I appreciate books that deliver thrills and chills. All the hints are taken seriously. As the sharks close in, the characters stayed true to themselves from start to finish, which is pretty amazing for a thriller. While I am not surprised at the outcome, I was a little sad about the ending. The only reason I give four stars is because I wanted a more final ending, and not a let's sail away ending.
If you are a thriller person, On The Surface will not disappoint.

First, I want to say that I was offered an opportunity to read this book by email from NetGalley, and the cover alone made it a "100% YES" response. I love the colors, the title, the entire vibe. I found the main characters in this book to be completely despicable, in the best way for the reader. The combination of luxury cruising the Carribean, deep sea swimming, diving, boat top barbecues and murder was exactly what I needed to bust me out of my cold day winter reading blahs. I found the chapters to be nicely paced and engaging, allowing me to flip pages and kill this beauty off in just a few fun reads. Well done! I look forward to reading more of Rachel McGuire's work. Super fun!

"On The Surface" is like a thrilling rollercoaster ride you won't want to get off. Picture this: a YouTube-famous couple sailing the world, living their dream life. Sounds perfect, right? Well, hold on tight because things are about to take a crazy twist.

Sawyer and Dani are the adventurous duo behind the YouTube channel "Sailing with the Foxes." They're living the dream on their sailboat, documenting their epic global journey. But paradise takes a dark turn when Dani mysteriously disappears during a boat party in the Bahamas, and Sawyer can't remember a thing.

The search for Dani kicks off with worries of a tragic ocean accident, but Dani's pre-recorded videos hint at a much more complicated relationship with Sawyer. Enter Inspector Veronique Knowles, who's got her hands full trying to solve this mystery while the internet sleuths dig up secrets from Sawyer's past.

This book had me on the edge of my seat, racing through the pages to uncover the truth. Is Sawyer a murderer, or is there something even more sinister at play? The twists and turns in this story are like a maze you won't see coming.

If you're into pulse-pounding, jaw-dropping thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end, "On The Surface" is your next must-read. Seriously, don't start this one unless you're ready for a wild ride! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

So as other reviews have said, the characters aren’t really likable, but I found the wonderfully unlikable. It was kind of great to read about them and so I quite enjoyed this book.

Reading “on the surface” in winter time definitely gives you a mental escape from the cold, set on the tropical waters of the Bahamas this book visually pleasing, however that may be the only warm aspect of the plot.

The book follows two main characters, Sawyer and Dani, who spend their time sailing around on their small sized boat and capturing content for their online social media presence. From the get go it is clear Dani’s goal is to go viral and become “insta famous”, and what is also clear is that Sawyer is getting a little sick of her antics.

The relationship seems to be strained and Dani makes it a point to let everybody know exactly how volatile it can be.

After a party with the other cruisers, Dani is last seen dragging a drunk and disorderly Sawyer back to their boat. After that, Dani disappears and the search to find her begins.

This book highlights the sordid and shallow side of social media and the dangers viewers face in being easily swept up and manipulated with the drama. The spotlight on the characters enhances their flaws and terrible personalities, not a single character in this book is likeable, which as a reader made me less invested in seeing and caring what happens to them.

This book was a slow burn in multiple points of view. The change in POV was done well, it was interesting to hear alternative perspectives, however the hints were potentially lacking in subtlety as I was able to predict the plot twists far in advance.

The plot and setting had great potential to be captivating and interesting, but the delivery fell a little short for me, especially with the abrupt ending the left a lot to be answered for.

If you are looking for an easy to follow, slow burn, exotic thriller, this could be the book for you. Averaging 300 pages you can definitely finish this story in one sitting if you want to reach your reading goals for the end of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

On The Surface by Rachel McGuire started off well with a group of misfit boaters just hanging out living the dream. Sawyer and Dani are a couple, and soon Dani goes missing. There's a ton of clues that point to Sawyer, but no sign of Dani. I like the book initially but it devolved into something not quite so appealing, there's a lot of backstory to Dani, and it felt rote and familiar. I lost interest about halfway through the book not really caring about the characters as they are highly unlikeable. Meh.

This is one mind bending read. The story starts off slow, Sawyer and Dani are cruisers and want to be YouTube sensations. Everything changes when Dani goes missing. All I can say is that nothing is what we expect. Birds of a feather flock together sums this story. A thriller with intense personalities. Well written.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I started reading this book early in the morning and after a few chapters was seriously considering whether I could cancel my plans for the rest of the day and keep reading. Sailing with the Foxes is a small Youtube channel telling the story of two cruisers, Dani and Sawyer, and their trip around the world. They're broke and haven't made it very far, but the two have big plans. After blacking out at a late night party, Sawyer wakes up alone in the cabin of their boat with no idea how he got back aboard. Dani has vanished, leaving behind her passport, camera, and other valuables. Immediately, rumors begin to fly. Did Dani drown during one of her daily swims? Did she flee an abusive relationship? Did Sawyer kill her? If this is reminding you of recent news stories, the characters in the book make that same comparison. I had some guesses about Dani's fate and wasn't completely wrong, but the plot was a lot more complex than I first expected it to be. I absolutely LOVED this one!

Ooh this one was full of suspense and kept me wondering what the heck was going on! I enjoyed every single minute of this wild ride!

What would you do to earn money? How far would you go? Whew! This book took us there.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox are cruisers. They spend their time on their boat cruising the world. They also share their adventures on their YouTube channel. While in the Bahamas, Dani vanishes after a boat party, and Sawyer has no memory of what happened Of course, Sawyer becomes a suspect in Dani’s disappearance. What ensues from there is a crazy story of what people will do for money with some twists I didn’t expect.

This was an edge of your seat book. Just when I thought I had it figured out, there was another twist. I had trouble liking the characters, and that’s why the book was so good. The impact of social media on criminal investigations was so well laid out.

This is a great thriller. I would recommend this book and put it on your TBR. The book will be published on July 9, 2024.

Thank you, @netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author, Rachel McGuire, for the e-ARC.

On the Surface by author duo Rachel McGuire, published by Crooked Lane Books, is an extraordinary debut. This thriller is full of very unexpected twists and turns that had me guessing til the last page.
A complex, complicated story whose characters ruthlessness is astonishing. Nothing is as it seems, literally nothing.
I really enjoyed reading this book, 5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the copy of On The Surface by Rachel McGuire. I liked the description of this book and it started great. I started to lose interest when Dani talked about her childhood because it was such a cliché. When we heard from her uncle, what he said gave me clues about what happened, but was barely acknowledged by the detectives. Although this book kept me reading to find out how it ended, the conclusion felt unfinished, as if the author had a great idea for a twist and once that was written didn’t bother actually to have an end to the story. If you love thrillers for the unexpected twist, you will love this book, but the lack of an ending was frustrating.

Loved this. I couldn’t put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this read - it grabbed me from the beginning and led me through the crazy lives of creepily believable influencers. I felt like the plot was entirely plausible - and horrifying that Joe Citizen can so easily influence and screw up investigations. I loved the book, thought the characters were truly awful - a rare book where I really didn't want to root for ANY of them! - and wasn't 100% sure til the end who knew what about whom. Was Sawyer in on it from the beginning? I loved piecing together this story and finding little Easter egg hints along the way. A truly enjoyable book - would absolutely recommend!

This book totally sucked me in from the beginning! I read the whole thing in a weekend.
Dani and Sawyer are a young beautiful couple living aboard their boat and posting to YouTube about their idyllic stay in the Bahamas. But in reality their life is not so perfect. As pieces of the story are revealed from different characters' points of view you begin to question everything.
I was fascinated by the cruiser culture and the hustle involved in being an influencer. Then when Dani disappears and the police get involved things start getting messy (and fun!).

"On the Surface" by Rachel McGuire is a slow-burn thriller that revolves around a YouTube cruising couple anchored in the Bahamas.

The book begins with a bang — the mysterious death of a young woman — before moving to the present. We're introduced to Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox, a young couple immersed in the pleasures of cruising, sex, and parties. Dani diligently documents their life on their YouTube channel 'Sailing with the Foxes' as they attempt to make a living from it.

Struggling financially after Sawyer lost his money in a crypto scheme, the plot thickens when Dani vanishes following a boat party, and Sawyer has no recollection of the events after a night of heavy drinking. When Dani's pre-scheduled videos are aired, showing Sawyer's violent tendencies and the cracks in their relationship, he becomes the main suspect in her disappearance due in part to his shady past. The intervention of internet sleuths in the case doesn't make it easy to crack.

The story is told in Dani and Sawyer's first-person perspectives, switching back and forth between them, with some interlude chapters in the third perspective from a couple of other characters such as Local Inspector Veronique Knowles and Sonja, a fellow cruiser.

I enjoyed the book, mostly, but I do have a few reservations. But first, to what I liked. I loved the setting, the description of the lifestyle of the cruisers, and the exposure of the fakeness of social media. What appears as a glamorous life on social media turns out to be pretense and lies. The main characters were well-drawn, and I liked the dynamics between them, but they were unlikeable, to put it mildly. The writing was good and flowed easily from one POV to another.

On the surface, the book has all the elements for a successful story: a brilliant premise, an intriguing plot, complex characters, and good writing. Unfortunately, the execution of the story felt a little flat. The main issues I had with this book were the slow pace, the unlikable characters, and the abrupt ending.

The book was slow-paced until the middle, and I didn’t feel a sense of urgency to keep reading. Some things were predictable once the connection between the prologue and the story was revealed. I 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 decided to give the book 2.5 out of 5 stars, rounded up to 3 stars. I recommend the book to those who appreciate a unique setting and are open to navigating unlikable characters, a slower pace, or narratives with open-ended conclusions.

* I am posting this review to my GR and Blog immediately and will post it to my Amazon account upon publication.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I almost didn’t finish this one. I was bored the first 50 or so pages. It does pick up but then get predictable. Also the ending is left wide open. Hoping a 2nd book is in the works or that’s the worst ending I’ve ever read!

On The Surface is mind boggling good! What seems to be a run of the mill fun thriller or vacation-gone-wrong style mystery is truly a sharp and incisive and incredibly engaging commentary on social media. When an up and coming YouTubing half of a boating couple disappears after a night of drama and drinking, the boyfriend clearly seems to be the culprit.

But is there more tot he story? Sawyer claims his innocence but his missing girlfriend's youtube channel continues to publish previously programmed reels that say otherwise. Plenty of the boating "cruiser " community have opinions on the couple and when one person tips the scales with posts, millions of people look on. Can the police get to the bottom of what happened before vigilante justice takes their place

If you like reality shows but may not always admit to it in public, this is a book for you - a smart and scathing tribute to the world of social media and the denizens that drive it. #Crookedlanebooks #onthesurface #rachelmcguire

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A influencer couple on a boat looking picture perfect. Then one day the wife disappears. Where did she go? Was she murdered? Did she fall overboard? This book has so many twists and turns it had me guessing until the end. Amazing writing. Would highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a terrific read. Fun, twisty and quite dark! Among other things it explores the role of social media in our lives, and the reality that lies behind the glamorous life of many so-called influencers - in this instance, those who live the boat life.

Sawyer and Danny are a young, glamorous couple who live on a vessel named Serenity, and are part of a round-the-world boating lifestyle that many cruisers are part of.

To fund their further travel they plan to raise funds through Dani becoming a YouTube influencer. For now, they are anchored in the Bahamas, enjoying the sun, sex, and sinful pleasures of the cruising life.

Other community members begin to notice cracks appearing in their relationship, though Dani brushes off any queries of this nature. But Sawyer's wealthy first wife died in diving accident, so when Dani disappears after a drunken night of partying where tempers ran high suspicion immediately falls on him.

The Bahamian police officer in charge of the investigation finds herself with a very full plate after she discovers the "disappeared white woman" syndrome kicking in with a vengeance when sexy, lively Dani is found missing. A social media feeding frenzy ensues, with every wannabe "cyber sleuth" and conspiracy theorist weighing in. Sometimes quite literally - like the 300 lb guy who confronts Sawyer in a bar...

This is a clever and enjoyable read with multiple twists, so even if you guess one or two of them as I did, there are likely to be more surprises along the way. Highly recommended to readers of domestic and psychological thrillers.