This was a unique book and not what I was expecting at all. Full of scientific facts about the ocean and its creatures, it is also a family drama. When Jay Gardiner's father commits suicide by drowning himself in the ocean, his remains are never recovered. Jay decides to mend fences within his family by recovering at least some bones.

Instead, his time in the dive becomes a nightmare as he is swallowed by a sperm whale. He has to call on everything his father and sisters ever taught him in order to try to survive. Jay and his father had a very contentious relationship, but his time in the whale begins to show Jay how much his father really loved him.

The countdown of the chapters (the psi in Jay's tank) added to the drama of his struggles. Once again I find myself reading a book that jumps between the present (horror-filled) and the past (mostly introspection and memories). This isn't my favorite format, especially in an audiobook.

The narrator did a good job with the audiobook and kept my interest. I think it would have been better as a read book because of the extremely short chapters in some parts of the book.

There were some pretty poignant moments as Jay comes to terms with his death or possible future and realizes the true depth of a father's love.

Holy COW, that was intense. This book gripped me by the throat. I don't know what I was expecting, but this exceeded everything. What a unique storyline and brilliant writing. Thank you for the advanced copy.

It's still an emotional after just finishing it. The entire book had all every human emotion in it to me. Jay and his torment with his father. His father's choices haunted him until his last breath. Lessons literally learned and used by his father, whom he really loathed. An unlucky chain of events involving a giant squid and a sperm whale. Such a ride from beginning to end.

Then there's the philosophical part of it. There are so many metaphors, and just I can't put it into words. It was amazing, from beginning to end. It doesn't matter what genre you prefer. Read this book, please. You won't regret it. And if you do, I apologize.

Intense real time survival story with emotional backstory told via flashbacks. Claustrophobic and yet emotionally expansive. Highly recommended.

Huh. I don't know what to say about this. I had been putting it off for a while because I wasn't sure about it. And now that I'm finished, I'm still not really sure about it. To be fair, it's a relatively quick read, as the "chapters" are quite short and sometimes only a few words. I don't know if I was enjoying it per se, but I did find myself wanting to get back to the book asap and find out what was going to happen next. That is, until maybe the last quarter. Then I just got kind of tired of Jay and his implausible, yet "scientifically accurate" issues.

For one thing, he's a kid. Only 17. So that makes it a little more difficult to hear about what he had been through. Now, I am not a diver but would one really expect to find a body in the OCEAN? Especially after that much time had passed? So even though Jay was looking for closure through finding bones to bury, he sort of got through his own thoughts, his hallucinations, his experience with possible death.

And can we talk about Mitt for a minute? He was HORRIBLE to his son. The whole first 3/4ths of the book we hear about how abusive Mitt was to Jay. So much so that he killed himself as sort of a final act of rebellion to influence Jay. But then by the end, we are supposed to believe that Mitt was teaching his son all of these life lessons rather than drunkenly yammering on about his thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review. This one was not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria, and MTV Books for an eARC of Whalefall.

The premise of this book intrigued me! I already think whales are mesmerizing, so throw me a book with a man being swallowed by a whale and I'm in. A grieving son goes on a dive to find his father's remains and is swallowed by a whale. The rest of the story is about his survival from inside the whale, but also delves into his relationship with his father. That part of the story is equal parts sad and frustrating. The whale facts were way better! I think I find myself in the middle of the road with this one. Not a bad story, just slow at times.

Oh man. I really wanted to love this one. A horror eaten by a whale?! But unfortunately this revolved more aroun dour main character and his dad trauma than anything else. I found it a bit repetitive and it just didn't work for me.

Wow....just wow. I have never read anything like this book. Some of the details made me squeamish, some claustrophic, but all very visceral emotions. So good job to the author Daniel Kraus for painting such vibrant pictures with his words. This book while highly unbelievable was a very interesting concept. It could have been a very surface level struggle for survival, but Daniel created a backstory, and purpose for his main character. There was depth "no pun intented" and heart that made you care about this character and his struggle to survive. Very interesting book! 100% the most unique I have read in awhile. I am giving it three stars only because it dragged on it many parts, and I found myself skimming to get to the action and the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙨𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙗𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙝𝙤’𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙮-𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙩, 𝙨𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙮-𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙭𝙮𝙜𝙚𝙣 𝙧𝙪𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩.

Brilliant, unique, compelling, and creepy, Whalefall is a must-read.

Jay is scuba diving in search of his father’s ashes, but he gets swallowed by a sperm whale and only has an hour before his oxygen runs out.

I completely read this only because of the cover and synopsis - I was immediately intrigued. This is such a scary scenario I’ll never like to be in. This is a survival horror thriller, but it also was emotional at times.

I was engaged and hooked by the story, it was a super tense, suspenseful, and fully intense story. I loved the eerie atmosphere and how the story focuses more on just surviving.

There’s a father/son relationship and was brilliantly written. There are themes such as grief, forgiveness, and survival. There’s a certain aspect of the book I loved, which would be a spoiler so I can’t mention it.

While it was a slow start, it did pick up and I was immersed in the story. I also loved the scientific research with scuba diving and marine biology.

If you’re looking for an intense, captivating, horrifying, and edge-of-your-seat kind of read, then you might want to check out this survival story.

Thank you so much NetGalley and MTV Books for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

"Whalefall" by Daniel Kraus is a compelling novel that explores the depths of human experience and the intricacies of relationships. Kraus navigates complex themes with a deft touch, delivering a narrative that is both poignant and thought-provoking.

One of the novel's strengths is Kraus's ability to craft a multi-layered story that intertwines various elements of human emotion and connection. The characters are meticulously developed, each with their own struggles and triumphs, contributing to the overall richness of the narrative. The exploration of themes such as loss, resilience, and the passage of time adds depth to the storytelling.

However, readers may find that the nonlinear narrative and shifting perspectives require careful attention, and some may desire a more straightforward storytelling approach. While the complexity enhances the depth of the novel, it may pose a challenge for those seeking a more straightforward narrative.

In conclusion, "Whalefall" is a commendable novel that engages readers with its intricate exploration of human relationships and the complexities of life. Daniel Kraus's skillful storytelling and the nuanced character development make it a worthwhile read for those who appreciate thought-provoking narratives. While the novel's structure may pose a challenge for some readers, those willing to invest in the layered storytelling will find "Whalefall" to be a rewarding and emotionally resonant experience.

For a book that was marketed as in the vein of the Martian, this on fell a little short me. I guess it's a lot to live up to but I was hoping it would capture a little of the magic of that locked in highly scientific vibe of the Martian. Whalefall on the other hand was a lot more emotional than I was expecting, which is not necessarily a bad thing but I found the characters in Jay's flashbacks a little tedious. Instead of adding depth to the story, the flashback with Jay's dad felt poorly developed and lacking in the depth of emotion I would have liked to see from a complicated abusive relationship. A lot of it ironically felt surface level for a book with so much detail in the other sections.

Never did I think I would be reading a book about a guy being stuck in a whale, but oh my goodness it was perfection. The ocean is scary enough, but when you add, in the fact of giant whales, no thank you.!

Definitely a thriller I wasn’t prepared for!
Jay departs on an ambitious dive off the coast of California with the hopes of recovering his estranged dad’s remains who died by suicide the year before. Equipped and going solo into the Pacific Ocean, everything is going smoothly until a giant squid arrives. When Jay tried to escape, he is caught in its tentacles as an even bigger danger arrives. A sperm whale arriving to feed on the squid swallows them both whole, pulled into one of its four stomachs. With only an hour left in his oxygen tank, it’s a race to escape and survive, all while the depth pressure and lack of oxygen starts causing hallucinations as he also confronts the grief of his dad’s death.
This is a unique thriller that leaves the reader holding their breath more than once as you’re caught in Jay’s thoughts and race for survival.
Thank you to MTV Books and Simon & Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I don't even know why I requested this book. It was really not for me. But I did give it a try.

Whalefall was my first book by Daniel Kraus. It was hyped up a lot and I was excited to get the advanced copy of this one. But it just didn't hit for me. I thought it was more family drama than anything. I didn't really love or connect with any of the characters, there wasn't enough action, and I just could not get into the story.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

What a ride of a book! I'm very glad I took a chance on this story--one that is normally outside of mycomfort genre. Well worth it.

This novel draws you in from the start. I was not prepared for the emotional and claustrophobic roller coaster that I embarked on.
It was one of those stories I could not set down. I had to finish so I could breath normally again.
It is a heartbreaking story about a tumultuous father/son relationship.
While scuba diving to find his father’s remains Jay is swallowed after an encounter with a rarely spotted whale. Jay is simultaneously battling for his life and with his past demons.
The author does an amazing job of making you feel you are in the stomach of a whale right there with Jay..
I highly recommend this breathtaking tale.

While this book isn't in a genre I typically gravitate towards, I really enjoyed this harrowing tale. Very riveting and honestly keep me guessing!

Thank you to Atria/MTV Books for providing me with an eARC of Whalefall.

I think my hopes were set a little too high when it comes to Whalefall which unfortunately impacted how I felt while reading.

This book is very heavy with grief & daddy issues. & I zoned a bit.. too much when I was reading this. I still like the premise and the survival scenario that occurs during Whalefall. Being trapped inside a whale is terrifying, y’know? So it was still a decent read, just not necessarily as wild as I was hoping.

This story was wild and one of my biggest horrors in a book I’d being underwater but you don’t know claustrophobic until you’re under water AND inside a whale

Thank you for the advanced copy, really enjoyed this entire story, and the characters I met along the way.