Great Summer Thriller!! I loved this book. It had me guessing as to who did what to whom right until the end. There were lots of great twists!

Compelling, Propulsive..
A YouTuber cruising life couple seemingly living their ‘best life’, a cruising community, an idyllic island setting and a disappearance goes viral in this compelling and propulsive suspense where nothing is quite as it seems. The reader will be unable to look away as threads combine and reveals collide leading to a most satisfying denouement. Making excellent use of the contemporary social media world in which we now all live this was a one sit read for this reader - thoroughly entertaining and wholly engaging.

4.5 stars * the book I want to compare this book to would spoil it but it’s SO GOOD. Social media is a big theme and it’s cringey but mostly because it’s exactly how we imagine influencers to be. I loved the atmosphere of this book on a boat in the Bahamas. Even though I anticipated certain events, it was still such an exciting read to me and the two main characters aren’t likeable - but that’s the point. I was kicking my feet when Dani’s internal dialogue shifted and I won’t get into it to avoid spoilers but this was well done. I knocked off half a star because I wanted MORE. I wasn’t ready for this book to end and I wanted a few more chapters to see where everything ends up but all in all I really enjoyed this book and it’ll be such a fun summer read when it comes out.

Thank you so much Crooked Lane via NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars rounded up

I can’t even talk about this book without mentioning the amazing cover! It really drew me in and made me want to read it!

Dani and Sawyer are a young couple living their lives as cruisers on their boat. Sawyer has made some bad investment decisions so Dani is trying to use her YouTube channel to finance this lifestyle that requires more money than they have. One night, while spending some time in the Bahamas, they attend a boat party. The next morning, Sawyer wakes up alone on his boat and Dani is nowhere to be found. Sawyer is hungover and does not remember what happened the night before. Soon after, prerecorded videos begin to appear on Dani’s YouTube channel, making Sawyer look like he has a dark side and that his relationship with Dani may not be what it seems. Her disappearance, along with the videos, go viral and Sawyer becomes the prime suspect. So what happened to Dani and does Sawyer know more than he is letting on?

This was a quick fun read and kept me very invested in finding out what happened to Dani! There were a few good twists throughout the book and the story is full of deception and lies, which always makes for a great thriller! The characters were not very likable and because of that, I was suspicious of all of them! The ending was not expected and did leave me with a few unanswered questions and definitely wanting more closure. This book is the perfect summer read and would be a great choice to take with you to the beach or on vacation! This is debut thriller and I look forward go seeing what else Rachel McGuire has in store for us in the future!

This is a captivating thriller that takes the reader on a journey across the high seas. The story blends suspense, intrigue, and social media culture. I loved the setting in the Bahamas..
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book sounded fantastic, and now that I’ve read it, I know why - it’s oddly similar to one of my favorite thrillers. I won’t name the book for spoiler reasons, but it’s quite possible you’ve read it, as well. After finishing this variation of a now-classic story, I read some reviews. Some don’t mention the similarities at all. Some do, but the reviewer didn’t mind the parallels. The rest, like me, seem a bit annoyed by the lack of originality in this book.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox are “cruisers”, like “van life” but on the sea. (This did mention the Gabby Petito case, as well as a couple of other true-crime cases, which added to the feeling of this not being very unique.) Dani is an influencer, running the YouTube channel “Sailing With The Foxes”. Sawyer isn’t happy always being on camera, but he puts up with it to support Dani’s dreams.

While spending some time in the Bahamas, they attend a party with a large group of cruisers. Alcohol was flowing, people were behaving badly and hedonism was on full display. The next morning, Sawyer wakes up with a massive hangover and a missing girlfriend. Being the boyfriend makes him a prime suspect, but he isn’t going to go down without a fight - he spends the rest of the book waiting for the police to figure everything out.

Had I never read a similar book with the same big twist, I probably would have given this four or 4.5 stars. It just took pleasure out of what was an otherwise interesting story, as I was trying to find all the similarities (and there were many). I’m not sure if this is an homage or if it was inspired by similar stories, because the acknowledgements didn’t mention anything. That, along with the ambiguous ending and this being two authors working together under a pseudonym - something that should have made the book even more original - left me feeling let down. 2.5 stars, rounded up.

(Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 9, 2024.)

This book starts off with a bang! I was hooked in the beginning, and then it lost me a bit in the middle. I enjoyed the YouTube aspects of this, and their life trying to make it through their channel. I enjoyed the story, but it did feel it lagged at some points and that left me not feeling excited, and some things were predictable. Would still recommend.

Dani and Sawyer live on a sailboat and sail around the ocean, making videos and posting them to the YouTube channel Sailing With the Foxes. Right now, Dani and Sawyer are docked in port as they wait for Sawyer's crypto currency to rebound. They attend a party with other cruisers one night, and the next morning, Dani is missing, and Sawyer wakes up with no memory of what happened the night before. With Dani missing, Veronique Knowles, Inspector from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, heads up the investigation and uncovers unsavory evidence from Sawyers past. While Sawyer may have a tragic past, is he capable of murder?

On the Surface is the perfect read for all of those influencer driven or influencer interested readers out there. Dani and Sawyer are two cruisers who want to live their lives by sailing the oceans and posting about it on social media while also making bank doing. When Dani goes missing after a party, Sawyer becomes the suspect in her disappearance, and everything starts blowing up in Sawyer’s life. The twists in this book literally do not stop coming until you read the very last word in this book. This book is a true testament of the effect social media has on society and the individual lives of some people. This is a twisted ride.

Talk about twisty— I loved this thriller from start to finish because it was chock full of red herrings and delicious mystery. Very “Gone girl” ish which I am here for when it’s done right and this one totally is!

Dani Fox and Sawyer Stone III are trying their hands at the sailing nomad life documenting their journey on their subpar YouTube challenge. When Dani goes missing, the online “reddit investigators” go hard on trying to unveil the truth while Bahamian police try to unravel truth from fiction in this he said/she said thriller.

If you love a juicy tale full of twists and turns, this one is for you. 4/5 stars!


Thanks to Crooked Lane Books, Netgalley and Rachel McGuire for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Very good first book by these new authors! Great work ladies!

Fast read - perfect beach read. Lots of twisty turns and unexpected bad guys!

Definitely add to your TBR if you like beachy thrillers without a lot of blood and guts and other messy stuff that just gets in the way of a good solid book!

This is my first book by the author and I felt it was mysterious, a bit suspenseful and surprising. Multiple perspectives and the setting made the book intriguing.

Dani and Sawyer are a young couple who love to share about their sailing life. Dani is a content creator and she documents their sailing adventures and share them on Youtube. They were living their best life until one of them goes missing and the investigation brings the old secrets on surface along with the truth. As the investigation begins, Sawyer becomes the suspect. The author has shown how social media changes our perception. I wasn’t expecting that ending. I liked reading the story from multiple perspectives. It’s done well.

Many Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

This book is getting all the rave over at @thrillerbookloversthepulse! Thank you to @crookedlanebooks and @rachelmcguireauthor for an ARC!

First off, I love influencer themed books and this one took the cake. The scene is set with Dani and Sawyer living their best lives aboard their boat in the Bahamas, partying with the other cruisers and documenting it all on their YouTube channel. When Dani goes missing, everyone is trying to find her.

The amount of times my jaw dropped during this book was unreal. The chapters alternated between perspectives and I felt myself trusting and losing trust in the same people over and over. I literally didn't put this down and read the whole thing in one day! Trust me when I say, do NOT miss out on this one!!

Things I liked:

*Cover and title: it screams summer read
*I found the boat-life very interesting. It is a subculture I never considered.
*Everything about the YouTube account and true crime junkies.
*The fact that this is Gone Girl but on a boat.

Why the three stars?

Too many lagging parts. The three-stars reflects the sentiment that it wasn't bad or good, in the middle. That said, I would definitely read more from this author!

Thanks for the advance review copy.

Let me start out by saying this cover is simply amazing! It gives off the perfect summer thriller vibes and for that alone I would grab this one off the shelf! It is a good popcorn thriller with some very unlikeable characters! I thought the mystery behind the missing girl was definitely intriguing and is what drew me into the story! I for some reason did have a harder time connecting to these characters as the story went on. I think honestly I didn’t like any of them and sometimes that can work for me but it felt like because they were pretty one dimensional I ending not really caring about any of them. It was a bit predictable at the end with the main themes but then at the very end was left open and I felt a bit confused with what actually happened. I do not mind an open ending and made for a fun discussion about what I thought really happened with others reading this book. Thank you as always for the chance to read this one!

This was completely mind-blowing! I thought I had it all figured out but wowee!! I never saw -that-coming! What are you waiting for, pre-order your copy now! Because July can’t come fast enough!!

Thank you Rachel McGuire and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy!

First off, this cover is to die for. I absolutely love it! Second, On the Surface has so many elements I absolutely love in a thriller: social media influencer, unreliable narrator, multiple narrators, police investigation, and cyber sleuths. I couldn’t put it down! It’s obvious why we here at The Pulse are all checking this one out and it’s safe to say it’s going to be a summer hit!

I loved the setting of this novel and the details surrounding the cruisers and their lifestyle. I can’t imagine living on a boat anchored off the Bahamas, catching my dinner every night, and not putting in the typical grind of a 9-5. McGuire did a great job painting a picture without bogging us down in unnecessary nuance.

I’m always intrigued by social media influencer stories and On the Surface really hit the mark for me. I liked that this was different from your typical influencer and had the cruising aspect. Some of the mystery and suspense in the first part felt a little obvious to me but I was glad with how quickly things were revealed and how bigger mysteries and thrills unfolded.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and super fun read and I definitely recommend.

Thank you to Crooked Lane for the copy. On the Surface releases July 9th!

The synopsis promises a “twisty, edge-of-your-seat thriller” that will “keep readers gripped all the way through the final satisfying turn”. Unfortunately, this was not my experience at all. The so-called “twist” is a trope that is commonly used in thriller books and it was obvious very early on in the story. (I’m trying to be vague so as to not spoil the book for anyone who wants to read it) I kept reading because I thought the author was just trying to throw off the reader from the ‘real’ twist.

Also, the ending is super abrupt and leaves too many things unresolved. There is something to be said for open endings but it has to be very well executed in order to feel satisfying to me and I didn’t think that was the case here.

Having said all that, I think the author writes well and that’s what allowed me to finish the book despite not being engrossed in the story.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

On the Surface started great with the mysterious death of a woman in the past. We then meet Dani and Sawyer, a charismatic couple who share their adventurous sailing life with the world through captivating YouTube vlogs. 𝘖𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦, everything looks perfect.

However, paradise takes a dark turn when Dani mysteriously vanishes from their boat after a party one night. With Sawyer unable to recall any details surrounding her disappearance, the incident becomes a viral sensation. As internet sleuths unearth secrets from both their pasts, suspicion falls on Sawyer..

I loved the setting and the allure of Dani and Sawyer's sailing adventures definitely make it a great choice for a summer escape.

Add to your TBR if you like:
🌊The sea and sailing
🍿 Popcorn thrillers
🚢 Vacation gone wrong scenario
👫 Multiple POVs

Thank you Thriller Book Lover Promotions and Crooked Lane Books for a copy. ON THE SURFACE comes out April 23, 2024

On the Surface is the perfect summer thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page (I mean it, the very last few pages). Dani and Sawyer are cruisers. Leaving their lives behind to live their days sailing the world all while documenting their adventures for all the see on social media. After a drunken bender, Sawyer wakes up to find the boat in shambles and his girlfriend Dani gone. Did see fall into the deep blue water or did something more similar inter happen. And why can’t Sawyer remember the night before? As days turn to weeks with no sign of Dani the cruising community as well as their followers begin to suspect Sawyer. Where is Dani and why can’t he remember that night?

This is Gone Girl meets the high seas in the best possible way. If you’re looking for a great thriller to read by the pool, check out On the Surface!

Wow, just wow! On the Surface is a completely addictive thriller that I couldn't stop reading! I was completely drawn into the story of Sawyer and Dani, in much the same way that the couple sucked everyone around them in the Bahamas cruiser community into their drama. It is the story of another white woman disappearing in a tropical paradise, against the backdrop of hedonistic partying and drinking, domestic violence and internet fame. They are representative of the type of internet sensations that many love to hate and still would love to emulate. Are they innocent victims of misfortune, or charismatic manipulators? The ending is inconclusive, although I would love to think that ultimately justice is served.

If you love unreliable characters, a tropical setting and page-turning tension, then you need to read this one! Thanks to Thriller Lover Book Promotions, the author and Crooked Lane books for the copy to read.