"Beneath the surface," by Kaira Rouda is a fun, page-turning novel. Richard Kingsley, the patriarch of a multi-billion-dollar international conglomerate summons his children for a weekend voyage on his luxury yacht. His not-too-secret plan for the weekend,: to name his successor. This pits his two sons, John and Ted (and their respective wives) against one another., a position they seem to have endured their entire lives, Throw into the mix Richard's somewhat estranged daughter and his fourth wife, and the weekend is set to be anything but relaxing. The story is told using first person perspectives from many of the book's characters.

As it becomes clear in this novel that family takes a back seat to money, power and betrayal, the reader is more and more immersed in the tension created Still, there are hints of humanity behind each character, which makes one want to root for each of them, while also despising them.. Do not expect any life changing revelations or poetic prose as one reads this novel. Instead, expect a fun read that's hard to put down and hours well spent. I noted that this novel is described as 'the Kingsleys #1'. I, for one, am anxiously awaiting number two.

Thank you so much Netgalley and Thomas &Mercer for the ARC.

This was such a quick read with interesting characters, even though many weren’t very likable. The plot kept me interested. I liked the multiple points of view. *I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.*

Propulsive, fast, twisted and CLEVER! All of these make her books BRILLIANT! I love Kaira's books and this was such a delightful one to read! It had the perfect balance of likeable characters , and a few that readers love to loathe. This was easily a 4 star for me! Well done Kaira! Can't wait to add this to my shelf !

A billionaire plans a family yacht trip with his kids. He doesn’t tell them that the three kids are all going to be on the yacht. The brothers are surprised to see each other and woah here comes their sister. What could go wrong? Spoiler- everything!

Beneath the Surface was a wild ride from start to finish. This book is filled with family drama and black mail. Some of the characters really surprised me. If you love a good family drama, you will like this book. I haven’t read a book by Kaira Rouda that I didn’t like!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

BENEATH THE SURFACE by Kaira Rouda is a family drama filled with lies and backstabbing. Richard Kingsley, the billionaire CEO of his family's company, invites his sons and their wives on a weekend trip to Catalina Island to discuss who will take over the company after his retirement. However, their youngest sibling, Sibley, unexpectedly joins them, causing tension among the family. The book is full of surprises and twists that keep the reader engaged from start to finish. Paige is the only likable character, and the reader will sympathize with her throughout the story. Overall, if you enjoy family dramas, BENEATH THE SURFACE is a good read. Kaira Rouda is known for writing engaging and fun books, and this one is no exception.

The Kingsley billionaire, Richard, invites his children to join him on a weekend trip on his brand-new mega-yacht. Once they board, the drama descends as they are all vying for a chance to take over their father's company. Each of the children have been brought up as a direct competitor to their siblings, so the competition is fierce as they initially assumed each was invited separately. Also, Richard's new wife is present, with her own agenda as well.

Overall, a solid thriller. I enjoyed reading about the exclusive lives of the 1% and all of the drama that is associated with that type of power. I did feel like the text was very redundant with each chapter and some of the writing seemed a little jumbled.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Publication date 9/5/2023.

Beneath the surface by Kaira Rouda was a quick fun read. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters except for Paige, but that was OK. A locked room mystery set on a yacht with a few twists, this one kept me turning Pages. This is my first of this authors books, but I will be sure to check out some others.

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer dir this ARC.

ME: I'm just going to start this book today.
Also me after a couple of chapters: I must finish this book today!!!

Richard Kingsley had invited his children and their spouses to join him and his wife on their yacht for a weekend trip. The children along with their spouses each decide to take the opportunity to convice Richard that they are the right person to run the family's company. I could not put this book down, I needed a front row seat to watch this dysfunctional family tear each other apart. They did not disappoint. The ending wasn't a disappointment either.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an edge of their seat book.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The basis of this book is a blend of Succession and Below Deck. Richard Kinglsey, the billionaire patriarch, has invited his three adult children on a yachting trip as he attempts to pick a successor. John, the oldest, has been working at the family company as the CFO. Ted, the middle child, had previously been ushered out of the family company under hushed circumstances. And Sibley, the youngest, has decided to go the efficient route, never working and simply collecting checks from her father. The plot had several twists and turns with a very intense third act.
As a fan of Below Deck and dark family dramas, I really thought this book would be a hit for me. Unfortunately, it was more of a miss. I was hoping for morally gray characters with conniving plans of familial destruction. Instead, each character felt whiny and not terribly motivated to do anything out of pocket. Overall, I would probably only recommend this to people who are more interested in rich characters than a thrilling plot.
For a more detailed review, check out my blog! Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kaira Rouda has done it again in her first ever book belonging to a series (I believe). I loved to loathe the Kingsley siblings and most of their spouses, making this book impossible to put down. Looking forward to book number 2!

A fast paced family drama full of secrets and lies you can’t wait to unravel, This was such a wild ride and I loved you were able to read from everyone’s POV, this made it a lot more interesting and amped up my connection to the characters. It was very much full of love to hate but everything was so well written, full of twists I couldn’t put this down,

Well now!! What a ride! A family...secrets...and all together on a yacht near a secluded island..in a storm. What could go wrong?
Sibling rivalry abounds as each wants to be named as their father's successor. Their wives/partners also have a stake in the drama..
I really enjoyed this book as there is a lot "beneath the surface". It just kept getting better and better as details unfolded.
Highly recommend!

I did not like this book. It was boring and I could not wait to finish it. I would not recommend it.

Kaira Rouda is one of my favorite suspense authors and "Beneath the Surface" was a quick, great read.

In Beneath the Surface, a thriller by Kaira Rouda, a family who all hates each other get together for a weekend yacht trip when summoned by the patriarch of the family. I did not like ANY of the characters - the kids were. Bunch of spoiled brats who all just wanted control of their dad’s company. Secrets. Betrayals. Blackmail. Murder. This book has them all!

This was absolute fire!! I was hooked from the first page. This was so good. I would give it 6 stars if I could.
I just reviewed Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda. #BeneaththeSurface #NetGalley
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Richard Kingsley seems to have it all. A successful company, more money than he could ever spend, and a mega yacht, the Splendid Seas. Each of his children think they will be spending quality time with him on his luxurious yacht this coming weekend, but Richard always has a more in-depth plan. His sons, John and Ted, along with their wives and Richard‘s latest wife (number 4)Serena, are headed to Catalina Island.But all is not well with this family.
His sons want control of the company when he is gone, and they both carry quite a bit of, shall we say, baggage. When their sister Sibley joins them, the family skeletons fall out of each of their closets,every time the foul weather rocks the boat.
Beneath the Surface oozed family drama, and there was only one character I actually liked. It did not end the way I thought it would. No spoilers, but the Kingsleys manage to add a couple more skeletons to their already overflowing closets. Publishing on September 5,this to me would be a perfect end of summer,fast paced beach read.
Also, on the Goodreads page it says: the Kingsley’s #1, so I assume we will see this dysfunctional family again. Definitely a page turner.

Enjoyable book. The family dynamics reminded me a bit of the tv show Succession. While none of the characters were particularly likable, I still liked this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC!

Rich. People. Behaving. Badly.

Its my favorite trope and this one totally lived up to my own hype!

Pick this up when you crave juicy, rich people, being naughty.