Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel!

I really found it enjoyable and twisty, another solid thriller by Goldin. I have definitely recommend this novel to anyone who enjoyed her first novel. I love the podcast feel and the regular old person looking into a crime that was commited.

Megan Goldin's debut psychological thriller, The Escape Room, established her as a clever and creative suspense writer. Her second novel, The Night Swim, is equally compelling and, indeed, haunting.

The Night Swim focuses on two crimes committed twenty-five years apart. Both female victims, Kelly and Jenny, were just teenagers when they were targets of heinous behavior. The story focuses on them, along with Rachel and Hannah. Jenny's sister, who insists that Jenny did not drown after jumping off a jetty and hitting the rocks below, but was, rather, murdered.

Goldin relates that her goal in writing The Night Swim was to illustrate the "many parallels between these types of cases, and they repeat themselves over and over again throughout history, effectively." At its core, The Night Swim is an indictment of a justice system that treats victims differently, depending upon their socioeconomic status and connections to power.

Jenny and Hannah were the daughters of a single mother struggling to raise her daughters in a small town where everyone knows everybody else, and money equates with the power to dictate who will succeed and who will fail. who will be given opportunities, and who will continue struggling and dreaming about a better life. At sixteen, Jenny becomes the target of local rough boys, initially due to their mother's reputation but earning her own, as Hannah, six years younger and powerless to help, watches. They claimed that Jenny went night swimming, joined by local boys. And one night she got drunk, jumped off the jetty, and hit her head. Accidentally drowned. Case closed.

In present-day Neopolis, Kelly left a party, opting to walk home alone. But she never made it there. Were it not for her grandfather's stature in the small town, her case would probably have been given as little attention as Jenny's. Instead, Scott Blair, the son of the wealthiest family in town is about to stand trial. His college scholarship has been revoked and he is suspended from the state swim team, prohibited from participating in the national competition that could lead him to a shot at Olympic gold. Scott will always be known as the boy who was accused from rape, whether or not he is convicted.

Goldin says she sought to explore how both girls were "marginalized due to sexual assault. They were marginalized socially . . ." Goldin effectively depicts how the citizens form alliances, as Kelly is subjected to victim-shaming and her parents are ostracized. She demonstrates just how much has changed in the past twenty-five years, as well as how much things have remained the same. In Jenny's case, her family's status and reputation ensured that the case was never properly investigated. In Kelly's case, a thorough investigation can't protect her and her family from suffering because she came forward.

At the heart of it all is Rachel, the reporter who knows she should be focused on the trial that is taking place, but cannot turn her attention away from Jenny's case. "Curiosity was Rachel's kryptonite. Always had been. Always would be." She is determined to learn whether the elusive Hannah, who continues pushing her to look into the case, but refuses to meet in person, is just a grieving sister who cannot come to terms with the truth about Jenny died or if she is right when she insists that Jenny was denied justice.

How the story plays out is far less important than the themes Goldin explores. But she delivers a fast-paced, engrossing, and disturbing narrative that seamlessly alternates between two time periods. Goldin never flinches as she explores the two crimes with sometimes brutal frankness and raw honesty. Rachel proves herself a competent investigator and reporter, dedicated to finding the truth and determined to help Hannah, herself a victim of what actually happened on the night twenty-five years ago when Jenny's life ended. As Rachel inches closer to discovering what really happened and the manner in which the two crimes are connected, she and Hannah find themselves in grave danger. Goldin ramps up the dramatic tension until the story's explosive conclusion. And leaves the door open for possible sequels featuring Rachel.

This is truly an excellent thriller. I was expecting a solid thriller based on Goldin's first book, The Escape Room, but this one was SO good. The two timelines between the trial happening in present day and the letters from Hannah about the past only makes readers want to keep reading to figure out what happens. There were parts that were hard to read and I wouldn't recommend this to people who want to avoid triggers related to rape and assault. Megan Goldin is definitely a must-read author for me now.

What an interesting concept for a book! This is the first of it's kind I've read, a book based on a podcast, but it was great! I really enjoyed the format and loved the alternating podcast chapters.

Rachel travels to a small town to cover a rape trial for her podcast. What she isn't expecting is an anonymous letter attached to her windshield, begging her to look into an accidental drowning case believed to be a murder. The past and the present intertwine to create the history and present of the mystery letter writer's story about her murdered sister. Will she be able to cover the trial for her podcast and solve the unsolved murder?

There was a lot of hype and mixed reviews on this book, so I was a bit hesitant to dive in. I'm so glad I did. I enjoyed quite a few of the characters and I really enjoyed the progression of the story. I think it was full of really important messages too, talking about the taboo subject of rape cases and 'unbelieved women'. This book kept me on my toes and wondering what happened then and what happens now, with both cases. Highly recommend this one for any psychological thriller lovers.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was a great read. It was a little slower initially, but about midway, I did not want to put it down. It reminded me of one of the few podcasts that I have listened to. The book was 4.5/5 for me.

Rachel Krall has a famous podcast and decided to take the current season to the courtroom. While she is engrossed in the case, a fan, Hannah, presented another case from 25 years prior. The story is told from dual points of view and it helps the reader gain a deeper understanding of the cases.

Thank you. NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the copy of The Night Swim. All opinions are my own.
#TheNightSwim #NetGalley

3.5 stars

I really loved Megan Goldin’s The Escape Room and was excited to read her next novel, The Night Swim.

If you’re a fan of the podcast Serial, then you may be intrigued by this book’s main character, who is shooting her true crime podcast week by week while following an ongoing rape trial in a small town.

This book held my interest for the most part but i did find myself not entirely loving the ending. Overall it was entertaining but didn’t knock my socks off.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Goldin, and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review.-

Wow! This is one of the best crime mystery books I have ever read. I stayed up late reading every night until I finished. I loved this book and will definitely be reading more by this author. I hope this becomes a series. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

What a great book! I loved the podcast episodes within it and the mystery had me guessing the whole time. Goldin did a great job at weaving it all together.

I've been in the mood for a mystery/thriller, so I was glad when I had quite a few on queue on Netgalley. However, four chapters in to The Night Swim and I just couldn't get into this one. I feel like it has potential but I just don't have the time or patience to continue reading something I can't connect with.

This book is an example of the podcast world colliding with the literary world and I am here for it! I ended up picking this up on audio and it really intensified the story so I'd highly recommend you give it a listen. The author did a great job of combining two different stories and timelines without making it too confusing. I was totally invested in both storylines. I only had one main issue that made me take it down a half a star in my final rating, but I can't really talk about it without spoiling it. While I am seeing a trend of podcasts in books, as long as they continue to be this good I'll keep on reading them.

Thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress and the author for this ARC...The Night Swim published in August, so you know...go get it anytime.

The Night Swim is such a timely suspense, centering on themes of the Me Too movement. Also you’ll for sure pick up on the similarities between this fictional story and the real life monster Brock Turner. I know I’ve seen some reviews turn up their nose at this, but I really appreciated the author taking a real-life event and basically smacking us in the face with it. Like, pay attention, damnit.

I also enjoyed the podcast element since I’m one that is obsessed with serial crime pods, and I know that they really can make a huge difference (ahem, Curtis Flowers).

If you enjoy a good suspense that keeps you guessing and appreciate when fiction is timely and relevant, The Night Swim is for you!

I loved this. Fan of real crime podcasts this was a really clever way to treat a courtroom drama. Full of twists and a great ending fully recommend

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I was captivated from page one and was so excited that I had both the audio and ebook versions available to me as I couldn’t put it down and was able to easily switch back and forth. Loved it!!!

Because of the cover and description, I went into Megan Goldin's The Night Swim thinking that it was going to be a psychological thriller. Instead, it's more of a crime drama that you might see on television -- with some surprises, but mostly predictable twists.

Rachel Krall hosts a true crime podcast, with each series of the podcast covering a particular trial. This time, she is in Neopolis for a rape trial. Here, a star swimmer and Olympic hopeful is on trial for raping another high school student. In between covering the trial, she also begins receiving letters from Hannah Stills, whose sister Jenny was brutally raped and murdered in the same town twenty-five years ago. Hannah asks Rachel for help in finally bringing her sister's murderer to justice. While investigating, Rachel finds startling connections between the two cases.

Goldin covers the topic of rape with sensitivity, however, I didn't find the writing very powerful. As I said, I expected more suspense. All in all, I found The Night Swim to be very average.

MY RATING - 3

When I discovered that Megan Goldin had a new book, I jumped on the opportunity to read it, because I absolutely loved The Escape Room, her debut. This one is completely different, and yet just as addictive than her first book.

I'm not fond of legal/court stories. I'm just not interested. But the different twist of this one kept me at the edge of my seat. It made me realize the many gray areas of a rape case. How this is complete torture for the rape victim. Everything they have to get through to see their rapist convicted is absolutely terrifying. They really are the most courageous people.

The ending blindsided me completely. I am still not sure how I feel about it, hence the 4 stars.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Night Swim follows Rachel, a famous true crime podcaster, as she is present in the courtroom of the rape trial where a small town hero is being tried. While in Neapolis, she is also getting messages from Hannah, a local woman, asking for Rachel's help in solving her sister's murder twenty five years earlier. I like the podcast media and courtroom aspect of this book, just wouldn't consider it an edge of your seat thriller. This was not one that had me speed reading through the pages, but more of a legal, slow-burn kind of thriller. It gave me a little bit of fictional Know My Name kind of vibe, so if you loved that book as much as I did, you may want to pick this one up!

Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for my e-arc of this read!

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was a funny one for me. I started with the physical copy as a buddy read, but it didn't grab me right away, so I decided to wait and listen to the audiobook instead. And what do you know, it became a 5-star read for me! The audio is SO well done, with 3 different narrators that all did such an incredible job. I think it has a slower start and I just needed to hang in there a little bit longer since once I started the audio (from where I had left off in the physical copy), I couldn't put it down and listened to it all in one sitting. The narrators are Bailey Carr as Hannah, January LaVoy voicing the podcast, and Samantha Desz as Rachel, or at least that is what I think... Feel free to correct me if that is wrong! Either way, if you are a fan of any or all of them, or a fan of podcasts, the audio is going to be for you!

I also read The Escape Room and absolutely loved it, but The Night Swim is a very different book than that was. I wouldn't go in expecting a thriller, but more of a suspenseful drama with a legal aspect. Parts of it were really hard for me and if rape is a trigger for you in the slightest it will be hard for you as well. I felt so incredibly awful for some of the characters and I thought Goldin did such an amazing job of making this book realistic as far as rape culture and how rape victims are treated. Which is probably the reason this book hits you so hard.

Goldin was an immediate autobuy author for me and I'm so glad that after the slow start, The Night Swim was able to pull me in and hold my attention for the rest of the book. The end was also pretty shocking and there is one point I actually gasped out loud. I love when an author can do that, and this is part of the reason I will continue to read everything she writes. I can't wait to see what her next book will be because you know I will want it!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book, all opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Night Swim is my first read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Rachel Krall is doing very well with her true crime podcast. Season three takes a turn she didn’t expect when Hannah starts leaving her notes. Hannah’s sister was murdered and she wants Rachel to investigate.

I don’t think I’ve read a story with a podcast so this was nice and different. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

This is the second book I’ve read by Megan Goldin but it won’t be the last. A tense psychological legal thriller that grabbed me from the first page and I couldn’t put it down. Great characters, lots of suspense , well written and a couple of good twists. Highly recommended.

This book captured my attention early on and didn't let it go. As a true-crime podcast fan, I loved the angle that the author took taking us through the podcast while also diving into a real time storyline. It was my first book by Megan Goldin, but I am a fan!