I read UNDER THE SURFACE in one sitting, staying up until after midnight, because I literally could not put it down without finding out what would happen to Ruby! Diana's pacing is absolutely perfect and her character work so thorough that I cared just as much about the girls' interpersonal conflicts as I did about their survival. I also really appreciated how she sprinkled in historical info for extra context in a way that felt natural. Loved it!!

(Please note: I read an advanced reader copy of this book, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. #UnderTheSurface #NetGalley)

Count for number of annotations I have that mention how "brutal" and/or "gruesome" this was: 15

I haven't yelled (in a good way) over a book like this in quite some time.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

If you had a chance to party in the Paris Catacombs, would you take it?

Ruby and her classmates are in the City of Lights for one whole week, and she's determined to make it count. This is her chance to show her dad she's ready to travel the world, get great footage for her YouTube Channel with a possibility of going viral, and finally tell Sean her feelings.

So when Ruby's new bestie Val gets invited to a party in the Catacombs, Ruby goes for confidence and independence and follows Val, along with their cataphile guide Julien and two of their classmates, down the literal rabbit hole.

But they never make it to the party.

What follows is life and death nipping at their heels, the darkness closing in only to reveal conspiracy, betrayal, and a fight to reach the surface. Matters of girlhood drama and existence that revolve around serious matters like previous loss, first love, and their futures are amplified Under the Surface. And I'll let you know now, Diana Urban makes you, the reader, work for it.

Urban hangs lanterns for you to follow, every page turn a slight hesitation of what's around the corner, only for the light to blown out and rearranged entirely. There were times I couldn't read fast enough.

This book is a love letter to a darker side of Paris with some history of the catacombs woven in. To learn there's a kernel of truth in the pages about the catacombs and what the girls find down there — I had trouble sleeping for a couple nights. This is indeed a survival thriller that is not for the faint of heart. I'd even dare to say Diana Urban is giving Mindy McGinnis (Female of the Species, Heroine) a run for such brutalistic writing here, and god knows McGinnis' work still keeps me up some nights, years later.

Sean's perspective is—quite literally —a breath of fresh air. Coming above the surface for him to ground us, even if briefly getting us out of the disorienting maze, is a huge gold star for this book. With Ruby's perspective alone, you're sure to feel claustrophobia — the darkness of something grim and time ticking by nips at your feels. Plenty of times while reading where my heart started pounding, my palms were sweaty, and suffice it to say, I will not be visiting the Paris Catacombs any time soon. It was a wildfire of conspiracy theories while reading, about the girls themselves as well as the catacombs.

Each character is inherently flawed, capable of great feats, f***-ups, and forgiveness. I appreciate the human nature of these teens and had to remind myself often that they ARE teenagers, trying to get their first taste of life before they possibly take their last breath.

At times, the plot is reaching but the severity of the situation reminds you that anything is possible, and Urban makes it work. A YA thriller unlike any I've read before plus incredibly gorgeous cover art, I was excited to read this and was not disappointed. I will say though, don't read this if you're claustrophobic. To answer my earlier question, after this book? I don't think I'll be able to make a trip to the catacombs anytime soon. And that's the sign of a good book scaring the wits out of you, I'd say.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Teen, and the author, Diana Urban, for this ARC of Under the Surface in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fantastic YA thriller set in the Paris Catacombs. I hadn’t heard much about the Catacombs prior to reading this, but GOD THEY’RE TERRIFYING. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time— horrified, but I couldn’t put it down.

Honestly, I would categorize this book as a thriller/horror. I wasn’t expecting the level of gore and horror in a YA book, but it was done in a way that still kept it at a YA level. This book could’ve easily been an adult horror novel, which I absolutely would not have been able to read, so I appreciate this slightly watered-down version.

The only reason I dropped a star is that I found the teenager aspects of this story not relatable as an adult— so nothing against the book at all, since it’s YA. However, I did find it a little unbelievable that the girls were fighting about friendship troubles when they were literally trapped underground with a cult hunting them down… but teenagers! right??

Overall, I think Under the Surface will take the YA world by storm!


*Thank you to the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book early.

I LOVED THIS

It was fast paced, it was thrilling, it was heartbreaking, it had its funny moments. It was incredible!

Are you claustrophobic? Do you have a fascination with Paris? Are you interested in the catacombs? This is the book for you.

This book is soooo good!!! Four teens on their senior trip get lost in the catacombs of Paris. Being underground Paris where dead Parisians are said to be is terrifying enough, but there is someone or something that is hunting them. It was heart pounding and thrilling the whole time!

before reading this book I really wanted to visit the catacombs.
Now I'm not so sure.

Anyway on to the book.
Under the Surface starts off slow it seems a bit like a YA drama and the teens are definitely very dramatic in fact even though they have bigger problems while lost in the catacombs, they fight, a lot. Which is fair since there seems to be a lot of betrayal going around (I mean i didn't particularly like Val in the beginning anyway so i'm not surprised) What I am surprised about is how intense it go towards the end, before i read it sure i expected that but after starting it, it just felt like it'd be pretty low stakes. I definitely think this is one to check out if you are into YA and you are okay with reading about teens making stupid decisions which is the whole reason they got in this mess.

Having read the author’s prior novels, I was thrilled at the opportunity to read here latest work.

Under the Surface follows a locked room mystery trope wherein the characters find themselves “locked” within the catacombs of Paris. They must find their way back to civilization and survive the evil that lurks within the walls of the underground labyrinth. It’s up to Ruby and classmates, Val, Selena, and Olivia to navigate the dark maze before them. Can they escape unharmed?

The story unfolds through the lens of the two main characters: Ruby and Sean. Both characters offer their perspective below and above ground which made for a suspenseful read. There were a number of plot twists and nail biting moments that kept me turning the pages till the end.

The characters are young adults. And while I couldn’t completely relate to them and their generation, they were still interesting and engaging.

The finale wasn’t as spectacular as I expected. But it was still a very satisfying ending. Four stars.

I received a DRC from Penguin Group through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Whew, what a wild ride. This was so thrilling, disorienting, and claustrophobic at the same time. Despite it being a YA, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it tackled a few mature themes too. The entire book felt like a movie in my head and the concept was so interesting. The writing style was very easy to follow too. Can a studio please pick this up for an adaptation?? It would do so well! It had me holding my breath at times because I didn’t know what to expect. It almost felt like I was in the catacombs with the characters as the plot took several turns. It definitely picks up after the first 22% and after that you’re immediately hooked in. The mystery, slight horror aspects, and historical context and theories about the catacombs kept me reeled in with this binge-worthy read.

The romance was okay and was more of a subplot (but shout out to Sean for going to the ends of the Earth for Ruby and figuring everything out). Their reason for the group going underground didn’t logically make sense – but, hey, they’re teenagers so does it really have to make sense? Just go with the flow. There were a few instances where I couldn’t tell where the story was going because of the suspenseful moments. But the main reveal was kind of obvious from the start. I also found the subplot with the friendship “conflicts” to be surprisingly entertaining since they’re typical teenagers. I enjoyed the plot and the characters, though I wish there was more depth to the supporting characters too.

Under the Surface is a suspenseful and action-packed race for survival in the catacombs of Paris. Featuring a varied cast of characters and interesting history about the catacombs, this novel is a fun thriller that would be a perfect movie.

I liked the split POV in this story. The majority of the chapters are through the eyes of Ruby, our FMC. Ruby is trapped in the catacombs and is fighting to survive while also dealing with interpersonal problems and the guilt of what her disappearance will do to her father. The other POV is Sean, Ruby's best friend and sort-of love interest; Sean is the one pushing the investigation to find Ruby and the others, and having an above-ground POV nicely shows that people are working to find Ruby and co.

I also liked all the history and the descriptions in the catacombs. I would never step outside the set bounds within the catacombs, but I'm well aware that there is lots of history and interesting elements in the off-limits sections, and it was fun to read about cataphiles and some of the things they've discovered.

So what didn't I like? The Ruby-Val-Serena drama. Val is Ruby's best friend since her falling out with Serena, but with all three girls trapped underground, the drama comes into play. I'm sure fear and paranoia and impending death makes people go a little crazy, but it seemed out of place to be fighting about who said what and why she did this when you could literally die at any minute. The toxic friendship took a bit away from the stakes of the story and made it feel more like a teenage drama. I also had to roll my eyes at everyone's willingness to break the rules to do legitimately dangerous things. I understand that teenagers do reckless things, but how dumb can you be?

Teenage drama notwithstanding, the story read just like a movie. I could vividly picture everything as I was reading, and I wouldn't be surprised if this was optioned for a film. Under the Surface is an entertaining read with a spooky setting, high-stakes, and lots of action.

As an 8th grade teacher, I am always looking for books that will work for my grade level. This book is perfect for upper middle school/early high school, especially students who love thrillers/horror.
Personally, I enjoyed this overall. I liked each of the characters, and I actually enjoyed listening to their “drama” moments. There were a lot of themes regarding parent/child relationships, navigating friendships, grief, and processing difficult emotions. I think young readers can learn a lot from characters like Ruby and Sean, and as a parent it was a good reminder about how important it is to communicate with our kids and actually listen to them, even if that’s difficult for us.
I did feel like some of the pacing was a struggle for me. Some parts felt very slow and I had to stop myself from skimming. However, the stakes were very high and there were some parts I audibly gasped! The last 20% of the book or so was the best part. I wish we got all of that information sooner. Everything made sense at the end but it took too long to get to it, so all the information you get feels a little rushed.
Despite that, I enjoyed the book overall and hope to be able to put it on my classroom library shelf this year.

This book got me HOOKED!! I thought the premise was so interesting and unique and i love how it didn't shy away from darkness! The dual pov keeps you intrigued and it's well done and yes, it had a bit over the top drama between teens, but i feel like that made things even more intense between the characters during the hard situation they're facing. Absolutely recommend if you want a different, hooky survival thriller!!

One of the best books I've ever read. I'm not a fan of horror books, but though I fell in love with this one. I loved the characters, the story, the world building and the plot twists. It was all wonderful. Diana has a wonderful way of writing, making the book enjoyable and understandable. I think you guys should all read this book. It has something in it... Something that makes you feel like that book was meant for you. Congrats to the author for creating such a wonderful book!

Loved it. Dug it so hard. Got lost in the catacombs with the gang and it was very gritty and interesting and cool and I love me some Paris underground! Great surprises and twists - ha! Like, in the catacombs! - and eerieness and hella gore, too. Excellent read. Very satisfying. 💜💜📚

A very cool thriller set in the Paris Catacombs. The mystery/thriller readers in my library will eat this one up! I flew through it in one day!

Wow! This book was even better than I anticipated. Based on the blurb (and let's be honest - the cover was pretty magical, too) I was eager to start reading this. But it really delivered!

When a US high school French class is touring Paris, several girls go missing after heading to a party in the catacombs - but then, it turns sinister.

It was well written, and gripping from the first page. The character development was fast, but efficient and well done - weaving back story into the plot line without delving into a non-linear timeline.

This was a YA thriller, but it definitely had enough mystery and suspense to skyrocket to the top of my list. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year so far!

**Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

Thank you Net galley for an e arc of this book.

I read it on the plane to Japan and I sped through it. It felt like a magic tree house adventure for teenagers but with a more realistic plot.

I found the characters easy to understand and read. However, the pacing of the story is a little weird like it should be in a better order.

I love that the stereotypical love interest was involved in the hunt but after reading it on the plane, it could've been 100 pages less.


Thanks for a copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book!

I am a big fan of Diana Urban, have read all her books, and recommend them to my students all the time. I devoured this book! The catacombs setting was so fun, while also terrifying. This story was tense, I was invested in the characters, and while most readers will likely guess who one of the bad guys is, I did not see the twist/rationale coming at all.

I can't wait to get this into my students' hands in the fall! They are going to love it.

A fun thriller with lots of twists and turns perfect for fans of holly jackson- and lost of gasp moments!

HOLY COW!!

If you have ever gone down the Paris Catacombs rabbit whole and you want to be even more terrified of the catacombs then you already are this is for you!

A group of kids go to Paris with their French class. While there 4 girls end up going into the catacombs where they get lost and have to find there way out while being chased by the people that live there. On the surface their friends are looking for them and doing everything they can to find them!

I read this book so fast. I was hooked just from the description , but around the 30% mark was when I decided I couldnt put it down and I would be finishing it before going to sleep!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
I never thought I'd die alone in the dark under the
City of Light.
4.75/5
One thing about me is that I adored Lying in the Deep so I went into this book having somewhat high expectations. Those expectations weren’t let down. O.M.G. This book. The tense setting of never knowing if they would escape and not knowing who to trust was amazingly done. I will say the only reason this wasn’t a 5/5 for me is that I didn’t really like Sean’s POV. Just because I felt like he was unneeded so to say but when I got into the book more I was like “ohhhh now I see”. I enjoyed all the characters though I couldn’t keep Val, Olivia, and Selena straight sometimes, just because they either would have some things to tell them apart, like one was said to be a walking encyclopedia and another, (Val) was the one who had trusted Julien. I enjoyed the adventure of the story and every chapter kept me guessing.