"On the Surface" has a compelling plot and great cover art, however, the actual story was not what I hoped it would be. The writing was choppy, the plot was slow, and none of the characters were engaging. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book I finished in three days. It was a good twisted psychological suspense book. I enjoyed the different perspectives including the detectives. This book does have some trigger warnings. Manipulation at it's finest.

I kept thinking there was going to be a big twist, but it never came. I was able to predict most of the plot from page 1, and I was disappointed in the ending. I enjoyed the writing style of the author, and the story line really had a lot of potential, but it just didn’t pan out as a thriller. It was very suspenseful, but I was so confused when I realized I was on the last page of the book. I had to ask myself if I missed something. Not going to be a book I recommend, but I will check out other books by this author in the future.

This is a story about a couple who sails and they make influencers videos on YouTube. Sawyer and Dani are living their life, but after one party Dani goes missing. And all eyes are on Sawyer.
It was an interesting story with an interesting plot. I liked the writing style and all the twists. Some of them I saw coming but it was still page-turner.

I liked how the author described social media, and how we never know what actually happens behind the camera. And how dark can be in reality!

It was fun to read in winter. Couple sailing in the Bahamas when here it's snowing😅

I have never read a book where I hated all the characters. I really mean ALL. But that is what it made interesting.
And the storyline was told by days, so you can follow it easily.


Publication day 09 July 2024

I’m not sure where to even start with this one. The characters are all unlikeable. Pretty much every single one. The main characters - Sawyer and Dani - are hideous people who you want to see get what they deserve. But, the book ends … and you’re left with a lot of questions and anger. If I had a physical book, rather than reading on my device, I would have thrown this one … likely in the direction of the nearest trash can.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

“On the Surface” is an attention grabber keeping the reader engrossed with a cast of characters who do not disappoint. Meanwhile the plot twists and turns like waves on the open sea. A great read….

Good concept, failing execution.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the plot, but the author couldn’t live up to the expectations. I found it difficult to relate to the characters and their issues. The writing was disjointed at times, the plot moved at a snail’s place, and the ending left several holes. It just ended. I’m sure there is an audience for this book, it just wasn’t for me.

My review is voluntary and all comments and opinions are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley, and the publisher for this advance ARC.
This wasn't my favorite book-unlikable characters, a slow burn, and ultimately just not a story that kept my attention or interest.

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.

Very tense and claustrophobic. I was on edge the whole time. Well done!

On the surface (see what I did there), a young couple looks to have the perfect life sailing around the world and documenting it on their YouTube channel. But when Dani goes missing after a party on another boat, all signs point to her boyfriend Sawyer, suspicions escalating when thousands of internet sleuths join in on solving the mystery.

As much as it pains me to say this about a debut author, I had a hard time getting through this one. Bare bones, there’s some good material here, but the execution and delivery need work.

First, what I liked… the setting, and the exploration of the influencer culture and what someone would do for attention were intriguing.

What I didn’t love… while the storytelling was decent (except for the ending), the writing itself felt awkward. I found myself rereading phrases, having stumbled over them in my mind and needed a redo. Just try and read it out loud and tell me the flow of the prose isn’t a little herky-jerky. It was also pretty obvious the authors weren’t of the Gen Z generation and were giving a voice to someone they didn’t relate to on that level.

It’s possible the intent was to create a whole cast of unlikeable characters, and if so, that just didn’t work for me in this instance. The characters who weren’t awful people just felt flat and the ones who were awful weren’t bad in an interesting way. The mid-book revelation was unsurprising and because of the lack of sympathetic characters, and general predictability of the plot, I couldn’t bring myself to care about the ultimate conclusion. If I had been invested, I likely would’ve been disappointed by the abruptness at which the story ended but alas.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this in advance.
That’s where my thanks yous end though. This may be the worst book I have read all year. The plot was thin. The characters were unbearably awful. Dani was vapid and unlikable from the start. Sawyer was somehow even worse. The editing of this book was terrible.

Influencers suck.

Yeah, I said it and, #sorrynotsorry, they do.

Well, in On the Surface, Rachel McGuire brings us some of the suckiest of the suckiest! You will hate these people.

It’s okay, though, since you’ll love to read them.

This is a wonderfully twisty tale of awful people and the horrible things they do. The only character I liked was the police inspector. Everyone else needed to be drowned.

The author does a great job of making you wonder who is telling the truth and what’s really happening and there are definite surprises ahead!

An absolute blast of a read full of people you hate!

• ARC via Publisher

This was such a great, suspenseful thriller! I couldn't put this book down and I would love to read more by this author. You'll never guess the twist at the end!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of On the Surface by Rachel McGuire, published by Crooked Lane Books

This was one of the best reads all year, I loved the plot, the characters, the writing style, the twists and turns. It was awesome. I didn't want the story to end but I wanted to know the ending. The setting and characters are well described, story is told from a few different characters, it reads so well.
I sailed through this book, it was so good and fun to read.
Main characters Sawyer and Dani are living the life on their boat, making friends, posting videos on YouTube, hoping to get enough views to start making money, funds are tight as Sawyer's investments have tanked and this lifestyle requires money. They attend a party one evening on another couples boat, the next morning Dani has disappeared and Sawyer can't remember the events of the night before.
This is a must read psychological thriller, I will be watching for more books from this author.

On the Surface is quite the beach read, which is perfect since it will be coming out in the summer! One of my favorite things about this story is the multi-first person unreliable narratives. It immersed me in the story and made the twists and turns much more enjoyable. Every chapter drops a clue that McGuire uses perfectly in the last 50 pages. This book is also a nod to the era of internet sleuthing and the debate of whether they do more harm than good when it comes to true crime happening in real time. What happened to Dani Fox? While that, my friend, you’ll have to find out for yourself. Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me access to this ARC!

This was such a fun read! I loved the setting and the character development. The two main characters start out unlikeable, then somehow become even more so over time - but in a “love to hate them” way. There were some great twists I didn’t see coming.

Missing girl on a boat. Boyfriend is under suspicion and has a wife who passed away under suspicious circumstances. What could go wrong? I loved the premise and found myself getting more and more into into it until it was revealed what really happened and then I found myself not really caring as much. I feel that the storyline could have been developed more and just don’t like what actually happened and the social influencer parts was a big yawn.

I happily requested an ARC of On the Surface after receiving a promotional email from Crooked Lane Books. In a time when most people post their entire lives on social media, I thought On the Surface was such an interesting premise. Told from alternating perspectives in alternating timelines, it was apparent from the beginning that there would be no "reliable" narrator. In fact, by the end the reader should truly hate Dani and Sawyer (and most probably do...) which is such a testament to the great character development throughout the novel. Notably, I loved the quippy internal dialogue -- I actually laughed out loud at a few of them. On the Surface will be THE beach read for 2024!

I did not enjoy this book at all . as someone who does social media and YouTube I was super intrigued , but it was kind of flat in my opinion it started off good but as the book went on it kinda of felt like it was dragging. I didn't feel a sense of urgency to keep reading the book . didn't like the two main characters. I could not connect with or relate to them, and that detracted from the story for me. I have read books with dislikable characters before, but not like that. I never really got to a point where I could care about them.

The ending was very abrupt; it was open-ended actually, with several loose threads left untied. I thought the book had some missing pages at first. There were a couple of unanswered questions, and I was dissatisfied with the lack of a moral resolution in the book's ending. Therefore, i gave the book 2 stars and that was generous.

On the Surface tells the story of a young woman who goes missing at sea, leaving her partner behind as a chief suspect. It’s also the story of the deception and evil that lie hidden under a charismatic personality. And it’s the story of twisted thoughts and minds that hide in the dark recesses of the internet.

Cruisers Sawyer and Dani have almost run out of money, due to Sawyer’s bad investments. They are anchored in the Bahamas while Dani films content for “Sailing with the Foxes”, their YouTube channel that she hopes to monetize. Viewership is not growing quickly until one morning, after a wild alcohol and drug filled party on a neighboring yacht, Sawyer wakes up with a terrific hangover to discover he is alone. Dani is missing. Rumors spread quickly among the other cruisers: he murdered his first wife, he had an affair with her sister and he was abusive to Dani. As prerecorded videos post to their channel, Dani hints that the last rumor is true. Neighbors alert the Bahamian police to potential crime and Dani’s disappearance goes viral. Hundreds of internet sleuths are on the case, floating more and more unrealistic solutions. But where is Dani? And is Sawyer guilty?

On the Surface is a well constructed thriller that is impossible to put down. None of the characters are likable except Bahamian Police Inspector Veronique Knowles. She tries to pull the truth from a web of deceit and manipulation but time is running out. If you take On the Surface to the beach, you wont have time to get in the water! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Rachel McGuire for this ARC.