I went into this thriller blind. It was
good. Parts of it were even really good, but I didn’t have the compulsion to keep turning the pages. I live for that urge and if a book doesn’t give it to me, it’s hard for me to rave about it.



Rachel is a true crime podcaster (think Serial) who is covering a rape trial in a small town. While in town, she begins receiving mysterious letters about a crime (rape / murder) that took place 25 years earlier - the death of a young girl, Jenny Stills. That death was ruled an accidental drowning, but the writer insists it was no such thing.


As Rachel follows the breadcrumbs left in the letters, it becomes clear that people want to forget the past. There are questions people don’t want to answer and the past and present are not so different from one another. This town has secrets and no one wants them uncovered.



Don’t get me wrong. This book was well written and while I anticipated one of the twists, I didn’t figure out the second until it was right under my nose. I think it was the whole cat and mouse game with the letters that I found unbelievable and slightly annoying. Trying to converse with strangers leaving you letters and attempting to meet with them is stranger danger if I’ve ever seen in.



This book is being published Aug 4, 2020. If you’re not as judgmental of characters and their life decisions, this book is a good thriller with a mix of trial elements. It’s an easy and entertaining read.



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Rachel is the host of a true-crime podcast. She gets frequent requests from desperate people to investigate cold cases. Hannah has written to Rachel, hoping to look into the murder of her sister from years ago. This is a very compelling read. Recommended!

I have read Megan's book "The Escape Room" and I knew I had to read this book as well. Very well written as always and I was hooked from the get go. With the rising popularity of podcasts now, Megan made good use of this trend in her book which was creative in my opinion. Everyone and their mom is listening to one nowadays it seems. With Rachel being the main character, you follow her path to cover a really important trial along with a side project that she didn't ask for. Although, I'm not a podcast fan, I thoroughly enjoyed Rachel's podcast via reading! I would definitely re-read this book again!

First, a huge thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

The story follows Rachel, a true crime podcaster who travelled to Neapolis, North Carolina to follow a trial for her show. While there, she receives letters from a woman who's sister died in Neapolis 25 years ago and believes it wasn't an accident like everyone says. She is asking that while in Neapolis, Rachel do some investigating on her sister's case. What happens in the trial and does Rachel help the woman in the letters, you'll have to read to find out!

I enjoyed this story and really liked the dual perspectives of Rachel's day-to-day and Hannah's letters/emails. I thought the story was written well and it was wrapped up beautifully in the end. I will warn potential readers, this book's main plot deals with a huge trigger for some people, so just be prepared for it.

This book comes out August 4, 2020, so be sure to get your copy!

True Crime Podcast style books have become increasingly popular in the last couple of years. But, this book goes way beyond that. Rachel is the creator of a new popular podcast and she finds herself in the middle of two interesting cases. The first is a rape trial that is the focus of the third season of her podcast. The second is the death of Jenny her is the sister of one of her podcast listeners. Both of these mysteries are centered in the coastal town of Neapolis. Rape is a very debated topic in today’s society. I am always nervous about going into a book that uses it as a plot device. Megan Goldin did an amazing job of presenting it and what victims of rape and sexual assault experience. It wasn’t tasteless, it raised very poignant questions about how society treats women in general and, specifically, victims of sexual assault.

This book was a true page-turner. I was hooked from the very first chapter, especially by Hannah. Her character is this elusive entity through most of the story. Almost all of our information about Jenny’s death comes from her missives to Rachel. The author does an exceptional job of weaving the story together. I often predict elements of the plot well before the end of the book but that was not the case here. There are some obvious clues that enabled me to guess one twist but the rest of the story was very much in suspense. I also enjoyed the podcast chapters of the story very much. It was an easy way for me to recap some of the information without it being too repetitive.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book. It is one of my favorite thrillers of 2020.

Absolutely loved this read!. So well written, unsettling, captivating. Had a lot of elements within that I do look for within a book. Tough topic, captured perfectly within the covers of a book. I had a hard time putting this one down and have to say, after reading it, I sat there for quit some time think “What did I just read”? How do I feel about this and how do I even attempt to capture my feelings in the pending review I must write.

Well folks....MUST READ and keep your self in an upright position what the tray table put away.....

Thanks Megan Goldin and you amazing folks at St. Martin’s Press. Y’all rocked this one off the pages!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. This did not influence my review in any way.

The premise of this book is that Rachel Krall is a podcast host. She comes to a small town to cover a rape trial and is contacted by a listener to look into a crime from the past. I like listening to podcasts so I thought the format of the book would be interesting. The book was super slow getting started. I almost gave it up but things got more interesting once the trial got started. This was just an average mystery. Nothing special in my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

A slow burn, genre-bending thriller in the same vein as Sadie, Miracle Creek, and Beartown, all at once. This story features two parallel divisive mysteries in a seaside-town in North Carolina.

This book made me so unbelievably angry and sad, but satisfied and disheartened all at once? That being said, this book was enthralling. I ended up finishing it in just one sitting! Not only could I not put it down, I needed to be delivered some justice for our main character.

I wouldn't even refer to this as a thriller, because the character development, setting, and overall writing style was too good. I would say the first half is a hard-hitting contemporary mystery and the second half is a legal thriller? If that makes sense? That being said, don't go into this book expecting some unbelievable characters and a psychological thriller-type twist (I'm looking at you Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen fans).

TW: rape, sexual assault, drug use, abuse

This book was stunning and will stay with me a long time. I ran through a course of emotions while reading it and felt exhausted after. I highly recommend.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great book, I really enjoyed it! I look forward to reading more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

*My thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley from gifting me with this ARC in exchange for a fair review*

The Night Swim is a brutal, heart-wrenching tale about a current rape trial overtaking the small town of Neapolis, and an old death that was never fully solved there 25 years earlier. Here we follow crime Podcaster Rachel Krall as she covers the case of a 16-year-old girl who claims to have been brutally raped by the town's golden son. It's her word against his, the town is divided, and Rachel is set out to get all the facts of the trial out there for the world to come to their own conclusion about. Meanwhile, she is contacted by a woman named Hannah, who is asking her to help her uncover the truth about her sister Jenny, who died under mysterious circumstances years ago. The town claimed it was an accident. Hannah believes it was murder. As both cases start to unfold for Rachel, she can't help but wonder if there is a connection between past and present.

I wasn't sure about this book at first. We had two interchanging POV's: Rachel's in third person, and Hannah's in first. Rachel's POV was dry, almost clipped. I didn't feel like I knew her at all. Hannah's "letters" appeared to me like a purple-prose writer attempting her hand at writing a book rather than writing a letter to a stranger but around the 15% mark, there was a noticeable shift. Suddenly, Rachel's prompt, to the point manner made sense and carried her investigative scenes quickly. I devoured every clue she came across, took note of every person she weaseled her way in with, trying to see what connected. Hannah's accounts loosened up as well; her descriptions becoming so necessary with all their apparent over-detail, and also entirely painful as we closed in on how her sister had been treated.

Neapolis itself is immersive. It felt like a small town. It felt like old secrets and hidden agendas. The author truly created an enclosed, suffocating feeling at times and it drove the story forward in subtle movements that I enjoyed. By the time we finally arrived at the trial, I was just as breathless with anticipation to hear the evidence.

I was devastated. This book tore the breath from my lungs. It made me rage and cry and demand retribution for the victim. The trial was not only a horrifying account of what that little girl had gone through but also a glimpse into the corruption and politics of our justice system. It placed a blunt magnifying glass on our culture of blaming women for their rape instead of punishing their rapist. Of how we often don't believe them. Of how it is so much easier to say that she made it up, that she wanted fame, that she knew what she was getting into. And it makes you ask yourself why anyone, let alone a child would put themselves through the torture of a trial, and the lead up to it, and the aftermath—for a lie? The fact is, that most people wouldn't come out of it unscathed. They wouldn't.

There were a few small things that bothered me. Threads I thought should have been followed through with were dropped off, missed opportunities by the author in terms of suspects or connections with certain persons, but in the end they aren't enough to get deeply into as the book holds up despite them and not enough to get into spoilers. The Night Swim is certainly not for the faint of heart, and I urge you to understand that while the descriptions of the attacks are not graphic it is all very intense and can be emotionally taxing. However it was a thrilling read, and one that I will likely pick up again. Even if it hurts.

I’m a HUGE fan of podcasts that focus on murders, trials, serial killers and all types of deadly crimes so this book was right up my alley. I enjoyed the podcasts break between the chapters and the development of the story.

I can honestly say I was shocked by the outcome of the mystery that unfolded and I’m normally able to predict stories way before the ending.

This book heavily delves into rape so I can see this being a trigger for some readers. So please use discretion before picking this one up.

Thank you to the publishers for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book. It had a great story line, great perspectives of both people and an awesome twist I didn't see coming!

Thank you again for letting me read this, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

This book is fantastic. It is perfect for fans of true crime podcasts. It could hear the "podcast" playing in my head. It kept me interested the whole time and the format was digestible and intriguing. I wanted to keep reading. I liked how the 2 stories of girls were layered together into one. Rachel was a great, strong narrator. I could see this becoming a series following Rachel's podcast.

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martins press, and the Author Megan Goldin for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.
This book had sounded intriguing, so that's why I requested a read and all I can say is WOW!!!
I absolutely loved it. I felt like I was with Rachel throughout the book.
I loved everything about it, the 2 main protagonists- Rachel and Hannah the town it took place in and especially the way it was written. I almost wish there was a real Rachel who's podcast I could listen to.
This was my first read from Megan and I immediately added her other two books to my TBR list.

Podcast thrillers are somewhat of a popular trend in thrillers lately and I have to say I'm loving this style of storytelling. The Night Swim is part legal thriller with a podcast aspect - a perfect combination to keep me on the edge of my seat!

I must admit, I am not really the type to pick up a novel like The Night Swim. One of my greatest reasons being the whole small-town rape trials tend to have a Lifetime Movie Network feel. They also have been done so many times that if you’ve read one of them, you’ve read them all. Now don’t get me wrong, the elements, scenarios, and scenes may differ, but the theme remains the same. For this reason, I was very hesitant to request this novel. Yet, Megan Goldin wrote a story last year that I described as “fun as hell”. Given how I felt about her previous novel, I went ahead and made the request. And I am not disappointed.

I won’t describe the story. As I mentioned, this story is incredibly familiar. I’m not meaning to give any spoilers, but this novel does not stray away from what you’ve read before. It simply doesn’t. There are elements such as the podcast and an extracurricular disappearance/murders that provide the novel an edge. And I will admit it does the novel a service and adds to the reader’s enjoyment. But again, you’ve read this story once (Beartown) or if you’ve watched any LMN Original Movie, you’ve in turn read The Night Swim.

While it wasn’t anything new or profound, I actually consumed the story like an alcoholic on a bender just after being released from a stint in jail. Started it in the AM and was done before my early ass bedtime. While my notes on lacking originality seem negative, I still found myself unable to put this story down. This speaks volumes to me. Clearly, it was enjoyable otherwise I would not have had the patience to consume it as I did. To me, this means that Goldin is fucking talented. I came into this story with an attitude of it being overdone but still caring about the author. Picked up the novel getting exactly what I expected, and I wasn’t even disappointed. I don’t know how that happened, but Goldin can perform this voodoo black magic on me anytime.

So, is it similar to those Lifetime Movie Network Originals that you watched with your mom on Saturday and Sunday growing up? Yes.

But is it fucking addicting and somehow exciting? Yes.

I’ve learned a very valuable lesson from Goldin. Request Megan Goldin’s books even when you truly aren’t interested. The bitch has some surprises up that sleeve.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of this novel.

First Megan Goldin book I've read and I enjoyed it, but I felt everything fell together a little too easily//perfectly.
It was twisty with a good story that kept me reading, but things were just a bit too convenient in the end.
Loved the premise: Rachel is podcast journalist currently staying in a small, coastal town while covering a rape trial. Hannah is trying to prove her sister was murder in the same small town two decades before.
While the story is quite good, having lived my young life in a small town....some things were slightly off.

Bottom line: This one will be easy to recommend, just twisty enough to keep readers interested and guessing until the end. Just a little too convenient of an ending for my taste.
Actual stars: 3.75.

I'm surprised this was written by the same author as The Escape Room. Even though both books are thrillers, The Escape Room was pure entertainment--a high-concept roller coaster ride that required the reader to suspend disbelief. The Night Swim is much more serious in tone, and it capitalizes on the #metoo movement to shine a spotlight on the injustices of rape.

Rachel Krall is a famous podcaster, known for her true crime show Guilty or Not Guilty. In preparation for the podcast's third season, Rachel follows a rape trial where the accused is a small Southern town's golden child--a contender for the Olympics and an all-around good citizen. The victim is the granddaughter of the town's police chief. At the same time as the trial, Rachel begins to receive anonymous notes from a woman begging for her help. The notes pull Rachel into investigating another rape case that occurred twenty-five years earlier.

I applaud the book for dealing with a serious theme that needs to be talked about. It might make some readers uncomfortable, much like the Netflix limited series Unbelievable did, but it's an important topic that needs to be discussed. The book isn't perfect, but it is thought-provoking and deserves to be read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

Two suspected rapes, one ending in death, are the core of this story. But, the real story is the, as usual, the people. From the accuser to the accused, all have a story to tell, as do their parents and friends. Tight, tense, and enthralling.