I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

As far as mysteries go, this one had me questioning what I knew and who I believed throughout most of it. A good sign of a mystery is that you suspect everyone and trust no one, and I felt that throughout the book. Aside from the mystery aspect, the narrators are two outsiders in amongst a group of rich, popular friends. Biracial Naya is a part of the friend group, but she often finds herself wondering if she really fits in and if they really like her for who she is or for who she pretends to be. Thai-American Yana, never fit in with the popular kids and never really wanted to. Through tragedy and fear, can these two girls find their way back into a lost friendship?

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 book was so good! I really liked how things played out, it was very unexpected and every time you thought you had everything figured out, something happened to completely change the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Even though this was a YA book I still enjoyed it.
I love “locked room” mysteries and thrillers and this is definitely one of those.
Definitely worth the read.

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

Seasick by Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn is a YA contemporary mystery where Naya and Yana, two former childhood best friends are on a megayacht on their way to Bermuda when some of their classmates end up dead. Yana is Thai-American while Naya is a biracial young woman in small town Oklahoma; both have had their ups and downs with their classmates and there are references to microaggressions and Thai culture, but it takes more of a backseat to the plot.

Naya’s boyfriend, Etienne, a French exchange student, is also on the ship as well as Yana’s almost boyfriend Gabe, several of Yana’s friends, and Everly, a popular girl who runs a blog exposing other people’s secrets. Naya, Yana, and the others are inducted into an exclusive society formed by Seraphina Yates, a multimillionaire who is leaving her entire fortune to her secret grandchild…until the discovery of a second grandchild risks splitting the fortune in half.

Seasick is fairly fast-paced and isn’t as focused on feelings for the interiority so much as focused on the past friendship between Naya and Yana and how they stopped being friends and the relationships between Yana and Gabe and Naya and Etienne. Naya and Yana really carry the book and the dual-POV aspect lets you see from both sides how much they miss each other.

I would recommend this to readers looking for a YA mystery with strong romance and friendship subplots.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this book. This was a quick and fast paced thriller read and I enjoyed every moment of it.

I loved the idea of this book. Ex friends having to work together if they want to survive made the dynamic of these characters very interesting. I liked the plot a lot. The constant confusion in switching scenes totally threw me off though. I found myself having to reread or realize too late that a scene had switched which totally ruins a good mystery.

There’s nothing, I love more than a murder mystery where all the characters are trapped somewhere and one of them is the killer. In this case, a group of students who have just graduated high school are invited on a yacht to celebrate their acceptance into a secret society of sorts. But when people start dying, they realize that maybe they all have something to hide , and secrets that they really don’t want revealed. This book was fast paced, and held my interest, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A group of highly elite teens are chosen to go on a exclusive cruise and there are a couple “diversity” kids chosen to attend as well which is a bit controversial to the rich kids who feel those people shouldn’t be included. Then people slowly start to die. Who is doing this and why? Would highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I loved this Death on the Nile type book. YA thrillers are so enjoyable for me even when they’re “bad”. The plot is enough to get you invested. The twists keep coming at every page turn. Some parts were a letdown but overall this was a really strong YA thriller.

Review:
5⭐
From the very first page of SEASICK, I was hooked. Something drew me in(perhaps the gruesome scene that offered a glimpse of the horror to come or the descriptive writing that began the story. SEASICK embodied suspense and mystery. The rumors throughout the book were an added bonus, and I was eager to find out if they were true (and who was the person behind the biggest scheme of all.) SEASICK was written in dual pov, and I loved getting the story from different angles. This arc had me on the edge of my seat, reading page after page, devouring the words that were written. SEASICK is action-packed. There's so much goriness, and it just so crazy. Like, I was shocked as I read the ending(the figuring out of whodunit+saving the day+etc) I loved this. I loved the drama, the inheritance scheme, the mystery, the flirtation, and the overall atmosphere and writing of the story.  The perfect addition to a thriller lovers 2024 tbr.

What I Liked About It:
*everything

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC!

I enjoyed this book. I found it easy to read and mostly gripping. I will say that I wish I cared more for the characters, though. I found myself not connecting to them too much. Either ways, good read!

SEASICK was a quick read but completely forgettable. The plot was meandering and not very well written and there were some plot holes that made no sense.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review SEASICK.

This one was just okay. I think it may be right for some readers, but the pacing dragged on a bit and I couldn't find many of the characters relatable or likable for the most part. Maybe if they had more background, I could understand them better? Some parts had some good suspense, but I felt that the ending was pretty predictable from early on. Despite not being for me, it still had an interesting concept and would be a great fit for some! Thanks for the ARC!

The description of the book seemed interesting, so I wanted to check the story out. Unfortunately, it is not working for me right now. It is nothing against the story or the author, but I couldn't get into the story/characters. I may try and find a physical copy to add the my library when it is released, though, because I think my readers could like it!

"Death in Nile"-style murder mysteries set against a sea backdrop never get old! Especially when one of my favorite fantasy authors (yes, I'm talking about Kristin Cast) ventures into a genre switch, crafting a YA twisty whodunnit mystery aboard a super-luxurious yacht. I can only say yay and go in blind to enjoy the premise!

There are numerous unlikable characters in supporting roles in this book, emanating suspicious vibes and harboring scandalous secrets, including cheating in school admissions, using doping in sport competitions, and kleptomania. The leading characters are two diverse ex-friends with very similar names that might confuse your mind; Naya and Yana (at least they didn’t reunite with their long-lost friend Anya! Worst joke alert! I’m zipping my mouth now!) Naya Morgan, a diversity inductee, changes her social circle by befriending Taylor, a typical spoiled brat meets trust fund baby, estranging herself from her best friend Yana Bunpraserit, even though both of them come from the middle class, always outsiders of their hometown Yatesville Hometown. Naya is light-skinned, while Yana’s family is immigrants from Thailand (not Taiwan, just like some ignorant bullies think).

When the exclusive society of Yatesville and a mysterious benefactor named Seraphina Yates pick inductees, both Naya and Yana are invited to attend a luxurious yacht trip sailing to Bermuda. Naya thinks her luck has changed, and Yana finds an intriguing note warning her that some students on the yacht might be involved in a cheating in admission scandal. As an aspiring future journalist who at least earned a scholarship with her efficient work at the school newspaper, she accepts to dig into the mystery, even though the very annoying modern-day version of Lady Whistledown, Everly, who likes to pour poisonous rumors into her gossip column, is one of the attendees stirring the tense atmosphere.

But one thing Yana didn’t count on was finding herself in the middle of a murder mystery. There’s a killer on the yacht adamant to keep their dirty secrets buried deep.

Overall, it's definitely one of my fastest reads, finished on my way back from Vegas to Los Angeles (nope, I wasn't the one driving the car! Please relax!). The conclusion is predictable, but it is still well-executed. Even though I hate the guts of most of the characters and thought, let them kill each other and close the book, the intriguing mystery plot kept me engaged. I'm rounding up my three-and-a-half stars to four murder mystery stars!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/Delacorte Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Overall, I'm giving Seasick 4 stars because it delivers a binge-worthy and Hollywood-esque murder mystery plot.
But the careless writing leading to head-scratching moments plus the poorly concealed villain are definite letdowns. Still, if you think you can navigate tangled passages to unravel clues before the amateur sleuths, give this dramatic thriller a read for the premise alone - just don't expect major surprises at the conclusion.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Seasick lures you in with an enticing premise of a killer loose on a high seas voyage with former friends turned sleuths hunting them down. The plot itself is gripping - bringing together ex-best friends Naya and Yana amidst classmates with privilege and microaggressions galore. When one of their own is murdered, they have to navigate choppy waters to unmask the killer before becoming victims themselves.

The character dynamics and suspenseful storytelling are this book's strengths for sure. However, the confusing writing style sometimes unravels that good momentum. Scenes flip-flop suddenly at times in distracting ways. It requires rereading passages to follow the awkward transitions. This makes an otherwise exciting thriller a slower read than necessary.

Most disappointing is the fact that clues give away the villain’s identity earlier than ideal. Subtle hints make it clear who the killer likely is, lessening the impact of the eventual reveal. Readers will figure out the big twist beforehand, which dampens the suspense factor.

Overall, I’m giving Seasick 4 stars because it delivers a binge-worthy and Hollywood-esque murder mystery plot. But the careless writing leading to head-scratching moments plus the poorly concealed villain are definite letdowns. Still, if you think you can navigate tangled passages to unravel clues before the amateur sleuths, give this dramatic thriller a read for the premise alone - just don’t expect major surprises at the conclusion.

Thank you NetGalley for a free e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"Seasick" by Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn is a riveting YA thriller set aboard a luxury yacht, where suspense and danger lurk around every corner. The story follows ex-best friends Naya Morgan and Yana Bunpraserit, who find themselves entangled in a deadly situation when they are invited on a trip to Bermuda as part of an exclusive society for top graduates from Yatesville High. Cast and Dunn masterfully weave a tale of murder, friendship, and survival in a high-stakes setting.

The novel's strength lies in its dynamic portrayal of Naya and Yana, whose complicated past and feelings of being outsiders in their Oklahoma town add depth to their characters. As they navigate the treacherous waters of their strained relationship and the mounting terror of being trapped with a killer, their development and resilience become central to the narrative.

Cast and Dunn's writing is taut and engaging, successfully maintaining a high level of suspense throughout the novel. The setting of the yacht adds an element of claustrophobia and urgency, heightening the tension as the body count rises. The authors skillfully handle themes of trust, betrayal, and the complexities of teenage friendships, making the story not only a thrilling ride but also a thoughtful exploration of interpersonal dynamics.

However, some readers might find the plot slightly predictable, with familiar tropes of the thriller genre. Despite this, the authors' adept handling of character development and the unique setting keep the story fresh and engaging.

"Seasick" is a compelling thriller that will appeal to fans of the genre, particularly those who enjoy stories that blend suspense with the nuanced exploration of teenage relationships. Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn have created a gripping narrative that is both a page-turner and a poignant look at the challenges of rekindling a broken friendship under extraordinary circumstances.

I was disappointed by Seasick by Kristin Cast. I keep giving her books a chance, hoping they will improve, but they don't. I love YA books, but something about her writing feels like an unedited draft.