There are going to be a lot of people who love this book. They will read it, and they will talk about how timely it is, how evocative, how unflinching it is. How it looks at the “rape culture” so pervasive in America, and how it paints a true picture of what it’s like to be a victim and how messed up the justice system is, because it falls on the victim to have to prove their case, and how easy it is for men to get off. They will talk about how untrustworthy, and evil, and wicked men are, and how women should be free to do what they want, go where they want, and that if anyone questions their actions they’re victim blaming.

So let’s get this out of the way. Rape is wrong. Rape. Is. Wrong. Sexual assault is wrong. Any type of sexual violence is wrong. The fact that rapists exist, be they male or female (and yes women can be rapists too) is disgusting.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can talk about this book.

This book was infuriating. It’s being marketed as a thriller with a cold case angle. Rachel runs a podcast that, in its first two seasons, dealt with cold cases. Now, to beat out the competition and stay ahead of the copycat podcasts that have sprung up in the wake of her success, she decided to cover a real-life, current trial. A young man has been accused of raping a girl. He’s the town darling, with money and a promising career in swimming (seriously), and of course people are divided. Some think he’s a monster, others think she’s a tramp. But she’s also been sent a letter. 25 years ago, a girl drowned in this town. It was all covered up. Her sister, Hannah has come back seeking justice for the murder. This all sounds like a great story.

It’s not. What follows is over 300 pages of social justice commentary. It could almost read as a sermon about how bad men are. Because make no mistake, this book wants you to understand that ALL MEN ARE BAD. Most of them are rapists and the ones that aren’t are pathetic, spineless cretins who wont lift a finger in the name of justice. There isn’t one decent male in this book. They all have something to hide and it all has to do with either rape, sex, neglect, or all three. Both of the girls at the heart of the story, 25 years ago and present day were apparently surrounded by nothing by dirt bags. And the accused 19 year old (he was eighteen at the time) is almost a caricature of “what a rapist is.” He fits every trope, every stereotype, and checks every box. He does everything short of twirling his mustache. And the reason? Because he could.

I’m so sick of this rhetoric. Why does every heterosexual male all of a sudden have a label on him? Why is being male synonymous with being a douchebag? Why, in this 352 page book, was there not one male that ever did the right thing at the right time? This is not a realistic portrayal of society. There are far more men who aren’t rapists than men who are. You’re probably related to lots of men who’ve never harmed, or even considered harming a woman.

Then this book (which also contains graphic descriptions of rape) purports to examine women’s so-called lack of agency. This immediately becomes problematic for the present day storyline because: agency refers to the abstract principle that autonomous beings or agents, are capable of acting by themselves to make plans, carry out actions or make an informed and voluntary decision based on their knowledge and intentions. The girl in question had a great deal of agency. She made several decisions. They just happened to be all bad. And they ended in the worst possible way. Lack of agency applies much better to the cold case storyline, because the girl in that instance wasn’t making bad decisions, but was a victim in the truest sense of the word. Agency implies acceptance of the fact that there are consequences to any decision, and that they can be good or bad. Somewhere in the mix, we started wanting to convince women that they aren’t in any way responsible for their actions. But guess what? If you’re telling me that I can’t look at my actions and take responsibility for my choices, you’re removing my autonomy. You’re silencing me, ignoring the parts of my pain that you’d rather not see, because it’s easier to believe that we as women are in constant danger from external, out-of-our-control circumstances, than to examine the fact that the exercise of choice can have bad consequences. It’s easier to say men are out to abuse women than it is to say “maybe I was wrong to accept a drink from a stranger in a bar,” or “maybe I shouldn’t have gone to this place at this time.”

They call that victim blaming. But victim blaming is when you tell the person that the assault AS AN ACT is their fault. That the actual instance of rape, or groping, or any other act of violence is their fault. And that is never true. The act is NEVER the fault of the person it happened to. That is ALWAYS the fault of the perpetrator. The person who performs the act is the one at fault, and you are never responsible for the physical/mental actions of another person. You can only be responsible for your own actions and your own choices. As a victim myself, it was very helpful to learn that while I was in no way responsible for the actions of my perpetrator, I had the agency to make better decisions so as to protect myself, to the best of my ability, from it happening to me again. I could make better choices for myself that would make it harder for someone else to choose to hurt me.

This book could have explored that, and really done something to uplift and educate readers about the ways our choices affect our lives, both from the perspective of victims and criminals, past and present. But it takes the hackneyed, copy-selling approach of everything men do is bad, and everything women do is right, because patriarchy. There are a number of plot contrivances designed purely to increase the drama, but that are in no way realistic (a major point hinges on a teenager walking off and leaving their cellphone). Motivations are murky at best, and nonexistent at worst. It had the potential to awaken conversations about actual autonomy and the strength that comes from knowing that you can effect change just from how you approach your past, present, and future. It could have been really good. As it was, it was forced and used more as a vehicle to push politics than to really delve into the possibilities of the stories.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for my open and honest review. This one was not for me.

The Night Swim is going in my top 10 books of 2020. I absolutely devoured this story.

What I liked:
-short chapters
-fast paced
-strong female characters
-unique plotline and writing style
-flips POV between Rachel & Hannah and past & present
-includes writing as if you are hearing Rachel's podcast

I LOVE true crime podcasts so you better believe I loved this one. A well-written, fast paced, page turning thriller was exactly what I needed!

There is so much going on in this book. I found myself taking breaks often. I enjoyed the story but was not as impressed as others seem to be in the reviews. I would say, it’s worth giving it a shot.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Rachel is a podcaster who covers crime. She goes in depth about cases in real time and puts her listeners “in the jury box”. Her podcast has gotten quite popular and for her third season, she is covering a rape trial in (fictional) Neapolitan, North Carolina. The case centers around a 16 year old girl, Kelly Moore, who attended a party and says she was raped by the local “golden boy”, Olympic hopeful, Scott Blair. As Rachel covers the case, she finds herself drawn into another mystery from Neapolis’ history. Hannah, a fan of the podcast and local, begins sending letters to Rachel detailing a horrific crime that also took place years ago in Neapolis. As Rachel reports on the trial, she also investigates the past.

I absolutely loved the way the author told this story from multiple perspectives. Rachel is the main character but her story is interwoven with letters from Hannah (a second perspective) and transcripts of the podcast she is creating. I thought this was such a creative and interesting way to tell these interwoven stories.

I love reading thrillers in summer and that’s why I bought this book- I had the impression that is was a beachy thriller. I was wrong- while it does have a great element of mystery and is art in a beach town, it is so much more than that. It is a deep exploration of sexual assault, victim shaming, and the flawed court systems that make the victims of these crime twice assaulted

I really enjoyed the main character and I hope we read about the next season of her podcast in future books. I am also in awe of how sensitively and with such understanding the author handled the aftermath of these horrific crimes.

I love when authors mix up narrators and points of view. This is told in the form of letters, a podcast, and third person. Podcaster, Rachel, is on assignment. It's a new trial about to begin. She receives a letter from mysterious, Hannah, who is convinced her sister was murdered in this same town many years ago. Hannah is asking for Rachel's help. So, the book is a mystery/thriller about these two cases of rape. The author does an amazing job of telling both stories. If this podcast was real, I'd be downloading it now! I listened to the audiobook and I highly recommend reading it that way.

TW- discussions of rape, child abuse, & suicide.

Two Rape Cases Intersect in a Startling Conclusion

Rachael Kral has become a star because of her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Her first podcast solved a cold case and overturned a conviction. Now she’s in the small town of Neapolis covering the rape trial of the town’s golden boy. The town’s loyalties are sharply divided and the rape victim has been subjected to ostracism and abuse by some of the town’s people.

Rachael is completely wrapped up in her podcast, but she finds it hard to ignore the notes she’s getting from a girl named Hannah. Hannah is seemingly always there, but she avoids meeting Rachael. She says she wants help in solving the death of her sister, Jenny, twenty-five years ago.

This story is a good psychological thriller. It keeps you guessing as the plot twists and clues are revealed that begin to form a link between Jenny’s death and the current rape case. The story is told from two points of view, Rachael and Hannah. I thought this was very effective, since Hannah is basically hiding from Rachael although she wants her help.

The pace is good and the trial scenes are realistic and well done. I also enjoyed the transcripts of the podcasts. I thought it was a good touch.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

THE NIGHT SWIM is the second book by Megan Goldin I have the pleasure reading and it is again a perfect score. This is a page-turner from the beginning to the end. The story is thought-provoking, the characters are relevant, and the ending is spectacular. In this story, crime podcast star, Rachel Krall, goes to Neapolis to attend a trial of a young star athlete accused of raping a young teenager. Rachel will present the trial facts on her podcast Guilty or Not Guilty and let her listeners decide if the young man is guilty or not guilty. But as soon as she arrives in town, a series of letters are given to her at different times and places. In these letters, she discovers the story of another teenager who drowned many years prior. Jenny was her name and the letters are from her sister Hannah who is convinced that her drowning was not an accident, but she was killed. Rachel is intrigued and wants to find the truth. Will her investigation bring the truth out? Is Hannah right or not?

This is a nail-biting-edge-of-your-seat book. The story will keep you guessing to the end. A must-read!!

This book was an intricate yet captivating read told in two different timelines, both revolving around sexual assault and violence against women. The main character is Rachel, a popular true-crime podcast host who is covering the rape trial in a small town where an apparent accidental drowning had occurred 25 years before. The sister of the girl who drowned begins to leave notes for Rachel, begging her to help discover the truth about her sister's death. Rachel becomes interested in digging up the truth of the 25 year old crime while simultaneously invested in the current trial.

This book had excellent pacing, great writing, interesting characters, and a satisfying ending. I will definitely have Megan Goldin on my radar!

The Night Swim is an intriguing story. A podcast reporter is covering a trial and also gets involved in a cold case. They both deal with rape and finding justice. Lots of twists that will keep you reading until the very end..

With her latest thriller, The Night Swim, Megan Goldin explores the connections between two criminal cases that took place in the same small town 25 years apart. Rachel Krall, the protagonist of the novel, is a successful crime podcaster. For the first two seasons of her podcast, “Guilty or Not Guilty, the Podcast that Puts You in the Jury Box”, Rachel looked back at cold cases with a fresh set of eyes. Now that her show has become immensely popular, Rachel wants to up her game by going to court and sitting in on a live, ongoing trial to present and interpret the evidence to her listeners as it becomes available. The trial she has chosen in set in a small town and the accused is the town’s golden boy, a talented swimmer who hopes to make the Olympic team someday. He is accused of brutally raping a high school student who also happens to be the granddaughter of the sheriff. Tensions are high and opinions are very divided as to whether or not the young man is guilty.

Things take an odd turn, however, when she starts receiving mysterious handwritten letters imploring her to take a look at an old case from 25 years ago. The case was ruled a drowning because there were no witnesses aside from the victim’s nine-year-old sister who couldn’t really provide any information. The incident received little press at the time, but the letter writer, who turns out to be the younger sister of the drowning victim, swears her sister’s death was not an accident. Rachel is laser focused on the current case but the pleading tone of the letters get to her and so she starts to casually ask some of the townsfolk about what happened 25 years ago. When it becomes clear that no one wants to talk to her about it, Rachel starts to dig deeper and soon discovers some disturbing connections between the old case and the new case. Will Rachel discover the truth about both of the crimes and thus justice for the victims or will someone try to stop her from exposing long hidden secrets in this small town?

The Night Swim is a riveting mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The podcast aspect of the novel was also very well done. As Rachel produces each episode, we then get to listen to it before returning to the courthouse to hear more. I was completely invested in both mysteries and dying to learn the truth as the clues were slowly revealed. Be forewarned that because this story does deal with rape, there are some violent and heartbreaking scenes as we get closer and closer to the truth. I found myself near tears a couple of times as the truth came to light.

I enjoyed Megan Goldin’s last thriller, The Escape Room, but I have to say that with her latest effort, The Night Swim, she really knocks it out of the park.

Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for a copy of #thenightswim to read and review! The Night Swim tells the story of Kelly (told through Rachel’s POV and her podcast) and the story of Jenny (told by her sister). Both girls stories mirror each other in a way. Rachel comes to town to cover the rape trial involving Kelly and the star swim star. While there Hannah is sending her messages about what happened 25 years ago with her sister Jenny. She is sure her sister was murdered and didn’t really drown. Rachel becomes absorbed in both cases. I really liked the podcast aspect of this storyline. I couldn’t put this down! I stayed up too late last night just so I could see what happened and finish it. The ending surprised me! I’m not usually a trial book fans but this one was so touching! Comes out Tuesday! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I really loved the sections of the true crime podcast and getting to hear the parts of that that.
There are a lot of descriptions from the trial of the swimmer about the rape so that could be triggering.
I didn't feel this was as fascinating to me as her first novel which just held my attention really well. I find my thoughts wandering to others this and wasn't able to connect everything together. I feel that I may have had a better time actually reading this instead of listening.

I loved The Escape Room and was highly anticipating her next book. The Night Swim is sooo different from Escape Room but still tackles important issues of the #MeToo movement. As an attorney, I did get frustrated with some incorrect information in the book, but ultimately I think the story is an important one.

I really liked this book. Rachel does a podcast about a rape trial. She is contacted by a sister of a victim that had died year earlier. The town was led to believe the girl drown and led a promiscuous life. This book took so many turn. I really liked how it all came together in the end. You realized there were clues along the way that you missed.

Wow, I loved this book! The Night Swim is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I was hooked from the first page and it didn’t let up until the very last.
The Night Swim follows Rachel Krall, a successful true crime podcaster, as she covers a high profile rape case in the small seaside town of Neapolis. While working the case, Rachel gets drawn into another mysterious case that happened in Neapolis 25 years ago.
Megan Goldin did a fantastic job weaving the two storylines together. The courtroom drama of the current day case was broken up by the methodical unfolding of the case from 25 years ago. I couldn’t put this book down because both stories kept me needing to find out what happened next. The book came to a shocking and thought provoking conclusion that masterfully intertwined both cases and the affect they had on the lives of those involved and the town of Neapolis. This is one of the best books I’ve read this year, definitely pick this one up!!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had high hopes after seeing so many amazing reviews, but this one didn’t work for me. It’s a tough read due to the subject, with little to no character development, and I didn’t find it thrilling or much of a mystery.

Many thanks to NegGalley, the publishers, and of course, the author, for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest review.

I had to DNF this one. I didn't like the writing style and the podcast host and podcasts lacked realism. The subject matter (rape) is one that I simply don't care to read about at this time. Wrong reader for this type of read right now. I appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy but this is not the book for me at this time. Sorry.

If you love true crime podcasts you will love this one! Told in three POV ( Rachel's, Hannah and the podcast) the events of 25 years ago converge with the present day trial of the towns golden boy who is accused of rape. While I might not classify this as a "thriller" it will keep you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoy books with multiple POV so that aspect was really enjoyable for me. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

It's almost like this is my perfect book. We've got a true crime podcast as part of the plot and a ripped-from-the-headlines rape trial. Add to that the fact that we have a possibly unsolved murder (covered up to look like an accidental drowning) and I couldn't stop reading.

The accused rapist is essentially Brock Turner. He's a "good kid" who's about to lose his future because some vengeful girl is accusing him of rape. (You should know that I am rolling my eyes so hard that it's practically audible.) There's also a sentence in the book that goes something like. "Almost everyone agrees that murder is wrong so why is rape viewed with so many shades of gray?" (That's a paraphrase but it absolutely struck me. Because yes, it's the only crime I can think of where we, as a society, blame the woman for everything and go out of our way to keep the man from seeing any consequences for his actions. It's absolutely disgusting.

This book was impossible to put down and I absolutely love it. The way the two cases complemented each other (and showed how these same stories are told over and over and over and how the teenage girls were just vilified in both cases) was just masterful. I need to find and read her first book (The Escape Room), which also sounds amazing.

Highly recommended.

Wow, I’m so upset with myself for not reading this sooner. I originally read the first few pages and found it pretty dark so didn’t continue but wanted to eventually go back to it. Once I did get back into it, I could not put this book down!

This was so well-written with fantastic pacing that keeps you hooked into the storyline, moving between a podcast transcription, letters, courtroom proceedings and real time narrative.

There should definitely be content/trigger warnings for this book in regards to descriptions of rape and sexual assault, but I do believe that it was handled rather well by the author.

I will definitely recommend this book to friends looking for a gripping mystery!