I received an ARC of this book for review.

Going into this book I wasn't really sure what to expect. This story follows Liv during the start of her semester at sea trip. The story revolves around Liv and the other participants in the SeaMester program. The author had me completely invested in Liv's story. The suspense built as people start to go "missing" on the ship according to Liv carried me through the book. I wish that the author spent a little more time giving a little more backstory for the supporting characters. I think a little more backstory would invest us more in the characters revolving around Liv. I feel like one big, missed opportunity is that we don't get more backstory about Will, he's supposed to be Liv's best friend, yet the reader is only given vague information about him. While the suspense carried me through the book, I had so many unanswered questions about supporting characters. It feels like this book is just part of a larger book. Hopefully there's a sequel.

Olivia, or Liv, as she likes to be called, has been offered the chance of a lifetime, traveling aboard the luxury ship, Eos, as part of a Seamester group in Those We Drown.

While the other students aboard are rich and privileged, Liv is not, but she tries not to be intimidated since her best friend, Will, is aboard. Unfortunately, Will hasn’t really been talking to her lately, and he disappears after their first night.

While Liv tries a hard to get answers, she cannot figure out why she can’t see a supposedly sick Will, nor why she keeps having terrible dreams.

The only person who really listens to her is the gorgeous, mysterious Constantine. But does he have anything to do with all this weirdness? What about the mysterious Sirens, rich influencers? And what happened to the girl who disappeared before the cruise, the one Liv replaced?

This was a nice, creepy YA horror story, and I was on the edge of my seat. I liked how people kept questioning Liv’s sanity, making the reader wonder, too. (But of course you knew she wasn’t crazy, and it was really frustrating.)

The ending wasn’t what I really wanted, but fit with this genre. Overall, this was excellent writing, and I would love to read more by this author.

A thank you to NetGalley, Amy Goldsmith, and Random House for the ARC of this novel.

Didn't like the writing style was way too prosey for me. Felt too long too. I was intrigued to read this but in end wasn't what I expected, not bad just not my style.

🦇 Those We Drown Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐

🦇 When Liv gains the opportunity to study abroad a luxury cruise ship for a semester on scholarship, she feels fortunate--albeit out-of-place among the six other wealthy students participating in the Seamester program. When her best friend goes missing their first night aboard, supposedly sick and under quarantine, Liv struggles to focus on anything else. He was last seen with one of The Sirens, a trio of stunning, mysterious influencers promoting the cruise. Between Liv's haunting dreams, strange hallucinations, and outbursts in her attempt to find will, everyone thinks she's sleep-deprived and hysterical...but what if the luxury surrounding them comes at a price?

💜 Amy's Goldsmith's debut novel plays homage to Greek mythology and ancient stories of sacrifice in exchange for wealth, youth, and glory. However, many of the references are a little too obvious. Since the main character is oblivious to most of the references, almost everything needs to be spelled out.

🦇 Liv is a frustrating heroine to follow, too. People spend every second of the novel gaslighting her--even to the end--until she no longer believes herself. The story's trajectory is obvious from the very beginning (anyone who was obsessed with Nancy Drew or Sherlock Holmes as a child can guess the premise the moment the Sirens are mentioned), yet Liv remains oblivious even when the truth is directly in front of her. Even after a visual reveal, she still wavers between knowing something's wrong and disbelief. There's a lot of inconsistency in the writing as well. For starters, the "students" never spend a second studying. Some scenes jump abruptly without explanation. The same details are repeated over and over, yet there are some occurrences that never get an explanation. The characters are either flat or inconsistent; none are fleshed out. Liv can't seem to decide if she loathes certain characters, has a crush on them, or envies them. While this is categorized as "horror," nothing was scary so much as frustrating.

🦇 Recommended for someone looking for an easy read between more intense stories.

Tropes
Debut Novel
"Horror" YA
Mythology References

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

2.5 rounded up? There really were no redeeming qualities for me. The plot was extremely stagnant and spotty in terms of consistency and fleshed out details. None of it was believable or fully thought through. Did they ever actually do anything for the SeaMester? The ending unraveling in a way that was difficult to picture/buy into & then it abruptly wrapped up.

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!

Stupidly, before reading this book, I looked at the reviews and I cannot fathom how it has received anything less than 5 stars!

From the moment we met Liv, I was instantly transported into her world and her experience at Seamester.

Yes, it is incredibly frustrating when she experiences things and nobody believes her (that’s the point) and at some times, you do wonder whether she is going insane. As a reader you do wonder who you can trust and I flip-flopped many times about whether Con was all he seemed!

What I was particularly fond of was the beautiful way in which this author tied everything together perfectly in the exciting ending! They beautifully wove Greek mythology into their claustrophobic horror with such ease that I will never look at it the same again.

Lastly, this is the most beautifully written story I have read in a long time. The descriptions in the book were first class and the way this book made me feel as if I was Liv, made it very difficult to put down.

I cannot wait to read more!!!

To be honest this wasn't a good story. There were a lot of plot holes I felt like, and the characters were either two cliche, or they contradicted themselves.
I had to force myself to read this one. I hate leaving bad reviews, but I did not vibe with this book or the main character. I'm not sure what the author was going for here, but it did not work in my opinion.
Perhaps you'll enjoy this book, the blurb sounded really interesting, but I felt like it fell flat. I hope this review helps.

Those We Drown is a mystery and thriller that centers on Liv, a teen who wins a semester at sea aboard a cruise ship where she meets young, rich and famous influencers while searching for her best friend Will who disappears after the first night.

The character descriptions, ambience and dank sea smells contribute to the feeling of dread that something is not right. But it takes pages and pages before the action really kicks in.

Meanwhile, Liv shakily attempts to convince herself and others that she is not crazy. Myth and legends of the sea swirl about along with more passengers disappearing, odd chanting sounds and blurry figures flitting about in a giant fish tank.

But, where is Will? What happened to the others? Just who are Liv's real friends? These questions haunt Liv... and us as readers. It all leads to a creepy showdown reminiscent of a Lifetime TV movie. In fact, it could probably be one.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Those We Drown—Amy Goldsmith

A scholarship program onboard a luxury cruise ship is the last place Olivia expects to wind up, but against all odds she finds herself there with her best friend Will and four other kids part of the SeaMester program. As amazing as it is, Olivia can’t shake the feeling something about the ship isn’t right. When she, Will, and the others cross paths with a group of influencers known as Sirens, Olivia’s suspicions are confirmed.

To make it worse, Will ditches her in favor of one of the Sirens and later goes missing. Convinced something happened to him and that the Sirens had something to do with it, Olivia sets out to investigate Will’s disappearance herself. But the more she digs, the more unsettling things she learns—not to mention all the strange hallucinations. Did something happen to Will and the ship is trying to cover it up, or is it all just in Olivia’s head?
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AMAZING book! If I could give it more than five stars I would! This was such a trip, scared the s*** out of me a bit and I loved every second of it! Thewhole set-up gave strong Ghost Ship vibes that were executed in a gloriously theatrical fashion—ie the magician scene and reenactment of Cassandra. The Sirens were so captivating, Olivia’s investigation into Will’s disappearance so compelling, and Olivia’s hallucinations so wonderfully chaotic. Goldsmith’s writing is brilliant and had me questioning my sanity along with Olivia. I was left with the feeling of almost drowning and finally being able to come up for air when I was finished. Absolutely amazing and HIGHLY recommend!

DNF at 20%. WOW I truly despised this book, and getting 20% in was a real test of willpower. Every single character sucked and I could predict the entire plot trajectory from about chapter three. The protagonist felt like Taylor Swift's "You Belong With Me" come to life, which is an especially bad look in 2023. I am so desperately tired of this 90s girl power mixed with sardonic joss whedon one liners narrative style; it really just reveals the lack of emotional depth on the part of the author and an assumed lack in the reader. Also, I'm assuming the protagonist got paired up with one of the interchangeable rich white men on the ship, despite having conflicting moral compasses and personalities, so congratulations on checking every box of a WattPad story.

2/5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for the early review copy.

I wanted to love this book, I truly did but it just fell flat for me. It has an awesome presence and honestly if the whole book was more like the last 15% I would've loved it.

Liv wins a scholarship to learn at sea for 6 weeks on a cruise ship along with her best friend Will. The first night Will mysteriously gets sick and is "quarantined", but nobody seems to care except Liv. Liv is supposed to be smart, but instead she seems the opposite.

Liv then becomes obsessed with finding Will and goes about everything all wrong when talking to other people and everyone acts like she is going crazy while they're trying to sweep Will going missing under the rug.

She enlists Constantine's help, but he doesn't believe her and refuses to listen to her and just blindly goes along with everything.

I was expecting this to be atmospheric and spooky, but instead it was almost 100% tied to the characters which I didn't care enough about.

Liv's dream comes true when she wins a scholarship aboard cruise ship Eos to study with Seamester. And what could make this even better? Her best friend Will is also attending. Liv quickly learns everyone aboard is dripping in money and it's glaringly obvious she is there on a scholarship, but she is still adamant about making the best of it. But on the first night she and Will get into a fight in front of everyone. And the next day, Liv learns Will is sick and has been quarantined. She cannot visit him. Unsure how to handle this, Liv trys to enjoy her time, despite the beautiful and snobby Sirens (influencers who travel cruise ships), and the gorgeous but confusing Con.

When Liv learns that she was a replacement for another girl who was meant to be on the ship things start to happen around her that makes everyone deem her crazy. She still can't see Will. His phone is off. People are disappearing and the lies are stacking up.

This sounded like it was going to be a heart pounding, fast paced thriller. Unfortunately it fell short for me. I know Liv is a teen but I couldn't suspend my belief that she was truly that dumb to be writing things off left and right. The twist was also painfully obvious very early on. Unfortunately, the ending also left many things unanswered and I'm frustrated with not knowing how things ended for many people. Throw in a forced awkward romance and this was not the book for me.

Thank you to Random House/ Delacorte Press for sending me an arc in exchange for review.


This was an interesting story, going into it. I had no idea this was about sirens and that it was horror. The writing did an excellent job of keeping you engaged but also creeped out. Really enjoyed this overall.

Creep, compelling and enthralling! This novel kept me turning the pages. Looking forward to more from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House/Delacorte Press for the e-ARC.

I liked this book, but didn't love it. I did love that Olivia, Liv, was our very own Cassandra. Though instead of prophecies it was missing people. This book is a good mystery that hinges on the fact that no one believes the main character. Oh and the main love interest, Constantine or Con is an idiot and a lush. By the end of the book I kept wishing that Liv would run away and be the heroine in her own story since she was clearly surrounded by idiots and sycophants.

From the very beginning you can tell some romantic liaison had happened between Liv and her best friend Will. This has made things awkward and now they have to pretend like everything is fine as they board a 6 week semester at sea program. Very quickly things start going awry, the first night Will gets hammered and yells at Liv, then he just goes missing.

I liked bits and pieces of this story, especially the Greek mythology of it all, but I felt the story would have been better if Will had been a best friend only. There wasn't really a need for some mislead romantic hookup in their recent history. The story could have progressed the same without it. I don't want to spoil anything else, but this was just a meh read for me.

I’m giving this book 3 stars. Was it bad? No. Was it good? Also no. So it’s gets a “meh” from me. When I started this book it seemed spooky and maybe ghosty? But it wasn’t. Think…mythical creature. Which isn’t my style. Apart from that, many things seemed rushed. Like the MC would be in a room having dialog and then the next paragraph right after it, they’d now be in a separate room in another part of the ship. I wasn’t a huge fan of that. Also; the ending seemed very rushed. The climax and the conclusion was all within like 3 chapters. I don’t know. It’s not a horrible book by any means; it just wasn’t my favorite.

A semester aboard a luxury cruise ship sounds like a dream, right?

That’s what Liv thinks when she earns a spot in the “SeaMester program” on the Eos thanks to a scholarship. Not only that, she gets to go with her BFF, Will.

She arrives to find she’s sharing the ship with her fellow SeaMester classmates — a group of privileged, snooty rich kids, a band of gorgeous, bitchy influencers, and a surprising amount of other elderly passengers.

After the first night, Will is quarantined in the ship’s infirmary due to a mysterious illness, and Liv finds herself increasingly suspicious that things are quite amiss aboard the good ship Eos.

I went through this one pretty quickly—the writing was very engrossing and the story was good. I felt wrapped up in the mystery of what was going on aboard the ship. My one complaint is that the ending felt very rushed compared to the build-up, and I did find the protagonist a bit annoying. Otherwise, I enjoyed this one a lot!

If you like atmospheric horror, you’ll like this one.

Liv is so excited to have won a scholarship aboard a luxury cruise ship – the Eos – for an entire semester. She’s also excited that her ex-best friend Will is accompanying her on the trip, they’ve barely talked since they kissed. Unfortunately, as soon as she steps aboard she gets an uneasy feeling, something just feels off and she feels like an outcast. When Liv learns that she only got the scholarship because another girl mysteriously went missing at the last minute, her angst increases. Nothing feels right, and then Will disappears under the guise of being “sick” and in quarantine. She just can’t shake the feeling that something is off. As more strange things happen, Liv sets out to uncover the secrets the ship is hiding, but at what cost?

This was an interesting atmospheric horror read with some fun twists. I loved how this was not super graphic because it was a YA Horror book – I am drawn to them because I find them just descriptive enough. The atmosphere of this one was really interesting, and I loved how descriptive it was – I felt like I was right there aboard the Eos with the characters. While the atmosphere was well written and descriptive, I found some of the character development to be lacking, the main character especially. I enjoyed the side characters, but I felt the main character was just unlikeable and could have used some more depth initially. Over the course of the book, we did see some growth, but I found myself wanting more from her. This book held my interest, and I didn’t want to put it down, it was a real page turner.

Overall this was a really good read and I would recommend you check it out if you’re looking for a locked room thriller. Grab yourself a copy June 27th!

Thank you very much to Random House Childrens – Delacorte Press, @delacortepress, @randomhousechildrens and Netgalley, @netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Netgalley will be updated with additional links once posted.

Surprise!

That's how it felt reading this book. I started off feeling like I hated everything. The MC really just rubbed me wrong. I found her boring and I didn't like that her whole personality was "I'm smart and poor." I was wrong. I loved this book.

The writing was fun and the premise of blending Greek mythology with a cruise was so unique and enjoyable. The hint of romance helped lighten some of the darker points in this book, but it wasn't the whole theme.

The author grows the characters in a very thoughtful way. The main character's personality is really developed and showcased as the story progresses. There is a horror aspect to this book, but it's more of a ghost story rather than a keep you up at night.

Towards the end I didn't want to put the book down, and I was devastated when I turned the page and it ended.

This debut novel is worth the read and it releases June 2023!