wow!
this story rocked my socks off.
it is especially suitable as an audio book, particularly with the inclusion of podcast sessions
an incredibly detailed and descriptive emotional crime story/mystery
sometimes difficult to listen to, due to the graphic nature, of abuse, cruelty and bullying.
i like how all the strings tied together at the end.

Why I Requested This: This is another shot for Megan Goldin whose debut I felt was just misrepresented by what the blurb was. Add in the true-crime podcast backdrop and I am sure that this will make for an excellent audiobook which I was lucky enough to get an early copy of.

Pros:
The story is told in duel-time lines which weave together to tell the story of what happen.
Remember how I said it was partly podcast? The podcast elements weaved into the story at just the right time keeping you just as interested in it as you are the rest of the story.
The type of ending we are given based on the type of character that we follow is perfect.

Cons:
The subject matter is pretty brutal in terms of both sexual assault and violence against women in general. While the author handles this with care, it was tougher to read a times than most.

Overall: If you’re a fan of podcasts in books this is one for you.

Megan Goldin has created something special in the form of her thriller, "The Night Swim." This book centers on Rachel, a reporter that covers true crime stories on a podcast. She is covering a rape case for the podcast when she starts to receive messages from a girl who claims that her sister was murdered years ago. However, the sister's case was classified as an accidental drowning and the sister wants justice.

This story will stubbornly grab readers from page one and refuse to let go. It features a story that resembles a web which readers will untangle along with the protagonist Rachel. As clues are being collected and details are being revealed, the story continues to ramp up. The plot is interesting and combines the past and present while injecting podcast episodes to provide commentary on the crimes. "The Night Swim" left me wondering what would happen next and reaching for the book (or my headphones in this case) often!

The audiobook is extremely good! The audio version allows listeners to truly be immersed in the story. The narrator is great and her voice is crisp, clear and engaging. The audio version also plays music at the beginning and the end of the podcast episodes. This breaks up the story and makes it feel as if you are really there listening to a real show. I also liked that the narration included reading the chapter titles/described the source of the information. It made the story easier to follow along with as there are multiple sources of information like the podcast, Rachel's point of view and letters from Hannah.

Recommendations: If you enjoy thrillers or true crime, this is a must listen!
Trigger Warning: The book covers intense topics like violence, rape and murder.
Blogger's Note: Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Part fake podcast. Part court drama. Part murder mystery

Thanks to Netgallery for providing an advanced audiobook for this!

TL:DR Tropes

- Court drama
- TW Rape related
- small town mystery
- Multi POV and multi timeline
- GREAT Audiobook.

Rachel is a true crime podcaster who has traveled to a small town to cover an active court case involving the rape of a teenager. While she is covering this case, she starts receiving notes from a desperate resident begging her to look into the mysterious death of her sister. As these two cases unfold, Rachel starts to get wrapped up in small town conspiracy and a web of lies that dates back 20+ years.

I listened to The Night Swim on Audiobook and I recommend you do as well, because it only enhances the experience. Rachel actually has chapters where she is performing her podcast and providing information and speculation on both cases, and I just loved it as an audio option.

This book reminded me a lot of an adult version of A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, where a civilian sleuth starts digging into the past to bring justice to victims who can not stand up for themselves. It's also very topical, focusing a lot on public speculation in rape cases, small town athletic programs, and the radical emotions that are at play when rape is publicly being covered. The author handles all of this with a lot of grace and makes it all feel very real. If you followed Missoula or other college rape cases within the last few years, this will feel all too familiar to you.

The other side of this story begins with Rachel receiving these mysterious letters from the untraceable sister of a local girl, Jenny, who drowned under mysterious circumstances in the 90s. This is where a little bit more of the mystery comes in, it's pretty interesting, but I will avoid spoilers and just say that it adds and extra layer to the story that doesn't feel disjointed or forced. You also get the perspective of Jenny's sister through the letters she writes as she recounts the events of what happened to them.

For such a short and easy read, the characters are all charming and memorable. This is a very cut and dry detective/courtroom drama, but you still manage to care for everyone involved. There is very little focus on Rachel's personal life in favor of the victim's stories, which in this case, was a solid move as well

This is a short and excellent little crime story that I can't recommend enough to fellow true crime podcast/TV show fans. Sometimes, you really feel like you are listening to a podcast and following a story in real time. I imagine reading the book is also a good experience since the story itself is good, but I can't stress enough what a joy it was to listen on audiobook!

Raw emotion plus polished storytelling leads to a gripping novel, and The Night Swim delivers a chilling read that wastes no time diving into some deep topics.

Rachel Krall, a true crime podcast superstar is on her way to the small town of Neapolis to cover a rape trial, when an unexpected letter is left on her windshield. Although Rachel is no stranger to receiving thousands of requests for investigations into murder cases, no request has ever been left in person. Someone knows who she is.

Rachel continues working on the sensitive trial at hand, but as letters depicting the wrongful death of Jenny Stills continue to arrive, Rachel’s curiosity gets the best of her, and she begins to ask questions. The town’s residents are already polarized over the pending trial, but Rachel can’t help but notice that some of the town’s folk haven’t outgrown their victim-blaming attitudes since the decades-old death of Jenny Stills. With 1/4 of the chapters devoted to podcast episodes where Rachel puts her listeners in the jury box to decide if the accused is guilty or not guilty, author Megan Goldin also asks her readers: At what cost do sexual assault victims pay to see justice? And Why, in the eyes of the law and the public, are the reputations of rape victims so important for a No to mean No?

I thought The Night Swim in audiobook format was the perfect platform for delivering this story. In the podcast episodes, I loved the background sound bites of the wind and footsteps on gravel. That really added another layer. I think the subject matter of rape and violence against young women is a tough topic to tackle, but I thought the author did a good job of keeping the tone sensitive and thoughtful. Readers, however, need to be warned about the major triggers present in this book. I’m rarely a reviewer that mentions trigger warnings, but I think the in-depth details of this novel warrants it.

4.5 Stars.

Thanks, to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for early access to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. My IG review will be posted on pub day (Aug 4th).

Rachel Krall is on location in a small town, recording season 3 of her true crime podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty, when she gets the first of a series of letters asking her to look into a possible murder that occurred 25 years ago. Rachel's listeners are invited to listen 'in real time', and play armchair jury- is the local star athlete guilty if rape? And what happened to Jenny Stills so long ago if she didn't just drown, as was the official ruling.

As a true crime podcast addict, I really liked having the episodes of the podcast- I listened to it as an audio book and it is one I would *totally* listen to! It was a little repetitive at times with the trial scenes and the podcast segments overlapping a bit, but the repetition actually served as a decent recap, as it's harder for me to remember details when listening to audio books. This will be great for fans of true crime and small town secrets.

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan Audio for the audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Having worked in the criminal court system for years, I was looking forward to The Night Swim by Megan Goldin. The premise that you follow along with a podcast to reach your own verdict of a current and controversial trial sounded intriguing. I found myself angry by the main character's obvious slant on her podcast. If her role was to present an unbiased reporting of the events in court, she failed at her job. Her reporting of the case proceedings and the investigation taken are accurate, detailed, and complete. Goldin successfully captures the emotions involved in sensitive cases such as the one podcaster Rachel Krall covers for the third season of her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty.

Goldin's story of the trial, the people involved, and the overlapping, interconnected tale from the past are woven into a clever novel narrated by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. All three narrators are accomplished voice actors. LaVoy narrated books by Patterson, Deaver, Grisham, and Goldin's New York Times Bestseller, The Escape Room.

The narrators' voices matched the story well, but the speed in which they spoke was too slow for me, and I listened to the story at a faster rate.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 8/3/20.

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I was not disappointed! I read podcast in the description and as a true crime podcast junkie, I. WAS. IN. I was lucky enough to listen to the audio version of this book (Thank you Netgalley and MacMillion Audio!) and I think this really added to the story with the multiple POV's and being able to actually listen to the podcast portions. I loved this wild ride.

Rachel Krall's successful podcast had made her a household name and she may be some people's only hope for justice. Rachel is covering a very controversial rape trial for her podcast which involved the town's golden boy and the beloved granddaughter of the town's police chief. This brings her to the small town of Neapolis and on her way into town she find a mysterious note on her windshield. While she is investigating and interviewing for her podcast, the notes keep coming and Rachel finds herself wanting to help. I was so ready for justice to be served and I felt like I was right there with Rachel as she uncovered clues in a 25 year old death of young Jenny Stiles that was deemed an accident but was turning out to be anything but. There are multiple point of views and timelines in this book that all converge perfectly at the end.

This book had me so invested in all of the characters throughout the entirety of the book and I loved the webs weaved by Goldin. She was able to hit upon some very heavy and important topics, such as rape culture and corruption within small towns. This could be a trigger warning for some, but Goldin handled the topics with great care. This book provoked so many emotions in me and is a new favorite 5 star thriller for me!

In The Night Swim, we are introduced to Rachel, the host of a popular podcast where the listeners determine if they think the defendant is guilty or not guilty. Rachel has historically presented old cases in her podcast. However, at the start of her third season, she decides to do something different and present a current trial as it progresses. She chooses a controversial trial where a young woman has accused a local swim hero of rape. Of course, he denies it and insists everything was consensual.

In addition to following the current trial, Rachel is contacted by a woman named Hannah who asks her to investigate her sister's death from twenty five years ago. What Rachel finds is a tragic miscarriage of justice where law enforcement failed to properly investigate this young woman's death and there was no-one to advocate for her at the time. The book goes back and forth between the present day rape trial and the past incident. The story is told from several viewpoints. It is told from that of Rachel. It's also told from letters Hannah sends to Rachel and lastly every few chapters has Rachel's podcast entry.

This is such a timely book. Not only from the podcast perspective, but in dealing with rape cases and how the women are shamed and put on trial themselves. It's such a galvanizing topic. People feel very strongly where cases like this are concerned. It can truly divide entire communities.

In addition to reading the book, I also listened to the audiobook. I love to be able to bounce back and forth when I'm reading between these two mediums. I've also found that any book involving a podcast lends itself well to audio narration. I found the narration of The Night Swim to be extremely well done. Because of it, I enjoyed the book even more.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

THE NIGHT SWIM By Megan Goldin *Review*

What an incredible story! I did not want this book to end. I listened to the audio version and it is fantastic. The narrators did a phenomenal job and the podcast portions sounded like the real deal.

The Night Swim is difficult to read at times, as it is about two rapes that happen in a small town, 25 years apart (Trigger Warning: rape and violence against women). The crimes are not described in excruciating detail but you get the picture clear enough and it is both sad and alarming.

Plot: Rachel is a successful podcaster covering a rape trial for the 3rd season of her popular true crime podcast. Nobody knows what Rachel looks like, and she always keeps a low profile. Regardless, Hannah somehow tracks her down and delivers a series of letters about her sister’s murder that happened 25 years earlier, and asking for Rachel’s help to solve it. Secrets are uncovered as details and twists from both crimes emerge.

The chapters switch back and forth between Rachel as she sits in on the court proceedings and makes her podcast, while simultaneously trying to figure out Hannah’s mystery, Hannah, detailing their lives leading up to the death of her sister in letter form, and the podcast, which is such a fun touch.

I listen to true crime podcasts and watch shows like Unsolved Mysteries, so this book was right up my alley. If you like to listen or watch those, I think you’ll love this book. I thought it was intriguing, amazing, and so well done!

5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Megan Goldin for the advanced audio version of this book in exchange for my honest review.

| Story Review |

The Night Swim from Megan Goldin was on my radar from the moment I read the blurb. Much like everyone else these days, I really enjoy a podcast component, and I like the sleuthing that goes on with this one. And I particularly liked that it was a woman here doing the digging. There was so much going on in this book that I don’t even know where to start, and I mean that in the best way possible. This story focuses on two timelines - a current rape trial, and the mysterious drowning of a woman decades prior. We see the current timeline from Rachel’s point of view as she follows the case and updates her podcast, and the past is relayed from Hannah, the sister of the woman who died years before, as she communicates with Rachel via letters. I liked Rachel as the main focus of this story. I like that she tried to be neutral when it came to interviewing parties of both sides involved, but thought it was only natural that she’d gravitate towards the young woman. And I really like how, as the trial progresses and assault is examined, that she reflects on things that have happened to her in the past that could be considered assault even though she didn’t see it that way at the time. I thought it added another element to the story, and it really made me, as the reader, think of past instances where I felt the same. I found Rachel to be so relatable. Hannah was our other main character, and honestly, my heart broke for Hannah, Jenny, and their mother throughout this story. What Jenny went through, how it went beyond bullying and catapulted straight into taunting and terrorizing absolutely gutted me. Even though I knew what was going to happen to her, I kept hoping she was going to make it.

For me, it really was about the way the author made me care about these characters. That’s what made me love this story so so much. Yes, there were twists and turns here, yes, there were close calls, and yes, there were times when I thought I knew what was going on only to realize I didn’t. But those were the backdrop for these vivid characters for me.  In fact, if I had a niggle about the story, it would be that while I cared about what was going on in the present day, my heart was lost to the events of the past. I clearly had a storyline that gripped me more. And also, we never did find out how Hannah knew who Rachel was even though Rachel had done her best not to have pictures of herself available to possible fans or fanatics. But in the end, those things just didn’t matter much to me when the telling of this story outshone them.

I think it’s obvious how much I loved this story. It was so relevant to what’s going on today, and I was gripped throughout the entire thing. I’m calling it now - The Night Swim is going to be one of my favorite books of 2020.

| Narration Review |

The audio of this book was performed by Bailey Carr, January LaVoy, and Samantha Desz. Honestly, if I had to pick a favorite out of the three, I don’t think I could. I think they all did such a great job with the parts they read. They really complemented each other, and I like that the tone of the story changes with each narrator, because it should. That we aren’t having one person read all the parts means we have three different people interpreting, and it makes each part more vivid and for me, the change of narrator jogged a change of imagery, and it made it that much more lifelike. There couldn’t have been a better audio cast for The Night Swim.

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.
•
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.
•
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.