I have been trying to be more professional about my reviews...but this is one where I need to be informal. This novel is so FANTASTIC that I kept forgetting it is technically rated YA. I read the whole thing in one sitting while I was waiting in lines at Universal Studio's Hollywood. If I had the chance though, I never would have put it down.

"Those We Drown" by Amy Goldsmith is a gripping mystery novel that takes place aboard a luxurious cruise ship called The Eos. Liv is thrilled to have won an all-expenses-paid opportunity to study aboard The Eos for a semester, but soon realizes she is in over her head. Her best friend Will is barely speaking to her, and the other students, including the mysterious and beautiful Constantine, seem to be hiding something. Liv discovers that the only reason she was invited to join the trip is that another girl disappeared shortly after enrolling, and no one seems to know what happened to her. To make matters worse, after their first night, Will disappears. The ship's crew tell Liv that he is sick, but as further disappearances occur, Liv begins to suspect that there may be a dark secret lurking beneath the ship's watery depths.

The slow-burn mystery of the novel is well-crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. Goldsmith's writing is atmospheric and haunting, creating a sense of unease and tension throughout the story. The setting of the ship adds to this atmosphere, as the claustrophobic environment and the constant sound of the waves create a sense of isolation and danger.

The only time I find the writing lacking is with some of the dialog between characters. Liv is a relatable and sympathetic protagonist, and the reader is rooting for her from the start. The other characters, however, are less likable, with most of them being stereotypical rich, privileged, and arrogant teenagers with the exception is the mysterious and glamorous Sirens, who add a unique and creative element to the story. The interactions between the groups tend to be relatively bland. I am also was genuinely confused why a group of mid 20-somethings are hanging out with a group of high-school aged kids to begin with. However, this is where I remind myself that the novel is targeted as "Young Adult", and if I was still 14 or 15 I would probably find the dialog very believable - though still creepy when one of the Siren's makes out with Will who is only 17 years old.

Aside from that, Goldsmith's descriptions of the sea creatures that haunt Liv's dreams are particularly effective, creating a sense of horror and dread that stays with the reader long after the book is finished. Several times while reading, I made note that the reoccurring chant, "the sea provides - but only if you feed it" reminded me eerily of the second Pirates of the Caribbean movie's chant of "Part of the Ship, Part of the Crew." This caused my lines to blur of what was real and what was actually a delusion, as I questioned if the staff (with their smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes) were in on it. The final revelations of the novel are well-executed and satisfying, but still left the reader room to wonder.

Overall, "Those We Drown" is a well-written and engaging mystery novel that will keep the reader guessing until the very end. The slow-burn tension, relatable protagonist, and atmospheric setting make for a memorable reading experience, and the unique and creative elements of the story add an extra layer of intrigue. While there are still some scenes I wish I could have changed to be geared more to an adult audience, I understand that it's ~only~ a YA book and needs to be marketable to various different age groups.

Overall, I give "Those We Drown " 5 out of 5 stars!

Will share link to website when posted on April 18th.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith is an amazing YA horror about an ocean liner. The story revolves around Liv, who is going on a semester-at-sea program along with a group of teens. Her best friend Will is also there, but he disappears after their first day. The other teens are snobby and rich, but Liv is enchanted by a mysterious boy. When people start disappearing, how far will Liv go to find the truth?

Here is a beautiful excerpt from the Prologue:

"Deep within the belly of the ship, salt-stained and brittle with barnacles, voices rose, as clear and golden as the dawn. Voices that called to mind the teasing chase of sunlight on turqoise waters. The weightlessness of warm foreign seas. The tropical scent of sunlight on turquoise waters. The weightlessness of warm foreign seas. The tropical scenet of sunscreen and sea salt carried on a gentle breeze. The familiar call to forget that seeped into sun-warmed skin."

Overall, Those We Drown is a YA horror novel that you won't be able to put down. I finished the book in one setting because I could not put it down. One highlight of this book is the intruigng premise. I had never read a book about a semester at sea program before, and I was so interested to see what would happen on board.

Another highlight of this book are the creepy moments. This book is definintely horror, and I enjoyed it. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I would say that I had trouble connecting to the characters. I didn't really feel anything for any of them. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of YA horror in general, I highly recommend that you check out this book when it comes out in June!

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. The parts of this book I liked was this claustrophobic feel since your stuck on a cruise ship called Eos, so where can you get help with all the strange things going on? Who can you trust? The Greek Mythology/Horror that was weaved into the story made it interesting as well. As you read the book you find yourself thinking is Liv going crazy or is the Eos hiding a dark secret?
What I did not like it the ending that what made it a 3 Star for me. It left a lot of unanswered questions and didn't wrap up the story well.

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was drawn to this book by the stunning cover; it immediately made me want to know more. I anticipated that this book was going to have a thriller vibe, whoever it ended up feeling as though it had more of a horror sense. Throughout the story it felt like some details were missed and at other times the story felt rushed to me. All in all, I ended up thinking the book was okay, honestly getting some further information would have brought this score up to a 4 for me.

I would definitely read more by this author in the future.

Liv is so excited to spend six weeks of her SeaMester on The Eos. She and Will have a chance to recover from The Incident. Liv realizes she’s stumbled, tumbled, dove headfirst into the world of money, as the sole scholarship student among the seven of them. Fabulous. She intended to keep it quiet, but Justin (the SeaMester “Adult”) ruins that. Now Will is sick, she can’t see him - his texts don’t sound like him. The girl she replaced on the trip went missing - which is how Liv has a spot. There’s these influencers on board who are always near when something weird happens.

What is actually going on this ship? Liv is supposed to spend six weeks here - can she survive it?

Be on the lookout for this mystery by @amygoldsmith_writes through @delacortepress June 2023

Ok, hear me out. If R.L. Stine and Agatha Christie had a baby who was then raised by one of the Brontë sisters, it would be this book. I say this with complete sincerity. Those who know or follow me understand that I am not a big YA fan, but I gave this book a chance solely based on the description. I am so glad I did!

I found the pacing of this book to be just right; it never felt rushed or bogged down by exposition. The characters all played a part, and none felt out of place. Poor Liv, poor, poor sweet baby Liv. The level of gaslighting in this story is epic. I mean, the author had me questioning if I was losing it.

I was fully prepared to rate this book 5 stars until the last chapter. The ending isn't bad, but it left me questioning if the author knew how to close out this story. I wouldn't have scoffed at another chapter or two to get a bit more closure. Even just a sprinkle of closure.

Overall, a great YA Horror read that I'll be adding to my 'go-to-recs' shelf!

Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press for allowing me to read and review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The sea provides but only if you feed it. Seven is the bargain and seven have been promised. The ocean is dark and deep and keeps its secrets."

First off, the cover is so gorgeous! I love the mysterious atmosphere of it and how the cover matches so well with the story. Second, Those We Drown is a great YA read!

Liv receives a full scholarship to aboard the Eos, a cruise ship, and to take part in a semester-at-sea program named the SeaMester. She and her childhood friend Will are amazed by the extravagance and feel out of place in the rich setting. When Will disappears one night, things begin to spiral into the deep end. Liv slowly starts to hear and see things others do not and something is just not right on The Eos. Will Liv be able to survive what may be lurking in the depths of the cruise ship or will she succumb to the darkness?

I really, really love the slow-burn psychological break down Liv begins to have as things start to go very wrong for her. She doesn't know what is real, what's going on, and I was completely sucked into the spiral with her. I adored all the Greek mythos themes and the different connections. I was kind of hoping Liv would have figured things out a little bit sooner but when you're trying to figure what's going on in a logical sense you tend to almost delude yourself thinking one thing when it's another. The other characters part of the SeaMester program and the staff aboard the Eos would continue to gaslight Liv into thinking she was crazy for thinking the things she was experiencing were real, so she'd second guess herself often.

The only nitpick I have is the pacing and length. The middle has its slow moments and I think this could have been maybe a chapter shorter otherwise I enjoyed the story as a whole.

Those We Drown is an entertaining YA thriller with horror elements. It's been a while since I've read a thriller I enjoyed and felt spooked while reading. Amy Goldsmith's writing is cinematic, you could see everything like a film inside your head. The story will definitely make you question going on a cruise ship in the future.

If you love the mystery of Ginny Myers Sain's Secrets So Deep and Dark Shallow Lies, you will be enthralled by Those We Drown.

4 stars

Thank you so much Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for a review.
I requested this one based on the cover and just knew I’d love it. Such a good read!!

Thought it would be more of thriller. It was more like a horror book. Not my favorite but it may be yours

The premise sounded really interesting but I felt like it took a long time to get to the end, which felt rushed. I think this needed an epilogue or some additional closure. I also didn't particularly like any of the characters, including Liv.

2.5 stars, rounded up.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this ARC immediately drew me in. Also, deep sea horror is fairly uncommon, I don't know too many books in this genre, so I was excited to read, especially when I heard it was YA.

The story is told from the POV of Liv, a working class girl who miraculously earns a place on a luxury, world-wide cruise alongside her friend Will (who is not actually a friend!). Will goes missing the first night after having a big fight with Liv and she spends the rest of the trip searching for him. She's told he is sick but the story is shady. She also finds out she earned her spot because of some missing girl. Something that doesn't seem a big deal at first.... until it is.

I loved how this escalated... Just small, weird things at first, making Liv doubt herself, but before long she was desperately trying to seek answers. There's a lot of gaslighting but I think the author made it believable. How would I act if this was happening to me, probably the same.

Overall, this was a highly original horror and I was impressed it was also a debut. I enjoyed the author's writing and would absolutely read another of their books.

Horror novels at sea is a genre I never knew I needed! Those We Drown is such a captivating debut - it’s atmospheric, eery, and suspenseful. I could not put it down! The characters were all at once unlikeable and also so well done. This book is full of Greek mythology and I loved how the author incorporated it into this chilling plot. If you’re a fan of Erin Craig’s House of Salt & Sorrows, then this book is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this! I loved the premise and was so thrilled to read this. The author did a great job describing the dynamic between the teens, but I do wish we got a bit more of the boat description at times. I could really see the interactions between characters but not as much so the ship. I also thought that Liv was a pretty compelling character to read from, though I wish she was a little more confident--sometimes listening to her gaslighting herself was beyond infuriating, haha. I also thought that Will was, like, pretty irredeemable. Which, sure okay maybe he's just not a great friend given that he drunkenly screams in Liv's face night one, but because I cared 0% about him it made the plot-point of "saving Will" a bit annoying/tedious at times.

I think my biggest issue with the book was how repetitive the middle portion got. Don't get me wrong, this is incredibly fast-paced--I read this in two days--but the middle chunk of this book was a lot of:
Liv sees something/finds evidence/experiences something insane
Other character (usually Con) gaslights her into thinking she's crazy or wrong
Liv is like "hmmm maybe"
Something else insane happens
Character gaslights her into thinking she's insane even thought she literally saw this with her own eyes and/or someone is dead/hasn't been seen in days
Ad Infinitum

So, yeah, that got a bit skim-worthy for like the middle hundred pages. But, I do think the clue-drops for the mystery happening in the story were pretty well-paced despite the sort of repetitive plot. I also wish that the climax and ending had a bit more room to breathe, it felt like the last 30ish pages were all of the falling action and I just wish it didn't feel so rushed.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and loved the way this author writes. I am definitely looking forward to more from this author!

There was A LOT going on in this, which lead to many things not being fleshed out as well as they should have been. That being said, Those We Drown was the type of story that acts like a rollercoaster; it straps you in and doesn't let go until the ride is over. Goldsmith managed to perfectly execute a YA horror novel, which is by no means an easy feat. Atmospheric and haunting, Those We Drown is a compelling read by a compelling debut author.

Stunningly original debut about an anxious girl's trip of a lifetime gone horribly wrong.

This is a fast-paced spec thriller that I highly recommend. Don't read this at night. There's a scene in Liv's cabin at the start that gave me nightmares!

Part of me was expecting to read some kind of corny sea-monster book when I received this ARC (thank you Netgalley) so imagine my joy when I discovered Those We Drown is actually a dark and clever thriller with a relatable but unreliable narrator.

There was so much to enjoy in this book! A luxurious cruise ship setting (something I haven't often seen before), a murder mystery costume party, creepy theaters, people getting lost in the depths of the ship, literal sirens (that are not mermaids but the bird type) and I could go on!

It was tricky to know which of Liv's Seamester group to trust (if any) and I loved the use of Greek Mythology in this book as it really linked everything together. The pacing in this book is truly propulsive. I stayed up late at night as I needed to know what was true, what wasn't and how it was all going to end.

I think the writer did a good job in keeping true to the horror genre with the ending! This a great debut and I recommend checking it out.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. This is like no horror novel I’ve ever read.

Liv just got a dream opportunity for an all expenses paid semester at sea aboard The luxurious Eos. As the only one in her group who is there on scholarship, she immediately feels out of place. Thankfully, her estranged best friend, Will, is joining her and she sees this as a perfect time for them to patch things up. But then, Will disappears and she’s alone again. Liv is told Will is sick, but something is off. She discovers she only got the position because the girl who got it first also disappeared. This can’t possibly be a coincidence. Now, her friends disappear one by one. Liv is trapped and doesn’t know who to trust.

This gave me Ghost Ship x Titanic vibes right from the start, which I was here for. I did find myself getting distracted as there wasn’t enough to keep me completely engaged at the start. This is the first type of book I’ve read like this, so maybe that had something to do with it. However, once it got going, it was hard to put down! The ending, however, gave me real Scooby Doo vibes- “We would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!” And the non ending really sent me. Along with all the unanswered questions. 🤬

Other than that, I did enjoy this. It was a familiar, yet completely new story that I found myself wrapped up in after a bit. I’ve always been intrigued with Sirens and this was eerie and captivating.

I do not like give reviews with spoilers. It seems unfair to the next reader, but with this book I’m not sure how to fully review it without some spoilers. I’m going to do my very best so only read this if you’re okay with light spoilers and jump to the next if not.
This book is from the point of view of Olivia (Liv), she’s the only member of six on a scholarship to a semester at sea (SeaMester) on a luxury cruise liner. She obviously goes into this situation feeling less than, but she’s also going with her wealthy best friend Will who she just so happens to have pushed the line of friendship with recently. The five of the characters in her “class” (no one learns anything and the teacher feeds them alcohol and they all have zero supervision) are ridiculously wealthy and make her feel uncomfortable from the boat taking off. Liv is an odd main character because she constantly doubts herself, ignores her own warning signals, and runs into strange situations like it’s her favorite past time while all the other characters feel almost like single minded Instagram personalities - the beautiful one (Adora -Dor) who is catty and loves to gossip, the curvy one who loves Oreos and wants to be beautiful but isn’t as skinny as the others (Cintia), the jock sexy boy who isn’t following in his parents footsteps (Raj), the blonde-ignorant-to-everything love interacted with a wealthy dad who owns the boat (Constantine - Con), and our main characters bestie who she had a very mild fling with who has a rich dad with a much younger wife replacement (Will).
The another gives you just enough of each character so we know them, but we only really care about a few - Will (obviously), Cinthia (who tries to befriend our main character with humor and self deprecation), and Con (the new love interest who might be evil). We also only get a real backstory for no one, even the main character has little to no back story other than growing up in poverty (like myself). It makes it hard to care when something happens to the characters, but this novel is not about the characters we meet and much more about the situation they find themselves in and the choices they make which the author knows exactly how to write to keep you interested from start to finish.
I won’t give away what exactly is happening on the ship because it really does keep you flipping pages and demanding answers! I felt that ever throughout this entire story. I desperately needed to know who was involved and who was working it all behind the scenes. The foreshadowing left little to be determined by the end, but I still craved every detail.
I wanted to give this book five stars because I really did need to stay up to finish it and find out how it concluded, but I couldn’t. Why you may ask? The writing. I may be a bit too old to fully enjoy this novel and I know it may not be meant from someone past thirty, but phrases like “he is fire” and “hashtag blessed” just seem meant for an age I may not be in. I know the characters are 17-18 and in current times referring to themselves as “insta-poets” and only messaging each other through WhatsApp, but the language made it feel like this story won’t have a long shelf life and I think if some of the current lingo had been tamed it could have been a story for any age. It delved deep into Greek mythology and the legend of sirens and without the time stamp of lingo it could be for any age group.
Overall, I found myself engaged with the story. I wanted to scream at the main character for so many bad decisions or for excusing the truth with her own anxiety - but it was a fun story filled with creepy visuals and a story I really enjoyed.
Thank you, NetGalley, for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

My first issue here is that we are in adjective overload- just about every other noun had an adjective attached to it. It's unnecessary, distracting, and just plain bad writing. The characters all felt very placid and sterotypical. The plot had promise, but the execution fell very flat for me.

18 years old Liv lands on all expenses paid opportunity to study aboard luxurious cruise ship with her best friend Will who is also creative artist, coming from wealthy and very dysfunctional family. I felt everything Liv felt and it was as though I was right there along with her freaking out with everything that was going on. The voice in this story is so freaking good!! Liv is relatable and you find yourself rooting for her from the very start.