CAPSIZED, by Charlotte Lillie Balogh, Delacorte Press, Sept. 8, 2026, Hardcover, $19.99, Paperback, $12.99 (young adult)
Capsized, by Charlotte Lillie Balogh, takes readers inside an elite all-girls rowing club where scandals lie beneath the surface.
For high-achieving Margaret Douglas, rowing is everything—her friends, her family, and her way into college. As a senior and varsity captain, she has made many sacrifices to get where she is. But after she mysteriously disappears for the summer, rumors swirl: Was Margaret at Olympic training? Rehab? Under house arrest?
Whatever happened, it clearly haunts her . . . and when she returns at the beginning of the season, Margaret discovers that the sisterhood she once knew has moved on without her.
Meanwhile, spunky freshman and new girl Jo Bryant is only rowing because of her father: former Olympian, Boston legend, and the person Jo blames for her parents’ divorce. Jo knows nothing about crew, or why Margaret’s return has everyone at the boathouse whispering, but she does know that Margaret is the only person who doesn’t treat her like a joke.
For both girls, the varsity team is a sisterhood earned in five a.m. wake-ups and blistered hands. But there are secrets and scandals waiting to surface—and with the biggest race of the year on the horizon, Margaret, Jo, and their teammates are about to find out just how deep those secrets go. —Synopsis provided by Delacorte Press
Capsized is a mystery and a coming-of-age novel that’s set to be adapted for Hulu by the producer of Pretty Little Liars. But it’s more than that. It’s also an eye-opening look at competitive sport, the pressures (outside and from within) and the bonds made across age and socioeconomic lines.
As a parent of a competitive swimmer, I was drawn to author Charlotte Lillie Balogh’s exploration of club sport at a high level. She does an excellent job capturing the nuances that come with the extremely hard work and sacrifice. And while I found this the most compelling aspect, there are other ones that make this read sing.
The story unfolds from the dual perspectives of Margaret and Jo. Both girls have reason to prove themselves. And both are interesting in their own way. I appreciate how their relationship together and with other characters evolve throughout the book.
As with normal teen lives, there’s a lot going on in Capsized, but Balogh is able to balance all of those by using rowing as a framework. Balogh makes rowing accessible and interesting to readers with zero experience as well as those who know the sport. And it provides a nice setup for a mystery that’s not completely unpredictable but enjoyable nonetheless.
Capsized moves quickly and leaves you wishing you could jump on a boat just once to experience the rush.
Copyright © 2026 Cracking the Cover. Unless otherwise noted, all books — digital and physical — have been provided by publishers in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. All thoughts and opinions are those of the reviewer.
