Ahoy there me mateys! So this is a book where the premise sounded fun but I did not love what the author chose to write.  There be spoilers ahead!

The Setting:  Who doesn't love horror on the high seas?  I loved the idea of a creepy cruise ship.  Problem was it felt like the author had never been on one before.  There were lots of descriptions of dining rooms and pools.  Not much that felt like a real ship.  Example: the captain's quarters would likely not be right near the bridge or accessible (ever) to tourists.

The Premise: The idea is that students are going to spend a semester (Seamester) at sea on the cruise ship where then things go wrong.  First of all the book takes place in the first week of the cruise between ports one and two.  Secondly there is no actual idea of what classes or life would be like.  I thought it was going to be a bunch of students who learn about jobs aboard or sea life or the environment or something.  Turns out ALL the students (except the main character) are rich kids whose parents pay for them to be out of the way.  They spend their time drunk, eating, or supposedly joining tourist activities.  Lame and unrealistic.  What is the point of that for a semester?

The Main Character:  While all characters are vapid one-dimensional idiots, the main character is something truly horrible.  Liv has no real personality.  She doesn't use her brain, whines, and dwells in lust.  She spends a ton of time thinking about clothes and how poor she is.  The author tries to go for a "unreliable" narrator.  Problem is the reader quickly knows what is happening and who the bad guys are.  So Liv screams her accusations everywhere, second guesses herself, and believes the adults ridiculous explanations.  Her best friend is one of the missing and she can't focus on that.  The bad guys should have immediately murdered her for being trouble.  I wanted to her shut up and stop being a moron.

The Solution:  Of course the captain and some parents were in on it.  Of course the social media influencers (the Sirens) are real sirens.  Of course people have to be sacrifices to the sea for the sirens to keep their power.  How Liv and idiot love interest didn't see this was beyond me given how much evidence there was.  Also why did the students need to be the sacrifices?  The sirens switch out a couple of folks during the course of the book with no consequences.  Why not kill crew members?  Or steal people from shore?  It didn't seem to matter who they killed.  Just the number of people killed.  I finished this because I was hoping for any interest twist or answer.  Nope.

The Ending: The book literally stops with Liv and dumb love interest stuck in a lifeboat wondering if they will survive.  The end.  No closure.  Is the fire going to swamp the cruise ship?  How is the whole thing going to be explained to the authorities?  Nada.  I thought/hoped that my e-book was missing a chapter.  We don't even get an answer on the weird squid creatures on board.

I ended this book being irked that such a premise ended up with this plot.  I wanted an actual horror book set on a cruise ships - mythical creatures optional.  Stay away from this and read Mira Grant's into the drowning deep instead. Arrrr!

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

great horror novel, gave me shivers

After receiving a scholarship for a "SeaMester" - a study abroad on a cruise ship!, Liv finds herself out of her depth (pun intended) between the wealth of the other students, the culture of the cruise ship... and also the very weird, very attractive group of influencers living onboard called The Sirens. When her best friend, Will, who joined her on the ship, falls ill almost immediately, she begins to question everything.

I have to admit my feelings on this were somewhat mixed. On the positive side!
I loved the setting. I enjoy isolation horror, including ocean/water based horror. I think it's a very cool setting that really relies on the protagonists' quick-thinking to protect themselves and secondary characters. The story also highlights a real but unique experience to get teenage characters into the setting. While definitely unusual, I do actually know more than one person who did a semester at sea!
I also am such a big fan of the way they mythological influences were used in this book! I think Goldsmith highlighted some very cool elements that aren't as widely used, even with the recent onslaught of Greek mythology inspired novels. (Note - I am not disappointed by this.)

On the more negative side, I - and a lot of other reviewers - were not the most impressed by the characters. Some were very mean, unnecessarily so, and Liv is a little bit obtuse. There were several moments where it would have been more reasonable for her to start thinking some nonsense was going on even without believing in anything supernatural at all.
Most of the characters were not likable, but also not in a "so extremely terrible it's actually kind of fun" way. They were just... mean kids.

Overall, though, I would recommend this! Especially as a beach read, if you don't mind spooky ocean horror next to a large body of water.
It's fun and fast, with a cool premise. You may not get attached, but somethings it's just fun to read a book where you're guessing along with the characters.

I love horror/thriller and was excited about this novel, but sadly, it didn't live up to my expectations at all. And trust me, my expectations weren't all that high in the first place.

I know it's YA, but I wasn't expecting something so basic. The novel barely skimmed the surface of the horror, thriller, and mystery genres. There were times when I could feel the writing attempt to go deeper (there was a Lovecraftian horror-esque scene that went nowhere, and the novel itself had the perfect premise for a psychological horror), but nothing truly panned out.

Instead, we get the FMC obsessing over her poverty (I get it. I've been there) and comparing herself to completely vapid rich kid characters who were one-dimensional. There was no introspection or criticism of wealth disparities, other than "poor me, the rich kids are mean to me." It's nothing we haven't seen before in YA fiction or teen dramas.

And like other reviewers have mentioned, the romance was... strange. It felt like that scene in season 4 of Stranger Things, where the teen characters happen to find some time to have romantic moments in a damn haunted house. Just... Why??? How??? I suppose sexual tension is one way to relieve fear.

The villain reveal was so boring that I barely paid attention to their insidious purposes. Instead, I just wanted to be done with the novel.

And the ending... There wasn't really an ending? It felt like the author didn't know how to end the novel so she just did... whatever that was.

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this arc.

Okay, this one was fun!

I'm not going to lie - it is COMPLETELY unbelievable. And any high school student in the world would have figured out all the Greek mythology references very early in this. But it's fun.

This is one of those over-the-top and very entertaining reads full of mean girls and mean boys and crushes on the wrong people and creepy crawly killing things or people or whatever.

As long as you don't take it seriously, you should enjoy the read!

I was initially wary because any critique of influencer culture can sometimes feel trite, but this doesn't. The horror of the modern influencer is examined in such an interesting way, and I really think Goldsmith managed to be original in this. I just wish the MC was a bit more self-aware.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Influencer culture is something I think could and should be explored so much more in thriller and horror fiction, so when I heard about this one I immediately checked to see if it was out yet (it wasn't but thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for a copy!). I loved the way the "Sirens" were written here, but I really had trouble with the main character and her inability to learn from ANYTHING she'd already done. It got a little frustrating if I'm being honest!

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
🌶️/4

**Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book to read and review!**

Liv gets the opportunity of a lifetime. She received a scholarship to attend a semester at sea with her best friend, Will. When Will gets sick the first night of the cruise, Liv starts to wonder what is actually going on. She begins seeing things and questioning everything about the ship itself. From the group of all-too-beautiful-yet-creepy influencer to a captain with something to hide, to a missing girl no one seems to want to talk about, to black eyes and fake smiles- there's clearly something sinister and eerie going on. Is Will really sick, or did something else happen to him? As Liv dives deeper into these mysteries, she begins wondering if she'll even make it off the ship alive.

Man, oh man. I'm usually not a horror fan. It's too spooky for me, and as a nighttime reader, it tends to make me paranoid of the dark and have bad dreams 😂 Right away, I was creeped out by some of the descriptions. Amy Goldsmith did well writing the horror scenes throughout this book. The relationships were interesting, and it was hard to figure out who was good or bad! While I had my suspicions and ideas about the twist, it was really well done. The story was intriguing definitely scared me and left me wanting to find out what was going on, which is exactly what this book says it's going to deliver. There were a few reasons I rated it down a star. EVERYTHING felt described, from the curtains and carpet, to what people were eating and wearing. Some of it added to the atmosphere, but I only needed to hear about the color of the carpet so many times. On top of that, Liv was infuriating at times. Yes, things are definitely going on and creepy, but stop telling everyone you meet about it!! Hahaha, I guess she's just a typical naive teenager though. Overall, this was a very good horror novel in my opinion. It had me biting my nails and sitting on the edge of my seat! Definitely give it a try!

Those We Drown by Amy Goldsmith is out now!

An addictive oceanic #YA horror debut

"The sea provides but only if you feed it!"

Liv gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she's given an all expenses paid, scholarship aboard the Eos, or at least it would seem! But when her best friend falls ill she begins questioning the truth after a prolonged inability to see if he's on the mend. Between the overwhelming and luxurious riches shes not particularly used to, the questionable influencers aboard the ship that aren't nearly as beauitful inside as they are outside and the staff with smiles that never seem to reach their eyes...a determination builds to pull the passengers from their brainwashed mentalities by discovering the truth behind the Eos and the SeaMester program.

My Take;
I will always appreciate a story that keeps me guessing throughout its entirety and Amy Goldsmith certainly delivered with Those We Drown! With hints towards the cause of disappearances, Greek mythology and an MC thats being deliberately mislead, she does a beautiful job of keeping the readers on their toes.

Also, I loved TheSirens (as the envied group of influencers aboard the ship) a play on social medias ability to draw in followers by the use of ones voice wether in song or text. An added layer to this suspenseful summer read! 🎶

This is more of a 3.50 out of 5 rating for me, with some deductions based on main character herself and her ability to make the same mistakes over and over again. She also seemed to have a lower maturity level than the supporting characters which made her choices and hangups less mildly aggrevating throughout the plot.

Read if you Enjoy:
-YA Horror
-Influencers
-Drama
-Teenage Angst
-Disappearances
-Secrets
-Cultists

Thank you #netgalley for providing the opportunity to read and review this debut YA horror novel. All opinions are my own!

In "Those We Drown" by Amy Goldsmith, the author delivers a chilling debut that immerses readers in an ocean-drenched atmosphere of horror with a modern twist. With a mix of body horror and psychological terror, the book captures the fear of isolation and the mysteries lurking beneath the water's surface.

The strength of the horror elements in this book cannot be denied. The sense of unease and isolation on the cruise ship, The Eos, is palpable, and the author skillfully utilizes the fear of the unknown to create a suspenseful atmosphere. The incorporation of mild body horror adds an extra layer of discomfort, intensifying the sense of dread. The main character, Liv, finds herself caught in a web of uncertainty and distrust as she tries to uncover the truth behind the disappearances aboard the ship. The author effectively portrays Liv's struggle with self-doubt and the gaslighting she experiences, which adds to the psychological tension. The open ending leaves readers with a lingering sense of unease, a classic horror touch that works well in this context.

While the doubt and hesitation of the main character can be frustrating at times, it aligns with the horror genre's tradition of characters disregarding obvious evidence. However, there are instances when Liv's trust in untrustworthy individuals feels unrealistic, and her vocal confrontation instead of discreet investigation can be annoying.

The supporting characters in the story lack depth and development, as the focus leans heavily on the suspenseful narrative. Although this is acceptable for a horror-focused novel, readers seeking well-rounded characters may find themselves wanting more. One aspect that may leave readers wanting is the lack of satisfactory explanations for certain elements. Some threads are left dangling, which can be both intriguing and frustrating depending on personal preferences.

Overall, this debut delivers a compelling horror experience and utilizes the setting and atmosphere to create a sense of dread that is difficult to get in most YA horror. While some character decisions may test readers' patience, the well-executed horror elements make up for it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's Publishing for the eARC. This is an honest review.

4⭐️

Liv isn’t sure why she applied for the semester at Sea considering she hates the water. But when she receives a full scholar ship and her best friend is also selected, she knows she has to go. Her and Will have been friends since they were kids and the trip is falling just when there has been some upheaval in their relationship. Liv feels like six weeks on a cruise ship is just what they need to get their relationship. She wasn’t expecting for everyone else in the program to be from wealthy families and definitely wasn’t expecting the three influencers known as “The Sirens” to be on board as well.

After a bit too much alcohol on the first night, Will embassies Liv in front of everyone and she quickly returns to her room. The next morning, Will is nowhere to be seen and the leader of their program informs Liv that Will was sick and was being quarantined in the medical bay. But the messages that Liv receives from Will don’t sound like they come from him and there’s something off with the crew. The only one that seems concerned is Liv and she has to find out how to rescue Will while in the middle of the ocean.

A book about the ocean seemed appropriate given current events. This book did nothing to dissuade my fears of the ocean and I think anyone that would willing get on a cruise ship is crazy. I think that this book perfectly captured the normal creepiness of the ocean and perfectly wound in supernatural aspects.

I know that everyone other than Liv was supposed to be unlikeable as part of the plot, but some of them were infuriating. Specifically Will; he goes missing almost immediately after hurting Liv and the concern she has for him does not seem to match the care he had for her. It was almost painful the lengths Liv would go to to convince everyone they should care. There were also many times that Liv just seemed so naive to me that I couldn’t believe was real. Most of the characters did feel a bit like a caricatures of a Gen Z influencer, which was painful.

Thanks NetGalley for providing this ARC to me!

During the Summer months I love reading campy-feeling, trope-filled Horror and Thriller stories. I call them Summer Screams, Summer Scares or Summer Chillers. I'm sure you get what I mean by that type of story. It's a vibe. A bonus is a setting near, in, or around a body of water.

With this in mind, you can probably guess my excitement level when I first hear about Those We Drown. All I needed to read was the first sentence of the synopsis, 'an ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut', and I was sold. Unfortunately, no matter how much I wanted to love and connect with this story, it didn't work for me.

In this one we follow Liv, who is setting out with her somewhat estranged-best friend, Will, for a semester-at-sea aboard a luxury cruise ship, the Eos.

Liv is in attendance after being awarded a scholarship. She didn't think much about that at first, but once she arrives at the ship, it's clear that the other students in the program are all very, very wealthy. Of particular note are a trio of stunning influencers. Basically, the Plastics of the sea. Liv feels self-conscious now about her scholarship. She feels like she stands out because of it; like everyone knows her financial situation and is talking about it.

At least she has Will though. He doesn't care about such things. That is until they have a big blowout fight in front of everyone opening night. How embarrassing! The next day, after several attempts to reach Will, Liv finds out he has taken ill and is now in quarantine. She tries desperately to get the powers-that-be to let her see him, but she gets shot down at every try.

From there we follow Liv as she tries to figure out what has really happened to Will. Is he actually sick, or is something more sinister going on? After reading 400-pages of Liv, perhaps he is just hiding from her? Something to think about...

This started out slow and in my opinion, stayed that way. It never took off. It went from nothing happening, to the MC floundering around repeating the same concerns over and over for 300-pages. As a main character, I found Liv to be, honestly, really annoying. Her whole character was one note, desperation, but not in a way that made you feel desperate too. More in a way that you just wanted to get away from her.

Additionally, I am an atmosphere-girlie. You could give me nothing else, but if a book has a dark, eerie, ominous atmosphere, I am going to like it. I don't need to like characters, I don't need to believe your plot, but I need to have a strong atmosphere. Sadly, I did not get what I was looking for here in that regard. They could have been anywhere. I never felt that eerie sort of vibe I wanted. It just wasn't there.

Overall, the story felt very repetitive and I didn't enjoy the direction the plot went, as far as the reveals and the truth behind the Eos. It didn't hit like I expected.

With all of this being said, this is 100% my personal opinion. I am by no means the end-all, know-all of YA Horror novels. If this synopsis sounds intriguing to you, absolutely give it a go. Just because I didn't enjoy it, doesn't mean you won't. After all, there's a Reader for every book and a book for every Reader.

Even though this one didn't quite fit my tastes, I am glad I picked it up and I would consider reading future work from this author. Thank you to the publisher, Delacorte Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I know a lot of Readers will have fun with this.

Let me start off by saying the cover, it’s absolutely gorgeous. Those We Drown, however, is straight murderous. It has a chilling spine that honestly leaves you feeling slickly horrified throughout the whole story.

This book had a really interesting premise. A set of young adults are all chooses to take part of a semester at sea aboard a cruise ship. The book quickly turns frightening and jumps right into uncovering the eerie mysteries of the ship and it’s so easy to get lost in the mystery of what Liv & co. are going through.

With Liv, I found myself having trouble connecting to her and I also felt like she didn’t truly connect with any of the characters, even when she showed interest in Con. With that, I really felt for Con (one of our MMCs) during a lot of this book. At first he comes off rich and arrogant, but honestly he seems truly lost the more you get to know him. Once everything comes to light for Liv and Con, it’s honestly quite horrific and devastating and I felt like I was spiraling into the depths with them.

Also, the ending was a little abrupt and you don’t necessarily get answers to all of your questions. Although maybe that’s part of the thriller of Amy’s story. I just felt myself wanting a little more or a little more clarity. Overall though, this book is wonderfully creeptastic. If you want a book that will lure you to sea, this is it!

What the heck did I just read?! My mind is literally reeling, like if I were sitting on the boat with Con and Liv while the rough seas rolled us. This was such an incredible, creepy, exquisite debut YA Horror novel.

This was the best kind of mashup between Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and a creepy Greek Mythology obsessed Cult. The twists kept me on my toes, and the writing kept me wondering if Liv was right or truly going crazy. I cannot sing enough praise for this fantastic story!!

Amy Goldsmith’s Those We Drown has to be the seventh or eighth book I’ve read in the last year and half that take place on a cruise ship and maybe the third that also has the backdrop of a semester at sea. I don’t know if this is a new trend or what, but I’m really enjoying them.
Olivia (Liv) is both excited and nervous to be spending a semester at sea aboard the luxurious Eos cruise ship. No pun intended, but there’s no denying that aboard this luxury cruise ship she’s a fish out of water. A vast majority of the passengers are older, the other students are all filthy rich, and there is a group of ‘glamorous’ influencers aboard that all only too happy to look down their noses at her. But at least Will, a friend of hers since childhood, is also one the students and is in the cabin right next door.

It should be the trip of a lifetime. Unfortunately, problems start almost immediately. She really doesn’t fit in with the other students and almost immediately gets on the wrong side of the influencers. But worse than that, after the first night Will falls ‘ill’ and is moved out of his room. And from there things just get weirder and creepier. There is something so not right on this ship!

This is a stellar debut. 4.5 stars! Goldsmith weaves a wonderfully creepy and atmospheric tale. And I look forward to reading more of her work in the future. Horror/thriller fans will want to check this one out. I’d like to thank Random House Children's, Delacorte Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Those We Drown.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R3CHFLXG9CICHX/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

A creepy read from start to finish and I was picking up on the hints the author was putting down. I wasn't sure how I felt about Liv at first and until about halfway through I wasn't really rooting for her to win against what was going on, but she kept pushing even when no one believed her. Though there were times where I wished I could shake her and tell her to hush up and stop showing her cards early. I was definitely more invested in the overall mystery than I was the characters but the characters, even the antagonists, grew on me. The ending was perfect and poetic for the overall story but I was distraught all the same. I can't wait to read future works from Goldsmith.

I have mixed feelings about this novel. I absolutely loved the general plot, setting, mythology, and mystery. However, I found the characters both flat and unlikeable. I can tell there was a lot of time spent on all other aspects of this novel and wanted the characters to be given that same attention to detail.

I found the pacing of this book to be just right; it never felt rushed or bogged down by exposition. The characters all played a part, Poor Liv, poor, poor sweet baby Liv. The level of gaslighting in this story is epic. I mean, the author had me questioning if I was losing it.

I fell like Mel B on Goodreads says this part best: "Ok, hear me out. If R.L. Stine and Agatha Christie had a baby who was then raised by one of the Brontë sisters, it would be this book."

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Delacorte Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions. Review will be posted on Insta by end of publication date (@ellie.reads.a.lot)

Twisted, claustrophobic, dark story to lose yourself in this summer!
Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Olivia is a senior in high school and is offered a scholarship to spend six weeks on a ship called the Eon. She goes with her best friend Will and they meet some interesting rich kids also attending the Seamester program. Basically Will gets drunk and calls Olivia out on being a clingy friend and having a crush on him several years ago. He then gets sick or so Olivia is told and she begins to suspect the ship of lying to her. Other people go missing and everyone acts like nothing happened. Leaving Olivia to figure out what is going on for herself.

This wasn’t my favorite mystery read. The characters were developed but the plot seemed a bit all over the place but it was still fun to read!

A cruise vacation is my favorite type of vacation, but a cruise ship also makes for the best kind of horror setting. Floating in the middle of the ocean with a forced proximity to the terror does create a sense of unease and Goldsmith uses that unease in the best ways possible.

Our protagonist Liv is looking to use SeaMester as a way to make herself stand out on university applications. Her best friend Will appears to be just along for the ride. Right away we are introduced to Liv's fear of the ocean, of ships, and of swimming. We also get Liv's perspective on what she thought a cruise ship would be. This is where Goldsmith lost me a little. Liv struck me as the type to really research this trip before applying, but her first impressions show that Google was nowhere in her search history and I just found it to be really odd. And if Liv didn't do her research, why didn't her parents check it out?

The book does start off a little slowly, but once the disappearances and the weird occurrences start occurring, the pages fly by and I read 90% of the book in one day. Liv's relationships with the other students of SeaMester feel artificial and I didn't feel the sense of urgency at first when she starts her psychological downfall. Those We Drown does rely on Liv making connections as the horror unfolds around her, but while she's undeniably concerned and completely gaslit by the other characters, there are times where she just accepts an explanation that on the surface should have been a clue. Other times she's TSTL and these changes in characterization were jarring.

The horror is well done at times and at other times the descriptions don't really convey anything too scary. This is not a jump out and scare them slasher book, but rather a psychological terror book. Those looking for slashers won't get their fix here, but I would recommend Those We Drown to those that like their horror to be more cosmic in nature.

Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the arc for review purposes.