I usually don't read these kind of book, but I thought i would give it a shot and i'm glad i did! What a wild ride that gave me chills the whole time.

I really enjoyed this! It was tense and claustrophobic but I couldn’t put it down. It got a little off at the end, but I still overall enjoyed it!

This was so mysterious and kept me hooked. I highly recommend this one to those who love the ocean and thrilling adventure.

This story follows a tight-knit group of teens who are into diving and decide to take one last trip together before college or other life changes. They head to a remote island, soaking up the ocean and having fun—until they discover an underwater cave rumored to be full of treasure. But of course, things aren’t that simple. Folklore warns of dangers for those who dive there. The group discovers far more than they bargained for, including desperate treasure hunters willing to do anything for the riches. And most importantly, the cave holds a danger none of them expect—the very air inside it has a deadly secret.

I loved the storyline, especially all the diving details. It really felt like I was diving right alongside them. The book also had some emotional depth, touching on themes like Alzheimer’s and loss, which made it even more compelling. I also really enjoyed the group dynamics. They had their moments of bickering, but in the end, they always had each other’s backs, making their friendship feel real.

The pacing started off a little slow, but once the action kicked in, it became super engaging. Overall, it was a really enjoyable read.

I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Very few books scare me anymore. I have read so many horror novels, that I have become immune to a lot of what humanity finds scary. I am terrified of sharks and the deep ocean. That's why I wanted to read this book. I was legitimately terrified at one point.

This is a good story of young adult relationships and decision making. Love, friendship, family bonds, and fear all mix together into one fantastic story.

I loved this book.

This book is so deliciously claustrophobic ! I have a HUGE fear of large bodies of water and this played on that fear so beautifully. This was written so well I couldn’t put the book down.

**Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy!*
#NetGalley

The best parts of this novel were the beautiful and horrific images created by Rachel Reiss' writing. It is very evident that she loves marine life and diving. When Reiss describes the various animals and corals that our protagonists were seeing, she creates such beautiful visualizations of them that I could imagine myself floating alongside the squad. I also LOVED the scene with the sea wasps. Terrifying. Especially because I could see them just wavering in my head.

Where Rachel Reiss exceeds in her descriptions of the sea life and body horror, she falls flat everywhere else. The plot is driven by unrealistic coincidences. You mean to tell me the senile grandmother remembers her mind enough to put together a murder cover-up plan that WORKS and then the next day, conveniently forgets that she did that. Sure, Jan.
Additionally, the plot hinges on the characters acting selfishly and stupidly even though they are supposed to be a group of diving prodigy best friends. None of them seem to like each other very much, which is hard to reconcile with the "Salt Squad" theme that is pushed down our throats. They also consistently pride themselves on being smart divers, and yet, this all starts because they break the first rule of diving of not going into unexplored tiny caves alone without enough air.

I just think there was too much going on in this novel. If it focused on just her familial relationships, or just the cave and the transformation, or the romance, or even a combo of two of them, I think this book would have been a huge success. There are unfortunately just too many plotlines to get invested into any of them, especially since they do not end satisfactorily.

Review: 2.5 stars rounded up

WOW! I haven't read a book that gripped me from the beginning as much as this one did in a long time. I immediately got vibes of Outer Banks while reading this based on the group of friends, the setting, the class-divide, and the treasure hunting/bad guys coming for them. What took me by surprise was how the horror was manifested in this book. I wasn't prepared for the supernatural elements that took place, and while I didn't necessarily love how they all panned out, I appreciated what the author was trying to do with it.

I really enjoyed the pace that this book followed, the settings, and the way that it took a fresh take on how humans are so small and insignificant compared to the power of the ocean and the natural world.

Thai was a really cool book! I had read something similar in plot and I kept expecting the cuts to turn out to be gills, but the author surprised me. I love to be surprised when I read! It was a good story, great characters, and I loved the plot. I’d love to see what comes next. There’s at least another story or two for the Salt Squad!

The atmosphere, the eeriness, Reiss did a lovely job of describing underwater scenes, delivering the perfect amount of horror and a touch of romance. I've done a good deal of snorkeling and boating in the Keys where the five members of the Salt Squad reside, and the descriptions brought back all the beauty as well as some of the terrifying aspects of the ocean that I've experienced. I can tell Reiss is a writer who writes what she knows, and it comes through in her beautiful underwater depictions.

The Salt Squad is a tight knit group of five friends, fresh out of high school, who form a bond through their love of diving. When Phoebe finds a handful of gold coins on one of their dives, it launches them into social media fame. Before they go their separate ways, the friends decide to take one last journey together, and fly to an Australian island, where they unexpectedly find an underwater cave.

I had some desire to take up scuba diving before reading this book, but now not so much. I felt like I was right there with them exploring the massive underwater cave, the claustrophobia, sharks, deadly box jellyfish, running out of oxygen, but now I think I'll stick to the shallows, or better yet, my comfy book nook where I can safely read about underwater adventures.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of this book.

I'm always nervous to start books that have anything to do with my hobbies. I learned to dive nearly 20 years ago so picking this up made me weary. I expect most thriller books about diving and the ocean to be written by someone who has never taken a single breath underwater. It was such a breath of fresh air to find out this author is also a diver and the book was so well written.

Reading this I understood immediately the feeling Phoebe felt as she entered the ocean, and dived down further. I could feel the tightness in my chest as I read about her barely being able to fit her body through parts of a hidden cave - cave diving was NOT a favorite of mine, so that really ticked the 'thriller' box for me.

Of course, those who have never dived before will have no issues reading this story, as she explains terms not generally known by anyone who has only spent time on land.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this read. It made me want to go grab my fins and jump in the water. Maybe I can find an ancient cave and you'd never hear from me again.

I was really excited for this. I love underwater sci-fi and horror, and Out of Air sounded so cool. Unfortunately, it did not match up to the blurb and left me majorly disappointed. The horror aspects were really cool and I would have loved more, but so much of this book was focused on a romance that I could not have cared less about. The romance was almost entirely reliant on us being told that the characters were good together and had a good past, because they spent so much of the actual book distant from each other. The characters kept secrets for pretty much no reason, and the main character was boring to follow. Out of Air was entirely misrepresented as a horror book, and it left me bored and annoyed by the end.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Out of Air by Rachel Reiss. This story is an atmospheric blend of mystery, adventure, and just the right touch of the supernatural. Following five friends on a diving trip off the coast of Australia, the book dives (pun intended!) into the secrets of an underwater cave that changes their lives forever.

The alternating timeline between past and present added a layer of suspense that kept me flipping pages late into the night. I loved the vivid descriptions of the ocean—Reiss’s writing made me feel like I was right there, surrounded by the beauty and danger of the deep sea. The friendships felt authentic and nuanced, though I did find myself wanting a bit more emotional depth in certain scenes.

Overall, Out of Air is an engaging and unique read, perfect for fans of atmospheric thrillers with a twist. A solid 4 stars!

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

Honestly, when I first saw this book I thought it would be a shot in the dark and that I wouldn't end up liking it that much but boy was I wrong. I've been a fan of Outer Banks since it came out and this book was recommended to me to cure my Outer Banks hangover. This book was definitely out of my comfort zone but I ended up loving it. Although it's said to be like Outer Banks, I feel like this is a truly original story that fills that void. I wish we got to know a little more about the characters but other than that I have no complaints. I haven't read a book in a long time that made me stay up all night reading but this book has done it for me. Everyone should go give this book a chance!

This was a very intriguing and interesting read. I loved that fact that it went from present to past and combined them in the end. Definitely a top choice for anyone who the ocean and/or diving. It was easy to follow without an abundance of characters. Felt like I was reading mystery, romance, and fantasy all wrapped up in a great read!

Out of Air was a decent book. Author let us get to know the characters, but I found it slow in spots while rushed in others.

This is a story about places better left alone.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this, but it was a really fun read! The horror elements were well done and unsettling, the relationships felt authentic and the environment was definitely an additional character. The dual timeline was so/so for me- but they’re never my preference.

Thank you so much @netgalley & @wednesdaybooks for the eArc

Absolutely riveting! I read this in just 4 days and couldn’t wait to get to it at the end of my day. Body horror isn’t really my cup of tea so that was a little unexpected but it didn’t pull me out of the book like I expected. I really enjoyed the rich descriptions of the dives even though I can barely snorkel without a panic attack and I feel like I need a copy of this book with some full color photos in the center. Though some of this book asked for a little bit too much suspension of disbelief for me (with how much these teens get away with) I really appreciated the character bonds and underlying storytelling. Beautiful and smooth writing made this an easy read and one I would definitely recommend for lovers of Shark Heart and other magical realism type stories.

Disclosure: Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for early consideration. This novel is a suspenseful, unique addition to the young adult genre, such as I have never seen before. In this novel, a group of teenage divers on the cusp of college and adulthood (the "Salt Squad") discovers a beautiful underwater cave; soon after, strange events begin occurring, and two of the group find themselves changing in ways which render them unrecognizable. In this novel, Reiss deftly weaves deep-sea diving and ocean facts into the plot to offer the reader an entertaining learning experience, and the unique premise of the novel makes the pacing perfect. There is always a new development in this tense, deep, and introspective novel. With a beautiful cover, captivating story, and enough twists and turns to keep the reader wanting more on each page, this book is an exceptionally relevant addition to the young adult genre. I will definitely be keeping my eye on Reiss for future novels.

A group of 5 friends who found each other in their shared love of diving head off to their last adventure together in Australia before they go their separate ways after graduating high school. A few discover a hidden cave underwater and things start to take a horrifying turn.

This book captured me from the beginning, I couldn’t stop reading the twists this story took they were unexpected and I can recommend this for anyone who is looking for a novel that provokes the fear of the deep blue sea. The descriptions of the horror that was happening made it visible in my head of what the author was trying to convey.

Thank you St. Martins Press for providing me this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.