Right off the bat, my favorite part of this is book was the incorporation of a true crime podcast. They are all the rage right now and everyone loves them, at least I do! It was so interesting to have both the podcast and the live version going on in the book, it made the perspective intriguing!

In this book, Rachel hosts a podcast and is covering a huge rape trial for her upcoming season. Little does she know, there are many more truths to be told...

I was a little spooked, a little sad, a little hopeful, and a little surprised throughout this read. I had some feeling of how it would end, but I guessed wrong! Gotta love when the book throws you for a loop!

✨AUDIOBOOK REVIEW✨ Publication Date: 8/4/2020

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC.

Book Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book hurt my soul. There were times I didn’t want to keep listening because it has a truly tough subject matter. However, it was a great mystery that hooked me from the first chapter.

🕵🏻‍♀️Story:
Night Swim is a story of two rapes. One that occurred 25 years before and one currently at the center of a controversial trial. In the present day, Rachel, the host of a hit true crime podcast, is covering the rape trial for her newest season. When she begins receiving letters from a woman begging for her to look into her sister’s rape and murder in the same town 25 years before, she begins to wonder if the two cases are connected.

Night Swim features the best utilization of the true crime element since Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea. The podcast is used to further the story and to develop the main character. This is more of a slow burn mystery with an increased focus on the legal aspect of the crime. After reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller, I know that the rape trial is often just as violating and brutal as the attack, and this made the courtroom scenes truly hard to listen to. I feel Megan Goldin handled the topic with sensitivity and honesty, but readers should definitely be aware of storyline going in and know that it does not hold back at all.

🎧 Narration:
This is one of the best produced audiobooks that I have listened to. The choice to have a different narrator (January LaVoy, who has narrated many popular novels) do the podcast portions of the book was perfect. The amount of detail that went into the podcast chapters (e.g. having a theme song, adding sound effects, etc.) was insane and made it even better. Samantha Desz voices Rachel and was very good. She sounds similar enough to January LaVoy that you can believe that Rachel’s voice and “podcast voice” are the same. Bailey Carr (from A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder audiobook) does an excellent job with the character of Hannah, who is telling the story of her sister’s attack. Those chapters were especially hard to listen to and Bailey Carr does very well with them.

Overall, Night Swim is a raw, heart-wrenching, and unsettling mystery. Although it slows down slightly in the middle, I felt it was well-written and handle the sensitive subject matter with care. I highly recommend getting the audiobook version of this book as it adds even more to the story.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like listening to true crime podcasts? If so - I highly recommend listening to The Night Swim. Rachel Krall is starting the third season of her hit podcast Guilty or Not Guilty. This time she’s covering a rape trial in MD. When she arrives in town, she also starts receiving notes begging her to investigate a crime that took place in the town 25 years ago.

I really enjoyed this story and alternated between reading the ebook and audiobook. I have to say in this cast the audiobook really adds a lot to the reading experience. The podcast sections are produced to truly sound like podcast episodes - with the music at the start and ending and sound effects.

Highly recommend listening to this one if you’re interested in reading it! Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook review copies.

I went into this not reading the synopsis so perhaps it’s my own fault because I judged this off the cover but I was expecting more an intense murder thriller. Instead we get more of a slow burn rape trial case which is definitely important but just not what I expected. The author did a pretty good job on treading the topic carefully and respectfully as it’s super relevant in todays society. It explored how both the rape victim and assaulters life change but in completely different ways. The female is accused of lying while excuses are made for the male. This reminded me a lot of the Brock Turner case that happened a few years ago. He too was a swimmer who had a rape trial so I wonder if that’s where the author got the idea from. I understand the super high ratings but at the same time I find true crime to be a little slow for my tastes. Overall, I did enjoy this and think it’s worth the read.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the audiobook. The narrators did a fantastic job.

I loved this audio experience! I think the book is likely very good, but I feel like audiobook is the best medium I can imagine for this work.

Perfect for fans of podcasts like Serial or other true crime works. Word to the wise- the author doesn’t shy away from the painful aspects of a trial, or an assault.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Thanks netgalley & macmillan audio & stmartinspress for this audio ARC!

Rachel is in a small town for the trial of a rich well loved jock who is being accused of rape. She also is being stalked by a woman named Hannah who asks for Rachels help in finding out who killed her sister many years ago in the same small town. At first Rachel isn't sure about helping the elusive Hannah but the more she digs in about Jenny Stills death the more road blocks she hits and her investigative antenna are going crazy.

This is a good audio book because the segments of Rachels podcast actually sound like listening to a podcast, with background music and all. Its an interesting conundrum. Should the golden boy lose his whole life on an accusation? Is the victim lying because she regrets saying yes? Is it right that an alleged rape victim is often put on the stand to be grilled over and over about what happened trying to proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she was raped having to live the whole trauma over again while the alleged rapist is afforded the ability to not take the stand? These are the questions raised in this book.

When all seems lost it is Rachel's quick mind that may pull the ace that helps bring the truth to light, and in doing so also shed light on a case that happened long ago to a young girl the town wishes it could forget.

The narration was really well done and I like the back and forth between the podcast and the real action of the story. There is a lot going on but it was easy to follow. I really enjoyed the mystery and Jenny Sills murderer is not at all who I was expecting.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrators are great and easy to listen to. The story itself was great. It reminded me a little of The Winter Sister. The theme is a topic not visited often and I like the way it was dealt with in this story. I also love the podcast element. If you like true crime and mystery stories, I encourage you to pick this one up.

I listened to the audio book version of Night Swim and I enjoyed every minute of it! The book is told in three parts: the main character Rachel, episodes of Rachel’s podcast, and Hannah’s letters that she writes to Rachel. I’m positive that listening to this book enhanced the story. I actually felt like I was listening to a podcast when the book would shift to Rachel’s episodes. I know it wouldn’t have had the same impact on me in book form. For this reason, I highly suggest you pick up the audio book!

I was really engrossed in the story and even looked for things I could do so I could listen to it more (cleaning and etc). I loved that there were two mysteries in the story without it being unbelievable or just wild. I was really invested and cared about the characters, which is a plus if the author can pull that off. The chapters on Hannah’s letters were intriguing but a little creepy at times. I really liked how you weren’t sure if you could trust her or not. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope you do too!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book! I enjoyed every minute of it!

This was the first book that I have "read" from this author and let me just say she's got a fan in me. I listened to this as an audio book and definitely another win by MacMillan Audio. I'm a huge fan or true crime podcasts, so the premise of this book was intriguing to me from the very start. Podcaster Rachel has decided to cover a trial for the first time on her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty and little does she know that coming to this small town will pull her into a 25 year old mystery. The trial itself is intense and a trigger warning should definitely be issued for sexual assault and rape. As the stories unravel of both the accuser in the current trials and the mystery surrounding Jenny's attack and death come to light, it's incredible to see how this small town gets even smaller with every turn. The audiobook was brilliant in the way that not only were there separate narrators for the chapters that were from Rachel and Hannah, Jenny's sister, but there were also chapters that were the actual podcast. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, or even true crime podcasts, you have to pick this one up when it comes out. As one secret after another gets uncovered, The Night Swim, will have you guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this gripping suspense novel.

#thenightswim #netgalley #macmillanaudio

This review is available on my blog.

The Night Swim is a very compelling story. Rachel, the story teller, is a podcast personality who travels to a small town to cover a rape trial for her program. During the course of the trial, the story in interspersed with Rachel’s online podcast reports, which is a very effective device. . She also receives several mysterious notes from a young woman whose sister died mysteriously in the same town years earlier. Hannah, the letter writer is looking for help to figure out what really happened to her sister.
This book will keep you listening. The reader of the audiobook did an excellent job with the characters.

** Thank you to Net Galley, Megan Goldin, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Release date: August 4, 2020
(trigger warning: Rape)
Rate: 4/5

Megan Goldin did an amazing job balancing two story lines and having them come together in the end with a surprising twist!

The Night Swim is an emotional psychological thriller about a rape trial that occurs in the small town of Neapolis, North Carolina. Rachel Krall is a host of the true crime podcast. She is a journalist who takes notes during trials and shares them on the podcast. Rachel heads to the small town to report on the rape trial of a 16 year old girl, assaulted and raped by a popular and famous swimmer.
On her way into town, Rachel received a note from Hannah, pleading Rachel to help her solve her sisters murder that occurred 25 years ago, which everyone else thinks was an accident.

At times I had to stop listening because of how real it felt. It was so raw and frustrating to hear the details of the rape and the painful and embarrassing process of gathering evidence after the fact. The author handled the topic of rape with care and sensitivity. This is book is hard to swallow but it shows the realness of the situation and what rape victims go though.

I am a sucker for podcast investigating thrillers, and The Night Swim did not fall short! The pacing was perfect, always keeping a thread of intrigue to make sure I was invested but not giving away too much too quickly. Having two cases unfold at the same time with a common link being what ultimately brings both to finality was brilliant, and kept me guessing at how they would be connected. The narration was also beautiful, with the contrast between the podcast episodes, Hannah's letters, and Rachel's narration laid out well. Highly recommended.

What an interesting, intriguing thriller told from multiple perspectives in different time lines that draws together with a surprising suspect.

We have Rachel Krall who does a popular pod cast . Rachel is contacted by Hanna Stills who asks her to help her solve the drowning of her sister Jenny who was confirmed an accident....but Jenny thinks murder.

In the meantime Rachel's podcast sends her to cover a rape trial of a successful Olympic hopeful swimmer.

Rachels podcast is intertwined between the past and present perspective s which will eventually come together for the reader . I really enjoyed this!!

This is such a powerful book! 4.5 stars
I loved The Escape Room and so I was hesitant about this new one because I didn't think it could be as good, but I was happily wrong.
Besides being an engrossing psychological thriller with some surprising twists, this novel highlights the glaring inequities with rape culture. Rapes are the only crime where the victim is put on trial, and where the victim is blamed more often than not. It is something I had never really thought too much about before, but it is astounding when you take the time to think about it.
The only slight issues I had were that in the end, I couldn't figure out why Hannah went to all of the work to hide herself, and I didn't get a clear answer as to how she was able to find Rachel so many places and stay out of sight. Also, Rachel's armchair detective work borders on a bit too convenient at times, some things she uncovers should have been discovered by the investigators. Other than those small details, this is a fantastic book, and they don't detract from the overall story.
I listened to much of this one as an audio book and the narrators did an excellent job embodying the main characters. Since the tale focuses on episodes of a podcast, the narrative naturally lends itself quite well to an audio book format. I must say though, that at regular speed the speech is incredibly slow, so I had to speed up the audio to 1.75x in order for my mind not to wander. Listeners might want to play around with the speed to find one that works for them.
If you're looking for a compelling suspense novel, then look no further and place this one on your list now.

I loved the arrangement of this book as it starts out with Hanna as a young 10 year old trying to help her older sister Jenny take care of their sick mother, switching back and forth with Rachael Krall a true crime “podcast” modulater!! The characters are easily identified with and you take on their emotions!! Hanna is elusive but reaches out to Rachael to help her discover what happened to Jenny. As this is unfolding you have the post cast following a potential rapist and the sad truth that crime effects the whole town. I was delighted with the plot and unexpected twists and totally enjoyed this book!! Thank you to #NETGALLEY#THENIGHTSWIM for the audiobook and this is my true unbiased opinion.

4.25 stars
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is an interesting, slow burn, podcast-type mystery featuring two tragic and heartbreaking rape cases, decades apart, in a small town.

We follow a past and present rape cases simultaneously via the current court room trial, as well as through Rachel Krall’s true crime podcast. Rachel is sympathetic, sharp, fair and wildly popular as a host and investigator, and the case in the courtroom is intriguing, showcasing the inner workings of a trial of this nature. The topic is heavy and fairly graphic, as can be expected, but it’s treated with gravity and respect.

This story is not a thriller, but it’s still a captivating piece of crime fiction with a somber tone and intelligent, moving delivery. There is a clear and powerful moral and cultural message, and though it’s sobering and rather melancholy it is nonetheless,
necessary.

The narration in this story is done particularly well. The voices are clear and articulate and perfectly suited to the characters they are portraying.

For those who enjoy investigative crime fiction, or podcast type stories, especially those with a domineering social message, this is a book you won’t want to miss. Despite its tragic topic, it’s a potent and absorbing story.

I was given a copy of The Night Swim by Megan Goldin from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into the book pretty blind. I saw the word podcast in the summary, which made me think of Sadie and so I requested the book. I listened to this on audio. I felt like the narrators were decent.

The book's plot was so gripping. I listened to it in four chunks but I kept thinking about the book inbetween listens. The book's topic was incredibly hard to listen to at times. That is because it always is when listening to things about sexual violence and rape culture. But the book did such a good job about examining these themes and such important messages. The dual perspective also worked well. I was always interested in what Hannah’s next letter would be. The reason I didn’t give this 5 stars is because I felt like Rachel was biased in her podcast. The purpose was to be objective and I understand that she had personal opinions on the case but it was clear that she was biased towards Kelly. Which was fine for me except in the podcast parts. I also figured out pretty early on who one of the perpetrators in the cold case was. But really these are minor things when compared to the numerous things the book does well.

4.25 stars

This was a lot of fun!
I'm a sucker for any book that has a podcast element to it, and this one did not disappoint. I loved how the podcast episode chapters were formatted like an actual podcast-that was a great inclusion! I thought it was really interesting how the rape trial and Rachel's investigation of the murder paralleled each other, and the ways in which they intersected were great. Highly recommend this one!

I was given a copy of this audiobook by Macmillan Audio and NetGalley in return for an honest review.

If I had to recommend book to listen to versus reading, this would be the one. Not only are the narrators, Bailey Carr; January LaVoy; and Samantha Desz, amazing, it really felt like I was listening to a podcast. I love true crime podcasts, so the fact that the main character of this book had one was amazing. I loved the intro music and it really felt authentic and like the criminal trial we were following was actually happening.

I loved both cases that this book followed. I think by the fact that I was listening to it really drew me in .It felt like I was there. I could hear what Rachel was hearing, see what she was seeing. I loved how she brought us along on her journey. This audiobook really had me on the edge of my seat. There didn't seem to be a dull moment. As soon as we figured out one thing, another mystery lay just around the corner. It was perfectly paced and definitely wasn't the run-of-the-mill crime that we followed.

I will definitely be reading or listening to more by Megan Goldin. I feel like women are really owning this genre lately and I can't wait to read more.

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.

I wish that on audio this would have a feel similar to Sadie or on of Max Brooks interview style audios. While the story is amazing, it could have been a 5 star audio with just a few tweaks to highlight the podcast beyond just the intro music and tag line.