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.

this book was well written and definitely gave the 90’s nostalgic feedback. the cover is so pretty but i thought this was an m/m read so that was disappointing.

interesting story.......not really for me, but i did finish..... ending seemed very rushed. i liked some of the interaction between characters, but just couldn't get into it . i appreciate the advanced copy though , thank you

As Sarah and Trevor embark on a mission to swim every pool in their town, they're also trying to figure out their futures and desires. Their initially-private project becomes less secret when Trevor tells some of their other friends about it, and as a group they take to the night to swim. But one pool, hidden in the woods, is very different, existing in its own time and space. As the various members of the group try to figure out what's going on and how to leave, emotions run high and relationships change in unpredictable ways. A solid SFFH novel with elements of philosophy.

“Night Swimming” is a poignant exploration a group of high school graduates on the cusp of adulthood. Trevor and Sarah decide that they will swim every swimming pool in their home town before the end of the summer. Their friends get wind of the plan and join in, and it nearly succeeds…until a meeting with a mysterious person leads them to a relatively unknown and little-used swimming hole that holds a mysterious and seductive power. There, the group must really look within for answers as to why they are there and how they will escape.

The story is novel. I enjoyed the off-the-wall decision by the main characters to swim every pool in town - it’s the type of goal that is both silly/meaningless in the long term, but endlessly meaningful if you’re caught up in the space between the moments of childhood and adulthood. I think I would have liked more on that part of their quest as they went through it since the majority of it felt glossed over to make room for the characters’ encounter with the mysterious swimming hole. The latter part of the book centers on this mysterious swimming spot, and I appreciated the premise. It gives of strong “Twilight Zone” vibes in a good way.

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.

Overall, a solid story exploring the possibilities and terrors offered by abandoning childhood and leaping headlong into adulthood.

I received this book for free via NetGalley

I enjoyed this book. I think mainly because it was "my time". I loved reading about about all the things I grew up with and just had forgotten. That made for a fun setting. I think the book was well written and they characters developed. Enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC! My inner teen enjoyed the 90s setting. Adult teacher me liked the appeal for teens. Although this book was definitely out there, I thought it had enough creep and novelty to stick out from the same old same old books. The ending was strange, and I don’t really understand the connection with the lady who sent them to the pool and why she shared this info or even knew it, but it definitely kept my interest. I kind of wish I knew what went in with each character in the end, the mystery around all of it was good, too. I’d recommend this one to HS kids, not MS. FYI profanity, talk of sex, underage drinking and drug use

I read this book as an ARC. I loved the feeling it gave me of being back in high school and the nostalgia of being a senior in high school again. It was hard to put this book down as I was reading it.

A fever dream of a book, and like a dream, it doesn't give you much to grasp on to. It's nostalgic and atmospheric, but much of that effect is created through a spare, detached writing style, at the expense of deeper character development or more compelling exploration of the scenario playing out. (I'm intentionally staying vague here because discovering that scenario is half the fun!) Overall, it's a quick, short read, but never captivating enough that I found myself itching to pick it up again—in fact, at times, I forgot I was reading it until I opened my Kindle app and saw the cover.

If you're considering reading, a tip: The book mentions John Cheever's amazing short story "The Swimmer." If you've never read it before, this is NOT a case where you need to go rush off and look up the story before continuing—in fact, I would personally recommend reading it AFTER you've finished "Night Swimming." I'm sure there's not a right or a wrong answer, of course, but personally, I would have preferred to have gone into the reading experience without any familiarity with "The Swimmer"!

Book:
NIGHT SWIMMING by Aaron Starmer
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the Earc (April 29)

Review:
2⭐
Trevor and Sarah make a pack to swim in all the pools in their town before the end of summer. When doing so, they learn of one last one---one that leads to confusion and weirdness.
I'm not sure how to review this because what did I just read??? It was weird and über confusing---and I still don't know what happened. Like I felt like I couldn't follow, especially the little povs at the end of the chapters and the ending. It was all out confusing. The mystery of the swimming hole, getting stuck there, leaving, and what happens after. The phenomenon made zero sense to me. Don't get me wrong, this wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't something that I would want to read again.

An interesting idea. I was intrigued until the end. Not sure how I feel about the ending yet but it wasn’t what I expected.

One night after high school graduation and before college. Before things change. Before life begins. A group of friends go for a night swim in a natural pond for the last time.

Most of us look back to that time fondly. Or if not fondly, at least with some nostalgia. But how would you feel if you never left?

Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Workshop for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.
4/5!!!

I loved this novel in the sense that it was a quick, feel-good read. There was a hint of magical realism with a mix of ‘90s nostalgia. The plot was highly original and the story will truly bring you back to those endless summer days and nights between semesters where you have no responsibilities and the possibilities are endless. The novel poses many life-altering questions about who we are and who we are meant to become.

The book is in two sections (A & B); A follows Trevor and Sarah on their lustful pool hopping journey that lands them at the pool of all pools, and B is where the group of teens begin to realize that the forest they have entered may be stopping time on the inside, and has a unique pull on each of them and their desires. Starmer titles each chapter with song titles that perfectly complement the contents.

Favorite Quote: “Yet, there was one thing he did understand. He couldn’t stay here trying to recapture what they had, waiting on someone who would never return. His life couldn’t be defined by this one person, this one place, this one moment. Because the moment was over, and it was okay for things to be over. It was also okay to feel scared and ashamed and unsure about what might come next, as long as he could face what came next. And what came after that.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! So different than I expected, odd but fascinating. The description of the the people and scenery was perfect, I could imagine being there. Immerse yourself in the author's magical land of nightswimming!

Thank you netgalley for the prerelease ebook!

I absolutely love the cover. It is what caught my attention. Unfortunately, the book didn't. Ig started ok but then dragged and I really didn't care what happened to the characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

*thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC for review*

This one was I think a little too weird for me. 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!

Imagine the exhilaration you feel, when finally coming to the end of something that has been your total existence since being a young child all the way through to the end of your teenage years. Then imagine that exhilaration mixed with the fear and anxiety of new unknowns and what comes next in your life. Night Swimming takes a look at the in between of those two pivotal milestones and shows what it would be like to freeze a perfect moment in time. But it also asks the question, what is the permanence of a perfect moment, when we grow and change, and seek out that next fleeting, perfect moment.

Trevor and Sarah have just graduated from high school in the early summer of 1994, and Sarah decides it would be a great idea to swim in every pool of their town, by the summer’s end. This gives the two of them a great way to avoid the questions of their future and what it will look like when they both leave for college. Trevor agrees because of his feelings for Sarah, and he is hoping this will give him the opportunity to share those feelings with her, and that she will return them.

I really enjoyed the time period for Night Swimming, because I graduated in 1993, so a lot of what was happening in the story was very nostalgic for me. I could also totally see the neighborhood pool hopping being something that could have easily taken place during this time. I also loved the different personalities that Starmer introduced through Trevor and Sarah’s other friends. They were a perfect reflection of kids that I knew from high school, and Schulz was definitely my favorite.

The magical realism is done really well, and I thought it was a great way to show that even though groups of people might be at the same stage in life, we are not all ready for that stage at the same time. Each of the characters had to come to their own realizations of when they were ready to face that moment.

I found Night Swimming to have a unique storyline that takes a step away from typical YA Fiction, to take a deeper look at what it means to leave young adulthood behind and face the choices of adulthood. If you love stories about coming of age, self discovery, and 90s nostalgia, with a touch of magical realism, then I would highly recommend Night Swimming.

It had a very original writing style that I occasionally like, and the plot was completely different from anything I've ever read. The story's tone and atmosphere appealed to me, and I was eager to learn what had transpired. Night Swimming is a great choice if you like character-driven narratives and are drawn to stories with a hint of the fantastical. It's a haunting, unforgettable story that makes you appreciate the mystery and beauty that lie beyond the known.

I found Night Swimming to have some appeal when I think about being the age of the characters and what was going through their head and their experiences. It reminded me of my own teenage years. I found it a little strange to want to make a game of swimming in all the pools in the town. However, I also found it a bit exhilarating. As the Trevor and Sarah found the new swimming pool. It seemed as though it took a while to keep the plot moving. I enjoyed the book, but I found it to be a bit slow in places.