Rachel is covering the trial of a young man accused of raping a teenage girl for her true crime podcast. At the same time, Hannah contacts her and asks her to research the death of Hannah's sister Jenny years earlier. This was really good but a very heavy subject matter (definite trigger warnings for various incidents of rape and sexual assault), looking at the current case from the standpoints of both victim blaming and potentially ruining an innocent man's life over a false claim. Not really a "fun" read, although it was a good book. Four stars.

I really liked The Night Swim, which is kind of horrible to say because the premise was terribly sad. But the book was compulsively readable, twists and turns unfolded at the perfect pace. What can I say. It was good. And of course, the added allure of the podcast. Which was kind of fun.
And would you believe, I didn’t make the connection until I was done with the book, that the author, Megan Goldin, also wrote The Escape Room, which I also loved. I think I maybe didn’t make the connection because the books are different, which just speaks to the strength of Goldin’s writing range.
In the night swim, we meet Rachel, an up and coming podcaster, who serves as one narrator. The other is a woman who lost her sister years ago and due to the injustices and corruption of a small town, her death was never investigated.
Throughout the book, we switch between the present day rape of K and the 25-year-old cold case possible murder of Jenny Stills. It was a really interesting way to learn both stories, and because of the small town, a lot of the players were the same, even 25 years later.
I would recommend The Night Swim to anyone who enjoys a good mystery. It’s somewhat similar in plot (but more literary) to Mystic River.
Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one releases August 4. My review will be posted on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on July 7, 2020.

First of all I want to say this is a very well written book on the very touchy subject of rape. Megan Goldin wrote a powerful story on this topic. As for my review the story itself just dragged and I really wasn’t invested in it. I didn’t hate it or like it. Just a slow burn. Thank you netgalley for letting me give an honest review of this book.

4.5/5 A fast paced thriller that I could not turn the pages fast enough. I loved the story of Rachel a pod-caster who is following a crape trial when she receives information about another case in the same town. The cat and mouse point of view combined with the excellent writing made for a great story. Megan Goldin is an auto-buy writer for me now. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy. Highly recommend for a legal thriller readers.

I am a true crime podcast lover and this book was right up that alley. Rachel is a podcaster (aka Serial) and is in town to follow a rape trial. She is contacted by a stranger who wants her to investigate another crime that happened decades ago. What resonated with me while reading was the class disparages between the assaulter and the victims. If you had resources: you are believed. If you are poor: you aren't. This book was a refreshing change from the other psychological thrillers out there. Really enjoyed it. Highly recommended.

Many of the thrillers I’ve been reading lately include rape or sexual assault. I haven’t been seeking these out, but since #metoo and people talking more about rape, many more authors have been writing about it. Write what you know or write with the times.
Some of these books have been very good, while I’ve felt others wrote about this topic because it’s currently in the media, but they really should have looked for a different angle.

I don’t care why Megan Goldin decided to write The Night Swim, because it’s been the best recently written book I’ve read about rape. And I also want to mention that I read this book in one sitting, which I haven’t done in a long time. It was so good I needed to find out what was going to happen.

Goldin combines two stories into one, with a girl, Jenny, who drowned over 20 years ago and a rape trial that is happening now. The way they are weaved together is masterful. There is also a stalker involved who does some really creepy things to get Rachel’s attention.

Goldin leaves plenty of clues in the story so the reader feels as if they are part of the jury trying to discern what information is pertinent, and as a sleuth following Rachel around as she tries to find out what happened to Jenny all those years ago. Some things I saw coming, and you will too, if you pay attention. But there were still a few surprises, which made this book even better.

I highly recommend The Night Swim, as well as Goldin’s other book, The Escape Room.

Rachel has a popular true crime podcast-think Serial. In her third season she is covering a rape case in a small coastal town in real time. She is also contacted by Hannah wanting help investigating the death of her sister 25 years earlier. Everyone believes it was a drowning but Hannah isn’t convinced. The story is told through different POVs, letters from Hannah to Rachel and podcast episodes. I read it one day-very engaging. Serious trigger warnings.
Thanks to #Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press!

It’s been 25 years since Hannah’s sister Jenny died. Hannah just shy of 10 and Jenny just 16. Hannah couldn’t speak a word when it happened, but now she will.

Rachel runs a true-crime podcast and is on her way to a small town to cover a rape trial, when she gets a letter from Hannah on her car while she’s stopped to eat at a remote location. Even though Jenny’s death was ruled an accident, Hannah knows it was murder and wants Rachel to help her find her sisters killer. Even though Rachel is alarmed at the fact that Hannah knows where she was at that exact moment, she wants to help.

We’re taken on a cat and mouse game between Hannah and Rachel, and at the same time, Rachel’s coverage of the rape trial. Both cases are eerily similar and speak volumes about rape and victim shaming. This book is written with such a real and raw view of these topics that it’s impossible to put down.

I really enjoyed this impossible to figure out story! It is tough to read at times, but I was still completely involved in both girls stories. I love the fact that there is a strong message in this book on top of a good read!

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s and Megan Goldin for an ARC!

A twisty psychological thriller that takes you on a ride for justice. I enjoyed this story very much and am a big fan of this author so far! Thank you!

Wow I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down, i ended up devouring it and the icky problem I gave is it's now over! Told in multiple pov which I love. I really enjoyed the podcasts sections in the book they were unique and added to the amazing plot of the book.

A captivating read that held my attention all the way through. Rachel, a true crime Podcaster, is covering a rape trial in a small beach town, when she is sought out to help solve another rape case from 25 years ago. Many twists and turns keep you questioning throughout, all the way up to the shocking ending.

Definite trigger warning for rape and sexual assault content. However, I felt the story was written well, and helped shed light on what rape victims experience in the aftermath of their assault.

This was not a fast paced thriller, but rather a suspenseful mystery that flows well between two different points of view. I would definitely recommend this book!

3.5 - 4 stars

Thank you to NET GALLEY for an advance copy of Megan Goldin's THE NIGHT SWIM, a mystery about well known crime podcast host Rachel Krall who receives a mysterious letter on her car while covering a trial in Neapolis. The letter told Rachel of a death in that Atlantic Ocean-wide town 25 years earlier, the writer's sister who believes it wasn't the accident it was deemed to be.

Hannah continues to write to Rachel while staying mysterious and while Rachel is immersed in a rape trial with a young, swim star, she is lured to looked into Hannah's sister's death. Jenny was a bit of a wild child at 16, partied a bit too much and was found drowned one night. Was it an accident at all?
A solid, fast moving crime tale by a popular writer of crime fiction.

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The NIGHT SWIM! Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the latest mystery from Ms. Goldin; a super who dunnit! Review on https://jenbooksdotblog.wordpress.com - (on my Goodreads sidebar!)

Thank you St. Martins press and netgalley for this ARC of The Night Swim. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Loved how the book told two stories at one time with suspense that held my attention until the very end! Megan did it again with another amazing book!! Pub date Aug 4th, 2020!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Love this book.. Great story line. A criminal podcaster covering a rape trial, happens on another rape, that happened in the town many years ago.. The twist and turns of both rapes, will keep you glued to the book til the last page. I can’t wait for this book to come out so I can recommend it to my book club.

This was well done. I only stepped out of the narrative during the courtroom scenes, which didn't read as super authentic to me (a fine thing, as that would have been painfully boring).

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for sending me an advanced copy of The Night Swim.

This book turned out to be a good distraction during this time of quarantine. It was an easy read and didn't require a lot of concentration...which is just the only type of book I seem to be able to read lately.
Rachel is reporter, researcher and host of the true-crime podcast "Guilty or Not Guilty" a show that "puts you in the jury box". On her way to Neopolis, Rachel stops at a truck stop for something to eat. Upon returning to her car, she finds a note written by a young woman by the name of Hannah. In her letter, Hannah asks Rachel to help her find those responsible for her sister's death. Coincidentally Hannah's sister was killed in the same town as the rape trial Rachel is covering. Will Rachel be intrigued enough to take this on? Will Rachel have the time to cover two crimes?
Years ago Hannah tragically lost her sister in a "swimming accident". Her body was found in the water under a pier. Hannah always knew her sister's death wasn't an accident and is now after all these years is ready to make those responsible pay. Hannah believes True Crime reporter and podcaster Rachel can help her find the killer(s).
Each chapter in this novel is written by alternating perspectives. There are chapters consist of letters written by Hannah that, over the course of the novel, slowly reveal clues about the night her sister was killed. There are Chapters written that follow Rachel's actions and thoughts, and then there are chapters that are a transcript of Rachel's podcast.
Besides being an engaging read, Goldin also takes the time to honestly deal with the topic of rape and stresses through the format of podcast transcripts the importance of following facts free of bias.
This was a quick read revolving around a timely topic. It would be a very suitable title for a book club and would offer in-depth discussion. I would also feel comfortable suggesting it as a title for high school students to read.

I just finished reading this book and really enjoyed it. The topic was about rape, but it was almost more about the different perceptions of it and really why it's always been so difficult to prose
cute. The main character was Rachel, and I really liked how she pulled in a podcast, while sitting in a courtroom letting us into the day to day goings on at the same time.

The story flowed and really went quickly. There were two different mysteries, one from the past, and a similar story going on now. Somehow the author found a great way to make the two stories collide at the end, and it all just came together and made sense. I did not guess the ending. It was surprising.

I read so much and really am disappointed a lot of the time. While this wasn't the greatest of all time, it was a good read and I recommend it.

The Night Swim was gripping and suspenseful up until the very end. This was my first novel by Megan Goldin and I was blown away by her writing. Rachel is a podcaster covering a rape trial when she begins to receive letters from a girl describing the rape and murder of her sister, Jenny. Rachel gets pulled into the mystery of discovering what happened to Jenny while continuing to cover her current trial. This book was filled with twists and turns and was utterly riveting. I couldn’t put this book down and was up all night finishing it. I loved the dual viewpoint of the storytelling and thought it was especially creative the way one viewpoint was the podcast. The Night Swim is perfect for fans of true crime stories.

Trigger warning for rape and sexual assault.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, if rape or sexual assault is too much for you DON'T read this book. Two rapes 25 years apart. 1 girl is dead and 1 girl is emotionally damaged. This book kept me totally engrossed. It's gripping and brutal and at times I felt myself catching my breath.

Absolutely LOVED this book! The format was great too. Rachel is recording her next season of her true crime podcast in Neapolis North Carolina. Those chapters focused on the current rape trial happening in the town. Then there was Hannah, a fan of the podcast that slowly shared her story with Rachel via notes/emails. Hannah’s sister was killed when she was child and it was deemed a drowning, but Hannah knows it was murder. The story is so easy to finish in just a few days (or one if you have the time). When you find out the results of the rape case, and then Hannah’s sisters murder, ugh it was satisfying! If you like Law and Order SVA, true crime podcasts, true crime tv shows, this needs to be added to your list of books to read!

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy!!