This book grabbed my attention but didn't necessarily keep me hooked throughout. The story was slow going but I enjoyed it!

I am so excited that this dark family novel is going to be a series. Each character has a secret and a past. Page turning and gripping

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Amazon Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Keira Rouda - 4.5 stars!

Billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley and his new wife, Serena, invite his children and their spouses to join them on a cruise to Catalina Island in their new multi-million dollar yacht, Each of his sons, John and Ted, thought they were the sole invitee and were quite surprised to see the other onboard. Because it's time for Richard Kingsley to make his succession plan for the company, and each of his sons feel it's their due. Then Richard's estranged daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. Everyone is hiding secrets and with so much at stake, much can go wrong.

I am a big fan of Rouda's books and am so excited that this is the first in a Kingsley family series! It was full of family drama, lies, and unlikable characters. The atmosphere of the storm on the sea added to the turbulence going on between all the people on the ship. There were twists and turns that will keep you glued to the pages, and the ending was perfect. Can't wait to read the next book in this series!

oh Kaira Rouda, what have you done to my soul!!!

Beneath the Surface IS going to be a contender for Book Of The Year.

I was first introduced to Kaira Rouda through our little book corner, "bookstagram" . I hungrily devoured both The Widow and The Next Wife! I finished BOTH of these books in the same day!! To say I became an instant fan, would be an understatement.

When I saw Beneath the Surface, pop up on Netgalley, I knew I just had to have it!

The book fairies were working over time and I lucked out with an approval email and I am so grateful I did as this book is MIND-BLOWING!!!!

I zipped through this book anxious to see what would happen next. As all of Gouda's books are, this one is original and like nothing I have read before.

When you read as many thrillers as I do, they can at times feel like something you have read before, this is not the case with this one.

I was completely lost within the pages and felt as though I held my breath through more than half of it.

This book is sure to be a hit and I am so excited to have been given the opportunity to read and review early in exchange for an honest review! Thank you, Kara Rouda, Thomas & Mercer, and Netgalley for letting me share in the early success of Beneath the Surface.

Check out this teaser :

On a weekend voyage, the power-hungry children of an aging billionaire are unprepared for a storm of deceptions in a novel about ruthless family ambition by USA Today bestselling author Kaira Rouda.

You are cordially invited to an overnight voyage on the Splendid Seas.

An invitation to Catalina Island from billionaire CEO Richard Kingsley. For his sons, Ted and John, and their wives, it’s an opportunity to curry favor, gain control of a real estate empire, and secure their family’s futures. For the controlling patriarch, succession is a contest. He and his newest wife won’t make it an easy win.

Then Richard’s estranged live-wire daughter, Sibley, crashes the party. She’s the least of the night’s surprises. As the stakes for the inheritance of the Kingsley legacy are raised, the beautiful waters of the Pacific look more like a menacing illusion.

Let the games begin for a family who has everything money can buy, and has used lies, deception, and more to keep it. This weekend one of them will be crowned heir. One is in line to lose everything. That’s the plan. But in the coming storm, so much can go dangerously wrong.

Im convinced that rich families should not boat together. In most of these luxury yacht type settings, the weather turns bad, someone dies, or they get stranded somewhere. You would think that’s the worse thing that could happen.. well it’s not. Sibling rivalry, greed, and deception can rock a boat more then the weather.
You’re going to hate the Kingsley family. Seriously, there really isn’t one member that will have you on their side. They are all backstabbing, gold digging, and entitled millionaires. Of course, when the head of the family is looking for a successor, they circle like sharks. It’s infuriating and totally dramatic. Trapped together on a boat for the weekend, they can’t help but fight. It like watching reality tv, but on open water and in a book, lol.
While there are several secrets revealed, and even murder, the story wasn’t exactly a thriller. It’s more of a slow down and watch car wreck story, lol. You can’t stop reading because you know they will all keep digging their holes deeper, and you need to see how far they will go. The Kingsley family is definitely a storm to watch from the shore.

Mega rich Richard, along with his fifth wife, invites his children to an overnight trip on his newly acquired luxury yacht. Each of the sons is disappointed to see the other arrive as each believed they were the only one invited. They are hoping their father is finally ready to retire and name one of them as successor.

There is a lot of family discord in this one. Are any of them even suited for the roll of CEO?

As the secrets and drama unfolded, I was left not liking any of the characters. That will never stop me from enjoying a book though.

A few of the twists had me laughing as they were revealed to the family. You reap what you sow. Even the rich are not exempt.

A good family saga.

Thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc.

There is so much family drama going on in this fast-paced thriller. 95% of the book takes place in less than 24 hours... and what can go wrong on a family yacht trip where all the siblings hate each other, and everyone is hiding terrible secrets. So many hateful characters and so many twists; this book will have you guessing.

Richard is the patriarch of the family, and after leading a successful business for many years, he is getting older and ready to give up the reins. But who should inherit the business? His son John and attorney wife Rachel? His son Ted and stay-at-home wife Paige? Or maybe his estranged daughter Sibley? And of course, you can't forget his most recent bride Serena, who is wanting to enjoy his riches.

There are so many enjoyable, dislikable characters in this book, you can't really root for anyone. The bad things rich people do and get away with.

Do you like novels with crazy characters? If so, then this might be the story for you. I am not sure who is the craziest but I loved to see them acting insane.

This novel takes place on the rich fathers yacht. He and his wife start playing their mind games with his two sons and their wives. Both sons are competing trying to take over for their father as head of the company. It is an awkward race between them, and there is no love lost.

As the story develops it is amusing to gain insight into each character and what they are thinking or doing.

This was just an okay thriller for me and not my favourite Kaira Rouda book but not bad in any sense. while I enjoyed the characters and seeing how crazy they were, I found it to be a long, where nearly 300 pages felt like 500. I was also disappointed by the ending. To me it was not very surprising or crazy considering the characters themselves were nuts. I felt like I needed a more surprising ending. That being said I enjoy this author's novels and I will be reading her next one!

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC

Is there anything better than reading about rich people antics? Family drama is compelling and then add money and it’s the perfect formula for a bingeable, fun read. The secrets revealed and the twists had me reading late into the night. I also enjoyed the multiple POV’s and always felt one step ahead of the characters. This is the first in a series and I’m interested to see where it goes.

Beneath the Surface is a story of family and dark secrets. Richard's three children have so many issues, they are rich and they are spoiled! But they also carry so much baggage from childhoods of not being loved and being indulged. They come together on a family reunion on their father's yacht. With all the secrets there are so many twist and a few 'I didn't see that coming!'

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was such a juicy, rich people drama and I loved it! This author is especially good at writing sociopaths. This is is first book in the series and I can’t wait to read more about this crazy family. It’s about a family that has always been contentious and they are all invited to their father’s yacht. They are all vying to take over the family business and it gets ugly 👀

I really liked the multiple POVs in this domestic thriller. Everyone has something to hide and the drama amidst this whole family keeps you intrigued. I loved the setting on a yacht and the stormy weather to give it some extra layers of discomfort and interest. I kind of was expecting something more nefarious with more of the characters or a really big twist at the end. I’m the end it felt a little predictable. I was expecting the last person standing (not literally) to have some kind of additional secret right at the end or something. It was a quick and easy read but not anything jaw dropping.

I am a big fan of this author, so I was excited to get a copy of this book. This one was a quick read for me and I really enjoyed it. My favorite part was the setting on a luxury yacht which made for the perfect locked room set up. I liked the family drama and a different point of views. Check out my beautiful hat and sunscreen that came with the book. It doesn’t look good on me, but my son loves it.

Wow this book has everything- family issues, money, power, manipulation , and the twists will blow your mind!!!!!!!!!!! This is definitely one of Kaira Rouda's best books in my opinion.

⭐⭐⭐/5

• domestic suspense
• rich behaving badly
• dysfunctional family/secrets

This was a quick read. I enjoyed the yacht setting, but these characters kind of exhausted me (not in a good way).

🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

This is another amazing one by one of my favorite authors! It will grip you from page 1 and never let you go!

I’ve read a lot of Kaira Rouda and this hand down is my favorite. Plot twists, money greed estranged siblings and a boat ride from hell. I literally cannot wait for the next book on the series!

Beneath the Surface is the perfect title for this book by Kaira Rouda! Billionaire RIchard Kingsley buys a huge yacht and invites his children aboard for a trip to Catalina Island. Everyone thinks it's because he's getting ready to retire and he's going to pick who is going to take over his company. All of these characters have secrets to keep and they will do anything to keep them. They have all done terrible things! Each chapter the deception just keeps getting better and better! What could possibly go wrong?!!! You will have to read the book to find out!
This book is the first in a series too!

This book is insane. Everyone is insane there. Ok, maybe not insane, maybe just horrible. Super horrible.
A family where everyone hates each other? Check! Tension? Check! Rich and horrible people? Check! Lies? Check! Everyone lies there, all the time, check! When you think you have read it all, some more horrible things happen, Check!
Add on top of this some very good writing, suspense, and fast-paced page-turning, and you got yourself this. Absolutely a must-read for every thriller reader out there! Even if you feel like you have read it all, like there is nothing new ever being written – nope, this is new.
This is book one in a new series. Yay! Can’t wait for book two!
p.s. if you are looking for relatable and likable characters, this book is not for you! (And I say it as a good thing!)

Kaira Rouda has done it again. I was immediately sucked into the story and read it almost in a single sitting. I’m honestly not sure quite how to categorize this one. I suppose domestic thriller, though even that doesn’t feel quite right. Right from the start I got a very strong Knives Out vibe from this one. Not because the stories similar, because they aren’t. Not even remotely so. But rather because like Knives Out, Beneath the Surface features a wildly dysfunctional family…and to be honest a mostly despicable one as well. These are some loathsome people, and you will enjoy hating them, lol. I’m guessing it might be how some people feel about those Real Housewife shows.

Billionaire Richard Kingsley has been married multiple times, fathering children with each of those wives. Now he needs to choose a successor to lead his company and so he has planned a weekend trip for his family during which he’ll make his decision. Richard is not the nicest of fathers, and he enjoys pitting his children against each other for his own amusement. And over the course of the weekend they go at each other hard, not pulling any bunches, as each believes they should come out on top and lead the company. This is an absolutely wild story. What’s crazy is that even though many of the characters are despicable at times you’ll actually sympathize with them. Ms. Rouda does an absolutely wonderful job of making these characters feel real. In each chapter she changes the POV so we get a chance to really get to know these characters. The book is the first in the Kingsley series, and while I don’t know how many books are planned, I’ll definitely be looking forward to revisiting this dysfunctional family in the future. I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Beneath the Surface.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R103PJ0GJRLISV/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv