A Cape Cod reunion of 4 old friends who haven’t seen each other in 20 years and are celebrating a 40th birthday… what could go wrong?

Meet the characters:

Mori- a former awkward child is now a famous spicy romance author doing really well for herself. She is hiding a secret love interest and heading for divorce. She knows some other secrets from high school as well but she’s keeping those to herself

Calista- married with a teenage son, Devon and teaches English at the local school. She has a secret.

Avery- works and lives on a farm in Idaho with her husband and several children. She lives a simple life-she’s fascinated by the Keurig machine in the home where they stay

Remi- married to Gabe, and they own a gym together. Has a couple secrets held close to her heart.

Unique characters, a familiar setting to me (Massachusetts and Cape Cod), and lots of secrets made for a fantastic read. Little tidbits are revealed piece by piece which left me turning the pages. When these friends begin second guessing each other after someone goes missing, tensions rise and trusts are tested. I could not put this down! I found the ending to be a little bit predictable, but the journey made up for it. I was frustrated with the characters for interfering with the police investigation but it made for even more drama. A highly recommended read and I’ll be sure to check out others from this author! Thank you so much for the arc @netgalley and @severnhouseimprint.

2 stars
Expected publication - June 3, 2025

Thank you, NetGalley and Severn House, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Four friends reunite after 20 years on Cape Cod. One of them end up dead, and they all have secrets.

These characters were awful. I went from being annoyed by how stupid they were to how annoying they were to how terrible they were.

Set on Cape Cod, this mystery thriller would be perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Elin Hilderbrand and Jamie Day.
Mori, Remi, Avery and Calista were the best of friends but lost touch with each other over the past two decades. They reunite to celebrate Calista’s 40th birthday on Cape Cod, a place where they spent carefree summers. But each one of them brings a secret. And they soon learn that their little white lies have the potential to be truly devastating.
Danvers gives you characters that you will love and hate simultaneously. The little white lies one tells for a variety of reasons seem harmless at first. But these gals have lying down to a science! And some of their decisions were downright frustrating but added to the suspense! With several twists, and my mind thinking one thing, the ending was a completely unexpected!
As I was reading, I just couldn’t overlook some of the unrealistic and selfish decisions these women made, which made them seem a lot more immature than their age would imply.

What in the drunk and dysfunctional adults role playing scooby doo did I just read? The epilogue was infuriating, but not as much as the demeaning boy toy treatment of the chef.

3.25 stars

I really enjoyed Holly Danvers’ previous cozy mystery series, the Lakeside Library series, so I was excited to dive into her new book, Lie in the Tide. It's labeled as a suspense thriller, but honestly, I found it to be a bit of a ‘milder’ take on that genre. Set in beautiful Cape Cod, the story follows four high school friends who reunite 20 years later. Each character has a secret and tells their share of little white lies, which just makes everything more complicated when one of them goes missing and doesn’t show up to the reunion. The remaining three are left to figure out what happened.

I did enjoy the book overall. I liked getting to know the characters, but honestly, all the lies got to be a bit much to keep up with. Some of the women’s actions and dialogue made me roll my eyes, especially when they started interfering with the police investigation. The writing itself was strong, though I figured out who the culprit was pretty quickly, even though there were a few twists along the way. I also wish the author had given more detail about what happened in the nature reserve; I think it would’ve added some extra suspense and made it feel more like a true thriller. Instead, it kind of felt more like a cozy mystery at times.

All in all, it was a solid read. I’d definitely buy it and look forward to seeing what Holly Danvers writes next.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you for this ARC! I’m always happy to receive a boom in exchange for my honest opinion. It was a decent read, however, I did struggle connecting with the characters. They lacked depth and that made it difficult to immerse myself in the story. In no way shape or form do I feel like this was a “bad” book, I enjoyed it for the most part, however, it won’t be something I’ll be purchasing a physical copy of.

This needs to be on everyone’s TBR summer book club lists! This is a really good one. I could not wait to see how that ending was going to unfold. Loved the characters!

The amount of times I said WTF out loud and had my husband look at me like I was crazy. My jaw kept hitting the ground in shock! The twists and turns was like a rollercoaster ride. Lies, secrets and deception were all there in this wild one! Told in past/present and by multiple characters makes this a must read of 2025!

Four old friends plan a get together on the Cape after not seeing one another for 20 years. But someone never shows up, and the others are left to figure out why.
What I didn’t like: The characters were not particularly likable or relatable (going too far to try to solve things on their own, major secrets in “honest” relationships).
What I liked: The setting, the overall idea, the twist.
What I’d like to see more of: expounding on the twist.

I really liked this book. However, the ending was predictable so it was disappointing.
My first by this author but interested to see what else she has!

3.5 stars

A reunion at a gorgeous beach house on Cape Cod goes spectacularly wrong for four very different friends who haven’t seen each other for twenty years. Mori (Moriah) is the popular author of spicy rom coms while Avery is an earth mother and farmer’s wife in Iowa. Remi and her husband own a gym in Florida and Calista, an English teacher, knows she can destroy this long time friendship in a sentence.

Lie in the Tide does not mean spread your towel out on the sand and bask in the sun. It means to be untruthful and to harbor destructive secrets. “And the longer a lie has to sit and fester, the bigger it gets” says Mori and is she ever right. Without spoilers, the lies told by the women in Lie in the Tide are devastating. Some are personal while others will affect the whole group. This thriller is well written and well plotted with many surprises and an ending you won’t see coming. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Severn House and Holly Danvers for this ARC.

This is a story about four friends who reunite for one of their landmark birthdays only to have things go seriously pear shaped.

For one thing, they are living very different lights from each other - from the erotica writer to the yoga entrepreneur. For another, they are about to blow the lid off some fairly major secrets, the fallout of which is likely to be volatile...

This is an enjoyable read, where the author addresses a familiar trope, but delivers some original storytelling with it. It gets 3.5 stars.

Mori, Avery, Remi and Calista are four life long friends who have met up to celebrate Claistas birthday.

This book is a good read, it reads like a tv drama and is telling th story of the secrets the four women have and the lies they tell to keep them

It is a pacy read and although at times the story kind of mis-steps in the details I really enjoyed my reading time.

This would make the perfect holiday read..

"Lie in the Tide" by Holly Danvers is a solid suspense thriller set on Cape Cod, exploring the impact and consequences of white lies on relationships. I love the reunion gone wrong trope, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

The story follows four friends reuniting after 20 years apart: Mori, the hostess and a bestselling erotica author; Calista, a suburban mom and high school English teacher; Remi, a yoga instructor; and Avery, a farm wife living in Iowa. They all have secrets - some more serious than others. The plot thickens when one of them fails to arrive at the reunion, leaving no trace behind. As the friends try to uncover what happened, tensions rise, secrets unravel, and then - there’s a murder.

This is a book about secrets and lies. At times, I felt there were simply too many. While the story delves deep into the characters' mindsets, I struggled to connect with any of them or the foolish decisions they made. Some of their actions left me raising a brow, as they didn’t always make sense. And their constant arguments were exhausting, to say the least.

That said, I appreciated the attention to detail in the characters' interactions and inner thoughts. The writing itself was strong - the emotions leapt off the page. However, this also slowed the pacing at times. I wasn’t fully engaged or eager to see what would happen next.

Overall, it was an okay read. It started off really well, but eventually lost momentum. The mystery itself was predictable and didn’t keep me guessing, though the twist at the end did manage to surprise me. The identity of the villain was obvious (at least to me), and I found it unrealistic that they weren't on the suspect list.

That being said, I still enjoyed the book to some extent, so I’m giving it 3 out of 5 stars. The twist at the end made up for some of the flaws. I’d recommend it to readers who don’t mind a slow-paced story and are new to the genre.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

“Lie in the Tide” by Holly Danvers, completely blew me away! From the very first page, I was hooked and couldn’t put it down. The twists kept me guessing the whole way through, and just when I thought I had it figured out, it completely flipped everything on me. I found myself speculating and second-guessing at every turn, and by the time I reached the end, I was totally shaken. It’s one of those books that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go—definitely a thrilling, must-read!

I was initially intrigued by the blurb.

I expected a witty, catty, backstabbing Desperate Housewives kind of popcorn thriller but what I saw instead, was a slow, overly descriptive tangle of awkward, cringey dialogue with no flow.

I didn’t care for or about what happened to any of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for the advance digital copy.

Lie in the Tide by Holly Danvers is a compelling, atmospheric thriller that hooks you from the very first page and doesn’t let go until the final, heart-pounding conclusion. Set against the haunting backdrop of a coastal town, the novel weaves together mystery, suspense, and complex characters with an unsettling sense of inevitability.

The story follows Iris, a woman who returns to her hometown to uncover the truth behind her sister’s mysterious disappearance years ago. What begins as a quest for answers quickly turns into a web of lies, secrets, and buried traumas that stretch back decades. Danvers masterfully builds tension as Iris navigates the murky waters of trust, loyalty, and betrayal, drawing the reader deeper into the twisting narrative.

One of the strengths of Lie in the Tide is the richly developed setting. The coastal town itself almost becomes a character, with its dark, moody atmosphere creating the perfect environment for the secrets that lie beneath the surface. Danvers’ descriptive writing brings the town to life, making it feel both beautiful and sinister at the same time. The setting adds a level of depth to the plot, enhancing the story’s sense of foreboding.

The characters in this novel are another standout feature. Iris is a strong, multi-dimensional protagonist, and her emotional journey is both raw and relatable. Her complex relationship with her past, her family, and the town she left behind is what drives the emotional core of the story. The supporting characters are just as well-crafted, with motivations that unfold slowly and with precision, keeping readers guessing as to who can be trusted.

The plot itself is expertly paced, with well-timed twists that keep the suspense high. While the twists are intriguing, they never feel forced or over-the-top, which is a testament to Danvers’ skill as a writer. The tension builds naturally as secrets are revealed, and the pacing never falters, ensuring the story keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

My only hesitation in giving this book a perfect rating comes with a minor critique regarding the conclusion. While satisfying, the ending left a few questions unanswered that I would have liked to see explored further. However, it doesn’t detract from the overall experience, and the journey to get there was more than enough to make up for it.

Lie in the Tide is a gripping, well-executed thriller that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Holly Danvers has crafted a novel that is as emotionally powerful as it is suspenseful, with a compelling lead and a plot that twists and turns with skillful precision. Highly recommended for fans of psychological thrillers and mystery lovers alike!

A thriller set on Cape Cod, one of the most beautiful places in the world? Yes please!!
Holly Danvers invites us to the beach and a reunion of childhood friends with Lie In The Tide.

After twenty years, four childhood friends plan a reunion on one of the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod. Three make it there, one does not. When a body is found, the three remaining friends are bound and determined to find the truth about what happened to their friend.

Full of secrets, lies, deceit, twists and turns, this book is packed with action. The ending was so unexpected, I had to reread it again. This is a fast paced read and grips you from the start. This was my first book by Holly Danvers and I really enjoyed it. I look forward to her next. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Severn House for the advanced copy of this book

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. A quick read with a fun plot. The writing was a bit forced, but all in all not a bad book.

this was a good book! I like the way this story flowed, and how the characters were suspicious and the different perspectives to see they way they turn on each other, so good! It was definitely an entertaining read!!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!