Interesting book. Although, as a lot of others have stated, it's way to close to an older book....therefore I flew through it, and basically knew where it it was going.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this ARC.

I really enjoyed the setting and that they were youtubers. That was interesting. The rest was a bit lacking though. Pretty basic and the twists weren't the best.

Thank you to the author, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting this review, I read this a while ago, but am well behind with my reviews and trying to catch up!

Not really a thriller, and with very foreseeable twists and turns - but an interesting look behind the curtain of the influencer life, as well as the life of those who elect to live on boats full-time.

This was a fast paced story set in the Bahamas. We follow Dani and Sawyer as they try to get their YouTube Channel on its feet displaying their cruiser lifestyle. Everything goes off the rails when Dani disappears one morning…or does it? This book was intriguing and kept my interest despite the fact that both main characters are utterly unlikable and irredeemable. This was different from my normal thrillers and I enjoyed it overall.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

On The Surface is a self-proclaimed thriller about influencer Dani Fox and her boyfriend, Sawyer Stone III, as they chronicle their picture-perfect life on their monohull, Serendipity—but nothing is ever as it seems... After a party, Sawyer wakes up to find Dani gone, and everyone is pointing the finger at him, and everyone is asking the question: where in the world is Dani Fox?

Okay...this book is not really a thriller, and most of the surprises could be seen a mile away. I liked the setting of the story, and I liked the character of the Inspector. I somehow keep ending up reading books with influencers in the center, and it just makes me dislike them even more IRL. Anyways, this book did a lot of telling and not showing, and some of the telling was unnecessary; an author shouldn't write out every single banal action happening in a scene, or explain what's happening...just get to the action.

The people on Hulu or HBO would probably eat this stuff up, though.

This book sounded intriguing to me. Sawyer and Dani live a life as cruisers - they spend their days on their boat, sailing to different islands, meeting up with other cruisers along the way. Dani is trying to make it big with her YouTube channel, documenting their lives and looking for her big break.

But when Dani goes missing, suddenly Sawyer is cast into the spotlight. Did he kill her? Did she drown? Was someone else involved? The twists keep coming as everyone tries to figure out exactly was happened to Dani Fox.

I went into this book because of the premise, and although it was decent, it reminded me too much of another thriller that played this story out much better. I won't name the book because it will immediately spoil the big twist for you, but I definitely got a "been there, done that" feeling during the big reveal and this was a total let down for me.

Although the story read well enough, I just couldn't get over the big let down of the twist. Definitely a meh read for me.

Young couple Sawyer and Dani live on their 42' sailboat and document their life for the world to see. After a boat party with a few fellow cruisers ends up with Dani vanishing without a trace, all fingers point to Sawyer who can't remember a thing. When Dani's pre-recorded YouTube videos start to post, it shows not everything is what it seems.

On the Surface was the perfect novel to escape in; beautiful setting, secrets at every corner, and alternating POVs by unlikeable and unreliable characters had me questioning everything and anything. I enjoyed the writing style and how the author incorporated the social media commentary, so entertaining! At times, the characters were so irritating, I was ready to throw the book at the wall, I'm glad I didn't though.

The ending was interesting to say the least, not quite sure how I feel about the ending. Overall, it was an entertaining, fast paced thriller.

I loved Gone Girl and if that was your vibe, this will be too.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books and netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

Two beautiful people have a chance encounter. Total narcissists. What transpires next is a whole lot of crazy.

This was a just fun read! Perfect for beach, pool or long flight. If ‘Ripped from the Headlines’ and Gone Girl had a baby, it would be this book. The author made characters that are so self centered somehow semi likable. Cruisers, baby boomers that live on boats, cruise around and party, meet Internet Influencers. I can’t say there were any shocking twists, but it an easy read and will keep your attention. I was disappointed in the ending, left me wondering if there was going to be a sequel.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

A little bit Gone Girl and a little bit Reckless Girls (by Hawkins), On The Surface is a wild ride; albeit not an outright shocking one.

An aspiring sailing YouTube star goes missing after a wild party, her boyfriend wakes up, injured and alone with no memory of the night before. He becomes the prime suspect as videos she prescheduled keep going live, like breadcrumbs, adding more fuel to the fire.

I really enjoyed On The Surface! Dani was super unlikable in the best way, and I loved the prologue, especially.

A solid 4 star fun read. Unless you’re going diving or sailing soon 😉

On the Surface by Rachel McGuire has such an incredible cover! The colors are so beautiful! This was a summer thriller and I was here for it. This is one of those books you can easily devour in one sitting sitting pool side.

If you love:
Beach Setting / Summer vibes
Multiple POVs
Unlikeable characters
Unreliable narrators
Then this book is most definitely for you!!

I thought the narrators accents and storytelling helped keep me engaged and wondering what was coming next. I highly recommend this audiobook.

A huge thank you to dreamscape media and NetGalley for this ALC / ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What I like was having a full cast narration. That’s a huge win for me with audiobooks. It totally enhances the listening experience and gives the story so much life. I loved the setting and although I enjoyed this one it fell a little flat for me. Here’s what didn’t work for me - it was slow until the middle, then that ending felt extremely rushed. Had I read this when I was new to suspense and thriller reads I do feel like my rating would be higher. Again, very good but not a book I’ll remember long after reading.

This was a fun quick read! We have unreliable and unlikable characters (which is my favorite)! The story is told through multiple POVs and I couldn’t wait to find out how the story would unfold. All in all, a fun quick read!

A You Tube couple cruise on their sailboat and make videos of their time sailing. Sawyer and Dani are a couple.
The book starts out with a woman scuba diving and her equipment failing. Next thing we are on this sailboat cruising and learning about Sawyer and Dani. I didn't like Dani from the start. She is a slob and is very selfish and everything is about her. They meet up with other boaters and they party. One night after a party Dani disappears and looks like Sawyer had something to do with it. Detectives find out some things about Sawyer's past that makes it look like he is not a nice person. I didn't mind Sawyer but Dani got on my nerves. Sailing sounds like a lot of fun if you have the money to support that lifestyle.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC to read.

Entertaining holiday read!



Dani and Sawyer are living their best life. Their home is a boat, currently staying at the Bahamas. But money is tight and Dani is vloging about their cruiser life to earn their living. But not everything is roses between them. After a party with fellow cruisers Dani goes missing. She uploaded videos on her YouTube channel which suggest that Sawyer is abusive. And because it is always the boyfriend, Sawyer is the main suspect in this case. Web sleuths are threatening him and interfere with the police work. But nobody knows what happened to Dani.



Living on a boat and waking up in paradise every morning sound like a dream come true. But this live also comes with a price and when you don’t have a lot of money you have to find a way to make ends meet. And producing content for internet platforms is also a lot of work. So, Dani gets creative. At first, I was not sure where the story was heading. It seems very straightforward but don’t be fooled. There are some twists and developments and there is not a likeable person in sight except maybe Veronique, the police inspector. This is a popcorn thriller, maybe a bit slow paced but still entertaining. A perfect summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my E-ARC. This one was a quick read told from several POVS with some twists and turns, some of which were very predictable. The tale of a missing young female Youtube influencer, the ongoing police investigation, and the unlikeable characters held my interest. I would have preferred a different outcome; however a good overall summer thriller read.

Title: On the Surface by Rachel McGuire
Publication Date- 07/09/24
Publisher- Crooked Lane Books
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Story Review: I feel like it’s been a minute since I found a thriller I really enjoyed and had a good easy, breezy time with; On the Surface is that book. This is a story about influencer culture and its intersection with true crime obsessions. There’s a big trigger warning for domestic violence, make sure you’re okay with that before you read this.

Under the Surface is a really fun and unique thriller. Maybe the commentary on influencer culture and true crime obsession isn't, but this take on it and way of story telling is. We have a couple who is sailing around the world, when the woman mysteriously disappears. We get to hear multiple perspectives looking at this case which really added to the enjoyment.

Something I complain about a lot is when books have too many twists that don’t make sense or when they use plot points of convenience. This book didn’t do that. It was well thought out and realistic. I think because of that some people won’t like the ending. If you want something super shocking this isn’t that, it’s not a popcorn thriller. It's more a look at humanity under the circumstance of disappearance.
Furthermore, I enjoyed the time the author took to show that people really go far on social media to “make it.” She points out how a lot of the content we see is faked. I know we all know this, but do we really believe it? Not often. Rachel McGuire demonstrated simple ways people can fake their content and I found that really interesting.

All in all this was really fun, very enjoyable, an entertaining summer read with a controversial ending. Highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Out of 5 stars, I would only give this book a 2.5. After doing more research, I discovered that the book was actually written by two people working together. This explained so much. There are times when multiple writers can come together to write a great novel but often times, and in this case, it does not work out. Each writer's tone was different and it really shown through.

As an ARC reader, I am no stranger to grammatical errors or semantic errors. It's only human nature to make mistakes. I try not to count it against the book when I come across these issues, but when the same error keeps popping up, it makes it harder to ignore. For example, there is a catamaran named Aboat Time. There were been several times that the authors would write About Time instead of Aboat Time. There was another another consistent error I saw in the naming of the boats. This boat was called the Nauti Buoy but at other times was referred to as the Nauti Boy.

Also the vocabulary that was used throughout the novel felt a bit ambitious. Terms like "glug", "laypeople", "bupkis", "anathema", among others were at contrast with the storyline in my opinion. Yes, some of the characters went to private school but numerous times they denounced their education and honestly, no one uses terms like those in normal speech. I also had the same issue with the sentence structure throughout the book as well. For example, "I hadn't expected him to cotton on to my hustle so fast." I am hoping things like these were fixed in the final edit but goodness, it definitively took away from the story line.

Would I recommend this to fellow readers? Honestly, no. There's too many questions and not enough answers. I won't count the semantics away at the moment because it could have had one last good edit before going to final print. But I can't discount the fact that I did not enjoy the storyline at all. It had great potential but I think there were too many variables that took away from what it could have been.

"On the Surface" by Rachel McGuire offers a slow-burn thriller centered around a YouTube cruising couple anchored in the Bahamas. The story kicks off with the mysterious disappearance of Dani Fox, a rising social media star, following a boat party. Her boyfriend, Sawyer Stone III, becomes the prime suspect due to his murky past and the incriminating pre-scheduled videos of Dani that continue to surface. The plot thickens as internet sleuths dive into the case, complicating the search for answers. Told from alternating perspectives of Dani and Sawyer, with additional insights from characters like Local Inspector Veronique Knowles and fellow cruiser Sonja, the narrative explores the facades of social media and the harsh realities behind them.

While the novel boasts a captivating premise and complex characters, it suffers from a sluggish pace and an abrupt, inconclusive ending. The depiction of the cruisers' lifestyle and the commentary on the pretense of social media are well-executed, but the unlikable main characters and predictable plot twists detract from the overall experience. Despite good writing and a compelling setting, the story's slow progression and lack of resolution leave much to be desired. Fans of unique settings and open-ended conclusions might find some appeal, but others may find it challenging to stay engaged.

If you’re heading to the pool or the beach on a vacation this summer…you’re gonna wanna read this one!

The prologue had me interested immediately. I could not put this one down. Is everything as it seems…on the surface?

Fancy boats, the Bahamas, & a missing beautiful young girl. Where is she & what happened to her?

On the surface, Sawyer & Dani seem to have it all…a great life, doing the things they love, in beautiful places. But as each chapter takes place & each POV sheds a different perspective…did they really have it all? Or was it about making social media followers THINK they have it all?

Hope you’re ready to unpack all the drama in this suitcase 🧳 . Grab a cold beverage 🍹& a pair of sunglasses 😎 & dive into this one. It’s certainly not a thriller you wanna skiff 🤣🥁

Huge thanks to @rachelmcguireauthor for this ARC. Another book that I enjoyed & also has an absolutely stunning cover that I will need on my bookshelf

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sawyer and Dani are living aboard his sailboat in the Caribbean. They are currently stuck in the Bahamas because Sawyer made a bad investment in crypto that they hope will turn around, so they have no money. Meanwhile Dani is trying to drum up interest in their youtube channel by posting content of their experiences. One night at a party with other cruisers, Sawyer gets drunk and Dani goes missing and of course all signs point to Sawyer.

I obviously loved the setting of this book. Who doesn't want to read a book set in a beautiful sunny climate? Overall I liked the book, but I didn't love it. Both main characters were not at all likeable. I think we found out what was really going on too soon and there wasn't enough mystery around it, it was more of waiting for it to play out. There were some reveals late in the story that were interesting and I didn't feel like we got enough resolution, but for a first novel, it was good. I would read more from these authors.

Dani Fox and Sawyer Stone are cruisers on an around the world adventure. Dani enjoys filming their adventures and posting them on You Tube for her followers. She is trying to increase her following to make money. Sawyer is very worried about money since the crypto currency he had invested in crashed taking their savings. The boat needs some repairs but he can’t afford to get them done right now. Currently, he seems to be angry at Dani especially as she tends to be a bit of a slob.

The cruisers tend to be close to other boats making friends. One night, another cruiser gave a party and Sawyer got quite drunk which is very unusual for him. Someone helped him and Dani back to their boat but when he woke up the next morning, Dani had gone missing leaving her belongings behind. When the police are called in, they suspect Sawyer to have done something to her. But did he?

This book is quite good as we delve into the past of both Sawyer and Dani which explains quite a lot making the reader want to learn more about this duo. Dani’s postings that she had put on You Tube make Sawyer look very guilty leaving him stunned. Don’t miss this book. It’s amazing how some people turn out to be as rotten as they are. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.