A little gimmicky for my taste. I felt the same about The Escape Room but thought I’d at least try it.

I felt all the emotions while reading this book. It may be hard for some to read this novel based on the topic of rape and death but I loved the fight for honesty and the justice sought after in this novel.

"The Night Swim" deals with chasing truth and the desire for a victim to be heard. Something that is so real these days. Both past and present events detailed in this book push you out of your (reader) comfort zone.

I loved ever part of this novel. The hard parts made the good parts that much more enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for my advance copy of this novel.

Oh. My. Gosh. I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book since "The Escape Room" was one of my top reads of 2019.... and I'm just as BLOWN AWAY.

Rachel is a famous true crime podcast creator who's divorced and married to her job. One day, she travels to a small town of Neapolis, North Carolina, to do research on a famous rape case which may or may not have been fabricated; the victim was the granddaughter of a police chief and was allegedly raped by the Olympic swimmer Scott Blair. But after she comes back to her from a diner, Rachel finds a note begging for help uncovering the truth about the drowning of Jenny Stills whose case is filled with so many holes that it looks like a possible murder. While Rachel is indifferent to the note at first, her innate curiosity takes the better of her and the investigation begins... Only it looks like the two Neapolis cases may actually have more in common than it seems.

I am shaken, unsettled and very emotional after reading this. "The Night Swim" is not a light psychological thriller you could pick up for your beach read; rather, it is a serious exploration of the topic of rape, which is certainly a potential trigger. However, Goldin tackles this difficult topic with a sensitive and objective outlook. There is also a strong theme of guilt associated with rape, which is heavy but well presented.

Overall, I'd HIGHLY recommend this book not only for its quality thriller value, but also the literary exploration of our society's rape culture. Its not easy, but it pulls you in from the beginning. 5 stars.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Are you, like me, one of those readers who loves a book that keeps you guessing and that challenges every one of your “little grey cells” as you try to figure out who’s the good guy and who’s just masquerading as a good guy before the author’s seemingly straightforward takes a sharp turn before the final reveal? If that scenario is your cup of tea then THE NIGHT SWIM by Megan Goldin is the book for you. I had read a previous book by this author, The Escape Room, and thoroughly enjoyed it so I decides to give this one a try. Let me tell you I was not disappointed.

The Night Swim tells the story Rachel Krall whose podcasts re-examines true crimes and, in at least one instance, has led to an innocent man being set free. Now Rachel is in the small, insular town of Neopolis covering the story of the town “golden boy” who has been accused of raping the grand-daughter of the well respected and now deceased police chief. In addition, Rachel has been receiving letters from a woman named Hannah begging her to investigate the death of her sister Jenny who was raped and murdered in the very same town 25 years earlier and whose death was ruled accidental and never investigated.

Told by Rachel and Hannah in alternating chapters, The Night Swim is chilling, nasty, intelligent and shocking………a clever and dark confection that hinges on not one but two crimes as it examines the horror of rape and its consequences for not only the perpetrator but also surviving victims, who are forced to relive the traumatic event multiple times.

Unraveling this smart psychological thriller will provide you with hours of enjoyment and diversion as well as providing your tired brain cells with the workout they deserve during the boring hours of this “pandemic”.

Slow paced with tight tension and a haunting tale. I absolutely loved this book- I think because I am a bit addicted to True Crime Podcasts but regardless, I thought this was well written

A podcast journalist with a case to present gets mixed up with a 25-year-old mystery, and all sorts of secrets are uncovered. Bringing in threads from other cases, and leaning heavily on the themes of rape, harassment, and victimization of rape victims, Golden not only tells a story but keeps in the spotlight this ongoing societal issue. The plot is interned with both the past and present, and when everything comes together in the end, you’ll think you know what’s coming, but you won’t. A well-done trial mystery that will leave you a bit heartsore and re-examining your convictions.

The author has expertly weaved the stories of two rapes which occurred in a small town 25 years apart. Rachel, an investigative reporter, is there to cover the trial of the young man accused of the crime for her podcast she does with her partner. While there she gets pulled into the other crime by Hannah, the sister of the other victim, who has been haunted this for a very long time. The novel was very well written and kept me engaged throughout. This is my first book written by this author but definitely won’t be my last. #TheNightSwim #MeganGoldin #NetGalley

It was a well written book, had lots of potential but sadly it did not hold my attention. It was slow paced and drawn out. I believed it to be something else when I read the description. I am into faster paced books, with more of a police procedural subject matter.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley

After reading Megan Goldin's novel The Escape Room, I was excited to read this book. This one definitely doesn't have the same nail-biting 'what's going to happen next' feel like that one did. It was a slow burn and had a lot more legal/courtroom drama than thriller. There were 2 crimes that the main character, Rachel (a podcast/reporter), was trying to piece together in a small town. One was the murder of Jenny Stills from 25 years ago and the other was the rape of a 16-year-old girl that Rachel is reporting on in her podcast and is what brought her to the small town.

I enjoyed the writing style and the author's ability to draw you in to the drama. Although it was a slow burn, it still was a quick read for me since I enjoyed the characters and the story.

I liked this book better than I expected to when I first opened it and realized it's similarity to Gilly MacMillan's latest with the podcast narrative. It was really engaging and told an intriguing story; I couldn't put it down. The characters were realistic and well described. I didn't really feel the title was appropriate, though. I also would have liked to see more closure for Bobby and Dan Moore's family. I will definitely look out for this author again.

As a fan of true crime podcasts, I couldn't wait to read Megan Goldin's latest book. In it, Rachel Krall, one of the nation's top true crime podcast hosts, finds herself in a small coastal town to cover the rape trial of a local girl against one of the town's shining stars and a potential Olympic competitor. Before the case even begins, though, Rachel starts receiving disturbing messages about another case from the town's past. Twenty five years ago, a girl named Jenny drowned... but her sister is convinced there's more to the story. As this book follows the injustice committed against two young girls, you'll experience a myriad of emotions over the atrocities that changed the town forever. This book is incredibly well-written, haunting, heartbreaking and a really heavy read. Read it... but queue up a light-hearted beach read next!

As a mystery this book delivers, it checks all the boxes and then some. Having said that, it also broke my heart. It is so much more, it touches on so many pressure points. There were characters that were deplorable, some were honorable and others were tragic. Hannah and Jenny stayed with me for days.

I have to admit, when I first started reading, I almost put it down. The author made a habit of using the character's name way too much and it was driving me crazy. It wasn't, "Rachel knew she was wrong and she wanted to fix it." It was, "Rachel knew Rachel was wrong and Rachel wanted to fix it." It was almost like the author couldn't keep the characters straight without that reminder for herself but it was very irritating as the reader.

But I pushed past it and it turned out to be a good read. Intriguing, decent mystery, some suspense. Two different crimes, during two different time periods, and I wanted to find out the outcome of both.

I did feel like I really knew what happened with Jenny, it was really just a matter of who and why. Right around the time I felt like I knew what had happened and the book was just trying to drag it out, a new twist or two were thrown in. They weren't super surprising, but enough to keep me reading.

The present-day crime felt very true to life, based on a very similar real crime.

I also felt the way the book was written did a great job of highlighting the differences in how things are today compared to how things were in decades gone by. The way people would look the other way, cover up crimes for people they knew, and pretend not to know what was happening to someone or multiple someones.

I feel it could have been a tighter book, maybe some more suspense thrown in, but overall, it was a good read and worth the time.

This was an extremely well written story. An excellent thriller that also deals with deeply tough subject matter in a sensitive fashion. I loved the multiple POV mixed in with the main character’s podcast transcripts – it kept the story moving and the book flew by for me. I think the author did a great job of portraying the repeated trauma that sexual assault survivors are subjected to not only during the assault, but afterwards if they choose to report. This story will stay with me for a long time, and I’m impressed at the author’s ability to write so beautifully about a sensitive topic but still providing a great thriller.

To be honest, The Night Swim made me very uncomfortable at times – but that’s part of why I think the author did such a great job writing this story. My only complaint is that the ending felt a bit rushed, but it was satisfying. Highly recommend this book! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this great thriller.

A truly tragic story that is well told and keeps you guessing until the end.

Guilty or Not Guilty podcast is the brainchild of Rachel and her producer Pete. Rape is a controversial topic. Making ii the focus of her third podcast, Rachel Kroll finds herself reporting on one trial and investigating a 25 yr old case ruled an accidental death. Rachel finds herself pulled between both cases. Investigating and reporting have dangerous side effects as plot twists rapidly increase the tension.

Surprise ending left me breathless.

This is a terrific thriller for fans of twisty suspense. I love how at times I felt like I was listening to the podcast. The various narrators and narrative devices are very clever. I also enjoyed how Goldin told two parallel stories, both very suspenseful. This is definitely a page turner and Goldin is quite talented. The ending, while not 100% "satisfying" or "happy," is absolutely well deserved and fits the well-crafted narrative. I would definitely read more by this author. Recommended for fans of domestic suspense and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for giving me the opportunity to read The Night Swim!

Starting with the plot, there were definite moments of excitement and my attention was captured the entire length of the book. Between reading Rachel’s podcast chapters, letters from Hannah, and Rachel living through the trial and solving Hannah’s old case, it’s almost impossible to not want to keep reading more. The only real issue was the gruesomeness of some of the raping scenes. Though the author doesn’t explicitly explain every act of the rape scenes, there were moments that I could easily fill in the blanks and it left me pretty disturbed. I feel a person who’ve had this horrific/traumatizing experience would want to stay clear from this read because I can see it be being triggering. There’s nothing wrong with what the author did, but it was just very unpleasant to read.

On the other hand, the need to know what truly happened to Hannah’s sister years ago and the conclusion of the Scott Blair trial did keep my attention. I kept trying to guess how the two cases connected. I will admit, though I had many theories, the ending result wasn’t what I thought. Having an unsuspecting outcome was a nice way to bring the two cases together.

When looking at the characters, I felt there was only one who truly showed growth and whose background was built the most. That would be Hannah due to the nature of the letters she shares with Rachel. We learn about the days leading up to the night of the death of her sister, and even the thoughts and feelings she expressed during the present storyline. Learning how the two cases connect did bring some light into some present-day characters. However, these characters weren’t necessarily the main ones. Rachel was the one telling most of the story, but we don’t really get to know her very well and I found it a bit challenging to connect with her. She was more of an outsider looking in and the one to navigate both Hannah’s sister’s case and the Scott Blair trial. Due to the focusing on the two cases, perhaps it wasn’t necessary to learn more about Rachel, but it was something that I noticed.

Overall, The Night Swim was definitely a quick and fairly captivating read, but it was one that lacked much character development. I would recommend this read to those who enjoy reading an unsolved case where one person is trying to solve it. Also, I would recommend this to those who aren’t triggered with rape scenes.

Wow! This is a very intense book and talks about a very sensitive subject with details. You can actually feel the pain! Sexual assault is shown in the most horrible way possible in two different cases and two different girls. Cases that happened 25 years apart but are connected in a way that you can't imagine. This book is going to hunt me for a while, and the feeling of crying comes every time I think about Jenny Stills. This book was very well written and it's rich in details and if you ever went through sexual assault (not just rape itself) or know anyone that has this book might be way too painful for you.

Rachel Krall has a successful crime podcast called "Guilty or not Guilty" and she goes a to small town in the North Carolina coast to cover a rape case but she didn't know that the town had other secrets or that its past would connect to the new case. When Rachel starts receiving letters from Hanna Stills asking for justice for her sister murdered years ago, she decided to give her best to found out what happened in that summer night of October '92. And what she finds out is so intense and painful and the seek for justice for both girls becomes even more strong.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

FIVE STARS!! I absolutely devoured this one. I loved Megan Goldin’s first book THE ESCAPE ROOM and was so excited for this one. It’s even better!! I’m telling you there is NO thriller like this out there (and that’s coming from someone who reads nonstop thrillers😂) 🙌🏼🙏🏼. The storyline is so fantastic that I didn’t even feel the need for a killer plot twist. That NEVER happens!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and St Martins for the early copy. This is easily one of my top reads of 2020 ❤️

Normally I’m not a fan of podcast based stories but this one kept me interested throughout the book. The cat and mouse game between Rachel and Hannah keeps the story moving really fast. The small town setting with a beach backdrop and small-town life where everyone knows everyone keeps the mystery in the book refreshing. There is an unfortunate sexual assault that occurs that is somewhat similar to something that happened decades ago. And Rachel is investigating both the cases simultaneously and it is interesting to see if they intertwine at any time.

I did like that this was based in North Carolina and made me miss the ocean quite a bit right now. Trigger warning regarding rape as it is mentioned a few times in this book so readers will need to keep that in mind if sensitive to it. The grief that the victim goes through in this one is mentioned in a really detailed way that will make the readers feel really gutted.

Definitely a good book that handles both the mystery part very well and deals with some very serious issues in a perfect sensitive way. The two parallel storylines are handled in a really interesting way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy!