For some reason whenever pop-culture shows up in fiction I find it a little jarring. The Night Swim centers around Rachel Krall who runs a true crime podcast. Each season, she focuses on a different crime and the subsequent trial. The season in question takes place in a beachside town during a rape trial. Simultaneously, Rachel begins to get mysterious letters from a listener, begging her to look into the drowning of a young girl in Neapolis years before.

The book goes back and forth between both victims, Kelly and Jenny. Each of their experiences are heartbreaking and disturbing. Their accounts are interspersed with episodes of Rachel’s podcast. The format was very different from other thrillers I’ve read, but I didn’t love the podcast segments -- they felt very cut and dry.

There was a twist in the story toward the end, which absolutely shocked me, but much of the violence (gang rape, physical abuse, etc.) was hard for me to get through. The story sheds a strong light on victim blaming, and reputation during rape trials and the mental and emotional tolls on both girls were heartbreaking. If you like true crime, and true crime podcasts in particular, I think you’d enjoy The Night Swim.

Review Posted 8/4/20: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDe1sdegITp/
https://treatyourshelf.home.blog/2020/08/04/the-night-swim-by-megan-goldin-book-review/

Links to added when posted in early August

“If every woman who felt afraid called nine-one-one, the switchboard would melt. That is what women live with every day of our lives.”

Holy. Crap. The Night Swim was a gripping psychological thriller with some courtroom drama and mystery mixed in. I’m not usually big on courtroom stories but this book really got me.

CW: rape, sexual assault, cancer, death

The Night Swim is a story of two rapes set 25 years apart in the small coastal town Neapolis.

Rachel is the host of the hit podcast “Guilty or Not Guilty.” Her new season is covering the trial of a well-known swimmer accused of raping a local teenage girl.

While covering the trial for her podcast, Rachel receives mysterious letters from Hannah. Hannah’s sister Jenny drowned 25 years ago, or so they say. But Hannah has reason to believe Jenny was murdered and needs Rachel’s help to uncover the truth.

The Night Swim alternates between Hannah’s letters, podcast episodes, and current time. I really enjoyed that format and looked forward to the chapters that contained Hannah’s letters.

This book is heavy, especially because it seems to ring true to many similar cases over the years. It focuses a lot on the additional trauma a rape victim goes through if they choose to testify. It was heartbreaking to see it set in a small town where everybody knows everybody and is so quick to judge.

I think everyone who can should read The Night Swim. I know I’m going to be thinking about this one for a long time.

The Night Swim was one of the best books I’ve read this year. Two rapes 25 years apart what are the odds they may be related. Follow alone with the trial with Rachelle and her podcast. She will give the play by play of everything that is going on but can she also help solve the 25 year old case as well. From the first page I was drawn in and couldn’t put it down. I was able to finish this in one sitting. If you haven’t already added this to you TBR then you are missing out.

Thank you NetGalley and Megan Goldin for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

5 Intense Stars
* * * * * Spoiler Free- A Quick Review
I am doing a quick review because there are too many excellent ones out there for you to read. It was because of all those detailed, well-done reviews I found this on NetGalley.

This story covers so much and in a layered way. It is not something to skim through, it will not let you. Be prepared for our characters to challenge each other and question why they are doing what they are...

Thank you for this experience, Megan Goldin, I will remember it well.


A gifted copy was provided by author/publisher for an honest review.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is told from two different timelines that weaves around some disturbing and brutal instances of sexual assault. I was so intrigued by these two storylines that I couldn’t stop listening. There was a really cool podcast element to the storyline too that added so much to this audiobook. It was like listening to an actual podcast. I would love for the author to actually write more stories around this podcast! It could become a great series.

I really enjoyed this story. Definitely loved the mystery that’s weaved throughout this story.

Some trigger warnings: sexual assault, victim blaming, death / suicide.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review. Looking forward to reading more by this author. This story was truly mesmerizing. Definitely a great book to listen too.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin ⠀
🌟🌟🌟🌟 🌠- 4.5 /5 ⠀
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Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense ⠀
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"𝑲𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆-𝒐𝒏𝒆-𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒓 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅. 𝑰𝒇 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆-𝒐𝒏𝒆-𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒃𝒐𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒍𝒕. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒔."⠀
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Review:⠀
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👍🏻⠀
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- Alternating perspectives from Rachel, Hannah and the third season of Rachel's podcast. ⠀
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- That there is a true-crime podcast. 😍 Rachel puts her listeners in a Juror's seat as they follow along with a court case. ⠀
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- The way she covers how some view rape is realistic. ⠀
" To tell you the truth, I dont get how we can unanimously agree that murder is wrong, yet when it comes to rape, some people see shades of grey." ⠀
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- The courtroom scenes. Not usually my favourite, but the description of the scenes were so well done that it felt like I was there. ⠀
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-It is an emotional read, it wasn't always easy to read, but I was hooked right away. I would get really heated in areas of the book and then feel sad and then heated again. It was an emotional rollercoaster. ⠀
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- It is very well written, and Goldin also covers a lot of societal issues. I.e. Social standing, rich vs poor, rape etc. ⠀
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- It is classified as a thriller, but I feel that it is more of a mystery and suspense novel. ⠀
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I really liked this book. As I said, it wasn't always easy to read. It goes into graphic details about rape and assault. However, I feel that Goldin depicts, unfortunately, a realistic societal view of rape. There shouldn't be so many shades of grey around a case of rape. A rape victim shouldn't have to take the stand and relive and defend themselves in front of so many people. ⠀
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I dont think I will ever forget this book and I hope there is another book on the way. 😉⠀
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A huge thank you to @netgalley and @Stmartin for a free E-ARC of this book.⠀
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TW: Rape, physical assault, victim shaming

Happy Publication Day to Megan Goldin for her new novel "The Night Swim." A big Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy! Wow...The Night swim was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this slow-burn legal thriller. This brilliantly written story is told in dual narratives and timelines. The storyline kept me interested and engaged the entire way through. An emotionally intense, very compelling and engaging story. If you love a great courtroom drama this unputdownable read is definitely one to be added to your reading list.
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Book Synopsis: After her true-crime podcast became an overnight success and actually help set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.
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The new season of Rachel's podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation—but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered—and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases—and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

My thoughts: This reminds me of a grown up version of Good Girls Guide to Murder! Nothing wrong with that, but that’s all the vibes I was getting. You get the podcast of the trial throughout, Rachel’s POV, and then the POV of Hannah. This is a sensitive topic, but I feel the author did a great job shedding light to what victims of rape/sexual assault go through. There were parts in this books that definitely made me mad, but I feel that was the point. This book did a great job sparking the conversation, just like it meant to in the “podcast” in the story. While non of the twist took me by surprise, I still enjoyed every bit of it. & I always love a bit of legal drama in books. Definitely recommend this one and I would love for a second one!

This was my first novel by Megan Goldin - Let me just say....it won't be my last! This was such an interesting book for me - I devour True Crime Podcasts but have not read a book based on one -its kind of like having the inside scoop!

This the perfect fast summer read everyone needs in the their beach bag! I feel like this could not have been released at a better time -it is incredibly relevant!

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded down to 4 stars

Trigger Warning: Rape, Sexual Assault

This is the second book in a row that I have read that has featured a true-crime podcast. One of these days I’m going to listen to an actual true-crime podcast! In “The Night Swim”, Rachel Krall is riding the wave of popularity for her podcast, “Guilty not Guilty” which got an innocent man cleared of a murder conviction in its first season. For this season’s podcast, she has come to the small town of Neapolis, NC. She is covering the rape trial of a local ‘golden boy’ swimmer who has Olympic aspirations. He has been accused of raping the sixteen year-old granddaughter of the local Chief of Police.

However, someone in town has another idea of what Rachel should be focusing on while she is in town. Hannah keeps leaving notes all over the place for Rachel. Twenty-five years ago Hannah’s sister died by drowning. However, Hannah is convinced that she was murdered, and she finally convinces Rachel to help her investigate the circumstances of Hannah’s death.

This dual-timeline story is masterfully crafted, and contains gut-wrenching scenes of sexual assault. The inclusion of the assaults were not gratuitous. They moved the plot along its path. However, they were not easy to read. Fair warning, I had to take a break occasionally and come up for some fresh air. This extremely compelling book sucked me in, and made me hold my breath as it moved to an outstanding conclusion.

I would recommend it to readers who like fast-paced thrillers, and courtroom dramas. The chapters were short enough to keep me turning the pages. The writing is creative. It shed more much needed light on sexual assaults, and the ramifications it has on its victims. While this is much different from Ms. Goldin’s earlier work, “The Escape Room”, it is just as compelling in a completely new way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. These are my honest thoughts.

I have only good things to say about this amazing book by Megan Goldin. The book has you glued from page one full of twists, thrills, spooks and all that good stuff that thrillers bring into our lives. Megan Goldin is a force to be reckoned with! I finished this in two sittings. I'm shook over this story! I encourage everyone to read this!!

This is a riveting psychological thriller . I loved the author's talent for writing such difficult subject matter with such caring and compassion. This is a story only a brilliant women author as Megan Goldin can write. This is the story of two rapes decades apart . One is in trial , the other unsolved. Its the true depiction of victim shaming at its worse, discriminatory women hating juries and how women suffer through these horrendous events and trials. This is so well written and captivating that you will keep reading until the end .

Podcast host Rachel Krall has a very popular true crime podcast and has just finished a successful podcast dealing with a crime . She finds a note on the dashboard from a women named Hannah who believes her sister was murdered 25 years ago. She wants Rachel to find the killer. Rachel investigates the story and finds herself fascinated by the unsolved case. At the same time, Rachel begins attending the trial of a famous swimmer accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. The two cases soon come together with unexpected results. The trial reminded me of the recent Brock Turner trial , the swimmer who got off with a 6 month sentence. That shocked the nation and created such a outcry that the judge was removed from the bench. This is a similar trial that is shocking in how the victim is blamed and not the rapist. The courtroom scenes are realistic and will shock you to your core. Yes this is hard to read, but the author deftly tells the story of both victims and their stories deserve to be heard. Very well done to the author in handling such difficult subjects . This book is a must read.

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and St. Martin's Press for the complimentary advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own. { partner } All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog

TW: Rape, sexual abuse, discussion of murder, violence, gaslighting

You guys. This book. When I first received this book, I wasn't sure what I was expecting from it. I was automatically really interested because of the synopsis, but I remember feeling that way about Goldin's The Escape Room as well, and being slightly disappointed in the ending. So I was really nervous that, even if I loved the rest of the book, that that might be the case again. Let me tell you, It. Was. Not. I really loved this book. This was a book that I didn't want to read before bed, but also couldn't seem to put it down. I just needed to know what was going to happen next, and I definitely was not disappointed. I think that this might be one of my favorite thrillers that I've read in a while.

I thought that the idea of having the main character in a suspense/thriller be a true crime podcaster was really fascinating. This book was told through different points of view as well as through different platforms, and even almost two different timelines through flashbacks. There are chapters from Rachel's point of view, as well as chapters that are episodes of her podcast, chapters of Hannah telling stories of she and her sister Jenny as kids, it was all over the place but in a really interesting and engaging way. It felt like the book was part true crime podcast/blog, part courtroom drama, part cold case files. All of that sounds really difficult to follow, but I didn't have any issues at all. The way the chapters were separated and distinguished between was really simple in my opinion, and I never had any issues with figuring out who was talking or what platform the story was being told through.

The characters were also really interesting in this story, in the sense that you got to see some different sides to almost everyone. I love really well thought out characters and giving them room to be dynamic and imperfect, and this book definitely did that. Weirdly enough, the only character that I would have loved just the tiniest bit more of a peak into was our lead Rachel. We see her as the podcaster and investigator who is very capable and overall very smart, but I wish we could have gotten just a little bit further of a view into her mind. Maybe why she is so drawn to true crime, or what made her into such a good investigator. Things like that. Everyone else shows you different sides of themselves, and I would have liked just one more visible side to Rachel.

Along with the trigger warning above, I would like to say again that this book deals very heavily in rape and sexual assault, and sometimes uses graphic language/descriptors in telling those stories, to the point that this might be really difficult for some to read. If those things will be triggering for you, please don't read this book. But if you will be able to get through those scenes, I would recommend this book as a really engaging example of a suspenseful mystery, courtroom drama, and thriller all rolled into one with a really modern twist as a nice little bow on top. This book is perfect with a glass of wine next to a roaring fire, letting yourself live all of your Poirot fantasies. You will not want to put this one down.

Wow! That ending, I did not see it coming. Or rather I should say I didn’t see the person who was involved in that ending.

So, it took me a few chapters to get into The Night Swim. But once I did, I couldn’t stop listening. The narrators were great and the story was really really good. I like how the author interweaves the present and the past. Like I said before, it was quite shocking for the people who were involved and how the story panned out in the end.

Overall I would give this book 4 solid stars. The writing was great and the storyline was intriguing as well. I think the author did a good job of portraying the characters in the rape trial, which is obviously a sensitive subject and you could just feel the inner turmoil from the main characters as the situation elevated throughout the book. This was definitely a good psychological thriller with n ending I thought fit the story perfectly.

I listened to the audio version and I would highly recommend it! I’m a huge fan of audio books and the narrators did an excellent job in The Night Swim.`

4-4.5 Stars
The Night Swim is a heavy and intense read. I went through so many emotions while reading this.
It focuses on a very sensitive topic - rape, which can be very triggering or hard to read for some. Megan Goldin handles the topic exceptionally well and unfortunately, provides a pretty accurate description of how rape victims are treated by society. One of things that infuriated me while reading was the victim shaming and even more-so the sympathy to the abusers.
This was incredibly well-written and I really like how the two timelines were woven together.

The book is told primarily through Rachels POV but every so often we see a chapter featuring Hannah as well as transcripts from Rachels podcast. I've come to enjoy books that include multiple formats - newspaper articles, podcast, interviews, etc. so that is something that I really enjoyed here.

This is certainly not an easy book to read, but I could not put it down. I needed to see how both cases played out. And more importantly, I needed to see justice served. I'm not sure if there are plans for more, but I'd love to see another book featuring Rachel in the future!

The Night Swim was a total binge read, I may or may not have stayed up until 3 AM to finish reading it because I COULD. NOT. PUT. IT. DOWN. (Spoiler, I did and it was 100% worth it.)

The Night Swim really is a bit of everything.

It’s a gripping psychological thriller, with a bit of procedural and some courtroom drama thrown in. There’s both an old case and a current day one, which makes the alternate timelines an easy choice. There are also alternating points of view between Rachel and the woman who is leaving her notes. Goldin executes these transitions seamlessly, and the overall effect leads to a fast and compelling read.

Fair warning, it has basically every trigger warning imaginable, but if you don’t mind the darker content this is definitely a book to send to the top of your TBR.

One big positive is how the book handles the heavy subjects with care. There’s some fantastic commentary on how sexual assault crimes are handled and the stigmas and challenges faced by the victims. I really appreciate that the author took the time to have this conversation, rather than give us a heinous crime for thrills.

This book is out today, so go get your copy ASAP! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy.

I don’t remember even reading what The Night Swim was about once I understood that the story followed a true crime podcaster. Over the winter, I got sucked into Up and Vanished at a friend’s suggestion and this book sounded like it would fill the hole finishing season 1 left. Listening to the audiobook for Megan Goldin’s The Night Swim was not only like another season of Up and Vanished and Serial put together, but with added, distanced perspective.

In The Night Swim, the main character’s podcast’s tag line is how they put the listener in the jury box. Goldin does this for her audience as well: by offering up not just the podcast episodes, but the investigation and work that goes into putting the podcast together in a different perspective completely. This mixed media approach to fiction is something I’m noticing a trend in this summer and honestly, I love it. In the audiobook especially you can feel the difference, not just because of the change in third to first person, but because there’s even a different narrator (and intro music and even a different quality to the audio).


The Night Swim comes with a heavy trigger warning, though. This isn’t a spoiler alert to tell you the case Rachel — the main character — covers in The Night Swim is very similar to the Chanel Miller/Brock Turner case. Goldin does not hold back in her coverage of the case, either; expect full, clinical detail about a sexual assault from the perspective of a survivor telling her story from the witness stand. It’s very hard to listen to, which is the point I believe Goldin was making with this: yes we devour thrillers and true crime as entertainment and escapism but we cannot forget there are real victims, real people, these stories belong to. I also felt myself questioning how and why some stories get told. What makes people pay attention? And what are they actually paying attention to?

A coastal mystery set in the small town of Neapolis. Rachel, a famous podcast host, is heading there to cover a highly controversial trial: the rape and sexual assault of a minor by local Olympic-bound swimming hero. On her way there, she makes a pit stop for food and gas. On her way back out to her car, she finds a letter addressed to her on her windshield. This sets off a chain of events that pulls Rachel deeper not just into the case she’s in Neapolis to cover, but also into a cold case no one wanted to pay attention to, then or now.

Tense and sprinkled with elements of horror, The Night Swim has everything the perfect summer thriller needs. Not only can you lose yourself in the multiple mysteries Rachel gets caught up in, but there’s a weight to it too: a glimpse, or a reminder, that even though we binge podcast episodes, so many stories are left untold. Cases unsolved. Voices unfairly silenced because they’re not from the right family.

I really, really enjoyed this book! I'm not a fan of podcasts so I was afraid I would have a tough time staying interested in this one. But it totally wasn't what I expected at all!

This was a hard story to read at times, dealing with sexual abuse issues, but I felt like the author did a great job of covering this issue. I was intrigued during the entire story on how two separate cases would be connected. This book was completely addictive and I couldn't read it fast enough. It's heartbreaking, powerful and amazing.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 for The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. Full disclosure, this book contains a graphic storyline detailing rape and sexual assault. If these topics are triggering to you, please proceed carefully.
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This incredible novel is equal parts thriller and mystery, detailing two crime cases - a rape case involving a high school student and a local swimming star and the mysterious death of a teen from 25 years ago. Main character Rachel Krall, an extremely successful true-crime podcast host, travels to small town Neapolis, North Carolina to report live on the trial that involves the rape of a high school girl. While she is there, she starts receiving mysterious letters from a fan of her podcast, begging her to help solve the mystery of her sister’s death. How are these two cases connected? You’ll have to read to find out.
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This book was incredibly well-written. Megan Goldin does an amazing job of weaving together two plotlines, creating important and thought provoking conversation. Like we said, this book is HEAVY. Reading in great detail about what rape victims go through before and during a case like this is not only eye-opening but heart breaking. The scenes in this book are intense and outline in great detail what it’s like for victims to not only have such a traumatic experience, but gives insight into the pain they are subjected to in order to share their stories. Some of the novels best scenes come from within a courtroom. Goldin’s writing really helps get the reader into the mind of the character, helping to explain the devastation and pain they must be feeling.
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Thanks to @stmartinspress, @megangoldin, and @netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is the first mystery/thriller I've from her and it was riveting! The story had me hooked within the first few pages. Thus story follows Rachel a true crime podcaster who travels to a small town to cover a trial of a sexual assault. There she discovers a similar case from years ago and becomes intrigued!! The story takes off from there with lots of twists and turns!! It was so well written and the character development was amazing! I HIGHLY recommend this one to all of you thriller junkies out there!! The Night Swim is of my favorites of 2020!!

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!