5 solid stars! What a fantastic thriller from Megan Goldin! The Night Swim is the perfect summer read! This novel follows Rachel, a popular podcaster, who has settled down for an extended stay in a sleepy coastal town in North Carolina to compile research for her podcast on an upcoming rape trial. As soon as Rachel arrives, she starts receiving mysterious letters. Rachel first takes the letters as threats, but as the investigative journalist within her kicks into motion, she realizes that these letters are an outcry for help from Hannah. Hannah is seeking justice for her deceased sister, Jenny, who's accidental drowning was simply overlooked by this then biased town almost 25 years ago. Little does Rachel know that somehow the current rape trial and Hannah's death from 25 years ago have more in common than she realizes. I loved the dual timelines within this story, going back and forth between the current story of a young girl named Kelly and Hannah 25 years ago. Megan Goldin's writing style had me immersed in the story from the first few chapters. There is a lot of legal and court/trial coverage, which usually, I don't care for, but it did not bother me at all in this book. This was a satisfying thriller from the first to the very last chapter.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Megan Goldin is proving to be a diverse writer. It has a completely different feel from The Escape Room- her previous book. The Escape Room is an edge of your seat thriller while this story is more nuanced and thoughtful with a premise that is intriguing and relevant for our current times.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy of this book. I give this review voluntarily.

My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A compelling, timely, and at times heartbreaking novel about two brutal crimes and the secrets one town is keeping.

THE NIGHT SWIM is a truly captivating read. It is a gritty and unfiltered look at a rape trial in a small town through the eyes of a true-crime podcaster. However, what brings the story to the next level is how the author weaves into the narrative a past tragedy with the introduction of Hannah, the sister of a dead girl from twenty-five years ago in the same town as the trial. The push and pull between the narrators as well as the parallels between the two victims add to the tension and the intrigue.

When I say that this book was addictive, I mean it. I was instantly pulled in through the use of a true-crime podcast. It is something over the years that I have truly loved as a tool to explore a crime. Goldin, with eloquence, candor, and reverence to the subject matter, pulls in her readers by carefully laying out the landscape of not one but two crimes. The stories of the two girls within these pages is not an easy one read. They illustrate the worst of human behavior and toll it takes on the victims. To be honest, there were tough moments to read about within these pages. Yet, I didn’t once feel that the author was exploiting a delicate and polarizing subject. This combined with the psychological nature of the book and an unraveling mystery made Goldin’s sophomore novel a must-read for me.

This is the second book by the author that I have read and they just keep getting better. THE NIGHT SWIM is an absolutely gripping tale showing the underbelly of human nature, but still managing to have heart and the belief in justice.

The Night Swim was a powerful read that shined a bright light on the harsh reality that is rape/sexual assault in the United States.

The beginning of the story captured my attend and was an intriguing mystery that continued to unfold in heartbreaking detail. While I love legal drama, midway the plot lost a little momentum and I found myself skimming the courtroom dialogue and wanting to catch up to what would be the next revelation in the story.

All said, it was a moving novel that, while difficult to read at times due to the mirroring of real life, it was a book that I was excited to pick up at the end of the day.

The Night Swim follows a small town rape trial through the eyes of investigative journalist and podcaster Rachel. Another fan approaches Rachel to also look into her sister’s death from years earlier that was ruled accidental, but Hannah believes that her sister was murdered. As Rachel begins to investigate, the two cases surprisingly share more similarities than differences.

Timely and thought provoking during the current #metoo movement, I could not put this down. The story is told from the point of view of both Rachel’s present and Hannah’s past, along with transcriptions of the podcast in between, which kept the action moving throughout the novel. I expected just a great thriller, but this was so much more than that! One of, if not my favorite thrillers of 2020!

I have to admit that I had high expectations for this novel. Last years, I loved the author’s debut novel, The Escape Room, and since then I have been looking forward to her next novel. Were my expectations met? They were exceeded!!!

The protagonist of The Night Swim is Rachel Krall. Everyone knows her voice. Her true crime podcast is the most popular in the country and she’s helped to prove the innocence of a few people. For the third season of her podcast Rachel has decided to cover the trial of Scott, a popular young man accused of raping, Kelly, a high-school student. On her way to Neaples, North Carolina, Rachel stops for a coffee and when she returns to her car she finds an envelope addressed to her. Inside the envelope there is note from Hannah who asks Rachel for help to find justice for her sister Jenny who died in Neaples twenty-five years earlier. Everyone thought it was an accident, but Hannah is convinced she was killed. Rachel is worried because, even though everyone knows her voice, few people know what she looks like. She tries to focus her attention on the trial, but letters from Hannah keep coming and the more she reads them, the more she is drawn to the case and as she starts asking a few questions she wonders if maybe Hannah is right.

I have to warn you, The Night Swim is not an easy read. Some of the violence and the pain described were hard to read and made me furious and bitter: both Jenny and Kelly’s stories were emotional and intense and so well-written that they left me a bit shaken. The story is told from three different perspectives and I don’t know which one I was drawn more: Rachel’s investigation which I found suspenseful and gripping, Hannah’s letters that were heart-breaking and disturbing, or the scripts of the podcast whose narrative kept me glued to the pages.

I really liked the character of Rachel Krall. She is brave, funny, smart, and strong. She does her best to remain objective and I could see why people could be drawn to her podcast (I don’t listen to podcasts and yet I think that I would enjoy hers).

Would I recommend The Night Swim? Without any doubt!!! It has a fantastic protagonist, a thrilling plot, two cases, one that slowly unravels and one that is begin investigated (and with a twist that I didn’t see coming!), and a satisfying ending.

Rating: 5
Would I recommend it? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes
Side note I would like to add there might be a slight trigger warning since the story deals with rape as mental health.
As soon as I saw this on NetGalley I knew I would be request it because I loved her first book The Escape Room , and second I want to thank the publishers as well as NetGalley for letting me read and review it exchange for an honest review. Thirdly this isn't an easy story to read ,because this time the author brings to life a real topic that needs to be talked about, and not hidden in the shadows, she brings to life how a rape trial plays out in the courtroom, including jury games and victim shaming.And how the victims are always blamed or so it seems, which makes this a very dark and heavy type reading, as well as emotional . But this isn't just about one victim, this is about 2 different victims , and how in some ways their linked together, and a murder that happened so it could be a cover up. It brings to life how far someone will go to keep dark secrets from coming out, and no matter what eventually those secrets will find away to come out . But the biggest thing I liked about this story was how the author handle the harsh topic of rape with sensitivity and honest

All the stars. I absolutely loved the podcast element, and was moved by the two crime mysteries, and although they were 25-years apart, the way the author was able to weave them together was very creative. The (mind numbing) shocks in this book took my emotions on a heart palpitating ride. I teared up and had to stop reading several times. Even though the violence inside its pages were not easy for me to get through I’ll just say The Night Swim is the best psychological thriller of 2020 that I’ve read to date. I can’t recommend it enough.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Exceptional novel! I can't say enough about how much I advocate for this novel. It is an extremely thought-provoking, intense study on the subject of rape and how it is scrutinized by society and miss-handled by the criminal justice system. It is intense and emotional - a hard read for anyone close to the subject matter. But it is authentic and skillfully done. Spot-on - an outstanding job on depicting the issues of violence against women and exemplifying the emotional toll and mental devastation of rape on all women especially on young vulnerable women. The author also does first-rate job of the depiction of small-town America. I enjoyed the podcast component. Rachal is a rising podcast star. Her podcast is called "Guilty or Not Guilty". She is covering a high profile rape case in a small coastal North Carolina town. As she arrives in town, she receives requests from a young woman, Hannah, to look into her sisters death 25 years ago. The novel goes between the present-day court case and events of the 25-year old death. Violent rape is involved in both cases. This novel is very well written and the character development is excellent - one can really feel the emotions of the characters. Megan Goldin does a superior job with this novel. Bravo! Well worth the read!

Rachel is the host of a popular crime podcast and is covering a rape trial for season 4. Hannah is a young woman who’s sister, Jenny, died when she was little and she still struggles with it. Hannah appeals to Rachel to help solve her sisters murder. What really happened to Jenny? This book will reel you in and keep your attention until the very end. My first book by Megan Goldin and I am already looking for more.

Thank you NetGalley, Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s Press for this edition and hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Guys! I loved this book! IT was a long time, that I haven't read such a good ARC. What a treat it was to go through it. 

I was rooting for the girl that was raped so much, that I just couldn't put this book down. I had to know, how the trial will end and it didn't disappoint. All this book was so realistic, that all the time that I read it, it felt like I was in the court room in the jury box. When I read chapters of the podcast, it felt like you actually listen for a real podcast. I think it could be a great film.. Netflix! Where are you, when you are most needed? 

In all honesty, this book is a prime example, that you don't need very explicit, gruesome and vivid descriptions of the crime scene or the crime, that was made, for the book to be interesting and gripping. 

I liked the main character Rachel a lot, even though sometimes she made some questionable things, it made her even more relatable and humanlike. I hope, that the author decides to make a book series about her and her podcast. Because the idea of using a podcast was very unique and made this book even more apieling. 

So, I guess you can already tell, that I definitely recommend this book, please give this one a chance and you won't be dissapointed.

Wow this was great. I really didn’t know what to expect but this is pretty much a modern detective novel. Rachel has a true crime podcast and chooses to cover a rape trial happening live. This takes place parallel to Rachel receiving letters about an unsolved murder in the town. This isn’t a particularly light book but it’s engrossing and I don’t think I will soon forget it.

Thanks to St Martin’s and NetGalley for the arc.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin took a concept that is so familiar to Murderinos of today and turned it into a novel.
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Crime podcasts have become part of modern culture, and that is one of the reasons why I was dying to read this book. Rachel runs a true crime podcast and has chosen to report directly from the courtroom to give her listeners a first hand and almost immediate opportunity to be the jury in a high profile case. But while she is doing that, she gets contacted by a random listener, telling her that she is the only one who could solve the murder of her sister, which took place 25 years ago in the same town Rachel is heading to.
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I really liked the super modern and relatable concept of this book. I felt like I was listening to the podcast and going through the case just like I had in the past, with real podcasts. I also thought the two story lines, while I didn’t see how they would entangle at the beginning, really ended up complimenting each other and bringing across a larger more important message than I thought at first. That being said, this book is full of important messages on crime, specifically rape and murder. It does continually make the point that in our justice system, a defendant is innocent until proven guilty, but it also brings up the struggles and difficulties of trying a rape case, and how the public turns the case into a he said she said case, which is very divisive.
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I do wish that this book was a tad less repetitive, because in some chapters I felt like I had just read what happened in the courtroom, and then the script for the podcast rehashed it all over again. I wish I was learning about it one way or the other, just from the podcast or just from the story. I also want to warn readers that this book can be very descriptive in the court and legal proceedings of rape. While I have family in law and am familiar with these and therefore expected it, rape was very prevalent in the story lines of this book, and could be very sensitive for readers.
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Overall, I really liked this book and flew through it! Thank you so much to @netgalley @stmartinspress for this eARC! The Night Swim is available tomorrow!

This. Book. Is. Amazing!

If you love podcast, true crime, and suspense.. this is the book for you! I love the chapters that read from Rachel’s podcast. It all just works so well together!

Rachel Krall, the host of a true crime podcast, has decided to sit in the courtroom of an alleged rape case trial in a small North Carolina town and to report what she hears on her podcast. Because she has guarded her privacy, she is shocked to find a letter from a woman named Hannah on her windshield when she is parked in random parking lot. Hannah was ten years old when Jenny, her sixteen year old sister died in the same town. The death was ruled accidental, but Hannah says she was murdered. Now, twenty-five years later, Hannah wants Rachel's help to obtain justice.
In this well crafted novel, the past is super imposed on the present. Readers get to know the characters quite well. The author skillfully handles the trial and the investigation. The two are seamlessly portrayed. The flaws of the well developed characters are very evident, but not all is as it seems.
I found this to be an engrossing and fascinating story and it held my interest all the way to the unexpected conclusion. Highly recommended.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's and NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Rachel is the host of a successful true crime podcast. She's just arrived in the small town of Neopolis to cover a the trial of an Olympic hopeful swimmer accused of the rape of a young woman in town. As she begins to interview people connected to the case, Rachel starts receiving anonymous letters from Hannah, a woman who wants her help investigating the death of her sister in town twenty-five years before.

The narrative alternates between Rachel's third-person point of view, the letters from Hannah, and transcripts of Rachel's podcast episodes. Things took a while to get going - at times I found Rachel's narrative to be a lot of telling and it took a while before some of the connections between the people in the story became apparent.

But once things really got underway, this was a gripping book that I found it hard to put down. If you're a fan of courtroom drama (and true crime podcasts) definitely give this one a try.

Blog review will be live 8/13/2020.

This is a dual perspective thriller with a podcast element added to it. I really enjoyed this even more than I did her first book. This one tackled so many issues involving rape culture and small town dynamics. I really enjoyed the way that the story unfolded and I honestly didn't figure out the mystery until right before the reveal happened which was good. I liked how there was a present day trial going on and then there was a mystery that the small town was covering up and getting to figure out both at the same time. Each was given equal attention so, I never felt like one was wasted.

I recommend this to people who enjoy thrillers and can handle the content. There are some really intense parts throughout.

This book was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump! Rachel has her own True Crime Podcast and has become somewhat famous after a podcast of hers ends up freeing a man who was wrongly accused of a crime. Rachel's next podcast, leads her to a small community where one of the star citizens, Scott Blair, is being accused of raping a classmate. While covering the trial and doing her podcasts, Rachel receives mysterious letters from someone named Hannah Stills, who is trying to get Rachel to help her find out what really happened to her sister who was murdered in the same small town 25 years ago. Rachel starts digging a little deeper into the murder of Hannah's sister and discovers some small town secrets that some would love to keep buried. This book is two stories wrapped into one and did not disappoint. This is the second book I have read by Megan Goldin and it was amazing. Definitely one to pick up friends.

There are going to be a lot of people who love this book. They will read it, and they will talk about how timely it is, how evocative, how unflinching it is. How it looks at the “rape culture” so pervasive in America, and how it paints a true picture of what it’s like to be a victim and how messed up the justice system is, because it falls on the victim to have to prove their case, and how easy it is for men to get off. They will talk about how untrustworthy, and evil, and wicked men are, and how women should be free to do what they want, go where they want, and that if anyone questions their actions they’re victim blaming.

So let’s get this out of the way. Rape is wrong. Rape. Is. Wrong. Sexual assault is wrong. Any type of sexual violence is wrong. The fact that rapists exist, be they male or female (and yes women can be rapists too) is disgusting.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about this book.

This book was infuriating. It’s being marketed as a thriller with a cold case angle. Rachel runs a podcast that, in its first two seasons, dealt with cold cases. Now, to beat out the competition and stay ahead of the copycat podcasts that have sprung up in the wake of her success, she decided to cover a real-life, current trial. A young man has been accused of raping a girl. He’s the town darling, with money and a promising career in swimming (seriously), and of course people are divided. Some think he’s a monster, others think she’s a tramp. But she’s also been sent a letter. 25 years ago, a girl drowned in this town. It was all covered up. Her sister, Hannah has come back seeking justice for the murder. This all sounds like a great story.

It’s not. What follows is over 300 pages of social justice commentary. It could almost read as a sermon about how bad men are. Because make no mistake, this book wants you to understand that ALL MEN ARE BAD. Most of them are rapists and the ones that aren’t are pathetic, spineless cretins who wont lift a finger in the name of justice. There isn’t one decent male in this book. They all have something to hide and it all has to do with either rape, sex, neglect, or all three. Both of the girls at the heart of the story, 25 years ago and present day were apparently surrounded by nothing by dirt bags. And the accused 19 year old (he was eighteen at the time) is almost a caricature of “what a rapist is.” He fits every trope, every stereotype, and checks every box. He does everything short of twirling his mustache. And the reason? Because he could.

I’m so sick of this rhetoric. Why does every heterosexual male all of a sudden have a label on him? Why is being male synonymous with being a douchebag? Why, in this 352 page book, was there not one male that ever did the right thing at the right time? This is not a realistic portrayal of society. There are far more men who aren’t rapists than men who are. You’re probably related to lots of men who’ve never harmed, or even considered harming a woman.

Then this book (which also contains graphic descriptions of rape) purports to examine women’s so-called lack of agency. This immediately becomes problematic for the present day storyline because: agency refers to the abstract principle that autonomous beings or agents, are capable of acting by themselves to make plans, carry out actions or make an informed and voluntary decision based on their knowledge and intentions. The girl in question had a great deal of agency. She made several decisions. They just happened to be all bad. And they ended in the worst possible way. Lack of agency applies much better to the cold case storyline, because the girl in that instance wasn’t making bad decisions, but was a victim in the truest sense of the word. Agency implies acceptance of the fact that there are consequences to any decision, and that they can be good or bad. Somewhere in the mix, we started wanting to convince women that they aren’t in any way responsible for their actions. But guess what? If you’re telling me that I can’t look at my actions and take responsibility for my choices, you’re removing my autonomy. You’re silencing me, ignoring the parts of my pain that you’d rather not see, because it’s easier to believe that we as women are in constant danger from external, out-of-our-control circumstances, than to examine the fact that the exercise of choice can have bad consequences. It’s easier to say men are out to abuse women than it is to say “maybe I was wrong to accept a drink from a stranger in a bar,” or “maybe I shouldn’t have gone to this place at this time.”

They call that victim blaming. But victim blaming is when you tell the person that the assault AS AN ACT is their fault. That the actual instance of rape, or groping, or any other act of violence is their fault. And that is never true. The act is NEVER the fault of the person it happened to. That is ALWAYS the fault of the perpetrator. The person who performs the act is the one at fault, and you are never responsible for the physical/mental actions of another person. You can only be responsible for your own actions and your own choices. As a victim myself, it was very helpful to learn that while I was in no way responsible for the actions of my perpetrator, I had the agency to make better decisions so as to protect myself, to the best of my ability, from it happening to me again. I could make better choices for myself that would make it harder for someone else to choose to hurt me.

This book could have explored that, and really done something to uplift and educate readers about the ways our choices affect our lives, both from the perspective of victims and criminals, past and present. But it takes the hackneyed, copy-selling approach of everything men do is bad, and everything women do is right, because patriarchy. There are a number of plot contrivances designed purely to increase the drama, but that are in no way realistic (a major point hinges on a teenager walking off and leaving their cellphone). Motivations are murky at best, and nonexistent at worst. It had the potential to awaken conversations about actual autonomy and the strength that comes from knowing that you can effect change just from how you approach your past, present, and future. It could have been really good. As it was, it was forced and used more as a vehicle to push politics than to really delve into the possibilities of the stories.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for my open and honest review. This one was not for me.

The Night Swim is going in my top 10 books of 2020. I absolutely devoured this story.

What I liked:
-short chapters
-fast paced
-strong female characters
-unique plotline and writing style
-flips POV between Rachel & Hannah and past & present
-includes writing as if you are hearing Rachel's podcast

I LOVE true crime podcasts so you better believe I loved this one. A well-written, fast paced, page turning thriller was exactly what I needed!