Wild Dark Shore is on many summer reading lists thanks to its inclusion in Reese’s Book Club, and for good reason. Here’s a brief synopsis:

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again. 

But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.

Wild Dark Shore

Without giving away anything, here are my thoughts:

This book is dark. Depressing. Sad. There’s no way to sugarcoat the fact that the story and the characters are heartbreaking. The environmental factors only add to the despair. That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed the wildlife descriptions and learning about a part of the world I’ve yet to visit. The character development is brilliant. Almost too brilliant. The reader becomes attached, which makes for a stressful reading experience.

I’d like to give a shout out to my friend, Casey, for hosting book club during the busiest week of the year. I know it was tough, but she rose to the occasion and treated us to a wonderful meal and excellent discussion. Kudos to my fellow B*tches for showing up in the midst of all the things: work, sports, graduations, travel, parties, banquets, etc. The last week was a doozy but we made it happen! I think this is a testament to how much we cherish our monthly get togethers.

Back to the book…would I recommend it? Yes, especially for a book club. Do I wish I’d been prepared for the content? Yes. In other words, don’t plan on this being your beach read. Light and fluffy it’s not. I think Charlotte McConaghy will become a household name before too long. I’m interested in her earlier novel, Once There Were Wolves.

Purchase Wild Dark Shore here: https://amzn.to/4uycAZz

I’ll share my summer reading list tomorrow!