This book was an engaging read, though I didn’t find the storyline to be all that unique. As others have mentioned, I got “Gone Girl” vibes the entire way through. The story centers on Dani and Sawyer, who are living the “cruiser” lifestyle aboard their sailboat in the Bahamas. When Dani goes missing, their relationship dynamics, as well as Sawyer’s past, are under suspicion.

I liked the alternating chapters told in different POVs, though I didn’t actually feel that I could relate to any of these characters. I liked that we got a little bit of info into the police investigation but it didn’t go into enough detail to read as a police procedural. I figured out most of the twists early on so there really weren’t too many surprises but I did feel like it was an engaging read.

Overall, this felt like a new take on an old story, but was still fun to read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book had so many brilliant aspects, I really loved the premise around this book which was highlighted by the intriguing plot and descriptive writing. I also really enjoyed the POV writing stance and felt this flowed well in the book.
Saying that, I really struggled to engage with these characters or grow to like them despite the dynamics between them. This, made it hard to really love the book despite the brilliant plot. I felt at times the book was very drawn out and struggled to initially engage with it. I also struggled with the abrupt ending and would have loved a little more depth surrounding it to see it play out.
But looking forward to what more this author has to offer.

Dani and Sawyer, popular YouTubers, go sailing and document the adventure. But havoc strikes when Dani goes missing and Sawyer claims to have no memory of what happened. This was a really fun read, some good twists, and held my interest to the end. I know it keeps being compared to “Gone, Girl” but I honestly liked this better due to the writing style, pacing, and social media aspect; I felt the author brought something unique to the genre. I’ll be recommending near release day. Thanks for that opportunity to read!

The crime novel is the collaboration of two writers who write under the pen name Rachel McGuire. Perhaps that is why it sometimes comes across as too casual in its tone. There are lengthy dialogues that often do not contribute much to the plot.

Nonetheless, the setting is exquisite, with a picturesque sea, coastline, and a community of people living year-round on their boats. However, not everything is as idyllic as it seems. Such a lifestyle requires a significant amount of money for boat maintenance, mooring fees, navigation expenses, and food. Hence, many individuals resort to monetizing their YouTube channels.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox, a young couple who spend their time sailing around the world on their sailboat and documenting their adventures for their new YouTube channel called Sailing with the Foxes, have dropped anchor in Exuma, in the Bahamas. While they wait for the cryptocurrency market to recover so they can restock and continue their journey, they socialize and explore along with their fellow cruisers offshore. On the surface, everything appears to be perfect. However, one night, Dani unexpectedly disappears after a boat party, and Sawyer cannot remember what happened to her.

Initially, the search for Dani is fueled by concerns that she may have drowned during one of her regular ocean swims. However, Dani's pre-recorded video uploads, made before her disappearance, soon shed light on the strained dynamics of her relationship with Sawyer. Meanwhile, Inspector Veronique Knowles of the Royal Bahamas Police Force faces the challenge of keeping the investigation on track amidst the viral attention surrounding the American woman's disappearance in the Bahamas, while internet sleuths uncover secrets from Sawyer's past. Sawyer Stone may be flawed, but is he a murderer?

Welcome to a world brimming with narcissists and psychopaths. Without revealing too much of the story, the novel is both suspenseful and packed with unexpected twists and turns. You'll thoroughly enjoy it, especially when it is released in the summer.

The book was good, however for me personally I felt like something was missing. I kept reading to daily see how it ended. I lost interest around half way through really when Dani started talking about her childhood...
The whole book reminded me of Gone Girl. And for me when I'm reading a book I don't want to be thinking about another book what I have previously read.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. This is my honest review.

I felt like this book had so much potential. The concept reminded me so much of the Gabby Petito case, and while I knew there would be some twists, the idea of a Youtube couple with dark secrets in the Bahamas sounded amazing. The execution fell a little flat. I figured out quickly the twists, and the end left me a bit confused. It felt longer than it needed to be.

The storyline is excellent and the characters , while few, are interesting and well described. Thank you to Rachel McGuire, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book

On The Surface is a really fun debut by two authors writing together. I flew through this one as this type of premise is what I enjoy.

It was a bit predictable for me as this type of twist has been done before (think: Gone Girl but throw in social media) but overall it was a fun popcorn thriller for me and I really enjoyed it.

This is a case of bad people but you love to hate them! I will def be reading these authors again and appreciate my early copy here.

Just really average, very similar to dozens of other books I've read before. Nothing stood out here, I think. It's a decent popcorn thriller, but not more than that.

A modern day who done it. Not often you can read an up to date modern suspense novel and really understand it. Very well written to keep you on the edge yet ties everything up at the end Quite enjoyable for sure.

So although you may call yourself a psychological thriller lover please proceed with caution, this is not the book for anyone looking for a boy meets girl and maybe gets annoyed and disappears for a bit kind of thing .

Fun fact, this is a debut . These TWO ladies, write with such talent you would believe they have been writing since the womb. Rachel McGuire is the pen name for the collaboration between Rachel Graham and Lee-Ann McGuire Whitlock.

Move over James Patterson we have new authors to idolize.

Teaser :

A YouTubing cruiser couple sails the world living their best life—until one of them goes missing and their whole world capsizes, in this captivating psychological thriller perfect for fans of Something in the Water and Saint X.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox, a young couple who spends their time circumnavigating the globe aboard their 42-foot sailboat and documenting it for their fledgling YouTube channel Sailing with the Foxes, have anchored in Exuma, in the Bahamas. As they wait for the price of crypto to rebound so they can provision and continue their journey, they’re partying and exploring with their fellow cruisers off shore. On the surface, everything looks perfect. But one night, Dani vanishes after a boat party, and Sawyer has no memory of her disappearance.

The search for Dani is initially fueled by concerns that she drowned during one of her daily ocean swims, but Dani's prescheduled video posts, recorded before she went missing, soon reveal a darker side to her relationship with Sawyer. Meanwhile, Royal Bahamas Police Force Inspector Veronique Knowles has her hands full trying to keep the investigation on course as the story of the American woman missing in the Bahamas goes viral and the internet sleuths unearth secrets from Sawyer’s past. Sawyer Stone is far from perfect, but is he a murderer?

Quick read with a good twist! I liked the concept of this book and the overall premise - it was new, unique, and very current.
One thing that was mentioned a lot which I thought was strange was that Dani and Sawyer ‘worked together well.’ I felt it was oversaid too much and just wasn’t necessary. Also the comments made by the uncle didn’t really match the story and felt like it was just added fluff.

This Gone Girl-esque story reeled you in from the start to figure out who was lying. Dani vanishes without a trace, is Sawyer responsible or is he being set up? It was an easy read which kept me engaged, the ending was maybe a bit rushed as it wasn't quite clear why certain characters ended up the way they did. I could see where the author was heading but it would have been nice to dive a little deeper into it ;)

📜On The Surface
✍️Rachel McGuire
📠Crooked Lane Books
📚Mystery/Thriller, Fiction
🗓️Pub date: July 9, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

✨Thank you @NetGalley and @crookedlanebooks for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Also thank you to @rachelmcguireauthor for bringing me on a much needed virtual trip to the islands and for writing a jaw-dropping book 🤩🌴🌊

✨While Dani strives to become a well-known You Tube sensation, and Sawyer waits for his cryptocurrency to rise again, they spend their time cruising the islands off the Bahamas on their 42-foot boat.

✨Dani spends the majority of her time creating a perfect persona online, from her outfits, make-up, and to staged “fails” that viewers will love and come back for more.

✨ However, there’s a certain sinister backstory that she’s keeping hidden. Dani and Sawyer’s relationship isn’t all butterflies and roses, so when she goes missing after an on-island party, eyebrows are raised. New pre-recorded videos on her feed are scheduled to air, and some of their real relationship is unveiled.

✨Investigators race to uncover the hidden tales of love and lust gone wrong and whether Sawyer is capable of murder.

✨ This book was sunshine and sand in a little thrilling package! Gorgeous scenery, clear-as-glass ocean waters, and the warm Bahama sun made me escape cold Boston weather. Expertly written, I loved every minute of this thriller and already want to read it a second time! This book is going to be the hottest thriller of the summer!

✨QOTD: Where’s your favorite Caribbean destination?

#netgalley #onthesurface #rachelmcguire#crookedlanebooks #thrillerfiction #summerreleases #mysteryfiction #watchoutforthisone #advancedreadercopy #arc #bookreview #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #ivegotbooks #killmewithwords #idratherbereading #readthisbook #psychthriller #bestbooks #tropicalthriller
#readyforvacation

This is one of those books where you feel like you can’t trust any of the characters and that is one of my favourite things when incorporated in Thriller or Horror books.

I did not want to put this book down because I found myself so immersed in the mystery behind Dani’s disappearance along with Sawyer’s past. I also loved the actual atmosphere of the book with it being set in the Bahamas and it surrounding Youtube and cruising.

What I did not love is how much this reminded me of Gone Girl. That’s not me saying I don’t love that book and movie, it’s actually the opposite. It’s because I love it so much that it took me back when it was revealed the all-too-familiar plot twist.

However, I think it was executed in such a fantastic way, especially with the other great reveal at the very end.

I think this is a great book for those wanting to try out the genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with this ARC. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

On the Surface by Rachel McGuire has me feeling two very different ways about it. On one hand it is well written, a thriller that is a fascinating study on social media and created reality. On the other hand it seems formulaic, with too many parallels of a very well known thriller that has been celebrated over the last few years.

The story follows Sawyer as he becomes a person of interest and suspect in a police investigation and the court of public opinion. His young and beautiful girlfriend (and first mate), Dani, has gone missing and the YouTube channel she managed for them, coupled with the Bahaman cruising community’s commitment to bringing attention to her disappearance, draws the public’s interest to the mystery..

The mystery and structure of the book are great, but as mentioned this seemed turn for turn to use the same elements of the other well known thriller and to not do it as well. If you haven’t read that book (which I won’t disclose as it may be a spoiler, but if you’re a fan of thrillers you definitely have read it) then this is a very engaging story. The exploration of social media, armchair detectives, and warping of reality is done in an interesting way I could believe in. I also liked the inclusion of law enforcements’ perspective and struggle throughout the story.

Ultimately as conflict as I am, I can recommend this as a well written thriller, but this may make you angry at being a blatant knock off. Rating it a three star with encouragement to read this if you don’t mind recycled elements, and want to explore the social media slant in a thriller.

Dani & Sawyer are cruisers, living life on a boat while documenting their journey on YouTube. After losing their savings, they’re hoping monetizing their channel will fix their money problems. Things are just starting to look up for them when Dani vanishes.

This was a very quick, enjoyable read! The chapters were the perfect length, and the paragraphs weren’t overly wordy. Typically if I encounter a lot of just info paragraphs I end up skimming them, but that wasn’t the case here. Everything was very well done! I would definitely recommend this read for fans of a destination thriller.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted ARC

I really enjoyed this one! First, the setting was wonderful. Second, the characters really kept me on my toes. Third, the twists were well done.

I did assume one of the twists from the beginning but it turned out to be way more than I anticipated!

This was shockingly good! I’m a sucker for a thriller set on a boat; put it in a boat and I will read it! On the Surface was everything I love about thrillers: fast-paced, filled with morally gray characters, and stuffed to the gills with genuinely surprising twists. I absolutely loved this book!

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 9th July.

This book was a great take on the modern day life of an influencer there were many concepts explored through this book mainly the role of social media plays in people’s lives and if the glamour behind the pictures is really the reality or something more! I throughly enjoyed it, it was very twisty and at times I thought I worked out what would happen next only so be thrown another curveball!

My favourite character was Bahamian Police Inspector Veronique Knowles. I loved the setting of this book it had an intriguing plot that kept me guessing till the end. I think this would be great if it was made into a tv series.

I would highly recommended this book to anyone who is a fan of domestic/ psychological thrillers and wants a twisty, captivating and impossible to put down thriller! 😊