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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

"On the Surface" follows cruisers and YouTubers Dani and Sawyer, when something goes amiss as they are docked in the Bahamas. Throughout multiple character point of views, the story unfolds and the mystery of what happened! I couldn't put this book down; the writing and the plot had me feeling as if I was living in the book and watching it unfold in real time! I, for one, had no idea where this book was going to go! I listened to an audio version of this book and found the use of the different narrators to add dimension to the story! Each narrator was the perfect fit for their character! Thank you to Kate Rock Book Tours and Rachel McGuire for an advanced copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you Netgalley, Dreamscape Media and Rachel McGuire for the Audio Arc of On The Surface
Narrated by Frankie Corzo; Evan Sibley; Chanté McCormick; Savy Des-Etages; David Bendena.

This is a clever domestic psychological thriller involving Youtube influencers that have taken to the seas to sail around beautiful places. One Night, there was a party , drinking and upon waking in the morning, Sawyer finds his wife, Dani, missing. As every day goes by Sawyer comes under suspicion of murder. It's always the husband isn't it?

I really enjoyed this domestic thriller. It's medium paced with good character development of Sawyer, his wife Dani, Inspector Veronique Knowles and the other minor characters. There is some nice foreshadowing and if you do pick it up, then you will probably find you may have the ending in the bag. Even if you do or don't, the narrative is engaging and keeps you guessing.

The narrators brought the characters alive having separate voices to the main characters which are already fleshed out so gives them an extra dimension.

4 stars

I finished On the Surface in less than 24 hours, which I suppose means it held my attention. ha!

Ah, I want to relate this story to one from the media, but I do not want to give any spoilers. At the very beginning, I had some vibes that ended up being correct, which kept me listening intently as I ran, cleaned, drove, put kids to bed, etc. I just needed to know if I was correct. The book was engaging and well-developed. There were a few things I did not exactly see coming, and let me just say, there are some very bad people out there (good thing this is fiction, right?). I felt that the ending came a bit abruptly. While I could not quite put it down, the last third of the book was a bit flat.

There are a lot of characters to keep up with and the audio included several narrators, including Frankie Corzo, Evan Sibley, Chanté McCormick, Savy Des-Etages, and David Bendena. The narrators do an excellent job.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars

This was an entertaining enough read, but it’s really just Gone Girl in the Bahamas, making it incredibly predictable.
That being said, I listened to the audio, which was very well produced and acted. Having a different narrator for every character made it clear who was speaking at any point, an important aspect if you are regularly picking it up and pausing it.

This was a trip! I kinda wish everyone had gotten what they deserved in the end a little more (the MCs are truly unlikeable) but I think my review from 1/4 the way is best to avoid spoilers so here it is!

I'm about a quarter of the way through listening to this one (the narrators are fabulous) and loving it! On the Surface is a perfect summer read. It follows Sawyer and Dani Fox as they sail the Bahamas and try to make it as YouTubers after Sawyer lost all his savings in crypto.
Needless to say things are tense. Then Dani goes missing but her pre-recorded vlogs continue to post.
Dun. Dun. Dun...
At this point I have no clue what to think! Sawyer def seems sketchy but Dani is giving me some Gone Girl vibes so l don't trust her point of view totally either Throw in the detective on the case and all the other folk that know the couple plus some internet sleuths and it definitely feels like one of those trust no one books.

Sawyer & Dani are a young couple that sails around the world documenting their adventures on their bitty baby #Youtube channel in the hopes of becoming a big enough deal that their #SocialMedia will pay the bills. They are currently anchored in the #Bahamas waiting for the price of crypto to rebound so they can provision & continue #sailing

While anchored, they party along with other “cruisers.” But, after one party at which Sawyer got uncharacteristically plastered, Dani disappears without a trace & Sawyer remembers NOTHING. Everyone assumes she drowned at first during her daily swim, but then Dani’s pre-scheduled YouTube videos continue to post in her absence, and they reveal that her & Sawyer’s relationship might not have been what it appeared to be.

Inspector Knowles is losing an uphill battle with her #investigation for the missing #American woman since her disappearance has now gone viral & internet sleuths are interfering at every turn. We all know the husband/boyfriend is always the top suspect, but though he is not perfect, is Sawyer really a murderer?

I enjoyed this story & it was a solid 4 Star #read for me. There were literally ZERO likeable characters, though & that’s ok. It’s not really a likeable characters kind of #book & it’s the bad & annoying characters that really make the story.

This story was gripping from the start, highly addictive, fast-paced, bingeable & kept twisting & turning all the way through the final words. If you’re a #Suspense & #Thriller lover, I highly recommend giving this one a shot! It would make a fantastic beach read!

I liked the premise of this book, and overall the story was fun and twisty, but the way the story was told was a little choppy for me. I listened to the audiobook and the chapters that were posts from social media were a little out of place for me. There was one twist I didn't see coming, the very long con, so overall I did like the book. But the above mentioned things are why it landed at 3 (maybe 3 1/2) stars for me.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC audiobook!

I have been loving thrillers that have to do with influencers - it just seems so modern. This book takes place with the characters sailing on a boat, which I think is a great setting for a thriller. This book had really good twists and I loved the entire book. I listened to it on audiobook and I am so glad I did, each character is narrated by a different person. Highly recommend!

Title: On the Surface by Rachel McGuire
Publication Date- 07/09/24
Publisher- Dreamscape Media
Overall Rating- 5 out of 5 stars

Review: Review copy given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Audio Review: The audio is the way to go for this one. It’s full cast and amazing. It really draws you into the story and I would say if you have trouble with multiple POV this would really help separate them out. Highly recommend the audio.

Story Review: I feel like it’s been a minute since I found a thriller I really enjoyed and had a good easy, breezy time with; On the Surface is that book. This is a story about influencer culture and its intersection with true crime obsessions. There’s a big trigger warning for domestic violence, make sure you’re okay with that before you read this.

Under the Surface is a really fun and unique thriller. Maybe the commentary on influencer culture and true crime obsession isn't, but this take on it and way of story telling is. We have a couple who is sailing around the world, when the woman mysteriously disappears. We get to hear multiple perspectives looking at this case which really added to the enjoyment.

Something I complain about a lot is when books have too many twists that don’t make sense or when they use plot points of convenience. This book didn’t do that. It was well thought out and realistic. I think because of that some people won’t like the ending. If you want something super shocking this isn’t that, it’s not a popcorn thriller. It's more a look at humanity under the circumstance of disappearance.
Furthermore, I enjoyed the time the author took to show that people really go far on social media to “make it.” She points out how a lot of the content we see is faked. I know we all know this, but do we really believe it? Not often. Rachel McGuire demonstrated simple ways people can fake their content and I found that really interesting.

All in all this was really fun, very enjoyable, an entertaining summer read with a controversial ending. Highly recommend it.

On the Surface was fantastic! I really loved this thriller audiobook about a missing influencer. Lots of modern Gone Girl vibes. I listened in a day! I wish I had another one just like it now!