Vaguely reminiscent of THIS WRETCHED VALLEY (small, tight-knit group of teens, isolated wilderness setting, story centered around a specialized sport (diving, in this instance)). Reiss does a really good job at building suspense, and I like the approach to characters and their development more in OUT OF THE AIR as opposed to THIS WRETCHED VALLEY - the Salt Squad feels very realized, with strong personalities that jump off of the page, and they're a group of friends that actually FEEL like friends; they have dynamics that feel natural, dialogue that isn't forced. I'm not crazy about the romance plot, but that's just because I'm 28 and don't really often care about teenage romances in media anymore. Good horror relies on a steady cast as much as the atmosphere, and this book has both in abundance; the underwater descriptions are dazzling, and the setting really is used to maximum effect; the vast unknown of the ocean is as much of a character in the story as the teens.

My only real issue is with the ending and how incomplete it feels. Not really sure how to word this, but I think the first-person POV really limits the exploration of the horrors and makes it all explanation feel less than unsatisfactory since it's all just Phoebe's supposition and intuition - I think even getting some perspective from Gabe might have helped. Still, a very good story in spite of a lackluster ending. Really beautiful writing.

I recently had the pleasure of reading this, and I have to say, it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. From the very first page, I was hooked by the engaging style and the intriguing characters. The author does an excellent job of building a world that feels both immersive and believable, making it easy to get lost in the story. The plot was full of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story would surprise me with something unexpected. I highly recommend this and all their work.

"Out of Air" was one of those books that keeps you engaged with every single page and itching to get to the end of the book. Only for you to then wish that there was more story for you to read.

Eh, no. This tries to be too many things at once and ends up failing.

The beginning truly had me hooked but the poor pacing, excessive plot threads and lack of suspense made this thriller shudder and die. The character is an outcast of her own making, she makes people out to be enemies in her head constantly and it’s exhausting.

Anyway, I got really excited about this because cave diving is one of the most terrifying things I can think of - but alas, the only thing scary about this book was how bad it was.

I absolutely loved this book! It has all the elements of a great YA thriller, but is so unique at the same time. I’ve been chasing a read with the same vibes as Dark and Shallow Lies (my favorite YA thriller of all time) and this definitely hit the mark.

It is perfectly eerie and atmospheric, with a fast paced plot and an interesting cast of characters. I love how the twists and turns of this story are explored and connected, and how it all ties back to the ocean. As someone who is very much afraid of the ocean, it successfully spooked me to read about the power that it held in this page turning thriller. I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know what was coming next.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC of Out of Air! Set on the coasts of Australia, Out of Air is a captivating read perfect for fans of horror and ocean-themed books. This books as definitely addicting and I could not put it down!

Although I’m not a diver, I thought Reiss portrayed the underwater world extremely well and on multiple occasions, I felt as if I was also in the water with the characters. I really enjoyed how the book would shift between past and present, and I found that it really kept the story interesting and engaging. However, I did feel that the ending was rushed and because I’m not super into diving and the ocean, sometimes it was a little much. Still, it was obvious Reiss is a diver and lots of research was done.

Overall, this book was 2.5 stars for me. I thought it was an entertaining and fun read, but the ending was just too rushed.

This book was absolutely amazing. From the five friends. an underwater cave. treasure and an unexpected illness. this book was definitely five stars. while reading, I kinda got the impression of Outer Banks, which I loved. I need more books like this one right here!!

Thank you Wednesday Books for inviting me to read and review Out of Air! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Out of Air is about a group of teens who are going to be leaving for college soon so before they do that they plan out one final trip to dive in. During one of their dives, they find a mysterious cave with unexpected consequences they weren't expecting after breathing the air inside. The story is told in a dual-timeline of flashbacks and the creepy, unexplainable happenings of the present.

Out of Air has a solid mysterious atmosphere and I like the diving moments but I was hoping for more / left with wanting more after I finished the book. I didn't like the characters as much as I wanted to and I couldn't connect with them. They each came off as unlikable, and while I normally like and root for unlikable characters, this time they didn't have many redeeming qualities. I don't think they were truly fleshed out or developed enough for me to care about their endings.

The author did well with explaining the diving and the characters traveling in the ocean. You can tell the author has a lot of experience with diving and what the rules are. I wish there was more with the diving and the characters exploring the cave and it's mysteries than focusing on the flashbacks so much. They did have some purpose but all it did was explain what happened with Lani's fingers and a missing person but it also had nothing to do with the present story too, if that makes sense... There seemed to be too much going on and not enough development in all the areas that were mentioned. I didn't care for the romance between Phoebe and Gabe. It felt tacked on like a checkmark on a shopping list instead of building up organically with the story.

The friendship between Phoebe and the Salt Squad members (Lani, Isabel, Will and Gabe) didn't make sense either with how frustrating they were to each other. It was almost as if they didn't like one another and they were forced to hang out together for this last hoorah before they all left for college, except for Phoebe. Phoebe is the voice of the story. She's always worried about the Salt Squad breaking apart because she couldn't go to college like the rest of the group. She needed to take care of her grandmother and she did not have the means to afford it. I didn't mind Phoebe as much but she also annoyed me a little bit because I couldn't see why she was friends with these people and how much she wanted to stick together with them.

The mystery, the cave, and the diving is what deserves the 3 stars. Again, I wish there were more moments in the water, exploring more of the cave itself, and the creepy horror of what was going on after the cave was explored.

3 stars

This book absolutely hooked me! The dive verbiage was pretty spot on and the suspense was strong through the whole story. All questions were answered except the big one of what actually happened to them in the cave but the slight mystery was fine for the ending. Very captivating and strong debut. Congrats! Thanks for the read!

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC
3.5 ⭐️

I had a good time with this one. The author did a nice job creating an atmosphere. The underwater cave scenes were beautiful and terrifying. There was a mash up of romance, fantasy, mystery, and adventure, all with a splash of horror. While I enjoyed the story, it did feel a bit disjointed because of the genre blending. Overall, I enjoyed myself, and I would read more from the author.

Wasn’t able to read this one digitally but I did order a copy of the book so will be reviewing it after I’ve read it. I’m really excited for it as I’ve only heard great things about it.

This thriller will appeal to those who like stories surrounding the ocean and lost treasure. When a group of teens discover a legendary cave on a scuba trip, they discover a new type of dangerous power.

I love ocean stories. Something about diving in the ocean is scary and mixes well with dangerous caves and legends. This book also explores relationships and the struggles the teens are having with them alongside their dives and the horrors discovering the cave brings. While this added more depth to the book, I'm simply not a fan of flashbacks interrupting stories to build relationships. I preferred the underwater scenes the most due to the great tension they give the story. I think that's where this book really shines.

What I liked about this book is the discovery of the cave, the urban legends around it, the rumors, and the paranormal activity that is connected to it. But this is a small part of the book, because the tension of the present action is interrupted by memories and flashbacks. Focused on relationships, the parents' abandonment, the grandmother's alzeihmer. I wanted a horror, underwater thriller focused on a dive, but it had more layers that will please many readers.
My fav scene was jellyfish and also the shark (the gasping action ones).

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced reader copy. All thoughts are my own:

I don’t know, this book just didn’t intrigue me that much at any point. Another reviewer said that if you’re not weirdly into the ocean or diving this books gonna be a hard read and I agree. I also fee like pretty much all of our characters basically hate each other, so there’s this constant tension that, to me, distracts from the story. Also one of the characters takes photos a lot and I think a couple of details on photography are not realistic but I won’t be pedantic about that.

This is one of those books that while I didn’t love it, I could recommend it in certain conversations.

Out Of Air
By: Rachel Reiss

5 Stars

Phoebe and her friends love the ocean. The Salt Squad includes Phoebe, brothers Gabe and Will, Lani, and Isabel. It's their last dive trip before they all separate and go away to college. This trip they will find something. This dive trip will be the one that changes all their lives, maybe forever.

I jumped at this book because I am a diver, and so I understand the magic that is the water. It was like this book was a sinister remix to the show Outer Banks. I loved it. It had the treasure hunting, the danger, the romance, but it also had a mystical feeling. It's a scary mystical feeling. I loved the magic and scare that is there, though, because what if? It was captivating honestly and kept me on the edge of my seat. I found this story to be not only well written but also well researched. I loved the descriptions and the characters. I really enjoyed everything about it. On another note, I'll be more cautious when diving now. ;)

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

*Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

“Nothing stays buried forever.”

Out of Air follows Phoebe and her group of friends on their summer trip to a remote island before they go their separate ways for college in the fall. The friends are experienced divers and aspiring treasure hunters, though they found hidden treasure before the story starts and became somewhat social media famous as a result. The dynamics and atmosphere have a bit of an Outer Banks vibe, though the plot is definitely its own thing and not too comparable to the show.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, especially the mysterious atmosphere and the wonder of the depths of the sea. The descriptions in this book were excellent; I felt like I was exploring right there with the characters. The magical realism aspects, as well as the switch between past and present, kept me engaged throughout and wanting to know what terrible thing happened prior to the start of the story and what would happen next. I also enjoyed the relationships between the friends and how they shifted and their secrets were revealed over the course of the story.

My biggest issue with the book is that I wanted more. The ending felt rushed and we don’t get to see much of the fallout the characters have to deal with. There was a lot of build up to something big, and then when we got there, it felt brushed over too quickly, especially for what I believe is going to only be a standalone book.

I do recommend this book if you enjoy shows like Outer Banks and stories with found family, adventure, and mystery. Despite my feelings on the ending, I still had so much fun reading this book!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was entertaining. It is about a group of friends (including her crush) who grew up in the keys scuba diving and they are going on their last scuba diving adventure together before they graduate and go their separate ways for school. We find out about the main character and her family history growing up, which contributes to the mystery of the story. We also see her struggling with the idea that her friends will be leaving her behind.

The story gets a magical realism sort of element to it with a cursed cave and odd happenings throughout which are tied in somewhat with the main character, but I feel like the idea was kind of jumbled around with the pacing of the story being off and the ending becoming completely rushed and got a little out there and strange. The author should have taken some more time to focus on the cave and diving adventures and less time on the drama between friends and Phibbs' family's background to keep engagement.

I will say that the book is atmospheric when she does mention the diving, and you do feel that you are there swimming along with them. Overall, it was an entertaining read, and I recommend it for a quick atmospheric read, but I just wanted a little more from it.

3.5 stars

First of all, let’s appreciate the gorgeous cover.

It’s obvious Reiss is an experienced diver. You can tell from the casual way that all of the equipment is mentioned, a couple of key repeated phrases, and the seamless way the Salt Squad move and interact in and around the water + the fish and wildlife descriptions are phenomenal. All of the underwater scenes were great. The tension of the dark tunnels, the mad dash to the surface as they’re running out of air, the darkness, the colors (or lack thereof).

It was when the characters were out of the water that things kind of lost their shine. I don’t think we got to see quite enough of the everyday dynamic of these characters (and maybe that’s because Phoebe has a chip on her shoulder, being the only poor kid in the group, but it makes it really hard to buy into the depth of the friendship across the five of them).

And personally I would have preferred leaning into the obsessive treasure hunters more so than the supernatural elements.

But the first half of the book especially was super propulsive and full of great tension and descriptions.

Amazing thriller. Garanty to be hooked from the start. If you loved the TV series outerbanks. you have to read this ASAP.

Such a good read! It really has a way of keeping you sucked in and never wanting to stop reading! Perfect amount of mystery, romance, drama, and horror. I'll definitely recommend this addicting read to anyone that likes those kind of genres because it has a mix of them all! I knew I would probably love it the second I read the snippet of what it's about and I'm glad I had the chance to read it.