Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my e-ARC of Seasick.

I unfortunately had to DNF this one at about 40% or so. The plot line wasn’t moving quickly enough for me, and I was having a tough time keeping track of who was who because the two MCs had really similar names - Yana and Naya. I almost wondered if they were supposed to be the same person but with some weird split personality before I got wind that they became friends because they had the same exact letters in their name. I will definitely try more from these authors in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Seasick by Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn. This book was one I was looking forward to reading but unfortunately fell short for me when it comes to a good YA mystery. The two main characters who were ex- best friends were named Naya and Yana?! How confusing for the audience when reading and switching between these POVs. I think this book could have been more interesting if the authors chose to add more POVs from the students invited on this yacht trip.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the copy of Seasick by Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn. If you like an action-packed book with a high body count, you will love this locked room thriller. I’m not sure if the subplot of the “haves versus the have-nots” was that effective, and it was lost with how unlikeable the characters were. I’m not sure why the POVs were from characters with similar names, and it was really confusing at first. This was still an enjoyable read and I look forward to what these authors write next. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Seasick is a YA contemporary locked-room mystery that takes place on a megayacht over the span of 24 hours. Eight students are selected to attend a luxury trip to Bermuda. Most students who are selected are from the richest and most powerful families in Oklahoma. Not coming from such backgrounds, Yana and Naya, former best friends, find themselves feeling like outsiders. Naya may have been accepted by the popular group, but she still doesn't feel like she belongs, and Yana has simply never felt like she belonged. Despite everything, both girls are determined to make the most of this epic adventure. Unfortunately, on the first night, one of the students is discovered brutally murdered and that student isn't the last. The trip soon becomes one of survival rather than luxury. As secrets are revealed and lies uncovered, the bodies begin to pile up. Who will survive? Who is the killer?

While I do love a good locked-room mystery, Seasick just didn't do it for me. The pacing was a bit off - there were quite a few slow parts and the end dragged on. The characters are all quite unlikable. The story is told through two POVs, Naya and Yana. I actually think it could have been more interesting if there were more POVs (if some of the other students had chapters). The deaths were also quite gruesome. Finally, I thought the killer, while predictable, was also unrealistic. The killer just couldn't realistically have done everything that they are believed to have done. There were also some editing issues. I feel like the author included some clues that were later deleted but then were referenced later in the book, which was a bit confusing. Overall, Seasick just wasn't that enjoyable.

This thriller had me on the edge of my seat! I love a locked-room mystery where all the suspects are contained in one place. I also love the themes of wealth and luxury as it relates to the crime aboard a yacht. This story shows the complicated teenage angst and complexities of interacting with your peers. It also emphasizes the importance of friendship. Having the characters be former best friends was a great way to increase the tension, Overall, this story has a great mix of internal stakes between the characters in addition to the exciting, external plot!

This was a fun, not uber serious, read. A group of friends is on a yacht when someone (or something) begins picking them off one by one! This was a fast-paced and compelling thriller. I had a lot of fun with this one. I do think that some of the choices in the story made it a bit confusing at times--like I just could not keep Naya and Yana straight narratively, and also some of the characters felt a bit strangely done. I know that, like, teenagers can be weird (I was definitely a weird teen) but their characterization could be very "out there". Overall, this was a fun and quick read without too many stakes.

I have loved Kristin Cast since she and her mom wrote the House of Night series. This is a definite change from her usual genre, but I enjoyed it. A group of friends are on a yacht when someone starts murdering them one by one. It was definitely fast-paced and a story you have no choice but to finish to see who makes it in the end. I hope she decides to write more thrillers in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a review.

This one was a thrilling idea, but I could not get into it. I could not keep Naya and Yana straight and the teenagers felt a bit outlandish to me (we are talking about murdering teens but still). The story was entertaining but it wasn't interesting enough for me to care that much. It was a fun read but not particularly compelling. I know it will have a good audience that isn't me though!

Ex–best friends Naya Morgan and Yana Bunpraserit have always felt like outsiders in their small Oklahoma town. But this year, everything changes when they’re inducted into an exclusive society of Yatesville High’s top recent graduates. Unimaginable opportunities await them, starting with a celebratory yacht trip to Bermuda. Despite the likely onslaught of microaggressions and backhanded compliments from their peers—in addition to their own rocky past—Yana and Naya are ready for an epic voyage.
Then one of their classmates is brutally murdered, leaving them stuck at sea with a killer. Yana and Naya may have avoided each other for years, yet as the body count rises, rekindling their friendship might be the only way they’ll both survive.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Seasick sounded interesting to me as a closed door YA murder mystery on a super yacht. I've watched enough Below Deck to have an interest in the concept.

Two ex best friends, named Naya and Yana [confusing af], end up on this honors society trip from Miami to Bermuda. Almost all the action and plot take place on the yacht. There's a group of recently graduated seniors on the yacht, a gossip girl named Everly, Naya's best friend Taylor and her boyfriend Finn; Gabe, Brett, Amelia and her college age tutor/teacher?? Everyone has a secret to hide. The main characters with points of view are Naya and Yana. I appreciated the representation of a biracial character and a Thai American. Naya and Yana used to be best friends until Naya decided to chase popularity.

Everyone is excited to go on the charter to Bermuda to meet the mysterious benefactor, Seraphina Yates. Just as the fun starts with a celebratory champagne toast- the drinks were spiked, so getting the crew to pass out was a ridiculous plot point. A captain and their crew would not be drinking on the job. The terminology was incorrect - there are decks, not floors.

The book is mostly entertaining as I really didn't know the identity of the killer. The number of suspects was reduced /eliminated toward the end. I just felt it was a little over the top.. hard to picture most of the things actually happening on a yacht. Nobody to steer the yacht?? Serve dinner? The romances were hard to believe as well. The character development of a few of the characters was non-existent as I couldn't tell the difference between a few of the guys. I cared about the friendship between the 2 girls. The motivation of the killer was typical. No last act twist.

Seasick is available June 11, 2024, available everywhere, including libraries. 2.75 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4…it had a good story line, but it was almost too unrealistic for me. I really liked the social issues sprinkled in. It was very eye opening. However, it was super unrealistic (yes I know it’s fiction) but I was expecting less of the gore. But I did really love the characters, even though I got Naya and Yana mixed up the whole book 🤣 on the bright side, I couldn’t stop reading and it was super twisty! Thanks NetGalley and random house childrens for this free e book arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was an interesting book. I thought that the two PoVs were very different and interesting. I was hoping that the two would manage to become friends again and well…. I won’t tell what happened. I did find the twists to be surprising and I didn’t see the ending coming which is always good. It’s rare for me to not guess twists.

However it just didn’t captivate me enough to give it four or five stars and I had trouble connecting with some characters. Still it was a good story.

Always love me a good murder mystery! This book follows a lot of the notes that other YA murder mysteries follow, but it also brings its own little twists to the table. I enjoyed this one a lot, and I will admit that I had some indication of where the ending was going, but I'm happy to report that I didn't guess correctly 100%. Things are not convoluted and is a fairly linear plot, but it still leaves you wondering what is going on and how it will all go down in the end.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. Books written by two authors are always a unique art to me, it can't be easy to build a world, and a plot with someone else. I applaud Ms. Cast & Ms. Dunn for being able to do so. I liked the story presented, however I must say the choice to have two MC's with similar names confused me many times. I thought the mystery was well developed, if not a touch predicable, but overall was a joy to read. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. It was hard to put down this book by the end. Both authors did a great job making the book seamless that I was surprised two authors wrote this. Also the book made me question if I want to go on a cruise ship because to be suck on a ship with a murder with no where to hide makes for a tense reading experience. It’s edge of your seat action packed book. The reason behind the murder was as honest as it gets in real life and shows how far people would go for what they want. I can’t wait till the authors write a new book.

This was a quick-paced read that went from zero to one hundred quite quickly. It’s definitely more suited for younger readers (teen/young adult) and reads like an enjoyable Netflix series. I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying it, as I wasn’t all together hooked from the beginning. It ended up coming together nicely. Yana and Naya were great main characters, and it was really great to see both of their perspectives and journeying together (even though I can understand from other reviews why it would be confusing with their names being so similar. The rest of the cast was alright as well, and I liked the individual interactions from character to character. I was happy with how it came together and how the ending formed, but I was a tiny bit perplexed because one of the characters at the end definitely didn’t know how to swim and it felt a little questionable to me how the ending came to be. Overall, enjoyable and an easy read to blast through, and I think any murder mystery enthusiast would enjoy it a lot.

Thank you so much to Random House Children’s, Kristin Cast, Pintip Dunn, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

(There was a small mistake on I think the page for Chapter 34, where the time read PM instead of AM, and I thought we’d propelled quite a bit ahead in time until I realized it was a typo!)

I was excited for this because I loved locked-room mysteries. I just couldn't get into this one and had to DNF. I'm sure there is a audience that will love this one, but it just wasn't me, sadly.

This was awful. First of all, the two main characters are named NAYA and YANA. Way to confuse your audience. Also, the dialogue was clearly written by someone who once had teenagers described to them in passing but has never actually met one. The plot was predictable and everyone in this book was insufferable. I hated it and wish I had those hours back in my life.

I adore locked room and isolated location mysteries. In fact, they're probably one of my favorite troupes. I went into this hoping it would be a bit of a YA Death on the Nile, and... it's not. I shouldn't have expected so much. I rate YA novels differently, and probably with more leeway, but even by those standards I found it unenjoyable.

The characters were essentially all unlikable and made it incredibly hard to care about their fate (as in I didn't. At all.) Odd choice to have the two MCs have such similar names. The reveal wasn't shocking, and there were just too many things that didn't make sense.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this to my YA/Thriller friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

A fun mystery story. Main characters names are very similar and can be a bit confusing at times.

Thank you to the publisher and author for this ARC!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Random House Children's via NetGalley.

Aboard a luxurious yacht, two estranged friends, Naya Morgan and Yana Bunpraserit, find themselves entangled in a deadly mystery. As members of an exclusive society for recent graduates from Yatesville High, they embark on a celebratory journey to Bermuda, navigating through microaggressions and their complex history. However, their voyage takes a sinister turn when a classmate is brutally murdered, leaving them trapped at sea with a killer among them.

I had high hopes for Seasick, anticipating a blend of Below Deck allure with the thrill of a whodunit, all set against the backdrop of youthful intrigue. However, the novel fell short of my expectations. The pacing, at times, felt uneven, with several lulls and a dragging conclusion that hindered the overall engagement.

The cast of characters was, unfortunately, largely unlikable. Narrated through the perspectives of Naya and Yana, the story might have benefited from additional viewpoints, providing a more comprehensive picture of the students and their dynamics. The killer, could not possibly have done everything in the book, it stretched the bounds of capabilities.

One of the notable letdowns was the premature unveiling of the villain's identity. Clues scattered throughout the book offer readers insight into the perpetrator, diminishing the suspense that a well-executed mystery should evoke.