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Deep Water
by
Henry Weaver is missing.
Three months ago, thirteen-year-old Henry disappeared from The Shallows during a violent storm, leaving behind his muddy mountain bike at the train station.
Mason Weaver is trapped.
While Mason doesn't know who he is or what he's capable of, he knows the one thing binding him to this suffocating small town is his younger brother, Henry.
Chloe Baxter wa ...more
Three months ago, thirteen-year-old Henry disappeared from The Shallows during a violent storm, leaving behind his muddy mountain bike at the train station.
Mason Weaver is trapped.
While Mason doesn't know who he is or what he's capable of, he knows the one thing binding him to this suffocating small town is his younger brother, Henry.
Chloe Baxter wa ...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
April 1st 2020
by Allen & Unwin
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"I'm going to read thrillers FOR FUN!" I say, while stressing out 100% of the time. Oh this one left me turning pages anxiously to find the resolution. It's disarming because it's one of those small town, Australian mysterious, where people are a bit she'll be right mate and they softly look away from things that are off...but when 13-year-old Henry Weaver goes missing, Chloe is not going to sit back and let him be forgotten. He deserves better than that. Especially after what she did too...
The ...more
The ...more

Could not put this down! I loved the compelling small town mystery about the missing brother and how I was constantly guessing about who the suspects were. Featuring unreliable narrators, alcoholism and a broken family, and a brother with an anger management problem.
Full review posted here.
Check out Happy Indulgence Books for more reviews! ...more
Full review posted here.
Check out Happy Indulgence Books for more reviews! ...more

Jun 03, 2020
Megan
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
thriller,
young-adult,
borrowed-from-library,
read-in-2020,
loveozya,
mystery,
australian-author
This book was the perfect Australian small-town mystery. How well do you know the people you've grown up with?
The story is character-driven, switching POV between Chloe and Mason as we learn about the events leading up to Henry's disappearance and how it's affected the town and the people living in it.
The mystery slowly unravels as we get to know Chloe, Mason and their friends. But once I hit the last fifty pages, I couldn't read fast enough!
This is a story of good intentions gone wrong with ...more
The story is character-driven, switching POV between Chloe and Mason as we learn about the events leading up to Henry's disappearance and how it's affected the town and the people living in it.
The mystery slowly unravels as we get to know Chloe, Mason and their friends. But once I hit the last fifty pages, I couldn't read fast enough!
This is a story of good intentions gone wrong with ...more

In the small town of The Shallows, the community has endured bushfire that ravaged the land and a torrential storm on the night that thirteen year old Henry Weaver disappeared, three months ago. Chloe Baxter has returned to The Shallows from Sydney, her parents separating when her mother was desperate to escape the small, working class town. Chloe's father manages a small roadside motel once popular with tourists and those passing through The Shallows, now small businesses barely keeping their h
...more

Read with YA Circle Book Club for their May 2020 BOTM
Now THAT'S how you write a mystery!
I've been through it all. I've read New York Times Bestselling mysteries and award winning ones too. None of them captured my attention as much as Deep Water did. This was wonderfully layered and I was constantly intrigued by the mystery of Henry Weaver and even more so, his brother Mason who was even more mysterious than the actual kidnapping case itself.
The book follows Chloe Baxter, a young girl trying ...more
Now THAT'S how you write a mystery!
I've been through it all. I've read New York Times Bestselling mysteries and award winning ones too. None of them captured my attention as much as Deep Water did. This was wonderfully layered and I was constantly intrigued by the mystery of Henry Weaver and even more so, his brother Mason who was even more mysterious than the actual kidnapping case itself.
The book follows Chloe Baxter, a young girl trying ...more

The rural town, The Shallows, is recovering from bushfire and a devastating storm that caused a mudslide overnight - that same night Henry Weaver goes missing. His bike is found at the train station so everyone assumes that the 13-year-old has fled to Sydney - but that does sit right with Chloe Baxter, who has been like a big sister to Henry so why would he not tell her he was leaving. Chloe is not sure where to start but she is going to hunt down the clues, which all lead her back to Henry’s ol
...more

Trigger warnings: disappearance of a friend/sibling/child, mentions of cheating, abusive parent, alcohol abuse, domestic violence, mentions of paedophilia, (view spoiler) .
3.5 stars.
I was super excited to read this after LOVING Small Spaces when it first came out. And then I promptly put off reading it for a month the second it arrived in the mail because *gestures at entire planet*.
I finally persuaded myself to pi ...more
3.5 stars.
I was super excited to read this after LOVING Small Spaces when it first came out. And then I promptly put off reading it for a month the second it arrived in the mail because *gestures at entire planet*.
I finally persuaded myself to pi ...more

‘I’m Tasmanian. We’re basically one big sleepy small town so I can spot a fake a mile away.’
It’s fun reviewing books. I don’t have tickets on myself that I’m particularly good at it, but I enjoy doing it immensely. I form my own opinions, but between finishing a tome and sitting down at my favourite nook, here beside the river, to write it up, I always take to the ether to see what others have made of it.
Just occasionally, what I read there may make me see the work of fiction, or reality, I’ve j ...more
It’s fun reviewing books. I don’t have tickets on myself that I’m particularly good at it, but I enjoy doing it immensely. I form my own opinions, but between finishing a tome and sitting down at my favourite nook, here beside the river, to write it up, I always take to the ether to see what others have made of it.
Just occasionally, what I read there may make me see the work of fiction, or reality, I’ve j ...more

This book killed me. I can't stop crying.
...more

A very good YA whodunnit - or did they? The teens of this sleepy town hide as many secrets as the grown-ups as the mystery of Henry's disappearance starts to unravel.
Highly recommended to YA mystery/crime readers age 13+, and adults of course! ...more
Highly recommended to YA mystery/crime readers age 13+, and adults of course! ...more

At a time when Australia is cracked and broken apart by bushfires, droughts and floods, our focus is on country towns once more, the setting of Sarah Epstein's YA novel 'Deep Water'. In a country town seething with small town resentment, everyone pulls together when things go well, not wanting to get involved when trouble brews. Except Chloe, one of the main characters, who's bossy and interfering in her pursuit of answers to a burning question: Why did her 13-year-old friend Henry disappear? Wh
...more

A brilliant #LoveOzYA thriller. My full review will be out after publication.

http://jessjustreads.com
Sarah Epstein’s Deep Water is a young adult thriller novel set within a small town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The residents are reticent, the past is full of secrets, and the truth about a young boy’s disappearance is about to come out.
Deep Water captures a claustrophobic setting. Set in The Shallows NSW, the atmosphere of this small town is incredibly crowded and confined, making you feel like you’re trapped along with the characters. Stylistically, th ...more
Sarah Epstein’s Deep Water is a young adult thriller novel set within a small town in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales. The residents are reticent, the past is full of secrets, and the truth about a young boy’s disappearance is about to come out.
Deep Water captures a claustrophobic setting. Set in The Shallows NSW, the atmosphere of this small town is incredibly crowded and confined, making you feel like you’re trapped along with the characters. Stylistically, th ...more

As I enjoyed Small Spaces so much I was eager to get into Sarah's latest novel and it did not disappoint. Written in POV format by two of the protagonists, one in the past and one in the present, the mystery of Henry's whereabouts finally becomes clear as the stories converge. The reader is taken on this journey which is drip fed, building the tension of the story to an exciting (and surprising) conclusion.
...more

As sad as that was - I don’t really cry when I read books but damn I cried three times reading this - that was a good read. It was super fast paced and really gripping. I really felt for Mason, and everything he had been enduring. I recommend reading this book, but some chapters are quite confronting to read.

Possibly closer to a 3.5?
I struggle hardcore to rate this one simply because I found it to be relatively predictable but I still enjoyed it. I’m so conflicted.
I didn’t love the characters and the mystery wasn’t all that mysterious, and I mostly just got mad at the red herrings that weren’t really red herrings.
I did love the small town Aussie setting though, so that’s something I suppose.
I struggle hardcore to rate this one simply because I found it to be relatively predictable but I still enjoyed it. I’m so conflicted.
I didn’t love the characters and the mystery wasn’t all that mysterious, and I mostly just got mad at the red herrings that weren’t really red herrings.
I did love the small town Aussie setting though, so that’s something I suppose.

Representation: Mason (main character) is queer. Sally and Liv (minor characters) are gay.
Content and trigger warnings: alcoholism, parental neglect, parental abuse (non-physical), emotional abuse and trauma, violence, homophobia (light).
This was amazing. Full review to come.
5/5 stars.
Content and trigger warnings: alcoholism, parental neglect, parental abuse (non-physical), emotional abuse and trauma, violence, homophobia (light).
This was amazing. Full review to come.
5/5 stars.

Small town thriller following converging storylines!! Intriguing, suspenseful and very interesting.. just like her first novel, this one kept me on the edge of my seat.. [latepost review] with special thanks to Allen & Unwin for sending me an advance review copy of this book and to Oz Authors Online for having me on board to moderate the digi book launch event!

4.5☆
I eagerly awaited the opportunity to read this book and was nothing but thrilled with it. With her first novel Small Spaces, Epstein demonstrated that she can produce a beautiful and harrowing piece of literature. Deep Water reveals that she has a magic touch; that she is a truly phenomenal writer who is as smart and she is sly with her mystery fiction.
Once again the characters of this novel were not to be trusted (although Small Spaces had me questioning even the protagonist) and were multi ...more
I eagerly awaited the opportunity to read this book and was nothing but thrilled with it. With her first novel Small Spaces, Epstein demonstrated that she can produce a beautiful and harrowing piece of literature. Deep Water reveals that she has a magic touch; that she is a truly phenomenal writer who is as smart and she is sly with her mystery fiction.
Once again the characters of this novel were not to be trusted (although Small Spaces had me questioning even the protagonist) and were multi ...more

I absolutely loved this book, it is such a good crime mystery, and I really didn't see that ending coming. I found it fun and exciting and also quite sad. Such a good book!
...more

Jun 10, 2020
Trisha
added it
Shelves:
abuse,
mystery,
conflict,
multiple-narrators,
ozya2020,
crime,
australian-ya,
judging,
romance,
grief-loss
Clever blend of genre fiction with layers of contemporary insight.

Another fantastic, superbly plotted novel from an "auto-buy" author I adore.
I loved this in-depth exploration of what deceit, secret and lies can do to a close-knit group of friends in a small Australian town. Highly recommend this one. ...more
I loved this in-depth exploration of what deceit, secret and lies can do to a close-knit group of friends in a small Australian town. Highly recommend this one. ...more

My favourite book of 2020 to date. A gripping read, with believable teenage characters and a twisty plot (and an ending I didn't see coming). Sarah Epstein is rapidly becoming my favourite YA author.
...more

A gripping YA thriller that explores the impact of trauma and how it can strain the bonds of trust. This is a deftly written dual narrative with two distinct and engaging voices. Chloe is determined to get answers about the disappearance of Henry Weaver, a young boy who has been like the little brother she never had. Mason Weaver, Henry's troubled older brother, is stuck in an abusive family with an alcoholic mother and diminishing hope that he will ever escape the cycle of abuse. Their lives ar
...more
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Sarah Epstein is an award-winning Australian author, illustrator and designer who grew up in suburban Sydney and now lives in Melbourne with her husband, two sons and a rescued dog called Luna. After achieving a design degree and enjoying a 25-year graphic design career, Sarah returned to her first loves of writing and illustrating. Her debut novel, Small Spaces, is a CBCA Honour Book, winner of t
...more
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“Chloe could rest assured there was no chance he might have accidentally ever felt good about himself.”
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