Member Reviews

If you're looking for a twisty summer thriller-- you'll love One the Surface!

A YouTubing couple sails the world sharing everything for the world to see but things might not always be as good as they make it out to be. In fact-- it's about to get a lot worse.

Sawyer & Dani are broke. Dani is doing everything she can to make exciting content to make money, even if that means taking dangerous risks. But one night Dani vanishes from the boat & everyone around them worry about the darker side that they have seen of her & Sawyer's relationship. When prerecorded posts start popping up while Dani is missing, no one knows what to think & who to trust.

Seriously just pick this one up! So good!

Thank you so much NetGalley & Dreamscape Media

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Great book. It kept my interest from the first chapter to the last. A YouTubing cruiser couple sails the world living their best lives, until one of them goes missing....
I would recommend this book to read and for my library to purchase.

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Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-audiobook!

This was a fun, easy listen but I didn't find the plot or mystery/solution to be rather groundbreaking. This is an easy popcorn listen (which is what I was looking for when I requested this).

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3.5 stars
I'm not quite sure what I thought of this one - I feel like I need to sit on it for a moment to decide. I enjoyed the beginning quite a bit. The story is set in the beautiful Caribbean waters with the cruisers lifestyle. I loved the added social media aspect where Dani is trying to make a name for herself and Sawyer finds it annoying. It was also interesting to see how social media can get involved in a case and make decisions on who is guilty or what happened, without having the facts, which can affect law enforcement's ability to solve the case. The ending fell a bit flat for me though and I started to lose interest, unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley, Rachel McGuire and Dreamscape Media for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a decent novel, however I didn't like this book as much as I thought. Still it was an enjoyable thriller perfect for a day at the beach.

It was narrated by a full cast and the narrators were very pleasant. I enjoyed the beginning of this book, but unfortunately I got bored in the middle.

With that being said, I may pick up this book again at a later date.



Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I thought that this was going to be a Gone Girl type of book. Everything was pointing in that direction, but then my socks were knocked off and I was thrilled by this thriller. I loved the reference to all the social media and press and how it affects cases and condemns people in a court of opinion before the facts are all even brought to light. The setting was both beautiful and remote which was a excellent contrast to bring out the unsettling feelings about the characters as the plot develops. I will be recommending this thriller for sure. An excellent summer read with all the tropical and Beach references. I definitely have no interest in living on a boat after this.

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Set in the “cruisers’” lifestyle—living and seeing the world on a sailboat—this is a perfect summer thriller.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox are young and beautiful, and sailing around the world makes for amazing content for Dani’s new YouTube channel 𝑆𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐹𝑜𝑥𝑒𝑠.

But when Dani disappears after a party with fellow cruisers, all things point to Sawyer - it’s always the boyfriend, right? When the Bahamian Royal Police begin their investigation, dark secrets emerge, but something does not add up.

The dynamics between Sawyer and Dani give this a strong domestic suspense feel. While neither character is terribly likable, they are both compelling - you want to see what they do next. The plot wasn’t overly complicated, yet it was nice to sit back and enjoy the waves and rolls of each twist. I loved the atmosphere of life on a boat, the relationships within the cruiser community, and the effects of Dani’s influencer lifestyle.

What I wasn’t prepared for was such an open ending. I tend to like answers, but as in life, we don’t always get them.

🎧I paired my reading with the audiobook from #dreamscapesmedia, and the full cast did a great job with this production.

Thank you @KateRockBookTours @RachelMcGuireAuthor and @CrookedLaneBooks for a spot on tour and this fabulous book package.

Thank you @dreamscape_media for the gifted audiobook.

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This was a fun audio listen. I wanted a little bit more. It annoyed it. The characters were hateable but the wnvironment was something new to me.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Audiobook Review

I saw this cover and knew I had to read it! I love a good cover. I was feeling like I was in a little bit of a slump and this one got me right out! The best way to describe this read is it’s a modern tropical Gone Girl. It is written by a couple authors who tag teamed this amazing book and their pen name is Rachel McGuire. The rollercoaster ride that is this book was so full of twists and turns that made for pure entertainment!

The audio was just fantastic!! It is read by a cast of five narrators. I know that sounds like a lot, but it sure did work! Each narrator made the story so real and read their parts perfect! I felt like I was in a movie. This is now one of my favorite beach reads of the summer! The island vibes were so great in this read!

What you can enjoy in the book:
⛵️ Unreliable narrator
🌊 Missing person trope
⛵️ Exotic location
🦈 Unlikeable characters
⛵️ Multiple POV’s
🐠 Addictive thriller
⛵️ Social media influencer

Thank you to the author Rachel McGuire and Net Galley for the advanced copy of the audio book!

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Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Rachel McGuire for the Advanced Readers copy of On The Surface, I throughly enjoyed this audiobook! There was several different voices, which I love with audiobooks! The cover of this is so beautiful, I will probably buy a copy for my shelf!

It was fast paced, captivating and really sucked me in. I felt a dislike toward almost every character which made it SO hard for me to figure out the mystery! And I was surprised, I love it when I can’t figure it out!

Sawyer and Dani set sail, and Dani is going to video it all for her YouTube channel. It’s going to be their dreams come true if they can make it work! Money starts to run low, and all the sudden Sawyer is the main suspect in a missing persons case. Not just any person though, Dani is missing, and it’s not the first time the law has looked at Sawyer for something sketchy with his partner.

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At first when listening to this I wasn't sure really what to think and then I was fully into the story and couldn't stop listening. I feel like it was very clever of the author to mention Natalie Holloway's story when the detectives are talking, I feel like most of us have heard about her and know how that played out. So it showed how important getting to the bottom of this was for the detectives. Also for anyone who hasn't heard the very true story about Natalie please go look it up and stay safe.

This has twists you wouldn't have guessed and I feel like we could have a second book because I have lots of questions. Like what happened with the first wives sister? The other questions would totally spoil the story but I'm sure anyone who reads this, and hopefully you do, will have the same questions.

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This book was intriguing and kept me guessing. I enjoyed reading it but did find the ending a bit unsatisfying in its lack of full resolution. Nevertheless the audio was fantastic and I enjoyed me experience listening.

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On the Surface was engaging and an excellent summer thriller. Dani and Sawyer are cruisers in the Bahamas and are trying to get their YouTube channel up and making money when Dani goes missing. We get POV's from several people involved and I loved watching how things unfolded.... trust NO ONE. I don't want to give too much away because the fun of this book is not knowing who to trust, but the cast is fantastic, even if they aren't all likeable. If you're looking for a summery thriller On the Surface will fit that bill!

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Ah, the month of July when I go from reading 14 books a month to listening to ONE lol...and this is the one!

Right away, On the Surface was an interesting audiobook as it had five narrators. This was great to help differentiate the characters early on, making the storyline easy to follow.

The story centers on Sawyer and Dani, cruisers documenting their life on their youtube channel "Sailing with the Foxes." Dani goes missing and, of course, the boyfriend is always the prime suspect. However, Sawyer has had nothing to do with it. With Dani's whereabouts still unknown, the plot thickens with unexpected revelations and lingering mysteries.

In summary, I found the book engaging despite not liking any of these characters. The plot captured my interest, flowed smoothly, and had a few good twists. I thought the descriptive writing being in the Bahamas was fantastic. The only downside for me, some characters seemed thrown in with seemingly significant roles but lacked resolution and the abrupt ending left me with unresolved questions.

If you are looking for a "beachy" thriller, yeah, I'd recommend this one!

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On the Surface tells the story of YouTube cruising couple Sawyer and Dani. After a wild night of partying, Dani disappears, and of course, the world is looking to blame Sawyer because it's always the boyfriend that does it. But something isn't adding up about the story. When Dani turns up alive after several weeks, we learn a lot about what goes on in the minds of YouTube influencers and what they will do for likes and subscribes.

Overall, I liked this book. It seemed a little too predictable at times, but that didn't detract from the story. Neither Sawyer nor Dani were likable characters, but I think that was the point. I wasn't overly happy with the ending, and felt that it was too abrupt and left too many storylines open.

I received a digital advanced audiobook thanks to the publishers and NetGalley.

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A fun and surprisingly thought-provoking read that juggles an absorbing missing persons case with issues like missing white woman syndrome, race and class between residents and visitors in the Caribbean, influencer culture and more. Smart and entertaining!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was pretty wild. I really enjoyed the prologue as it pulled me right into the story and I kept wondering how it connected to the events of the book. The characters in this book were so self-centered and egotistical. That ending was crazy and so open ended.

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A summer getaway... as a thriller! The storyline is pretty solid though a tad predictable at times. The audio version is great with a big cast.

Thank you for this ARC!

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On the Surface by Rachel McGuire has such an incredible cover! The colors are so beautiful! This was a summer thriller and I was here for it. This is one of those books you can easily devour in one sitting sitting pool side.

If you love:
Beach Setting / Summer vibes
Multiple POVs
Unlikeable characters
Unreliable narrators
Then this book is most definitely for you!!

I thought the narrators accents and storytelling helped keep me engaged and wondering what was coming next. I highly recommend this audiobook.

A huge thank you to dreamscape media and NetGalley for this ALC / ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What I like was having a full cast narration. That’s a huge win for me with audiobooks. It totally enhances the listening experience and gives the story so much life. I loved the setting and although I enjoyed this one it fell a little flat for me. Here’s what didn’t work for me - it was slow until the middle, then that ending felt extremely rushed. Had I read this when I was new to suspense and thriller reads I do feel like my rating would be higher. Again, very good but not a book I’ll remember long after reading.

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This book was just ok to me. Very hard to like the characters, which I suppose it ok in a thriller - but I just couldn't connect. I did enjoy wondering what happened, but then I was just feeling meh towards the end of the book.

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