This is Kaira Rouda's first book in the series about The Kingsleys- a wealthy dysfunctional family with plenty of skeletons in the closet.

The premise is that the patriarch of the family, Richard Kingsley, invites his adult children and their partners aboard his new super yacht for an overnight trip to Catalina Island. The invitation is supposedly to reconnect, but everyone knows the true purpose - to assess which one of the heirs is fit to run the billionaire family enterprise. All three siblings dislike each other and nurse personal grudges against their father. Their nearly 80 year-old father and his new 38 year-old wife Serena, his fifth, will host as the three siblings jockey for position and try to edge each other out. All's fair in love and succession. But the weather is stormy and so is the mood as carefully laid plans go wrong.

I always find Kaira Rouda's books fun to read, with characters you love to hate. Similar to your favourite trashy reality show, it's just fun to watch people behaving badly. This one was lacking however. The quality of the writing was just not there. The dialogue felt wooden and repetitive; there was just no spark in it. What could have been great fun, with snappy dialogue and underhanded scheming, just felt like a chore to read. Ted and John came across as whiny, immature and entitled. Sibley, who could have been a breath of fresh air, was just low class and rude. The wives are one-dimensional. And with about 10% of the novel left to go, there is a bizarre plot twist that made absolutely no sense to me.

Kaira Rouda can spin a tale, but this one wasn't her best effort.

Another great book by Kaira Rouda. Beneath the Surface is about billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley who invites his sons and their families to join him on his mega yacht to Catalina Island. Over rough seas, they spend a weekend with him trying to figure out who he will make the next CEO when he dies. This book has all the secrets, lies, drama and scandal that goes on with billionaires (or that I think goes on). I loved the story line and Kaira captured it all beautifully. And I especially love the beautiful cover! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published September 2023.

On a positive note, I enjoyed each chapter was a different characters viewpoint, however prefer a much quicker climax in a novel. The climax of the story was towards the end of the book and it felt very rushed after what the reader had been anticipating like a game of Clue all along. I didn’t feel the adventure on the high seas or anything necessarily “dark” about the novel. ‘Beneath the Surface’ offered what we can see play out on any reality tv show with much more twists and turns to attract the audience.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer publisher for allowing me an early read in exchange for an honest review!*

4 out of 5 stars for me! Definitely a page turner. In fact, I just recommended this one to my sister to read when it comes out. A must buy!!!

"Beneath the Surface" reminds me of the popular Succession television series. The family patriarch accompanied by his third wife Serena has invited his three children and their spouses for a weekend trip to Catalina Island on his amazing new yacht.. None of them knew their siblings would be guests, and as their father was 80 something -the competition was fierce. Family secrets and drama are plentiful and the mysteries will keep you engaged.

Thanks to the author, NetGalley, and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I enjoy books by this author and was excited to see the latest available to request. I enjoyed this story, and some of the twists were unexpected. The dysfunctional family saga was entertaining and kept me wondering how it would turn out.

I enjoyed this book. Got me out of a reading slump. Solid storyline. Loved the sibling rivalry and the yacht setting. Some interesting surprises. Definitely recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this read. I was hoping for a great read with this book as Kaira Rouda wrote "The Best Day Ever" and that was a good book. I did not enjoy this book at all it was repetitive beyond what I could handle and it was just not thrilling at all. I was wondering when it was going to get there. The length of the book was good and I was glad it was not any longer as I would not have been able to read it.

Thank you net galley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC. I really wanted to like this book and unfortunately I couldn’t get into the story and characters. Other readers have enjoyed this book though!

Richard Kingsley, billionaire CEO, has invited his three children aboard his yacht the Splendid Seas for an overnight trip to Catalina Island. But this is more than an overnight voyage. Richard is choosing a successor to his real estate empire from among his children and it is not an easy choice. Everyone has secrets and this trip will serve to uncover and bring them all to the surface. Who will be worthy in the end? This was an entertaining novel filled with a cast of characters, each one more despicable than the next. Lots of twists and a shocking turn of events bring the book to a satisfying end.

I did not enjoy this book - the writing style was so incredibly repetitive and Ted was so deeply unlikeable. I struggled the entire way through it..

"Beneath the Surface" by Kaira Rouda is full of intense emotions from the powerful Kingsley family. We have cooperate issues, sibling hatred, affairs, illness, and maybe even murder. As the three Kingsley siblings battle it out over who will become CEO of the Kingsley Family Company. This book will keep you guessing until the end. The ending is very unexpected and will leave you shocked!!

💫THANK YOU to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an Honest Review!

#BeneaththeSurface #NetGalley

I really enjoy Kaira Rouda's writing, she can go pretty dark yet keep you invested in the story all the way through. This book might be the exception. I found almost every character (except one) completely unlikeable. I also felt that a few "gotcha" moments in the novel were not very surprising and almost predictable. That said I didn't want to put this down and walk away - the story is somewhat engaging and I liked the setting of Catalina Island. While not my favorite book from this author it is a solid 3 star book. I still remain a Rouda fan and look forward to her next book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such a fun atmospheric thriller that kept me hooked the entire time. I will definitely be recommending this one!

I’ve enjoyed every single book read by Kaira and each time I’m thrilled to start.

Beneath the Surface is book one in The Kingsleys series by Kaira Rouda.
This book was written perfectly, the pace was just right with lots of twists making you want to read the whole book in one go.
The way it's written is done so well Rouda is a genius and I’ve yet to read a book of hers that I've not enjoyed.
The plot is well thought out and the character development is so damn good.
The storyline leaves you guessing right until the end (for me anyway!).
And the drama and tension literally does not let up which I just loved.
I must admit this is a new favorite of mine.
And I’m so freaking excited to see she has made this into a series…. Because I literally need more.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

"Beneath the Surface" has a lot going for it - a locked room mystery, a "Succession" style plot, and a ton of unlikable people thrown onto a yacht. But it falls a little flat, both in dialogue and action. The big dramatic finish feels more like a predictable dud. It's a fast read and fun mind candy, but not my favorite.

Beneath the Surface by Kaira Rouda was a quick fun read. It very much reminded me of the HBO show Succession. The senior member of the family controls a world wide company and is ready to name his successor. He invites his three children and their significant others to join him on his yacht for the weekend to make his decision. The characters, like the characters in the show, are all really unlikeable and generally up to no good and it's a mystery to the end of who he'll pick to succeed him.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this digital ARC!

I’m never capable of steering away from stories about rich, entitled, and complicated families with tons of drama! There’s something about those reality TV shows with housewives on yachts wearing teeny tiny bikinis that keep eyes glued and unable to look away. And this book has just that! Scandalous. Salacious. Murderous.

Billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley isn’t doing so well in the health department. He is pushing 80 after all. He needs to pick a successor to take over the family business but who to choose amongst his three adult children who all seem to be hiding dark skeletons of their own? So, he decides to lure them with a trip to Catalina Island on his $32 million yacht for the weekend. Perhaps here he can get a closer idea of who these people are, and the siblings know Dad takes pleasure in watching them compete against each other. The sibling rivalry is hot; taking aim at each other, their partners, and even their young and sexy Stepmother. But who will win?

Beneath the Surface is just Part One of “The Kingsleys” series that author, Kaira Rouda, has in store for us. And after this ending, I can’t wait to see what kind of drama “King Richard” and his children stir up again!

Laura Ronda has quickly become one of my must-read authors. This was the perfect popcorn thriller. I read the book in mere hours, completely unable to put it down. I’m excited to see that this may only be the first we hear of the Kingsleys. I, for one, would love another story with them!

This book really sucked me in fast, with such a despicable group of people to read about it was hard to put down. It was interesting to read from their perspectives. The twists and turns really kept the story exciting as well, this was an enjoyable read.