'On the Surface" was quite the twisty mystery. Sawyer and Dani are the perfect example of social media making everything look better than reality. While Instagram and YouTube make the attractive couple look like they're living a perfect life, the reality is that their life it full of struggles, with their relationship, their boat, and their finances. When Dani goes missing, Sawyer's life goes from bad to worse. This is an interesting take on some real-life and fictional tales we've heard before, and the switching POVs gave readers a unique insight to every aspect of the story. I thought this one was fun and engaging!

"On the Surface" unravels the chilling tale of a woman vanishing into the abyss of the sea, casting her partner as the prime suspect in a narrative laced with deceit, malevolence, and the shadowy depths of the human psyche.

The plot thickens around cruisers Sawyer and Dani, whose dream life aboard their yacht in the Bahamas hits turbulent waters due to financial woes from Sawyer's poor investment choices. As Dani attempts to salvage their situation by creating viral content for their "Sailing with the Foxes" YouTube channel, a hedonistic party on a neighboring yacht ends with Sawyer's hungover realization that Dani has disappeared. Whispered accusations among the cruisers paint Sawyer in a sinister light, alleging past crimes and abuse, all while prerecorded messages from Dani hint at the dark reality of their relationship. As Dani's absence becomes a sensation online, with amateur detectives spinning wild theories, the pressing question emerges: What really happened to Dani, and is Sawyer to blame?

This gripping thriller, masterfully woven and impossible to put aside, stands out for its complex web of lies and the solitary beacon of integrity, Bahamian Police Inspector Veronique Knowles. In her relentless pursuit of the truth amidst a sea of deception, time is of the essence. "On the Surface" promises a beach read so absorbing, you won't even think of dipping your toes in the water.

When Dani Fox, one half of the social media stars of Sailing with the Foxes, goes missing from her boat, all eyes are on her boyfriend, Sawyer Stone. The pair have been living on their boat, sailing the world and documenting it for their fans in beautiful videos of them sailing in beautiful surroundings, spearfishing, and frolicking on pristine remote beaches. But with her disappearance, the murky depths of their unconventional relationship and past secrets, both theirs and those of the cruising community they joined, come to the surface, thanks to internet sleuthers and avid true crime fanatics.

Who is Sawyer Stone? And who is Dani Fox? What lies beneath the surface of their social media personas?

Rachel McGuire’s sparkling characterization of the underbelly of social media influencers lulls the reader into a dangerous riptide, where the plot twists and turns like a dinghy on a riptide. ON THE SURFACE is available July 9, 2024 from Crooked Lane Books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an advanced review copy.

Good book with a solid story. It has a few slower parts but nothing that made me want to stop reading.

This book took me forever to get through and overall I was disappointed with the ending. I felt it was left open ended and the ultimate issue was never resolved. I was left wondering about many characters.
I would say it was a decent read overall. But personally I was disappointed

This was overall a solid thriller. I can definitely see the comparisons to Gone Girl but add in social media vloggers. Very appreciative of the various POV chapters. I loved the setting and the twists were pretty good (tad predictable). I was invested enough to want to keep seeing how everything unraveled and what secrets would come to light.

Great twists in this story of Dani and Sawyer. They are two very popular youtubers who are on a sailing adventure, documenting it all for their followers. When Dani goes missing Sawyer says he has no memory of what happened to Dani...
Love the writing style and the YouTube aspect felt very 'now'
Great entertaining read.

Think van life but on the open ocean. This influencer couple is vlogging their life living aboard a sail boat. Dani is the real drive behind the Youtube account. She is constantly filming and editing their content. Sawyer just wants to enjoy the sailing lifestyle. After Sawyer loses almost all their money in a bad crypto investment, Dani and Sawyer are stuck in the Bahamas with no money. The couple are partying and getting by but then one night Dani vanishes... and it looks like Sawyer is to blame.

I loved the setting of this book. It really makes for the perfect beach read. We have the beautiful open water, the hot young couple, and the fun free lifestyle. This book reminds me of a vacation gone wrong. It had me hooked from the very beginning. It was an easy read and very fast paced. I found it almost like reality TV- you can read it very mindlessly but BOY is it entertaining. You get the dual perspectives which is great. I really enjoyed that this book was less of a "who done it" and more of a whyyyyyy is this even happening.

I love that no one is really who you think they are going to be. I loved the ending! What a twist!! You should read if you like vacation, beaches, oceans, and domestic suspense!!

This book was an engaging read, though I didn’t find the storyline to be all that unique. As others have mentioned, I got “Gone Girl” vibes the entire way through. The story centers on Dani and Sawyer, who are living the “cruiser” lifestyle aboard their sailboat in the Bahamas. When Dani goes missing, their relationship dynamics, as well as Sawyer’s past, are under suspicion.

I liked the alternating chapters told in different POVs, though I didn’t actually feel that I could relate to any of these characters. I liked that we got a little bit of info into the police investigation but it didn’t go into enough detail to read as a police procedural. I figured out most of the twists early on so there really weren’t too many surprises but I did feel like it was an engaging read.

Overall, this felt like a new take on an old story, but was still fun to read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The book had so many brilliant aspects, I really loved the premise around this book which was highlighted by the intriguing plot and descriptive writing. I also really enjoyed the POV writing stance and felt this flowed well in the book.
Saying that, I really struggled to engage with these characters or grow to like them despite the dynamics between them. This, made it hard to really love the book despite the brilliant plot. I felt at times the book was very drawn out and struggled to initially engage with it. I also struggled with the abrupt ending and would have loved a little more depth surrounding it to see it play out.
But looking forward to what more this author has to offer.

Dani and Sawyer, popular YouTubers, go sailing and document the adventure. But havoc strikes when Dani goes missing and Sawyer claims to have no memory of what happened. This was a really fun read, some good twists, and held my interest to the end. I know it keeps being compared to “Gone, Girl” but I honestly liked this better due to the writing style, pacing, and social media aspect; I felt the author brought something unique to the genre. I’ll be recommending near release day. Thanks for that opportunity to read!

The crime novel is the collaboration of two writers who write under the pen name Rachel McGuire. Perhaps that is why it sometimes comes across as too casual in its tone. There are lengthy dialogues that often do not contribute much to the plot.

Nonetheless, the setting is exquisite, with a picturesque sea, coastline, and a community of people living year-round on their boats. However, not everything is as idyllic as it seems. Such a lifestyle requires a significant amount of money for boat maintenance, mooring fees, navigation expenses, and food. Hence, many individuals resort to monetizing their YouTube channels.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox, a young couple who spend their time sailing around the world on their sailboat and documenting their adventures for their new YouTube channel called Sailing with the Foxes, have dropped anchor in Exuma, in the Bahamas. While they wait for the cryptocurrency market to recover so they can restock and continue their journey, they socialize and explore along with their fellow cruisers offshore. On the surface, everything appears to be perfect. However, one night, Dani unexpectedly disappears after a boat party, and Sawyer cannot remember what happened to her.

Initially, the search for Dani is fueled by concerns that she may have drowned during one of her regular ocean swims. However, Dani's pre-recorded video uploads, made before her disappearance, soon shed light on the strained dynamics of her relationship with Sawyer. Meanwhile, Inspector Veronique Knowles of the Royal Bahamas Police Force faces the challenge of keeping the investigation on track amidst the viral attention surrounding the American woman's disappearance in the Bahamas, while internet sleuths uncover secrets from Sawyer's past. Sawyer Stone may be flawed, but is he a murderer?

Welcome to a world brimming with narcissists and psychopaths. Without revealing too much of the story, the novel is both suspenseful and packed with unexpected twists and turns. You'll thoroughly enjoy it, especially when it is released in the summer.

The book was good, however for me personally I felt like something was missing. I kept reading to daily see how it ended. I lost interest around half way through really when Dani started talking about her childhood...
The whole book reminded me of Gone Girl. And for me when I'm reading a book I don't want to be thinking about another book what I have previously read.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC. This is my honest review.

I felt like this book had so much potential. The concept reminded me so much of the Gabby Petito case, and while I knew there would be some twists, the idea of a Youtube couple with dark secrets in the Bahamas sounded amazing. The execution fell a little flat. I figured out quickly the twists, and the end left me a bit confused. It felt longer than it needed to be.

The storyline is excellent and the characters , while few, are interesting and well described. Thank you to Rachel McGuire, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the arc of this book

On The Surface is a really fun debut by two authors writing together. I flew through this one as this type of premise is what I enjoy.

It was a bit predictable for me as this type of twist has been done before (think: Gone Girl but throw in social media) but overall it was a fun popcorn thriller for me and I really enjoyed it.

This is a case of bad people but you love to hate them! I will def be reading these authors again and appreciate my early copy here.

Just really average, very similar to dozens of other books I've read before. Nothing stood out here, I think. It's a decent popcorn thriller, but not more than that.

A modern day who done it. Not often you can read an up to date modern suspense novel and really understand it. Very well written to keep you on the edge yet ties everything up at the end Quite enjoyable for sure.

So although you may call yourself a psychological thriller lover please proceed with caution, this is not the book for anyone looking for a boy meets girl and maybe gets annoyed and disappears for a bit kind of thing .

Fun fact, this is a debut . These TWO ladies, write with such talent you would believe they have been writing since the womb. Rachel McGuire is the pen name for the collaboration between Rachel Graham and Lee-Ann McGuire Whitlock.

Move over James Patterson we have new authors to idolize.

Teaser :

A YouTubing cruiser couple sails the world living their best life—until one of them goes missing and their whole world capsizes, in this captivating psychological thriller perfect for fans of Something in the Water and Saint X.

Sawyer Stone III and Dani Fox, a young couple who spends their time circumnavigating the globe aboard their 42-foot sailboat and documenting it for their fledgling YouTube channel Sailing with the Foxes, have anchored in Exuma, in the Bahamas. As they wait for the price of crypto to rebound so they can provision and continue their journey, they’re partying and exploring with their fellow cruisers off shore. On the surface, everything looks perfect. But one night, Dani vanishes after a boat party, and Sawyer has no memory of her disappearance.

The search for Dani is initially fueled by concerns that she drowned during one of her daily ocean swims, but Dani's prescheduled video posts, recorded before she went missing, soon reveal a darker side to her relationship with Sawyer. Meanwhile, Royal Bahamas Police Force Inspector Veronique Knowles has her hands full trying to keep the investigation on course as the story of the American woman missing in the Bahamas goes viral and the internet sleuths unearth secrets from Sawyer’s past. Sawyer Stone is far from perfect, but is he a murderer?

Quick read with a good twist! I liked the concept of this book and the overall premise - it was new, unique, and very current.
One thing that was mentioned a lot which I thought was strange was that Dani and Sawyer ‘worked together well.’ I felt it was oversaid too much and just wasn’t necessary. Also the comments made by the uncle didn’t really match the story and felt like it was just added fluff.