The Night Swim might be in one of my top 5 favorite reads of 2020! I cannot recommend it enough without giving spoilers.

I loved everything about the storyline, the podcast, and the suspense of who done it. I was rooting for K and Hannah to get their justice.

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator had the best soothing voice! (Currently searching for more by her) Not only was it easy on the ears, but it was also a great production with snippets from the podcast. Highly recommend.

Audiobook provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

The novel is narrated by Rachel Krall who has a true crime podcast. There are two stories in the town. One in the past snd one in the present..
The transition between timelines flows nicely. The novel is well-written and the characters are realistic. I felt I was actually there.

“To tell you the truth, 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.”

This book was incredibly written and very hard to read about. Huge trigger warning for sexual assault and violent rape. This book was graphic but important and I was glad to see justice being served by the end of the story.

I enjoyed Rachel’s timeline following the live court case with her podcast. I also was furious when Kelly the rape victim couldn’t speak up in court from trauma, the guy was going to walk free. She was ashamed and too traumatized to face all these people to tell them what happened but somehow that doesn’t make the guy look guilty ?

I also enjoyed Hannah’s chapters and how she was telling the story of her sister and my god just poor Jenny.

Difficult read but worth it.

I knew as soon as I heard that January Lavoy was one of the narrators that I was going to love this audiobook. She is my all time favorite audiobook narrator (mainly for her incredible narrations of the Diviners series books)!

Just as I thought Lavoy did a fantastic job as the voice of Rachel on her podcast “Guilty or Not Guilty”. I loved that the book included excerpts from the podcast and the production team did a great job bringing those sections of the book to life.

The other two narrators also did a wonderful job with Hannah and Rachel’s POV. This is one of the best thriller audiobooks I’ve ever listened to.

I’m rating this 4 stars bc the book itself was great, but not the most shocking thriller I’ve ever read. The plot twist was surprising, but I think quite a few people might be able to guess it pretty early on in the book. I still really enjoyed the overall plot and how everything turned out at the end, but this book is also very tough to get through at times. HUGE content warning for rape/sexual assault and murder.

**Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review**

I really loved this book!! It had so many twists and turns. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next!! This was my first book by this Author, and it won’t be the last!! Quick read!! Highly recommended!! You won’t be disappointed!!

This was a complicated story and I found it interesting and compelling. Listening to Hannah's voice, I had to keep remembering that she was remembering events from her childhood because she was childish and selfish and often annoying. Her interpretations of what she thought were also generally childish. But you know, child. And yet, Jenny's voice is younger and has a wimpiness to it that also makes her annoying. She seems shallow and immature, at 16, while also being utterly incapable of standing up for herself. She does whatever people tell her.

I also liked the structure of this being connected to the place and events of current times through Rachel's podcast. It ties events together in a thoughtful way.

I listened to the Audiobook thanks to Netgalley.

he Night Swim... I’m not sure I can call this a thriller, and maybe it wasn’t called that to begin with... I’d call it a mix between crime and mystery... maybe something else entirely?

Rachel runs a podcast that features true crime cases and she’s now in town to feature a rape case. During this time, she begins getting letters from Hannah, a super fan, begging for help with the 25 year old Suicide/murder of her sister.

While the book is certainly interesting, I had to keep listening to see how the trial went - because I have to know the ending... and how this other, older cold case factored in.

Of course, I got my answers! I wasn’t completely sold on the podcast portions, but I enjoy a good mystery and the writing was good!

The narrators of this audiobook were excellent and I’ll listen to others by them!

Thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for allowing me to listen to this #audiobook and give my honest opinions!

I am a fan of Megan Goldin! I got a chance to read Escape Room and enjoyed it. The Night Swim is even better. Holy cow! 4.5 big stars. I listened to this one on audio and I must say I think it added so much to the experience. I felt as though I was listen to Rachel's podcast and kept forgetting I was listening to a book. Rachel's true crime podcast is a huge hit and for her next season she is following a high profile rape crime in a small town and broadcasting as the trial is happening. While in the small town, she starts getting messages to check out another crime that was covered up in the town 25 years ago involving the drowning of Jenny Stills.
The connections start piling up and it looks like there may be something amiss in this town. This novel was fast paced and a phenomenal story. I truly think the audio added so much more to my experience. 4.5 stars!

Rachel is a podcaster. Hannah is a woman shouldering unnecessary guilt over the death of her sister. Hannah reaches out to Rachel while Rachel is covering a rape trial on her podcast. I love podcasts and I love a good mystery. The Night Swim was actually the first audiobook I ever listened to and I loved the variation between Rachel doing her podcast episodes and the narration about Hannah’s past and the trial. I felt so sad for Hannah and was so thankful for Rachel’s good heart.

Wow! I devoured this book! I was drawn into the story immediately, and ended up finished the whole thing in one sitting. Although the rape scenes may be triggering for some, I felt that the topic was discussed tactfully. With stalkers, letters, podcasts, and a court case, this thriller has it all! I loved it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an audio copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I truly appreciate it!

Oh man this was good. I'm absolutely going to be recommending it to the women in my book club; they'll love it.

The insertion of the podcast episodes throughout the story are actually chilling; every time the music kicked in, I got a little adrenaline rush, like I was listening to non-fiction (though the story is close enough to reality for many women) rather than something that came out of an author's brain.

The pacing of the story was note-perfect. Every reveal (except for the last one, which I don't think was developed as well as the other big one) was completely realistic and felt organic in the telling.

All three narrators (Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz) were spectacular. The variation in the voices kept me on my proverbial toes and it was never confusing whose perspective I was hearing.

This book has a lot to say about rape culture and the justice system. In reality, 98% of *reported* rape accusations are true, and of those accused, a miniscule number of perpetrators are actually convicted or sentenced. It's a terrifying thought for women who exist in a world that is inhabited by men who want to hurt us. The book is sensitive, but honest about reality; there's no graphic retelling of assault and is really approachable considering the subject matter.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin is such a great book! The author did a great job at making the characters interesting and likable. The story alternated between the present and the past. What was new and exciting was that one of the characters performed on a Podcast and some of the chapters were of the Podcast. I really enjoyed this aspect of the book. The twist at the end was not too obvious and wrapped up the story nicely.


***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my honest review. *****.

This was such a phenomenal book. I originally listened to this one on audio but went back and read parts in print. There are chapters that are from the main characters podcast that translates so well to audio. It was intricately woven and compelling. The structure of the chapters and different narratives really kept me engaged and it brought up an array of hard perspectives on issues we unfortunately still face today. If you’re looking for solid thriller in audio or print I highly recommend this one.

This was an awesome story. The narrators did a good job pulling you into the story. I loved listening to this book and am sad I’m finished with it. You learn of both Hannah’s story about her older sister along with the current story of what Rachel’s podcast is covering of Kelly’s trial. You are right there with both stories. It’s so engrossing to me that I’m keeping this to relisten to later. Thank you MacMillan audio, Megan Goldin, and Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review! 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2 rounded up to five for Goodreads.

This is a fantastic audiobook for crime podcast lovers! The book switches between multiple narrators and time periods while revolving around a court case being covered by a true-crime podcast. In the audiobook version of this book, the featured podcast has a signature motif, helping the listener to feel like they are listening to a Serial type podcast. All of the different storylines are intriguing, but intense. It is definitely deserving of the trigger warnings you see people talking about.

The night Swim by Megan Goldin is the perfect sort of novel to be adapted as a audiobook. Easily one of the best Audiobooks I have listened to this year!

“This is Rachel Krall on Guilty or Not Guilty, the podcast that puts YOU in the jury box.”

Rachel Krall has her own highly successful crime-oriented podcast .She is known for her voice not her face. Rachel is perturbed when she finds a handwritten letter left on her windshield outside a diner in the middle of nowhere. The letter asks for help in solving the case of a sixteen year old girl named Jenny Stills who "drowned" years before.

Rachel recieves pleas for help all the time and this one shouldnt be any different. But the case she is in town following and the case of Jenny stiles are just too eerily similar. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

The night swim is not an easy book to read or to listen to. The topics of this book are raw and troubling. Parts of this novel are emotional and dark. Goldin goes so far as to examehow a rape trial plays out in the courtroom, it shows the ugly truth about how victims are shamed and even silenced.

I recieved a digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My overall feelings; It's fine.

This isn't a ground breaking mystery/thriller. It is actually pretty slow paced, which generally is not my favorite in this genre. The topic though is pretty tough and if you have hard time with books surrounding rape and rape culture, then I would skip this one.

What I did like about this is the dual timeline. I am a fan of that along with multiple perspectives. I thought it was done pretty well. I also like that this book alternated with podcast episodes. However, I just couldn't get behind the name of the podcast. So generic and unoriginal and I would expect more from an author.

The writing was just okay for me. I hate to keep using this term but it was just okay. Too wordy and descriptive in spots that didn't need to be. I listened to the audiobook so I picked up on it more. And to be honest, I was not the biggest fan of the audiobook.

Overall, it a good read. I don't know if I will go and rush to pick up her next book, but maybe.

I love true crime books. I especially love True Crime podcasts. Someone Knows Something is one of my favorites and this book really reminded me of that. Basically Someone Knows Something are all unsolved cases. They review the facts and interview those involved again, their hope is that someone listening to the podcast will be able to help solve or shed new light on the case. They strive to solve cold cases, and they are written wonderfully.

This book is very similar. Rachel Krall, after two successful seasons of past murders and even getting an innocent man released, Krall is ready for a new angle. She decides her newest season will follow the trial of a current rape case in a small east coast town. She expects to interview the townspeople, the families involved, the police, and anyone else she can. What she doesn’t expect is that one of the townspeople is looking for Rachel’s help to solve a rape and murder that happened 25 years ago.

Besides just being an amazingly written thriller this book tackles very real topics of rape, public opinions, and the criminal justice system. Goldin was able to weave these topics within the pages of this novel so seamlessly. This book makes you think! Especially in today’s ‘Me Too’ world, Goldin has posed the question asking, ‘why are rapists so hard to convict’? In addition to this she explores the idea of reputations and how nobody wins in a rape case. Even someone wrongly accused of rape, will forever be followed by the shadow of the accusation. At the same time, why must it fall to the victim to prove they’ve been traumatized. Doesn’t this traumatize the victim all over again? Why is the victim the only one who has no option but to testify and reveal the most intimate and horrific events of their own lives. I just don’t know but I did not think this thriller would ignite such powerful questions!

With the active rape case, the podcast entries, and the cold case plot; there is a lot that goes on in this book. However, Goldin does a great job of keeping everything straight, and kept the pace of the story moving nicely and you won’t see the ending coming that’s for sure.

This book is one I recommend for any podcast or true crime lovers. I only wish I could actually listen to her podcast now. It’s important to note that there can be alot of triggering events in this book, especially about sexual abuse, child abuse, and substance abuse. However, Goldin writes the right amount of each to be enough to fill the plot but not get too graphic, at least for me.

For more of my reviews head to speakingof.org. Huge thanks to St. Martin’s Press & Netgallery for my audio copy.

Rachel Krall, podcast host, is on her way to North Carolina. Along the way, she finds a note on her dashboard asking for help. The writer of the note, Hannah, is convinced that her sister was murdered 25 years ago. She needs Rachel’s help to identify the murderer. Rachel is wary about helping at first, but quickly gets sucked in after reading more and more letters about Jenny. While all this is happening, Rachel is also attending the trial of a famous swimmer, who was accused of raping a 16 year old. Is she going to be able to solve both cases at the same time?

Oh my gosh, this book was so good. I binge read it in two days, because I truly did not want to put it down. This book wasn’t like anything I read before. The plot was engaging, the characters were well developed, and it was such a unique story line. I really loved the podcast part of the book! It was such a unique addition, and really made the book for me. Also, the courtroom drama kept me glued to the book. I think it was a very powerful read and the author did a great job at handling some hard topics. I really enjoyed this book on audio and I would highly recommend it!

Trigger warnings: sexual assault and rape.