As an audiobook I found The Night Swim captivating. The different perspectives of Rachel and Hannah as well as integrating the podcast kept the narrative compelling. I appreciated how pieces of Rachel or Hannah's story would act as foreshadowing for later revelations in the book. Goldin also handled these cases of rape with sensitivity, and without being overt or preachy helps the reader understand the complexity of rape cases and the sensitivity they require beyond the world of the book. I made sure to find time in my day to listen to this book as this was one of the rare audiobooks for me that I could not put down.

I had the opportunity to listen to this book earlier this month on audio thanks to @macmillan.audio !! This was a really interesting and engaging thriller. The main character hosts a true crime podcast and they way her podcasts were portrayed on audio were fantastic. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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While the story kept me on edge of my seat the entire way through, I wasn’t in love with the ending. I felt like it was a little forced and a little rushed, but aside from that the overall story was great! I can’t wait to read another book by Megan Goldin! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book a lot. I love true crime and unsolved stories so this was super fun for me. I loved the parallel timelines. It makes the story much more interesting and gives you a different point of view.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book! As a fan of true crime and unsolved mysteries, this was a fun story line to read. It almost reminded me of the podcast Serial meets the Unsolved Mystery show, the perfect combo.

Overnight podcast sensation Rachel Krall, heads to Neapolis to cover a rape trial for her popular true crime podcast but when she gets there she is shocked to find there may be more than one crime that needs her attention. When Rachel first gets into town she finds a note on her windshield by Hannah, the sister of a victim involved in a crime several decades before. While Rachel may be creeped out a little to know that someone is aware of her movements, she’s also unable to turn her back on an unsolved mystery. Are the trial and the cold case linked and will Rachel find similarities that may help her reach resolve? The questions that must have answers are endless.

The narration changes as the voice changes; between the letters Hannah left Rachel, the podcast recordings and the plot line of the book itself. I felt the emotion through the narration and was able to follow along even with the transitions and multiple characters.

My favorite character and one I felt was important was Rachel’s producer. He was not on the scene but acted as a sounding board and helper as the crimes unfolded. I love a character like that, important detail without a true presence. While there were a lot of moving parts and characters I was totally surprised by the “who done its”.

I would recommend this to those that like true crime, mystery, cold case. I would recommend to adult only as some of the language and detail is a little rough.

Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had such a hard time getting into this one. The story starts with a girl named Hannah writing for help in unraveling the murder of her sister. She reaches out to Rachel, a Podcaster who is reluctant to help. Two separate cases become intertwined and we are then revealed the truth. This wasn't an easy listen, but it was done well by Golden.

Those of you that have read my reviews in the past know I have a love/hate relationship with the thriller genre. I continually look to punch holes in this genre, I just want to be thrilled until this last page. The Night Swim meets my requirements of a great thriller.

Rachel runs a hit true crime podcast. She goes to Minnesota to watch the trial of an accused rapist, which will be her next story. While she is there Hannah is asked to look into a cold case of a woman’s death that was classified as a suicide, but she knew it was a murder.

The two stories parallel each other the entire time. You get multiple narrations from Rachel and Hannah. Hannah’s point of view is extremely dark, as we mostly just get the retelling of the horrific death of her sister.

This was really well done. Goldin did an amazing job, using the current rape trial to perpetuate the cold case. I did listen to this on audio and I loved the multiple narration. I personally think, I will go back to read her earlier books, that is how good this book was.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim is one of those fast paced thrillers that you simply can't put down, and by the time you fInally do, you realize you've finished the book in one sitting and are out of breath. I absolutely adored the writing style, the way the POVs played into the story unfolding, and the overall story Goldin wove together through podcast episodes. I definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for the review copy of this audiobook!

This book was what I wanted it to be!!!!! I loved it. The plot of this story was very well written. I love to go into my mystery and thrillers not knowing much so I wont give much on this, but guys, this is a must read! If you enjoy and book based on podcast!! READ THIS!!!

I highly recommend this read!

Rachel Krall is a household name for her podcast which goes into depth of crimes committed. It was through her podcast that she was able to help an innocent man set free. She doesn’t believe people know who she is personally so when she is in NC to cover the rape trail of the towns golden boy she is caught off guard and nervous when she finds a note on her car. 25 earlier another crime took place, Rachel begins to ask questions in town but nobody is giving her a straight answer, she’s told over and over it was a drowning but was it really? Chapters span through past and present as we the reader try to figure out the truth.
I gave this book 4 stars. Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and and give an honest review.

Spanning a few decades where two cases in a small town that have similarities, this story definitely has some unexpected twists.

It was also interesting hearing to have a podcast from a character in the story. I think having had listened to this as an audiobook also helped make it feel more realistic.

If your looking for a thriller or mystery this is a good storyline for that. I think it could be enjoyed being read as well.

I wasn't a huge fan of the narration when it came to one of the characters. I found it kind of bland and monotone. It took some of the enjoyment out of listening instead of reading. It felt more like when your bored with what your reading which really took away from how you felt when listening. However the other voices done by the narrator were great and felt more alive.

Overall I would give the story 5 stars and the narration 3.

I'm excited to see what else this author comes out with.

“The Night Swim” is a tale of social media, obsession, and murder. Rachel Krall is a crime beat journalist covering a rape trial for her “Guilty or Not Guilty” podcast. She finds a note on her car window; Jenny tragically died when she was just sixteen. This is both a tip for a future podcast and a desperate request for help. Events are documented day by day as Rachael does background investigation, observes trial proceedings, and follows this lead for a new potential story. Transcripts of the podcast detailing the trial are interspersed with chapters detailing Rachael’s investigations, experiences, actions, and reactions in addition to a first person narrative from Hannah, Jenny’s sister, telling her side of the story.

The trial is complex and controversial, just the thing to spark conversations and arguments. A young man’s good name and reputation have been dragged through the mud, and yet the teenage girl who made the accusations is equally traumatized. Why make false accusations knowing the devastating consequences for all involved? A social media frenzy surrounds the trial, and ordinary things are far from ordinary. Politeness and etiquette do not apply in the virtual world, and scathing comments are posted about all involved. People say things online they would never say to someone’s face. The situation becomes a crowdsourcing of justice, almost an online poll to decide innocence and guilt, without regard to the jury system or the law.

As Rachel continues her coverage and investigation, readers find the stories intertwine, two stories, two girls, twenty-five years apart. The stories are separate, detached, and different, but somehow parallel, similar, and related. Both had drawn Rachael to the same city.

“The Night Swim” seeks justice for diverse participants. I received a review copy of “The Night Swim” from Megan Goldin and St. Martin’s Press. It is compelling and thought provoking.

Pocaster Rachel Krall visits a small coastal town in North Carolina for the rape trial of a popular young man from a wealthy family. While there, she starts investigating the death of another girl in the same town 25 years before. This is an absorbing, but occasionally harrowing audiobook, especially if you are sensitive to violence against women. The author does her best to handle it in a careful and empathetic manner, but it can still be hard to listen to. That said, I would still recommend this audiobook.

The Night Swim
By Megan Goldin

Megan Goldin became a favorite author for me since reading The Escape Room last year. So when I heard about Goldin's new release, The Night Swim immediately became my most anticipated read for this summer, and it was amazing.

The story is centered around Rachel Krall, a true crime podcast host who has a huge boost in following since her investigative work proved one man's innocence. As popular as she is, she is only known for her voice, so when all of a sudden, she starts receiving notes (in her car, in the hotel room) asking her to investigate this woman's older sister's death from twenty five years ago, this leaves Rachel very unsettled. Rachel is covering a rape trial for her podcast in a small town called Neapolis, where an Olympic hopeful swimmer is being accused of raping a local high school student. As Rachel covers the rape trial, she finds herself weaved into the mysterious death of Jenny Stiles in the same town. As she investigates and interviews people in town, she slowly unravels the truth that her death is probably not an accident as the family had been led to believe. How the stories weaved seamlessly was Goldin's brilliance in storytelling.

The podcast, the courtroom scenes and the multiple investigations were incredibly well written and so well done. The writing and the plotting was brilliant, and made this a compulsive read that I cannot put down.

* If you have an opportunity to listen to this in audio, I highly recommend it - it's just simply fabulous. The narration is perfect! Another thing is that the way the podcast portion of the story was told was really incredible on audio. You have to listen to it.

Megan Goldin's main character Rachel Krall takes the readers to the courtroom of a rape case, where she is about to discover there is also a murder within their midst:

Rachel Krall has created a successful podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, in which she reopens cases to find new evidence to find a new suspect or to free an innocent person. When she able to free an innoncent man in her first season there is an outpouring of people wanting her to take on their case, it can be disheartening to have so many people needing help, but she is now on season three and making her way to her new case. However, one note left on her windshield as she was heading to the place for her next podcast gets her attention. Her name is Hannah and she is sure her sister was murdered 25 years ago, and the murderer will be in the courtroom rape trial that Rachel is attending. Rachel as first does not take Hannah's case but with more notes and information emerges Rachel finds herself investigating and finds out that Jenny Stills tragically drowned in a swimming accident. But things are not adding up the more she looks and the rape case Rachel is creating her podcast for has polarized a town. The questions remains will there be justice for all the victims?

Wow, I truly enjoyed this book, I did not want to put it down. I think that Goldin does a great job of creating the two story lines that are equally interesting and one does not take away from the other. This may be as book really is part mystery and part courtroom drama, as each day Rachel sits in on the rape case so she can create her podcast. The other interesting thing is that Hannah believes that her sister's killer will be in the courtroom as well, so that has to Rachel analyzing everyone who is there as well from Judge to jury. This creates two interesting plot bu also intersect the crimes that are 25 years apart, which is not only creative but a really smart idea.

I'm a sucker for a book that takes place in a small town as there are always secrets and typically the socioeconomic divide that occurs in this towns. And both are well on display within this book, both the rape case and Rachel's investigation into Hannah's sister's death, there may be 20 years between them, but some things never change. I will applaud Rachel when she does her podcast that she tries to stay neutral on all fronts of the trial that she is covering, as the town of Neapolis shows, there is nothing more polarizing it seems than a rape case (well maybe mask wearing).

When I started reading this book, I realized that it would be a perfect audio book listen because of the different point of views as well as the podcast that Rachel creates. The chapters tend to alter from Rachel to Hannah to Rachel's podcast, so the story is well rounded with the information that the reader is receiving. So if you are able to, I would recommend to read this one through an audio book format, you will not be disappointed with it.

I love a surprise and I will say that I did not see the twist or who the killer is coming, so that always gets an extra point from. Make sure you have nothing planned when you start this book you're going to want to read it in one sitting. I know I'm going to be checking out Goldin's other books.

Enjoy!!!

Greatly written book with awesome narrators. Very well-developed characters with deep story line. Courtroom drama mixed with Podcast cover of the brutal rape of a young girl. Difficult subject to talk about but Megan Golden did an awesome job describing the whole thing. I am waiting for more books by this author.

*I received a copy of this audiobook from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for a fair review.

I endup ending this audio book at 50% I lost interest in this one. I didn't really care for the narrator. I liked the podcast element though.

Trigger Warning for: Sexual assault, rape

This is a book that shouts "listen to me." The audio was amazing and the narration all encompassing. I especially liked the rendering of the podcast with the background music making it feel as if you were actually "in the jury box." All the elements of a great thriller and "who-done-it" was there. Yet, I had a difficult time believing that the monster who committed the initial crime could have redeemed himself enough to become the person he was in adulthood.

I loved the format of this book. The author wrote part of the narrative as a podcast and I found that to be a really gripping way to keep you in the story. The podcast is sort of modeled off of "Serial" with the Podcaster following the trial of popular teenager who rapes a schoolmate. There were definitely some similiarities with the Brock Turner case in this plot. However I felt having it mirror real life made it even more engaging.
As the book continues the trial proceeds and another murder is also brought up. The main character is then investigating two murders. Overall this book was refreshing and not predictable. I also felt the pacing was solid throughout the book while coming to a well crafted finish.

5 stars

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely fantastic. I loved the podcast mixed in with the different points of view. I really enjoyed this book!

I listened to this audiobook and enjoyed the story and appreciate the research the author must have done to tackle this sensitive subject. Told from Rachel's POV, a woman who hosts a true crime podcast, and Hannah, a woman in her 30s hoping to convince Rachel to resurrect what really happened to Hannah's sister a quarter century ago.
I really enjoyed Rachel's POV chapters, and although I thought the beginning was a little slow, I also understand it was laying out information that would play out later in the story.
The subject of rape is difficult enough to talk about in real life, and I think it would be even harder to write about and dig in past the "he said she said" perspective.
The best thing about the story is it kept me guessing as to who was behind Hannah's sister's death right to the end. If you can handle the subject, I think you'll enjoy this layered suspense story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.