Semester-at-Sea-meets-murder is an excellent premise for a mystery. However, this one didn't deliver. The first almost 20% is focused on Jade's falling out with her ex and her former best friend. The plot dragged and made it hard to connect with any of the characters. Additionally, everyone came off somewhat one-dimensional. This book was a miss for me, but I will definitely try something else by the author.

I was given an ARC in exchange for honest review.

A fast paced, whodunnit set aboard a cruise ship. This was so fun and unexpected. While I had some suspicions early on, I never could have figured out exactly what happened! The ending felt a little incomplete, but I greatly enjoyed this one!

Content Warning: drug use, death, violence

Taking classes on a cruise ship? This is definitely something I would have wanted to do while I was in college! And I think this setting made this story even more fascinating. I loved the travel aspect of it, because they did stop at ports to do some sightseeing.

But this story is focused on Jade and the heartbreak and betrayal she endured from her ex-best friend, Lainey and her ex-boyfriend, Silas. She assumes this semester away at sea would help her move forward but when she sees the both of them on the ship with her, things get messy. Jade is all in her feelings about missing Lainey and Silas, hurt that now they are together, and angry that they betrayed her. So when Lainey is missing from her room with just a room full of blood – Jade is suspect number one!

I think the cast of characters did a really good job of leading us away from the real suspect. I had my suspicions and I kind of was right. I didn’t want to be right though, so I’m glad I was partially right! Felix is someone Jade gets to know on the ship but he’s mysterious and she doesn’t know what his deal is. I loved them together. There was even a moment of fake-dating between them, but the two of them investigating Lainey’s disappearance was really fun. There were a few times I wished Jade would let go of her jealousy and anger but I can understand where she is coming from.

There is suspense, mystery, and so much drama between new friends and lovers, and a really good twist in the story. Also it’s another book set in college, which I’m happy about because we need more.

Why you should read it:
*entertaining and full of suspense, mystery and even a little romance
*a good plot twist

Why you might not want to read it:
*not into suspense

My Thoughts:

This one was a fun read especially because the romance brewing between Felix and Jade was a nice edition! I read it in one sitting because I really was invested on trying to figure out what happened to Lainey and if Jade was maybe an unreliable narrator at some point! This is the second book I’ve read from this author and have really enjoyed both. I look forward to reading more from this author!

"Lying in the Deep" is a thrilling cruise ship novel that had me hooked from the first page. I devoured it in just two days and was thoroughly entertained throughout.

The story follows Jade, who is excited to embark on a semester at sea after a rough patch in her personal life. However, things take a turn for the worse when she discovers that her ex-boyfriend and former best friend are also on board. To make matters worse, someone on the ship is murdered, and everyone is a suspect.

Diana Urban expertly weaves a tale of suspense and intrigue, introducing us to a cast of colorful characters who all have motives for the murder. As Jade tries to navigate her way through the investigation, she must also confront her feelings towards her ex and ex-BFF.

The setting of the cruise ship and various European ports is vividly described, transporting the reader to each location. The characters are well-developed and each has their own unique personality, making them all plausible suspects.

What I loved most about this book was the way Urban laid out the clues to the killer, only to pull the rug out from under me. I was convinced I had figured out the murderer early on, but I was wrong!

Overall, "Lying in the Deep" is a fantastic read that I highly recommend. It's a fast-paced, unputdownable thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end. I can't wait to read more from Diana Urban

I enjoyed this action packed thriller quite a bit. I thought the story was overall good with some great twists at the end. I did think the beginning dragged a bit for me and felt more like high school drama than the college kids it was about, but once the mystery really got going I was definitely sucked in. Jade has been doing to do Semester at Sea since she heard about it and the timing is perfect since her boyfriend dumped her suddenly for her best friend both of whom have iced her out since. So she was shocked to discover them both in line when she waiting to get on the ship. Despite her hurt she is determined to figure out what happened even when things start happening and people start dying. She is determined to figure out what happened since so many people seem to believe it must have been her, so she and her new crush run around the ship trying to figure out what happened on a ship they are stuck on with a killer. Overall I gave this one 3.5 stars rounded up for the ending.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Diana Urban for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Lying in the Deep coming out May 2, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Jade is having a rough time after being dumped by her boyfriend Silas in a text. He cheats on her with her best friend Lainey. Jade couldn't be more ready to start the adventure of a lifetime—11 countries in 4 months, all from the luxurious Campus on Board ship. She can’t wait to get away from those that hurt her.

But then Jade discovers the backstabbing couple are joining her on the cruise. She meets new friends on board who help her enjoy her time, but her obsession with the cheaters grows and festers, leading to a murder at sea. And as her friends begin to drop dead, Jade and her new crush begin an investigation to find the murderer. Will they find the killer in time or will they be trapped at sea?

I wasn’t expecting to get this book, but I was so excited for it! The plot about a murder on a cruise sounded so fun. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I definitely want to check out other books. I loved the book and I’m obsessed with it! It was a little longer than I thought, but I thought it was action packed and full of mystery. It moved fast. I really enjoyed the characters and thought most of them were fleshed out. Jade was an interesting character. I definitely felt for her, but I think she had a strong personality. There were a couple storylines that I would’ve liked to see tidied up a little more, but maybe there will be a second book?

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys college murder mysteries at sea!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5 STARS

This is a YA thriller set on a ship.

Similar Books:
One of Us is Lying
We Were Liars

Synopsis:
Jade decides to take a semester at sea, traveling to 11 countries in 4 months. When her ex boyfriend and ex best friend show up on the same ship, it gets awkward. To make things worse, students start disappearing and showing up dead. Now Jade hopes she isn’t next and races to find the killer on board.

This was a fun YA mystery/ thriller. I like the setting on a ship because everything is contained. It was fun to try and guess who the killer was. Some things were predictable, but there were a few twists and turns that were not. Besides the mystery aspect, there is also college relationship drama and a sort of love triangle.

I would read more from this author!

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the ARC! 🛳️

What a book! The cover certainly doesn't do it justice. What looks like an airport paperback is really a well written YA mystery.

The backdrop is a semester at sea - the mystery is who killed the very unlikeable Lainey. Lainey is a very wealthy, very spoiled young woman who controls most rooms and wins most awards. Plenty of people on the boat might want her dead, perhaps Jade most of all. Jade is worried that she will be blamed - her ex best friend did steal her boyfriend after all. Can she solve the mystery before someone else dies?

Really loved it, lots of thrills and not too much angst - great story and settting!
#PenguinGroup #PenguinYA

This was so different than Diana Urban's other two books (which I also loved) but in the best way! I loved the studying at sea aspect of this book! It's the perfect place to write a murder mystery, knowing there is no escape for anyone. She has mastered writing fun, twisty thrillers with an ending you don't see coming! Though I was able to predict a few things in this book, definitely didn't have it all figured out. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to all YA readers and even adults!

Super enjoyable and fast paced. Read this in under 6 hours and had absolute no idea how it would end. Highly recommend!

Jade has joined in on the Campus on Board ship for the adventure of a lifetime- 11 countries in 4 months. What she did not expect was her ex best friend and ex boyfriend to be present on board as well. And then someone ends up missing and presumed murdered. As they are stuck out to sea more mysterious things keep happening. Jade and her new crush Felix set out to try to solve the mystery.

This book had an opening that captured my attention right away. The middle of the story was a little slow, but the last part of the book picked back up again. I would say this is more of a suspense rather than a thriller because it wasn't as fast paced as a usual thriller. I loved the setting of the cruise ship and felt like I had been transported worlds away to the sea. The book had a lot of twists and turns, some a little predictable, but I wasn't ever able to fully work out the details so still had the element of surprise. The book also focuses on betrayal of friends and heartbreak.

This was a great young adult read and if you enjoy that genre I think you will really enjoy this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I had a lot of fun reading this locked room mystery aboard a cruise ship. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing from the beginning to the end about what has happened and even what the true mystery is. Instead of being just one question, there are plenty and not all of them track back to the same solution. I also really enjoyed the portrayal of a friendship break up in this book, between Lainey and Jade. It felt very real between them that Jade was more upset about Lainey than about Silas and that those wounds are deeper than any other.

I also was a big fan of the characters that round out the book. Divya and Navya were really interesting to read about with their familial problems, Miguel and Tate each had their own big hurdles to overcome, and Felix was a fun highlight. I always love a brooding love interest.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This one was WILD. I haven’t read any other Diana Urban but this was truly a crazy one. I didn’t know what to expect but I didn’t see most of this coming at the end. The middle of the book was losing me cause it took way too long for a murder to pop up but when it did it got so exciting!

I liked Jade as a main character but she was heavy sympathy bait. The person who every bad thing happens to for no reason. The side characters were interesting too and I was really trying to figure out who the killer was. You have to thrown in some obvious red herrings so there’s multiple suspects. I always try to go for the most unobvious person and even though I was kinda right I was no where close. This was impressive in its run around. I’ll have to read some more of Diana’s books after this.

This book is a smart YA retelling of Death on the Nile, meets Hulu's Dopesick series. The claustrophobic atmosphere on the cruise ship where murders take place is well-executed with fast pacing and a whodunnit mystery that piques your interest from the beginning.

Although I didn't like the main characters at first, and the love triangle part of the story made me roll my eyes, the second half of the book, with increasing pressure and escalating suspense, made me invest in them. The book contains amazing references to Death on the Nile, but the author chose a European setting with a younger adult storyline.

My favorite part of the book is the last quarter. I liked how things were resolved, and how all the plot holes were filled with reasonable explanations.

The book opens with a murder scene at one of the ship's cabins, then we move backward as the characters are introduced. The main character, Jade, is a scholarship student who double-majored, smart, and insecure. She is still nursing a heartbreak and betrayal after her boyfriend Silas left her with a text and blocked her, deciding to date her best friend Lainey, the daughter of a pharmaceutical mogul. Jade realizes that the two of them are shoving their relationship into her face by joining the luxurious Campus on Board ship, which includes 11 countries in 4 months.

Her dreamy educational European vacation is about to turn into a nightmare. She is not the only one having problems with Lainey. Her new circle of friends, including Miguel, an aspiring influencer who is losing his followers, Tate, who blames Lainey's father for the death of her mother, and Felix, who is brooding but also charismatic, and accepts a fake dating arrangement with Jade to get a reaction from the perfect couple who are talking trash behind Lainey's back.

Then, a shocking murder occurs, reminding us of the murder scene from Death on the Nile, with a small change: the murder weapon is a letter opener instead of a small gun. Jade finds herself as one of the prime suspects of the presumed murder case. She has little time to prove her innocence before the ship reaches the next port. She teams up with Felix to find out what really happened, and as their time is about to run out, more people on board are found dead. Jade has to find the killer faster before becoming the next victim.

Overall, this book is definitely a fast-paced and intriguing read that can be enjoyed in one sitting.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group/Razorbill for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I received a digital copy of Lying in the Deep via NetGalley to read and review.

First, I’m glad I read this after going on a cruise and not before or during. Second, I couldn’t imagine doing a study abroad type thing on a cruise ship. It definitely made for a good story that took me about a day to finish.

Murders are happening on a cruise ship and our main character needs to find out what actually happened because she knows that she’s a suspect. I had suspicions about who did it…until the twist came out and then I figured it out.

4 stars for a quick read that held my interest and throwing me for a loop!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

Jade, heading out for a four month, semester at sea, program while nursing the loss of her best friend and ex….who also end up on the same ship.

I had high hopes for this one, but just didn’t live up to the hype. Never connected with the main character or any secondary characters. Just didn’t really care what happened next.

Lying in the Deep is a fast-paced, unputdownable cruise ship thriller that I read in 2 days, and thoroughly enjoyed.

Jade is looking forward to a semester at sea after her boyfriend and best friend both dumped her and got together with no explanation. But uh oh, they’re on the ship, too—and we know from the start that at some point, someone gets murdered. We soon meet some colorful characters, all of whom are suspects and red herrings, and follow Jade as she tries and fails to ignore her ex and ex-BFF on the ship and at various European ports. Urban expertly lays out the events leading up to the murder and gets us instantly on Jade’s side as she grapples with confusion and betrayal. She also expertly lays out the clues to the killer—then pulls the rug out from under you. I was certain I had the killer sussed out from pretty early on—and I was wrong!

The setting, characters, and plot were all top-notch here. Love love loved it, and can’t wait for more from Diana Urban.

I remember dreaming of participating in a semester at sea when I was young. This was a great book to get a feel for that now that I'm an adult. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. Three stars. It became a bit long toward the middle and so many characters were involved.

A fairly solid murder mystery. My only complaint was that a lot of the characters read a high schoolers rather than college kids. I do also wish the murdery part of the book had been gotten to a little quicker.

The ending was a bit of a twist, which made it fun. I do think Silas’s motives for things were a bit off. Like there really wasn’t much reason for him to get so angry that he “accidentally” murdered Tate.

I do wish there had been an epilogue where Jade and Felix got to reunite.

This is the second book I’ve picked up from Diana Urban, and the second one I’ve really enjoyed!

Lying in the Deep was twisty, suspenseful and intense. This book opened incredibly strongly, and continued to be enthralling throughout.

I did not see all the twists and reveals in this book, I was genuinely surprised — but in a good way! I loved how all these little side storylines collided together. I sort of guessed the *big* twist, but didn’t guess all of the moving parts fully, so I was genuinely surprised.

This book had good writing, an engaging plot, fascinating characters, and a shocking — but satisfying — ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed it.