Review: The Drowning - Margot D'Archer

Review: The Drowning - Good Girls Don't Die - Margot D'Archer - October 2021

Every now and then, you stumble across an indie read that feels like a hidden gem and The Drowning by The Drowning is exactly that kind of discovery. I found myself scrolling through my Kindle, hoping for something to grab my attention, and this YA thriller delivered in all the right ways.

Set in the seemingly picturesque town of Silver Bay, the story opens with a haunting question: what really happened to Chrissy Stieversen, the town’s golden girl? Her body has only just been found, yet her family seems determined to sweep everything under the rug. That alone sets the tone for a story filled with secrets, lies, and a creeping sense that something isn’t quite right beneath the surface.

Enter Cleo Williams - flawed, relatable, and trying to outrun her past. She’s returned to her aunt Emma's lakefront cottage for the summer, hoping to escape the chaos of her life, but instead finds herself pulled straight into another mystery when she discovers Chrissy’s diary. What follows is a slow unraveling of both Chrissy’s life and Cleo’s own buried memories.

I really enjoyed Cleo as a character. She’s not perfect, and that’s what makes her feel real. Her reluctance to involve the police adds an extra layer of tension, especially as she teams up with Chrissy’s brother , the only member of the Stieversen family who seems to genuinely care about finding the truth. Their dynamic adds a nice emotional thread to the story, grounding the mystery in something more personal.

The diary element was a highlight for me. Decoding Chrissy’s secrets alongside Cleo kept me hooked, and the multi-POV structure added depth without becoming confusing. Just when I thought I had things figured out, the story would shift, revealing another layer of Silver Bay’s dysfunction.

And then another body is found.

From that moment, the stakes rise sharply, and the question of whether there’s a serial killer lurking in this small town becomes impossible to ignore. The tension builds steadily, with an undercurrent of danger that kept me turning the pages.

Overall, The Drowning is a gripping, atmospheric YA thriller that proves you don’t always need a big-name author to find a compelling read. If you enjoy small-town mysteries, unreliable truths, and stories that keep you guessing until the end, this one is well worth diving into.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8496334958