild Beneath : 'Beautiful. Breathtaking. Indescribable. Unlike anything I’ve ever read before' FIVE STAR Reader Review
'Completely pulled me under from the first page … moody, raw, and beautifully written … Fans of Wild Dark Shore will be absolutely obsessed' FIVE STAR Reader Review
'Ethereal, haunting, mysterious and so unique' FIVE STAR Reader Review
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First published August 4, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 452 reviews
August 8, 2026
Basically if remarkably bright creatures and twilight had a forbidden love child
September 18, 2025
Beautiful. Breathtaking. Indescribable. Unlike anything I’ve ever read before, in the best way possible. This is a book that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page; I truly haven’t stopped thinking about it.
August 22, 2026
This one drops you right into the action with a devastating tsunami in the opening pages! Set near Vancouver Island, this multi-timeline story follows Annie through the aftermath of the disaster, her childhood memories, and her life twenty years later.
Annie has endured an extraordinary amount of grief and loss. Following in her father's footsteps, she becomes a physician, but she buries herself in her work—feeling disconnected, lonely, and detached from her own life. Through it all, her deep bond with the ocean and land remains a constant thread.
Two key relationships anchor her story: her lifelong friend Evan, whose sweet childhood connection eventually blossoms into something deeper, and Walker, who helps her reconnect with the natural world and reminds her of the childhood she spent at sea with her parents. While the story skips around through different storylines, everything ultimately weaves together. The ending takes a slightly magical turn, but it worked.
Annie has endured an extraordinary amount of grief and loss. Following in her father's footsteps, she becomes a physician, but she buries herself in her work—feeling disconnected, lonely, and detached from her own life. Through it all, her deep bond with the ocean and land remains a constant thread.
Two key relationships anchor her story: her lifelong friend Evan, whose sweet childhood connection eventually blossoms into something deeper, and Walker, who helps her reconnect with the natural world and reminds her of the childhood she spent at sea with her parents. While the story skips around through different storylines, everything ultimately weaves together. The ending takes a slightly magical turn, but it worked.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3 ⭐
A tsunami upends her enviable explorer lifestyle along with all that was solid and reliable, and Annie MacLeod soon finds herself at a crossroads; stay with what’s comfortable, stable and grounding OR risk it all for adventure, magic and secrecy.
I felt the pull of the familiar as much as I longed for her to heed the whispers of adventure. I appreciated the call to leave all that robs us of our childlike trust and sense of wonder and a unique plot focused on choices, resilience and connections.
Unfortunately, the author’s choice of writing style and format didn’t appeal to me.
I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.
A tsunami upends her enviable explorer lifestyle along with all that was solid and reliable, and Annie MacLeod soon finds herself at a crossroads; stay with what’s comfortable, stable and grounding OR risk it all for adventure, magic and secrecy.
I felt the pull of the familiar as much as I longed for her to heed the whispers of adventure. I appreciated the call to leave all that robs us of our childlike trust and sense of wonder and a unique plot focused on choices, resilience and connections.
Unfortunately, the author’s choice of writing style and format didn’t appeal to me.
I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.
August 1, 2026
I'm starting to think I wasn't particularly lucky with my book choices during this Portugal trip. I really thought The Wild Beneath was going to be THE book.
Maybe I went in with expectations that were a little too high (which is never fair to a book), but the premise sounded exactly like something I would love. It felt very fitting, considering I was reading it while spending my vacation by the sea.
I ended up reading most of it in just two sittings: one on the train to Porto and the other on my journey back home. I don't know if reading it that way affected my experience, but I guess we'll never know.
First things first: the book started really, really strong. I was immediately hooked by the dual timeline and the different povs, although Annie's was definitely the one we spent the most time with. The present timeline follows the aftermath of a tragic event that completely changes Annie's life and it broke my heart. The author did a wonderful job portraying grief because I could really feel Annie's sadness and loneliness through the pages.
I also loved the chapters set in the past—watching Annie grow up on a sailboat surrounded by the ocean was fascinating. I don't think I could ever live that kind of life myself, but I loved reading about it. I could tell how much love the author has for the sea and for that lifestyle because it wasn't romanticized; it was simply an essential part of who the characters are, especially Annie's mother.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the side characters. There wasn't a single one I found uninteresting, and I always loved when we switched povs because it gave me a better understanding of everyone around Annie.
So... if I enjoyed all of that, why only three stars? That's honestly the difficult part to explain. As I said, I liked the writing. I liked the characters. I even liked what the book was trying to say. But somewhere around the middle, I started struggling. The pacing became quite repetitive for me. It felt like some emotions, conversations, and situations kept going in circles, and I just wanted the story to move forward. I even considered dnfing it once I reached the second half. I won't go into specifics because I don't want to spoil the book, but some decisions the characters made didn't convince me, and I don't know the way we reached the ending wasn't my favorite.
I think this book also confirmed something I've been suspecting for a while: magical realism is a very hit-or-miss genre for me. When it works, I love it. But when it doesn't... well, you can guess. It's pretty disappointing. And we can all repeat together: I understood the message, but the way it was presented just wasn't for me.
That being said, I appreciated what I took away from it. Annie (and many of the other characters) go through devastating losses. This isn't an easy story but it reminded me that healing is possible. It also explores what happens when we're forced to leave behind the truest version of ourselves we've always known and learn to embrace someone new.
I also loved the way the book questions the idea of home. Home isn't always a place with the classic four walls. Sometimes it's the people who make you feel understood. And sometimes it's simply finding the place where you finally feel like you belong.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc.
Maybe I went in with expectations that were a little too high (which is never fair to a book), but the premise sounded exactly like something I would love. It felt very fitting, considering I was reading it while spending my vacation by the sea.
I ended up reading most of it in just two sittings: one on the train to Porto and the other on my journey back home. I don't know if reading it that way affected my experience, but I guess we'll never know.
First things first: the book started really, really strong. I was immediately hooked by the dual timeline and the different povs, although Annie's was definitely the one we spent the most time with. The present timeline follows the aftermath of a tragic event that completely changes Annie's life and it broke my heart. The author did a wonderful job portraying grief because I could really feel Annie's sadness and loneliness through the pages.
I also loved the chapters set in the past—watching Annie grow up on a sailboat surrounded by the ocean was fascinating. I don't think I could ever live that kind of life myself, but I loved reading about it. I could tell how much love the author has for the sea and for that lifestyle because it wasn't romanticized; it was simply an essential part of who the characters are, especially Annie's mother.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the side characters. There wasn't a single one I found uninteresting, and I always loved when we switched povs because it gave me a better understanding of everyone around Annie.
So... if I enjoyed all of that, why only three stars? That's honestly the difficult part to explain. As I said, I liked the writing. I liked the characters. I even liked what the book was trying to say. But somewhere around the middle, I started struggling. The pacing became quite repetitive for me. It felt like some emotions, conversations, and situations kept going in circles, and I just wanted the story to move forward. I even considered dnfing it once I reached the second half. I won't go into specifics because I don't want to spoil the book, but some decisions the characters made didn't convince me, and I don't know the way we reached the ending wasn't my favorite.
I think this book also confirmed something I've been suspecting for a while: magical realism is a very hit-or-miss genre for me. When it works, I love it. But when it doesn't... well, you can guess. It's pretty disappointing. And we can all repeat together: I understood the message, but the way it was presented just wasn't for me.
That being said, I appreciated what I took away from it. Annie (and many of the other characters) go through devastating losses. This isn't an easy story but it reminded me that healing is possible. It also explores what happens when we're forced to leave behind the truest version of ourselves we've always known and learn to embrace someone new.
I also loved the way the book questions the idea of home. Home isn't always a place with the classic four walls. Sometimes it's the people who make you feel understood. And sometimes it's simply finding the place where you finally feel like you belong.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this e-arc.
July 28, 2026
This story spoke to my soul. The emphasis on our interconnectedness with nature, the prose, the love stories, the yearning, the way Anderson writes with such childlike curiosity. I loved it. I really loved it.
On the surface, this is a story about Annie, a girl raised on a sailboat with an almost instinctive connection to the ocean. But it’s so much more than that. It’s an exploration of what happens when we’re pushed away from the wild, curious versions of ourselves and expected to find our place in a world that often asks us to let go of wonder.
It’s about searching for your people, finding love in those who accept you exactly as you are, and rediscovering the parts of yourself you were taught to outgrow. It’s about the restorative power of solitude in nature. It’s about grief, depression, heartbreak, and the quiet hope that healing is possible. There is magic here, but it’s subtle and perfect.
The ending is ambiguous and may frustrate some readers, but I found it thoughtful and true to the story. It challenged me without feeling unearned. I could also see some readers struggling with the slower pacing. For me, it felt exactly right. Admittedly, Annie and Mara both annoyed me at times but it felt intentional enough that it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.
I think weird nature adults who used to be weird nature kids, especially those who sometimes feel overwhelmed by the modern world, are going to adore this. If you gravitate toward stories about self-discovery, belonging, and love, I think this one will stay with you.
Basically, It reminded me to pay attention to the natural world, to stay curious, and to protect the parts of myself that still feel a bit of magic in nature.
Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
On the surface, this is a story about Annie, a girl raised on a sailboat with an almost instinctive connection to the ocean. But it’s so much more than that. It’s an exploration of what happens when we’re pushed away from the wild, curious versions of ourselves and expected to find our place in a world that often asks us to let go of wonder.
It’s about searching for your people, finding love in those who accept you exactly as you are, and rediscovering the parts of yourself you were taught to outgrow. It’s about the restorative power of solitude in nature. It’s about grief, depression, heartbreak, and the quiet hope that healing is possible. There is magic here, but it’s subtle and perfect.
The ending is ambiguous and may frustrate some readers, but I found it thoughtful and true to the story. It challenged me without feeling unearned. I could also see some readers struggling with the slower pacing. For me, it felt exactly right. Admittedly, Annie and Mara both annoyed me at times but it felt intentional enough that it didn’t take away from my enjoyment.
I think weird nature adults who used to be weird nature kids, especially those who sometimes feel overwhelmed by the modern world, are going to adore this. If you gravitate toward stories about self-discovery, belonging, and love, I think this one will stay with you.
Basically, It reminded me to pay attention to the natural world, to stay curious, and to protect the parts of myself that still feel a bit of magic in nature.
Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 24, 2026
Content warning below!!
I received this ARC as part of giveaway from Booktrovert. Thank you so much!! I was really hoping to love this one.
DNF at 16% due to undisclosed animal cruelty. The community takes axes and chainsaws to a living beached humpback whale. What the actual fuck - why do this to me. I just watched Blackfish. I can’t take this.
Someone marked this as a TW: brief harm to a whale. I get that they were trying to help. But that wasn’t brief harm. The moment was brief, but the chopping up a live whale is not just harm in my book and the distress lasts longer than a brief moment. The fact someone made this up and wrote it in a book disturbs me.
I received this ARC as part of giveaway from Booktrovert. Thank you so much!! I was really hoping to love this one.
DNF at 16% due to undisclosed animal cruelty. The community takes axes and chainsaws to a living beached humpback whale. What the actual fuck - why do this to me. I just watched Blackfish. I can’t take this.
Someone marked this as a TW: brief harm to a whale. I get that they were trying to help. But that wasn’t brief harm. The moment was brief, but the chopping up a live whale is not just harm in my book and the distress lasts longer than a brief moment. The fact someone made this up and wrote it in a book disturbs me.
August 15, 2026
2 ⭐️ So is she a whale or what
August 5, 2026
I’ve got a bone to pick with all the folks who claimed this was on the same level as Wild, Dark Shore.
Temu Wild, Dark Shore maybe.
The writing was so cheesy. The plot was predictable and slow. The characters were so boring. DNF three quarters of the way through. I gotta stop listening to Reese Witherspoon
Temu Wild, Dark Shore maybe.
The writing was so cheesy. The plot was predictable and slow. The characters were so boring. DNF three quarters of the way through. I gotta stop listening to Reese Witherspoon
August 13, 2026
2⭐️ What did I just listen to?? I finished it mostly because I needed to know if the mermaid/whale/fish transformation thing I invented in my head was actually going to happen.
April 27, 2026
THIS BOOK. So dreamy.
🧜♀️ saltwater vibes
🪼 magical realism
🐚 alternating timelines
🌊 coming of age
⛵️ lyrical storytelling
This book felt like salt air, grief, mystery, and longing all tangled together.
I loved the medical threads woven into two of the main characters, one a doctor and one a nurse. The little bits of medical jargon and nursing care? Chef’s kiss.
I loved the boat being such a central part of the story. It wasn’t just a setting. It felt alive. Atmospheric, intimate, and full of secrets.
And the ocean? The author made it feel mysterious and dangerous, but also comforting. Like it was telling its own story. Like it was home.
There’s also this recurring theme of stepping away from phones, work, and the autopilot blur of life to actually live for the people we love. And honestly? Tempting. Extremely tempting. Throw my phone into the sea, babes.
And personally, I read the main character as neurodivergent, and I was very much here for it.
At its heart, this is about love, loss, family, and the kind of longing that lives deep under the surface. Soft, strange, and beautiful.
⚠️TW: brief harm to a whale, death of a parent, alcohol misuse
🧜♀️ saltwater vibes
🪼 magical realism
🐚 alternating timelines
🌊 coming of age
⛵️ lyrical storytelling
This book felt like salt air, grief, mystery, and longing all tangled together.
I loved the medical threads woven into two of the main characters, one a doctor and one a nurse. The little bits of medical jargon and nursing care? Chef’s kiss.
I loved the boat being such a central part of the story. It wasn’t just a setting. It felt alive. Atmospheric, intimate, and full of secrets.
And the ocean? The author made it feel mysterious and dangerous, but also comforting. Like it was telling its own story. Like it was home.
There’s also this recurring theme of stepping away from phones, work, and the autopilot blur of life to actually live for the people we love. And honestly? Tempting. Extremely tempting. Throw my phone into the sea, babes.
And personally, I read the main character as neurodivergent, and I was very much here for it.
At its heart, this is about love, loss, family, and the kind of longing that lives deep under the surface. Soft, strange, and beautiful.
⚠️TW: brief harm to a whale, death of a parent, alcohol misuse
March 25, 2026
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.
This story is ethereal, a little haunting, mysterious and so unique. If you’ve ever felt drawn to the ocean, you need to read this book. I felt enveloped in this story and wrapped up with all of its characters. I found little pieces of myself in all of them and loved the multiple POV. Annie is complex and I didn’t mind being in the dark with her because the journey to the light was so beautiful.
There are so many beautiful themes to explore in this book: love, coming of age, resilience, unconditional love and our relationship with nature, modern day living and technology. I think I could wax poetic about it for weeks.
At first, Mara really bothered me, but I came to understand her much the same as Aiden did, and isn’t that the whole point of the story??
Will be telling everyone to read 🩵
This story is ethereal, a little haunting, mysterious and so unique. If you’ve ever felt drawn to the ocean, you need to read this book. I felt enveloped in this story and wrapped up with all of its characters. I found little pieces of myself in all of them and loved the multiple POV. Annie is complex and I didn’t mind being in the dark with her because the journey to the light was so beautiful.
There are so many beautiful themes to explore in this book: love, coming of age, resilience, unconditional love and our relationship with nature, modern day living and technology. I think I could wax poetic about it for weeks.
At first, Mara really bothered me, but I came to understand her much the same as Aiden did, and isn’t that the whole point of the story??
Will be telling everyone to read 🩵
July 27, 2026
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗦
Annie MacLeod had an unusual upbringing. She spent the majority of her first 18 years on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest with her parents. Her father, trained as a physician, left his career when he found Mara, Annie’s mother, naked and stranded on an island decades ago and they took to the sea.
For Mara was called to the ocean.
But now, a tsunami has destroyed the small community where Annie was staying with her grandmother, and her parents are likely dead.
Evan, Annie’s best friend since childhood and steadfast love is there to help her put the shattered pieces of her life back together.
But then, one morning Annie finds a naked man walking on the beach. Called Walker, he has an undeniable pull that Annie can’t resist.
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦
Wow. I devoured this one.
Unsure what to expect, but knowing there was some magical realism woven into the story, I was wary, but this magic is subtle and mostly left to the reader’s imagination.
I understood where this was going early on but that took nothing away from the journey, which covers nearly 30 years of Annie’s life.
Evan is introduced as a wounded little boy who comes into his own growing up on the boat with Annie and seems the perfect match, and yet Walker has an undeniable and unexplained connection with Annie as well.
But it’s not a romance, though there are some elements, it’s so much more.
𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞
It’s compared to Wild Dark Shore and I can’t think of any better. The ocean, the strange and unexpected visitors, the atmospheric writing.
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗
I can’t imagine this not being enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a character driven story that is part mystery, part coming of age, part ethereal oceanic fairy tale.
Annie MacLeod had an unusual upbringing. She spent the majority of her first 18 years on a sailboat in the Pacific Northwest with her parents. Her father, trained as a physician, left his career when he found Mara, Annie’s mother, naked and stranded on an island decades ago and they took to the sea.
For Mara was called to the ocean.
But now, a tsunami has destroyed the small community where Annie was staying with her grandmother, and her parents are likely dead.
Evan, Annie’s best friend since childhood and steadfast love is there to help her put the shattered pieces of her life back together.
But then, one morning Annie finds a naked man walking on the beach. Called Walker, he has an undeniable pull that Annie can’t resist.
𝗙𝗘𝗘𝗟𝗜𝗡𝗚𝗦
Wow. I devoured this one.
Unsure what to expect, but knowing there was some magical realism woven into the story, I was wary, but this magic is subtle and mostly left to the reader’s imagination.
I understood where this was going early on but that took nothing away from the journey, which covers nearly 30 years of Annie’s life.
Evan is introduced as a wounded little boy who comes into his own growing up on the boat with Annie and seems the perfect match, and yet Walker has an undeniable and unexplained connection with Annie as well.
But it’s not a romance, though there are some elements, it’s so much more.
𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘 𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗖𝗞
It’s compared to Wild Dark Shore and I can’t think of any better. The ocean, the strange and unexpected visitors, the atmospheric writing.
𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗗
I can’t imagine this not being enjoyed by anyone who enjoys a character driven story that is part mystery, part coming of age, part ethereal oceanic fairy tale.
August 18, 2026
What a weird fucking book.
August 16, 2026
Ако Ви се чете нещо в духа на “Където пеят раците”, този роман ще Ви развълнува.
“Все пак всичко можеше да бъде отнето за миг, независимо колко дълго си се подготвял или притеснявал за това.”
“Все пак всичко можеше да бъде отнето за миг, независимо колко дълго си се подготвял или притеснявал за това.”
January 22, 2026
This was a beautiful read that pulled me in from the first page, and from there I couldn’t put it down. It balances romance and mystery perfectly, and I felt totally immersed in another world. I’m grateful to have been able to read an advance copy and would highly recommend!
February 12, 2026
Described as fantasy, this story was so much more than that...mystery, romance, young love, true love, family, our connection to the environment...all so perfectly balanced and real. It was heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. So beautifully written and so compelling that I couldn't put it down and it left me immediately wanting more once finished. It left me with that warm glow that only a superb read can for days afterwards. I’m grateful to have been able to read an advance copy and cannot tell you enough how much I highly recommend it!
April 13, 2026
Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced digital copy. These are the type of stories that I adore. Mostly realistic fiction, with a lot of heart, and a sprinkling of fantasy. I didn't want it to end.
August 5, 2026
📖 4.25 ⭐️. Okay I don’t think this is for every reader. I was confused a bit. You have to be ok with some confusion here. But this book is so beautifully written- mysterious, lyrical, ethereal, mystical. The confusion propelled me forward, though, as I wanted to know what the heck was going on and how this story would play out. Fascinated by the aftermath of a tsunami and Mira & Annie’s connection/pull to the ocean. This story stretched my brain, and I’m still thinking about it the next day.
Notes while reading:
-Do not necessarily recommend for someone who doesn’t read a lot or wants a more straightforward read. Halfway through and still confused- but I think I’m supposed to be- you have to be patient here!
-Sort of virgin river vibes in the sense that they are far from civilization and even farther now as a result of the tsunami damage
-Wow this stretched my brain. Reminds me of Wild dark shore in terms of atmospheric and the power of the ocean
-Love the deep respect for the ocean and forest.
-Also love the Erica Bauermeister quote at the beginning and reference in the acknowledgements!
Notes while reading:
-Do not necessarily recommend for someone who doesn’t read a lot or wants a more straightforward read. Halfway through and still confused- but I think I’m supposed to be- you have to be patient here!
-Sort of virgin river vibes in the sense that they are far from civilization and even farther now as a result of the tsunami damage
-Wow this stretched my brain. Reminds me of Wild dark shore in terms of atmospheric and the power of the ocean
-Love the deep respect for the ocean and forest.
-Also love the Erica Bauermeister quote at the beginning and reference in the acknowledgements!
July 12, 2026
5⭐️
“The sea takes all of it. Annie realizes somewhere in the wild beneath, she’s not alone anymore.”
This book was so different than anything I have read recently, it was so refreshing. The Wild Beneath has a bit of everything: romance, mystery, grief/loss, and magic that captivated me so much I finished it in less than 24hrs.
The Wild Beneath follows Annie who lives in the PNW after a tsunami devastated her remote island and ended her previous life that was filled with sailing with her parents who have now gone missing. She ends up finding a mysterious man in the wreckage who doesn’t speak much, but has a hum to him that only she can hear. As Annie’s story unfolds, she has to choose between her childhood love and the mysterious man that has changed everything for her.
I loved Annie’s refusal to modernize and maintain her wildness along with her parent’s joy for living a simple life sailing on the sea. The glamorization of a simpler life served as a reminder that in the hustle and bustle we all need to slow down and realize who we are and what we want to be.
“The sea takes all of it. Annie realizes somewhere in the wild beneath, she’s not alone anymore.”
This book was so different than anything I have read recently, it was so refreshing. The Wild Beneath has a bit of everything: romance, mystery, grief/loss, and magic that captivated me so much I finished it in less than 24hrs.
The Wild Beneath follows Annie who lives in the PNW after a tsunami devastated her remote island and ended her previous life that was filled with sailing with her parents who have now gone missing. She ends up finding a mysterious man in the wreckage who doesn’t speak much, but has a hum to him that only she can hear. As Annie’s story unfolds, she has to choose between her childhood love and the mysterious man that has changed everything for her.
I loved Annie’s refusal to modernize and maintain her wildness along with her parent’s joy for living a simple life sailing on the sea. The glamorization of a simpler life served as a reminder that in the hustle and bustle we all need to slow down and realize who we are and what we want to be.
July 20, 2026
I’m sorry to say this one didn’t work for me…I had started reading it and put it down for a week and decided to start it over again to give it a fair shot since I wasn’t in the head space to concentrate when I started it.
Annie grew up on a sailboat with her parents. When a tsunami destroys her coastal town and wipes away everything she’s ever known, she’s at a crossroads. While the tsunami swept away her parents, it swept in a handsome stranger on the beach. As Annie gets to know him, she finds herself caught between her first love and this stranger. This stranger makes her confront who she truly is, and discovers that despite her fear of the ocean following the tsunami, it seems to be calling to her through this stranger.
I am not sure what the truth is about this story and I just struggled to connect with it. This story is clearly more than a love triangle, but to me that was the most interesting part. But I feel like the true message was Annie’s connection and pull to the ocean. I felt that was lost and muddled with everything else going on.
I just struggled to connect and this one wasn’t for me.
Annie grew up on a sailboat with her parents. When a tsunami destroys her coastal town and wipes away everything she’s ever known, she’s at a crossroads. While the tsunami swept away her parents, it swept in a handsome stranger on the beach. As Annie gets to know him, she finds herself caught between her first love and this stranger. This stranger makes her confront who she truly is, and discovers that despite her fear of the ocean following the tsunami, it seems to be calling to her through this stranger.
I am not sure what the truth is about this story and I just struggled to connect with it. This story is clearly more than a love triangle, but to me that was the most interesting part. But I feel like the true message was Annie’s connection and pull to the ocean. I felt that was lost and muddled with everything else going on.
I just struggled to connect and this one wasn’t for me.
August 23, 2026
I would rate this 2.5 stars. I was so excited to read this book for book club! I had seen so much hype for it on social media from book influencers, and it was also chosen as a Reese’s Book Club pick. I’ll admit, the first few chapters were captivating. I enjoyed reading about the aftermath of the tsunami and I marveled at the descriptive nautical setting. I also appreciate a good coming of age romance. However, that’s where it ended for me. The plot was extremely slow and uneventful.
*****Spoilers ahead!*******
I was hoping for some kind of mystical explanation for the mysterious Walker and her mother, Mara. In my opinion, the book’s conclusion leaves too much open to interpretation. My theory is that Mara is a humpback whale who can transform into a human, although I’m not sure whether Walker is the same??? The sounds that Annie hears when she’s near Walker end up being the ocean. (So boring!). Since Annie is half human through her father, the author makes it seem like Annie needs to exist between both the water and land in order to be happy and thriving. (Again, boring !) Overall, I felt there were simply too many unanswered questions and holes in the story for the conclusion to feel successful. After all the hype surrounding this book, I was disappointed. Unfortunately, I won’t need recommending this one.
*****Spoilers ahead!*******
I was hoping for some kind of mystical explanation for the mysterious Walker and her mother, Mara. In my opinion, the book’s conclusion leaves too much open to interpretation. My theory is that Mara is a humpback whale who can transform into a human, although I’m not sure whether Walker is the same??? The sounds that Annie hears when she’s near Walker end up being the ocean. (So boring!). Since Annie is half human through her father, the author makes it seem like Annie needs to exist between both the water and land in order to be happy and thriving. (Again, boring !) Overall, I felt there were simply too many unanswered questions and holes in the story for the conclusion to feel successful. After all the hype surrounding this book, I was disappointed. Unfortunately, I won’t need recommending this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2026
این داستان برای کساییه که دریا رو بیشتر از یک منظره میدونن و هر بار دریا رو میبینن یه تیکه از قلبشون رو پیشش جا میذارن.
داستان با یک سونامی و یک سوگ شروع و توی دوتا تایم لاین و از زبان سوم شخص روایت میشه.
آنی دختریه که در یک خانواده پزشک به دنیا اومده و استعداد و علاقه عجیبی در شنا کردن و وقت گذروندن در دریا داره. بعد از سونامی بزرگی که در محل زندگیش اتفاق میفته و زندگیش رو به شدت تحت تاثیر میده، توی ساحل پسری به نام واکر رو بیهوش پیدا میکنه که سعی میکنه نجاتش بده و چیزهای عجیبی در مورد واکر متوجه میشه که باعث میشه بیشتر به هویت خودش پی ببره که اینجا شاهد کمی رئالیسم جادویی خواهیم بود.
من عاشق دریا، آب و شنا کردنم و بیشترین چیزی که از کتاب دوست داشتم فضا و ارتباطی بود که با دریا توصیف میشد و انگار هدف نویسنده تلنگری به خواننده هاست که بخشی از وجود و انسانیتشون همیشه با طبیعت و محیط زیست در ارتباطه و نباید اون بخش وجودشون رو سرکوب کنن.
مشکل خیلی بزرگی که با کتاب داشتم شخصیت های گنگ، مبهم و شخصیت پردازی ناپخته ای بود که باعث میشد روابط بین شخصیت ها بی معنی بشه و همه اتفاقات و مفاهیم بزرگی که در سیر داستان اتفاق میفته پوچ و بی معنی به نظر برسه.
در آخر، این کتاب رو فقط به کسایی پیشنهاد میکنم که عاشق کتاب هایی با فضای ساحلی و دریا هستن🌊
داستان با یک سونامی و یک سوگ شروع و توی دوتا تایم لاین و از زبان سوم شخص روایت میشه.
آنی دختریه که در یک خانواده پزشک به دنیا اومده و استعداد و علاقه عجیبی در شنا کردن و وقت گذروندن در دریا داره. بعد از سونامی بزرگی که در محل زندگیش اتفاق میفته و زندگیش رو به شدت تحت تاثیر میده، توی ساحل پسری به نام واکر رو بیهوش پیدا میکنه که سعی میکنه نجاتش بده و چیزهای عجیبی در مورد واکر متوجه میشه که باعث میشه بیشتر به هویت خودش پی ببره که اینجا شاهد کمی رئالیسم جادویی خواهیم بود.
من عاشق دریا، آب و شنا کردنم و بیشترین چیزی که از کتاب دوست داشتم فضا و ارتباطی بود که با دریا توصیف میشد و انگار هدف نویسنده تلنگری به خواننده هاست که بخشی از وجود و انسانیتشون همیشه با طبیعت و محیط زیست در ارتباطه و نباید اون بخش وجودشون رو سرکوب کنن.
مشکل خیلی بزرگی که با کتاب داشتم شخصیت های گنگ، مبهم و شخصیت پردازی ناپخته ای بود که باعث میشد روابط بین شخصیت ها بی معنی بشه و همه اتفاقات و مفاهیم بزرگی که در سیر داستان اتفاق میفته پوچ و بی معنی به نظر برسه.
در آخر، این کتاب رو فقط به کسایی پیشنهاد میکنم که عاشق کتاب هایی با فضای ساحلی و دریا هستن🌊
Did Not Finish
August 6, 2026NO: A book I borrowed from the library to try before I buy (tired buying hundreds books and hating half)
I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.
I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:
Stunning cover.
I tried to read this. Oh lord I can’t. The writing is ridiculous. She’s trying to write poetically and this doesn’t work for me. Just say it. It’s post tsunami and suddenly a naked young man shows up on the beach. Stupid. I’m done. Via reviews there’s a love triangle nope. I know it’s also about the love of nature I just don’t think this writing is for me.
I do not rate these “tested”
books. This is really for me. I will not be buying, reading borrowing this book.
I read first ch or more -first 10-100 pages skim around at times. I read many of my GR friend’s reviews. This is what I did and didn’t like:
Stunning cover.
I tried to read this. Oh lord I can’t. The writing is ridiculous. She’s trying to write poetically and this doesn’t work for me. Just say it. It’s post tsunami and suddenly a naked young man shows up on the beach. Stupid. I’m done. Via reviews there’s a love triangle nope. I know it’s also about the love of nature I just don’t think this writing is for me.
August 20, 2026
Such an interesting idea, such a slow, boring way to present it. I would rather have read a full fantasy book about people from the sea that come to land then this winding, vague story about a woman who sounds more like she is on the spectrum than is magical in some way. It starts off interesting but then stalls hard at about 60% and much of the rest was a slog. The payoff for all the vague whatever about the call of the sea was so short and so close to the end I was annoyed. And I didn't understand these relationships at all. Why does Aiden love Mara? What made walker so appealing? Neither of them really talks or says anything of substance, just vague nonsense. E and A have a meaningful history but even then she is very selfish and he's constantly just doing whatever for her.
Finally, mostly the writing in this book is pretty good but one passage was like a record scratch, it was so confounding I had to rewind more than once, ""she's only 45 but she has a sphynx-like reincarnated presence" wtf does that mean?!
Overall it was lyricism without much plot, and that's a shame because the idea was cool.
Finally, mostly the writing in this book is pretty good but one passage was like a record scratch, it was so confounding I had to rewind more than once, ""she's only 45 but she has a sphynx-like reincarnated presence" wtf does that mean?!
Overall it was lyricism without much plot, and that's a shame because the idea was cool.
Read
August 15, 2026Wild beneded salt choices
pink huge orange draw horizon
magic ocean whisperes secrets
tsunami of life play by ours griefs
we sink at hot dream
whatever the end was
its our saga
our myth whisper
love
scarafay
tuch
soulmat
pink huge orange draw horizon
magic ocean whisperes secrets
tsunami of life play by ours griefs
we sink at hot dream
whatever the end was
its our saga
our myth whisper
love
scarafay
tuch
soulmat
Did Not Finish
August 20, 202634%
August 20, 2026
Interesting take on the Little Mermaid
August 19, 2026
I truly have never read a book like this one. A book whose very words ebb and flow like the ocean in which this book is about. This as an absolute spellbinding reading experience from start to finish.
August 13, 2026
2.5⭐️ Bored. Weird teenage love triangle. Sea beings. Not what I was expecting.
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