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!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I really wanted to like this book but it wasn't for me. I couldn't relate in any way.

This is the perfect summer thriller. Fast-paced with untrustworthy characters, this book will either make you want to go on a tropical vacation or avoid one completely. The ending was unexpected and a little abrupt, but it was satisfying all the same.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

The review will be published May 24/24 on my Instagram, @snacks.and.paperbacks. The review is already published to Goodreads.

This starts with a fascinating premise: the "cruiser" boats all meet together in a cove and party, sharing food and drinks--mostly alcohol--until the wee. hours of the morning. But this time something goes wrong and Dani is missing in the morning even though she usually goes for a swim in the early hours so no foul play is suspected until later. And since she has a YouTube show called "Sailing with the Foxes," some assume she's just being overly dramatic for the "likes" and followers she'll gain. But partner, Sawyer can't remember even getting back to their boat the night before so he's no help at all. Of course, nothing is as it seems and there's a satisfying moment at the end where it all comes together and you realize you didn't see THAT at all! Great snarky humor!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A pretty decent mystery/thriller in which the only likeable main character is the investigating cop. Not really my cup of tea in the end, as I prefer having a non-cop to root for, but it was refreshing to read a mystery/thriller in which the main characters were both aware that they were horrible people.

“On The Surface” by Rachel McGuire is a summer read about the social media culture. A young cruiser couple who have recently lost all their money in a cryptocurrency investment attend a raucous party on another boat. The beautiful Dani goes missing but her scheduled YouTube videos continue to stream? What happened to Dani? Is the boyfriend always the prime suspect? How can you manipulate social media to force people to think a certain way? If you enjoy mysteries about influencers and social media fanatics this book is for you! I felt the story was predictable but bringing in cyber sleuthing aspect was fun and what kept me reading.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"𝑴𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆𝒔. 𝑨 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒖𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒖𝒓𝒌𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒊𝒏 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒎𝒚 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒖𝒅𝒔. 𝑰 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒎 𝒕𝒐𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎. 𝑯𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒎𝒆."🌊

Special thanks to @thrillerbookloversthepulse @rachelmcguireauthor @crookedlanebooks and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I really enjoyed this one. It definitely had me going until the first twist. (Yes FIRST, because there are a few and each made me say WHAAAAA)

I really liked that this story involved people called cruisers; those who sail around the world and live on their boats full time. I guess I've heard of them once but never really thought of how big their community is. This story kind of shows that you don't know how big someone/things community is, until they really bind together, especially over social media. And, it also shows how much influence social media has, even if it's good or bad.

This really was a page turning read. I definitely recommend this read. It threw me for a loop, and I definitely didn't guess the first twist, let alone the rest of them.

***also I found out from a fellow pulse pointer; @fullof_lit , that Rachel McGuire is a pen name for two women authors (Rachel Graham and Lee-Ann McGuire) who make up 'Rachel McGuire'. I think that's so cool!

PUB DATE:
July 9, 2024


QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Ever known anyone who's done a 'get rich quick' scam?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #thrillerbooklovers #thepulse #pulsepoint #onthesurface #rachelmcguire #bookbuzz
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Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel McGuire and Crooked Lane Books for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a short read told in a few different perspectives and I enjoyed the idea of the cruisers and all of this happening out in the open water!

This is the perfect summer read. It is quick and doesn't require a ton of thinking. It is just a good laying at the pool book. I did hate Sawyer and Dani but I actually like hate reading like that.
It was an okay summer read and that is enough.

🌊𝙾𝙽 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙵𝙰𝙲𝙴 🌊
𝚃𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚛
𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟺
𝙼𝚢 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝟺 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🩷🌊🩵🛥️🩷🌊🩵🛥️🩷🌊🩵🛥️🩷🌊

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...A YouTubing cruiser couple sails the world..until one of them goes missing & their whole world capsizes

💭𝙼𝚢 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜..This coming out in summer is just perfect! ☀️It has the best summer vibes…for thriller fans I mean. I love the behind the scenes you get from a YouTuber couple out at sea. It def isn’t all fun and games as it appears when you watch this channel. The twists are nonstop & the backdrop was marvelous! You will have to keep reading to find out what happened to Dani!!! Perfect summer thriller & damn, another gorgeous cover!! 👌🔥