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.

I went into this not reading the synopsis so perhaps it’s my own fault because I judged this off the cover but I was expecting more an intense murder thriller. Instead we get more of a slow burn rape trial case which is definitely important but just not what I expected. The author did a pretty good job on treading the topic carefully and respectfully as it’s super relevant in todays society. It explored how both the rape victim and assaulters life change but in completely different ways. The female is accused of lying while excuses are made for the male. This reminded me a lot of the Brock Turner case that happened a few years ago. He too was a swimmer who had a rape trial so I wonder if that’s where the author got the idea from. I understand the super high ratings but at the same time I find true crime to be a little slow for my tastes. Overall, I did enjoy this and think it’s worth the read.

Thank you to Macmillan audio and Netgalley for the audiobook. The narrators did a fantastic job.

I loved this audio experience! I think the book is likely very good, but I feel like audiobook is the best medium I can imagine for this work.

Perfect for fans of podcasts like Serial or other true crime works. Word to the wise- the author doesn’t shy away from the painful aspects of a trial, or an assault.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

Thanks netgalley & macmillan audio & stmartinspress for this audio ARC!

Rachel is in a small town for the trial of a rich well loved jock who is being accused of rape. She also is being stalked by a woman named Hannah who asks for Rachels help in finding out who killed her sister many years ago in the same small town. At first Rachel isn't sure about helping the elusive Hannah but the more she digs in about Jenny Stills death the more road blocks she hits and her investigative antenna are going crazy.

This is a good audio book because the segments of Rachels podcast actually sound like listening to a podcast, with background music and all. Its an interesting conundrum. Should the golden boy lose his whole life on an accusation? Is the victim lying because she regrets saying yes? Is it right that an alleged rape victim is often put on the stand to be grilled over and over about what happened trying to proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she was raped having to live the whole trauma over again while the alleged rapist is afforded the ability to not take the stand? These are the questions raised in this book.

When all seems lost it is Rachel's quick mind that may pull the ace that helps bring the truth to light, and in doing so also shed light on a case that happened long ago to a young girl the town wishes it could forget.

The narration was really well done and I like the back and forth between the podcast and the real action of the story. There is a lot going on but it was easy to follow. I really enjoyed the mystery and Jenny Sills murderer is not at all who I was expecting.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrators are great and easy to listen to. The story itself was great. It reminded me a little of The Winter Sister. The theme is a topic not visited often and I like the way it was dealt with in this story. I also love the podcast element. If you like true crime and mystery stories, I encourage you to pick this one up.

I listened to the audio book version of Night Swim and I enjoyed every minute of it! The book is told in three parts: the main character Rachel, episodes of Rachel’s podcast, and Hannah’s letters that she writes to Rachel. I’m positive that listening to this book enhanced the story. I actually felt like I was listening to a podcast when the book would shift to Rachel’s episodes. I know it wouldn’t have had the same impact on me in book form. For this reason, I highly suggest you pick up the audio book!

I was really engrossed in the story and even looked for things I could do so I could listen to it more (cleaning and etc). I loved that there were two mysteries in the story without it being unbelievable or just wild. I was really invested and cared about the characters, which is a plus if the author can pull that off. The chapters on Hannah’s letters were intriguing but a little creepy at times. I really liked how you weren’t sure if you could trust her or not. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope you do too!

A big thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book! I enjoyed every minute of it!

my my... I loved this audiobook. The narrator did a great job bringing this characters to life.

I really like listening to thriller books , fells more real to me when I'm listening than reading it.

This was a pretty solid thriller novel. Will read more of this author.books in the future.
And this has one of my.faborite tropes in thriler.

This was the first book that I have "read" from this author and let me just say she's got a fan in me. I listened to this as an audio book and definitely another win by MacMillan Audio. I'm a huge fan or true crime podcasts, so the premise of this book was intriguing to me from the very start. Podcaster Rachel has decided to cover a trial for the first time on her podcast, Guilty or Not Guilty and little does she know that coming to this small town will pull her into a 25 year old mystery. The trial itself is intense and a trigger warning should definitely be issued for sexual assault and rape. As the stories unravel of both the accuser in the current trials and the mystery surrounding Jenny's attack and death come to light, it's incredible to see how this small town gets even smaller with every turn. The audiobook was brilliant in the way that not only were there separate narrators for the chapters that were from Rachel and Hannah, Jenny's sister, but there were also chapters that were the actual podcast. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, or even true crime podcasts, you have to pick this one up when it comes out. As one secret after another gets uncovered, The Night Swim, will have you guessing until the very end. Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for allowing me to listen to this gripping suspense novel.

#thenightswim #netgalley #macmillanaudio

This review is available on my blog.

The Night Swim is a very compelling story. Rachel, the story teller, is a podcast personality who travels to a small town to cover a rape trial for her program. During the course of the trial, the story in interspersed with Rachel’s online podcast reports, which is a very effective device. . She also receives several mysterious notes from a young woman whose sister died mysteriously in the same town years earlier. Hannah, the letter writer is looking for help to figure out what really happened to her sister.
This book will keep you listening. The reader of the audiobook did an excellent job with the characters.

** Thank you to Net Galley, Megan Goldin, and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Release date: August 4, 2020
(trigger warning: Rape)
Rate: 4/5

Megan Goldin did an amazing job balancing two story lines and having them come together in the end with a surprising twist!

The Night Swim is an emotional psychological thriller about a rape trial that occurs in the small town of Neapolis, North Carolina. Rachel Krall is a host of the true crime podcast. She is a journalist who takes notes during trials and shares them on the podcast. Rachel heads to the small town to report on the rape trial of a 16 year old girl, assaulted and raped by a popular and famous swimmer.
On her way into town, Rachel received a note from Hannah, pleading Rachel to help her solve her sisters murder that occurred 25 years ago, which everyone else thinks was an accident.

At times I had to stop listening because of how real it felt. It was so raw and frustrating to hear the details of the rape and the painful and embarrassing process of gathering evidence after the fact. The author handled the topic of rape with care and sensitivity. This is book is hard to swallow but it shows the realness of the situation and what rape victims go though.