I was drawn to this book based on the description that it was about a scuba diver that was swallowed by a whale and he has only one hour to escape before his oxygen runs out. While I agree with this description I feel like it did not quite describe the book. The first half of the book focuses on the main characters grief over the loss of his father to illness/suicide and the unresolved issues that he has from it. Approximately halfway through the book he is swallowed by the whale and the focus shifts to escaping while still processing and coming to terms with the loss of his father. It was an emotional read and the second half was packed with fast paced action.

I’ll be honest that I genuinely didn’t jump into this thinking I would love it as much as I did. I was expecting a fast-paced, anxiety inducing thriller in the likes of Falling and Drowning. This book is not that. This book is, yes a survival story, but most importantly a story about grief and reconciliation. In understanding where the people in our lives come from, and if we can’t understand them, accepting them as they come. It’s a story of human nature entwined in a lesson of the cyclical nature of life. I will give a heads up that if someone stays away from body gore and/or are squeamish I’m not sure if this one is for you. Overall, incredibly heart-wrenching and suspenseful!

I picked up Whalefall thinking it was about a young man being swallowed by a whale, but it turned out to be so much more than that. This is a story about fathers and sons, unmet expectations, grief...and, of course, whales.

I flew through this book in just 2 days. The short chapters and almost real-time narrative made it impossible to put down, and the amount of detail truly made me feel like I was in the whale with Jay, both physically and emotionally. If you are sensitive to gore, keep that in mind before picking this one up! The author also made excellent use of flashbacks to help us get to know Jay and his late father, Mitt. Their relationship felt authentic and added real motivation for Jay's actions. Overall, this was an excellent book and one I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Atria, and MTV Books for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!

"WhaleFall" is an absolute masterpiece that left me in awe! This touching and powerful book delves into the complex relationship between a father and son, Jay and Mitt, that is both heart-wrenching and beautifully portrayed. The story takes us on a journey of loss, redemption, and the profound connection between humans and the ocean.

Jay's memories of his father, who struggled with alcoholism and held a tumultuous relationship with his son, are vividly depicted. Despite their differences, the love they both shared for the ocean remained their only common ground. When tragedy strikes, and Mitt tragically passes away, Jay embarks on a quest to find his father's remains in the vastness of the ocean.

The harrowing and heart-pounding moments in the underwater canyon are brilliantly depicted, making the reader feel as if they are right there alongside Jay. The author's attention to detail and scientific accuracy bring the story to life, creating mesmerizing visuals and a deep sense of immersion in Jay's perilous journey.

Jay's struggle for survival within the belly of a sperm whale is both beautiful and barbaric, and the portrayal of his emotions and introspection throughout this ordeal is profoundly moving. The book skillfully weaves together past and present, exploring Jay's complex feelings towards his father, his grief, and his search for meaning in the face of loss.

The depth of the characters is exceptional, and the way the story explores themes of family, love, and acceptance resonates deeply with readers. Jay's growth and reconciliation with his past are brilliantly written, making him a truly compelling and relatable protagonist.

"WhaleFall" tugs at the heartstrings and brings tears to the eyes with its poignant storytelling. The author's ability to elicit such strong emotions is a testament to their exceptional writing prowess. The novel beautifully captures the essence of a father-son relationship, flawed yet undeniably profound.

As a reader, I found myself completely immersed in the world of Jay and Mitt, feeling every emotion and rooting for Jay's survival and self-discovery. The story's beauty lies not only in its suspenseful plot but also in the heartfelt exploration of grief, love, and the bond between humans and the vast ocean.

In conclusion, "WhaleFall" is an outstanding literary gem that I cannot recommend enough. This book is an emotional rollercoaster, filled with captivating storytelling, breathtaking visuals, and thought-provoking themes. With its perfect blend of heart and suspense, it easily earns a well-deserved 5-star rating.

What would you do if you were accidentally swallowed by a whale? Jay's about to find out.

This book had such a weird premise but ended up being an incredibly great book. This was a totally different type of thriller than I'm used to. - there's no killer on the loose or a dangerous situation to run away from. It wasn't quite an adventure thriller either. Yes, Jay's fighting against nature to survive but it was him against a whale, not him against the elements. To add to this, the author worked in a lot of coming of age and reflective elements about Jay's relationship and history with his father.

At times, the endless minutiae about scuba diving felt overwhelming and tedious, but a lot of it actually became relevant later and I could see why that information was provided. I learned so much about whales and scuba diving. This was an incredible ride. I couldn't stop reading and I can honestly say this was a completely unique book.

Highly recommend this one!

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

When Jay decides to dive to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean of the coast of Monastery Beach, he only has one mission: find his dead father’s remains and bring them home to the family. Maybe then he can unload some of the guilt he’s been shouldering - guilt over not being there as his father battled cancer. Guilt over not being there when his father begged to see him again. Over not being there when his father decided to take his own life rather than suffer any longer. His father was one of the best divers in the area and he taught Jay everything he knew. So Jay is pretty confident that a rescue mission for his father’s remains is something he can safely accomplish. But after only a short time in the water, the unthinkable - the seemingly impossible - happens. Jay is swallowed alive by a whale.

Thus begins one of the BEST books I have read since I first read the Zebulon Finch duology (also by Kraus). I honestly have no notes on how this book could be any better than it already is. Whales my favorite animal, and Kraus is my favorite author, so I had high expectations going in, but this book did not disappoint me in the slightest.

Not only is the story deep and profound, exploring the ways in which we feel and comes to terms with guilt and grief and parental relationships, but the *descriptions*. I could SEE the bioluminescent squid and jellyfish. I could FEEL the walls of the whale’s stomach grinding and pulsing. I could HEAR the whale's haunting, mournful call out into the wild ocean. If David Attenborough were to narrate a ocean horror documentary, it would be this book.

Also, I have to add that I rarely react visibly or out loud when reading a book, but the number of times I gasped, winced, and cringed throughout this story - I couldn’t help it. Parts of it even had me almost screaming in shock/horror. The writing had me so submerged in the story. The pacing was also absolutely brilliant, I could have read the entire book in one sitting but I forced myself to read it slower just to make it last longer. Even then, I only managed to make it last three days.

I still feel beyond lucky and grateful that I received an arc of this book - thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review it. I’ve already preordered my hard copy and absolutely cannot wait for it to arrive so I can read Whalefall all over again. Highly, highly recommend. 10/5 stars.

I heard great things about Whalefall in the book groups I am in and was excited to read it. I spent 3 weeks trying to get into it. I made it 54 pages in. I decided to force myself to finish it and I will admit I skimmed a bit. This story follows Jay, whose father was a well known diver and has passed away by suicide. His body has not been recovered. Jay is determined to find something of his father’s, a bone, anything. He makes a dangerous solo dive in order to recover his father. During the dive he is swallowed by a whale. The rest of the book is Jay fighting to survive inside a whale. This was not my kind of story. I wasn’t invested and couldn’t focus on it at all. I personally do not understand the love for it, but I appreciate that other people enjoyed it. I understand that it is an exploration of grief and the dynamics of father/son relationships. I did not identify with it. 1/5 stars for me. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me access to an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date August 8th, 2023. This review will be found on Instagram and Goodreads indefinitely.
Instagram book reviews @CandaceOnline

I'm honestly torn on what to say about this title. On the one hand it was shockingly original, and I can see the research and time spent on getting things as accurate as possible. On the other hand I think I was expecting something a little different, and I'm left scratching my head about a few things. First things first, I found the writing style a little off-putting. There were times I felt like it was poetic and rhythmic, but more often I just didn't think it worked. I was confused and found myself having to reread sections more than once because I wasn't fully grasping what was happening. Now without spoiling anything some of the aspects of the story didn't make sense; in particular his "interactions" with the whale did not work for me at all. I can appreciate that Kraus has come up with a unique idea, and the emotions behind the main character were well done, they felt real and I could almost always understand where Jay was coming from, but in the end I was disappointed by the execution. Unless someone specifically asks for a survival story or a The Martian read-alike I don't think I will be recommending this book to customers. I'm certainly not going to steer anyone away from purchasing it, but I don't think I'll be steering anyone towards it any time soon either. This was a miss for me, but I seem to be in the minority here, so don't let my thoughts stop you from picking up what could be your next favorite read.

I had a hard time putting WHALEFALL down because of how fast paced, gripping, and utterly bananas it is. The description alone, of a diver being swallowed by a sperm whale and having to figure out how to escape, is such a hook that I knew it was going to be a journey. But on top of the really out there (but also plausible; Kraus did the research and spoke to many experts and makes this as realistic as possible) aspects is a very emotional meditation about a teenager who is still coping with the suicide of his father, with whom he had a very complicated relationship. I liked the switch offs between being inside the whale and the flashbacks to the relationship between Jay and his father Mitt, seeing how Jay was berated, guided, shaped, and damaged by his unhappy father, and how the lessons he learned can help him find a way out. This is a quick read, I finished it in about two sittings, and it had me in its grasp the entire time. It was also fun seeing the setting of Monastery Beach in Monterey, California, as I spent many a childhood spring break in that area to visit family. So many moments of me saying to myself 'I've BEEN there!'

WHALEFALL is the perfect thriller for late summer. It's a wild ride and it will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Thank you to NetGalley, and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was one of my favorite books of the year by far! Daniel Kraus’s storytelling was adventurous, suspenseful, breathtaking, terrifying, and captivating. This story shows such an incredible bond between father and son!
@kraus_author 👏🐳🤿🌊

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Summary:
Jay takes it upon himself to go on a dive into the Pacific Ocean to search for his father’s remains. He gets pulled into a whale by a giant squid. Jay gets trapped in the whale’s first of four stomachs. He only has one hour of oxygen left to try to escape.

#read #booknerdigans #booklover #bookaddict #bookstagram #thriller #suspense #readmore #avidreader #bookstagram #netgalley #netgalleyreads #whalefall #danielkraus #bookies #bookworms

Actual rating 4.5 stars

Thank you so much to Atria Books, MTV Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book. To be completely honest, if Atria hadn’t reached out and said, “Read this book! It’s great!” I don’t think I would have ever even picked it up.

And what a tragedy that would have been. I loved it.

We follow Jay, an 18-year-old with daddy issues and a head full of nautical and marine facts thanks to the aforementioned father, Mitt. After leaving home at sixteen, fed up with Mitt, Jay lives on friends’ couches despite his mother and sisters’ protests to see come home after Mitt’s cancer diagnosis and subsequent suicide.

In an attempt to assuage his family’s grief, Jay goes on a solo dive to recover Mitt’s bones. However, he finds himself too far into an underwater canyon and into the mouth of a sperm whale.

I loved the story and pacing of this book - most chapters only a page or two with some being only a word or two. I also loved the alternating timeline between Jay’s dive and childhood leading up to it.

The writing style was really interesting and oftentimes poetic, creating an atmospheric read that I think can speak to a wide range of readers.

Would definitely recommend.

I was expecting something very reminiscent of the bibles version of Jonah and the whale but this was not that. The writing was very clunky and fast. The story immediately just jumps around and I was very confused as to what was happening. Probably for people who really appreciate books not written at a slower pace. The main character had some problems with his dad and that was very well fleshed out but I just think this one wasn't for me. Pretty unique story overall though.

Thanks in advance to Simon and Schuster and Atria Books for the ARC in return for my honest review!

Overall 3 / 5, a just fine book. Easy to read and well-paced. This would be an excellent airport read. I do feel like some aspects were lost on me – I’m not a scuba diver and I know there were pieces here that probably meant a lot to someone familiar with the hobby. I appreciate the dedication to scientific accuracy, and getting to experience whale stomachs (yes, plural!) sure was something else.

I enjoyed the deep dive on family dynamics between a father and son, but I didn’t feel that the blurb accurately sold me on just what this book was. I expected something a little bigger on the surviving and less on the mystical aspects of being saved. My one big complaint with this book is that I didn’t feel like the protagonist earned much of the resolution that came his way – mostly this book happened TO him and there wasn’t much that he did himself that mattered.

-2 stars for lack of main character agency, + a billion for the mental image of using a whale as a kazoo.

I got an early copy of Whalefall and read it over the last two days.
Eighteen-year-old Jay wrestles with all his regrets while trying to escape from inside a whale. It is a masterclass into the mind of someone who is depressed. Before reading, I thought it would be more horror and less reflective; deep sea science fiction is scarier because the possibility of getting saved is so much more there than in books set in space, like someone could come along in the ocean at any minute.
I was wondering how this story would end until it did.
Daniel Kraus managed to make a short time feel like forever, as I imagine it would if you were trying to get out of a whale. If you liked The Martian, you'll love this story, and like any great story: be prepared for all the feels. It's so honest in the way this family bumps up against each other, trying to forgive and understand each other.
Even though I'm not technically allowed to quote, I'm going to sneak this in: "There's nothing to hug in a stomach, but Jay does his best. He wants the whale to know he's here. At last, he's here."

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review!

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book! It gave me the underwater thriller aspect that was promised, but it also gave you a very emotional background between a father and son. I didn’t expect to be emotionally moved by a whale thriller, but I definitely was!!! I don’t want to give anything away because I think it’s be best to go in blind, but I highly recommend you give this a try! I would love to read more by this author in the future! A side note to those who may be uncomfortable with the horror tag, it seems to be more due to descriptive gore than any other horror aspects.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read.

The cover states this was a mix of The Martian and 127 Hours and that is probably one of the most accurate blurbs.

The father/son story mixed with the fear and claustrophobic whale scenario created a great story. Highly enjoyed this read and I hope it does well. 4.5 rounded up.

Whales are beautiful, majestic creatures to be admired from a distance. They’re far less enjoyable when one ends up in one of these oceanic giants’ stomachs. That is the unfortunate fate that befalls Jay Gardiner in Daniel Kraus’s Whalefall, a diver struggling with his inner demons who finds himself approached by a giant squid.

Unfortunately, the squid is prey for a mighty sperm whale, who inadvertently consumes Jay in the process of devouring the squid. Trapped alive like a modern Jonah in the belly of the whale, it’s on Jay to escape his predicament as his sanity and oxygen deplete.

Daniel Kraus has an absolutely gorgeous and unique writing style. If one is creating a story of a modern-day Jonah, beautiful prose has to accompany it and Kraus does not disappoint. Such a simple story is given immense depth and passion with perfectly chosen sentences with an unconventional organization to the chapters.

Jay himself is a compelling character, and his personal issues elevate the novel from its simple premise. Struggling with closure to his father’s death by suicide out at sea, Jay is forced to reconcile with these problems if he has any hope of escape.

This is a novel that never feels slow and proceeds at a fine pace to a fantastic end. One of the best releases of the year, Daniel Kraus’s writing is a white whale any reader would be lucky to capture.

So this book is my worst nightmare. It’s an underwater horror following Jay who’s father dies, so he puts on his scuba gear to dive to the bottom of the ocean to finds his fathers bones but then gets swallowed by a whale and has to fight for his life from its belly. Early reviews for this are fantastic so I jumped in immediately and just wow, it’s emotional, unforgettable, and the plot is insane to me and gives me chills as someone who hates the ocean, well I find the ocean fascinating but it also terrifies me. I have Thalasssophobia so reading this would give me immense anxiety. I can barely dive underwater in video games but damnit did I want to read this. Anyways, this is as gruesome, claustrophobic, an exploration of not only ocean life but grief as well.

This book had me in such a gripping chokehold the entire time. I finished it in one sitting. I was completely enthralled and could not put it down. This was so intensely powerful and thought provoking.

I really enjoyed the way the chapters were done. In one instance you have the countdown for Jay's oxygen level in present time and on the other hand we're taken on this journey over the years of Jay and his recently deceased father's relationship. A relationship that was less than ideal. The inner turmoil he goes through about the past all while trying to save his own life in present time, was truly heart wrenching. I also learned a lot about sea creatures, specifically whales, that I won't soon forget.

All around this was such a powerful story about forgiveness, grief and perseverance that will definitely be sticking with me.

Following his father’s untimely death, Jay, his estranged son tries to come to terms with the death of his father by diving in dangerous water to find his bones and give him a proper burial. As he descends into the depths of the California coast, he experiences something he could never have prepared for. Being swallowed by a sperm whale. Trapped in this unprecedented environment, he tries to come to terms with his very complicated feelings about his father and about the sea. I was pretty uncertain how I would feel about this one, but I ended up really liking it. With super short chapters and interesting, complicated characters, I read this in record time. It was the perfect beach read from the comfort of the dry sand.

I'll post this review on my instagram @boozehoundbookclub closer to the pub date.