I must say the setting of this book is very original. What’s not to like about a cruise to the Bahamas?

The theme of this thriller is very topical. If you’re into influencers, YouTubers, cyber-sleuths and police procedurals, this book has it all. The YouTube channel run by our two main characters is called Sailing with the Foxes and it was worrisome to see how it became the focus of their existence!

I found the idea of showing how the public perception of a crime can manipulate the truth very fascinating. It’s a great reminder of how nowadays we tend to see life through the lens of social media and this can be quite distorted from the truth.

Dani and Sawyer are the 2 main characters and POVs in this story and they sure as hell are unlikable narrators. But that’s also the main reason why I was so fascinated and subsequently hooked by their shenanigans and couldn’t put the book down until I knew what was going on.

The fact that Sawyer couldn’t remember a thing that had happened the night Dani went missing only fed into my curiosity!

I found the whole story extraordinarily realistic and well written, with an unconventional ending!

This is my first book by this author but it definitely won’t be my last.

And thanks once again to #Netgalley and #crookedlanebooks for my ADC!

Today I want to share a review for a thriller ARC I was thrilled to read early thanks to @thrillerbookloversthepulse and @crookedlanebooks: ON THE SURFACE by @rachelmcguireauthor, which is the pen name for the writing team of Rachel Graham and @leeannwhit. What a twisty, turny thriller this was! I flew through it.

Any thriller fan would love this one, but especially those who enjoy:

🤳 Social media influencers
🛥️ Thrillers taking place almost exclusively off land
🧠 Psychological thrillers
👩‍❤️‍👨 Domestic thrillers
❌ A whole cast of unlikeable characters

I was captivated following the devious twists and turns this story took, never knowing who to believe or trust. Basically the entire cast was odious, with the exception of the police inspectors and the FBI attache, but I love a cast of unlikeable characters! I truly didn't know what was going to happen right up until the end, which makes a thriller top-notch in my book.

I hope you'll pick this one up when it releases on 9 July, and let me know what you think when you're done!

As the title suggests, what you see on the surface is just a glimpse into the complex lives of Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox. These YouTubers, document their sailing adventures in hopes of making it big on social media so they can fund their lifestyle. They’re always looking for the golden ticket or “foot” to get noticed. When Dani disappears and Sawyer has no memory of what happened, the Bahamian Police are contacted by a concerned friend from their cruising community.

The story is told from multiple POVs by unreliable and unlikeable characters. Each new discovery muddies the water a little more as the clues don’t add up. This storyline gave me some Gone Girl vibes, which deepened the intrigue. I enjoyed the inclusion of the amateur sleuths from the online true crime community as part of the investigation. This is a quick and captivating read with twists from beginning to end!

I went into the start of this book thinking it was going to feel familiar; an over done topic/troupe. To some extent it was, BUT there is manipulation, forethought, patience and they all come together for a slow burn with and ending I wasn't expecting. On the Surface kept my attention but it did feel as though it was longer than it needed to be. Entertaining, an easy and quick read, held my interest enough, but this feel short for me, and based on the overall rating on Good Reads, I'm in the minority. Take my review with a grain of salt, as others seem to enjoy On the Surface more than I did.
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Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

What you see on the surface is not always the whole story.

What is not to like about this book? Set in the Bahamas, we meet cruisers and social media influencers Dani and Sawyer. They cruise around the world and post about it online. Hard life right? But then Dani goes missing after a night of drinking and partying and Sawyer is the prime suspect. He woke up with the hangover from hell and no memory of the night before. Gotta be him right??

While I did guess most of the twists in this story it was still a very enjoyable read. Full of unlikeable characters except for the police, it was certainly a page turner.

Thanks so much to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on July 9th.

Perfect for summer reading, this is the story of a girl who goes missing and who is the blame? The boyfriend of course! The couple lives on a boat and sails from place to place. I love this setting because it’s unique and fits the story perfectly. The story shows how far people will go for fame and money. It had me questioning people’s motives at every turn. An excellent story and I can’t wait to read more by this author!

This book was okay for me. There were things about it that I liked, and things about it that I didn’t like.

I think this book had a very important theme, that exploitation on social media is so dangerous and unfortunately, common. People will stop at nothing for likes, followers, and monetization. At one point a character in the book said something along the lines of perception is what matters, not reality. And in the age of social media, that’s become the truth.

However, this book is VERY similar to Gone Girl(I have only seen the film adaptation, I have not read the book!). I found it to be very predictable. And not one character was likable besides MAYBE a couple of the insignificant side characters. It’s hard to like a book when every single relevant character is horrible.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed by this book. I was pretty excited about it and I just expected more, I think.

Book Tour Feature coming to Instagram on 6/13!

I appreciate Thriller Book Lovers the Pulse for including me in the tour for this book, and thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for the gifted advance copy!

What does the generation who grew up with their phones as their right hand do for money? This novel is a twisty read about influencers, living more of a free life and what someone will do for the green greed. Dani and Sawyer appear to be living the life down in the Bahamas on a sailboat. No schedule, no work and nothing but beauty around, right? Appearances are deceiving and Dani has done just that with her followers. So when she goes missing and Sawyer becomes suspect number one, the Internet goes wild becoming super sleuths in finding out the truth about what happened to Dani and what Sawyer did with her body. Another death from Sawyer's past resurfaces and that death is now being called into question as well. Dani's uncle being one of the only people to really know Dani and the person she really is has a pretty good feeling that Sawyer didn't do anything but these videos that were preschedule to post, are showing otherwise. With each video the case continues to blow up on the internet and the investigators know they have a mess of a case on their hands with all of the infiltration from the sleuths running their own investigations and they know all eyes are on them as this is a blonde American beauty that has gone missing. What happened to Dani and who will benefit the most? Thriller Book Lovers the Pulse is excited for this summer beach read!

Fans of ‘Gone Girl’ will absolutely LOVE this book! I read this in less than 12 hours, I couldn’t put it down! I was completely invested in Sawyer and Dani’s story - who’s lying and who’s telling the truth? What happened to Dani and is Sawyer responsible for her disappearance? This gave me all the vibes of the Gabe & Tina Watson case (if you’re familiar). This was an amazing read and I highly recommend any thriller lover read this!

On the Surface is fun and thrilling book with a slow burn mystery that takes place in the Bahamas. A couple sailing the world and uploading YouTube videos as they go - hoping to gain followers and money along the way. When Dani goes missing after a night of partying with her boyfriend, Sawyer, fingers quickly point to him as the culprit. The book changes viewpoints and everyone is hiding something.

This book kept my attention and it did keep me guessing. The ending was kind of abrupt, I was hoping to see justice for what happened and see some closure with characters. BUT I did enjoy the open ended interpretation.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC!

This was a fun book! Influencer and unlikeable characters are a great combination. This is one of those books that is hard to stop reading once you get into it. I enjoyed it and would recommend to others. Definitely an entertaining book.

Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

I always find it fascinating when I see a thriller that involves influencers. Pair that with this beautiful cover and I knew I had to read!
We all are loving this one over at @thrillerbookloversthepulse !!
I was absolutely hooked from the beginning and it kept me engaged throughout.
Dani and Sawyer are cruises and docked in the Bahamas. Dani runs their YouTube channel that documents their life as cruisers. Sawyer isn’t a fan of it but he puts up with it for Dani. After a party that Sawyer wakes up from hungover, he realizes Dani is missing and he remembers nothing. Which leaves him as the prime suspect.
Definitely a fun read with very unlikeable characters. Thriller fans will want to pick this one up!

Right off the bat the first thing that sucked me into this book was the gorgeous cover! What better way to get in the mood for summer than with the Caribbean Sea and a boat? Thats the life! But I don’t want Dani or Sawyer’s life. Talk about two peas in a pod. These two were a match made in hell. The level of manipulation in this book was quite impressive! I read On the Surface in just two days because I enjoyed it so much!

Sawyer and Dani are living a life many people dream about. They have a sailboat and a YouTube channel where Dani highlights the ups and downs of life living on a boat. It’s definitely not all sunshine and fresh fish. The living quarters are tight and money for needed repairs is limited.
Then the unthinkable happens. Dani is gone and some unflattering information rises to the surface about Sawyer. He is no stranger to loss, and the Internet true crime aficionados are split between believing in his guilt or his innocence. Several of Dani’s preplanned posts just add fuel to the fire. A fire that just might consume Sawyer. Guilty or innocent, you’ll have to decide.
Too very unlikable characters and a whirlwind of questions surround both of them. Told from both of their perspectives, the author provided more details as the story progressed. I thought that I had this book figured out, then Bam, one twist after another were revealed. Oh, and that ending. Wow. Just wow.

On the Surface follows the mysterious disappearance of a young YouTuber, and the boyfriend and friends left behind to search for her. Looks can be deceiving in this psychological thriller set in the beautiful Caribbean. Sinister motives exist amongst the breathtaking views and hot people.

Dani is a self centered wannabe YouTube star. She goes missing at sea. Her boyfriend, Sawyer, is the main suspect. There aren’t any likable characters in this book but I did love the sea vibes. There is a lot of boat talk. Thank goodness for the Kindle dictionary feature. I loved the fast paced story and I loved the investigation chapters (Knowles). Good read! 🛥️🛟⚓️

Dani and Sawyer spend their time sailing around the world and sharing their cruising lifestyle on their YouTube channel. They appear to be living their best lives until Dani goes missing after a party. What could have happened to Dani? Is Sawyer responsible for Dani’s disappearance?

On the Surface is the collision of the dangers of the cruising lifestyle, influencer culture, the impact of the media, and Internet detectives. It’s a fun beach read with its idyllic setting, morally grey characters, and enough secrets and deception to make it entertaining.

Wow! This book was much better than I anticipated. We all know we only see what’s “on the surface” with most people. And 90% of the time, that’s a fairly accurate representation of one’s character. But, as the cruisers soon find out, there’s much more lurking below the surface with some people. Dani Fox goes missing and of course her boyfriend is suspect numero uno. Lots of craziness ensues post-disappearance so buckle up and enjoy the wild ride!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book. I really enjoyed this one and its big element of suspense. So many untrustworthy characters i didn't know who i could trust. The book kept me hooked with wanting to know what was going to happen next. A great thriller.

I am an absolute sucker for any thrillers set on a boat/island and was immediately intrigued by this. This is a really good summer thriller if you want something really intriguing & fast paced.

There is a steady drip of reveals throughout the story and really examines social media influencer culture. I will say that the plot was wildly predictable and the author very much spoon-fed the plot to us. The ending was incredibly disappointing but it’s no secret that I am not a fan of open-endings, I find them very lazy and frustrating but that is definitely personal preference!

Overall I enjoyed the story & would recommend to someone who wants a fast, intriguing summer read!