This book had me hooked within just a few pages. It was fast paced, but not to the point that I could figure out what was going on off the bat. The premise of bullies being put in a program is so interesting to me, and to see the consequences of their actions. I did find Vesper to not fully be fleshed out, as we get bits and pieces of her backstory but not a full story which I was a little irked by, but other than that, I found the book to be engaging and worth the read.

While the premise of this book is interesting, teenagers trapped in a cruise ship and forced to confront their bullying, the execution is weak. For most YA thrillers, I anticipate some info dumping and unbelievable plot points, but this was just too much. The prose felt very forced and the adults didn’t speak naturally.

Because of the language and more intense content, I wouldn’t recommend this for younger teens (11-15). I would be wary about recommending it for older kids too.

Vesper thinks she’s on a fun cruise, but it’s really a harsh program for bullies. She faces tough challenges that make her confront her past. Fast-paced, intense, and a little shocking.

Deep Water by Maren Stoffels
4⭐
Deep Water was page-turner that got me on the edge of my seat thru the entire book.
The story begins with Vesper, who's having a hard time with the lost of her mother. She's getting in this huge ship to have a getaway vacation. Little does she know, the ship is a rehabilitation program for bullies, call No Exit. Ta ta taaaaaaa.
The way that the reeducation program implemented the karma fase was CRAZY!!!
I loved how the author connected the lives of the characters little by little with the plot at the end.
I think that "No Exit" could've been a great title👀. Just saying.
Thnks for letting me read this book, this was a good read.

Deep Water has a chilling premise—bullies sent to a brutal reeducation program called No Exit, where they’re forced to experience the same cruelty they inflicted on others. Set on a cruise ship, the stakes are high, and survival isn’t guaranteed.

Vesper, still grieving her mother, lashes out at others and ends up enrolled in the program. What she thought would be a getaway quickly turns into a fight for her life.

While the concept is intriguing, the execution left something to be desired. There were plot holes and unanswered questions, and after reading The Kill Factor by Ben Oliver, which explores a similar theme, Deep Water just didn’t hit as hard for me. It was an okay read, but not a standout.

Definitely a short, fast-paced read!

I was hooked from the start of this and read it in a single day. The premise is fantastic, and I was dying to know how it turned out, but I’m only rating it 3 stars because in the end something about it falls flat. I found it hard to believe these guards would not only assault the kids but also basically give nonefux if any of them died. I liked the twist, though, and I’m intrigued enough to check out other books by this author.

Thanks NetGalley and RHC/Delacorte for the ARC

This had potential. Sending bullies to a reeducation program. Like scared straight. But this just goes too far. Death is a bit extreme and revenge for a trans kid. Ridiculous. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children’s for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“Deep Water” by Maren Stoffels is a gripping, fast-paced exploration of karma and the dark consequences of unchecked bullying. Set aboard a sinister cruise ship operated by the No Exit program, this book has you confronting the morality of extreme punishment in the name of rehabilitation. As demonstrated in the premise of this book, there is bullying shown in this book, including the consequences of bullying like the suicide of a specific character. If this kind of content is triggering for you, you may not want to read this book.

Vesper, the story’s main character, is struggling with the recent loss of her mother to cancer and has turned to bullying as a misguided outlet for her pain. Her father, desperate to reform her behavior, signs her up for No Exit—a reeducation program for bullies disguised as a ten-day cruise. But what seems like an opportunity for relaxation quickly transforms into a nightmare. No Exit employs psychological and physical punishments to force bullies to confront their own actions, with no concern for whether the teens make it back alive. Through a series of brutal karmic trials, the program aims to teach its participants the consequences of their actions, using the same methods they inflicted on their victims. Vesper and her fellow passengers must navigate this treacherous environment, facing their darkest fears and deepest regrets in a deadly game of survival.

The book’s unique premise—bully rehabilitation on a floating prison—is both thought-provoking and unsettling. Stoffels doesn’t shy away from exploring the emotional and psychological consequences of bullying, showing how it affects not only the victims but also the perpetrators. The inclusion of diary entries between chapters, written by an anonymous bullying victim, adds a layer of mystery and invites you to piece together the story’s hidden connections as you try to figure out who exactly is writing the entries and how this person is connected to the No Exit program.

The pacing is pretty fast-paced, making this a quick and engaging read. Vesper’s journey is compelling, and her trauma adds emotional depth to her character as the book shows why some people may bully others, like with how Vesper was dealing with her mother’s grief in inappropriate and harmful ways. However, with Vesper and some of the other characters, being sent to the No Exit program seemed very extreme compared to their actions, especially with the understanding that the program is unconventional. Gwen, a blind participant, provides important disability representation, and her backstory holds a surprising twist that propels the story into its final act. The book’s exploration of themes like guilt and the morality of punishment will resonate with younger readers. While this book does feature more mature themes with bullying and death, the writing would definitely appeal to younger YA readers.

As stated earlier, the world-building feels a bit underdeveloped, leaving unanswered questions about how a program as extreme as No Exit could exist with parental consent. I wanted more detail about the other teens’ experiences, and I feel like the program didn’t actually end up having a lot of “activities” to lead to characters’ redemptions.

The twist involving Gwen’s reasons for being on the ship, while interesting, relies heavily on repetitive flashbacks that add little new information. Additionally, the ending, though clever, lacks a satisfying resolution, leaving certain storylines—such as the fate of the girl Vesper bullied—frustratingly incomplete.

Overall, “Deep Water” is a story about accountability, the long-lasting scars of bullying, and the lengths to which people will go to seek redemption. It challenges you to think critically about the ethics of punishment and whether extreme measures are ever justified in the name of justice. Though its execution leaves some questions unanswered, the book’s gripping premise, compelling characters, and moral dilemmas make it a worthwhile read, especially for younger audiences. I would recommend this book for readers who enjoy short, fast-paced thrillers with a twist.

**Book Review: *Deep Water* by Maren Stoffels**

*Deep Water* offers an unsettling dive into the harsh realities of bullying and the consequences of unaddressed guilt. What begins as a ten-day cruise for Vesper quickly spirals into a psychological and physical nightmare as she realizes she’s been enrolled in "No Exit," a program designed to confront and reeducate bullies through extreme and often brutal methods.

The story’s concept is gripping, and its fast pace makes it an easy read. The complex cast of characters adds depth, as each passenger brings a unique backstory of mistakes and regrets. However, while the book succeeds in sparking conversation about bullying and its devastating effects, its approach to these issues feels problematic.

The methods employed by "No Exit" are harsh to the point of being punitive rather than rehabilitative, raising concerns about the message it sends. The depiction of retribution, especially involving a character’s suicide as a form of resolution or revenge, undermines the story’s potential to offer meaningful insights on how to address bullying and its aftermath. This choice may leave readers uncomfortable or questioning the book’s intent.

While *Deep Water* effectively creates tension and engages readers with its suspenseful plot, its handling of sensitive topics like bullying and suicide lacks nuance and empathy. For readers seeking a thought-provoking take on these issues, this book might fall short, but it remains a compelling, if unsettling, thriller.

The premise was interesting, a reeducation for bullies set in a cruise ship? I could imagine the tenseness and mystery of it. Unfortunately, the story did not live up to any of my expectations. There were so many plot holes. The events of the ship were inconsistent, the premise of the program was unclear, the characters did nothing, character development was not there. At the end, I didn’t care what happened to Vesper. The ending was meh and abrupt. This one was not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s and Delacorte Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Deep Water was an incredibly quick read but an appealing one, exploring the idea of an organization that rehabilitates bullies - by all means possible. Vesper is our main character in this story, a young woman who is a bully in reaction to her mother’s death. Dropped off for a cruise, some time to regroup, she quickly finds the cruise is organized by ‘No Exit’ and it’s goal is to deliver a reformed bully after ten days… or no one at all. I loved the idea but found the book could have spent more time building up the worlds it created, specifically that of Ted, of Gwen and the other kids on the cruise, and Vesper’s father. The lesson to be learnt and thought provoking ideas were delivered, but with so many loose ends I didn’t quite understand why we were thrown so many enticing leads only to find they never led anywhere. Still without them, if I just focus on the main storyline, the book was intriguing and a well done idea at its core. Recommended for younger readers (no younger than a voracious reader at 12, though) this will speak to its audience, but it has so much more promise.

I really wish that netgalley would let us give .5 because this book really was a 3.5 for me. I thought the concept was really interesting. A cruise ship reeducation vacation for bullies. I’ve watched several documentaries about the wilderness camps for young people who are struggling and the mental and physical ramifications of those camps when they are done wrong. This is like the most extreme version of that where parents have signed up their children who are bullies to live out their karmic retribution, and some of the bullies don’t make it back alive. The problem with the book though was that some of it was really just unbelievable, mainly the fact that one of the main characters is blind, but seems to do just fine getting around the ship and never has any difficulties with that. There is a big plot twist that I did not see coming that made the last 10% of the book flyby even faster. This is definitely a short, quick,easy read in terms of the actual text on the page, but the content is more difficult to take in.

Deep Water drops us into the deep end with this nail-biting story. We follow Vesper, who has just been dropped off for a ten-day cruise vacation- or so she thinks. Really she's been sent to No Exit, a bully reeducation program that takes drastic measures to reform bullies. Throughout these ten days, Vesper faces unspeakable challenges and learns just how far this organization will really go to stop bullying.
This was a very quick and engaging story that asks the reader to think critically about how far is too far when confronting a bully. The writing is clear, the plot moves along at a break-neck speed, and the story really pulls in some deeper topics, which is impressive.for such a short book. Readers should definitely take care and consider some trigger warnings for abuse, bullying, violence, self-harm, and transphobia. With those things in mind, this is a book I would definitely recommend to a teen looking for a very engaging and suspenseful story, especially good for reluctant readers.

This book was good.

I love books that are very limited when it comes to premises and this one had that....what is better than having issues on a cruise?

The imagination the author showed in this story, included the 'no exit' program - I would never have thought of this.

I found myself rooting for Vesper, she was a flawed personality, but because she was well fleshed out, she was a joy to see.

When selecting the moods for this e-arc, I included suspenseful, dark, and romantic. There are odd scenes of romance toward the end of the book that do not entirely fit with the first 90% of the book (just light kissing, nothing big). For the most part, the book features the serious and dark topic of bullying. This includes bullying based on gender and sexuality, and indefinite things like "being too dramatic" or no stated reasoning. There is on-page death and off-page death, with triggering topics such as self-exit/suicide and revenge. The adults in this book are portrayed in a very negative light, to the point that they are, at best, neglectful and, at worst, murderous and violent. I'm not sure who this book is for, but I appreciated the note at the end about reaching out to a trusted adult if one is experiencing bullying.