Wow! What a fabulous book! The two stories presented--the current day one about a rape, told partially through podcast episodes, and a rape and murder occurring 25 years ago, told largely through letters delivered to the podcast host by the sister of the victim--are equally gripping and beautifully written, with vivid descriptions and richly defined characters. The fact that the stories reveal themselves to be interrelated takes it to another level: shocking, fascinating, and totally believable, with none of that coincidence that strains credulity aspect. Totally masterful in every way! My experience reading this wonderful book was enhanced further by the fact that I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook format. The three narrators are absolutely first rate and some of the extras, like the spot-on sound of the podcasts, complete with theme music, made the listening experience even more enjoyable. I highly recommend consuming this book in any format you can find, but if you're a fan of audiobooks this is one you will love, and if you are not, give this one a try--it could make you a convert! Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for letting me enjoy this extraordinary book.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to listen to The Night Swim on audiobook prior to its release. I was thrilled right away when I realized that January LaVoy was one of the narrators. The audiobook format is particularly effective as the book integrates a true crime podcast in between many of the chapters. The podcast host is Rachel Krall and she examines whether people are guilty or not of crimes committed. The podcast is what brings her to Neapolis to cover a rape trial in real time. Little does she know that she will actually be investigating two crimes from two different timelines.

I prefer to go into mysteries and thrillers with no information so I will not reveal too many details here. The book was gripping in its entirety; I felt compelled to keep reading to figure out what happened. Be aware that some of the themes in the book are very heavy; there should be trigger warnings for sexual assault, rape and some graphic violence.

There are certain novels that are MADE to be translated to audio books and The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is a stellar example of that! To say the plot is riveting and relevant to today's ongoing conversations regarding rape and true crime is an understatement. Rachel, the main narrator and podcaster (we'll get to that), is the perfect narrator for such a story; she is observant, strong, and curious (all great features of an investigative journalist). While I was initially a bit disappointed that we never really got to delve into Rachel's thoughts and her history, I don't think we actually need it. Much as we the readers are observers in the events Rachel is outlining, Rachel is also a third party, an observer and to some extent, an objective perspective on the stories being told. We don't need to know more about Rachel because the story is simply not about her, it's about the people at the root of the stories she tells. On the other hand we get Hannah's story in a completely opposite manner. Everything about Hannah's letters involve a deep level of intimacy and personal detail that we simply don't get from Rachel. They dive into the person she is and the things she has experienced and yet these letters are separate from the character herself as they are ultimately letters being read by another. As such we as readers never get to "meet" the inner mind of the character. Hannah and Rachel, much like the stories they tell, are two sides of the same coin flipped upside down. The first person perspective that acts as an objective observer while contrasting with a third person perspective (via letters) that reveal the intimate and personal details. It is an intricately woven story and writing style that truly works and creates a story that leaves you both satisfied and yet wanting so much more.

Megan Goldin is a fantastic writer and this is perhaps best shown by how her three styles of story-telling are intricately woven together: from a first person perspective, to letters, (and here is perhaps the best part of this novel) to a podcast, broadcasting a trial in real time. I'm not sure how the podcast style would work in a paper format but as an audiobook it was pure genius. It truly felt like I was hearing a true crime podcast in real time and the narrator's voice is MADE for podcasting, it was both calm and entrancing (a great fit for any audiobook narrator). The interspersed reading of the letters and podcast broadcasts truly added layers to this audio format that I'm just not sure would be present in a paperback format. Thus this may be one of the few novels I feel may be better to listen to than to read straight from paperback.

All of this is to say that The Night Swim is an intricate novel with a great thriller plot while giving a serious spotlight on the trending obsession with true crime, all while having a critical conversation on rape and the American justice system (I know, it sounds like a lot but trust me it works and boy does it work well). I would definitely suggest this for any true crime or thriller novel fans, you're in for a fantastic ride.

Thank you to Netgalley and Megan Goldin for an advanced listen (via Audiobook) of The Night Swim in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim was a wonderful thriller that intertwined several different stories together and kept me guessing until the end.

The main character in this book is Rachel, a true crime podcast host who is in town to cover a devastating rape trail for her new season. While there she keeps receiving mysterious letters and other communication regarding a local teen, Jenny, who’s disappearance was deemed an accident but her sister Hannah is certain she was murdered. Hannah wants Rachel to help her figure out what really happened.

I love true crime podcasts so this book was right up my alley. I loved the multiple point of views and stories that altered with each chapter: Rachel and the current case, Flashbacks to Jenny’s disappearance and actual podcast episodes.

I listened to this book on audio and highly recommend it. There are 3 separate narrators and they all complemented each other so well to bring this book to life.

This book captivated me and kept me guessing right to the end. I highly recommend.

A well-paced novel of suspense. I read Megan Goldin's The Escape Room in 2019, and enjoyed her skill for building tension and crafting complex relationships between characters. While The Escape Room focuses on a group of coworkers who have worked together intimately for several years and looks back at the incidents in their past that have led them to that elevator, The Night Swim centers on Rachel, a a woman arriving in a North Carolina town for the first time to begin a podcast series, and Jenny, a woman she has never met, returning to her hometown for the first time in over twenty years. Goldin's talent for writing tense relationships is on display here too—now in a much different way, through Jenny's letters and Rachel's reception of them. The Escape Room was a 3-star read for me—good, but not great. The Night Swim is a big step up, thanks, I think, to its smaller cast of characters and the richly drawn seaside setting.
I was thrilled to listen to the audiobook of this novel, especially once I spotted that January LaVoy was one of the three narrators. She is perfect as Rachel in the Guilty or Not Guilty podcast chapters. LaVoy is one of my favorite narrators—she has a lovely voice, so dynamic and pleasant to listen to, and she manages to use different voices for different characters without sounding over-produced or awkward. LaVoy is the standout voice actor in this audiobook, but the other two put in great performances as well. Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for the chance to listen to this book before its release.

I am a true crime podcast junkie, so this book was right up my alley. This is a story of two girls, twenty-five years apart. Both were raped and beaten. Their reputations, spirits, lives destroyed by being blamed for what was done to them. One girl ends up dead, unable to defend. The other speaks out about what was done to her and endures public blame turning towards her.

Rachel Krall's popular podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" features one trial each season. This season she is digging into the trial of a college swimmer who is accused of raping a girl. The town is divided between the most prominent family in town while the grandchild of the former police chief. A girl's life is forever changed because she can never be the same person after being allegedly brutally raped over and over and then publicly brutalized again, for speaking out.

Hannah is the sister of one of the girl that died may years ago. She believes that her sister was killed and contacts Rachel to help her find answers to what really happened to her sister all those years ago and possibly bring justice. Hannah's sister never got to fight back but instead, the guys who attacked her spread vicious stories about her and her virtue, all lies, but because Jenny was from a very poor family, the rumors were treated as truth.

I love how the two stories intertwine. The narrators did a fantastic job with each of the characters in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Absolutely fabulous thriller within a thriller. The narrator was superb. Relatable victims of assault draw you in to their story and journeys. Wonderful!

Rachal Krall is a true crime podcast investigator. She is on her way to Neapolis, North Carolina for a rape courtroom case. She receives a note under her windshield wipers from someone named Hannah asking her to look into the drowning of her sister, Jenny, 25 yrs. ago. Did Jenny drown or was she murdered? Are the cases related?
I enjoyed the audio version of this book as you get to hear Rachel's podcast of the courtroom proceedings. It is an emotional read as many feelings emerge about the rape as you are listening. After many twists and turns, the case comes to a very satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading The Escape Room by Megan Goldin as I like her writing and I would recommend listening to this book on audio for a very interesting experience.
Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a free audio copy for an honest review.

‘The Night Swim’ is a perfect summer thriller! The story is told in the perspective of two women: Rachel, who hosts a popular true crime podcast; and Hannah, a woman in her thirties who has contacted Rachel because she suffered major tragedy as a girl in which she never received justice. The story follows Rachel, who is in a North Carolina beach town to cover a rape trial that is underway for her podcast. We are introduced to Hannah through her correspondence. She has contacted Rachel to investigate her sister’s death from 25 years prior in the same beach town. Through the story, we are introduced to those involved in the current trial and in the town. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were captivating. ‘The Night Swim’ is probably more compelling as an audiobook as we get to hear Rachel’s podcast and the chapters are brief and interesting. This was a quick, entertaining read, with twists and turns and satisfying conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for providing this ARC audiobook.

Night Swim by Megan Goldin⠀
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Hey, audiobook lovers (and audiobook haters - you might change your mind) this book was MADE FOR AUDIO. This book was gripping and I was 100% invested by ten minutes in. If you like true crime podcasts...you can probably stop reading this review and go grab this audiobooks from wherever you get your audiobooks because I’m 99.9% sure that it you’re into true crime you’ll be in to this. ⠀
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If you’re still not sold, here’s a short synopsis:⠀
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Rachel Krall’s extremely successful true crime podcast is about to start it’s third season. To meet the demands to top all her previous seasons, Rachel goes to the small coastal town of Neapolis to cover a trial in live time and put her listeners “in the jury box” as the evidence is shared. The case is high profile - the town’s Olympic bound swimmer and golden boy is accused of raping the late police chief’s granddaughter. Tensions run high in the town and it seems like everyone is taking a side. Meanwhile, Rachel keeps finding mysterious letters from a podcast fan begging her to investigate the death of her sister that took place in Neapolis in the 90s. The past and present intertwine as the two cases have startling similarities. Rachel finds herself investigating both crimes and stirring up a lot of trouble in this small town while on the hunt for the truth. ⠀
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The narration was INCREDIBLE. A full cast, and they made the podcast episodes sound like actual podcast episodes. Full music intros and everything. I was on the edge of my seat and the ending absolutely shocked me. It’s not often that you find a mystery/thriller that can do that. ⠀
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TW: This content may not be for everyone as it highly focuses on sexual assault and crime. There are so many powerful messages within this book on top of it being an incredible mystery thriller. ⠀
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In case you haven’t figured it out yet... it’s a five star read from me and one I will be recommending nonstop. DO THE AUDIOBOOK IF YOU CAN. DO IT. ⠀
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So thankful as always to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook in exchange for my honest review!

WOW. Although thrillers are not my preferred genre, I really enjoyed this book! It was incredibly powerful story weaving together stories of two young girls -- a current rape trial and an unsolved murder from 25 years ago. It's a story about reputation, peer pressure, family, morality, and justice. It's both heart-breaking and redemptive. I couldn't put it down and finished it in a day! RECOMMEND this if you enjoy mysteries/thrillers. ***STRONG TRIGGER WARNING for rape and abuse, cancer, death/loss of parent/sibling***

The Night Swim is full of suspense as it follows a true crime podcaster as she reports on a rape trial and gets mysterious notes about a 25-year-old death that was ruled an accidental drowning. Are the two cases related?

I was instantly drawn into this audiobook. Multiple narrators brought this novel to life for me and I had difficulty stopping the audiobook to work or sleep!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook galley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed listening to this book so much. One of the main characters and narrator is the host of a podcast the audio format really added to the book. Narration was well done, easy to follow and listen.
The story was really two. Rachel Krall is covering a rape trial for her podcast and she also receives a letter describing a death from long ago that was ruled a drowning but which the second narrator, Hannah, is sure was a murder. The pacing of the story is well done and it never dragged or felt like the stories didn’t keep me wanting more. I felt sure the answer to the question of guilty or not guilty in the rape trial. I was less sure of what really happened to Jenny Stills.
Highly recommend and if you choose the audio you’re in for a treat!
Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a free copy.

Excellent new thriller. Also the audiobook experience was fantastic considering the premise of the story.

The Night Swim follows two women, one of whom, Hannah, lost a sister to what she knows was actually murder and the other, Rachel, a true crime podcast star in town to cover a trial. Hannah seeks out Rachel's help in her sister's case - one deemed an accidental drowning by police 25 years earlier. Rachel is in town to cover the rape trial of the town's star swimmer who is accused of raping an underage teen who also happens to be the former police chief's granddaughter. I'll admit I was skeptical of the pod cast angle as I feel that has already been done in several thrillers recently, but this one has a new take on it as Rachel wants to cover a current case and it's trial as it happens and the case and the characters will definitely keep readers hooked. Throughout the story Hannah leaves letters for Rachel detailing what happened 25 years earlier when her sister was killed, prompting Rachel to try and uncover the truth of what happened to Hannah's sister, Jenny. This is more of a slow burn mystery as Jenny's case is revealed slowly along with the slow nature of many trials, but the format will keep readers hooked on figuring out what happened to Jenny and how the rape trial will progress.

This is not for the faint of heart though - there are lengthy discussions and descriptions of sexual violence and rape which may be difficult for some readers. However, this book brings to light a tough but important topic about what constitutes rape and the true horrors of what victims go through during the investigation and trial. This book will definitely spark important conversations even though some of it was tough to read. I liked the writing style and I also liked the incorporation of the pod cast transcript in to the story.

The audiobook was a very well done and I enjoyed the format and different narrators though I was confused by the choice of having a third narrator for the pod cast portions instead of the same narrator who does the voice for Rachel. The pod cast portions were a nice break from the more intense courtroom and flashback scenes and I thought it was a nice touch to even put in theme music for those sections. I have previously listened to books narrated by both Baily Carr and January LaVoy so I enjoyed their narration and the third narrator, Samantha Desz, was also good and I will be interested in hearing more of her audiobook narrations. Narrators are subjective to personal tastes so I am always pleased when there are multiple narrators and I enjoy listening to all of them. I would recommend this audiobook to readers who enjoy thrillers and mystery and those looking for a unique spin on the pod cast topic.

I am just starting to get in to audiobooks and I am very picky about the voice of the narrator. With that being said, I thought this narrator did an amazing job. I loved the little music intro during the podcast parts and the speed in which she spoke. I like to listen at 1.75-2x speed and I was able to understand and follow along just fine.

As for the book, I loved it. I have learned lately that love a mixed media book and this one had it all. Not only the story, but also letters and a podcast. And I did not see the twist coming! I definitely recommend listening or reading this book for a good dark thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins press for the audio ARC of this book.

A quick read/listen! I really enjoyed this one. I wouldn't classify it as a thriller, but it was suspenseful. The audio version was really cool because of the podcast intertwined into the plot.


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Night Swim is a well-written and enjoyable genre blend of a legal thriller and a murder mystery, which is brought to life beautifully with this audiobook. The narrators Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz brought this story to life. Rachel is the host of a popular podcast, ( In my opinion, one of the best parts of the audio was the podcast, OMG, it sounded exactly like a real podcast, the audio gave you music which let you know that the podcast was about to begin and helps the listener distinguish between when Rachel is in court or when she is reading a letter from Hannah, and it even had what sounded like audio recordings of the people Rachel interviewed) and for her upcoming season she decides to cover the trial of an elite Olympic bound swimmer accused of rape. The book is not a slow burn per se, but Goldin takes her time getting the reader acclimated with the small picturesque town where the rape of K occurs. And the reason this was not a slow burn is that before Rachel gets to Neapolis, she gets a request from a podcast listener in the form of a note on her car from Hannah asking her to research the mysterious death of her sister Jenny. So the book is told from two POVs, Rachel as the primary narrator and investigator as well as Hannah who tells the story of her sister Jenny's short and tragic life, through that original letter and others forms of communication, as memory best serves her. Jenny's story was just so heartbreaking. So along with this melancholy murder mystery, Goldin gives the reader a legal thriller which includes, some really intense and well written courtroom scenes. I am not a lover of legal thrillers but I was riveted reading these scenes and the breakdown and overt commentary on the legal system through the eyes of Rachel just fascinating. Trigger warning if you are a victim of sexual assault parts of this book may be too much for you, I myself had to stop several times because Goldin did a solid job of portraying the trauma of sexual assault, she hits you hard without pulling any punches because Jenny's story is just as heartbreaking as K's testimony. All I can say is Megan Goldin really put me in the jury box with this portrayal of a courtroom trial. In sum, The Night Swim is a thriller, which I think expertly handles painful and relevant social justice issues, such as abuse of power by the police, toxic masculinity, bullying, rape, poverty, as well as psychological trauma that accompany dealing with those issues, in the past and present. Yet despite tackling those serious social issues, The Night Swim still delivers as a suspenseful thriller right up until the very end. This audio book was a 5 star performance.

I found this audiobook to be such a wild ride! I loved the audiobook and the story flowed effortlessly. The suspense had me on the edge of my seat. As for the narrator, I think the voices were SO well done. I can’t wait to get this on audible and listen again.

I received the ARC eBook and audio book of The Night Swim. The writing in this was good and the flow was amazing. It kept me intrigued, flowing Rachel while she tried to solve 2 caes. My main hangup with this, though, is the lack of trigger warnings. Now I usually don't say that. I am not one to put trigger warnings in my works, but I felt like this needed one. The violent rape in this book made me so upset, I had to pull over, because i was listening on my way to work. That is the reason I gave it 3 stars.