I really liked this book. It was tastefully written which I’m sure was tough considering the story line. The characters were fantastic and I was sad when I finished this book. The story is based around a podcaster who covers true crime. She is sought out by an individual to help solve a decades old murder that was classified as a drowning. There were some heart wrenching moments in this book but it was also suspenseful and very fast paced. A plus, must read.
Trigger warning - story line revolves around pretty violent rape stories.

This is a book that you just will NOT forget!
Rachel Krall makes true crime podcasts that allow the listeners to feel as if they are in a courtroom listening to the different witnesses and assisting in the verdict of different trials.
She is good, real good, and has actually had cases overturned with evidence she has found and questions that she has asked and then had answered. NO stone is left unturned!
In a small town, a trial to decide guilty or not-guilty of raping a young girl is about to begin and Rachel is on her way to this location in preparation for the courtroom case.
On the way, a letter is discovered on her car windshield begging for help on an occurrence that happened twenty-five years ago. A teenage girl was found dead in town and her younger sister wants the truth about her sister Jenny. What really happened? Did she really drown?
Can Rachel find out while she is in town?
This novel is amazingly detailed and I was almost believing that I was in the courtroom.
It is a tough read at times about a sensitive subject.
Definitely a ten star book! Truly great!

I loved The Escape Room, so glad I was able to get this ARC. Rachel has a true crime podcast and goes to a small town in NC to cover the trial of a rape. When she gets there, she finds out there was another rape 25 years earlier that has similarities. A really great thriller, but major trigger warnings for graphic descriptions.

4.5 stars

I’ve read Megan’s previous two books and was keen to get my hands on The Night Swim.

The Night Swim is a gripping, yet harrowing book on a very topical subject. I’ve noticed other readers commented that they couldn’t put it down, but for me, binge-reading was impossible. This is in no way damning as to the quality of the story or writing. Indeed, it is testament to the author’s ability to evoke an emotional response, without it feeling like crass manipulation.

I won’t elaborate on the plot as that can be discerned by reading others’ reviews or the book synopsis. Suffice to say, the book does tackle rape and sexual assault and while it is not done in a gratuitous manner, I still found myself feeling unsettled, discomfited and angry.

As to the mystery element of the story, while there were parts I worked out along the way, I was wrong about the major reveal.

This is a book that will stay with me for quite some time and considering the subject matter, perhaps that is at it should be.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Night Swim is the story of a Rachel, a blogger/reporter covering a contemporary crime while also investigating a 25 year old murder. The story follows the popular "back and forth" format between the well defined characters. The book is well written, and quite suspenseful - I couldn't wait to read the outcome of the two events, and was surprised by both! The book is satisfying and enjoyable to read. I would like to have given it 4.5 stars if I could - it was just a tad long.

Thank you, NetGalley for letting me read this book!

I just finished The Night Swim by Megan Goldin and I am so literally stunned right now. To say this is one of the best books I’ve read would be an understatement. This is a compelling story, heartbreaking and emotionally wrecking yet so brilliantly told that I couldn’t put it down. Two crimes, two stories – one in the present, one in the past but both equally traumatic and far reaching in its victims.

The Night Swim is told in dual narrative, one from true crime podcaster, Rachel, traveling to the small seaside town of Neapolis to cover the rape trial of the town’s golden boy and Hannah, the younger sister of Jenny Stills, murdered, she believes, 25 years ago. Ms. Goldin intertwined the two stories impeccably, leaving no stone unturned all while keeping the tension high and the suspense at nail-biting level.

The characters are amazingly well-layered and beautifully flawed. I was captivated in their telling of the story with all it’s brutality that shines a light on stories that need to be told; the message that it carries is a powerful one and one that will continue to divide people of all ages and genders.

The plot! Oh my! Small town secrets! I live in a small tourist town so a lot of what the author described hit home to me! There’s a lot of truth there, it’s fiction yes, but truth as well. What lengths will some go to in order to protect their reputation? Those of someone they love? Just how far does the ‘Good Ole’ Boy’ club go? Rachel digs deep and puts herself in some perilous situations to get to the truth and isn’t easily intimidated.

The Night Swim is an outstanding book and I have high hopes that this could be a series and if it is, it’s one that I will not only faithfully read but will look forward to.

The Escape Room had been written by this author and I had enjoyed it, I was looking forward to her next work. The Night Swim is her second novel, though it doesn’t quite match the intensity of the first book, it is an enjoyable read. The story revolves around Rachel Krall, a true crime investigator who had solved cold case files in the past and created a podcast about them. For her next podcast she travelling to a small town in North Carolina where a popular young man has been accused of rape. Along the way someone leaves a note on her car begging her to investigate a rape/murder that had taken place 25 years ago, but that had been shoved under the carpet by the powers that be and no one was ever charged. The book is told in two viewpoints, Rachel and Hannah, who is the sister of the girl that had been raped/murdered 25 years ago. Rachel does not want to look into the old case, but ends up doing some investigating which leads her to investigate the entire situation. Hannah communicates with Rachel through notes/letters, they don’t meet in person until near the end. Through the notes Hannah shares the details that led up to her sister’s rape/murder. The details of both rapes are quite intense and disturbing. This was a very good book with a satisfying end to both issues. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

This is my first 5 star read in a long time. Megan Goldin clearly did her research about everything from criminal rape trials, to SANE exams, to societies habit of victim-blaming survivors of sexual assault but not victims in other crimes. I thought this story was full of so many elements of crime and the entire plot tied together beautifully. I can not wait to buy this when it is published on August 4, 2020.

I thought this book was great! I love that it’s about a podcaster and I thought the general storytelling was really interesting. It is a unique and fresh take on crime fiction. Devoured this in a couple afternoons. I was surprised where I should be and always interested in what was next. Can’t ask for too much more in a mystery :)

The Night Swim shows us what happens when a small town gets turned upside down by rape and murder, twice. Rachel Krall is a true crime podcaster with a large following. She arrives in an ocean-side town of Neapolis and is immediately caught up in the trial where she "puts the listeners in the jury box." After mysterious notes appear in unexpected places, Rachel delves deeper into a mysterious death twenty-five years ago. This book will keep you guessing till the very end!

Fantastic read. This was a great exciting book to read. I was on the edge of my seat. Couldn’t put it down. Wondering which way it was going to go. Love a good mysrty read.

Thrilling and well written. The story had me on the edge of my seat till late at night. Loved it Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!!

Sensitive readers beware! This book handles rape and surrounding situations. Two mysteries intertwined into a story keeps you hooked the whole time!

This was my second experience with this author and I wasn’t disappointed. I really enjoyed this book and I loved the podcast angle. Perfect amount of characters and suspense. Two mysteries intertwined was a great bonus. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am obsessed with crime podcasts so this plot was very interesting to me! It was a quick read full of fun twisty turns. The story sucks you in and I highly recommend this to those who want to escape reality for a bit! I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Well written with two coinciding stories. I was up all night and couldn’t put this book down. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an expertly narrated portrayal of a rape trial in a small town in North Carolina. It reads like a true-crime documentary and was so frighteningly realistic I know it will haunt me for some time. Admittedly, I have a love-hate relationship with true crime documentaries. On the one hand, I see the opportunity that the documentaries offer to solve cases that would otherwise be left forgotten. That said, I’ve witnessed the destruction true crime creates. It ravages families. One of Goldin’s characters adeptly states, “I don’t understand people’s fascinations with other people’s tragedies. It’s modern day rubbernecking. Ghoulish.”

Reading The Night Swim feels similar to this description ... ghoulish. That said, I almost wish everyone would read this narrative to truly understand the travesty that is the US legal system when it comes to justice for rape victims. Goldin is an expert at showing the division and hatred that results from conflicting viewpoints regarding rape. The story moves forward at an incredible pace and I finished the story in two sittings. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

"The Night Swim". Authored by Megan Golden. A novel with twists and turns that will keep the reader hooked till the end. Mystery, suspense, murder and small town secrets, gossip and cover ups. Rachel Krall who has her own true crime Pod cast, travels to this lake side community to cover a very controversial rape trial. And, while there becomes involved in an unsolved murder that happened there 25 years earlier. It is safe that the reader will not want to put this book down till the surprising end!

I absolutely loved this book! It was incredibly fascinating, suspenseful and full of twists! I love true crime podcasts and I loved how this integral part of the story was woven into the storyline. I could NOT stop reading it once I started, a true indicator of a truly thrilling book!