I would have loved to spend a school year at sea (but would hope it would be a more tame). This made for a great setting for this mystery/thriller. The story started out slowly but once it picked up about halfway through, I really started to enjoy it. Jade, the main character, was not my favorite, as she came off as whiny and annoying in the beginning and then made the typical TSTL mistakes amateur sleuths make. The ending was completely unexpected and made the slog through the first half almost worth it. Added bonus for me was the stops in the different ports and the descriptions of the surroundings; it was nice to be able to get off the ship for a little and explore.

DNF at 34%

The premise of this book is definitely very interesting! I liked the plot. The idea of a murder mystery on a cruise ship is very interesting. However, the beginning felt slow to me, which kept me from feeling eager to continue reading. I also struggled to connect with the characters. As someone who prefers character-driven stories over plot-driven ones, this was a struggle for me.

I adored Lying in the Deep just like Urban's previous books this one is packed full of a mystery you're going to be eager to solve and a twist you will 100% NOT see coming. I highly recommend this!

This book was not what I expected, but it was still so thrilling to read.

I love that the main character, Jade, is not a perfect character. You definitely see her darker side, but then the plot really develops and the story moves ahead at a great clip.

I am not sure that Jade needed a boyfriend for this storyline to work and, honestly, I was pleasantly surprised.

She's dreamed of this cruise for years, but now, it's her living nightmare.
After being abandoned by her ex-bestie and ex-boyfriend, Jade is beyond ready for a new adventure and tons of distance between her and the people who broke her heart. She's been dreaming of this experience for years: a luxurious Campus on Board ship that travels to eleven countries in four months. Soon after boarding, Jade discovers the backstabbing couple has decided to tag along, and she quickly becomes increasingly obsessed. With a shocking murder and disappearing friends, Jade and her new love interest are determined to get to the bottom of it before anyone else winds up dead. Can they find the culprit before it's too late?
I really enjoyed this book. I was constantly wondering who was behind it all and double-guessing myself. It was a fun and unique story, which Diana Urban never fails to deliver. This book is listed as a YA and reads that way, however I feel like the content (lots of alcohol, hard drugs, etc.) makes it more suitable for NA. The narrator, Brittany Pressley, did a wonderful job bringing this story to life. If you're a thriller fan, check this one out!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and Edelweiss+. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This was a fun ya thriller - all the usual tropes you’re waiting for are included and I enjoyed this read a lot!

This was a wild and twisty ride! While for me it took about halfway to really pick up, once it did I couldn’t put it down and it was a very fun read!

I received the notification that I had been picked to read the ARC but about a week and a half later it was released and my physical copy arrived in the mail. BUT- omg it was so good.
Diana has a way of making you question every single character up until the very end and then she continues to shock you with twists you didn’t see coming. I was grateful to be at work alone reading it when I got to the part *redacted- read the book!!!!!!!* because I was gasping and bouncing in my chair! Blew. My. Mind.

Actual rating 2.5/5 stars.

Jade lost her boyfriend and best friend to each other and after an excruciating summer of watching them build their perfect life together on social media she is ready to escape and start working on her own. The Campus on Board shop allows her to study whilst visiting 11 countries in 4 months but when she arrives on her first day, however, the two figures she was least hopeful to see seem to have followed her there. It isn't just their presence that ruins her time on board though, it is the murders that soon start occurring.

This had a vast cast of intriguing characters and I thought the author did a great job of imbuing them all with an unique personality and back-story. I really liked how all were constructed and this element, despite the trajectory of the storyline not being suited to my literary tastes, would see me return to this author's work in the future.

Another element that drew me to this book was the at-sea setting and I really wished this had been given more page-time. I thought it such a unique creation and would have loved to see the mechanics of how it actually functioned, rather than just seeing the characters explore various landmarks across the globe. I did like these travel element but I had anticipated more of a darkly academic vibe to be present throughout.

The bones of the story, however, were too initially drama-filled and later crazily convoluted for me, personally. I like how the author centred this story around one of Agatha Christie's infamous murder mysteries but it ensured I guessed the final reveals far too soon and found no joy in being proven correct at the fast-paced conclusion.

A fantastic story set in a unique environment! I enjoyed the twists and the prose along with the romance for our MC. Diana Urban continues to get better and better with her stories. I look forward to reading what she publishes next.

What happens when you take jealousy and revenge aboard a cruise ship.. welp this book will tell you!

Jade is so ready to embark on an adventure, especially after the things that happened with her best friend and now ex-boyfriend. The cruise is set to visit 11 countries in just 4 months and she can’t get away fast enough, that is until the backstabbed are also boarding the same cruise, and all their friends start dropping dead.

The love triangle, who-done-it never gets old. I love a good revenge-ish story. The pacing and characters were unique and enjoyable.

The book definitely was the perfect start to summer season.

Lying in the Deep is a delicious and lush mystery filled with intrigue surrounding Jade on her Semester at Sea trip to 11 countries in 4 months. What she doesn't expect is to be joined by her recent ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend who have begun dating after breaking her heart. When Jade can't seem to avoid the pair, her former friend accuses her of stalking them and then a shocking murder interrupts the trip. As friends and classmates being to be murdered, it's up to Jade and her friends to put together the pieces and unmask a murderer, lest they be next. This book was shocking and thrilling full of backstabbing, jealousy, and suspicion. It held my attention until it's jaw-dropping conclusion and I loved the story. The characters were well flushed out and intricately written with good motives and drives. There were many twists and turns that leave you guessing right up until the end!

Loved every book by Diana Urban and this one is no different. 100% recommend everyone who loves a good YA thriller to read this and all her other books!

This story is told in first person by Jade who is embarking on a semester on an academic cruise with new classmates and new classes in a unique setting that I thought was fun for a thriller. It did come across as closer to YA than New Adult in themes to me, including the catty cliques and the typical social media angst and snubs. Add in the ex-boyfriend and ex-BFF to the mix and the confusion over what went down between them and it had the makings of an entertaining teen summer read.

I enjoyed the characters, from the catty to the mysterious and downright mean girls. Jade is kept busy running around the ship and various ports along the way trying to figure out what’s going on, who the killer is and how to keep herself from being suspect number 1. There were a few moments when I screamed at her for going off by herself or trusting a suspicious character, but overall, I quite enjoyed the ride even if I did guess one of the major twists before the end.

I did have some moments of confusion with her cabin-mates, not because they weren’t distinctive characters, but because they were sisters and I couldn’t keep their names (Divya and Navya) straight. That’s probably on me.

Recommended for a fast-paced, light summer thrill.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Young Readers/Razorbill for a copy provided for an honest review.

I did not expect the twists in this book!

It had semester-at-sea vibes and kept me guessing until the end!

I couldn't put it down!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this review copy

It was a really entertaining book! While I was reading I couldn’t help it but think of Suite life on deck, which made me enjoy it very much. The idea of a murder committed on a boat excited me and I loved those little references to Death on the Nile.
However, the characters were older than I expected, they were very immature and usually acted like teens. I didn’t completely hate the teenage drama though, but some of their behaviors were so childish that it became a little annoying at one point.

Most of the plot twists weren’t that surprising for me since I was half expecting them, but there were certain things that I didn’t see coming.

In general I think this is an entertaining book, perfect to read in one sitting. It was very fast pace and the amount of characters, despite being many, wasn’t overwhelming.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ugh, I wanted to like this so badly. I love a no-exit situation and the prospect of that on a ship sounded epic. I almost DNF'ed this about halfway through because it was taking an absolute age to get through. The chapters are on the shorter side and I felt like the chapters were never-ending. It just wasn't holding my attention at all. I also felt like there were way too many characters and not enough meat to any of them. I would have been perfectly fine with the main two characters going about their business, everything else felt so excessive. It also felt like there was no 'mystery' solving really happening and Jade was just spinning around in circles. Two stars for the last 10% of the book because I actually really enjoyed that - I wish that pace was the way the entire book went.

I normally really enjoy Diana Urban, but this one just didn't work for me. I know this is YA, I like YA - except these college age kids had the maturity level and depth of middle school students who shouldn't be allowed to play with the big kids. I put this down at 22% because it just wasn't working for me.

thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e arc in exchange for an honest review

With this book, I have read all of Diana Urban’s current work. I really liked All Your Twisted Secrets. I really disliked These Deadly Games. Lying in the Deep falls somewhere in the middle.

The premise was really interesting (Suite Life on Deck with murder!!) and overall it was a really fun read.

This book synopsis was really interesting and that's what got me interested in this book. However, the characters weren't my favorite. The characters in this book got me stressing and the characters are immature and that annoyed me. The overall plot is unrealistic and I am okay with unrealistic plot line and the pacing overall was alright. Not too fast and not too slow. This book is a book that can be read in one sitting and that's what I did hahaha. The writing style was great but the plot twist were mostly predictable.

Thank you Netgalley, Penguin YA, and Diana for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!