This was beautiful!! Oh my gosh absolutely amazing, made me cry. Don’t talk to me for a couple weeks while I continue to process this book!!

Night Swimming features Trevor and Sarah, two high school seniors in the limbo between high school and college who decide to swim in every pool in their hometown. The book is filled with 90s references, but you don’t have to be a 90s kid to understand them and invites readers in regardless of their age.

I wasn’t sure about the short and snappy writing style, but I started to love it over time. Reminds me a lot of the snappy writing in The Inheritance Games. The only reason this isn’t a 5 stars is because I would have liked to learn more about our characters, especially the side characters who we only got a glimpse into.

Overall, a 4.5 ⭐️ I’d recommend this to coming-of-age story lovers, and those who like speculative elements/magical realism to their contemporary stories.

Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC of this book!

#yafiction #bookstagram #booklover #aaronstarmer #nightswimming #90sbooks #netgalley #ebook #bookreview #newbookrelease #arcreview #arcreviewer

Although this storyline wasn't for me, I can see why it might appeal to certain readers. My biggest issue with it was that the writing style felt a little unpolished and juvenile. I do think the publisher's description was a little misleading, as I was expecting something like a nostalgic cross between Can't Hardly Wait and Stranger Things. I'd recommend it to teen readers looking for a short coming of age story.

thank you so much netgalley for allowing to be able to read this arc! the first thing that drew me to this book was the beautiful cover and the blurb really drew me. Once i started reading, it was very difficult to follow along. the story telling felt very monotone, and pretty confusing. I really didn’t know what was going on. unfortunately this book wasn’t for me but it definitely can be for someone else.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you Netgalley, Aaron Starmer and Penguin Workshop for this eARC!!

I was really looking for a cute lil maybe horror novella to throw into my early 2025 reads, and I was super interested in the blurb- a mysterious pool? what would be in it? ELDRITCH BEING MAYBE???

Nope none of that- just some kids trying to figure out their lives while pool jumping, and with a weird phenomenon happening to them in the last half of the book.

I feel like now knowing that I wasn’t really the target demographic for this book, I maybe would have skipped over it but I’m also kinda glad I read it, because it was genuinely written in a very lovely way. The teens are super relatable and realistic, the anxieties that our MMC Trever are working through are extremely similar to the ones I had when I first graduated high school (10 years ago this June), so I could in a way relate to that.

I feel like this book is the perfect graduation gift to any senior that loves reading, because it deals a lot with the uncertainty of the future past high school, and it showcases people that maybe aren’t 100% sure what they’re gonna do with their lives. The only reason I am giving my it 3⭐️ is because it felt like it didn’t really pick up in terms of storyline and character development until 3/4 of the way through- I was continuously confusing characters and I wasn’t sure who was dating who, so in those aspects I felt like it could have had a bit more development.

This book is really perfect for any young adult who maybe isn’t sure what they’re gonna go with their lives, or if they’re feeling pressure from one area of their lives or another- it gives them a reminder to just.. dive in.

I really enjoy the 90s vibes and feel, but the story itself never really captivated me and I finished simply to know what the interludes were referencing. The ending wasn’t really satisfying and I felt like the characters just didn’t do much. Onto the next!

I really loved this one. I wasn't sure what to expect as I went in only knowing that it was a coming of age, 90's nostalgia book. I really liked the creepy vibe of not knowing what was actually going on during these night swims and in between the chapters. It reminded me a little of a Twilight Zone episode, especially since their seemed to be nod to The Bewitchin' Pool.
Although written about teens, I think that any age would enjoy this as there has a been a point in all of our lives where we're afraid to move forward and figure out what's next.

Thank you to Aaron Starmer, the publisher, and Netgalley for this eARC.

Perks of Being a Wallflower was a formative post-high school text for me and many of my friends, so when I read the synopsis for Aaron Starmer's Night Swimming, a post-high school exploration of big emotions and what could be, I figured it might be for me.

Set in the late 1990s, Night Swimming is a 'mix tape' of a novel with a speculative twist. Trevor is an all-American, golden retriever of a guy who is in love with his friend Sarah. Sarah has a boyfriend. But when she pitches a crazy idea to him the night of the last party of high school--to swim all of the pools in their small town, whether or not they're allowed to--he takes her up on her offer and spends the rest of the summer with her.

Trevor, unfortunately, is a teenage boy and let's his emotions get the better of him and inevitably reveals what they've been up to to his other friends, who join them on one last night swim that takes a turn when they meet the kooky owner of their last pool. She tells them of a natural pool out in the woods maintained by a local family and they, particularly Sarah, jump at the chance to extend their summer project.

At the pool, time flows weirdly and, eventually, they realize that they've been there for significantly longer than they thought they had been. The pool is a sort of purgatory that allows the teenagers to stay frozen in time until they've decided they've had enough. For Sarah, who is squeezing every last drop of blood from the stone that is her summer, this is ideal. Not everyone agrees.

Weirdly, I liked this book a lot more before it got speculative. I found the pool as purgatory as coming of age metaphor a little heavy-handed and would have preferred to see more fleshed out characters. Starmer attempts this, but the novel's brevity - usually a strength in my book - results in relatively flat characters that feel cribbed from The Breakfast Club and other teen movies than actually realized.

I don't think it's exactly a classic, but it's readable and might be fun if you want to relive a bit of teenage youth. Three of five stars.

This book was wild. It definitely subverted expectations. It had a meaningful message about self-discovery and adapting to change. However, I didn't care much for the characters, and I have no idea what happened in the end.

The characters are fun, with a good dynamic. They seem very well-suited to the 1990s, almost like the cast of characters you’d find in movies like “American Pie” or “Can’t Hardly Wait.” Trevor and Sarah have a solid relationship and a “will they/won’t they” vibe, although I did feel in places that she was defined more by her relationships to male characters than as a character in her own right. The other characters provide good foils for them.

This was a very strange experience, but I loved it. A coming-of-age, nostalgic tickle, fever dream. The story did not go where I was expecting it to when I picked this book up, but I enjoyed it much more this way. I think that the ending was a little rushed feeling, but overall I really enjoyed the story!

What a strange and interesting little book. The first third of the book was so slow to me and I just wanted to get through it. But then it took a turn and really grabbed me. I think it’s best to go into this book without knowing what it’s about. Very thought-provoking.

Thank you Net Galley for this Arc. Although I enjoyed the nostalgia aspect of this book, it took me awhile to get through it. I cldnt get into or keep my interest in it. I got so confused in parts, I don’t know if it was me, or if it just wasn’t explained well enough. At first it was like the main characters were in love with each other, but both afraid to admit it, but then i didn’t have that feeling, and then it was there again. Certain parts I just didn’t understand. Please read this book if you wish, just cause it wasn’t for me, it may be the perfect read for you!

very well written. i found the transition into part 2 a little weirdly done and i felt that at points it was DEFINITELY not what i expected, but i liked it. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

This book felt like a trip down memory lane for an elder millennial. I love when a story can give me a feeling of nostalgia even though the characters, plot, and author are completely new to me. Any time I read about mixed tapes, and old movies like Speed, I feel like I am revisiting my younger years, so I absolutely adored the setting of this story. Something that I find completely relevant to real life is the fears about the future ahead, and the feelings and emotions that come with the "Coming of age" trope. I feel like the author did a lovely job portraying all the aspects of growing up, such as love, disappointment, societal expectations, sadness, friendship, and the unknown and fear of becoming an adult when there is so much uncertainty.

I felt like I was truly living in the summer of 1994, Aaron Starmer created such a realistic and amazing atmosphere. He did a wonderful job capturing the vulnerability and burden of being young and reckless and going on a journey of self discovery. To make it even better, there were elements of magical realism that kept the story fresh and whimsical. I especially loved the chapter endings, they kept me wanting more and I flew through this story, I could not put it down. I found myself saying, "Just one more chapter." many times.

I found it a bit difficult to get into, and couldn’t fully connect with the characters. Probably the writing didn’t fully work for me

I devoured this book in a single day! It was such a captivating coming of age story about the limbo that exists between childhood and adulthood, when you want to simultaneously forge ahead with life and stay right where you are, frozen in time.

Sarah and Trevor, and all their friends and acquaintances, represent everyone who has wanted to find their own way in their own time. Each character has something about them that is relatable, whether it's that you see yourself in them, or someone close to you.

The story gave me John Green vibes if he were to dabble in magical realism. The author's voice is mesmerizing and hooked me into the story immediately. And once I was hooked I was there for the rollercoaster ride.

In addition, it was a very nostalgic read for because being set in 1994, it was reminiscent of my own journey around that same time. I was a fairly new college student at that time, and could not only relate to the themes, but also to the cultural references of the time. Many of the chapters were song titles that were the soundtrack of my coming of age story (Nightswimming, Cannonball, Waiting Room and more). I also appreciated the shout outs to Umbros, Binaca, babydoll dresses and Bennigan's restaurant.

I think it's safe to say that I will be thinking about this book for a long time. It's just so thought-provoking, relatable and beautifully written.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

Had a difficult time connecting with the characters in this one. Not sure why. Maybe it is just me, but the book didn't hold my interest for an extended period of time .

Took me a while to get through this one.

You may find it more to your liking.

I'm honestly not sure how to feel about this one. I understand what the author was trying to convey through the story, but I think it was a little too "dreamy" for me. It's a quick YA read and it honestly becomes parable-like in it's execution in the second half of the story. I would say that if you're looking for something that isn't your typical read then this one is worth picking up.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Night Swimmer
Author: Aaron Starmer
Genre: YA/Teen
Publisher: Penguin Group, Penguin Young Readers Group/Dutton Books for Young Readers
Pub Date: April 29, 2025
My Rating: 3.3 Stars
Pages: 242

The summer of 1994 and Trevor graduated high school but not yet excited about heading off to college.
Sarah a classmate approaches Trevor with a mission of swimming in all the pools in the neighborhood. Since Trevor has a major crush on Sarah, he agrees yet knows she has a boyfriend at college.

They had heard about a natural pool hidden in the woods and know they need to check it out in order to complete their mission.
However one they try it they find it has a curious hold on them, and then something strange happens.

This sure seemed liked my kids would do and perhaps I would have done it as well but it went different than I expected.

Want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP, Penguin Readers Group/Dutton Books for Young Readers for this uncorrected eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 29, 2025.