Member Reviews

Lying in the Deep is a fun and twisty locked room whodunit. The fact that the victims and suspects are confined to a cruise ship helps heighten the suspense.

The various characters all have unique personalities that makes it so no body is above suspicion.

The story kept me riveted the whole time and as an avid cruiser, added an extra level of excitement to think about the fear the passengers must have felt.

The ending was unexpected and kept me guessing until the very last page.

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Thank you to netgalley for my e-arc copy!

I really enjoyed this one a lot more than I thought I would! I read it entirely in one go. And even though some of the twists were predictable, I still liked the story and the setting of a murder mystery on a cruise ship (semester at sea). I liked Felix and I hope that he and Jade reconnect at Stanford. I liked Jade’s roommates, even though they had their own issues as sisters and couldn’t get along.

It was just a really entertaining read for me and definitely felt like mature YA. The characters felt pretty developed.

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The YA factor is high with this one so if YA isn't your thing I'd probably steer clear. Overall this was an OK read but not one I'd recommend to an adult audience. Younger readers probably will like it though, so keep it in mind for teen audiences.

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I cannot tell you the last time I sat down and read a book in less than 24 hours. Out May 2nd, 2023, if you are a YA & thriller fan, you need to add this to your TBR immediately!

Jade is the main character who is ready to move on with her life after getting her heart broken into a million pieces.

She's heading out on an adventure of a lifetime - 11 countries while studying abroad on a "Campus on Broad" ship (CoB as referenced in the book). When she sees that her ex-boyfriend and her ex-best friend who are now a couple show up to set sail, things take a crazy turn. A shocking murder takes place on the ship, and their group of friends try to figure out who did it, more people begin to die. Jade is a primary suspect, and she tries to clear her name while trying to figure out who is the murderer!

There were so many twists in this book, I lost count. This was such a "Knives Out" vibe, that I had no idea where it was going. Even up until the very last few pages, I was gasping out loud at some things!

I loved the character development throughout this book too! Every single character mentioned had their own story and by the end, I feel like everyone had wrapped nicely and I had no questions left! There was a lot of drama to keep up with, but Diana Urban wrote it nicely so there wasn't nothing left at the end and it wasn't rushed.

This states "perfect for readers of Natalie D.
Richards & Karen McManus" which are two of my favorite YA mystery writers and I was so not disappointed!

Five amazing stars & adding Diana Urban's entire backlog to my TBR!!

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This was such a fun ya thriller set on board a cruise ship. Jade is recovering from the betrayal of her best friend and bf being together but doesn’t let that stop her from studying abroad on the cruise ship. She didn’t expect Silas and Lainey to still be joining the trip but of course is faced with them at every turn and everyone is acting like she is the one in the wrong. When Lainey turns up missing there are way more questions than answers and it was a fun twisty and turning ride.

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Jade boards Campus on Board, a ship to study and cruise the world, with intents to get over a recent breakup and betrayal from her best friend. This will be hard to do since her ex and ex-best friend are both aboard… as well as a killer.

If you’re looking for a twisty, quick, and entertaining read, it’s here. I loved the setting of the ship which was a unique locked room atmosphere. This was a young adult read, so be prepared for some teenage drama and gossip. There are a lot of twists and the story keeps turning and evolving the entire time!

“What was once a boundless expanse of freedom now held us captive with a killer.”

Lying in the Deep comes out 5/2.

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finally finished this
imma just say, I kinda predicted the ending accurately

anyways Diana Urban did not disappoint

the plot was pretty good and cool
my only complaint is it didn’t feel very mystery like until half way through the book

I love felix

ugh I hate writing reviews bye

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Jade Miller has the opportunity of a lifetime. She has a semester to study abroad. On a cruise ship, no less. The Campus on Board program would take Jade through eleven countries in a span of four months. Jade needed the distraction. Especially after the nasty breakup with her ex-boyfriend, Silas. And the nerve of him to hookup with her best friend Lainey. So the cruise should do her good. New friends, new places… Everything was peachy until Jade spies two familiar faces in the sea of passengers while boarding. Silas and Lainey. Together.

As Jade begins to seethe with anger and disbelief, she can’t help but envision Lainey’s murder — a poisoning, a fall off the ship, shoving her off her dad’s penthouse… That is until Lainey has gone missing and there’s lots and lots of blood everywhere in her room. And guess who is suspect?

Lying in the Deep is a suspenseful locked room mystery. While I did enjoy the novel, I didn’t find it as engaging as the author’s previous work, These Deadly Games.

The main character, Jade was a little too over-the-top with her woe-is-me drama. So that took away from the suspense. The other characters rounded out the story and balanced the instability of the main character. I did like a few of the other characters for their spunk and quirkiness.

The plot is a whodunit mystery with a cruise ship venue. I found this aspect of the story intriguing as I got to cruise and sightsee foreign countries vicariously through the main character.

There were a few plot twists. But nothing earth shattering. Though I did find the ending a little surprising and strange.

I don’t consider Lying in the Deep to be Urban’s worst novel, but it’s not her best in my opinion. Four stars.

I received a digital ARC from Penguin Teen through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

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This was a very fun read. I enjoyed the story, although at times it read similar to Into the Drowning Deep. I think that is mostly due to the fact that it takes place on a ship, though. I found the main character to read more like a high school student than a college student, and she did get annoying at times because of that. However, the book managed to surprise me at the end and that isn't easy to do! Overall, it was a good read.

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Sadly this will most likely be a DNF. I found the beginning portion to be confusing, and I struggled to get invested in the novel despite being intrigued by the premise.

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AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

okay maybe i got carried away up there but it was warrantied.
first of all holy sh*t that was WILD, don't even get me started on the romance...

the characters were very complex and every single character had some sh*t going on ngl. felix was my favorite (are we surprised though?) I trust Diana Urban with ever fiber of my being and she did NOT disappoint, not in the slightest. don't get me wrong i was a little nervous with there being romance and it being a thriller (i always am) not to mention i wasn't the biggest fan of romance when i was approved for this book. but boy how I love romance in books now... anyway the romance in this absolutely SLAYED and AHHHHHH. if the love interest takes the time to help the MC calm their breathing/breathe im d3ad, i d!ed of cuteness, felix was amazing

THE PLOT TWISTS THO, ive read every Diana Urban book and I don't know how she creates these plot twists because goddamn was it good. all her plot twists are unexpected and just so awesome. i loved the climax, it was probably my favorite part (don't judge me, I know it's uh, a little violent but idc, stop judging me)

anyway everyone needs to preorder this, i'm aware this review is chaos but so is my mind rn so just roll with it. do yourself a favor and go preorder this and read her other books because you will not be disappointed, i can promise you that

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As promised, this was a fun, twisty thriller! It is clearly inspired by Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, and it stays true to that source material. I know it can be difficult to sort out retellings, keeping them familiar enough to those who know the original while still different enough to feel fresh. To me, this one leans a little too close to the source. But I do like that it felt like an Agatha Christie, slightly outlandish twists and all, in addition to its plot being a retelling.

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Thank you for the digital copy, I ended up receiving a physical copy and will be reading and reviewing on my socials that way. Thank you again for the digital ARC.

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A YA version of The Lion's Den meets The Woman in Cabin 10 - really just an enjoyable thriller set at Semester at Sea. Jade's always wanted to travel, but she didn't expect she'd be trapped on a cruiseliner with her ex and her ex best friend. DRAMAAAAAA! There's so much gaslighting in this book, you really can't know what's real until the end. While certain plot points of this book were inevitable, I did enjoy the foreshadowing throughout. Plus it left me craving answers as to what happened NEXT with that bonkers ending.

*Thank you to Razorbill and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

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This was a quick YA thriller I read in one sitting. It was enjoyable and I'm always looking for new YA thrillers but it didn't feel like it had anything new. There were twists but nothing I haven't seen before. The cruise murder misery was a fun aspect but the way the characters interacted was so unrealistic

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This was really fun, which doesn't surprise me as I'd enjoyed previous books by Diana Urban as well. This one is the best so far, I think. The concept of semester at sea was just fantastic! It also gave me some Agatha Christie vibes, I can always appreciate that. Fans of young adult thrillers will be pleased with this one.

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Wow! All I can say is wow! Another amazing book by Diana. I am very thankful to be on her street team and was able to receive an early copy of this book. This is definitely Diana’s best book yet. There were so many twists and turns that I did not see coming and some I did see coming and I loved every minute of it. This is definitely one of my new favorite books. Murder mystery on a cruise ship traveling around the Mediterranean honestly, what better book is there? If you love a good murder, mystery with lots of twists and turns, this is the book for you.

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Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

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What a ride! This was thrilling, fast-paced, and completely brilliant. I had absolutely no idea how this was going to go and no idea who could’ve done it. This was a great mystery from start to finish and I LOVED all the twists and turns.

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As with all of Diana Urban's books, I really enjoyed this one. This semester at sea turned murder mystery has a intriguing cast and plenty of drama. I really liked the protagonist, Jade, although she is definitely an impulsive decision-maker and sometimes this book had me yelling at her. But the book had what started to look like a predictable twist but then turned into an actual surprise twist, and the very last page of the book had an ending I was absolutely not expecting. Any fans of YA thriller will love every single one of Diana Urban's books, and this one continues to be on par!

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