The beginning was a bit confusing but ones you have become intrigued on what is going on currently and what happened 25 years ago you will have to finish the book. The story is very realistic and plays of in a small coastal town where everybody knows everybody. In the 25 years not much seems to have changed in the attitude towards rape victims. The female tends to get blamed. Some of the wealthy population of town feels they are entitled to do whatever, including rape and murder with no consequences. A number of lives got destroyed by the events of a quarter century ago. It is heartbreaking to see how rape victims are treated and shows that or legal system on this subject still leaves a lot to be desired. The mother that blames the girl for ruining the future of her son and doesn’t see anything wrong in what he did. After a very disturbing story I loved the ending with the nightingale showing no lose ends and a hint that live will become more normal for the main characters.

I was provided a copy of The Night Swim by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
⠀
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Title: The Night Swim
Author: Megan Goldin
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release Date: 4 August 2020
⠀
This book was far out of my preferred genre and has quite a few triggers in it.
⠀
For fans of crime shows, this will be a good read. Half of the book reads like you're watching a true crime show, which I found fantastic. It's an attention grabber. You are in the trial of a popular boy accused of rape, while still trying to figure out what happened to Jenny Stills. It's a book filled with tragedy and the author points out a few hard, realistic facts about rape and how it is often the victim who is blamed and shamed. As you follow the narrator of the podcast, learning facts as she does, you can speculate and solve the mystery with the main character.
The victims in this story deserved better, like all victims do.
It is definitely a worthy read!

The Night Swim is one of those reads that captivates you from the start and stays with you long after you've (sadly) turned the last page. CAUTION, this book contains graphic descriptions of rape and abuse. If this is a trigger for you, do not even consider reading this book.

This is the story of two young girls (each 16) who were raped and abused multiple times twenty-five years apart in the same town. It is told by alternating among the first person view of Hannah Stills, the younger sister of Jenny, a third person narrative about Rachel Krall, famous host of the cultural sensation podcast Guilty or Not Guilty, and through the 3rd season of the podcast which for the first time features a live trial.

Hannah, age 10, begins telling about the last summer Jenny was alive. The girls live with their mother who is dying of cancer. Jenny has taken on the responsibility of caring for her mother, her younger sister, and the house. Money is a problem, and the family has been looked down on by the townspeople for generations. No one really cares what happens to the Stills family. When Jenny dies, it is quickly declared an accidental drowning. Her mother thinks otherwise, and asks that her daughter's death be investigated. But it wasn't.

Rachel has tried to protect her anonymity from the start of her career. Her voice may be known, but she has done all she, can to keep people from recognizing her. So she is quite surprised when someone starts leaving notes at her door, on her car, addressed to her, asking for her help. She is in Neapolis, NC to base the third season of her podcast on the upcoming trial that is the talk of the town. Wealthy, privileged, nationally known swimming sensation Scott Blair, 18, is accused of raping Kelly Moore. Though Rachel's focus is on the trial and her podcast, she cannot ignore the continuing notes from a woman named Hannah who asks her help in getting her sister's death twenty-five years ago declared as the murder it was. The more Rachel looks into what happened to both Kelly and Jenny, the more connections she finds between them.

The author's writing is so descriptive that she easily makes the reader feel that they are present in each scene. She also seamlessly blends the two stories across the years that seperate them, and handles a difficult subject with great sensitivity. As one of her characters states "I want to make you think about how rape and the threat of rape affects the lives of women in a hundred different ways."

Between the high and heart-rending emotions generated by what happened to Jenny and Kelly, how it affected them and those who love them, the courtroom drama of the trial, and the podcast episodes, this is a compelling though troubling read.

Add this to your TBR (to be read) pile now. You won't want to miss this excellent book!

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

The Night Swim is the perfect dose of legal suspense, murder-solving investigative work and ominous feelings. It was a great read and I give it 4 ½ stars!

The Night Swim follows Rachel, an investigative journalist, as she works on the third season of her hit Podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Rachel is in Neapolis, a small coastal town, to cover a rape trial for her listeners. However, she begins concurrently investigating the suspicious death of a teen girl in the nineties, after receiving mysterious letters from the girl’s sister.

I really liked the way the story was told. The main narrator is, of course, Rachel, who we follow as she works on covering the rape trial of Scott Blair for her podcast. But we also get inside the mind of Hannah Stills, the sister of Jenny Stills, who died under suspicious circumstances 25 years ago, when Rachel receives letters from Hannah.

Hannah tells the story of what happened the summer Jenny died in bits and pieces, giving Rachel some time to investigate on her own in between each mysterious letter. I love how the author builds up tension as we get closer to finding out what happened to Jenny through Hannah’s memories.

At the same time, the trial is happening and we are kept in the loop via Rachel’s podcast episodes, scattered throughout the story. The transition between the different point of views is flawless and kept me hooked. Every time I told myself “Just one more chapter…”, I ended up reading three more. Did I mention this book was hard to put down? Because it was!

I loved how our heroine is all work and no play. No distractions, just her investigation and her interviews. I haven’t read many novels where there are so few relationships mixing up with the story. Really, the only constant human connection Rachel has throughout the whole story is with her producer. And I didn’t mind at all!

The only “negative” thing I can say is that a few of the big twists were easy to see coming. Still, I enjoyed The Night Swim and I recommend it 100%!

Rachel Krall is a podcaster of some renown - her first season got a convicted man freed by uncovering new evidence! Now she is in a coastal Carolina town to cover live the trial of a teenage athlete accused of rape. As she arrives in town, she starts getting notes about a girl's death, 30 years prior. She is spooked that the letter writer had to be following her - the first note showed up on her windshield while she was parked at a roadside diner where she hadn't even planned to stop. Arriving in town, she meets with the defendant and his posse of attorneys and publicity staff. The victim will not speak to her - the judge does not want any advanced press that may influence the jury pool. The whole time, notes, knocks on her door, and even restaurant visits all give her more information about the death of a teenage girl, from the wrong side of the tracks, 30 years ago. The letter writer claims to be the sister of the victim, looking for justice. What parallels are there in the 2 cases? , As it turns out, boys from affluent families certainly experience "justice" differently than the rest of us. Clearly drawing from the trial of Brock Turner, The Night Swim takes a close loo at the miscarriage of justice that sometimes occurs when victims are blamed and defendants are powerful & popular.

The Night Swin by Megan Goldin
Pub Date 08/04/2020
Thriller

Rachel the podcast host of guilty or not guilty, the podcast that puts you in the jury box! Rachel travels to a small town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial on her podcast that will put the millions of people that listen into the jury box. They can decide after listening to the trial and going over the evidence if the man is guilty or innocent.
While Rachel is in town covering a trial someone is following her, leaving notes, asking her to investigate it 25 year old case. Rachel decides to look into this old case while working on the second season of her hit podcast.
Rachel soon uncovers startling connections between the two cases. Which will change the lives of everyone involved in the two cases. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and to #netgalley for the free book for an honest review.

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing a copy of this book for me to read and review.

Wow, everyone loves this book, huh? It's got so many 4 & 5 star reviews, I'm a bit intimidated. Because I didn't love the book. It's listed as a thriller, and I don't really think it fits that category. IT was a bit slow overall for me. I didn't feel that surprise moment that I like to read in thrillers. But I suppose I should also note that I did not like the author's previous book, which it seemed that everyone also loved. So maybe this author and I just aren't a good fit. I do think the author has an ability for character development and setting the scene, but this book just didn't work for me.

And, I feel like maybe there should have been a trigger warning. When I requested this book, I did see that the case being investigated was a rape trial, but didn't expect the level of details and emotion. Though, maybe that is the sign of a good author, if they can bring out the emotion in you. I don't know. I just wasn't expecting it in this book, and would have stopped reading had this not been an advance reader copy of the book, waiting for my review. As it is, I've taken months to actually finish the book and write this review. Because I just don't know what to say.

I'm thoroughly undecided on this book, I guess. The idea of a crime pod-caster appealed to me (Hey, I listened to and enjoyed Serial too!). And the descriptions and emotions were there. But this book still just really didn't work for me. Maybe due to the rape? Or maybe something else.

But, hey, I'm in the minority here. If you like crime drama and reading about a rape doesn't bother you, give it a try!

Rachel is a journalist with a popular true crime podcast, Guilty or Innocent. She has had two very successful seasons rehashing former cases for new results. I, personally, love those kinds of podcasts, books, and documentaries. I was hooked. The Innocence Project has me. I will listen to, watch, or read anything thing they are involved in. Rachel may be leading or she may be capitalizing on the popularity, but either way she has made such a splash that someone seeks her out to get justice for her sister.

A note left for Rachel brings back the case of a young girl whose death was ruled an accident. Rachel has come to Neapolis, a small seaside town, to cover a live rape trial. She is lead into the incestuous underbelly of the town itself as she weaves together the past and the present to investigate both crimes.

Here is where I feel the need to remind people that this is delicate and troubling subject matter. It may not be for everyone. Some people who have survived such crimes find the reading of justice for victims to be empowering and satisfying. Others find them to be traumatic to read. This is a trial. A victim will have to describe the crime against her. You may want to skip it, depending on your experience. It is raw and realistic in its portrayal of what a person goes through when they are a attacked. If you believe women make rape claims in order to get attention or revenge, read completely. It is never going to be worth what is required to try to get a conviction.

Thank you to Megan Goldin, Netgalley, and Macmillan for the opportunity to experience this book for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

It’s safe to say that I’m a fan of Megan Goldin after reading this book. Even tho this story to me was predictable, I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It flowed so well and I really loved everything about it. I was so into what happened in the past and present stories. Megan just really nailed this story telling and character building. I would love to read more about Rachel and her investigative podcasts! This particular story is not for the light hearted. This whole book is centered around two rape cases- one from the past and the present. So there are definite trigger warnings you should be aware of before going into it. Trigger warnings are: rape, physical abuse, sexual abuse, substance abuse and death.
All in all this was a very easy, fast paced, and addicting read. I was very entertained through the whole thing and couldn’t wait to see how things would play out. I would have easily rated it 5⭐️ if it had more mind blowing twists and been less predictable.

Rachel Krall comes to the small coastal town of Neapolis to cover the rape trial of victim "K" vs Scott Blair, for her successful true crime podcast Guilty or Not Guilty. I get the feeling she wants to shed light on the ugliness that rape trials bring out, particularly for the victim. Every small town has its secrets of course, and Rachel finds herself prompted by letters from the mysterious Hannah to look into her sister's death 25 years ago. Despite the case never being investigated, Hannah insists her sister was murdered...

Despite the subject matter, I really enjoyed reading The Night Swim. The characters, setting and reactions are all very well described and believable. It doesn't really feel like a work of fiction. Both cases were interesting and the twist at the end did not disappoint. That being said, I really wouldn't call this a thriller. A great read, nonetheless.

I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a big of Goldin’s debut novel, The Escape Room because it was was just too over the top for me (I know a lot of people loved it, so definitely read it if you get a chance). That being said, I thought the The Night Swim was absolutely fantastic.

Rachel Krall runs an incredibly successful true crime podcast. For season three, she has chosen to follow the investigation of a rape trial in the small town of Neapolis. In this case, the all-star swim athlete is accused of raping the granddaughter of the local police chief. While trying to focus on the investigation, Rachel keeps receiving mysterious letters asking for her help in investigating a case that happened in Neapolis 25 years prior. The death of Jenny Stills was ruled as an accidental drowning but the person writing the letters insists that Jenny was murdered. To make matters worse, as Rachel starts asking the people of Neapolis questions, no one wants to talk. So what really happened to Jenny? And will the granddaughter get justice or will her rapist walk free?

First and foremost, if rape is at all triggering to you, you will most definitely have a difficult time reading this one as you do get flashbacks to when the rapes take place. While I think that this is something that the author handles with grace, she does not shy away from the details.

When it comes to stories that feature alternative formats such as epistolary and podcasts, I find that they make for better audiobooks especially when you have multiple cast members like you do in The Night Swim. I thought that both Hannah’s letters and Rachel’s podcast cohesively blended into the story and enhanced it rather than detracted.

As far as characters go, I absolutely loved Rachel. Rachel has to ask tough questions as she follows both the rape trial as well as investigates the death of Jenny Stills, but she never backs down from possible leads even when she knows that that they could potentially put her life in danger. She is gritty, fierce, and determined to get justice even if who we think the victim is may not be the case. She is always on the side of truth.

From start to finish, the plot is propulsive. I was immediately sucked into the horrifying rape trial as well as the story of Jenny Stills. Both of them are raw, honest, and utterly heartbreaking. I definitely had moments during the rape trial when I just wanted to stop because I felt like I was being ripped in half by the sheer injustice of the so called justice system. I was angry but also not surprised.

This is one of those books that really walks that fine line of fiction and nonfiction. All of the events within the courtroom and the way society treated both the rape victim and Jenny Stills is EXACTLY what plays in society. Some people will say parts of this book were predictable and this wasn’t a true thriller. I don’t disagree, but I also think the author was trying to achieve something more than your standard thriller, she a damn good job doing so.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for providing an advanced listening copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

The Night Swim has been one of the best books I've read this year. It's a particularly easy read because of everything that's going on in the plot. You promise yourself one more hour of reading and then notice that 3 hours have passed by. The book starts off by introducing the main character, Rachel, the creator of a podcast who is travelling to the city of Neapolis, to observe and report daily on the trial of "K" vs Scott Blair in he-said-she-said rape trial. Shortly before Rachel arrives to Neapolis, she gets a letter from a mysterious woman named Hannah who pleas for Rachel's help in investigating a murder, written off as suicide, of her sister Jenny, coincidentally in the very same town if Neapolis. In the end, Rachel finds herself investigating two crimes and diving into the history of the small intertwined town of Neapolis.

One of the most unique and enjoyable characteristics of the book is the changes in point of views. There's Rachel's typical point of view, Rachel's composed and eloquent point of view of how she speaks to the listeners, and then Hannah's emotional letters to Rachel. The plot never got boring because there are two story lines, past and present, and both are equally interesting.

A major theme of this book is rape. The author summed up the concept brilliantly with this quote: "I don't get how we can almost unanimously agree that murder is wrong, yet when it comes to rape some people still see shades of gray." Weather intentional or not, the author is shining light on a very important topic that is relevant to today's society.

I am usually very good at guessing endings, but I'll admit that this ending had me VERY shocked. I appreciate that this wasn't a run of the mill predictable thriller. In the end, I wanted more from the book and was sad to finish the last page. This was my first read by Megan Goldin but I'd happily read any of her other books seeing how much I enjoyed this!

WOW. This book is impeccable, which I do not say lightly. This is my first Megan Goldin read, and I look forward to going back and reading her past books.

This is an absolutely captivating story of a small coastal town plagued by secrets. Two horrifying acts against two 16 year old girls 25 years apart. Rachel is a podcast host who is taking on the challenge of recording a podcast about a rape trial as it unfolds in real time. Upon her arrival in the town, Rachel is haunted by letters from the sister (Hannah) of a girl (Jenny) who, according to police reports, died in an accidental drowning 25 years ago when she was the same age as the plaintiff in the case Rachel is currently covering. Goldin manages to integrate the two storylines masterfully and respectfully despite the triggering subject matter.

While reading this book I was disgusted, angry, intrigued, frustrated, and hopeful. Goldin is extremely successful in taking the reader on an emotional journey along with the characters. I think the mechanics (e.g. having the main character be a podcast host and including excerpts of her podcast) were effective in making the reader feel as though they were in the jury box, just as the podcast asserts. I had many hypotheses throughout the book about different perpetrators and possibilities of how both situations (in the past and current) played out, but I was thoroughly shocked by the ending and loved how gracefully Goldin tied everything together.

Full 5/5 stars. Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a really good read dealing with a really hard topic - rape. It explores all sides and was really well written. I haven't read anything by this author before but will be adding her to my list of must reads.

Be prepared to lose sleep when reading “The Night Swim,” the latest thriller by Megan Goldin

Hannah’s sister, Jenny, died twenty-five years ago. While officials determined that Jenny had drowned, Hannah is convinced she was murdered and desires to seek justice for her sister. Real Crime podcast host, Rachel, discovers a note from Hannah on her dashboard: Hannah wants Rachel’s help. While hesitant to help Hannah, Rachel attends the trial of a famous swimmer who is accused of raping a teenage girl. Yet, at the same time, Rachel continues to receive notes from Hannah and becomes involved in both investigations, which intersect.

I had not read any of Megan Goldin’s’s earlier work so was not sure what to expect when asked to review “Night Swim.” The author did a masterful job blending the two plotlines together as well as keeping the voices of Rachel and Hannah distinct. Transcripts of Rachel’s podcasts and Hannah’s letters are intersected from chapters told from Rachel’s POV. I appreciate how the reader discovered information just as Rachel does. This was not an easy read, both because of the subject matter and how realistically the author portrays rape and its aftermath. As an attorney, I found the courtroom scenes especially grisly, but that did not keep me from consuming the book in a handful of sittings. Now I need to hit the library and read Ms. Goldin’s earlier work.

Special thanks to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for an opportunity to review this novel.

Fantastic book. I think Megan Goldin is a great author and I really enjoyed reading The Night Swim and The Escape Room before that. In this case as was the case with The Escape Room, the story is unique but The Night Swim explores a lot of the things wrong in our society-including bullying, violence to women, child abuse, and privacy matters. I would recommend to anyone who likes good contemporary lit that explores people and the mask they wear out in public versus how they are in private. In addition, the main characters Rachel and Hannah are fleshed out and felt real to me.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

What a story. Whew.

Rachel is the host of a popular true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty. Typically Rachel works through cold cases, but to up the ante in it’s third season she has chosen to cover a case as it goes to trial – a rape of a teen girl in a small town. While in town, anonymous letters make their way to her asking for help finding out the truth about the death of another teenage girl 25 years ago – the town believes that it was a case of drowning, but the truth might be a little harder to swallow. As Rachel continues reporting for the podcast (we get snippets of the dialogue!), she is compelled to find justice for Jenny as well.

The parallels between the two victims – Jenny and Kelly – are heartbreaking.

Highly recommend – I may have taken an extended lunch break at work to finish!!!

Trigger warnings for this book: Rape, sexual assault

I enjoyed the premise of this book from the beginning-- Rachel is an upcoming and coming podcaster who is covering a highly publicized trial in a small town where a teen has accused an up and coming swim star of rape.

A secondary mystery throughout the story is Rachel's quest to solve another murder mystery in the town, which is brought to light by the murder victim's sister, Hannah.

I liked Rachel; her dogged pursuit of the truth, her tenacity and her hesitation in pursuing the death of Hannah's sister.

As someone from a small town, I felt the dynamics that were portrayed of the town were very realistic and almost a character unto itself (e.g. everyone is connect to each other, people's past is common knowledge amongst locals, etc.).

The plot kept me guessing until the end and the shocking twist at the end was totally enjoyable!

This book features an intriguing dual-timeline parallel plot within an interesting frame of a podcast transcript to advance the narrative. I found this to be a quick read, but I definitely felt like there was a dearth of depth to the characters that reduced my investment in their stories. This lack of investment also rendered some of the other characters a little unbelievable since we couldn't really understand their motivations. Had this book spent more time with the characters to build depth, it could have easily been a five star book.

Thank you to NetGalley and StMartins Press for my review copy!
.
The Escape Room by Megan Goldin was one of my favorite books of 2019, so I was very eager to read her follow-up, The Night Swim. While this book didn't have the exact page-turning thriller vibe that her first did, it was a very well-done courtroom/podcast mash-up that made for a captivating read.

Rachel Krall takes on true crime in her wildly popular true crime podcast, and for season two she heads to small town Neapolis for the rape trial of the town's golden boy and Olympics-bound swim star. While there, she begins receiving notes and emails from a woman named Hannah, who begs for her help in uncovering the mystery of her sister's death 25 years prior.

Alternating between podcast episodes and real life, between the present-day rape trial and the mystery of Jenny Stills from more than two decades prior, Goldin crafts another great story. She is becoming a "must author" for me.