Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

A rich family with another father that holds all the power over his kids - invites them onto a vacation on a yacht and then finds small ways to pit them against each other as he decides who gets to run the family company and gets all the millions. I have to admit, this isn't a unique plot as I've read a few just over the last month or 2.

But this story still managed to feel unique. The yacht, the funny internet updates at the end/beginning of chapters updating on the rich family's travels, and the unending rocking of the boat everyone hated all gave the story little pieces to keep me hooked! Even though the family were horrible people, the story never needed me to like them - the mystery of what would happen next was enough to keep me reading. It was a great audiobook with a good narrator. Entertaining for the trainwreck that is happening. I liked it!

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

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda in exchange for my honest review and feedback. I was beyond excited to receive approval as I absolutely love anything by Karia! This book was SO good and kept me turning all the "juicy" pages late into the night as I was unable to put it down for one minute! Do yourself a big favor and read this the first chance you get!

Oh my - if you need characters to hate but also want something that you cannot put down - this is the book for you! The Kinglsey's are extremely wealthy, entitled, and cut-throat. Competing for the top spot in the family company leads to drama, intense scheming, and even murder - I could not read this book fast enough. The characters were very interesting, and I loved to dislike them. The story takes place on the family yacht, which seemed to add to the tension. Overall, I would highly recommend this entertaining book!

I am a huge fan of this author and have read a lot of their previous work, so I was honored to get this arc copy to read. After my long book hiatus after having my new baby, this was such a fun book to jump start my reading for the new year!

I think it's a shame that I had already watched "Succession" before reading this one - it is touted as "Succession on a boat" and I had really high hopes, but since the show is such a powerhouse, I think this one just fell flat for me personally. It's an iteration of the King Lear trope, as Succession is as well; the aging patriarch is looking to bestow his legacy upon one of his many eager and conniving children. Backstabbing ensues.

The first part of this novel was super engaging with vey unlikeable characters (a family of spoilt rich children, all the children of their father’s multiple marriages), but as the book progressed I found it very predictable and I couldn’t fathom that I was suppose to be reading and engaged by people aged 40-80 as they felt like very immature people,

Over all, not bad an easy domestic thriller.

I did not realize that this was from the series but if you like a good read with a lot of family drama you will enjoy this one. Secrets and betrayals, twists and turns. . Just when you think you got the answer it disingrates. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

I wasn’t a fan of this one so won’t say too much about it.
It’s the first in a series though and definitely had some succession vibes to it.
For me it just took too long to get going anywhere and got quite repetitive in parts.

Kaira Rouda strikes again, and Beneath the Surface is my new favorite book of hers thanks to the massive amounts of family drama and it is one of the most bingeable books I have read in a while. There is no end to rich people behaving badly in this story, and secrets abound just to be revealed as the book goes on. The Kingsleys are a hot mess, and I couldn't get enough of Richard's crazy antics. I don't think there is a single likable character in this book and in all honesty that was part of the fun for me. 😅

Brilliance Audio did that thing I like and gave the audiobook a full cast of narrators which was also fantastic. There are quite a few viewpoints, so it was nice to have the distinction of the different narrators. James Anderson Foster, Cynthia Farrell, Patrick Lawlor, Mia Barron, & Amy Landon did a great job voicing their parts and I didn't really have any complaints so I would definitely recommend the audio. This book + the audio is also currently available on Kindle Unlimited which was a nice perk, and I even bought a copy of the book to have on my shelf. I am so glad this is a series, and I can't wait to read the next one!

It's pretty fun to watch rich people behaving badly, and these people are definitely behaving badly. Everyone is lying, cheating, maneuvering, and there is no one to trust. I'm interested to see that this is the first in a new series, because I don't know how many more bad things these people could do! Maybe we'll learn more about their children? This is definitely a soap opera style popcorn thriller. Totally unbelievable, not much depth, but fun to read anyway.

Really good read with a lot of family drama amongst the Kingsleys which I happened to enjoy. There was many secrets and betrayals as well as backstabbing. I will say none of the characters are perfect but it will have you at the edge of your seat trying to see who will come out on top.

This author is a hit or miss for me. This time it was a hit for sure.

Family drama. The high seas. The ups and downs. Lies galore. What more do you need.

This one has enough twists and turns to keep you wanting more. It's possibly the best book by this author ever.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. This is my own thoughts about this book.

I absolutely LOVED this novel. What is better than some family drama? Family drama that ensure on a yacht in the middle of the ocean!

I loved the twists and turns, cat and mouse vibe to this novel. I was hooked from the very beginning. Full of lies, betrayals, deceit, greed and money this novel is sure to have you hooked!

I cannot recommend this one enough!

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

I have to abandon this one at 30%. So far all I've learned is that all of the characters are vapid and awful, the ocean is a dark and scary place, and the head of the family has some surprise that he's going to unleash on his kids while on his megayacht. The dad's favorite room is the library, which is literally the only thing I could relate to. The writing comes across juvenile, which makes it really hard to believe that these characters are all middle to late aged and uber successful. It's also very repetitive. I feel like I've read the same paragraphs over and over again.

If you like Succession, this book is for you! The lies, the deceit, the suspense! I enjoyed this book and the setting. Would love to read more about these characters!

This was not for me. The story was kinda slow and I couldn't connect with the characters at all. I was hoping for something different

I liked The Succession style premise of this one. Money grubbing relatives are always wildly entertaining. There was a lot of dysfunction and back-stabbing, which kept the plot interesting. And I understand making all the characters flawed, but I think the story would've worked better if the reader had someone to root for. I could care less who would become crowned the family's next heir. The character's inner thoughts were really repetitive too and I wish got edited down. This seems to be the start of the series and I would probably check out the next one too since it did make for an interesting character study.

This novel is not smooth sailing for this dynamic family. So many deceptions, family feuds, drama and just craziness. I adore this author and I can always count on a delicious novel.