I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this one. The cover is one of my favorite from this year.

A group of high schoolers travel to Paris on a class trip. Ruby is building her social media based on travel, and this is her first real trip with a chance to do so. So when she has a chance to enter the catacombs after dark with 3 of her classmates to attend a party, she jumps at the chance. Except they get lost in the dark tunnels and never make it to the party. And it seems like something sinister is chasing them. The story starts out with a bang and only gets better from there.

This is a young adult novel and the characters were definitely portrayed very age appropriate. I would say not to let that turn you off because even though the characters are high schoolers- this book is still very creepy and suspenseful. I loved the setting of the catacombs and I'm glad I have already visited them, because after reading this book I don't know if I would have the courage to do so. The love story between Sean and Ruby is sweet and innocent. I was totally engulfed in this story that I didn't even realize I had stayed up into the early hours of the morning to finish. The creepy and atmospheric setting had me jumping at any little noise. This was a very enjoyable read and I definitely recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Diana Urban's best yet! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, wondering if Ruby and her friends would survive and who was chasing them. Is it people? Is it ghosts? Is it monsters? Every twist and turn had me gasping. And the reveals! I had suspicions along the way and some things I guessed correctly but the ones I didn't, oh goodness. This is a thriller with heart and hope and fear, and it was so good.

I read the first 60 pages of this book months ago and was immediately hooked. It's about an unlikely group of classmates getting lost in the infamous Paris catacombs. This book has elements of YA, mystery, and horror. With danger lurking around all dark corners, the events and happenings deep underground in Paris are stressful and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I personally was not too interested in Sean's POV, but it did give me a good understanding of what was happening above.

I love the setting of this YA horror novel being the catacombs below Paris. This is also inspired by true events, but the setting/plot feels unique compared to other YA thrillers out there right now. We also have a split POV between Ruby whose lost trying to survive down there and Sean, aboveground trying to find her with the not so helpful help of the police. There were a few scenes I found unrealistic, such as the police not demanding her laptop from Sean/being able to trace her location and the whole thing with the inhaler. I've never tested this with my own obviously because they're expensive, but I'm pretty sure submerging the whole thing in deep water will affect how it works. Overall this book did a good job keeping my attention, and there was one scene where I felt truly terrified by spiders that were actually crickets.

I saw a TikTok about the cover of this book from the author a few month ago and was immediately intrigued because of it!! I love the details and colors and the overall look of it. When I saw it on Netgalley I just had to request it and I'm so grateful that I got to read the arc of this!! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

Let me tell you, I read this book in one sitting!! Once I got into the story I couldn't put it down! I was so invested and I desperately wanted to know what the hell is happening!!
I think I loved everything about this, the story taking place in Paris I absolutely loved the descriptions, not the catacombs!!!!!, the characters and that there was depth to each one of them, the little mysteries you wanted to figure out about them, the way this was written, the pov changes were perfectly timed and made me want to continue reading!!

The actual time the 4 girls and Julien spent underground was so creepy and scary! The descriptions and the things that happened made me gasp audibly a few times!! I also didn't expect this book to get so dark but I really enjoyed it and it only added depth to the story. The ending felt kinda rushed but I loved this nonetheless! Im excited to get my hands on a physical copy once this is published!

Only kinda negative thing I want to add is the way this is marketed. The catch phrases on the cover talk about a love story and even though there is a love story in this book it's definitely not the main plot really and I feel like it's misleading.

What would you do if a good looking guy invited your friend to a party in the catacombs under Paris?

When I first saw the cover for this book and read the synopsis I immediately added it to my TBR of upcoming releases. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Penguin Group, Penguin Young Readers Group for providing this eBook in exchange for my review.

Once I started reading this YA thriller it was hard to put down. It's centered around four high school girls on a school trip who end up lost in the dark and dangerous catacombs beneath Paris on their first night in the city of lights. As they try to find their way out in the days that follow we are taken on a terrifying, harrowing, and at times, heartbreaking emotional rollercoaster.

The story quickly drew us into Ruby's life, her friendships, her hopes, her dreams and where Sean fits into all of this. The story is narrated in alternating chapters from the perspective of Ruby and Sean. I liked the short and concise chapters. As the story progressed Ruby's were tense, suspenseful and at times anxiety inducing. Sean's chapters were also tense as his view provided us with the on-going efforts to locate and find the girls.

It didn't take me long to become invested in these characters. And with each chapter that passed I just wanted all of the girls to make it out of the catacombs in relatively one piece. The descriptions of the tunnels as the group tried to find their way out was so detailed I could picture how overwhelmingly dark it was, the twists and turns, how claustrophobic it felt at times, how horrifying and devastating it was whenever they had a setback, and their terror when they realized they were not the only ones in the tunnels. Did I mention it was hard to stop reading?

I had a few issues with this story at times, but most of them stemmed from how the characters reacted to incidents that occurred. A few times I had to ask myself if I would have done this when I was in high school.

When something jaw-dropping happened, and I was so stunned, I actually had to take a pause. When a few things I suspected while reading were confirmed I wanted to throw my kindle across the room in frustration for Olivia, for Ruby and Serena, for Sean, and for Val.

The last few chapters felt a little rushed. I wished there had been a few more. And I would have liked a bit more closure for Olivia, Val, Serena and Julien, and not just between Ruby and Sean. I get why that didn't happen since the story was focused on Ruby and Sean. I really liked the inclusion of when girls go missing which ones tend to get the most attention in mainstream media. Especially since there are so many missing girls who are never talked about or found.

Overall, Under the Surface is a great fast-paced YA mystery/thriller/horror that keeps you guessing what is going to happen next. I think it's best described by one of the characters in the story - Indiana Jones, but without the treasure.

This was the perfect summer thriller read. Albeit a little predictable in the character department, the plot was constantly twisting and always had me guessing. The main character, Ruby, is the creator of a travel YouTube channel, which she struggles to maintain because she has a hard time being able to...travel. Other characters include Val - Ruby's current best friend, Selena - Ruby's former best friend, and Sean - Ruby's crush and classmate. When Val meets a mysterious French boy on the streets of Paris, she brings Ruby and two other classmates along with her to the catacombs beneath the city. Disaster quickly strikes, and the four girls find themselves lost in the catacombs alongside a French boy with dubious intentions.
The characters were fairly shallow and lacked complexity, but I liked Ruby's bravery and willingness to stand up for the people she cared about. I also loved Sean's dedication to getting help for Ruby and his classmates, even when it meant stepping out of his comfort zone. I also really liked Selena's character, and Julien was a really interesting guy to figure out.
The plot was constantly shifting. Thanks to with Urban's masterful language, I genuinely felt like I was trapped in the catacombs along with the characters. Certain parts of the book were genuinely creepy, and made me question my desire to visit the catacombs at some point. The ending seemed a bit rushed, and I wish we had gotten a first-person account of Ruby being found and rescued.
Overall, Under the Surface was a really fun and fast-paced summer thriller with secret societies, lost friendships, and just a touch of romance.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Teen for the digital ARC!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I think the characters were written like actual high schoolers with all the petty dramas. I think anything with the Paris Catacombs immediately has an elevated creepy factor and this book definitely hit all the best creepy and suspenseful moments! I would definitely recommend this book.

This book had my heart racing when I read this will follow ruby and her friends trapped in the Paris catacombs. As someone who doesn’t enjoy small spaces I could feel my anxiety rising with each description. I loved the images that Diana painted it’s like you were there trapped alongside. This book is a fast paced thriller with a love story tied in. Overall I enjoyed rubys sections better than Sean; I feel like we didn’t even need Sean. It’s a great quick read that will have your blood pumping.

This claustrophobic thriller was so fast-paced and gripping! As some others reviewers mentioned, it did take be just a bit to really get into the plot and hooked, but around the 20% mark, I was hooked and by the 40% mark, I had decided I was going to finish the rest of the book in the same sitting.

This thriller centers around a group of four teens on their high school trip to France who end up lost in the catacombs in Paris. This book was so claustrophobic and stressful, but so so good! I had to take little breaks from reading and remind myself that I wasn't actually trapped down in the catacombs with these characters. As someone who is very claustrophobic, I did ask myself multiple times why I was continuing to read this, but ultimately, I just could not put this book down. I would advise potential readers to look up content warnings are there are some aspects that could be potentially triggering for some readers.

While this thriller is YA due to the age of the main characters, the plot, characters, and events in the novel felt more mature and closer to the new adult genre. If you usually stray away from the young adult genre, but are interested in the plot, do not let the YA label deter you.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had a VERY hard time getting into this book. I honestly would have given up on it in the first five chapters if I hadn’t been reading an ARC, because (for me) the beginning basically consisted of characters making bad decisions over and over again, and the writing and characters weren’t compelling enough to make their poor decisions bearable. But I wanted to wait until I was 20-25% through to give it a fair chance, and by then, I was a lot more interested in the characters and situation. It was like the author found her voice, and Ruby finally settled into her skin. Like, truly, I never absolutely loved the writing style, but I have a hard time believing the person who wrote Sean's first chapter wrote his other chapters. The story just became more genuine. There also weren’t as many "cringey" writing moments, which helped too. The characters still made a lot of stupid choices, yes, but it wasn’t awkward, it was the characters doing what they could to survive. The writing style is still not the book’s strongest point, but I do think it improved once we left all the exposition and (kind of farfetched) set up behind.

By about 40%, I was wholly invested. The themes and character dynamics eventually came together with the plot, and everything that had been building up made a lot more sense. The atmosphere of the catacombs was also well done, to the point that it made me uncomfortable a few times, just imagining being in these settings and dire circumstances. Once I got to this point, I finished the book in basically one sitting.

I did have a hard time with the way all of the religion "is there a God?" discussions were wrapped up. Miracles were one of the themes of the book, but at the end, Urban kind of pushed it all aside and had Ruby decide it was humans and their capabilities and determination that made wondrous things happen. She decided miracles weren't real. Not everyone has to share my faith, obviously, and I never really expected this book to, but for me personally, this cheapened the ending.

Even with all of the negative things I've put into this review while I fail to organize my thoughts, I am glad I finished Under The Surface! It's not one of my favorite books ever and I have a lot of issues with how it was written, but it was worth my time and I would recommend it. I liked the setting and a lot of things the story was doing. It made me cry. 3 stars isn't a bad rating, I promise.

This was my first read by this author and I was not disappointed. It hooked me from the very beginning and didn't let me go. I read this in one sitting. There was a lot of things going with this story line and I was really invested in all of the characters. I was honestly surprised by this as it was a fairly easy read. This book was thrilling and suspenseful and mysterious all at the same time. Plus, it had a murdery vibe that I was really going for. I was a tad surprised at how the ending turned as I had something entirely different in mind. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more from this author.

Another hit by Diana Urban!! I couldn’t put it down- but wanted to because I just didn’t want it to end. The thrills and never ending guessing kept me going. Even the gross cave crickets made me giggle! I am so excited for this to be published and for everyone to dive deep into the tombs!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Under the Surface started out really strong, and I was immediately sucked into the underground world of the Paris catacombs along with the characters. I actually found myself stopping to research things several times at the beginning of the novel so that I could REALLY get an idea of what things are like below ground in Paris and how they stacked up to the author's descriptions.

Unfortunately, after about the halfway mark, I found myself getting a bit bored with the repetition of the story elements. Though there was a lot of tension tied to the claustrophobic and labyrinthian nature of the catacombs, I thought that the "bad guys" weren't very well fleshed out and weren't as menacing as the story wanted them to be. I actually kind of wish that the danger lurking in the catacombs had been something paranormal like it was seemingly teased in the prologue.

Under the Surface reads very much like the YA novel that it is, so if you're not into high school aged characters talking and acting like high schoolers, this might not be the book for you.

Perfectly creepy atmosphere and slowly ratcheting tension. I legitimately could not read it right before bed, and the dual POV was actually helpful in boosting the pace, building the character relationships, and giving the reader bite-sized reprieves from the chilling catacombs.

An exciting, fast paced, YA thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat reading. A story of first love, betrayal, and survival taking place underground in the fascinating Paris Catacombs.


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

I had high hopes going into reading this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. This book overall ended up being anticlimactic. The villains weren’t too scary (maybe if they were described a little more, it would be more suspenseful). Under the Surface was marketed as a thriller but wasn’t very thrilling. Some of the events were implausible but that can be overlooked since I’m here for a thriller and not nonfiction. A lot of books have suspension of disbelief.
The first 80% was slow. Things finally picked up around the last 20% but it was too late to redeem the book.
A few things I did like:
The relationship between Ruby and Sean. It was well done and their romance was cute. The author also did a nice job with Ruby’s pain of losing her friend.
Paris and the catacombs made for an interesting setting.
Overall, the book was interesting but could’ve been better.

She lost in the Paris Catacombs and will do whatever it takes to survive. He's aboveground willing to do whatever it takes to find her.

A heart pounding story that will leave your jaw on the ground long after you ready the last page! Diana has done it AGAIN! This was on the very top of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and now it's holding the number one spot on my favorite reads of 2024! The use of the Paris Catacombs was a brilliant setting as our characters run from their chasers, while also trying to find their way out of a place only few have. Diana also takes up above ground as a second POV shows us just what Shawn, our main characters love interest, is willing to do to find and save Ruby.

Fans of Karen M McManus and Holly Jackson will EAT this book up!

Loved it! Fast paced, well executed—highly recommend! Also how gorgeous is this cover?! Thanks to the publisher, author and netgalley for the advance copy

First off, the setting of the majority of this book, the catacombs under Paris, was intriguing and really gave the book a creepy vibe. Between being lost in the tunnels full of human bones, then discovering something even more sinister along the way, it made for a good thriller. There's fear, action, despair, and a lot of introspection for the characters as they navigate their situation. Being a young adult book, there was some teenage drama, but it also led to some of the suspense as we waited for their secrets to be revealed amidst the secrets that the catacombs held. Though I did suspect some things before they were revealed, the book managed to also take some unexpected turns to keep me engaged. I thought that Ruby was a likeable main character who grew and learned a lot about herself over the course of the story. We don't get to see as much from Sean's perspective, but I liked how his point of view portrayed the search for the girls while giving his character room to grow as well. The book in general felt very readable, with great descriptions that painted a vivid picture.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the early copy of Under the Surface! The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.