This book was a nearly perfect read for me – great writing, excellent pacing, interesting characters, stories I could really get invested in, and a huge payout at the end.

The premise involves a true-crime podcast writer (Rachel Krall) on her third season and the trial she’s about to attend. She aims to put her listeners “in the jury box” to make up their own minds about guilt or innocence. It’s an unfortunately classic tale of rape of a young woman and the young man who claims it was consensual. I felt the writer handled all of these details very well, they made me uncomfortable, but it wasn’t gratuitous violence.

The courtroom scenes are gripping and the anguish for the rape victim was apparent. However, the young man is a promising swimmer from a prominent family in town and this trial is a controversial one where minds seem to be made up before any evidence is presented. I was reminded how difficult it is to show incontrovertible evidence that convinces people – expert witnesses argue for both sides and the attorneys are very clever at what they do.

Along the way, Rachel is communicating with someone else about an earlier crime in the town. This dual storyline was compelling as well, and I eagerly read along to find out what deep secrets this town and its residents were keeping. There were a few surprises at the end and I found the power-packed conclusion mostly satisfying.

I highly recommend this one!

I really enjoyed this book! I was most intrigued by Jenny's story and found that wanting more of her story kept me reading through the other parts. I liked the podcast element. Somehow, I found Hannah's character (mostly we know her from her telling Jenny's story that she remembers from being a child) more believable even though we mostly followed Rachel's point of view. I think I would have connected to Rachel more if we would have gotten more of her backstory...what drives her, how and why she started the podcast, etc.

Overall, this was a good time and probably the fastest I have read a book since my youngest son was born. I was that invested into finding what had happened to Jenny. I love when a book pulls you in and keeps you reading. Definitely looking forward to reading more from the author.

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2020; St. Martin's Press

I am a slight fan of true crime podcasts, so seeing that in the synopsis I automatically am interested. I enjoyed Goldin's previous novel, so that was another notch towards requesting this book. It wasn't a bad book, but lacked the action-packed suspense that it seem to hint at. I tend to be gullible and believe what people say, and get a bit miffed when it turns out to be not true. But then again, books really depend on the reader and mood as well. I enjoyed this one, but preferred Escape Room more.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

WOW what a read! This book kept my interest and would recommend it to anyone looking for a deep thriller.

Let me start out this review by saying that The Night Swim is such a powerful read. I mean wow, Megan Goldin did a wonderful job with such a controversial topic and all I mainly want to say is bravo!

My favorite thing about The Night Swim is how half of it is written as a podcast episode, because if you didn’t already know I am a HUGE true crime podcast junkie. I listen to them weekly, so to read a book that has that type of vibe was so my cup of tea!

Rachel Krall is our podcast host, her new season is following a live trial in Neapolis. It’s a rape trial. An Olympic college swimmer is accused of raping a high school girl with a bright future ahead of her. While Rachel is on her way to Neapolis, she receives a mysterious note wedged in between her windshield wipers from the sister of a young girl who drowned in Neapolis twenty-five years earlier.

Hannah Stills doesn’t think her sisters death was an accidental drowning though and she needs Rachel’s help.

We are thrown into a rough story to get through. We are met with what society thinks is right and wrong when it comes to rape charges and sexual assault. I would be lying if I said The Night Swim wasn’t a tough read. It’s extremely tough, but there’s an important message in here and it makes you think about the way you view what you think is right and what’s wrong.

With that being said, I promise once you start The Night Swim, you will be hooked. Megan Goldin’s writing is fantastic, she will hook you and reel you in until it’s over. And when it is over, you will be thinking about it long after you’ve finished.

You will be captivated, and it’s so worth your time!

Rachel is in town to follow a local rape trial for her real crime podcast. What she didn’t expect was being pulled in to a cold case in the same small town. With similarities to the current case, every once in awhile I would get parts of the two crimes mixed up. But while the current case felt very obvious (though it still provided some twists), the cold case offered more intrigue for the reader. Still, the current case kept the book moving along and I really liked the combination. I think it worked really well and kept me turning the page.

Do you love true crime podcasts? What about crime shows? If so then you should read “The Night Swim”.
Rachel is the host of a popular crime podcast. She travels to Neopolis to follow a rape trial. Rachel starts to receive letters from from someone named Hannah asking for help to solve her sister’s murder that was ruled a drowning.
I really enjoyed this book. You really start to feel like you know the characters and become invested in how the story plays out. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

An addictive read about a true crime podcast and it’s curious host, “ The Night Swim” is a twisty novel that is certain to keep readers engaged from start to finish.

Although a bit slow upon start-up, author Megan Goldin weaves a memorable story about some difficult subject matter (rape, murder), that sets up a collision for a small town past and present. A legal thriller mashed up with a mystery, true crime fans are certain to enjoy this one.

This was an amazing book. It was fast paced and emotional. The story centers around a podcaster covering a rape trial. While the trial is going on, she is lured into researching a cold case, the murder of a 16 year old girl. This book brings to light the harsh reality of how rape victims are treated in court and in society as a whole. It can be a hard read emotionally, but I think it is good that it make you uncomfortable. It makes you think.

This book was very hard for me to get through because of the subject matter. However, I think that sexual assault is something that needs to be talked about and discussed. I did enjoy the story though and. I thought the plot twists were clever and unique and I found myself speed reading so I could find out what happened next. I would read more from this author.

This is not a thriller, it’s more of a character driven mystery. I loved the court room drama and the podcast secondary theme. It deals with rape and ufcraoe is a trigger for you then you might want to pass on reading this book. If you like a slow burn mystery then give this book a chance .

True crime podcaster, Rachel Krall, is on scene in the small town of Neapolis, to cover the rape trial of Scott Blair, who is accused of raping high school student, Kelly Moore. While covering the trial, she begins received letters in random places regarding the death of Jenny Stills, which occurred 25 years ago. The letters allege that Jenny was murdered - even though her death was ruled a drowning. As Rachel continues to cover the current trial, she begins to dig up information on the past - leading to the past and present colliding.

This book is wound together with clues and as Rachel uncovers them, the author did an excellent job of making you feel as if you were uncovering them as well - almost as if you were Rachel’s partner in crime. The two stories merging into one was a really excellent touch that added to the suspense of the book.

I also should add - I listened to the audiobook version as opposed to reading it - I would highly suggest it! This is probably one of the most unique audiobooks I have listened to in a long time - not because of the storyline - but because of the podcast feature. The audiobook switches back and forth from the narration of the actual book to Rachel’s podcast. That was a real nice touch that just added to the overall audio experience.

This is the adult version of A Good Girls Guide to Murder and I loved it! Same narrator and everything. Great story! Didn't expect the ending at all.

I'm a huge fan of books that jump from past to present, if done in a cohesive way. This book did that even better than I could have imagined. The fact that one of the main characters is a true crime Podcaster makes this book so relevant.

I thought Rachel was a very relatable character, especially this day in age. Everyone is so interested in true crime and she has her own podcast. Seeing her unravel all these mysterious happening in this town was a roller-coaster rider.

I loved that there were so many ways this book brought every storyline together so well. The secrets within this small town were just so realistic to me. I highly recommend this one if you are a fan of psychological thrillers that include an extra touch of media.

She stood on the edge of the shore, her feet sinking deeply into the silky softness of the sand and the ocean waves crashed against her ankles. She looked out at the expanse of the sea, the edge of the water kissing the horizon. She closed her eyes and flashed back to a moment in time that she was standing right here, but this feeling of calm was not what she felt then. Back then she felt terror as a body was floating in the ocean… her sister.

The Night Swim is a dual timeline thriller presently investigating a rape and in the past trying to hide a so-called murder. Rachel, a podcaster, is in town recording info of a rape trial for her latest season, but simultaneously gets roped into helping solve a twenty-five year old murder.

Listening to this on audio (my first ever!) I really enjoyed the podcast chapters as it sounded like a true crime podcast and the chapters told in Rachel and Hannah’s perspective was neat to get vision into the current time as well as the past. This little town is harboring a lot of secrets! I also didn’t see the final twist at the end coming and I was surprised… I really thought I had it figured out!

If you’re a fan of crime podcasts, small town secrets, and courtroom drama thrillers… then you’ll want to give this one a read!

Wow - this was quite a memorable read and I absolutely love the podcast / court room format that Megan Goldin used. This was a fast paced fictional crime story but it read like the current news of rape culture that we are all so sadly familiar with. To me, it was an important topic and it evoked some very reflective conversation in my book club. I look forward to the author’s future books,

Thank you to the author Goldin, St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

“I’m Rachel Krall and this is Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box.”

This was my first Megan Goldin book and definitely won't be my last, Told from 2 POV with Hannah narrating a rape in the past and Rachel covering one in the present both occurred in the same town. Is there a connection and will justice prevail for the victims? Both storylines had me riveted to the pages reading it in record time. I loved the true crime podcast format that covers the current trail. Here's to hoping this isn't the last we hear from Rachel Kroll and her podcast, sequel please!

Rachel has a true crime podcast. When one season helps free an innocent man, she begins to get mysterious notes that she needs to investigate the death of a small town girl, When the next season takes her to the very same small town, she learns more and more pieces about the girl's death and the case that brought her to town. Will she learn the truth about both cases, or will she be killed before she learns the truth.

This book was so incredibly difficult to read. It’s very heavily based around sexual assault, and while it’s not quite as graphic as Pretty Girls, it’s immensely sickening and heartbreaking.

It’s done really well though. I enjoyed the mixture of podcast episodes, Rachel’s POV, and the letters from
Hannah. However, I did find Hannah’s letters to be a little odd in terms of how a person would typically write a letter. Yes, she’s telling a story through her letters, but each one just stops and it’s not a natural way someone would end any kind of written note. So while I really liked hearing from Hannah and they stories she told, I really disliked those chapters in general because they were super odd.

The book follows a couple different timelines - present-day and 25 years prior. The timeline for the past felt very predictable, but I actually feel it may have been done that way on purpose. As women, we kind of know what to expect in these types of situations. We typically know who was involved, have a general sense of what maybe happened, and we know that there’s not much we can damn do about it.

I'm not typically one to enjoy the type of book to be analyzed, but I was pretty impressed with The Night Swim. There were so many wonderfully-done parallels between the obvious plot of the story and some of the side situations and plots (like the nightingale situation). It gave me more than I was expecting and it kept me wanting more until the very end.

Another good book by this author. I love how the book is so different from the first one I ever read (Escape Room) and yet as equally engrossing. I think this shows the author's range. This reads more like a drama, no action or wily cunning here (my preference). And it's somewhat predictable (I figured out who the bad guy was) but it was a satisfying ride even for myself, on a slow weekend.
I feel it is necessary to add a warning at this point. This book includes scenes/storyline that could be very triggering for those who are sensitive to issues related to sexual assault/child abuse.
I will most definitely keep reading this author. 3 of 5 stars only because I won't re-read this book or recommend it among other options, but that is influenced by my personal genre preferences. I would recommend the author.