⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ .75 Pros: creepy small town, ominous water-centric dread, likable characters
Cons: had some unresolved and unanswered questions, kind of anticlimactic
TW: Child death, Racism, Blood, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Terminal illness, Medical content, Stalking
I got an early copy of We Don't Swim Here from the publisher and I'm beyond thankful because this was such a cool YA horror and a great book to kick off a spooky summer! I've never read anything by Vincent Tirado but after reading this, I won't hesitate to try more from them in the future!
Overview
This novel is dual POV, split between cousins Bronwyn and Anais. Bronwyn is a young Black girl who loves to swim but her family has decided to move to be closer to her grandmother who is in hospice. They move to Hillsides - Bronwyn's father's childhood town and a town where no one swims. Anais is Bronwyn's cousin who has lived in Hillsides her entire life. She is very guarded and determined to toe the line when it comes to the town's secrets and rituals in order to keep everyone safe.
Over the course of their time together, Anais tries to keep Bronwyn safe, despite Bronwyn continuing to ask questions that could put everyone in danger.
Minor Spoilers
I really enjoyed the two main characters, Anais and Bronwyn, even though they were very different from one another. I loved that Anais was determined to do her best to protect everyone she cared for, as misguided as she ultimately was. I loved that Bronwyn was set on getting to the bottom of things even after being discouraged from prying.
If you are new here, it's no secret that I love ghost stories and this was no exception. When Sweetie came to "possess" Bronwyn, I liked that Bronwyn was open to "being her witness" and hearing her out without being hateful and quick to judge. At the same time... she is literally killing people through Bronwyn's possession so that is conflicting at best. That being said, I also liked that Bronwyn promised to show Sweetie the town and take her to swim. I know the ghost was vengeful and killed people, blah blah blah, but I loved her the most?! I realize my own hypocrisy.
There were some aspects of everything that didn't make sense (like the ballot box at the beginning of the book) There were also a few things I wanted just a bit more from. I wish the relationship between Sweetie and LaLa (the girls' grandma) had been explored a bit more. I think the entire history of the town's aversion to water, their rituals, the sacrifices, etc. could've been explored way more than it was, elevating the story and giving more of a glimpse into why and how the town had gotten to this point.
Thanks again to Sourcebooks for sending me a copy of this. I think it's a pretty solid little spooky story, great for a summer by the pool, ironically. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a not too heavy, spooky time in creepy small town. I think it'd be a good place to start if you are new to horror but not trying to wreck your whole week with unspeakable gore and grossness.
Also, please enjoy my GoodReads review and follow me there if you'd like! This review is a great summary of all the things I plan to discuss at length below.
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