Jesse's life went to pieces when she was just 9 years old, after her father fell overboard during a Caribbean cruise. She has managed to glue herself back together, but after the tragedy she suffered from blackouts for many years.

Now, she is determine to get to the truth of what happened to her father. Her method of doing so is to recreate the original cruise, including not only the same route, and the same ship, but even staying in the same cabin.

But what is her mother not telling her? And why? Most importantly, does Jesse really want to know the truth of events, or is ignorance actually bliss...?

This is an entertaining thriller, which maintains its pace throughout and delivers on the entertainment promised.

So here's the thing ... I absolutely love Cruising. So when I read the blurb for this particularly novel I was very intrigued. Let's just say it wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was an enjoyable read nonetheless.

the Cruise centres around Jesse, a young woman who's world was shattered twenty years ago when her Father passed away at sea. Jesse never had closure on exactly what happened, so she decides to take a trip on the same ship on the anniversary of her Father's death booking the same cabin and the same itinerary.

It's a trip she plans to take on her own, until her troublesome Mother find out about the trip and invites herself along. To say that Jesse and her Mother's relationship is strained would be somewhat of an understatement. As someone who is absolutely best friends with her own Mother, I found this both intriguing and disturbing, but their troubled relationship is fundamental to the story.

As Jesse begins to look for clues she finds herself in all sorts of tricky situations, and with more questions than answers.

I was left both a bit shocked and kind of disappointed by the ending, as I felt it didn't quite tie up everything as neatly as I wanted it to.

I do love a read that takes you back in time, especially when it's a thriller. Jesse is still traumatised by the death of het father 20 years ago. So, what does she do? Rebooks the same cruise he died on.

Told from Jesse's perspective and her toxic mum it's hard to know who to believe, which clues are the ones to follow and which ones are red herrings.

Great read.

Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review, this is my honest opinon.

Told from two points of view.. Jesse a travel writer who has booked a cruise on the anniversary of her father's death 20 years ago the same boat and same route to try and trigger the memories of what happened and Gabriel... who works on the cruise ship and was there 20 years ago on the night of the death

Thrown into this is Jesse's mum who comes across as a toxic person and not nice at all

A very dark story follows

This title appealed to me, as I was about to embark on a cruise myself and thought it could be a great holiday read. I was definitely hooked from start to finish & found myself really believing that such a storyline could really happen. Highly recommend.

The Cruise by Christina Delay was a brilliant psychological thriller, this book is about Jesse, who is a travel writer and she has experienced blackouts ever since her father died tragically when she was just 9 years old which was 20 years ago, Now, after all these years Jesse wants to find out what really happened, especially why she has been having blackouts ever since. They say her father went over board on a cruise, but, Jesse does not believe them.
So she books up to go on the same cruise her father, mother and her went on all those years ago.
She knows her mother knows what happened but she will not tell Jesse what happened.........
But Why is she not telling her?

Now, on the cruise ship and her control-freak mother has come along too.

Jesse is a VIP guest on the cruise ship, as she is a well known travel writer. she becomes friendly with a handsome crew member called Gabriel. But, Jesse doesn’t know that Gabriel was working that cruise 20 years ago, when her dad died.

Jesse’s blackouts continue, there are some problems on board this current cruise and Jesse may be to blame for the past and present crimes that are happening around her.

I love the way the author portrays Jesse throughout this book and writes in a few red herrings that will have you thinking.......Is Jesse the Killer? Hang on........ is she innocent in this?

This is a book that is full of twists and turns that will have you guessing and then re guessing till the very end. Very Clever!!!!

3.5 Stars

"The Cruise" by Christina Delay takes readers on a suspenseful journey as Jesse returns to the Caribbean cruise ship where her father disappeared twenty years ago. Determined to uncover the truth behind his mysterious vanishing—and the blackouts she's experienced ever since—she retraces every detail of that fateful trip. Unplanned, her controlling mother joins her, bringing along a suitcase full of secrets. As Jesse delves deeper, she grapples with unsettling questions: Did her father really go overboard? What does her mother know? And why does Gabe, a handsome crew member, keep looking at her as if he wants to reveal something?

The cruise ship setting was a refreshing change and offered a unique backdrop that I haven't often encountered in thrillers. The concept of Jesse's blackouts added an intriguing layer, giving the story an unreliable narrator vibe that kept me guessing about her innocence and the reality of events unfolding around her.

However, I found it challenging to connect with the characters. Jesse and her mother were particularly difficult to empathize with—their increasingly erratic behaviors made them somewhat terrifying. The dynamic between them felt exaggerated at times, making it hard to believe and relate to. Additionally, the relationship between Jesse and Gabe seemed underdeveloped. While it's mentioned that Gabe met her when her father died, the progression of their adult friendship wasn't clearly explained, leaving me puzzled about their connection. Gabe's actions also raised questions about his professionalism on the ship.

Certain plot elements, like the recurring "lip thing," were confusing and lacked sufficient explanation, which pulled me out of the story at times. Jesse's passive nature and lack of assertiveness grew frustrating as the narrative progressed, and none of the characters felt particularly likable.

Despite these issues, the book was a quick read that held my attention with its unfolding mystery. The re-publication under a new title, formerly known as "Down, Down, Deep," might attract new readers looking for a psychological thriller set at sea.

Thank you to Joffe Books, Christina Delay, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this ARC.

20 years ago, Jesse lost her father while on a Caribbean cruise. Fast forward to the present, where Jesse books the exact same cruise in order to figure out what happened to her father. Unfortunately for Jesse, her control freak mother decides to join her. Jesse is convinced that her mother knows more about her father's supposed drowning than she says. Jesse's friend Gabe is also on the cruise. Jesse is a VIP travel writer and has become friends with Gabe through her job. But why does it seem that Gabe is also hiding something?

The ending of this book was super wild and took a turn that I did not expect! I really enjoyed how the author portrayed our MC, Jesse. There were clues that she may be an unreliable narrator, but the clues never push too far in one direction, leaving the reader wondering more about Jesse. Although this isn't a vacation thriller per se, I loved all the cruise ship imagery!

A quick, easy, and crazy read. Recommend for thriller lovers!

Thank you Joffe Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was definitely unique which I really enjoyed
Was full of mystery and I couldn’t put my finger what was going on my mind was going crazy
I liked the characters and the setting
I don’t think I will be going on a ready to go cruise anytime soon I loved the dual pov
The time difference
It was definitely a crazy thriller which I couldn’t put down

Unfortunately I have not been able to connect with this book and after multiple attempts have had to admit defeat and mark as dnf.

The Cruise by Christina Delay is an absolute psychological thriller. All throughout the book. I changed my mind as to who was doing what. What is wrong with Jesse? What did her father do to her? Why did she want to find out about his death? Does she have severe mental issues as her mother claims? Why does her mother treat her so badly? Why did Gab wait so long to declare his love? How involved was Gabriel with the death of Jesse’s father or his own father? I could go on and on about the many questions this novel provokes. All three of the main characters have strong mental and emotional issues. This emotional baggage that each character carries is a constant in the book. This is a thriller which will stay with you.

While the overall premise of this story was engaging and interesting, the main character and her black outs and violence were somewhat off putting. A successful travel journalist with a tragic history embarks on a cruise on the anniversary of the same voyage where her father was lost at sea 20 years ago. The journalist's overbearing mother and shady crew member with a secret embark on a dangerous trip with our main character as she tries to find out why she suffers from blackouts, what happened to her father and why does violence follow her. We discover her father's dark secrets, but it may be a case of like father, like daughter in the end.

The Cruise by Christina Delay was a fun suspenseful thriller.
This book was a gripping fast paced read that will hook thriller fans from get go.
The plot is great, full of mystery and intrigue. The suspense doesn't let up and the twists are guaranteed leave your jaw dropping on the floor in shock.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #JoffeBooks for the book #TheCruise by #ChristinaDelay. Jesse’s father died twenty years ago on the same cruise she is on now. She has blacked out what happened back then and is trying to bring it all back. Her toxic mother has also decided to go on the cruise with her. Slowly things start coming back, she realizes that maybe she is in danger. Who is behind all this???

I’m not sure what to say about this book. It was a quick read, started and finished in a couple of hours in a single sitting.

I tried to find something in it to like, but everything, from the premise to the characters, was so messed up. Jesse is a completely unreliable narrator whose blackouts and strangeness should prevent her from having any sort of job much less one where she goes off on her own and functions as a travel writer. She needs a lot more therapy that’s for certain. Her mom is also a complete whack job and how she insinuates herself on the cruise was unbelievable until you realize that the plot depends on her being along. So they take a cruise aboard the same ship they were on when husband and father died 20 years ago. Same guy on the ship who was there back then and misled them all is still there — and he has the hots for Jesse and she for him. Bad stuff happens. It’s all a blur.

I wouldn’t waste your time by encouraging you to read this. But, thanks to the publisher for the ARC. I’m sorry it was just not for me.

The Cruise was an extremely interesting book that kept me invested at every page. I did not want to put this book down at all. A big psychological thriller book. Every twist I never saw coming. Extremely well crafted.

I like novels based on ships and boats but unfortunately this mystery set on a luxury liner in the Caribbean was not for me. A lack of pace, underwritten and unbelievable characters made it an underwhelming read.

Right away I was drawn into the intensity of this book and it kept me just as hooked until the end with its twists and turns.

Down Down Deep, Indeed. For those unaware, this book was previously titled Down Down Deep, and that may actually be a superior title to its more generic one it currently has (The Cruise).

Here we get a psychological, almost supernatural, thriller that becomes all too human indeed. The tension ratchets up as weird things start happening on this sailing of this cruise ship, and there are quite a few even horror elements to be had here.

There are twists a plenty, so much so that it sometimes feels like you're on Velocicoaster - they're coming so hard and so fast, and yet you're enjoying every freaking second of it. And, like Velocicoaster, as fun and intense as this read is... it is also fairly shortish, at just around 250 pages. Meaning it is yet again great for those with limited amounts of reading time.

Definitely one of the more inventive books within its space I've encountered, so much so that when I saw that this is actually in a series of sorts and that the other book is currently, as I write this review on November 14, 2024, just $0.99... yeah, I picked it up immediately just on the strength of this book. (Fwiw, that book - The Best Friends - is also a reprint/ retitle, formerly called Truth Truth Lie.)

One warning: There is a fair amount of pretty brutal action in this book at times, and it *does* deal in certain assaults that some may find more troubling than others. So be aware of that going in... and read it anyway. Yes, it really is that good.

Very much recommended.

Jesse is a travel writer who suffers blackouts that are a result of the trauma she experienced as a child. Join her on this thrilling journey as she sets sail on the same cruise ship that her dad died in. Jesse and her mother have different plans from their itinerary. Both women have a complicated relationship but nothing will stop Jesse as she embarks on her quest for answers. Character development wasn’t great. But a good story to read nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe books for the e-ARC. This is an honest review.