In return for an honest review, I received an ARC.

Think the game of Clue on a Semester at Sea ship. College students ready to learn the world and one goes missing presumed to be dead. Who dunnit? Yep, that's the question and why do others keep dying?

The story is strong but the very end fizzled out for me.

Lying in the Deep is a YA thriller by Diana Urban.

After her ex-boyfriend and best friend betray her, Jade plans to forget the people who hurt her and enjoy herself on the ship Campus On Board (CoB), a university program she has dreamed about for years. But when both Lainey and Silas show up to board the ship as well, Jade is determined to get the answers she deserves. Her hunt for the truth becomes an obsession with each day on the ship, and everyone can see that. So when a shocking murder happens, she's among the main suspects. But one death isn't enough, and other students suddenly die too... Jade and her new crush, Felix, must find the killer before more of their classmates turn up dead too. Who could it be? Why did someone kill their classmates? Only one thing is for sure - the killer is on the ship with them, and there is nowhere to hide or escape...

The idea of a campus on the ship is why I wanted to read this. And the sudden murder? That's a perfect twist. The story is like a roller coaster, it builds up slowly at first (the first half of the book is exploring the cities, and getting to know the characters). But once you get to the murder? It is a ride down a steep hill. By that point, it's hard to put the book down. You just need the answers. Chapters are short enough and end with cliffhangers that make you turn the page to the next chapter.

The characters were interesting enough. Each of them has issues to deal with, and some have a motive for the murder. But what bothered me was that the characters acted more like teenagers than adults from a university. Jade, probably most of them, and her obsession with Lainey and Siles got on my nerves. Felix, on the other hand, made it all better for me, and he was the character I was interested in the most.

Themes we deal with in this book: misunderstanding, jealousy, blackmail, drugs, alcohol, slander, and of course, murder.

Overall I enjoyed the book. I liked the quick pace in the second half and how the suspect changed almost every chapter. The ending was satisfying as well as shocking for more than one reason.

When I read some other reviews, I found out this book is supposed to be a YA thriller version of Murder on the Nile... Well, I can't compare it since I haven't read that book. But it's an interesting fact.

I can definitely recommend this to fans of Karen McManus. So if you like her books, this should be right up your alley.

Thank you Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for granting me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lying in the Deep is a YA Thriller set ON A BOAT. I love books on boats and boarding school books. So this was like a mashup.
I enjoyed the plot and storyline and thought it was very suspenseful. It was a trust no one locked door type of mystery. A thrilling read and look forward to more from the author.

Had a blast reading this YA mystery/thriller. It had me guessing until the end. Urban created a true teenage character in a crazy situation. Give it a read.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

I really loved this one? It’s weird because for half the book you’re like why am I so invested in why her ex boyfriend doesn’t like her and why is that the only aspect making this a mystery/thriller so far and why am I okay with that. But you ARE okay with it and then the second half REALLY picks up. I actually loved the end too.

I definitely flew through this one and didn’t want to put it down. I loved the main character and just wanted her to get answers (s/o to everyone who wants to know why someone’s mad at them just so they can apologize 🥺🫶🏻), she was too sweet. She was also naive but not in a horror movie esque way where you’re like I’m about to shatter my TV and hop in, see ya in 10. More in an endearing can we be besties way.

Honestly this book was just alot of fun, I’m a big fan.

Fans of Karen McManus-type thrillers will be attracted to this YA title. That creepy cover typifies the genre. Not being familiar with the author, I don’t want to be too harsh, but the plot and characters didn’t grab and keep my attention.in places the dialogue and description seemed forced or overwritten. But then, some will probably really enjoy it.

While it took a little bit to get into this book once I got in to it I could not put it down at all. The way the mysteries kept building on each other was so interesting and I could not see anything come at all. I felt like the characters really felt like college students in how they handled their emotions and how they behaved. One of the better mystery thrillers I have read.

LYING IN DEEP - DIANA URBAN
3.5⭐
Jade is all set to get an experience of a lifetime aboard a cruise ship but she meets her ex boyfriend who is now ith her ex best friend. Trying to figure out how that happened she finds herself in the middle of a murder.
MY THOUGHTS -
This was my first book by this author. It was a fast paced YA thriller from Jades POV with short chapters. All characters were insufferable and I had guessed the culprit . The writing at quite a few places felt haywire. With such an interesting plot it could hv been really good but may be I had more expectations.

I had such high hopes for this book (I'm fascinated by semester at sea because it is unfathomable why someone would want to to that in my opinion) but it just wasn't clicking for me when I read it. I've enjoyed Diana Urban's books in the past and was excited to dig into this one, unfortunately I found every single character insufferable and it was hard to get through the book at times. If you're someone looking to get into YA thrillers or if you don't mind flawed main characters, I would definitely recommend this.

This was a great YA mystery/suspense novel! The plot and characters were well written. Overall, I would definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

When I saw the premise of this book and knew that Diana Urban wrote it, it made me really excited! I enjoyed Diana's previous works and this one still has that same vibe to them. If you loved the past ones, give this one a chance too!

Diana Urban's books just speak to me! They are always gripping quick paced reads that involve some kind of mystery. Lying in the deep is a young adult thriller centering around a murder on the Campus on board program. This book has a death on the nile feel, I would have enjoyed more time actually on the ship. The main character was likeable and I honestly enjoyed the angsty college students. Jade was my favorite character and this book kept me guessing until the very end. Overall I enjoyed it even with plot holes and all.

🩸Book Review 🛳
Lying in the Deep
By: Diana Urban
Published by: Penguin
Rating: ⭐️⭐️

#qotd : What was the last book that disappointed you?

Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for my digital copy of the book. All opinions are my own. (Swipe for synopsis.)

Y'all. I was very close to DNFing this one, but I try not to do that when I'm doing a review. I slogged through and I'm not sure it was worth it.
The premise seemed cool. A cruise ship that travels the world as part of your schooling (think Suite Life on Deck) but a murder happens in the middle of the ocean. Maybe my expectations were too high, but it just felt like there wasn't enough plot or back story. I didn't feel like I could sympathize with any of the characters and I didn't even feel like the story picked up until literally halfway through.
Anyway. Maybe I'm being too harsh? I just really did not enjoy this book.

#lyinginthedeep #netgalley #review #yamystery #cruiseship #murder #murdermystery #ya #youngadult #bummed #disappointed #penguinteen #picsart #canva #bookart #bookpictures

I received an ARC copy from Penguin Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This book right here! I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed the suspense. It is the story of Jade a poor Stanford student who goes on a study abroad . This study abroad is amazing, it goes for 4 months on a cruise ship. Jade is so ready to set sail on her life, after her boyfriend left her for her best friend in a text message. However, when she finds out the backstabbing couple is also joining the cruise her obsession grows. Then her friends begin to drop like flies, Jade most clear her name and figure out who the killer is with her new found crush. Can they do it before they themselves get killed?

Read if you enjoy:
Suspense
Thriller
Whodunnit
Cruise
Traveling

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. Jade has been waiting for her semester away with Campus at Sea after being dumped by her boyfriend and her best friend. The new happy couple winds up on board which makes it difficult for her to enjoy her time since they keep showing up everywhere. When her best friend disappears and is suspected to have been murdered, Jade becomes obsessed with finding out what happened. Two more students end up murdered as well and people are starting to suspect Jade. The book overall was an entertaining read and I didn't completely figure out the twist at the end. The characters were supposed to be college students but despite frequent mention of alcohol their behaviors often felt more juvenile. As with many stories that involve a main character trying to investigate on their own, the actions taken by Jade were often times unbelievable or comical. I found myself skimming over some of the paragraphs trying to get through the book at the end. I would definitely recommend it but it wasn't the gripping mystery as I was hoping to find.

Jade is ready to set sail on Campus on Board, a luxurious semester abroad on a cruise ship. She is ready for the escape- from her mom and their tiny house, and from her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend, who got together and ghosted Jane.
Unfortunately Jade’s escape is going to be a bit difficult, as the new happy couple are also on board. While Jade first tries to ignore them, she soon finds herself obsessed. Why did the two people she loved the most betray her? Did she do something wrong?
Just when the tension is at its highest, a shocking murder casts suspicion on Jade. Will she be able to clear her name before she becomes the next victim?

Okay. I have liked all of Diana Urban’s books in the past. The twists might not always be shocking, but they were fun. This one? I may have been a little surprised, but I just didn’t particularly care. While I sympathized with Jade at first, I quickly became tired of her. She was supposed to be sympathetic and empathetic, but she was mostly annoying. The same goes for the side characters. So when they started being killed off, it just didn’t have the right effect.

There were also a couple points where I was convinced that Jade might be the dumbest protagonist I’ve ever read.

Usually books involving people trapped in isolated settings while being killed off one by one are my jam, but this one just missed the mark for me.

This was a first time read for me by Diana Urban and I can't wait to read more. I definitely recommend for readers who enjoy a fun and fast-paced YA Mystery-Thriller. The cruise setting makes this the perfect Summer read so grab a chair at the beach and have fun reading.


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Razorbill for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest opinion.

I want to thank NetGalley for a copy of this book for review purposes.

I really enjoyed this, even though it was YA it didn’t come off as cheesy for childish. There was absolutely no way for me to guess the ending and was shocked at the twists. I will definitely be on the lookout for more by this author.

Diana Urban’s writing is absolute perfection. She has nailed the art of building towards the big reveal by giving away tiny clues as the book goes on while making the reader care about the characters and drawing them in to their world.

This feels like a modern version of Death on the Nile, and the ship setting is just delicious.

Buckle up for this one!

This book had me hooked from the very beginning! I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning and once that character was brought into question I was like yesss I knew it, but dang this book was predictable. However, that’s when the big twist happened and I was completely wrong with everything and in the best way! And once there was one twist several twists just kept coming and made the book so much better! Overall I really enjoyed this one and would recommend!