**Thanks goes to NetGalley for the free ARC. This review is my own opinion**

This book has left me feeling so conflicted. It started off with a BANG. A bloodied room with smears everywhere and a missing person who a lot of people hate? Sign my ass up! But then our main gal, Jade, ruins everything. Seriously, this girl is so immature and stupid that I wanted to strangle her myself. Her constant whining, her childish choices that only make things worse, and her back-and-forth attitude gave me whiplash. On one page, she hates someone to the point of wanting them dead, and then literally two pages later, she is sobbing over them, defending them to other people with the loyalty of a dog. MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!!

I'm giving this two stars for that awesome plot twist. I didn't see it coming, and it made me see a certain character in a completely different light. However, once everything was explain, it became very unbelievable. Like, so much so that it ruined the ending. There were so many ways this could have been better, but Jade ruined 99% of it. I only finished this book because I wanted to learn what the twist was. Other than that, I wouldn't recommend it. There are other YA Thrillers that are better than this.

But! I will give the author another chance because they did such a great job at ensnaring me in the first place.

3.5 out of 5 stars (3.5 / 5) This book started with petty, immature, whiny girls that felt like high school, not college. It was a back and forth mess between them over a guy (rolling my eyes here). However, the very first chapter clued me in to later in the story so I kept reading.


While full of drama and immature antics, it quickly turned into a murder mystery and pretty much everyone was a suspect. The teens start investigating, getting into trouble and causing problems. the story changed with each clue and kept me interested. While not my favorite mystery of the year, it definitely kept me entertained!


Thank you to Penguin Teen for the gifted copy!

The book releases May 2, 2023.

This book really just blew my mind. Jade is about to go on a trip if a lifetime that she has dreamed about for her entire college career. Campus on Board (CoB) will allow her to travel to many different countries via a cruise ship while still receiving her education. Jade goes into the experience with trepidation because the trip was originally planned with her ex-best friend Lainey who suddenly cut contact and started dating her ex-boyfriend Silas. However, this looks like a great opportunity to start fresh and start moving forward. Jade doesn’t get the fresh start she’s looking for when Lainey and Silas are both students traveling with Campus on board. Jade hopes to get some answers that she’s been looking for when Lainey disappears and the cruise ship becomes a crime scene.
As a character Jade really does develop and change throughout the book, but overall she was way too self centered to be enjoyable. She only cares about herself and doesn’t think too much about how her actions will affect anyone else. The side characters give more life to the story and really ground the insanity. Although the murder mystery was a little unbelievable at times, it was a really thrilling plot line with a great setting. I didn’t guess one of the biggest twists which makes it a well written story in my opinion! The ending was bittersweet and something I wasn’t expecting. Overall a really great and entertaining read! I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

Jade has been dreaming of getting out of her small house and traveling the world. She’s been planning this Campus on Board trip for years, and nothing can ruin it. Well except maybe her ex best friend and ex boyfriend showing up together.

Once onboard Jade starts to make new friends and she learns she’s not the only one with a grudge. As passengers begin to drop like flies Jade is left trying to find the true killer and clear her name, before it’s too late.

So initially after reading the description I though okay so Suite Life on Deck but with murder, little did I know something even better was in store! After And Then There Were None, Death on the Nile is my favorite Agatha Christie and this one has major Death on the Nile vibes.

The prologue jumps right into it and grabs your attention. Even with life being hectic right now I devoured the first half in one sitting. The locked room setting of the cruise ship and the building suspense kept me flipping the page.

Although it wasn’t love at first site with any of the main characters, they did grow on me. I even began to really like a few towards the end.

This was my first by Diana Urban but I will definitely be going back to read her backlist!

„That spoiled selfish brat got exactly what she deserved.“

Book: Lying in the Deep
Author: Diana Urban
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

This was my second book by Diana Urban and just like the first one I read, it did not disappoint.

Jade has a big opportunity to study a semester abroad. On a campus on Board program, that will take her to 11 different countries, no less. But then she finds out that her ex-boyfriend (who broke up with her via text) and her ex-best friend(who is in a relationship with said ex), are also on that cruise. Jealousy, sadness, anger and even murder unfolds.

➕I really enjoyed the cruise setting. Being on a boat in the middle of nowhere with a killer on the loose, must be terrifying.
The author did a great job with making everyone a suspect. I even thought for a bit that our main character has maybe lost it and was the killer.
The reveal of what all happened and the explanations at the end were chef’s 💋

➖Not a whole lot. At one point the main character just started accusing everyone, wich was a bit annoying.
Didn’t care too much about the romance, but that’s because I didn’t trust anyone 😅
The ending was a bit strange and I'm not talking about the reveal but legitimately the last page.

Overall I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. I had a great time with it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Teen for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

This action packed YA thriller was lots of fun! Set on a ship during a semester at sea, the mystery starts immediately when our MC, Jade, spots her former boyfriend who dumped her for her best friend embarking for the same program. Suddenly dumped and dropped, Jade has no idea why the two most important people in her life have betrayed her, and she's on a mission to find out what happened. ⁠
The beauty in this introduction is that you meet our cast of characters at the same time you're presented with the first mystery, which immediately pulls you in. ⁠
From here, the mayhem continues, and the murders begin, keeping you completely enthralled the whole way through. Urban does a great job of making everyone seems suspicious that you truly can't be sure who has done what, or why. The end has lots of twists that fit together very well; if you think you know, you don't, and that's such a hallmark of a fun thriller!

LYING IN THE DEEP by Diana Urban is a fun and frothy teen romantic mystery set aboard a cruise ship. It's nicely plotted and comes to a satisfying conclusion. However, I didn't get a strong enough sense of atmosphere or depth to the characters to feel invested, and I wish the murder had happened earlier, allowing more time and space for the solution to gel in the reader's mind.

I was extremely happy to receive an e-copy of this book prior to release from NetGalley.
This review is being posted with no expectation of payment.
This is a very well written murder mystery, which keeps you guessing. Character driven, with a unique setting, I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

While not as captivating or insanely brilliant as last year’s These Deadly Games (one of my top 10 reads of 2022 and one of the best psychological thrillers I read last year no matter the age group it was written for), Lying in the Deep is a fun,thoroughly engaging, and well-written closed-loop suspense mystery with a nice dollop of thriller on the side. (Please note this is closed-loop and not locked-door, because there is a difference).

It’s really a good thing the blurb for this book is rather short on details and blunt in purpose, because this is a book you’ll want to go into blind. That’s one of the best things about a book like Lying in the Deep, where we have a large cast of characters from various locales that all suddenly find themselves in a somewhat trapped situation (a cruise ship, in this case). Each character has their own motivations, goals, purposes, and agendas. The only person we readers know and connect with is Jade, our protagonist, who really just wants to go on this semester-at-sea experience and try to heal the wounds from her boyfriend leaving her for her bestie and said bestie totally ghosting her. But then she can’t even do that because the two of them show up to board the ship, too. That’s only the beginning of Jade’s problems. Before this book ends, Jade’s had more problems than some people have had in their entire lifetimes and will need therapy forever. Trust.

Diana Urban has a knack for writing realistic dialogue for her characters, which can be a concern when you’re writing YA fiction dealing with trauma, grief, violence, addiction, and psychological issues. It’s a talent not every author has, but I saw it in These Deadly Games and again in this novel, and it impresses me. This book deals with all of these issues in one way or another, and Urban navigates it all so well I can’t help but be impressed.

My singular complaint about this novel was me guessing the turn from almost the beginning. I didn’t want to be right. I really didn’t. But everything else surrounding the back half of the third act was a surprise or a delight. I was just sad I guessed the turn.

If you haven’t tried Diana Urban yet, don’t be afraid to jump in with this book (and then go read These Deadly Games). It’s fun and a great closed-loop for the YA set. It also reminded me of why I will never go on a cruise ship, but that’s neither here nor there.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, ideas, and views expressed are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: YA Fiction/YA Suspense/YA Thriller/YA Mystery/Amateur Sleuth/Closed Loop Mystery

3.5 rounded down to 3 on goodreads.

I’ve read two of Diana Urban’s books in the past, and I’ve always had a fun time with them! They are very unique for the ya mystery genre and I definitely recommend any of them!

THINGS I LOVED:
- There was a large cast of characters. Usually I have trouble remembering all of them but it was pretty easy in this book.
- The mystery!! It can’t be a good mystery book unless the ending makes sense, and I was very satisfied by the end. It had a plot twist that I wasn’t expecting, but there were clues throughout the novel that pointed to it.
- Every character was a suspect. It didn’t just point to one character, every single person was an option for the ending and it wasn’t obvious who it was.

THINGS I DIDN’T LOVE (as much):
- It felt more like a romance book until about halfway when the mystery actually started. I didn’t mind that too much, except for the fact that usually murders or disappearances happen towards the beginning to allow time for the actual solving of the mystery.

This was a very enjoyable book and I hope you check it out!

Thank you @Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. It did drag a little in the beginning, but once things were happening I found I couldn’t put it down. Once you think you have it figured out, you find out you were completely wrong.

I managed to squeeze reading this one in just a couple of days before release and I am glad I did. I have been getting back into mystery this last month and this is definitely one to add to the top of your TBR. With a cruise ship atmosphere and a cast of characters that you are never sure you can trust, this book twists, turns, and weaves a thrilling mystery. Although there were obvious gory elements, I loved the way that the relationship conflicts tied together reality and the drastic actions that were taken. I’m also a sucker for a good romance within a mystery which Lying in the Deep definitely delivered. Although I anticipated part of the twist, I really enjoyed all the elements that added up to make this a thoroughly satisfying read.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

OVERALL:
A YA murder mystery that has a pretty interesting plot (similar vein to Karen McManus) but instead of multiple POV, it’s just the protagonist, Jade, who honestly, I couldn’t stand. A fellow classmate called her a stalker, which felt on point. Sure, sucky things happened to her (really sucky), it she was extremely moody, bitchy, clingy, and obsessive. And, truth be told, kinda dumb. Who thinks starting a fire on a cruise ship is a good idea? And I thought her treatment of Felix was yuck, even if everyone was lying in the end. Uggh. In the end, I did like the mystery, even if I couldn’t stand most of the characters. So my rating flips between a 2.5 and a 3.

20 SECONDS “WHAT’S THIS ABOUT?”
Jade is about to leave behind campus life on land for campus life on a cruise ship for a semester. Which she thinks is great since her ex dumped her via text for her (now ex) best friend. Great until they both show up and she is obsessed with finding out why it happened. Then she needs to find out the why behind deaths that keep happening on board. Because she’s a suspect.

MY FAVORITE PART:
Did I have one?

ARC provided by Netgalley and Penguin Teen

I’m starting to believe that I read far too many mysteries to be surprised by “twist” endings. Or perhaps I just think along the same lines as Diana Urban after reading all of her thrillers published so far.

Lying in the Deep advertises itself as a fast-paced, harrowing search for a killer onboard as time runs out before possibly more bodies drop. Everyone is a suspect, perhaps even the protagonist herself. I mean, unreliable narrators are a thing these days, right?

On paper, this book has everything going for it that would lead to a deep seated love for it. Travel? Check. Dead body mystery? Check. Some romance that may or may not be relevant but is still fun to have in a story? Check. Those are all great things that I enjoy. But execution connecting these elements are just as important.

The synopsis and prologue tells you quite early on what the mystery is and who is the one found dead. Unfortunately, it’s not until almost 50% of the way into the book that we get to this point of finding a dead body. For literally the first half of the book, we are getting the opportunity to “get to know all of the suspects onboard”. I understand the importance of setting the scene with a handful of newcomers who all may have a (hidden) motive against the person who ends up dying. But 50% of the book just seems largely too long for that.

It’s also not helpful that I found our protagonist, Jade, not super likable. While I empathize with her situation against her ex best friend and ex-boyfriend, this girl fantasizes far too much about killing them. When her new crush, Felix, comments about her propensity to wake up and choose violence, it’s not entirely untrue. She gives me “unreliable protagonist” vibes. I wondered half the time if the information we are getting about the situation that led to her breakup with the two closest people in her life was missing important details.

Once the mystery does get underway, it felt rushed. Unlike others who have read this book early, I couldn’t get into the tense atmosphere so easily. Yes, there were plenty of suspects onboard but I never felt Jade was in true danger as she ran headlong into solving the mystery herself. Any tense feelings came from the countdown to solve the mystery before the boat made port and all the evidence would be handed over to the local authorities.

For the romance, I understand the chemistry between Jade and Felix but it’s kind of hard to root for a couple when he is also technically a suspect. I also felt the feelings they developed for one another was rather fast. The situations between them were not many prior to the events leading to the murder, plus Jade was mostly preoccupied with her ex whom she still harbored complicated feelings for. I didn’t dislike their romance, but I wouldn’t say I shipped it (ha ha).

The main thing that makes this mystery stand out from others in its genre is the Campus on Board setting. I really did enjoy this. A little bit of travel descriptions were even included for London and Lisbon which makes me crave travelling all the more. I didn’t expect such detailed touristy scenes set in these cities – I thought everything was mostly focused on their time on the boat – so I thoroughly enjoyed seeing these European locales through their eyes. It makes me wish I could’ve done schooling in such a way. You’re never too old to continue learning.

As with all mysteries, I don’t want to say too much about the ending, but I will say that it wasn’t as unpredictable (to me at least) as it seemed. I think I guessed the twist all along but was hoping to be proved wrong. It will shock some people, but I unfortunately was unable to enjoy it in such a manner. If you don’t manage to guess how it all ends, I think it makes the mediocre journey to the ending worthwhile nonetheless. I will always applaud Diana Urban’s out of left field endings, though I have come to expect them. Whether the journey to the end is important to you, or the ending and its twists trump all, Lying in the Deep does offer something unique to readers, even if it isn’t the mystery.

Overall Recommendation:

Lying in the Deep mostly delivers on what it promises: a tense mystery stuck on a ship with a killer. However, how it reaches the ending was not as unpredictable or compelling as I had hoped, especially with a protagonist I wasn’t sure I liked half the time. Perhaps I read too many mysteries or I’m starting to guess the out of the box scenarios far too often, but there was just something missing here that prevented me from loving it.

My heart is so happy right now! 🤩 I loved this book so much!

Good thriller? Check. Mystery? Check. Romance? Check. Suspense? Check. Twists and more twists? Check and check. An amazing book? Again, check!

Honestly, I didn't expect to like this one so much, but I absolutely loved it!

The story follows Jade Miller who embarks on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: spend a semester studying abroad on a cruise ship. How great is that? Four months, eleven countries and a perfect opportunity to escape her life and sad reality.

Said sad reality being a bad break-up with her boyfriend, Silas, who also ended up getting together with her best friend, Lainey. Ouch.

So this is definitely a perfect opportunity for Jade to meet new people, make new friends, distract herself and just simply enjoy life for the next four months. Or so she thought this is what she'd be doing if Jade hadn't spotted both Silas and Lainey on this same cruise embarking on the exact same ship for the exact same experience. I mean, c'mon life, really? Really?!

Still trying to make the most of the experience and not pay the slightest attention to the two people who crushed her heart, imagining Lainey's death here and there (because why not, right?) Jade learns yet another important and crucial lesson: be very careful what you wish for, because unfortunately some of the most wicked dreams may have a tendency to just come true.
Which is exactly what happens when Jade finds out Lainey has gone missing, and her room looks straight from the horror movie scene: completely covered in blood, everywhere.

What the hell happened? Where's Lainey? Did someone kill her? Who killed her? Is she really dead?

Lying in the Deep is a fast-paced and engaging suspense/thriller young-adult novel, full of twists and mystery onboard. I also very much enjoyed other characters, they definitely gave life and healthy balance to the overall story.

The ending was surprising, and I think I'd like to have just another chapter, but I definitely enjoyed this book very much!

Thank you NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP and Diana Urban for this ARC! 💖

A suspenseful locked-room mystery where, on a cruise, everyone is hiding something.

I read this is a day. The style of writing is just addictive and once the story got hold of me, it didn't let go until the very end. The characters are complex, but I found the protagonist Jade a bit unstable. She's so focused on her own unsolved issues and personal teen drama that as a narrator, made it hard to stay connected to the murders. While some self-awareness is needed to build a character, I would have liked to see a bit less drama and a bit more focus on the mystery unrevealing. However, the secondary characters make up for it with their unique personalities and they're stories.

The plot was good, with a few twists here and there, but I can't say I was very surprised by them. I figured out part of the mystery by mid-story. At some point I found that some elements reminded me of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile. I was a bit disappointed by the ending. I was expecting it be a bit more developed, and I felt it ended too abruptly with very few explanations or details.

Still, a nice and quick read.

Jade couldn’t be more excited for her adventure of a lifetime! She’s about to go on a 11 country cruise over the course of four months all aboard a luxurious ship. Unfortunately for Jade, her backstabbing ex-best friend and her ex-boyfriend. When a murder happens…and another…Jade and her new crush race to clear their name. Will the killer stop? Or will everyone end up in a body bag?

This book was interesting, but it did leave me wanting for more. I think I was expecting a YA thriller and this one was more of a mystery or suspense. The biggest difference for me in those genres is in pacing. Thrillers tend to be fast paced, and mysteries and suspense tend to be at a much slower pace. I really enjoyed the setting of this book! Secluded type settings are always one of my favorites. This one was done well, and I did enjoy it despite my issues with pacing. There were some interesting twists that I did not see coming! Those are always so much fun.

If you are looking for a great YA suspense novel, then I suggest you check this one out May 2nd.

Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban is one of the greatest well-crafted story I have read in a really long time.

A gripping fast-paced YA whodunit mystery that is both unputdownable and nerve-wracking.

Diana Urban does a masterful job creating a compelling mystery that had me awake all night, wondering what happened next.
This book was filled with suspense the whole time.
I really enjoyed the way Urban slowly reveals the important parts of the puzzle. Piece by piece, the big picture began to take shape.
I pretty much grabbed this book any time I could in order to get a few more pages in, and get closer to the conclusion.
Completely gripping and unpredictable. The author really pulls you into the story and as the tension and suspense builds it’s just one of those books you have to keep reading…

A spectacular thriller of jealousy, love, and betrayal set on a Sea-inspired cruise ship, with a diverse cast of intriguing characters who’ll leave you guessing with every jaw-dropping twist.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank You NetGalley and Razorbill for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Jade hoped she’d never see her ex bf, Silas or her ex bff, Lainey ever again. Especially after Silas broke up with her over text and declared that he and Lainey were together. Since then, she’s been daydreaming about ways to dispose of Lainey. When she sees them on board the “Campus on Board” ship, a trip she’s been looking forward to for years, all the pain comes rushing back.

When Lainey ends up missing, presumed dead, all fingers point to Jade. Now, it’s up to her and her new friend (maybe more), Felix, to figure out who wanted Lainey gone, but more importantly, who had the guts to do it. The problem is, Lainey wasn’t anyone’s favorite person and everyone had a motive. When more people end up dead and missing, will Jade be next?

Jade was annoying in her obsession with Lainey and Silas. Like, they’re terrible, move on! They were right to think she was stalking them, because she was. Jade and Felix’s relationship felt forced and moved entirely too fast, even if they were “pretending”. The characters felt like they were in high school, not college, but hey, I guess we’re all a bit dramatic.

Most of this was predictable, in a sense. The very end, like the last page, was a shock, but honestly, the rest was meh. I will say that this was fast paced and kept me reading, but I wasn’t all impressed with the outcome.

I always say I love a good YA mystery/thriller and this hit the spot. A murder mystery on a cruise ship during a semester-at-sea program is like the modern teen equivalent of the classic locked room murder mystery, filled with betrayal, obsession, jealousy and revenge.
Jade is a college student arriving in Europe to embark on a semester at sea, surprised to find her ex-boyfriend Silas and ex-best friend Lainey are also boarding the ship, who jilted her, and left her deeply hurt. Determined to get to the bottom of their betrayal, she spends the first week trying to talk to them, while also making some new friends and a possible romantic connection, but both are determined to avoid her. When Lainey’s room is found covered in blood and she herself is missing, it’s up to Jade to get to the bottom of it before all her new friends point the finger at her. But then they start turning up dead, it’s a race against the clock with her new maybe-boyfriend by her side to get to the bottom of it before anyone else turns up dead or worse, they get to a port and Jade is arrested for murder. Lying in the Deep is a compelling, addicting whodunnit filled with betrayals, secrets, lies and twists galore, all the way up until the very last page.