"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!

On the Surface by Rachel McGuire
Narrated by Frankie Corzo; Evan Sibley; Chanté McCormick; Savy Des-Etages; David Bendena

An outstanding performance by all narrators in this belter of a thriller! Oho, you think it is all going to be insta-glam when an influencer decides to create a channel based on sailing around the world with their gorgeous bf, but when the idea of "finding the foot" to make the channel lift off arises, things start to surface and roil

Not so much about seafaring, but a whole lot aout the effects of the search for insta-fame, greed and the lengths people will go to to get what they want

Brilliant characters, awesome mystery and mind-bending twists, a brilliant, brilliant listen - If you haven't got Rachel McGuire on your tbr, you are missing out

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, the author Rachel McGuire and the very, very talented team of narrators for this Ahighly compelling ALC. Clear the decks, you are not going to want to put this one down! My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

When you tube wannabe influencers cruise around on a boat in the Bahamas and one goes missing. I zoned out a little bit in areas and had to go listen again when it did pick up and intrigue me in the mystery of it all. It was a fun and twisty summer thriller!

On The Surface explores the line between influencer as deceiver in this psychological thriller set in the sunny Bahamas.

I loved the cover of this book, which drew me in instantly. Unfortunately the story fell a little bit flat for me. I was hoping for a twisty thriller, but predicted the twists very early on. The characters seemed to vacillate between dark/sinister, and comedic/silly, which may have more to do with the tone of the narration in parts, but made it hard to interpret their motivations/intentions. The ending was very abrupt, and I found myself replaying the last chapter to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.

Overall though, I enjoyed the writing style and the pacing of the story. It was an easy listen, and it kept me engaged. The Bahama setting was beautifully described, and really delivered the promise of the cover. I loved learning about the yachting/influencer life, and the commentary about the ‘court of public opinion’ added a sinister edge to the narrative. The narrators juggled a lot of different accents, and I found it easy to follow different characters as they shifted perspective.

While it wasn’t quite what I expected, I can see this book being great for someone looking for a read with a true crime/scandal feel, especially as a vacation read somewhere warm and beachy!

Thank you Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this audiobook. Opinions expressed are my own.

This was such a fun summery thriller!

Dani Fox is a wannabe YouTuber, attempting to get her cruising channel with partner Sawyer Stone to go viral. The pair have anchored in the Bahamas and spend their days swimming and spearfishing, nights partying with other cruisers in the area, and hours upon hours editing their recorded footage. After a party one night, Dani goes missing, and Sawyer wakes up with no memory of the night before. Social media and the internet make the search for Dani go viral and everyone becomes an investigator, digging up the dark secrets Sawyer tried to keep in his past.

I binged this psychological thriller in a day. I was drawn in by the dark undertones, the multiple morally grey characters, the gossipy tone, and the underlying mystery. Twist after twist had me flying through the short chapters. I would have liked slightly more closure at the end, but that is just a personal preference where I don't prefer anything to be left open-ended.

The audio was incredibly well done, with multiple narrators taking on the multiple POVs included. It was incredibly entertaining to listen to and would be a great format choice for listening on the beach!

Read if you like:
⚓ Social media commentary
⚓ Dark and shady pasts
⚓ Morally grey characters
⚓ Twisty summery thrillers
⚓ Multiple POV
⚓ Beachy/ocean setting

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the ALC. all opinions are my own,

How far would you go for fame? On The Surface is a twisty thriller where you’re certain no one is telling the truth and you never know who to trust. Full of social media thirst-traps, wannabe Youtube influencers, remote boating life in the islands, and a few possible psychopaths… what could possibly go wrong?

This was such a fun listen!! I really enjoyed the setting in the beautiful Exuma, Bahamas and murder! This was a unique and a really good psychological thriller. A social media influencer who suddenly goes missing but who is to blame! I couldn't get enough of it and when everything was revealed I was very surprised! I didn't see THAT coming!! The audiobook had a cast of narrators, and they were all very wonderful. The narrators, Frankie Corzo, Evan Sibley, Chanté McCormick, Savy Des-Etages, and David Bendena all kept me engaged to the story and they used a wide array of tones and inflections.
If you're looking for beach read with mystery and thriller vibes be sure to grab this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sawyer and Dani are living aboard his sailboat in the Caribbean. They are currently stuck in the Bahamas because Sawyer made a bad investment in crypto that they hope will turn around, so they have no money. Meanwhile Dani is trying to drum up interest in their youtube channel by posting content of their experiences. One night at a party with other cruisers, Sawyer gets drunk and Dani goes missing and of course all signs point to Sawyer.

I obviously loved the setting of this book. Who doesn't want to read a book set in a beautiful sunny climate? Overall I liked the book, but I didn't love it. Both main characters were not at all likeable. I think we found out what was really going on too soon and there wasn't enough mystery around it, it was more of waiting for it to play out. There were some reveals late in the story that were interesting and I didn't feel like we got enough resolution, but for a first novel, it was good. I would read more from these authors.

Sawyer and Dani are cruisers who live on their boat full-time, which Dani describes as "RV living on the ocean". Sawyer's crypto investments haven't worked out, so Dani seeks to bring in some money through a monetized YouTube channel.

David finally hits her monetization goals, but then disappears from a party -- a night of which Sawyer has no memory. Sawyer comes under suspicion, especially when Dani's pre-scheduled start to drop with details that point to Sawyer as an abuser.

With unlikeable main characters and a trail of incriminating videos, this debut novel felt like a modern update on Gone Girl. The book provides multiple points of view, including from the main characters and the investigators on the case. The audiobook provides different narrators for each character, which is something I always enjoy and I'd employed to great effect here.

The ending of the novel comes quite abruptly. I understand that the authors want to leave things ambiguous (again, ala Gone Girl), but the ending here is so sudden as to be jarring.

This book would make for a great beach read for anyone who likes a mystery and enjoys morally dubious characters.

This review week be posted to Instagram (@goodquietkitty) on Monday, July 15, 2024.

I ended up DNFing pretty early in the book. I hope to pick up a written copy but I just couldn’t continue with these narrators. They seemed monotone and completely uninterested in their storyline.

I failed to really get into this one. I never connected with the characters on a deeper level, not enough to make me care or be invested in the plot, which wasn’t as twisty and thrilling as I’d hoped. I also don’t typically enjoy reading from a detective's perspective, for whatever reason. I wasn’t feeling anything new, fresh, or exciting for the genre. It just all fell a bit flat for me. I was hoping for a perfect summer vibes thriller with the setting, but it was all a little underwhelming. It wasn’t bad, but I was left feeling rather apathetic about everything, and that’s not great either.