Unfortunately I have decided to DNF this one, it wasn't for me.
I will continue to check for future books from this author as I like to give author's a second chance and I won't be put off from DNF this one for my future reads.

Twenty years ago, during a family holiday on the savage and remote island of Little Auger, eleven-year-old Hazel left her bed and was never seen again. The unanswered questions surrounding Hazel’s disappearance tore three families apart and the girls left behind all experience their own terrible guilt. Roz, because she broke a promise; Catrin, because it was her idea; and Nina, who slept through it all. Their friendship never recovers and all three women go on to lead vastly different lives.

Twenty years later, they each receive a phone call from Stella Cox, a true-crime podcaster, who has unearthed new evidence about Hazel’s disappearance. There is no doubt Stella has found something important but the question is, how can the women—once best friends, now strangers—trust her, or each other?

Will their return to the island finally reveal the truth, and if it does, is it something any of them are prepared to learn?

Loved it

The novel’s strength lies in its raw portrayal of how one night can ripple through decades of someone’s life. A few pacing issues aside, this was a compelling and satisfying read. Great for fans of atmospheric mysteries and introspective character work.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked how the story continued beyond "mystery solved" so we got to see the effects events had on the main characters' lives.

Between the Waves was my first read by Hilary Tailor. It tells the story of Roz, and her two friends, Catrin and Nina, centering around the disappearance of Roz’s sister Hazel. It’s been 20 years since Hazel went missing and Roz is still shattered. After a well-known podcaster contacts the women with alleged new evidence surrounding the case, the 3 women find themselves facing each other, and any secrets that happened that day.

While I think that Hilary Tailor is an amazing writer, and I did really enjoy the Welsh setting of the story, it was very much a slow-burn. I don’t always mind this, and it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, I just found the story a little underwhelming overall. I thought the character development of the three women was very good, and I appreciated that Hazel’s fate is revealed, I just found myself wanting a bit more.

I don’t think this was a bad novel by any means, it just wasn’t a book I see myself thinking about or remembering for long.

Thank you to NetGalley & Lake Union Publishing for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Special thank you to NetGalley, Hilary Tailor and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this unique mystery. The author did an incredible job of weaving the story and perspective between three friends who become estranged for two decades over tragedy. Each of the characters developed throughout the story and experienced growth and a new approach to life as the mystery unfolds. This is my first novel by Hilary Tailor and I would definitely read more. Highly recommend.

This was a very good read! I loved the premise of the thriller and that it became so much more. The background work must have been extensive and it's visible in the book. Everything seems so well thought through.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Hilary Tailor, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of Between the Waves. When I started this book, I expected a mystery/thriller revealing what had happened 20 years earlier when 11 year old Hazel disappeared in the middle of the night while visiting a Welsh Island with her family and friends. This book did deliver on that but it also went deeper and exposed how the tragedy impacted and stunted the growth of Hazel’s family and friends. Although the mystery is solved about 3/4 of the way through the novel, the final quarter of the book was my favorite. Having the truth about Hazel’s disappearance finally revealed, allowed the other characters to gain closure and really move on with their lives.

This is my first book that I have ever read by Hilary Tailor, and it will likely not be my last. Between the Waves completely captured me from the opening pages when the reader is confronted by a mystery of what happened to a little girl named Hazel. Switching between the perspectives of three friends, I really liked the pacing of this book until the last 1/4 of the book when it seemed to slow down considerably. Nevertheless, I thought that Tailor's writing helped capture the essence and mood of the interesting location that she chose, and I really enjoyed reading this book!

I like fast-paced books, and this one was more of a slow burn. While the premise is interesting,, I struggled to stay connected to the story.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is emotional and atmospheric, but overall, it didn’t quite work for me. While the premise was intriguing, I felt the mystery wasn’t resolved in a satisfying way, and I struggled to connect with any of the main characters.

My attention often wandered, and I found myself mainly reading just to find out the answer to Hazel’s disappearance. The story does eventually reveal what happened to her twenty years ago, but the resolution felt predictable and ultimately a bit underwhelming.

I liked the pacing in this book, although there were parts that dragged a bit, especially in the middle. There was a good amount of suspense, though, and did leave me wanting to know what happened to Hazel. In addition, the three main characters were complex which added layers to the story. It is a bit emotional, or even moody at times, but I think readers will enjoy it overall!

4 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Between the Waves blends slow-burning mystery with deep emotional undercurrents as three estranged women reunite on a remote island to uncover the truth behind a childhood tragedy. The setting is eerie and evocative, and I loved how the story explored guilt, fractured friendships, and long-buried secrets. While the resolution felt a bit predictable, the emotional unraveling of each character kept me engaged.
We have such tropes as <i>island, estranged best friends, true crime style, all about secrets and obviously some old traumas aka guilt.</i>
The novel’s strength lies in its raw portrayal of how one night can ripple through decades of someone’s life. A few pacing issues aside, this was a compelling and satisfying read. Great for fans of atmospheric mysteries and introspective character work
Thank you netGalley for opportunity to read that ACR

This was a very intense novel that kept me gripped as I followed the mystery and needed to find out the truth of Hazel's disaperance.

I have absolutely loved both of Hilary Tailor’s previous novels and this one certainly didn’t disappoint.
Three best friends in their early teens Catrin, Roz and Nina are on a family holiday at Catrin’s Family Holiday house on a small tidal island in Wales, when the unthinkable happens and Roz’s younger sister Hazel disappears without a trace.
This is not so much a mystery, although answers are found in the end but more of a character driven novel. Friendships are fractured, families torn apart, lies, guilt…I find the author’s writing so evocative and emotive.
With a few chapters set in the past, we understand what has happened but most of the novel is in the present 20 years later. Has anyone really moved on from the tragic past?
Such a wonderful sense of time and place, the characters felt real and I just loved it.
A hidden gem.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

Twenty years ago, three teenage friends holiday on Little Auger, a remote island off the coast of Wales. Cut off from the mainland for most of the day, the island can only be reached during high tide. Even then, the journey can be treacherous to those unfamiliar with the rock formation under the water. During this holiday Hazel, the younger sister of one of the girls, goes missing without trace. Each feeling an element of guilt, with so many accusations and unanswered questions driving a wedge between the friends, as adults their paths never cross. That is until a true crime podcaster contacts each one to say she has discovered something on the island that could solve the mystery of Hazel's disappearance.

Whilst we do finally learn what happened to Hazel on that fateful day, this is as much a story about how tragedy shapes us as people. How that loss always lingers and impacts our future relationships, and the way we go on to live our lives. Hilary Taylor's sensitive and thoughtful writing allows the reader to empathise with each character as their emotions are laid bare. Still vulnerable despite the passing of time, the women find an inner resilience to cope with the fallout as the impact of what really happened hits them.

The author's descriptions of the island, the mainland village and villagers create the perfect atmosphere for this tale, interwoven with legends and folklore about witches marks, feuds and long dead inhabitants of Little Auger. This is not a fast paced thriller, more a resolution of a tragic mystery and the exploration of how the guilt each girl carries shapes their adult lives, and is all the better for it. However that doesn't stop the author throwing in a few curved balls along the way, all adding the the enjoyment of this beautifully crafted plot.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for my advanced reader copy in return for my honest and unbiased review.

Between the Waves is a beautifully written novel about friendship, loss, and survival. Two decades ago, three young friends are vacationing with their families on the wild island of Little Auger off the coast of Wales. When Roz's sister Hazel goes missing, what had been a fun, adventure-filled holiday turns into a nightmare. None of the girls are able to move past Hazel's disappearance and their friendship is torn apart. Now, twenty years later, a podcaster claims to have discovered new evidence regarding Hazel's disappearance. She asks to meet the three friends back on the island to go over what happened all those years ago and evaluate the new evidence. Each of the friends is hesitant to return and they all are concerned about seeing each other again. Once friends, they're now complete strangers. Is the truth of what happened then worth the difficulty of returning now?

The writing of this book is absolutely gorgeous. From the description of the island to the details of the Old House with the witch's marks to the images of the small, colorful fishing village - I could picture everything. I honestly felt I was there with the characters. While I wouldn't describe this book as a thriller, there is definitely a mystery. And, while the mystery is intriguing, the story is really about the friendship of the three women, their secrets, their lies, and their selfishness. None of these characters are overly likable, and, yet, that did not detract from the story. The wild, dark, and dangerous island was a great parallel to each of the women's lives. This is definitely one of those books that you finish and you want to discuss with friends, family, or a book group. The topics addressed throughout are relevant and thought-provoking. I definitely recommend Between the Waves.

Three friends are all together on a remote island when another girl goes missing to never be seen again. Jump ahead twenty years ; a true crime Podcaster wants to meet with the three for a weekend on the island to show them some new evidence she has found . The women haven't seen each other since that long ago summer and are reluctant to go . However everyone wants to know what happened to Hazel so they all agree to spend this time together. What happens is very surprising and will. Keep you turning pages until the end. I highly recommend this well written novel with great characters and suspense that will keep you guessing all the way through .
Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this awesome book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I was hooked from the beginning, what a book! On the island of Little Auger a young girl goes missing, disappearing in the early morning. Her death breaks up the friendship of Caitlin, Roz and Nina and the impact is felt by all their families. Years later they are contacted by a journalist, a podcaster who says she has found something new linked to Hazel’s disappearance. This leads to the once childhood friends meeting again in adulthood on the island.
There are plenty of twists along the way and perhaps a rekindling of past friendships.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc.