The plot in this book was done really well, but the characters left a lot to be desired. A lot of YA horror I've read recently sacrifices character development for horror elements, and Those We Drown was no exception. I felt like I didn't get a strong sense of who Liv was as a person: I knew that she was academically inclined and middle-class, but I really couldn't tell you anything more about her. It was the same for the other characters: Will was rich but not super rich, Con was super rich and a little angsty, etc. In YA I typically expect to form a stronger bond with the main characters; I expect that their inner monologue gives me an inside look into who they are. This wasn't the case with this book.
HOWEVER, I thought the horror aspect of the story was very, very well done. I was creeped out pretty much the whole time I was reading, and I loved the inclusion of Greek mythology. I also liked that I as the reader wasn't sure if Liv was an unreliable narrator or not, and I loved the description of the opulence of the ship.

Those We Drown is a great YA horror/murder mystery novel. While I didn't find the characters to be completely likeable the setting and the claustrophobic feels that it emitted really worked for me. I think this one will be a big hit for the younger generation but adult readers need to be able to suspend belief!

I loved this book! I will definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This was a wonderfully written book, that kept me guessing through out the entire book as to who was responsible for the events that were occurring! The main character was relatable and resilient in finding out what happened once and for all to her friend Will, while on the once in a lifetime opportunity aboard a cruise boat, where strange things are happening and don’t quite make sense. This book never had a dull moment until the ending.. In my own opinion, the ending was very anti climatic and was left open ended with any true closure as to what happened with the characters. Whether that was done purposefully for a potential second book or not, it just wasn’t exciting and what I look for in an ending.

*4.5 stars.*

weaving together horror, romance and fantasy folklore, THOSE WE DROWN is the thriller of the high seas we didn’t know we needed.

what I liked:
• the book is set on, what at first seems to be, a once-in-a-lifetime luxury cruise, which the MC Liv scores a scholarship to join. from the jump, her friend Will goes missing, and Liv quickly discovers nothing and no one is as they seem.
• Liv is generally fearless and super loyal to finding out what happened to Will, but also battles with self-doubt and imposter syndrome, and we love a relatable protagonist with dimensions.
• the mystery is SO WELL DONE. I mean, edge of my seat, pulse-pounding good. it has this psychological element to it too that is absolutely flawless.

what I didn’t love:
• Con. he is kind of the worst — from the way he regularly discredits what Liv tries to tell him to his extremely irritating holier-than-thou energy (snapping to get the attention of the waitstaff? no thank you!!!) to his general wishy-washiness — from making out with Liv one minute to being standoffish and chilling with Leda the next. just fully not a fan.
• the ruthless shaming Liv experiences for not being born into an ultra-wealthy family throughout the whole book. holy shit these people are MEAN. Yes, the Sirens suck, but they are somehow not even the most vicious with it — Adora, Justin, Raj, Cintia and Con all say some pretty messed up shit to Liv, purely based on her lack of $$$.
• the folklore piece compounding with the BTS business dealings of everyone involved with the seven is a little clunky, wrapped up quickly and not fully resolved or explained — I mean, what was the business with Liv being signed away by *not* her family? why would Will’s dad do that? Octavia and the passport and map thing were kind of glossed over, too. and Con’s dad and his surprise appearance on the boat??? what happened to Laila? why did Liv ignore what she learned about Cintia lying about Raj like that — was she drugging Liv? also, how in earth did Liv and Con escape with so many otherworldly beings dependent on them perishing for their own survival? questions abound.

what I loved AND didn’t love:
• THAT ENDING THOUGH!!!! what a way to go out. am I deeply upset that it was left so open-ended? yes. do I simultaneously love that? also yes.

THOSE WE DROWN is a hell of a read, and I can’t wait to see what Amy Goldsmith does next.

*thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.*

Thank you to Random House Children’s for this opportunity to rate and review this arc which is out July 11,2023

This is a book about terror on the open seas. Liv lands an all expense paid opportunity to study aboard a luxury cruise ship called the Eos for a semester. She also there with her ex bff Will who hasn’t talked to her when their friendship took a dive. There are strange aquatic dreams, sirens. There’s a stuffy guy named Constantine. Liv is over her head. She was given this opportunity when the girl before her disappeared.

This is an atmospheric ya horror book. It’s vastly paced, characters act their age so if you are older be prepared to resist the urge to yell at the pages. Overall it was fun but I am finding that YA makes my blood pressure raise with the complete ignorance for logic.

As someone with thalassaphobia, this has reinforced my fear of the deep, dark depths, The ending of this book will be haunting me for a while, but in a good way. It definitely was not quite what I was expecting when I started reading it; I was completely enraptured trying to figure out what was going to happen next! Stunning debut novel!

the cover is what drew me in and I'm so glad I read this, it was a great debut novel that I was invested in. The plot worked so well in what was happening. Amy Goldsmith has a great writing style and I could see the beginning's of a good writing career. I enjoyed getting to know Liv as a main character and getting to know the rest of the cast. I'm excited to read more from Amy Goldsmith.

“You were so hilarious last night!” she said, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from mythology. “Seriously, Liv, I was dead. I swear you were trying to get it on with our exalted leader at one point.” I felt my face heat as that particularly ill-advised fragment of last night drifted back to me. “Did you know he’s Canadian?” I said, holding my head in my hands. “I must have asked him what America was like about a hundred times last night.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

I'm rounding up in this review because the horror aspects were done so well. I'll talk about that more in the good section. I always start off with the bad, though, and the first thing I want to mention is the slow start. It took about 30% of the e-book before things got interesting, and honestly if it wasn't for that creepy opening that immediately hooked me, I might have put this on the DNF pile. I was getting a little bored of the social drama. I understand that the author was building all the characters and putting pieces in place, but it still wasn't all that interesting to read for me.

The other negative for me was the ending. This is going to come down more to personal taste, but I was really disappointed by the end. The middle of the book was doing so well and then when the climax started happening, I kept hoping that there was some twist or that it really wouldn't go the way it seemed. I don't want to be more specific and give out spoilers. I just wanted things to be a little more vague and ambiguous, and while I personally want the ending to not be taken at face value, I have a feeling the author meant it that way.

One last thing I want to mention before talking about the good stuff was how in-your-face the book was at times. It alluded to Greek mythology a lot-- maybe a little too much. Again, I would've liked more ambiguity so the reader could draw their own conclusions. Or have Liv remark on comparisons without it being so explicit. At one point Liv is actually walking around carrying a box and dressed as Pandora. I mean, come on. There's also a moment where Liv is reading <i>The Turning of the Screw</i>. Granted, you'd have to know the book to get it, but I rolled my eyes when I saw that. There are also moments when characters just flat-out explain what's going on.

On a more neutral note, I have no idea why the plot kicks off with these kids on a SeaMester. They never attend any classes or even talk about learning anything. They might as well just be on a regular cruise for how much the SeaMester affects anything.

Putting all that aside, the actual horror/mystery was so well done. The author did an excellent job of building up a sense of unease, uncertainty, mistrust, paranoia, and questioning sanity. And since the reader is in Liv's perspective, they're stuck with this unreliable narrator and thus experiencing their own questions of what is reality and what Liv is just imagining. A lot of my other nitpicky complaints (like why is there only one adult supervisor who isn't even that much older than the kids) can be attributed to Liv's unreliable narration. The author also introduced a lot of drug use with alcohol and caffeine (yes caffeine is a drug) that made things even more unreliable. The only downside to being in Liv's perspective is when the book has to still tell the story in a coherent way, but she should be too drunk or jittery to make much sense of what's happening around her.

Overall, though, I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good psychological horror. As I said, the author absolutely nails all the right beats. And while I think sometimes it was in-your-face too much with the obvious Greek mythology stuff, and I would have preferred a more ambiguous ending, it was still an excellent read.

Horror is becoming one of my all time favorite genres. What an amazing book this was. I don't even know where to begin. The cover is gorgeous and reels you in. The story is hauntingly beautiful and atmospheric. I felt everything Liv felt and it was as though I was right there along with her freaking out with everything that was going on. The voice in this story is so freaking good!! Liv is relatable and you find yourself rooting for her from the very start. Amy has done such an amazing job at capturing very real feelings of feeling completely and utterly alone even when you're surrounded by others, even when you're in a group of people. The feeling of speaking yet not being heard even when someone is listening to you. I felt all of that in the very pit of my stomach and kept wanting to yell along with Liv so that she could be heard, so she could be seen, so that she could be validated and know that her feelings and thoughts and suspicions were very real. I could not stop screaming at my husband at how much I was loving this story. I did not want to stop even when I got chills and things started getting creepy and spooky. Did not want to put this down! I want more, I need more, and I cannot wait to own a copy and read more of Amy's writing. This was a brilliant story and I am so happy I got to read it!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children's for allowing me to read an early copy!

I couldn’t decide what I truly felt about this book! Trapped in a luxurious cruise ship, claustrophobic theme, slow burn mystery, horrifying sea creatures concept, Del Toro’s Shape of Water meets Strain plot line vibes are the best things about the book!

But I hate the guts of the characters! Liv, meek, shy, scholarship student, enthusiastic teenager is the main character you can feel sympathy for. Instead of her: all those characters are stereotypes of rich, privileged, arrogant, trust fund babies keep repeating the same song lyrics to Liv; “ Oh girl, you don’t belong ! You cannot afford to be here because you’re not rich enough!”

The influencer sirens group attracted my attention. At least they were creative kind of mean girl portraits!

Let’s not forget Constantine: I didn’t understand why Liv got drawn to this pretentious douche! They didn’t even have a full time conversation from the beginning. He’s handsome and he’s loaded. But he doesn’t have any good qualities to fall in love with.

And Liv’s long time best friend Will who gets sick at the first night after humiliating Liv in front of the entire passengers! He earned my ten million slapping points!

Raj was fitness addict and I don’t know which other qualities he has. He’s totally one dimensional character.

Cintia was only friendly, a little likable but she’s also self obsessed, know it all.

And Adora…I don’t know how I can differentiate between Adora and sirens. They have similar qualities. I guess Adora was more condescending, less smart.

Let’s check the plot: 18 years old Liv lands on all expenses paid opportunity to study aboard luxurious cruise ship with her best friend Will who is also creative artist, coming from wealthy and very dysfunctional family.

As soon as they board on the ship, Liv realizes she’s the only scholarship girl, last minute replacing the other candidate and the heirs of bazillionaires are adamant to remind her she doesn’t belong there!

At their first night on ship, Liv has a big argument with Will which turns into public humiliation. She cries out, running away to her cabin. She has a terrible nightmare about Will who has turned into some of kind sea creature. The very next day she realizes Will is in quarantine. Something infectious happened to him after spending his time with one of the most attractive and the meanest sirens Thalia!

Even though Liv tries to see Will and talk to him, the ship crew prevents her to contact with him. They keep texting but something fishy about the text messages. They don’t sound like Will! His absence was not the only weird thing ! There’s something ominous about the ship. Luv tells herself she’s paranoid, seeing hallucinations. But what if she’s the only one who can search the ugly truth! What if nothing as it seems!

I’m rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 seaweed stars! Even though I found the characters so detestable, the entire gripping, slow burn mystery and final revelations were well executed!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Delacorte Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I guess you could say my ocean-based horror obsession started with a little-known movie called Titanic and only grew from there.
The cover, title and blurb had me so excited at the opportunity to read this ARC.
This is my first book by Amy Goldsmith and certainly won't be my last.
The atmosphere of dread she was able to create was palpable. The anxiety I felt while reading it made me need a happy book afterward. I enjoyed the characters and their romance, and the much needed comedic relief, This was a fun book from start to finish. TYSM for letting me be an ARC reader!

Going into this book, I was a little iffy on the whole concept. A horror/thriller book set on a cruise ship could’ve gone two way; really good or really bad.

I loved it! I couldn’t put it down once i started. The story flowed so welling and I loved Amy’s writing style!

This story keeps you guessing. It pulls you in and doesn’t let you go until the very last page.

I will say that I really loved the mc but Will was one of my favorite characters, even though he didn’t have a lot of time.

I will definitely be ordering a copy of this book when it releases!

Big thank you to Netgalley and Random House for allowing me to read this!

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

Who doesn't love a claustrophobic cruise ship mystery centering on fictional ancient Greek mystery cults, I ask you? Well, obviously I love them. Those We Drown is captivating, centering on Liv as she boards the Eos, a ship bound for New York from England and then further afield for SeaMester. But when she boards she finds nothing is what she envisioned. Everyone in SeaMester is drunk, for one thing, encouraged on by Justin, their chaperone/faculty member/literally the only person who seems to be in charge around here. And all the other passengers are elderly except for three influencers who are famously called the Sirens on social. Liv is on the outs almost immediately--the only scholarship student in a tiny cohort of rich kids and her ex-best friend Will, who she's kind of in love with but knows nothing can ever come of it because Will shut that down and has been a jerk ever since.

Then he disappears. Liv is alarmed, but everyone says not to worry--he's just been moved to quarantine. But things don't add up and continue to not add up. Another boy disappears, but no one seems to care or writes off his absence. Never mind that this is SeaMester and no one is doing anything resembling school work. That should have been a clue in itself. But Liv has questions and no one is willing to answer them or puts her off. The staff are rude to her, her chaperone/faculty member thinks she's crazy, the other students think she's into conspiracy theories. Everything. Is. Fine. God, Liv. Get a life, they say! Will was a jerk. He deserves quarantine. No one cares.

So, okay! Fine! There was a lot I enjoyed about this set up and I really truly wanted to see how it was all going to play out. There is so much that's compelling about using Greek mythology the way Those We Drown is using it in a world that is mostly rote Greek myth retellings. This felt fresh and interesting. I even felt the deep dread and anxiety that Liv went through as the horror became quite psychological--is she crazy? Or obsessed? Or are things really wrong? Are they about to be sacrificed to a cult? All cool! I just wish the execution had been less sloppy.

The writing leaves a lot to be desired in that it was so consistently off putting that it pulled me out of the story. I would say this book can't be a five-star read for me because it was so vague on important details, repetitive in Liv's narrative process (what is happening, am I crazy, I'll tell someone who doesn't believe me, I'll insist we're in danger, they won't believe me, maybe I am crazy, what is happening), and shaky motivation on the part of the Sirens (what do they get in this bargain? Unclear). This book is about 90% gaslighting. And characters, primarily Con, don't make a lot of sense in how they are processing the information they have. Does he believe Liv? Does he not believe her? Once you think he's figuring it out he suddenly backslides and insists he never understood anything at all, which is maddening from a character perspective. It's a bit of a case of characters acting for the sake of the plot rather than characters shaping the plot. Then everyone has vague conversations that are packed with filler words that make everyone sound like octogenarians living in the 1800s, but then spout the popular phrases (cringe, FOMO, etc).

So don't know! It's a compelling, fresh read. I actually liked this application of Greek myth. If the writing had been stronger, the characters better drawn, and the narrative about 50% less gaslighting, this would be a five-star read.

“The sea provides.”

Ocean horror will always make my brain vibrate inside my skull and Those We Drown is the creepy, eerie, monster infused book that showcases everything I love about the subgenre. Its slippery and striking and very, very good.

I love every single pages of it. All the mystery and horror and suspense, the nagging feeling that something is wrong wrong wrong (but what?), and the underlying tone of romance and angst.

The whole setting reminds me of the movie Ghost Ship, but make it young adult and add cult and investigation to it. I love Liv and her determination, also Con being suave and mysterious. I have my suspicion from the start, but I really enjoyed reading through the pages and feeling the thrill of investigating rooms and passengers and people's past. It was a great read!