I liked a lot about this court room mystery. It was written in dual points of view and timelines. Rachel Krall is a well known host of The Guilty or Not Guilty Podcast. She travels to a small town in Carolina to cover the trial of a local golden boy accused of raping a 16 year old girl. Alternating chapters are written by Hannah, who is "stalking" Rachel, to help her investigate the drowning death of her sister 25 years ago, which she believes to be a murder. The book was a slow burn for me and picked up momentum as the trial covered important issues such as who is really on trial, the victim or the accused rapist? There was suspense towards the end as Rachel started to uncover secrets and clues about the death of Hannah's sister Jenny. The two stories intersect at the end and kept me frantically turning the pages to find out the outcome of both cases. Goldin was both sensitive and realistic as she handled the topic of rape. However, there were some graphic descriptions throughout the courtroom scenes. I would definitely recommend this one and look forward to her next one!

From the depths of Nicole’s Book Cellar (Instagram.com/nicoles_bookcellar):

Book: The Night Swim (Release Date: Aug 4, 2020)
Trigger ⚠️ Rape/Abuse

Author: Megan Goldin

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 4.5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

Plot: Rachel runs a podcast and has been employed to do a season 3 of her show based off a rape trial. While she is attending the court trial for the rape case, a mysterious letter is left on her car windshield. Hannah Stills has left Rachel letters to find out what happened to her sister, Jenny, twenty-five years earlier. Hannah’s memory recollections are spotty and the case was closed as an accidental drowning.

Thoughts: I loved that this book includes two stories in one. You go on a journey of a case trial trying to find out if the jury will convict a young boy of rape or if they will think the victim is lying. Concurrently, you get to see Rachel dive into a twenty-five-year-old case that doesn’t have much evidence other than the memories of a ten-year-old, now thirty-five.

Final drinking thoughts: Just as Goldin did in #TheEscapeRoom, you think you have figured out what is going on then she drops another little nugget for you to ponder over. I loved that when you find out what happened to Jenny the story doesn’t just end there. It has a lot of pieces to it. Furthermore, Goldin does such a great job with bringing up the polarizing ideas and feelings on rape. I really liked Rachel’s character and would love to see a series made just for her.

Thank you to @NetGalley @Stmartinspress and @megangoldinauthor for the advanced copy of #TheNightSwim

#MeganGoldin #TheNightSwim #Stmartinspress #NetGalley #thriller #mystery #Books #Wine #LitFiction #BookReview #ILikeBigBooksAndICannotLie #Bookstigator #GoodReads #WinerRead #wineandread #Kindle #AmazonReads #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #advancedreadercopy #ARC

As Rachel arrives in a small town to start recording the new season of her hit true crime podcast she begins receiving letters asking for her help in solving a murder that took place in the town years ago. She has enough on her plate covering the rape trial that has the local golden boy in the defendant’s seat but cannot help but be intrigued by the mystery the letters present. Captivating and emotional this was a read in one sitting book.

Wow!
Goldin meshes two separate timelines with two separate crimes seamlessly.
I really enjoyed getting absorbed into both investigations.
Much love to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press for my DRC.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC. This review is what I posted on the audiobook.. The narrators did an amazing job bringing life to this story. (hence the reminder it is a book) They did a fabulous job differentiating between the different characters of the story. The chapters where Rachel was airing her True Crime Podcast was so like listening to a real podcast. This audiobook is different from other audiobooks which is why it was so amazing.. I would definitely recommend this audiobook to friends.

Rachel Krall, true crime podcaster, has decided that this season of her podcast should be a real-time trial, something controversial an current. She finds the perfect opportunity when Olympic hopeful, Scott Blair finds himself facing trial for raping the granddaughter of the beloved former chief of police in his sleepy hometown of Neapolis.

Rachel became instantly famous when, during the first season, she uncovered new information proving that a high school teacher wrongly convicted murder of his wife. Her fame only grew when in season 2, she solved and previously unsolved murder. For these reasons, she protects her anonymity, she doesn’t mind being instantly recognizable for her voice but makes sure to use old photographs that don’t quite resemble her.
After stopping for a meal at a truck stop on her way to Neopolis, Rachel is surprised to find an envelope stuck under her windshield wiper addressed to her. Afraid she may have a stalker, Rachel is both a little scared and very intrigued.

Rachel begins interviewing people in Neapolis and begins her background investigation, trying to put the letter out her mind. Her curious nature prevents her from ignoring the letter and follows the instructions in the letter to a jetty where Jenny Stills supposedly drown twenty-five years ago. Her stalker doesn’t show but instead leaves another note.

As Rachel begins to cover the rape trial, more letters arrive, in unsettling ways. Hannah, Jenny Stills’ sister, recounts the time running up to her sister’s death through the eyes of the 9 year old she was at the time, asking for Rachel’s help to get justice for Jenny. Was Jenny’s accidental drowning during a night swim something much more sinister or are these letters the ranting of an emotionally fragile woman who lost her whole family before she was even 10 years old?

Rachel begins to see that sleepy little Neapolis has a convenient way of ignoring the things they don’t want to be true. The longer Rachel stays, the more connections she sees between the trial she is covering and Jenny's fatal night swim.

The trial is told in present tense and recapped for the podcast with thoughtful reflections. The letters bring us back to a time 25 years ago, and told through the voice of a woman who witnessed or nearly witnessed events as a 9 year old.

There is so much ebb and flow to this story, past and present, turmoil and calm, things seen and buried and seen again. The tone and the setting are perfect for this novel.

4.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

True crime podcasts have become really popular these days, so it’s no surprise that authors are starting to use that premise in stories. Megan Goldin did an excellent job incorporating the podcast episodes into the coverage of an on-going rape trial.

Rachel Krall, who records the podcast, has traveled to a small coastal town to cover the rape trial. Right away, she gets involved in more than she was expecting when a woman named Hannah starts leaving her notes pertaining to a rape and murder that occurred twenty five years ago.

The nuances of living in a small town complicate matters in both cases. Misguided loyalties prevent witnesses from coming forward and even provoke some to helping cover up the crimes.

It was bit confusing keeping track of the men involved because there was some overlap between the two crimes. This is one story that begs attention to the early interviews conducted by Rachel. At times I wanted to go back and reread comments by a few of the characters.

Throughout the story readers hear two points of view. One from Hannah, who tells the details of the past rape, and from Rachel, who tells of the current rape trial and simultaneously investigates the past rape. The courtroom scenes in the story were anything but boring. The ending of the trial was quite shocking.

The subject matter was brutal. The cruelty of the young men in the story was extremely disturbing. In spite of this, I found the story very well done and interesting.

I highly recommend this to readers who enjoy crime stories and mystery/thrillers. I’m looking forward to reading more from Megan Goldin in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Night-Swim-Novel-Megan-Goldin-ebook/dp/B0818N4HC8
WOAH baby! Most of my friends know me for my light and fluffy reads, unless they hand me a book or recommend a book and say-READ THIS! This book stumbled into my lap and is so far from light and fluffy. Dead and buried are the light and fluffy days, I guess. When #METOO happened, so many people wanted to know why these woman waited so long- this book tells the story so clearly! I live in the North. There are a lot of laws that we have here that are or were laws that made no sense-like it was illegal for a woman to use the men’s bathroom. I remember that the bars that would serve underage kids would get busted for this, because they couldn’t prove that the IDs that the kids used were fake. This book talks about the definition of rape, uh, I actually didn’t think it wasn’t cut and dry. Uh, I also didn’t know there were SEVERAL definitions of it. This book takes place in North Carolina, so before I start spouting untruths, I figured that I would go to the website and verify -that was just a black hole that ended up somewhere that I didn’t even think would be needed. First Degree Forcible Rape is defined as this, according to RAINN in North Carolina:
Engaging in vaginal intercourse with another person by force and against the will of the other person, and:
• Uses, threatens to use or displays a dangerous or deadly weapon or an article which the other person reasonably believes to be a dangerous or deadly weapon; or
• Inflicts serious personal injury upon the victim or another person; or
• Commits the offense aided and abetted by one or more other persons.
Upon conviction, a person convicted under this section has no rights to custody of or rights of inheritance from any child born as a result of the commission of the rape, nor shall the person have any rights related to the child.

So; if someone had sex with you without your consent, but you were not threatened or injured, it isn’t first degree Rape- WHAT???!!!! If someone is larger than you and does not threaten you, not first degree. The fact that the rights to such child conceived under such act in question is completely mind boggling to me! Why would they have rights? This right here is why so many women did not come forward prior- the rape kit process alone. Imagine being in the worst situation of your life…then think about having to relive it over and over and being poked and prodded intimately for hours and interrogated like you did something wrong and them making you feel that the clothes you wore or things you said made them do that to you. The things that men get away with is INSANE! Any bartender or waitress can tell you how awful men are!
This book toggles between different points of view. This begins at the twenty-fifth anniversary of Jenny’s death. Her sister tells the story of what she remembers and how she felt. The next chapter is about Rachel. Rachel is from the podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Rachel receives a letter from Jenny’s sister, Hannah on her windshield. We spend the next 300 pages reliving the life that was Jenny’s and how social situations and high school stereotypes mold people. I could not stop reading this book. I read this cover to cover in a few hours. I could NOT believe some of the things that went on – they were so awful, but that is what these true crime podcasts talk about-awful things that happen that we always think could never happen to us. This book was so well written, I was screaming at the characters and begging them to stop and almost in tears at one point, the situations were so awful. This was quite the book, but I may need to go back to light and fluffy for a little bit, after reading three deep books in three days!

An interesting story from the author of The Escape Room, which I liked a lot more than this new book. The story moves along at a good pace as a podcast host is covering a small town trial and also gets dragged into investigating a murder that happened a long time ago. It was a fast read. It kept moving but I feel like it was missing that special twist of an experienced writer.

5 STARS

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago.

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Okay, this book was basically everything I have ever wanted - and more! Engrossing story line? Check. Serial Podcast vibes? Check. Multi-layered crime story? Check and check!

THE NIGHT SWIM is told through alternating view points: Rachel, her podcast and those mysterious letters. I initially thought that jumping around to different POV's would be confusing or overwhelming (as it has been in the past with some novels) I found that it actually kept the story fresh and impossible to put down. As a huge fan of true crime podcasts, I also totally geeked out about the fact that her podcast transcripts were included instead of just being a footnote of the story.

My only real issue with THE NIGHT SWIM was how detailed the letters were - far more than I would typically expect from someone who was recounting traumatic events from nearly three decades prior. They read more like a separate novel than someone's memories, which at times pulled me out of the story. However, this didn't impact my overall enjoyment of the novel. Just something I noticed.

Overall, highly recommend! I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC. You can read this one on August 4th!

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin reminded me of watching a true crime show. Sometimes hard to watch/read, but somehow, we are still drawn to the story and want to know more and how it ends!

I struggled a bit with The Night Swim in terms of the graphic rapes, and the courtroom scenes. The story goes between a “cold case” that happened 25 years ago, along with a modern day rape case.

My favourite aspect of the story was how parts of it were told in Podcast form. Rachel runs a podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty, and I loved the modern edge it brought to this story. While Rachel is covering the modern rape case between Scott and Kelly, she also decides to help Hannah solve her sister’s case from 25 years ago.

The story was constantly moving and was extremely well paced. Some of the twists at the end really surprised me as well.

This was my first book by Goldin, and I would read more by her. I hear her first book Escape Room is fantastic. If you like thrillers this is a good one, but just be warned of the graphic nature of this story.

I received an advanced reader copy from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

4.5 stars

I knew going into The Night Swim that there were triggers but not to the extent it was, definitely a book that will stay with me.

To say this is an emotional story doesn't really give it the extreme it is due. It's one thing to have the current day story but to add the 25-year-old one really adds that extra punch. Told mainly with 2 points of view, a current day with podcaster (is that a word?) Rachel hides behind a face that is unknown even though her voice is. The mysterious notes and what they reveal go back 25 years where things aren't as they appeared. I’ll admit that the podcast angle isn’t a favorite but with this story, I get the role it played making it a good fit.

The Night Swim is a sad, disturbing, and emotional story that had me frustrated, angry, heartbroken and out for justice. There is some serious subject matter that the author handled authentically with feeling and respect. It is well written with characters that I couldn't help feeling for. I think I read the last 70% in like a day, not only did I need to know what was going to happen but was curious as to the author's direction, I didn't know what to expect with the ending. Maybe I will stop right there before I reveal too much.

Megan Goldin is a new author to me, her novel The Escape Room is getting rave reviews, so that is now added to my TBR pile.

My thanks to St. Martin's Press for a digital arc (via Netgalley) in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Escape Room and Megan Goldin’s next novel does not disappoint either! This book tackles some difficult topics such as consent and rape, but does so in a way where you as a reader are learning more. There are many twists and turns- and just when I thought I had it figured out...something new was thrown our way.

I’m really hoping for some follow ups set in this “world” because I enjoyed the main character (more podcast seasons, please!) and there were several secondary characters I’d like to learn more about! The ending left me wanting more.

Pick this book up - you won’t be disappointed!

A special thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What is the price of a reputation?

Rachel Krall is a household name thanks to her true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. She is used to being recognized by her voice so when she finds a note addressed to her on her windshield, begging for her help, Rachel can't help but feel uneasy.

Season Three of her show takes Rachel to Neapolis, a small town that is divided by a devastating rape trial. The town's golden boy—a swimmer on pace to qualify for the Olympics—is on trial for raping the police chief's granddaughter. Rachel immerses herself into the case by conducting interviews and her own investigation for the podcast. But she still keeps finding more letters in the most unexpected places. She is being relentlessly followed by someone that wants Rachel to look into what happened to her sister twenty-five years earlier. On record, Jenny Sills drowned, but whoever is behind the letters is convinced that it was murder. Rachel starts poking around and asking questions, yet nobody wants to answer them. With the two cases looking more and more similar, the past and present collide in a shocking twist to reveal what really happened to Jenny.

In Goldin's newest thriller, she examines whether or not past wrongs can be put right. Using an epistolary narrative style, the story unfolds through podcasts and letters as well as the actual trial. For the most part, this is effective, but there are times where it felt bogged down.

At times this is a heavy book, especially with the sensitive topic of rape and Goldin handles it with the utmost care. The trial scenes are not for the faint of heart—they are an accurate and necessary comment on victim shaming. This book is raw, it is real, and it is harrowing. What it is not, is a thriller. Instead, it is a slow burn mystery with legal undertones.

Deftly plotted and well-sculpted, this is a solid sophomore effort from Megan Goldin.

This book was very interesting, quite different for a storyline. Actually there were two cases to solve. Rachel Krall does a true-crime podcast and is very adept at investigation. Her insight into the trial of a town's college-aged, golden boy accused of raping a sixteen-year-old girl are fascinating. The extra investigation of a cold case was intriguing. This was a super read and I am sure fans of crime stories will really like it.

Having this ARC in both book and audio form, I chose to listen to the audio and I’m so glad I did. The production was done extremely well with the use of different narrators and the use of music. So many times it’s difficult to differentiate the story from the backstory or in this case Podcast in an audio book. This book was written perfectly with the backstory in letters and the music separating the Podcast from the ongoing story.
“Guilty or Not Guilty, the Podcast that puts you in the jury box.” Rachel is a reporter/investigator. After her phenomenal podcast success, she’s set for the start of Season Three, an explosive rape case in the town of Neapolis. The town is divided as they are either for Scott, a decorated college swimmer on his way to the big leagues or Kelly, a high school girl from a good family. As Rachel prepares, she finds herself distracted as she keeps getting letters from a person named Hannah. Hannah wants Rachel’s help solving her sister’s murder 25 years prior. The only problem ... her sister drowned! As Rachel delves deeper into Hannah’s claims, she decides to help her even while she’s embroiled in her Podcast and the rape trial. Goldin does a great job keeping the reader/listener completely engrossed with two different cases intermixed with a riveting podcast. A truly fascinating tale that will keep you captivated until the last word.

Rachel is an investigative journalist with a successful podcast called Guilty or Not Guilty. She focuses on provided an unbiased look int he crime and allowing the viewers to act like the jury. Her first two seasons were a smashing success and she is ready to start season three with something new, a rape case between two teenagers (one from a well-known and loved family). However as Rachel is covering this case, there is another person, Hannah trying to reach out. She wants Rachel to reinvestigate the murder of her sister from 25 years ago. Hannah needs closure for what was treated as an accidentally drowning and she will do anything to get Rachel interested.

I really enjoyed the format of this book. It felt as if the whole book was written in podcast form, not just the chapters that were meant to be the podcast episodes. We learned information as Rachel also learned information and got to play the role of jury that she gives her listeners. It was an interesting concept to not only cover the rape trial but to follow the investigation of Hannah's sister at the same time.

Megan Goldwin’s The Night Swim gets raving reviews, so I can already tell that I’m in the minority on this one... overall found this one a little slow and a little predictable. I’ve gotta say, I enjoyed Goldwin’s writing and will pick up another one of her novels in the future.

My opinion may be swayed by the fact that I’ve read a lot of incredible books the past few months, definitely hard to compete with; had I read The Night Swim earlier this year, it probably would have warranted a higher rating.

This one just wasn’t for me!

This is a great thriller novel! And guess what? There's also a bangin' podcast element that fuels my little podcast-loving heart. This books is also terribly emotional and unsettling. It's a true psychological thriller about a rape trial in a small town. Prepare yourself.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is one of the best murder mysteries I have read! Captivating from the first chapter and keeps you guessing until the end! I read this in less than two days because I had to know what happened. I am a fan of podcasts and this just fueled my interest in this book even more. I felt like I was listening right along.
Rachel is a journalist that recently found fame in her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. She has come to Neapolis to cover a rape trial that turns a town against each other in a he said, she said battle. While trying to cover the trial in the most impartial way she can, giving both side the same dedication; letter begin to show up on her car first. A murder/ accidental drowning happened years ago and someone knows exactly what happened. Hannah reaches out to Rachel in hopes of finding her sister's killer from long ago. Neapolis has it's own secrets trying to stay covered up but Rachel tries her hand at uncovering them.
The Night Swim covers two different crimes from two different time periods. At times, I did mix up some of the evidence between the two crimes but the story was still amazing and I devoured it!
I will be recommending The Night Swim to others and I will be looking for other works by Megan Goldin. Special thanks to NetGalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin's Press for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. #NetGalley