THOSE WE DROWN by Amy Goldsmith is a solid debut YA fantasy horror novel. It pulled me in from the synopsis because I will do anything for horror at sea! And the cover is STUNNING! There were parts of this, however, that put out more MG vibes than YA vibes. The horror and eerie factors never fully went all the way for me. And there was quite a bit of angsty chitter chatter on repeat. Those are not necessarily faults in any story, but they just put off a little more immature YA vibe than I had hoped for.

BUT, back to the plot and our main character. The plot was a cool premise as it followed two teens on a SeaMester (a semester at sea program). It had a lot of "classism" battles going on as there were clearly some rich kids on the program with them. And our MC starts off pretty cool to me, but the first night at a party and a fight with her best friend she slowly unravels into a little mess. And I kept getting the impression I am supposed to think she's smart, but she makes dumb decision after the other and she believes just about any excuse thrown her way. I don't buy it.

But I still coasted through this story and found it to be a pretty charming YA debut. I will be on the lookout for more from the author and I hope all my sea-loving reader friends enjoy this one!

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- a solid debut of a horror novel, about deep sea horrors and what hides in the broad daylight. it wasn't the most engaging at times, and the characters felt inconsistent, but i still enjoyed the novel.

Those we drown is a terrifying and haunting debut by Amy Goldsmith, I found it to be creepy and eerie from the start. The plot was gripping and the characters will keep you coming back for more.

I was stoked for this book. Even though it started off a little slow and repetitive I was intrigued by the mystery and all of the Greek references. However, as it went on it was hard to root for Liv and the plot seemed to lose track of what it's original goal was and then the book literally just ended. With no conclusion or anything. I am all for an ending that is open to your own interpretation and leaves the reader wanting more, especially in the horror but you have to have some sort of conclusion and this did none of that. It felt like it just ended in the middle of a thought.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced review copy of “Those We Drown” by Amy Goldsmith. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cruise ships are my nightmare but such interesting settings for stories. It doesn’t take much to imagine all the creepy things that could happen on a cruise ship. I thought that was the biggest strength of this book in how the author built suspense and emphasized how isolated and unsettling the ship could be. I found that the lead up to spooky scenes was always a let down and they came off a bit silly.

Liv was a very frustrating protagonist. She’s obsessed with her supposed “best friend” and can’t see how awful he treats he. He disappears and she spends the book trying to figure out what happened while being beaten over the head with the fact that is the roles had been reversed Will would have left her to rot. This could have been a more interesting discovery journey for Liv but she just made strange choices and had no sense of self preservation.

I think this book could have benefited from the POV of one of the sirens. I really thought Liv was going to be chosen to be one of the sirens and then she was going to have to choose between that life or being a sacrifice. I feel like that would have been more interesting. Or a better evil twist with Constantine? Constantine was very inconsistent and there wasn’t any payoff to that.

I don’t like open ended books so this didn’t work for me. I kept hoping for some big reveal but instead it felt unfinished and like I’d wasted my time reading in the first place. If it was setting up a sequel I don’t think I would pick it up.

2.5/5 stars

A Dream Cruise from Hell

I have never been on a cruise and now I might not ever. The horror aspect of this debut novel was fantastic. The author obviously is familiar with the genre. That being said it was a bit disappointing at how short the book had fallen.

As previously mentioned, the fear that the book elicited was great for anyone who has a fear of the sea. However, when it came to the Greek myth and ideology the horror book was going for it was a bit bumpy on how certain key points worked that were left unanswered and it seemed not in a way that the author was possibly hoping for.

As for the MC, she was surprisingly stupid for such a smart girl. Managing to figure out everything and yet she still wasn’t fully able to connect everything even when the villains spelled it out. It was also equally annoying that the majority of the book is her getting gaslighted and somehow paranoid but not paranoid enough. She constantly thought that their was something weird going on (which there was)and then she’ll go and tell all of what she knows to a person she knew she couldn’t trust… like what sense does that make?!?! So Obviously they made her feel crazy cuz hello they’re bad. Which repeats the frustrating cycle especially since her love interest was of little to no help for the majority of the book.

There were a few other things that caused slight irritations which is was why reluctantly I placed this books at a 3.25. Had so much exciting ambition but overall it was just good.

First, I love the cover and title and they are what pulled me in initially. Then I found out the plot centered around a missing person on a cruise ship and there may be fantastical elements at play and I was sold.

The main character is Liv and pretty much all we know about her is that she's worried about her friend who is mysteriously "sick" and in quarantine. I can understand Liv getting more desperate as time goes on, but that was basically her whole personality. She started coming off as unhinged and we went in circles of Liv asking the captain and crew about Will, her trying to convince Con about her theories, and back again.

The mystery was intriguing and the pacing was pretty good, I appreciate shorter books more and more these days. The plot did keep my interest as a whole and there were a couple creepy parts I enjoyed.

I have so many questions and got basically no answers in this. I really hope there's a sequel in the works because you can't leave me like that!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy

I had extremely high hopes for this one, and though I enjoyed aspects of the book it more or less was a disappointment for me...

First off, the premise - perfect. It love the idea of modern day sirens, being in the middle of the ocean with secrets upon secrets occurring constantly. Eerie, creepy type of fear around every corner. Secondly though, this is where my enjoyment moves away. The characters were rather one-dimensional, and I could have gotten by without having too much depth, but they were very stereotypical in an annoying way. I could get on board (pun intended) with the stereotypes, I could, but it made these characters obnoxious. And thirdly I was able to see where the book was going with the heavy foreshadowing, and I do mean heavy foreshadowing. There were also things I was hoping would have gotten a bit more flesh out whereas other aspects could have been thinned.

Again, overall loved the premise. I enjoyed parts of the book but those parts unfortunately were not enough for me to not skim to the point of almost DNF'ing the book. Kind of a let down.

A terrific atmospheric horror debut by author Amy Goldsmith. It was a little slow at first to get into but it paid off because the plot was gripping and the characters were super intriguing!

It took a while to get into it but it was pretty decent. I can’t quite put my finger on why but I’m not really sure how to describe what I did and didn’t like.

Those We Drown is a YA Horror/Thriller that takes place on a cruise ship.

Liv gets an all-expense paid opportunity to study on The Eos (a cruise ship) for a semester. Her best friend who she has been sort of ghosting her will be studying on The Eos as well. She hopes that they both can clear the air and can become best friends again. But strange things happen. Will ends up getting sick and quarantined, but she is unable to see him and the text messages he is sending her do not sound like him. It ends up making Liv suspicious, but she becomes very suspicious when others go missing.

Cover:
This cover is really beautiful and eye catching, which is why I decided to pick this book up.

Plot:
Those We Drown definitely has an interesting plot and I liked that this took place on a cruise ship for the selected students to study, um actually I am not really sure what they were supposed to be there to study for. But I do like that this book takes place in a different setting compared to other YA horror/thriller/suspense novels.
Those We Drown definitely falls flat in the execution and lacks depth when it comes to its plot. I just feel like not much of the setting, the development of the plot with the conflict and resolution were not really fleshed out. For most of the book it felt like not much was going on and there were parts of the story that felt pretty repetitive.

Also, from the beginning and every so often throughout the book I became very confused on what exactly was going on such as why they were on the ship to study, what were they studying, and how old the characters were.

Characters:
With the characters we see that most on the ship are rich, and Liv happens to not be rich and is there on a technicality. It is noted in the beginning multiple times that she did not have money like the others, has a scholarship, and she was not supposed to be there and was only able to secure her spot because of a girl went missing. The social status differences between Liv and the other characters felt very stereotypical and this was especially seen with The Sirens (a group of influencers).

The Sirens were made out to be these super-hot, catty, and dense type influencers. It really feels stereotypical in my opinion since not all influencers are like that and it was put in there because there needed to be a hot, popular, and mean girl clique to help advance the story. Yet, I feel like they were very shallow and did not really add much to the story and the hate towards Liv was really not validated.

Liv and Will were not fleshed out well either. I'm not sure on why they really are best friends or were best friends. Obviously, it is because of their mothers, but besides that why did they even want to stay friends once they became teenagers? Plus, they and the side characters came off pretty one dimensional with little to no character development.

Pacing
This book started off slow and remained very, very slow for the most part. It is over 400 pages, and it could be cut down about 50-100 pages since there was not much going on and areas where it became repetitive.

Due to the slow pacing, I was really bored while reading this and just could not connect with the characters and what was going on. I ended up not caring about what was actually happening and about what would happen to the characters.

Overall Thoughts:
This book may have not been for me, but this could certainly be for other people who love a slow, horror, thriller type book.

For me I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it was fleshed out more with the plot and characters to make it feel all less one dimensional or shallow feeling. I do think Amy Goldsmith as an author has the potential to write some great books in the future and I definitely am willing to pick up another book by them to see how I feel about their writing.

I liked the general vibes if this novel: creepy happenings at sea, but I wanted more creepiness and less teens complaining. Alas, maybe that's why it's YA?

Either way wtfff was that end? Did the author give up? There's fit to be a sequel, but I don't know if I'll read it.

I’m new to reading YA and I just feel like this one was a little too young for me. I couldn’t really get into the characters because I didn’t have anything in common with them. With that being said though, it was still a good read!

Liv is thrilled to receive a scholarship to study aboard a luxury cruise ship for a semester – it could be the boost she needs to get into the college of her choice. She’s a little nervous, but her BFF Will is also going. Their friendship has been rocky recently, and this trip provides an opportunity to repair their relationship. After a huge fight with a drunken Will in front of everyone on the first night, run-ins with a group of glamorous influencers, and treatment as a charity case by the other wealthy, spoiled students, Liv has second thoughts about the program. And that’s before the really bizarre things start happening.

The cruise ship setting is a plus for this story, essentially making it a locked room mystery. Will is quarantined with a mysterious illness their second day on board, but things aren’t adding up. Liv is certain something’s wrong. I don’t know that I’d be quite as loyal to Will considering the way he humiliates her, but Liv runs around the ship searching for the truth and finds herself in some harrowing situations. After seeing some disturbing things, she wonders if she’s hallucinating, and the possibility of an unreliable narrator crossed my mind. But the masked stranger that attacks her is real. Of that she’s sure.

Between the mean girl Sirens, privileged students who continually point out Liv’s scholarship status, and Will’s treatment of her, none of these characters are especially likable. I initially sympathized with Liv’s situation, but then grew frustrated with her as she bounced around the ship making accusations. Many are correct, but the story stalls as her accusations become repetitive without any action. When other people disappear under mysterious circumstances or for feeble excuses the story picks up speed again. It’s not difficult to figure out what’s happening on board pretty early, but it takes Liv a while to get there since no one believes her wild allegations. The romance feels more awkward than genuine, and I’m not convinced it’s needed. A friendship could have worked just as well.

The story ends abruptly, leaving many things unresolved, and I’m not sure if there will be a sequel. While I’m a fan of the setting and premise, the characters didn’t click for me.

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

I enjoyed reading this book. I was intrigued by the premise of horror on the sea. The story was suspenseful and makes you want to keep reading to see what happens. The characters were decent. YA horror fans will enjoy this book.

I read this extremely fast on audiobook and it was such a strange, twisty, and refreshing read. Super unique and fun and while I shouldn't want to go on a cruise now after that plot, I still do. Bring it on.

When I read the synopsis of this book, I was immediately intrigued by the "ocean horror" trope, which tends to be a favorite of mine. Needles to say, this was a very anticipated read for me. Unfortunately, I found myself absolutely loathing this book. The premise had so much promise, but it was essentially 300 pages of the main character, Liv, saying the same annoying things over, and over... and over again. I pushed through to the end out of spite and with the tiniest inkling of hope that there would be a satisfying ending. Didn't happen. Overall, this was not a good read for me.

A great young adult horror novel set at sea! I was disappointed in the open ending because I need closure. If there's a sequel I can forgive it. But still found that annoying.

I thought that we would see the book unfold across the whole Seamester, that is not the case. Bonus, we don’t have to hear about school things but it would’ve been more interesting if the events had taken place through the whole trip. Instead they don’t even make it to their first port stop in New York City. The route taken wasn’t described very well (or where they originated) so I didn’t really have a solid stance on time passing until it how many days till the first port stop would be on occasion.

This book did a good job at portraying suspense and horror but I believe that it could have been so much more. The potential for it to be downright terrifying was certainly there but maybe that wasn’t what the author wanted for it. I wasn’t a fan of the ending, it could’ve been a lot better – what it is now could be a loop in for a possible sequel.

I mostly liked Liv as a character. I think everyone has had situations like hers where people either totally brush it off or flat out don’t believe you. The self-doubt, paranoia, anxiety, lack of sleep, and spiraling made me question if she was truly a reliable narrator. Hard pass on the rest of the cast – we didn’t spend a lot of time getting to know any of them but we did hear about their families & reputations.

I would like to thank Delacorte Press, Amy Goldmith & NetGalley for the opportunity to read this atmospheric horror that had ties into Greek mythology. All opinions are my own. Rounded from 3.5 stars.

An ocean-drenched, atmospheric horror debut! Liv's best friend disappears on their first night aboard their dream semester-at-sea program—but is he really sick, like everyone says, or is something darker lurking beneath the water?

This book caught me completely off guard. What I thought it was going to be it wasn't. It was an exquisite young adult horror novel with a well developed plot. I felt so bad for Liv throughout the entire ordeal. Why is no one listening? But then you find out why. And it's crazy!!!! Definitely worth a read for horror and YA fans.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhousekids for letting me review this book and give my honest opinion.