This is a book that needs to be a book club of the month bc you will have to talk about it with someone else!!! Rachel has a true crime podcast that is very well known. This season she is daily streaming about a court case that is happening presently. A young girl has accused a around the town famous local swimmer of rape. While attending these court proceedings, Rachel also comes upon another old crime that happens many years ago. You don't find out the verdict and all the details until right at the end.
Disclaimer should be given that rape is spoken about throughout the book.
I could not stop listening to the audio of this book. Throughout it you fear and also root for different characters in the story.
I again would recommend this for a book club because you will want to talk about it with others.

This book carries quite the impact. A small town in the middle of nowhere and there are two rapes. One in the past and one in the present. When a popular podcast reporter shows up to cover the current rape, she starts to get letters on a previous one in the same town.The author takes you on a journey through a small town with some very tragic history.

I thought the narrator was great although there were times when I had to question who is talking. Distinction between two characters in her voice sometimes wasn’t there. However I did enjoy her very much and I do look forward to listening to a book that she narrates again.

Overall this book keep you guessing and the twist at the end I did not see coming. Although I was so engrossed with the storyline that I really wasn’t putting a whole lot of thought into who done it.

This audiobook has an outstanding narrator who helps bring a very touchy and inflammatory subject to life. A subject that most women are all to familiar with in one way or another. The plot is well written and hits the heart of the matter very well as it brings this fictional story to life in a well thought out and intriguing manner. That subject is rape. In short, this is the story of a fictional court case of a 16 year old girl who has "allegedly" been raped by an 18 year old popular boy from a prominent family. The story unwinds what happens in this case as well as one that happened in the same town 25 years before. For many this will be just another entertaining mystery to enjoy while sipping coffee, driving down the road or whatever else you do while listening to an audiobook. For others, it will drive home the point that when a girl/women is sexually assaulted she not only has to endure the attack, but relive it over and over and over in great detail while being questioned as well as shamed for the decisions that she made that "led up to the rape." The author does an outstanding job of bringing the characters to life and making them relatable as well as weaving a mystery with complicated overtones extremely well. I must say that I am quite looking forward to finding out what else this author has written and hope to find those on audio as well.

The Night Swim is a great summer (or anytime) thriller. It’s great for people who love true crime and courtroom dramas.
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Rachel hosts a popular true crime podcast that presents evidence to listeners and allows them to act as the jury and decide for themselves if the defendant is guilty or innocent. She travels to a seaside town in North Carolina to cover a rape trial that has the community divided. Did Blair, a champion collegiate swimmer and town golden boy, rape 16-year-old Kelly Moore, or did Kelly ruin a young man’s reputation because she was ashamed of her own actions? As she covers the trial, Rachel is also being pursued by a young woman named Hannah who desperately wants help uncovering what really happened to her sister Jenny, who drowned 25 years ago.
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If you have read Know My Name by Chanel Miller, this book will bring up some of the same themes and feelings (and the alleged rapist has serious Brock Turner vibes, even down to his swimming career). The podcast and courtroom elements work really well. This is one of those books that is entertaining even if you guess the ending. The how and why are the interesting part.
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I listened to this on audio, and it was a great listening experience. The narrators are fantastic, especially January LaVoy.

THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE AUDIOBOOK NOT THE STORY

I really enjoyed this audiobook! Made it feel so real as if it was an actual podcast! I loved the narrator January LaVoy always does well! I also enjoyed the other narrators. This audiobook got me out of my audiobook/ book slump. This audiobook was such a addiction to listen to. I wanted to know what was going to happen during all parts of the podcast and story. I did not once get the voices/characters confused.

I think this audiobook will make people love the story! Us readers love a book with podcast in them especially a audiobook!

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillian Audio for this advanced audio copy! I'm so glad NetGalley offers audio now, they are truly one of my favorite things!

The Night Swim is the first book I’ve read from Megan Goldin but it definitely will not be the last. I listened to this on audio and I will recommend that everyone should listen to it because the audio truly adds a dimension to the story that, in my opinion, would be lacking in the book. This story within a story is told in 3 storylines: Kelly Moore’s rape and impending trial of her accused rapist is the first storyline, told in Rachel Krall’s podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty; then there’s Rachel’s narration as she interacts around town and finds letters left to her by Hannah Stills; lastly there’s Jenny Still’s tragic story of rape and murder told in the letters Rachel finds written by Hannah. The two murders are intertwined in all kinds of very similar ways that ultimately will lead Rachel face to face with Hannah and a killer.

I loved The Night Swim! I’ve recommended it already to a few people. If you are sensitive, especially to sexual predators, rape or assault, this book won’t be for you. If you like a good “who done it” along with a good trial story, this book is for you! And if you loved the podcast, Serial, or any other true crime podcast, listen to this book!

Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for the advanced audiobook of #thenightswim!

Rachel Krall's true crime podcast Guilty or Not Guilty achieved a high level of popularity in its 1st season. Now, Rachel is headed to the small seaside town of Neapolis, NC to cover a rape trial for her 3rd season. A 16 year old girl has accused the local swimming phenom of rape. The accused had aspirations of being on the Olympic Swim Team. Many find it hard to believe that this local golden boy would do what he is accused of.

On her arrival in Neapolis, Rachel starts receiving correspondence from a woman named Hannah who is begging Rachel to investigate her sister Jenny's death that happened 25 years ago in the same small town. Jenny thinks her sister was murdered, but the official cause of death was that Jenny drowned while swimming alone at night.

This character-driven mystery's narrative alternates between Rachel's story, episodes of season 3 of the podcast and letters from Hannah. I enjoyed this story as it allowed us to follow two crimes at once. I also loved the inclusion of a true crime podcast. Also, it discusses, the challenges women face when accusing someone of rape. The main female characters were all believable to me.

I listened to an audio ARC from MacMillan Audio and the narration was very well done. The Podcast chapters actually felt like mini-podcasts. Hannah's chapters had a melancholy vibe and Rachel's chapter's were more straightforward. I highly recommend listening to this one on audio.

<b>What to listen to while reading (or taking a break)</b>
(sorry, I had to add the 1st two...they are the first songs that came to mind when I saw the title)
Nightswimming by R.E.M.
Night Swimming by Soccer Mommy
Til It Happens to You by Lady Gaga
Sullen Girl by Fiona Apple
Watering by Big Thief

Audio: My favorite thing about this audio was that there was a narrator for each character’s chapter. Additionally, I loved that the podcast chapters had a jingle and a MAJOR podcast vibe, which included what sounded like recordings of other people’s interactions. It felt super realistic and believable. It was very unexpected and I was blown away by how well the audiobook was put together,

Story: This is my second galley by Megan Goldin (first being The Escape Room) and WOW, why doesn’t anyone give this woman more credit for being a LEGIT thriller writer. This time she brought us into the world of an investigator, Rachel, who runs a crime podcast (major Serial vibes) who is working towards her third season of her podcast and hoping to make it her best one yet. This time, she is doing real-time coverage of a rape & sexual assault trial. Town’s superstar swimmer and Olympic hopeful is accused of raping a 16 year old girl and it has each town taking sides. On top of that, Rachel is given a series of letters from a woman who claims her sister was murdered 25 years earlier. Going between the emotional impact of the present day case and this woman’s account of the raw months leading up to her sister’s death, this book is more than just a thriller…it has you questioning who’s guilty and what happened to Jenny Stills 25 years before. While it is important to note that this book could be a trigger for some, as it discusses sexual assault and can be too much for some readers, it was an outstandingly laid out thriller and I couldn’t put it down!

One possible murder, numerous lives destroyed, spirits broken, a rape trial in a small town and a true crime podcast.
Two horrific cases 25 years apart brought together by an anonymous letter left on the windshield of a car belonging to a true crime reporter. This powerful and thought provoking narrative deals with rape and rape cultural in a small town that could be anywhere in America. Not only is the story line captivating but it volleys back and forth between the characters and a fictional true crime podcast with a narrator that will leave you hoping this isn’t the last time we run into this character.
Kudos’s to this author who treats her characters with compassion and respect while writing about an all too common and unsettling crime. I was engrossed by this story as soon as I started listening. Huge thanks to netgalley and the author for allowing me to listen to an early release of the audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the concept of this book. We followed two POVs and a podcast! The podcast chapters were my favorite since it’s so different and was put together to add further details to our story. With the audiobook they had great sound effects that added to the podcast scenes.

Do you like books that feature podcasts? I loooove them. It’s like reading two books in one.

In alternating points of view THE NIGHT SWIM follows Rachel who runs a true crime podcast, a current ongoing rape case, and the mysterious Hannah.

I love alternating points of view when the story is seamless. I though MG did a really good job of keeping your interest even though at times I thought the pace was a little slow.

I thought the book was very interesting and hard to put down. A definite page-turner. I’m looking forward to what #megangoldin puts out next.

The temperature is perfect for

THE NIGHT SWIM
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Releasing tomorrow August 4th, 2020
Get your copy!

Thanks to #netgalley and #macmillanaudio for a complimentary advanced listeners copy of THE NIGHT SWIM in exchange for my honest review.
#partner

I found this book extremely moving. It looked at a disturbing topic (rape, but especially ’date rape’) in a thoughtful manner. I think listening to the audiobook gave me an even better experience than I would have had reading the book, as half the book comes in the form of the podcasts the protagonist, Rachel, produces after attending the rape trial in a small town. As a listener I experienced full immersion into the podcast that would have been lost had I been reading the book myself. The end of the book is shocking, but not in a way that ruins the story. I will be looking for more books by Megan Goldin. The only downside for me was in the narrator who, although usually wonderful, tended to slip into an extremely nasal tone which put me off a little, but not enough to ruin the story

4.5 Stars, bumping to 5 because of the topic

Let me say at the outset that this novel comes with a slew of content warnings. For anyone who is a survivor, it's a tough read. There are no winners here and the losses are visceral. All that said, this is a novel that should be on many book club lists. It is a novel that is thought-provoking and which will be the stimulus not just for discussion about what justice looks like but about differing state laws about rape, sexual assault, and about how our justice system all too often tries not just the accused but the victim.

Rachel Krall is a crime reporter with a popular podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, now in its third season. This season she is covering a rape trial in a small town in which the accused is a local hero, a competitive swimmer from a popular and media-savvy family. The alleged victim is the granddaughter of the town's popular police chief. Many feel the only reason the young woman's case is being heard is that she is the police chief's granddaughter. In traveling to the small North Carolina town, Rachel is leaving her producer, Pete, behind after he's been injured in an accident. So she's traveling alone when the letters start appearing on her car and elsewhere, about the long-ago death of a girl named Jenny Stills. A death that the writer of those letters insists was murder. The letter writer turns out to be Hannah, Jenny's younger sister and she is hoping that Rachel will help her finally bring about justice for her sister.

There are a few elements of the story that seemed just a bit too convenient to me, one being that Hannah had contacted Rachel's production team several times and had been rebuffed, only to have Rachel set up shop in Hannah's small town of Neapolis for the rape trial. But the writing is compelling enough to carry the reader through that. This is a good novel for inspiring discussions about how we look at rape and how we prosecute it. The novel ends on a hopeful note but it may be a tough read for anyone who has been affected by these crimes.

The audiobook of The Night Swim is narrated by January LeVoy, Samantha Desz, and Bailey Carr, who voice these characters beautifully.

CW: physical violence, threatened child sexual assault, rape, murder

I received a digital review copy of this novel from the publisher, and a courtesy audio review copy, in exchange for an honest review.

The Night Swim is a great thriller. It does need a trigger warning for rape. Those parts pulled at my heartstrings some and enraged me at other times. There are two different stories told through the book, 1 of them partially through a podcast. I found this book very interesting and I was surprised at the ending.

THAT TWIST!!!!

This is 4 stars for me!

I did this on audio. And the podcast chapters were amazing! You really felt like you were listening to a podcast.

The story line isn’t for everyone.
Trigger warnings on murder and rape.

My first real, long-ish review for the many books I have been lucky enough to receive from Netgalley. Thank you to St Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio, both of whom approved me for two separate versions of thus book, MOBI and audiobook. Because of that, both of my feedback will be roughly the same.

Megan Goldin, along with a trio of wonderful voice actors (Bailey Carr, January LaVoy and Samantha Desz), might as well have beamed this story directly into my brain for all I kept thinking about it. A proper courtroom mystery, reminiscent of some of my favorite television and films, I was consumed with the details of both cases, in no small part thanks to the three women narrating. Carr’s haunted reclaiming of the trauma that marred her childhood, Desz’s practical and observant third person voice drinking in the trial and LaVoy’s soft, masterful story-weaving as Rachel Krall, investigative podcast host extraordinaire, all make Goldin’s small, secret town come alive.

I found myself taking notes as I went along, noting suspicious people, developing theories, at least one of which was proven true by the end. For me, that’s the mark of a well written mystery, if the writer is skilled enough to leave enough tools and clues for their audience to take a stab at on their own.

Achingly relevant, The Night Swim is for crime fans everywhere and for anyone who hungers for justice to be served. I can’t wait to read more from Megan Goldin.

Again, thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for the free copies of the book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Holy Moly, this audio book was great. Not only was the story gripping, but the narration was amazing and even included sound effects that enhanced my enjoyment. I did not see the twist at the end coming and just had to keep listening to find out what would happen. I usually don't see a difference between reading a physical copy or listening, other than convenience, but I think this is one of the rare books that may be better in audio format.

Right off the bat, my favorite part of this is book was the incorporation of a true crime podcast. They are all the rage right now and everyone loves them, at least I do! It was so interesting to have both the podcast and the live version going on in the book, it made the perspective intriguing!

In this book, Rachel hosts a podcast and is covering a huge rape trial for her upcoming season. Little does she know, there are many more truths to be told...

I was a little spooked, a little sad, a little hopeful, and a little surprised throughout this read. I had some feeling of how it would end, but I guessed wrong! Gotta love when the book throws you for a loop!

✨AUDIOBOOK REVIEW✨ Publication Date: 8/4/2020

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC.

Book Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Narration Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Overall Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This book hurt my soul. There were times I didn’t want to keep listening because it has a truly tough subject matter. However, it was a great mystery that hooked me from the first chapter.

🕵🏻‍♀️Story:
Night Swim is a story of two rapes. One that occurred 25 years before and one currently at the center of a controversial trial. In the present day, Rachel, the host of a hit true crime podcast, is covering the rape trial for her newest season. When she begins receiving letters from a woman begging for her to look into her sister’s rape and murder in the same town 25 years before, she begins to wonder if the two cases are connected.

Night Swim features the best utilization of the true crime element since Don’t Believe It by Charlie Donlea. The podcast is used to further the story and to develop the main character. This is more of a slow burn mystery with an increased focus on the legal aspect of the crime. After reading Know My Name by Chanel Miller, I know that the rape trial is often just as violating and brutal as the attack, and this made the courtroom scenes truly hard to listen to. I feel Megan Goldin handled the topic with sensitivity and honesty, but readers should definitely be aware of storyline going in and know that it does not hold back at all.

🎧 Narration:
This is one of the best produced audiobooks that I have listened to. The choice to have a different narrator (January LaVoy, who has narrated many popular novels) do the podcast portions of the book was perfect. The amount of detail that went into the podcast chapters (e.g. having a theme song, adding sound effects, etc.) was insane and made it even better. Samantha Desz voices Rachel and was very good. She sounds similar enough to January LaVoy that you can believe that Rachel’s voice and “podcast voice” are the same. Bailey Carr (from A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder audiobook) does an excellent job with the character of Hannah, who is telling the story of her sister’s attack. Those chapters were especially hard to listen to and Bailey Carr does very well with them.

Overall, Night Swim is a raw, heart-wrenching, and unsettling mystery. Although it slows down slightly in the middle, I felt it was well-written and handle the sensitive subject matter with care. I highly recommend getting the audiobook version of this book as it adds even more to the story.

ALC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Do you like listening to true crime podcasts? If so - I highly recommend listening to The Night Swim. Rachel Krall is starting the third season of her hit podcast Guilty or Not Guilty. This time she’s covering a rape trial in MD. When she arrives in town, she also starts receiving notes begging her to investigate a crime that took place in the town 25 years ago.

I really enjoyed this story and alternated between reading the ebook and audiobook. I have to say in this cast the audiobook really adds a lot to the reading experience. The podcast sections are produced to truly sound like podcast episodes - with the music at the start and ending and sound effects.

Highly recommend listening to this one if you’re interested in reading it! Thank you to St Martin’s Press, Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the free ebook and audiobook review copies.