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!

Rated 3.5 ROUNDED up to 4 STARS
Lying in the Deep captivated my interest as soon as I started reading and I couldn't put it down until I finished (hence, the rounded up score). College student, Jade and her roommate (turned frenemy) Lainey and her ex-boyfriend Silas (who now dates Lainey) all attend Stanford (WHY do all of the YA books lately place characters at the most exclusive schools that are unattainable for the majority of students?? Other students in this book attend Harvard, BU, etc) and ALL find themselves on the Campus On Board ship (similar to Semester At Sea) for 4 months. The descriptions of the ship, the ports-of-call, the food, the characters and situations all brought the story and mysteries to life. There were several twists that added to the story (some were easily guessed, others were more complex), however I was distracted by the interactions, vocabulary and dialog that clearly placed these students more in the upper middle school to early high school category, vs the elite college they were supposed to be attending ("zillions" and "lots of" occurred several times, along with many other examples.). Had the interactions been a bit more realistic and age appropriate, this book would have been a solid 4 to 5 STAR read for me. I'm looking forward to reading more of this author's work!

**4.5-stars rounded up**

After being betrayed by her best friend, Lainey, and her boyfriend, Silas, who are now a couple, Jade cannot wait to start her COB-adventure. She needs a way to escape from her regular life and what better way than aboard a shop? 'COB' is short for Campus on Board and is essentially a Semester at Sea program that Jade has been anticipating for years. It couldn't have arrived at a better time.

Set on a luxury cruise ship, Jade is ready to meet new people and escape from the dark hole she's been in. In the line to board though, she's shocked to see Lainey and Silas. They're kissing and laughing, clearly happy. Lainey attracting attention, as always. Jade's stomach drops. What are they even doing here!? This is her thing.

As annoyed as she is by the new couple, Jade is also confused as heck as to how it even happened. She wants answers and become set on getting them. Luckily, on the ship, Jade's mostly distracted from her heartache. She's making new friends, her roommates are supportive, they're going on excursions at various ports, but Lainey and Silas are never too far from her mind.

With time at sea, the players involved begin to get to know each other fairly well, their various dramas and secrets on full display. Therefore, they all know Jade holds a bit of a grudge against Lainey and Silas. When there's a murder, some people suspect Jade. She didn't do anything, but now needs to prove it, because if she didn't do it, that means there's a killer on board.

Along with her new crush, Felix, Jade sets out to get to the bottom of the mystery before more people die.

Lying in the Deep is easily my favorite Diana Urban yet. This was close to a perfect YA Mystery/Thriller for me. It features a fantastic setting, a varied cast of characters, wildly over-the-top drama, a classic-feeling locked room mystery, a shady corporation housing deadly secrets, blackmail, murder and more...

I had an absolute blast reading it. Lainey and Silas were so unlikable and I loved being on Jade's side and rooting for her as she tried to survive this dangerous cruise. There were moments I wanted to shake her, she didn't always make the greatest choices, but I was invested in her character and her life. The side characters were equally messy and fun. I loved watching their relationships grow and change over the course of the story.

I am an atmosphere-girlie and I loved the setting of the luxury cruise ship. A bunch of students, strangers to one another before boarding, being trapped on a ship together. You just know juicy things are going to go down. I also liked the idea of the excursions they went on in the various ports. There was always some action happening during those events.

Additionally, I thought the mystery was really well done. I loved how it progressed and the amateur sleuthing aspects involving Jade and Felix were so fun. I had many theories, some panned out, but a lot didn't. I didn't fully catch on to the whodunit until very close to the final reveal. I had a lot of fun getting to that point.

The ending was completely insane, almost too much, but not. I liked it and was fully satisfied with the very final moments. Overall, I think Urban nailed this one. I definitely recommend for Readers who enjoy a fun and fast-paced YA Mystery-Thriller. The cruise setting makes this the perfect Summer read.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Razorbill, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I'm excited to pick up more from Urban in the futur

Enjoyable, great pacing, exciting settings kept me hooked. Fun novel that will be the perfect to lose yourself in. Thank you Net Galley for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I really enjoyed this. The story is fast paced and I did not guess the events that were going to happen. This was twisted in the most fun sense of the word.

Rating; Really Enjoyed It, 4 stars

Lying in the Deep is a soapy, YA thriller set during a semester at sea aboard a cruise ship. Jade has been looking forward to Campus on Board since before she started college, and she is determined to have a fantastic semester, despite having been recently betrayed by her ex-boyfriend and best friend. She plans to forget about them in the whirlwind that is CoB, but as she boards the ship, she realizes that they are both there. It becomes impossible for her to move on when the happy couple is flaunting their relationship everywhere that she turns. She becomes obsessed on making Silas jealous and trying to figure out what really happened to their relationship when a grisly murder sets a domino effect in motion and students start showing up dead at an alarming rate. Now Jade must figure out what is going on aboard the ship before she is framed for the murders, or worse is murdered herself.

This was such a good time. I would have read it all in one sitting if I had had the time to do so. It was fast-paced and kept me guessing for a good chunk of it. I don't read a lot of mystery/thrillers, but I feel like I prefer them in YA books. I enjoy the soapiness of it and the need to suspend disbelief. I feel like the MC in this made some really terrible decisions, and some of the events were a bit unbelievable, but that's really part of the fun.

Definitely had a great time with this and will be checking out more by Diana Urban when I'm in the mood for a thriller. I received an ARC from Netgalley and Razorbill. All opinions are my own.

First of all, thank you for Netgalley for sharing a copy of Lying in the Deep for me to review- I am SOOO happy to finally be a part of the Netgalley community!

And now for the book: Jade is taking part in a semester at sea voyage to help her get over her ex-boyfriend and ex best friend who have turned their backs on her, except SURPRISE! They are going on the trip as well. When people on the ship start dying, Jade needs to get to the bottom of it before she is blamed.
This book was a fun YA mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. I found out after I had finished the book that it was based on Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile, which I wish I would have read first so that I could compare the similarities. I really enjoyed that the whole book was written with different locations as the backdrop.
I think that reading this book is showing my age because I couldn't always relate to the characters. Many of them came across as bratty and selfish. Jade was a bit whiny and self-centered and the WORST sleuth in the history of sleuthdom. Each time she would get a TINY clue she would go into this wild rant where she "magically connected all of the clues" but nope, she kept being wrong. Until she finally wasn't. But I won't spoil the ending.
This book was a quick, fun read. I appreciated it more by the last 1/3 because there were some fun twists and turns. And an ending that made my jaw drop a bit, so kudos for that, Diana Urban. There was also a message in there about the jerks that are Big Pharma, so I appreciated that. Overall, a fun book to read on the beach, but I don't think it made me lose any sleep worrying about the characters.

🌟🌟🌟

Lying in the Deep is Diana Urban’s latest YA Mystery/Thriller. Set on a cruise ship, college student Jade, attends a semester at sea type program called Campus On Board. While on board, her ex-best friend and ex-college roommate, Lainey, is murdered. She races to find the killer before the ship docks at the next port and she is blamed for the murder.

The first half of the book seemed juvenile and was a bit underwhelming. While the last half of the book really took off and left me wanting to finish the book and solve the mystery. I liked how there were multiple characters with motive and you as a reader suspected everyone to be the killer. The ending was a bit complicated, although I appreciated that since most mystery books can be solved half way through reading.

Overall, this was a fun summer read.

I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

For me this book started off slow and I wasn’t sure I was going to make it through it. Around 40 percent in, that changed though. The story picked up, things started happening. I liked the ending and thought the mystery part of it was good. Stick through the beginning and you have a pretty good YA mystery!

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review
I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn’t get into it. I felt it was more of a YA book. I think for that audience it would be more enjoyable.

When Jade's long-term boyfriend Silas breaks up with her over text to date her best-friend Lainey, she is left feeling broken-hearted and betrayed. Months ago Jade and Lainey planned a semester-a-broad on a cruise ship together, but Jade is sure Lainey is no longer coming when her room arrangement goes back to pending. When Lainey shows up on the first day, with Silas in tow, Jade is devastated. Then, a body appears and Jade finds herself the number one suspect in a murder case.

I really liked this drama-filled story! It was so over-the-top ridiculous I ate up every second of it. I've now discovered I quite like the locked room mystery trope, and I loved the cruise ship setting! The characters definitely don't feel like college students with how incredibly immature and whiny they can be (especially Jade), but it was still enjoyable. The side characters were intriguing, and I liked following the mystery trying to piece together the motives each person had. I wasn't the biggest fan of the romance though, and would have liked it better if it was left out. I liked the ending and hadn't seen it coming although a lot of people say it was rather predictable if you know the story of Death on the Nile, but I've never read it so I was taken by surprise.

Overall, I thought it was fun with a lot of drama thrown in to keep you entertained.

Lying in the Deep is Diana Urban's latest YA book and my latest teen read. The title can be taken two ways - clever.

This group of older teens are taking a learning semester on a cruise ship. Jade has been looking forward to this forever. But's she's devastated to see that her former bestie and her used to be boyfriend are the trip as well. Now's probably a good time to mention some of the themes? Jealousy and revenge are at the top of the list.

How about murder....yup there's one. Who could be the killer? Jade and her new beau are in the thick of things, trying to suss out the whodunit. But they may be suspects as well. They're supported by a wealth of supporting characters that fill in the various tropes.

Urban has melded teen obsession with a murder mystery and a nice twist in the last few chapters.

But, I do feel like some of the 384 pages could have been pared down a bit. Some scenes and events feel repetitive. The other thing I want to mention is that the teens in this are at college. Their behaviors and thinking seems to belong to younger teenagers. On the other hand, they drink and a few of them are casual drug users. Their choice of drug just kinda sat wrong with me. Seriously? M***?

A quick read, that tows the line between reading like YA versus an adult focused novel. The “who-done-it” element will keep you guessing. If you figure it out before the ending you’re more clever than I am.

What worked:
•The boat setting
•The revolving cast of characters, all with motive

What didn’t work:
•The reactions from the “adults” on the ship seemed completely off/fake
•I’m not sold on the logistics of the twist

Read if you like: one room thrillers, The Woman in Cabin 10, Death on the Nile

Thank you to Razorbill, Penguin Teen, and NetGalley for this eARC for review.

Jade was betrayed by her ex-boyfriend and her best friend. She’s hoping a semester at sea program will give her some space and time to heal. Unfortunately for Jade, they both board the ship without giving her a heads up. After expressing her anger around the situation to other students, a rumor gets out the she’s obsessed. Then her ex-friend is murdered. All signs point to Jade. As other students begin to be murdered Jade has to rush to prove she’s innocent before she finds herself locked up in a foreign jail (or murdered herself!).

3/5 stars, I guessed all the plot twists but the concept was interesting

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group & Razorbill for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

This book took me a few more days than normal to read because I was very busy but I was still able to appreciate the really good aspects of this story, and what I wish had been improved upon. I don't read as many thrillers and mysteries as I did a few years ago, outside of October, and I think that's because it's a lot easier to get into the mood during that month. It might also be because I recognize what the plot twists are going to be a lot of the time, especially in the young adult area of reading.

In general, the setting of this book lent itself to connect better during summer than other mystery books I've read as it was set on a ship/cruise. While I usually enjoy it when books give exposition, in this case, I felt the story was really slow and lots of the beginning and middle could have been cut out. It was really slow leading up to the climax, and while it was entertaining enough to keep me going I felt the pacing could have been better. As well, even from the beginning, I guessed some of the major plot twists, even if I didn't get all the details. This made the ending a lot less surprising and less climactic than I would have hoped.

I would say that the writing style was average, it definitely fell into some young adult tropes as well but I still enjoyed being on a cruise ship. I've read very few books read on cruise ships so that was a fun experience, even though I'm afraid of going on them in real life haha. I wish there had been a bit more about the places that they ended up visiting, though this book did take place over a shorter period of time (also why it felt weird to be so slow-paced) so I understand why that didn't happen.

For me, the main character was very annoying, though there were times when I totally understood where she was coming from. It just felt how she handled some things was often very juvenile, especially as this was supposed to be centered around college-aged individuals. There were also lots of times when she got really violent thoughts or had anger issues, which I'm glad was it addressed that she needs therapy, but she was being really manipulative with everyone as well.

The other characters were honestly less than memorable, some of them like Felix and Silas stuck out but there was a pretty large cast that I don't really remember. I think this was because a lot of them had very similar personalities, especially surrounding drama, so it was a bit harder to keep them separate as I was trying to do.

[TW: parental abandonment, getting hit by a car, alcohol use, parental death mentioned, death of a friend, blood and gore, suicide, hanging, gun violence, murder]

Locked room murder mysteries are my favorite, and I loved that this story is set on a Semester at Sea cruise ship.

Jade has an opportunity of a lifetime to spend a college semester on a cruise ship and travel to eleven countries. As a scholarship student at Stanford, it’s not something she expected in her future. She just wasn’t prepared for her ex-best friend and ex-boyfriend (it was a traitorous, seriously crappy way to break up), now a couple, to be on board. She also didn’t anticipate a string of murders and her name to top the suspect list.

What a tangled web filled with lies and deceit. With a large cast of characters, there certainly isn’t a shortage of suspects, all of them with motives ranging from almost justifiable to petty. I changed my mind about the culprit so many times I lost track of the number. I loved how the author used the ship setting. It’s easy to picture the characters in the classrooms, dining areas, decks, and claustrophobic staterooms, then racing around the ship to try and solve the murders.

The first half of the book is weighted down with teen drama and angst, and I admit to some eye rolling on my part. Jade spends (wastes) a good amount of time pining over Silas and borderline stalking him. But the second half moves at a rapid pace, and I found it difficult to put down the book. I’d be sure of the culprit, then that person wound up on the body count list. I love it when mysteries keep you guessing. The ending didn’t take a path I expected, but I love surprises.

I’d recommend this book to readers who enjoy locked room murder mysteries in fun settings, plenty of red herrings, and unexpected twists and surprises.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.