3.5 rounded down to 3 on goodreads.

I’ve read two of Diana Urban’s books in the past, and I’ve always had a fun time with them! They are very unique for the ya mystery genre and I definitely recommend any of them!

THINGS I LOVED:
- There was a large cast of characters. Usually I have trouble remembering all of them but it was pretty easy in this book.
- The mystery!! It can’t be a good mystery book unless the ending makes sense, and I was very satisfied by the end. It had a plot twist that I wasn’t expecting, but there were clues throughout the novel that pointed to it.
- Every character was a suspect. It didn’t just point to one character, every single person was an option for the ending and it wasn’t obvious who it was.

THINGS I DIDN’T LOVE (as much):
- It felt more like a romance book until about halfway when the mystery actually started. I didn’t mind that too much, except for the fact that usually murders or disappearances happen towards the beginning to allow time for the actual solving of the mystery.

This was a very enjoyable book and I hope you check it out!

Thank you @Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. It did drag a little in the beginning, but once things were happening I found I couldn’t put it down. Once you think you have it figured out, you find out you were completely wrong.

I managed to squeeze reading this one in just a couple of days before release and I am glad I did. I have been getting back into mystery this last month and this is definitely one to add to the top of your TBR. With a cruise ship atmosphere and a cast of characters that you are never sure you can trust, this book twists, turns, and weaves a thrilling mystery. Although there were obvious gory elements, I loved the way that the relationship conflicts tied together reality and the drastic actions that were taken. I’m also a sucker for a good romance within a mystery which Lying in the Deep definitely delivered. Although I anticipated part of the twist, I really enjoyed all the elements that added up to make this a thoroughly satisfying read.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OVERALL:
A YA murder mystery that has a pretty interesting plot (similar vein to Karen McManus) but instead of multiple POV, it’s just the protagonist, Jade, who honestly, I couldn’t stand. A fellow classmate called her a stalker, which felt on point. Sure, sucky things happened to her (really sucky), it she was extremely moody, bitchy, clingy, and obsessive. And, truth be told, kinda dumb. Who thinks starting a fire on a cruise ship is a good idea? And I thought her treatment of Felix was yuck, even if everyone was lying in the end. Uggh. In the end, I did like the mystery, even if I couldn’t stand most of the characters. So my rating flips between a 2.5 and a 3.

20 SECONDS “WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?”
Jade is about to leave behind campus life on land for campus life on a cruise ship for a semester. Which she thinks is great since her ex dumped her via text for her (now ex) best friend. Great until they both show up and she is obsessed with finding out why it happened. Then she needs to find out the why behind deaths that keep happening on board. Because she’s a suspect.

MY FAVORITE PART:
Did I have one?

ARC provided by Netgalley and Penguin Teen

I’m starting to believe that I read far too many mysteries to be surprised by “twist” endings. Or perhaps I just think along the same lines as Diana Urban after reading all of her thrillers published so far.

Lying in the Deep advertises itself as a fast-paced, harrowing search for a killer onboard as time runs out before possibly more bodies drop. Everyone is a suspect, perhaps even the protagonist herself. I mean, unreliable narrators are a thing these days, right?

On paper, this book has everything going for it that would lead to a deep seated love for it. Travel? Check. Dead body mystery? Check. Some romance that may or may not be relevant but is still fun to have in a story? Check. Those are all great things that I enjoy. But execution connecting these elements are just as important.

The synopsis and prologue tells you quite early on what the mystery is and who is the one found dead. Unfortunately, it’s not until almost 50% of the way into the book that we get to this point of finding a dead body. For literally the first half of the book, we are getting the opportunity to “get to know all of the suspects onboard”. I understand the importance of setting the scene with a handful of newcomers who all may have a (hidden) motive against the person who ends up dying. But 50% of the book just seems largely too long for that.

It’s also not helpful that I found our protagonist, Jade, not super likable. While I empathize with her situation against her ex best friend and ex-boyfriend, this girl fantasizes far too much about killing them. When her new crush, Felix, comments about her propensity to wake up and choose violence, it’s not entirely untrue. She gives me “unreliable protagonist” vibes. I wondered half the time if the information we are getting about the situation that led to her breakup with the two closest people in her life was missing important details.

Once the mystery does get underway, it felt rushed. Unlike others who have read this book early, I couldn’t get into the tense atmosphere so easily. Yes, there were plenty of suspects onboard but I never felt Jade was in true danger as she ran headlong into solving the mystery herself. Any tense feelings came from the countdown to solve the mystery before the boat made port and all the evidence would be handed over to the local authorities.

For the romance, I understand the chemistry between Jade and Felix but it’s kind of hard to root for a couple when he is also technically a suspect. I also felt the feelings they developed for one another was rather fast. The situations between them were not many prior to the events leading to the murder, plus Jade was mostly preoccupied with her ex whom she still harbored complicated feelings for. I didn’t dislike their romance, but I wouldn’t say I shipped it (ha ha).

The main thing that makes this mystery stand out from others in its genre is the Campus on Board setting. I really did enjoy this. A little bit of travel descriptions were even included for London and Lisbon which makes me crave travelling all the more. I didn’t expect such detailed touristy scenes set in these cities – I thought everything was mostly focused on their time on the boat – so I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these European locales through their eyes. It makes me wish I could’ve done schooling in such a way. You’re never too old to continue learning.

As with all mysteries, I don’t want to say too much about the ending, but I will say that it wasn’t as unpredictable (to me at least) as it seemed. I think I guessed the twist all along but was hoping to be proved wrong. It will shock some people, but I unfortunately was unable to enjoy it in such a manner. If you don’t manage to guess how it all ends, I think it makes the mediocre journey to the ending worthwhile nonetheless. I will always applaud Diana Urban’s out of left field endings, though I have come to expect them. Whether the journey to the end is important to you, or the ending and its twists trump all, Lying in the Deep does offer something unique to readers, even if it isn’t the mystery.

Overall Recommendation:

Lying in the Deep mostly delivers on what it promises: a tense mystery stuck on a ship with a killer. However, how it reaches the ending was not as unpredictable or compelling as I had hoped, especially with a protagonist I wasn’t sure I liked half the time. Perhaps I read too many mysteries or I’m starting to guess the out of the box scenarios far too often, but there was just something missing here that prevented me from loving it.

My heart is so happy right now! 🤩 I loved this book so much!

Good thriller? Check. Mystery? Check. Romance? Check. Suspense? Check. Twists and more twists? Check and check. An amazing book? Again, check!

Honestly, I didn't expect to like this one so much, but I absolutely loved it!

The story follows Jade Miller who embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: spend a semester studying abroad on a cruise ship. How great is that? Four months, eleven countries and a perfect opportunity to escape her life and sad reality.

Said sad reality being a bad break-up with her boyfriend, Silas, who also ended up getting together with her best friend, Lainey. Ouch.

So this is definitely a perfect opportunity for Jade to meet new people, make new friends, distract herself and just simply enjoy life for the next four months. Or so she thought this is what she'd be doing if Jade hadn't spotted both Silas and Lainey on this same cruise embarking on the exact same ship for the exact same experience. I mean, c'mon life, really? Really?!

Still trying to make the most of the experience and not pay the slightest attention to the two people who crushed her heart, imagining Lainey's death here and there (because why not, right?) Jade learns yet another important and crucial lesson: be very careful what you wish for, because unfortunately some of the most wicked dreams may have a tendency to just come true.
Which is exactly what happens when Jade finds out Lainey has gone missing, and her room looks straight from the horror movie scene: completely covered in blood, everywhere.

What the hell happened? Where's Lainey? Did someone kill her? Who killed her? Is she really dead?

Lying in the Deep is a fast-paced and engaging suspense/thriller young-adult novel, full of twists and mystery onboard. I also very much enjoyed other characters, they definitely gave life and healthy balance to the overall story.

The ending was surprising, and I think I'd like to have just another chapter, but I definitely enjoyed this book very much!

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP and Diana Urban for this ARC! 💖

A suspenseful locked-room mystery where, on a cruise, everyone is hiding something.

I read this is a day. The style of writing is just addictive and once the story got hold of me, it didn't let go until the very end. The characters are complex, but I found the protagonist Jade a bit unstable. She's so focused on her own unsolved issues and personal teen drama that as a narrator, made it hard to stay connected to the murders. While some self-awareness is needed to build a character, I would have liked to see a bit less drama and a bit more focus on the mystery unrevealing. However, the secondary characters make up for it with their unique personalities and they're stories.

The plot was good, with a few twists here and there, but I can't say I was very surprised by them. I figured out part of the mystery by mid-story. At some point I found that some elements reminded me of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. I was a bit disappointed by the ending. I was expecting it be a bit more developed, and I felt it ended too abruptly with very few explanations or details.

Still, a nice and quick read.

Totally loved it! Lying in the Deep is a mystery thriller novel that will test your instinct and investigating skills in a different way! Love the diversity of the characters and how each one of them was thoroughly made and the way they made the story more interesting. It was both plot and character driven novel. I really thought it was Felix at first all those sneaky scenes. You will never really know what will happen next. Though I rated it 4 out of 5 simply because it was kinda similar to Agatha Christie book The Death on the Nile. And the ending between Felix and Jade love story is so not what I expected but like how the story ends.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this ARC, it really blow my mind!

Jade couldn’t be more excited for her adventure of a lifetime! She’s about to go on a 11 country cruise over the course of four months all aboard a luxurious ship. Unfortunately for Jade, her backstabbing ex-best friend and her ex-boyfriend. When a murder happens…and another…Jade and her new crush race to clear their name. Will the killer stop? Or will everyone end up in a body bag?

This book was interesting, but it did leave me wanting for more. I think I was expecting a YA thriller and this one was more of a mystery or suspense. The biggest difference for me in those genres is in pacing. Thrillers tend to be fast paced, and mysteries and suspense tend to be at a much slower pace. I really enjoyed the setting of this book! Secluded type settings are always one of my favorites. This one was done well, and I did enjoy it despite my issues with pacing. There were some interesting twists that I did not see coming! Those are always so much fun.

If you are looking for a great YA suspense novel, then I suggest you check this one out May 2nd.

Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban is one of the greatest well-crafted story I have read in a really long time.

A gripping fast-paced YA whodunit mystery that is both unputdownable and nerve-wracking.

Diana Urban does a masterful job creating a compelling mystery that had me awake all night, wondering what happened next.
This book was filled with suspense the whole time.
I really enjoyed the way Urban slowly reveals the important parts of the puzzle. Piece by piece, the big picture began to take shape.
I pretty much grabbed this book any time I could in order to get a few more pages in, and get closer to the conclusion.
Completely gripping and unpredictable. The author really pulls you into the story and as the tension and suspense builds it’s just one of those books you have to keep reading…

A spectacular thriller of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of intriguing characters who’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Razorbill for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Jade hoped she’d never see her ex bf, Silas or her ex bff, Lainey ever again. Especially after Silas broke up with her over text and declared that he and Lainey were together. Since then, she’s been daydreaming about ways to dispose of Lainey. When she sees them on board the “Campus on Board” ship, a trip she’s been looking forward to for years, all the pain comes rushing back.

When Lainey ends up missing, presumed dead, all fingers point to Jade. Now, it’s up to her and her new friend (maybe more), Felix, to figure out who wanted Lainey gone, but more importantly, who had the guts to do it. The problem is, Lainey wasn’t anyone’s favorite person and everyone had a motive. When more people end up dead and missing, will Jade be next?

Jade was annoying in her obsession with Lainey and Silas. Like, they’re terrible, move on! They were right to think she was stalking them, because she was. Jade and Felix’s relationship felt forced and moved entirely too fast, even if they were “pretending”. The characters felt like they were in high school, not college, but hey, I guess we’re all a bit dramatic.

Most of this was predictable, in a sense. The very end, like the last page, was a shock, but honestly, the rest was meh. I will say that this was fast paced and kept me reading, but I wasn’t all impressed with the outcome.

I always say I love a good YA mystery/thriller and this hit the spot. A murder mystery on a cruise ship during a semester-at-sea program is like the modern teen equivalent of the classic locked room murder mystery, filled with betrayal, obsession, jealousy and revenge.
Jade is a college student arriving in Europe to embark on a semester at sea, surprised to find her ex-boyfriend Silas and ex-best friend Lainey are also boarding the ship, who jilted her, and left her deeply hurt. Determined to get to the bottom of their betrayal, she spends the first week trying to talk to them, while also making some new friends and a possible romantic connection, but both are determined to avoid her. When Lainey’s room is found covered in blood and she herself is missing, it’s up to Jade to get to the bottom of it before all her new friends point the finger at her. But then they start turning up dead, it’s a race against the clock with her new maybe-boyfriend by her side to get to the bottom of it before anyone else turns up dead or worse, they get to a port and Jade is arrested for murder. Lying in the Deep is a compelling, addicting whodunnit filled with betrayals, secrets, lies and twists galore, all the way up until the very last page.

Jade sets sail for her term on a cruise ship for Campus on Board, which is something she’s been working towards for years, and had planned to room with her best friend, Lainey until right before the term begins Lainey steals Jade’s boyfriend, Silas. Jade expects to use the time on the ship to clear her head while she travels and studies abroad, so imagine her surprise when her ex and her ex best friend turn up on the ship and soon students start dying off, including Lainey. So of course Jade is a suspect. Jade has to figure out who really did it before they strike again or they come to charge her for the murder.
If you’re a fan of locked room thrillers, you will enjoy this one. The issue I had was with the characters. They were meant to be in college but they definitely acted immaturely and the MC really made some questionable choices and I was constantly questioning her actions and her logic.
Thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Definitely my least favorite of Urban's books. It took a while to get started (like a good 40% or so) and I considered stopping many times because the main character was so whiny and was honestly OBSESSED with her ex-boyfriend and ex-bff. While there were pieces of the story that I thought were decent overall it was kind of a slog, but I can see fans of Karen McMannus or the like enjoying this. It probably also would go over better with a younger audience than me, although considering the characters are roughly 20-ish (they're all in college and the main character is a junior I think) they read like they're 14 or so (maybe even 12?). There are also copious amounts of drinking, some drug use, and talk of sex, but nothing more than a few kisses on page and no swearing (and death/murder of course). It's too tame language and romance wise to be adult, but the characters are too old for YA and the drinking/drugs seem almost excessive, so it seems a little lost. Probably best for the older teens though, because of the non-violence content. If someone asks for read-alikes I might mention this one, but I don't think I'll be going out of my way to suggest it.

"Maximally Twisty" is the Word du Jour for this engrossing YA Mystery/Psychological Thriller, new from author Diana Urban. (Release May 2)
Although the first few pages didn't compel me, in no time at all this twisted-up plot was off and running, and it was non-stop Suspense from there, and oh! What Suspense! I was constantly exclaiming "WHAT?" and "What just happened?" and "Oh no!!"
Let me give you another clue about the pace: this 384-page-book was an 8-hour read: that's all!

Lying in the Deep is a fast-paced YA whodunit mystery set onboard a fancy cruise ship. It managed to have a very diverse setting throughout the story, as the ship traveled to different countries. For the first half of the story I could live through the main character Jade and her travels in England and Portugal. But then in the second half it made a claustrophobic atmosphere with a murderer on the loose, as they’re all now stuck at the sea on this ship.

Although this book has a pretty big group of central characters, but only one POV which proved a bit annoying at times since Jade had a tendency to get caught up in her own personal drama. She’s just a bit too over-the-top. Luckily the other characters balanced her out, and I wish we could have some of them in the spotlight role instead. Could have done without the love triangle, since why bother when there's clearly just one good pick?

There were plot twists, and most of the time they had me in a constant state of trying to think up new theories in order to solve who the murderer actually was. With that said, the ending took me by a bit of surprise, and while I enjoyed it it also didn’t feel like it had been properly foreshadowed. But I still liked how the story got resolved, and part of me is sad that there wasn’t more after it.

LYING IN THE DEEP is another very fun mystery from Diana Urban.

It is, in some ways, quite different from the preceding mysteries by the author. The murder (after being revealed in the prologue) doesn't occur until halfway through the book. Instead, it begins with an exploration of Jade's jagged emotions over her friend and boyfriend's betrayal of her. It also provides a great chance to get to know the cast and their motives before it gets deadly.

The book also has an impressive body count, particularly given things only get murdery in the second half. It creates a very fast-paced, tense second half where it's impossible to know who to trust and Jade does not have a moment to slow down, given she's the suspect according to rumour.

However, the first half, despite a notable lack of murder, is still very tense. Instead of a frantic scramble for the truth, it is a slow build of feeling like something is most definitely wrong, particularly about what ever mysteriously broke up Jade and her boyfriend. They way they're treating her does not make sense with what she knows...

The ending was a lot of fun, flipping a bunch of assumptions on their head - repeatedly, in short order. I really liked the way it all came together.

This was an amazing mystery book.
It was a very interesting concept and I would never have guessed the plot twist.
This book completely hooked me and at the end of each chapter with an amazing cliff hanger I wasn’t able to put it down.
It had amazing characters and it had me suspecting some one at every turn but none of my suspicions were right which is exactly what you want in a murder mystery!

I was overjoyed when I heard Diana Urban had a new book releasing. I’ve read everything she has written and have loved each and every book. Diana Urban knows how to write YA/NA thrillers! While this one wasn’t my favorite, I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, locked room mystery style story. The concept of a school at sea gave us a unique location for this murder mystery to unfold. Highly recommend this book and author. Diana Urban is an auto-buy author for me. Perfect for fans of Karen A McManus and Jennifer Preston.

Jade has been dumped by her boyfriend. He has a new girlfriend... Her best friend! She soon discovers they are also on a three month cruise for school. She wants answers. Why won't they explain things? The her ex friend, Lainey, disappears from a blood soaked room . Jade is a suspect. She was angry and everyone knows it.
The idea was good for this story was good. Jade comes across as whiny. She complains about not having money, but spends it foolishly. The end of the book was rushed. The Felix connection was not very believable.
Thanks, NetGalley for this ARC.