THOUGHTS

The melodrama here was just too much for me, though I can't exactly say I'm surprised. I can definitely see why Diana Urban's thrillers have been so popular, and These Deadly Games really did work for me. It balanced that signature dramatic flair just right. This one didn't quite hit the same balance.


PROS
Fascinating Concept: Though the execution here didn't really work for me (which was probably more of a me problem than a real problem), I really did love the choices Diana Urban made in building up this book. A summer trip to France, a budding travel vlogger, and a happy-to-show-them-around cataphile--something that many readers won't know much about. I know a bit about cataphiles, their love for and care of the catacombs that uphold Paris, and Diana Urban obviously did the work to understand this subculture as well in introducing and incorporating them into this book. And I love that.

Creepy Setting: I think there's also just something to appealing about using catacombs of any kind as a thriller setting, but especially catacombs as famous as the Parisian ones. Though I personally find mausoleums and monuments to the dead to be quite relaxing, I can understand the other side of that coin--and Urban really does balance respect and reverence with an unsettling quality in relating the history and creating the over-the-top dramatic survival/thriller story set in this unsettling liminal space.

Gross Descriptions: When things start going wrong--and not-as-long-dead-as-they-should-be bodies start turning up--Urban also really nails the gross factor. Which is important in a thriller like this. The ick needs to be real. It needs to add an element to the already-running-for-our-lives plot. It needs to instill a spine-tingling fear, and I think that Urban conjures that feeling up really well.


CONS
Will-They/Will-They: This book is set up like it's got a will-they/won't-they romantic subplot, but it really, truly doesn't have that. Because the sexual tension between Sean and Ruby is strong from the very first page, and there's absolutely no reason why they won't go for it. Sure, they list some flimsy and inconsistent reasons why they won't, but... Yeah, there wasn't really a reason, and if the story relies on that will-they/won't-they tension to make the romantic subplot, well, it really needs to toy with that line much better. This subplot fell kind of flat.

Awkward Descriptions: The descriptions of people in this book are... weird. They're weird, because this book is told in first person. And it's not that people won't notice specific details about others they encounter. It's not that you can't have a really detail-oriented narrator. It's just that these narrators (both of them, since it is dual-POV) aren't that observant in any other way. So when they're giving metaphor-laden, overly-flowery descriptions of people as they meet them... Yeah, it didn't ring true for me.

Little Details: The thing that really pulls me out of a story like this--that really compounds a melodramatic tale and makes that melodrama too much for me--is when the little details just don't match up with reality. I don't always mind a high-stakes, high-emotion thriller, but outside of the losing-their-minds, OTT characters, the world needs to be somewhat, well, grounded. And here, I just didn't get that. You're telling me these high schoolers, who haven't really left the USA, know how to navigate a city like Paris on their own? You're telling me they've got consistent phone service and they're not freaking out about international phone charges (on their own behalf or the behalf of their parents, who will kill them for these data charges when they get home)? You're telling me they're not conserving battery when they're in the catacombs with their phone flashlights as their only backup plant? They're not conserving water, even though at least one of these girls is meant to be "smart"? You're telling me the teacher chaperones are insisting to the classmates up above that everything's going to be alright, even though high schoolers famously don't buy any placating lie adults tell them? You're telling me all of this? These little details, these little choices, don't feel consistent and right, and so when paired with the high-tension, high-drama characters and plot, I just couldn't buy into it at all.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐
4/10

Fans of Kathryn Foxfield's Come Out, Come Out, Whatever You Are will like this uncomfortable underground space where things go horribly, horribly wrong. Fans of Kate A. Boorman's Into the Sublime will like the haunting (and potentially supernatural) quality to this quasi-urban environment.

I was really enjoying this book until the last 50 or so pages. Everything seemed a bit rushed and I wish we could've actually witnessed some events that are just mentioned. I did not see the point of the comment about how they are only getting attention in the media for the missing girls since they're all white. It put a bad taste in my mouth and just changed my whole view of the book. Overall, this book was okay. i didn't hate it and I didn't love it.

I enjoyed the setting of the Paris catacombs; the book definitely had some creepy, claustrophobic vibes. However I was left a bit disappointed.

I know this was a YA, but there was just so much focus on petty teen drama, even as these characters were trapped underground and trying to survive. It got old very fast, and I just don't care about who kissed whose crush. I was also underwhelmed by the bone worshipping cult; I was hoping the "something sinister" would be monsters or even some kind of zombie or ghost. Delusional people in masks was a bit of a letdown.

Ruby talked about how they had healing to do, but overall the ending felt a little sugar coated and glossy, without really delving into how this traumatic experience should have irrevocably changed Ruby and Selena forever. The whole "I'm just not going to let fear hold me back anymore!" feels tame and even outright cheesy given what they went through.

Still, it was a pretty fast paced read with a great spooky setting, and I'm sure a lot of readers will enjoy it.

Wow, just wow! I am obsessed with Under the Surface! This book gave me anxiety in the best way. It is not an exaggeration when I say my heart was literally pounding at some points.

I liked that we got the POV of both Ruby in the catacombs and Sean above ground but every time we jumped from Ruby to Sean my anxiety spiked- again in the best way. I really liked being in Sean's head and hearing his thoughts and feelings about Ruby, it raised the already sky-high stakes even higher. Both Ruby and Sean felt like real, flushed out people. The supporting cast was fairly strong and added well to the story.

I don't want this to be spoilery so I won't go into details but the twists were crazy. And they were as numerous as those in the catacombs but in a way that felt real and grounded in the story.

I have always really liked Diana Urban's writing but this book was honestly next level! When I was reading it, I was fully engaged, when I (begrudgingly) put it down, I couldn't stop thinking about returning to the catacombs to find out what would happen next. I highly recommend this book to literally anyone and everyone.

Under the Surface is a wild thriller with a heart pounding dose of horror. I was on my toes the entire time, and was almost relieved to put it down when I was done. Loved it!

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy to review

3 stars
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Never has a book made me feel quite so claustrophobic like this one.

I’m pretty neutral on this one. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. I enjoyed how unique the concept of this one was. I’ve never seen something like this done, and it was written in a way that made the reader feel closed in like the group of friends it followed. I squirmed around like I was the one trapped and in the unknown. The pacing is incredibly slow for the first half of the book, but the ending felt rushed. I wanted less wandering the catacombs and more of the actual action. We don’t get to fully enjoy the ending because it was very “behind closed doors” and I didn’t care for that. I still found it hard to put this book down once it picked up. Our villain storyline were definitely unique and I enjoyed how it developed, I just wanted more of it.

Our characters are pretty standard teens. There was nothing extraordinary about them and I didn’t connect with them well. Sean frustrated me, and I found I wanted to skip his POV, despite wanting that perspective of above the surface. Our side characters were a little more interesting for me, and I loved the strife and conflict they added to the story. The romance lacked depth to me, again because so much is seen off screen. It doesn’t develop over the book, it’s just there. We don’t see these characters together for the majority of the book so that chemistry is reliant on telling, not showing. It somehow overshadowed the action of the book, because it is discussed so often by the characters.

Overall, I definitely enjoyed this book.

This young adult thriller was a wild ride. I will admit it took a little bit to get into the story, but once I was I couldn’t put it down. I did think there was a little bit too much of the drama, but it’s young adult and it did fit the plot. The writing was excellent and I thought both of the narrators were able to tell their story in a good way and they were both interesting characters. Ruby and her friends are on a trip with their high school visiting Paris. Ruby is excited to get some footage for her channel about finding travel gems. Ruby’s friend Val meets a man on their first day and sneaks away to go to a party he knows about. Ruby and a couple of other girls go out to try to stop her and all four of them go with the man down into the catacombs for a party. Soon they are lost in the catacombs, but unfortunately for them they’re also not alone. While I found the twists to be fairly predictable I did enjoy the story quite a bit. Definitely a fun ride and if you like adventure with some mystery I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers for an ARC this YA book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the premises, teens trapped in the French catacombs while on a trip, to be creepy and exciting. This was twist and exciting and a recommended read for a YA audience.

Under the Surface is a young adult novel full of suspense, horror, and betrayal, and while I'd argue this book reads more as a middle grade novel, the story reads very well and keeps your interest throughout the entire book. Although, I would've loved to see more horror aspects in the novel as nothing truly got under my skin and left me unsettled, it would've made this book feel more young adult to me.

I've always loved the idea of exploring the Paris catacombs as someone who took French lessons in middle school and high school AND visited France in 2019. This book was a delight to read and reminded me how much I love the city and its history.

Thank you, Penguin Teen, for giving me this opportunity to read and review this book!

Would you enter the Parisian catacombs when you’re on a class trip? And what would you do if you were trapped, especially with your current best friend, ex best friend, an annoying girl, and a mysterious boy? Ruby loves traveling but maybe this time she got more than she bargained for.
I will always read Diana Urban’s books but I will never love them as much as I want to. Her writing is beautiful but often times, the characters and plot fall flat and that was the case here. I’ve also never been to Paris so it did feel fake and too hype to be real. I liked the concept but it really wasn’t executed the way I expected.
Under the Surface got 2.75 ⭐️ from me! It publishes August 13!
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you @penguinteen for the copy of this eARC!

Ooooh hot doggy! I loved this young adult thriller that made me want to immediately book a trip to Paris and go see the catacombs with my own eyeballs! I have been to Paris once before and am floored I knew nothing about this until the last couple years of my life. I most certainly want to see this IRL so it just seems I must book another trip to Paris and maybe take Diana with me! She clearly knows the ins and outs! She did such a wonderful job setting this eerie, creepy, cold, dark, damp oppressive stage that I could envision every nook and cranny making it so I wanted to wrap myself in a blanket and grab a flashlight to explore (and run screaming) with these characters! This book was heart pounding, adrenaline inducing, stressful and the extremely fast paced! From start to finish this book was action packed and I loved this race against time, edge of my seat thriller! Definitely my favorite I’ve read by her! If you love a young adult thriller that will leave you feeling a bit claustrophobic make sure to grab this one! It’s out on August 13th!

📖
In this book we follow a class trip to Paris where teens sneak out to meet a French boy to go to a party in the catacombs. What could be more mysterious and memorable than real footage to post on social media to such a forbidden spot with a cute boy?! But as you likely can guess things don’t go as planned and they end up going missing😱 Their classmates (and love interest) fight to continue to look for clues and will keep pushing the police for answers in hopes they will find their friends underground before it’s too late!

"Under the Surface" by Diana Urban presents a captivating premise: four teens find themselves lost in the eerie labyrinth of the Paris catacombs, facing physical and psychological challenges. The book creates a suspenseful atmosphere, with the catacombs' dark and claustrophobic tunnels amplifying the sense of danger and mystery. This setting is vividly brought to life, providing a compelling backdrop for the story's unfolding events.

While initially intriguing, the characters do not fully develop throughout the narrative. Ruby's hesitation about her feelings for Sean is introduced as a central emotional conflict, yet the more immediate survival elements overshadow this aspect. The dynamic between the characters, including Ruby's best friend and the other classmates, lacks depth, and their interactions sometimes feel superficial. The story hints at deeper backstories and motivations, but these are not in-depth explored, leaving some characters feeling underutilized.

The novel's pacing is another area where it falters. While the initial setup promises a thrilling adventure, the middle portion slows down with repetitive scenes of the group navigating the catacombs. The climax brings some unexpected twists, but they do not all feel fully earned or well-integrated into the story. Overall, "Under the Surface" offers an engaging read with a unique setting but does not fully deliver on its potential due to uneven character development and pacing.

This book was astoundingly good!

The setting is phenomenal and I love the dual pov's of Sean and Ruby.

I loved the conflict between the characters forced in close proximity and I feel that added greatly to the tension of being lost and trapped.

There were some passages where I definitely felt tight and enclosed due to the masterful writing.

*Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

Honestly while I was listening to this in the weeds at work, I just kept telling myself "Well, at least I'm not trapped in the French catacombs. And honestly that's really the entire vibe of this book. There are two parallel tracks - inside and outside of the catacombs - that really run this story. Every time things got to a delightful tension, we'd switch tracks in an expert fashion. Diana Urban really ran the controls perfectly. I also liked how we got to delve into the lore of the catacombs, the relationships of all 4 girls down below, and to Tiktok true crime fans. The narrators also did an excellent job, seeing as they had to convincingly voice teenagers and also speak french! I'm still curious about the ending, and also what exactly was in that crepe because mmmmmm...

A fantastic thriller! I was initially interested in this because of the Paris catacombs setting, and it did not disappoint. I really enjoy the single setting of it being underground in the catacombs and feel like Urban did a fantastic job of portraying the fear of being down there. The fact that it bounced between Ruby and Sean's perspectives gave a nice breather as well. Sean's storyline is done nicely as well. I like the view we received of his struggles and the development he receives even with the short chapters. The friendship between Ruby and Val and Selena is done well, too. The conflict felt genuine and their motives helped push the story along. I also enjoyed the thriller aspect of there being someone chasing them in the catacombs. Overall, this is a great book! I would recommend to people who like As Above So Below and stories that take place in a short timespan in a single setting.

Ruby and classmates are on a trip to Paris. For many this their last adventure before graduation. Ruby is also hoping to take advantage of the location or her YouTube channel on traveling. With her best friend Val and Sean, whom she secretly loves, this trip is sure to be fun. And it is until Val sneaks out to a party and Ruby has to go after her before she gets in trouble. Little does she know how much trouble lies ahead. Or underground. Soon Ruby, Val, and two other girls find themselves lost in the Paris Catacombs. Can they make it out alive?

What a great premise and a great setting. It's unique and creepy and we learn some history of the catacombs. Ruby leads us on their harrowing adventure underground while Sean remains behind on the surface to tell us what's happening while the girls are away.

Sean is probably my favorite character. I'm glad we got to see his perspective which added to the story. He's smart and doesn't give up. The other characters vary in their liability and a couple of them don't feel developed enough.

The scenes in the catacombs are claustrophobic and creepy, but I also had a hard time imagining their surroundings. I feel like the setting isn't developed to its full potential. Although we are following their desperate attempt at escape, most of the time the majority of the focus is on the relationships between the characters. There are some secrets to be revealed but it's not nearly as exciting as I was hoping. A little more attention to details like the effect of lack of water would have created tension and believability.

Overall this book let me down. I was expecting more survival thriller instead of such focus on character relationships and secrets..

Is it me or is there an abundance of survival stories flooding the market recently? Especially in YA. Under the Surface has been hyped all over my social feeds for the past few months. Which overhyped books usually never live up to their fame imo. And I haven't really been able to get into any other of Diana's books. I have tried because they've all sounded amazing. Her books are 💯 the ones that need to be made into movies. But something about this book kept calling to me so I finally picked up the arc to give it a try anyway. It was definitely worth it.

Under the Surface is a survival thriller about four American teens on a school trip who get lost in the Paris catacombs on their way to a party. But they never make it. Ruby's friend Val sneaks out to meet a French boy promising fun and adventure. Ruby and a few others sneak out to stop her. Once in the tunnels they become lost. After a few injuries and the fact someone seems to be chasing them through the endless maze of bones, emotions boil over and secrets and betrayals come to light as everyone fights to stay alive. Aboveground, Sean is desperate to find Ruby and finally admit how he feels about her before it's too late. It may already be too late.

Under the Surface gives you a whole new view of Paris. It's extremely fast-paced and eerily atmospheric. I couldn't put it down. Rebecca Soler and Max Meyers did a phenomenal job giving voices to Ruby and Sean in the audiobook. I'm begging Diana to give us a sequel. I want to read more about the Guardians and more about what comes next for for Ruby and Sean. And I need to know more about Julien. I want to see him redeemed. And kudos to the marketing team for releasing Under the Surface at the tail end of the Paris Summer Olympics.



***Thank you to Netgalley, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and Listening Library for providing me with a review copy.***

I received Under the Surface as an ARC. When I first requested it I didn’t realize it was a YA book. I was a little disappointed when I received it because it was YA. I was pleasantly surprised though! The writing was a bit young compared to what I’ve been reading lately (aka not YA books) but the plot and characters were interesting and engaging. The ending felt very abrupt and anti-climactic. There wasn’t much detail and it was very fade to black. It almost ruined the book for me but I still enjoyed it. The plot definitely for older teens. The characters are high school seniors who are on a trip to France with their high school French teacher. The main character Ruby wants to be a travel blogger and ends up lost in the catacombs with a couple classmates.

I really liked the premise of the book. I felt like I had to read a bit to get into the book, but besides that it was a great book!

I was not expecting to like this story as much as I did. I am not usually a fan of thriller/horror books, but the premise of getting lost in the Catacombs just drew me in. I had a recent trip to Paris and went through the pubically accessible Catacombs tour. Being able to recall the vastness of just that area and then thinking of how much is still left unaccessible upped the stakes of the characters for me. I feel the ending was wrapped up like a present all nice and neat. That felt weird for something labeled as a thriller but overall I enjoyed the story as a whole.