This was an entertaining read perfect for the beach!

I loved the full cast narration! Definitely made the story come to life even more, and I would definitely recommend this entertaining format.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-slow burn mystery
-tropical setting
-full cast of characters

*many thanks to Dreamscape and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

A fun, light thriller that is a bit thin on quality of plot, but an enjoyable ride nonetheless.

This was a good premise for a thriller and I loved that there was nothing either icky or tragic about the plot. It’s meant as an escapist read and in that respect it delivers.

The whole cruiser community is the most interesting part of this, and I would have liked a lot more about living full time on a boat and about surviving at sea when the plot eventually calls for it, rather than quite so much endless side-eying (both literal and figurative) of all the characters amongst each other.

It’s sort of predictable what happens in this if you’ve read Gone Girl, which I think is ok as long as you’re not married to the idea of a twist that will surprise you. The plot has some holes, and I’m not sure why the author went with a bit of a vague ending since this would have been easy enough to sew up firmly without changing anything about the trajectory of the story.

3.5 stars - OMG that was bananas! I totally saw Dani taking advantage of the "older mentor" and then throwing him under the bus. This was my 1st book by Rachel McGuire but it will not be my last, I am adding her books to my TBR!

#OntheSurface
#NetGalley

On the Surface was an easy read, but follows the roadmap for a typical thriller. The audiobook was a great listen!

This summer thriller is the perfect thing to read poolside! It's exactly what I'd call a popcorn thriller: we have influencers, a sailboat, and a disappearance. I loved the setting, the untrustworthy side characters, and how the reveals came together.

This is a debut for Rachel Graham and Lee-Ann McGuire Whitlock writing together under a pen name. I'm looking forward to more by them in the future!

The full-cast narration added a lot to the appeal and drew me into the story. Frankie Corzo; Evan Sibley; Chanté McCormick; Savy Des-Etages; and David Bendena made up the cast. I'm not sure who played which parts, but I enjoyed everyone's performance.

This was a Gone Girl spin off, but it didn't suffer for the comparison. I truly enjoyed how conniving the main characters were, and how they strived to undermine eachother while also maintain their likability (at least to me.) I love a good antihero, and especially a “bad” MC who deceives and gets away with it. Psychoanalyzing the MC was a little odd—we don’t generally have to discover a psychological reason for the antagonist’s behavior, we generally as readers intuit the motivations as influenced by psychosis. But I understand that it helped move the plot along and give awareness to the main detective. I liked this thriller, and the narrators were terrific for the audiobook.

I loved the dual perspective of this story along with the “Gone Girl” vibes it gave off. The ending sealed this one as a 4 star for me vs. 3!

This was a pretty unique thriller and there were many parts that had my mind reeling, however it started to lose me towards the end. I had a hard time connecting to the characters because it bounced around a lot. I did end up liking the ending so that saved it for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Once I started reading this book I literally could not stop. It was fast-paced and had multiple POVs. There is nothing more I want from my thrillers.
I love new thrillers or any book that has bookstagrammers, booktok, influencers, etc. I really enjoy books set in the present time with real-life situations. This was pure perfection for me.
Also, as I live on an island I love books set on or near the water!
Thank you to @rachelmcguireauthor & @katerockbooktours for a gifted copy of this book. Sorry to my lfl visitors, this one is staying on my shelf!

<i>On the Surface</i> covered some interesting new to me topics. While reaching the minumum of viewers/subscribers for a monetary threshold is not necessarily a new concept, the content for a off shore cruisers documenting their time at sea was. I found the concept of living at sea and occasionally tying up with others doing the same thing fascinating. They were their own little community. Knowing each other enough to know when something is wrong because someone's daily routine was off and they were missing.
Could this be a publicity stunt to keep the views coming? Could this be an enraged boater that couldn't control their alcohol and anger?
This had all of the necessary parts to make for a good thriller. You thought you had it figured out, but there were twists and information sparingly shared to make you realize your guess maybe wasn't right.

A great summer thriller! Fast-paced and engaging. I definitely wanted to keep reading to know what happened and to see if my theories were correct. Because I was right, the predictability took away some of the thrill for me, but I still enjoyed reading. I was also able to get through it quickly. The boat and Bahamas setting give such summer vibes, so this would be a good one to read on the beach! 🏖

*2.5 rounded up to 3*

I wanted to listen to this audiobook on the premise that it was Gone Girl on the water--and GG is a 3* rating from me as well, honestly, and I was hoping for a *better* Gone Girl, set on the water. For me, however, it remained a flat GG on the water (and I know I'm not exactly in the majority for not loving GG or finding the twist anything but obvious when it came out). The characters are grating and stereotyped and the audiobook narrators "add" to these feelings. Redundancy is also an issue with the writing in this title. Why even give it stars?

Because I KNOW there are other people out there who love this (stereo)type of mystery more than me and will race through this book to see who it all comes together, and I want them to have it without the star rating being dragged down. For those of you described in this paragraph: Enjoy! Love it! Have fun!

My thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for a free ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This is, quite frankly, Gone Girl on the water, only less well written.

None of the characters are in anyway relatable or understandable, their motivations weak and their thought processes eye-roll worthy.

The 'missing' girl reads as though she were written by a man (not a compliment) and the ending was convoluted to the point of stupidity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Dani Fox and Sawyer Stone are cruising around the Bahamas living the boating life. Dani is an aspiring social media influencer hell bent on boosting her numbers to make herself rich and famous. After an epic boat party Sawyer wakes hungover, bloody, sore and worse to find Dani missing. Where is she? Did they have a fight and she went overboard? She swims every morning could she have drowned? This can't be happening again, could it? It is always the husband. As Bahamian police begin to investigate the disappearance all signs point to Sawyer as the perpetrator. But is he?

I liked the idea of a Gone Girl esque mystery set in a boating community in the Bahamas. This is a multi-character POV story. I am okay with a novel that all the characters are suspects and have some amount on unlikability but these characters were flat and stereotypical making them unlikable but not in the fun way. While the mystery itself is good enough the twists were obvious and lackluster. There was nothing overtly good or bad about this novel, it was just fair across the board. I rounded up to the 3 stars.

I had the audio version read by Frankie Corzo; Evan Sibley; Chanté McCormick; Savy Des-Etages, and David Bendena. I find it difficult to fully judge the performances because I am not sure who voiced which character. There were a couple that I was okay with and a couple that I loathed. A few of the character accents and voices were horrible. Not the most entertaining audio book.

What a fun listen! Very entertaining. Multiple narrators. Fast story. If you're looking for a fun beach read, popcorn thriller- this is your book. I had a lot of fun reading this one and it went by super quick.

Dani Fox runs a YouTube channel called sailing with the foxes. One day Dani realizes she can turn her channel viral if she adds some spice. Spice meaning, crime. After engineering her own kidnapping, Dani rakes in the dough. How does her boyfriend turned suspect handle it all? That's the fun part. Get ready for some crazy twists! Can't wait to read more from this author duo!!

Rachel McGuire’s "On the Surface" is a masterclass in suspense and psychological depth, deserving of every one of its five stars. From the first page, McGuire hooks readers with a gripping narrative that is as intricate as it is compelling. The story delves into the complexities of human relationships, unearthing hidden motives and dark secrets beneath a seemingly perfect exterior.

The novel's protagonist is richly developed, navigating a labyrinth of personal and professional challenges with both resilience and vulnerability. McGuire’s sharp, evocative prose brings each character to life, creating a vivid tapestry of emotion and intrigue. The plot is meticulously crafted, with twists that are both surprising and satisfying, ensuring that readers are continually engaged and guessing.

The pacing is expertly managed, maintaining a balance between intense moments of suspense and quieter, reflective scenes that deepen character development. McGuire’s ability to weave together multiple storylines without losing momentum is impressive, making "On the Surface" a standout in contemporary fiction.

Overall, "On the Surface" is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and character-driven stories. McGuire has delivered a remarkable novel that resonates on multiple levels, offering both a riveting plot and profound insights into the human condition.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book.

I was intrigued by the premise and loved the cover but found the characters too unlikable and the social media aspects to be so obnoxious. Yet i couldn’t stop because i wanted to know where the story was going. I basically hate read this book.

This reminder me a lot of gone girl. I think that’s one thing that gave away this story for me is I had the twist figured out. Seemed a bit obvious. I liked the premise of the story. The audio was well done. I think the characters were super unlikeable tho.

I found myself enjoying authorRachel McGuire writing style as the glided across the surface of this entertaining read.

𝘖𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘶𝘳𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘦 centers around cruisers Sawyer Stone III & Dani Fox. Dani is determined to make it as a social media influencer by documenting their life on the sea.
Sawyer has put all of their money into crypto, & while waiting for it to bounce back they spend their time partying, mingling & swimming. Until one day Dani vanishes after a boat party.
Thanks to online sleuths, the finger is pointed at Sawyer. Sawyer has no recollection of the party or how he got back to their boat.
The story takes off but Sawyer is determined to prove his innocence & find Dani.

This book is a SLOW BURN in every sense of the word with severely unlikable characters.
Sawyer was a huge waspy a-hole and Danni was definitely a big witch (but switch the w for a b lol).

I appreciated how the book depicted life on the seas and the different areas of the Bahamas but it was a bit predictable.
I did like the ending; it was something I already had in mind but this is a quick read with a physical copy but kind of drags with the audio reading.

The audio book was cool because I did like the different voices (I'm not an audiobook person so this was my very first audiobook). I did like having the audio to go with the e-book.

Overall, if you're looking for a predictable slowburn this is for you.