Wow! What a great thriller! The Night Swim follows the podcast of Rachel, a popular broadcaster of trial history which lets listeners vote about the trial as if they were the jury. This doesn't set well with the judge for her latest trial, a rape of a young high school girl by a potential Olympic swimmer and son of some of the wealthier people in this coastal town.

If that is not enough intertwined in this mystery is one that happened many years ago and that has been brought to Rachel's attention by Hannah the sister of the victim. Was she murdered or is she really the town slut? What happened to the boys in the fiery wreck that died on the same night. Are the two attorneys as good as their reputation. Everyone in town seems to know a little about the past and has an opinion about the present. All this and more is packed into this suspense filled read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it as an entertaining book that will keep you reading nonstop until the end. I loved the main character and the background character, her producer. I can see this book becoming a series of books and even a tv show series. I hope that Ms. Goldin keeps spinning her stories.
Thanks #Net Galley#TheNightSwim for allowing me to review this great book!

I requested this book back in like February and I am just now finishing it. That should say something. The trope of a podcast and a killer mystery pulls me in wanting to read the story every time but I don’t know why it took me so long to read this book. Maybe the podcast situation wasn’t wrote well. Or the writing wasn’t for me. But it should not have taken me this long to read it. It read like any other book that tries to do this trope and it was just ok for me. Thank

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

Two women traumatized
Twenty-five years apart
One suffered and died long ago
One alive suffering every day

Two other women
Invested in the traumatized
Looking for answers
Looking for truth

This is more than one story with the lives of four women in two eras enduring a similar traumatic experience. The story is told in chapters that speak of the present as seen through the eyes of Rachel who will be presenting information for the followers of her true crime podcast and what she says in the podcast presentations are interspersed in the story in true time as if shared while she is speaking on her program. The other portion of the story is told in letters and notes written by a person that seems at first to be a stalker but then later proves to have a story she wants Rachel to hear and in hearing she hopes that Rachel will help her find the truth about her sister and perhaps in so doing find justice for Jenny. The trial is also experienced through the eyes of Rachel and I felt as if I were there hearing it beside her.

What I liked:
* Rachel: a tenacious, insightful, curious, intelligent woman who as a journalist looks for the truth and presents her story without bias…or would like to think she does. I would have enjoyed hearing a bit more of her backstory and wondered if perhaps she might star in a series of books in the future with each one about a podcast she is preparing for.
* Hannah: a woman with a childhood nobody should have lived through. I liked the way she was finally ready to find answers, seek justice, and perhaps find a type of closure so she can move on.
* K – the rape victim taking her rapist to trial. I was able to see through her experience the travesty rape victims face within the the court/court system
* Jenny – I think she was the star of this book even though she was long gone.
* The way the clues about the past (and the present) were revealed
* The unflinching look at bullying, rape, and other difficult topics in this book
* That the truth did finally come out before the end of the story
* The look at how people can see the same situation so differently
* That this left me caring, thinking, and wishing life could be different
* The nightingale…

What I did not like:
* Knowing that what is was written as fiction in this book is not fiction to those who have experienced what the women in this story did.
* Being reminded again that rape victims are put on trial almost more than their rapists
* Realizing once again that the courts are not always just or that justice is not always served within courts

Did I enjoy this book? Hmm…I did but it was unsettling in some ways and yet very very good
Would I read more by this author? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

A true crime podcast host, Rachel Krall of 'Guilty or Not Guilty' goes to Neapolis after her first two seasons of the podcast have uncovered new evidence that overturned a conviction of murder and solved a cold case. Now her third season takes her to the small North Carolina coastal town of Neapolis where she will be following the trial of Scott Blair, a college student arrested for raping a sixteen year old girl.
While in Neapolis, she gets notes left by an anonymous person that wants her to investigate the death of a teenage girl that happened 25 years ago. She’s intrigued and starts to ask around town. As the story flips between the past and the present, Rachel learns that there are people in the town that rather not speak about the past.
I enjoyed this book, the pacing although slow at the beginning it did pick up and kept me intrigued to want to finish it in one sitting.
Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for the eARC.

This book is an AMAZING MUST READ!! I loved the way it was written and executed to the reader. Definitely in my top 10 so far for this year!!!!There were 2 story lines going on throughout of 2 rapes 25 years apart, and then everything came full circle at the end. I was suprised by who actually was guilty in some of the story and some others not so much. This is a raw, dark, thrilling story where the secrets of this small town that have been intertwined for years are exposed by Rachel Krall in her podcast. This book really is a good one to open up talking about one of the biggest problems that have been going on for way too long, rape isn't ok and it isn't handled justifiably in most cases. This book gave me all the feels.... I felt sad,angry,happy, excited, scared.... there are just so many emotions to it and so much truth that a victim is the one who is violated over and over in cases like this it was surreal to read. If you can't read about the hard things such as rape culture and somewhat graphic scenes this may be a pass for you, but I think topics that seem to be very uncomfortable for a lot of people to talk about need to be and a way to bring notice to that is to write about it, you can't just make it disappear if it is written. Writing makes people talk whatever the topic it starts the conversation and I think this book is great to get a real topic with some mystery and thrill and really get you thinking! Thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a copy to rate and review!!

This is a captivating story that is told in a unique way. The story begins with Rachel, who is a True Crime/Courtroom Podcaster set to report daily from a small town rape trial. The case involved a teenager who was allegedly raped by a college swimming star destined for the Olympics. A second story was told through messages sent to Rachel from the younger sister of a girl who endured a similar rape and death, possible murder 25 years previously in the same town. The story wove its way back and forth between these two threads and did so very convincingly. The historical story is compelling and the current story is also interesting and hard hitting.
This book pushes both stories forward in equal measures. This made for a fantastic plot and fast paced stories.
I found this to be a terrific book and well paced. I highly recommend this for those who love thrillers and courtroom dramas.
#TheNightSwim #Netgalley #StMartinsPress

WOW! I wasn’t expecting the depths of pain, heartbreak and sadness I felt I as I read this novel. The Night Swim delivers the harrowing tales of three girls. Two separated by time, but not circumstance. The Night Swim speaks to small town bias, socio-economic disparities, family bonds and corruption. It speaks to the worst of human behaviour. Mistakes made and irreparable harm done. At its core this compelling story is about society’s views and treatment of women-both past and present. Goldin unearths the heart of matter with characters that are ready for the tide to turn.

I could not put this book down. It was with blurry eyes and tear stained cheeks that I finished well into the early morning hours. On many different levels these are characters that you can’t help but identify with. As a woman, a mother of daughters, a wife, a friend, I felt the pain for the incredible loss and repeated trauma all three girls experience.

The writing is impeccable. The characters fleshed out to the marrow of their bones. This is a story that will stay with you. It challenged me to look at the issues. It challenged me to expect more of myself and of others. Hannah implored me to look hard at the facts. Never giving me more than I was ready for – timed to perfection. I cannot recommend this thriller enough.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a fast-paced and engaging thriller from beginning to end. It's evocative of the podcast Serial without being derivative.

Podcaster Rachel Krall is in Season Four of her hit podcast, which takes her to a small town. This will be her first time covering an ongoing trial. When she starts receiving letters in her hotel room and her car, the plot thickens, and she is pulled into investigating another local case that has gone cold.

I had the chance to listen to this as an audiobook, which really enhanced the experience. There's a stellar cast of narrators - Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz - which helps delineate between the podcast and the present and the past. The run time for this production is 9 hours 58 minutes.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Macmillian Audio/St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I have to admit that I was reluctant to read about rape and the details of this, because the subject of rape is very squirmy to the average person, including me. However, Megan Goldin's stellar writing and intricately woven plot turned a difficult subject into a fascinating lesson in forensics, assault, the court system, witnesses, perspective, and podcasts. She has a special way of storytelling that kept me reading all the way until the end.

This story is about memories, trauma, truth, lies, scandal, assault, bullying, secrets, betrayal, social class, money, and the justice system. It's a well-written psychological suspense that is fast-paced and alternates between two stories that are equally as enthralling. The ending is satisfying and gives closure to the many plot lines that are woven throughout the book.

I really enjoy Megan Goldin's writing. She takes a difficult subject and brings in all of the facts in an objective manner, telling the both sides of the story and lets the reader form their own opinion. This story has the undertones of Where the Crawdad Sing, another book that I hold in high regard. This is a must read.

This engrossing story follows Rachel, a true crime podcaster who is covering a rape trial in a small coastal town. This town was also the home to a teenage girl who drowned in the ocean 25 years ago. Her sister believes it was actually murder and wants Rachel to help her finally prove it.

This story is more courtroom drama than thriller, but it hooked me immediately and I didn’t want to put it down. I think fans of true crime podcasts will love it.

I loved this book!! Great story!! Loved that it was from a season from her show!! 1st book I have read by this author will read more of her books!! Received this book from netgally!!

This was a really good thriller. It involves two crimes-one from the past and one in the present. They, of course, intertwine. This book had me hooked from the start and really kept my interest. There was also some societal commentary that added a bit of depth to the book as well. There were unforeseen twists at the end without feeling too outlandish, which is what I seek in such books. I also thought the pacing was really good-alternating between the times to have you anxious to return to each specific mystery in the book. I really enjoyed this one and will now add Goldin’s recent previous book to my TBR list. 4.5 ⭐️ stars rating. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with the advanced copy of this book,

Guilty or not guilty, Rachel asks her podcasts listeners to be the jury.

Just like the authors last book, this surpassed all my expectations. While this did take me longer to read and maybe some would call it a slow- burn I would say every single page was worth it. With major trigger warnings for rape and sexual assault you will want to pace yourself with this one.

The author does an excellent job at showing the true difficulty of being a rape victim.

Highly recommend reading. It reminded me of important stories like Chanel Millers and so many others.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was a psychological thriller. The book was intense read that flipped back and forth between the present and twenty five years ago. Both stories were presented in small pieces and dragged the reader right into both stories.

The Podcast Guilty or Not Guilty looks at true crimes with Rachel Krall revealing information that then allows the listeners to determine what they think happened and what is the truth. Rachel is heading to Neapolis to broadcast about the rape trial of K. While she is covering this trial, she is receiving letters describing a story of what happened twenty-five years ago with Hannah’s sister. Rachel spends time investigating both stories and slowly is able to help resolve both of them.

The story was well written. The characters showed the range of emotions and made the stories even better. The two stories made me angry - as they will to other readers. This made the reading of the book even more important. Megan Goldin’s newest book, The Night Swim is a good read.

This was a wonderfully terrible book. Maybe I should say wonderfully told about a terrible horrible despicable town and traumatic subject matter. Two rapes twenty-five years apart. The older victim destroyed, I mean where was anyone in that frigging fictional town when she was raped? There were so many crimes perpetrated on Jenny besides the rape, I was SO Angry for her. And there's K, raped but not treated as badly as Jenny, but still horribly. This book brought out things you know happen, but somehow reading it was so much more disturbing and it gets you in the gut. I used to watch L&O SVU and still didn't get it. This book makes you feel it viscerally. Kudos to the writer is all I can say. I also wonder if this was based on any real cases. It definitely sheds more light on the horrifying way the justice system works (not) in rape cases. The victims are raped over and over again. It is seriously messed up. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

I picked this up based solely on the premise: A true-crime podcaster receives creepy notes asking for help solving a 25 year old crime, while she covers a rape trial.
Hey, I’m a podcaster! I love thrillers!
Good news: The book did not disappoint!
The story is told in alternating perspectives - the story of Rachel, the podcaster investigating both the current trial and older case, the actual podcast transcripts, and the sister of the victim in the old case (via letters she is leaving Rachel). This structure worked at building tension and also making the story about something bigger.
It’s not just a who-done-it, it’s about rape, rape culture, victim-blaming and gas-lighting (all the content warnings!).
Where this book fell short was in the thriller-y aspects. At several key points the writing didn’t grab me, it just u folded slowly.
If anything, I think the problem is in labeling - it’s not a thriller, it’s a mystery.

I’d recommend the book to anyone who likes the podcast Serial

4 stars and a warning that this book is graphic with rape scenes that may trigger readers. Rachel has a successful true crime podcast, and begins receiving letters from Hannah. Hannah's sister, Jenny, passed away by drowning , but Hannah claims it was murder. quick page turner, and 4 star read. Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim was such a great story, I did not want it to end. Yet it needed to end so I knew what had really happened. Great new way to present a courtroom drama. I loved the alternating chapters of Rachel’s podcast and Hannah’s letters. I felt like the podcast aspect did a good job of presenting the case in a non-biased manner while your heart was crying for justice for K. Getting justice for Jenny also was an added benefit. I am hoping this is a series!

| Story Review |

The Night Swim from Megan Goldin was on my radar from the moment I read the blurb. Much like everyone else these days, I really enjoy a podcast component, and I like the sleuthing that goes on with this one. And I particularly liked that it was a woman here doing the digging. There was so much going on in this book that I don’t even know where to start, and I mean that in the best way possible. This story focuses on two timelines - a current rape trial, and the mysterious drowning of a woman decades prior. We see the current timeline from Rachel’s point of view as she follows the case and updates her podcast, and the past is relayed from Hannah, the sister of the woman who died years before, as she communicates with Rachel via letters. I liked Rachel as the main focus of this story. I like that she tried to be neutral when it came to interviewing parties of both sides involved, but thought it was only natural that she’d gravitate towards the young woman. And I really like how, as the trial progresses and assault is examined, that she reflects on things that have happened to her in the past that could be considered assault even though she didn’t see it that way at the time. I thought it added another element to the story, and it really made me, as the reader, think of past instances where I felt the same. I found Rachel to be so relatable. Hannah was our other main character, and honestly, my heart broke for Hannah, Jenny, and their mother throughout this story. What Jenny went through, how it went beyond bullying and catapulted straight into taunting and terrorizing absolutely gutted me. Even though I knew what was going to happen to her, I kept hoping she was going to make it.

For me, it really was about the way the author made me care about these characters. That’s what made me love this story so so much. Yes, there were twists and turns here, yes, there were close calls, and yes, there were times when I thought I knew what was going on only to realize I didn’t. But those were the backdrop for these vivid characters for me.  In fact, if I had a niggle about the story, it would be that while I cared about what was going on in the present day, my heart was lost to the events of the past. I clearly had a storyline that gripped me more. And also, we never did find out how Hannah knew who Rachel was even though Rachel had done her best not to have pictures of herself available to possible fans or fanatics. But in the end, those things just didn’t matter much to me when the telling of this story outshone them.

I think it’s obvious how much I loved this story. It was so relevant to what’s going on today, and I was gripped throughout the entire thing. I’m calling it now - The Night Swim is going to be one of my favorite books of 2020.

| Narration Review |

The audio of this book was performed by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. Honestly, if I had to pick a favorite out of the three, I don’t think I could. I think they all did such a great job with the parts they read. They really complemented each other, and I like that the tone of the story changes with each narrator, because it should. That we aren’t having one person read all the parts means we have three different people interpreting, and it makes each part more vivid and for me, the change of narrator jogged a change of imagery, and it made it that much more lifelike. There couldn’t have been a better audio cast for The Night Swim.

In The Night Swim, we are introduced to Rachel, the host of a popular podcast where the listeners determine if they think the defendant is guilty or not guilty. Rachel has historically presented old cases in her podcast. However, at the start of her third season, she decides to do something different and present a current trial as it progresses. She chooses a controversial trial where a young woman has accused a local swim hero of rape. Of course, he denies it and insists everything was consensual.

In addition to following the current trial, Rachel is contacted by a woman named Hannah who asks her to investigate her sister's death from twenty five years ago. What Rachel finds is a tragic miscarriage of justice where law enforcement failed to properly investigate this young woman's death and there was no-one to advocate for her at the time. The book goes back and forth between the present day rape trial and the past incident. The story is told from several viewpoints. It is told from that of Rachel. It's also told from letters Hannah sends to Rachel and lastly every few chapters has Rachel's podcast entry.

This is such a timely book. Not only from the podcast perspective, but in dealing with rape cases and how the women are shamed and put on trial themselves. It's such a galvanizing topic. People feel very strongly where cases like this are concerned. It can truly divide entire communities.

In addition to reading the book, I also listened to the audiobook. I love to be able to bounce back and forth when I'm reading between these two mediums. I've also found that any book involving a podcast lends itself well to audio narration. I found the narration of The Night Swim to be extremely well done. Because of it, I enjoyed the book even more.

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