This was my first read by this author and I was not disappointed. It hooked me from the very beginning and didn't let me go. I read this in one sitting. There was a lot of things going with this story line and I was really invested in all of the characters. I was honestly surprised by this as it was a fairly easy read. This book was thrilling and suspenseful and mysterious all at the same time. Plus, it had a murdery vibe that I was really going for. I was a tad surprised at how the ending turned as I had something entirely different in mind. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed this one and look forward to reading more from this author.

Another hit by Diana Urban!! I couldn’t put it down- but wanted to because I just didn’t want it to end. The thrills and never ending guessing kept me going. Even the gross cave crickets made me giggle! I am so excited for this to be published and for everyone to dive deep into the tombs!

3.5 stars, rounded up

Under the Surface started out really strong, and I was immediately sucked into the underground world of the Paris catacombs along with the characters. I actually found myself stopping to research things several times at the beginning of the novel so that I could REALLY get an idea of what things are like below ground in Paris and how they stacked up to the author's descriptions.

Unfortunately, after about the halfway mark, I found myself getting a bit bored with the repetition of the story elements. Though there was a lot of tension tied to the claustrophobic and labyrinthian nature of the catacombs, I thought that the "bad guys" weren't very well fleshed out and weren't as menacing as the story wanted them to be. I actually kind of wish that the danger lurking in the catacombs had been something paranormal like it was seemingly teased in the prologue.

Under the Surface reads very much like the YA novel that it is, so if you're not into high school aged characters talking and acting like high schoolers, this might not be the book for you.

Perfectly creepy atmosphere and slowly ratcheting tension. I legitimately could not read it right before bed, and the dual POV was actually helpful in boosting the pace, building the character relationships, and giving the reader bite-sized reprieves from the chilling catacombs.

An exciting, fast paced, YA thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat reading. A story of first love, betrayal, and survival taking place underground in the fascinating Paris Catacombs.


Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

I had high hopes going into reading this book. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. This book overall ended up being anticlimactic. The villains weren’t too scary (maybe if they were described a little more, it would be more suspenseful). Under the Surface was marketed as a thriller but wasn’t very thrilling. Some of the events were implausible but that can be overlooked since I’m here for a thriller and not nonfiction. A lot of books have suspension of disbelief.
The first 80% was slow. Things finally picked up around the last 20% but it was too late to redeem the book.
A few things I did like:
The relationship between Ruby and Sean. It was well done and their romance was cute. The author also did a nice job with Ruby’s pain of losing her friend.
Paris and the catacombs made for an interesting setting.
Overall, the book was interesting but could’ve been better.

She lost in the Paris Catacombs and will do whatever it takes to survive. He's aboveground willing to do whatever it takes to find her.

A heart pounding story that will leave your jaw on the ground long after you ready the last page! Diana has done it AGAIN! This was on the very top of my most anticipated reads of 2024 and now it's holding the number one spot on my favorite reads of 2024! The use of the Paris Catacombs was a brilliant setting as our characters run from their chasers, while also trying to find their way out of a place only few have. Diana also takes up above ground as a second POV shows us just what Shawn, our main characters love interest, is willing to do to find and save Ruby.

Fans of Karen M McManus and Holly Jackson will EAT this book up!

Loved it! Fast paced, well executed—highly recommend! Also how gorgeous is this cover?! Thanks to the publisher, author and netgalley for the advance copy

First off, the setting of the majority of this book, the catacombs under Paris, was intriguing and really gave the book a creepy vibe. Between being lost in the tunnels full of human bones, then discovering something even more sinister along the way, it made for a good thriller. There's fear, action, despair, and a lot of introspection for the characters as they navigate their situation. Being a young adult book, there was some teenage drama, but it also led to some of the suspense as we waited for their secrets to be revealed amidst the secrets that the catacombs held. Though I did suspect some things before they were revealed, the book managed to also take some unexpected turns to keep me engaged. I thought that Ruby was a likeable main character who grew and learned a lot about herself over the course of the story. We don't get to see as much from Sean's perspective, but I liked how his point of view portrayed the search for the girls while giving his character room to grow as well. The book in general felt very readable, with great descriptions that painted a vivid picture.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the early copy of Under the Surface! The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC of ‘Under the Surface’. This was my first book by Diana Urban. What initially grabbed my interest in this novel is the setting of the Paris Catacombs. I think the catacombs are so interesting. It’s amazing there’s this secret world under the surface of Paris. Even though this is a fictional story, it is based on events that have really taken place in the catacombs, like people getting lost and dying down there. For the first half of this book it absolutely reads like a YA romance. I ALMOST DNFed, but I’m glad I didn’t. Once half way through, things take a turn that I was not expecting given the structure of the first half. I think the events that transpire make this novel more of how I thought it would be. (Trying not to spoil anything here). Parts definitely seem unrealistic, although given the nature of the real life Catacombs, the impossible is possible. Gave this novel a 4/5 for the awesome concept and the turn it takes.

"Anyone I trust betrays me. Any mistake I make, they give up on me. Now the person who promised me adventure took us deep into a dark abyss and left us to rot."

Special thanks to @penguinteen @dianaurban and @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

👉🏼 swipe for synopsis ➡️

MY REVIEW:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved this YA romantic thriller. I'd say it's more thriller than romance, but it's definitely got love at its core. It even had some quick witted comedic lines from a few characters that I loved and had me chuckling throughout my read.
This is told in dual POVs and I kind of wish there were other characters POVs to round out the whole feel.
The twists will make you say WHAAAAAA. I even yelled NOOOOOO a few times because they were ..... soooo......close......

This book resonated with me because I've hit a few bumps lately with some friends and it shows that communication is key! Always! No matter how scarey the situation. Also, be honest! I know it sucks, especially when it makes you super vulnerable, but I loved how Ruby finally understood the quote, “Confrontation isn’t bad. It can stamp out the bad in someone before it’s too late.”. That really stuck with me, because I see alot of myself in Ruby.

Anyways. Even though this is YA, I thought it was super fun, very suspenseful, and I couldn't put it down! It gave me little happy butterflies inside at the end and I think I even said awww ... lol

Preorder this on ASAP!

PUB DAY:
Aug, 13, 2024


QOTD ❓️⁉️❓️ Did you ever get to go on a long distance class trip, in any grade of achool - and where/why?

AOTD - I went to few places for like 4 days every year with my private school on class trips , that we got to tour stuff and we're literally just for fun, no learning involved.

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#mysteryandthrills #yathriller #romanticthriller #penguinteen #underthesurface #dianaurban #netgalley #bookbuzz #upcomingthriller #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict
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I love this book so much! This was not my favourite Diana Urban book, but I still enjoyed a lot! I loved the tense scenes of the girls lost in the catacombs, and I loved the chapters in Sean's perspective and seeing his feelings for Ruby the more he realized she was missing and how he was desperate to find her!

“𝑾𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈. 𝑰𝒏 𝒆𝒂𝒄𝒉 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑰𝒏 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒇𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑𝒔. 𝑰𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔. 𝑰𝒏 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆.”
5 stars ✩

𖤓 ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

under the surface is about a group of teenagers who are on a school trip to france. on a whim, they decide to go to a party deep in the catacombs of paris. however, when they arrive at the catacombs things are not at all what they expected, and in a frenzy they end up getting lost. struggling to escape the catacombs and find their way home, the plot twists and turns around these main characters as they fumble through the city of light in the darkness.

at no point at all did i know what was going to happen in this book. this was one of my most anticipated books of 2024 and it delivered. so let’s get into the review, shall we?

🥾🪨🌟🤿🗺️🚧⏳


characters:

ruby: our fmc, i loved her personality so much. i felt like i could really relate to her when she was struggling with confronting others when she felt upset. she was such a sweet character and the writing was so detailed it felt as if i knew her. i also loved how her character developed throughout the book.

sean: the main love interest, he was written well, but he didn’t get a lot of chapters in the book since he and ruby were separated for the most part.
⤑ a quote from him i liked: “I’d listen to anything she has to say, really.” <33

val: ruby’s best friend, i did not like her. she was so impulsive and made SO many bad decisions at the expense of ruby. but she was written well because i don’t think we were supposed to like her anyway.

julien: the tour guide, i love julien’s character so much but i wish we had gotten more about him in the epilogue.

criticisms:
my <u>only</u> criticism about this book is that i wish the epilogue was longer. i wanted to know what happened to more of the characters than what was covered, considering we followed them throughout so much of the book.

other notes:
- i LOVED the writing style so much. it felt so realistic and the way everything was written, even the resolution, was so realistic and creepy.

- the atmosphere was horrifying and the descriptions were as well, like what. the words the author used were perfectly put together.

- it was good practice for my french speaking and reading!!

- the plot was perfect i loved it even though it was sad, but everything seemed very well thought out and placed together to make a cohesive plot.

- intrigue was AMAZING i think i finished this book in like 2 or 3 sittings and i was constantly thinking about it when i wasn’t reading.

- i loved this book SO SO SO much. it was exactly what i was hoping for.


quotes:
“We only have this one life, this one shot to go after our dreams.”

“The future doesn’t seem limitless- neither of us are invincible, and there are no guarantees- but it exists past this moment. And I’ll make the most of every moment we get.”

“ ‘I was wrong. It’s not all for nothing. We’re more than a pile of bones.’ We’re this moment. And the last. And every memory we’ve ever made. Every recording. Every note. Everything we’ve created and the lives we’ve touched. We’re our choices, our bravery, our sacrifices. We’re forgiveness and strength and the tears we’ve shed. We’re the friendships we’ve built and the love we’ve shared. Time might go on without us and our cells might wither to dust, but that doesn’t diminish our existence. We all leave a mark on this world.”

“I hope they know, somehow, that the entire planet is rooting for them to survive.”

“‘I want to see that infinite expanse with nothing in the way. To be one step closer to the absolute unknown.’”

“You never think lightning is going to strike twice until it does.”

“His towering athletic stature, broad shoulders, faded buzz cut, chiseled cheekbones, and perpetually furrowed brows sure make it easy to picture him in uniform. And picture it I do. Often.” REALLLLL

“The end of everything is inevitable, but I won’t let it stop me from living.”

thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. all opinions here are my own!
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𝙥𝙧𝙚-𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙·˚ ༘
got approved for the arc today!! can’t wait to read this one

I knew from the moment I saw this cover that this was gonna be a banger.

And holy cow was it.

Sean and Ruby were so cute together and I’m so glad things worked out for them. Sean seems like a golden retriever type with a bit of German shepherd (as seen near the end) and I was here for it. It sucks how some of the things ended up, but I really did enjoy this.

BOOK REVIEW

Under The Surface
By Diana Urban

Plot: When Ruby’s best friend sneaks out the first night of their senior trip to Paris to meet a  mysterious French boy, Ruby goes after her with two classmates, but caves to another temptation: attending mystery boy’s exclusive party in the Paris catacombs, the intricate web of tunnels beneath the city, home to six million long-dead Parisians. Only they never reach the party.

Underground, as something sinister chases them, they get lost in the endless maze of bones, uncovering dark secrets about the catacombs…..and each other. And if they can’t find a way out, they’ll die in the dark beneath the City of Light. 

Aboveground, her boyfriend Sean races to find the girl he loves as a media frenzy over the four missing teens begins.

Review: I loved this book! Diana Urban brings us a well-research, intensely claustrophobic, and equally terrorizing thriller set in the most bizarre location, the Paris Catacombs. It was not my normal thriller as it was tailor perhaps more towards a younger adult, given the age of our characters but overall this was a solid read. I found myself feeling “creeped out” at just the thought of spending an hour guided tour in the catacombs, let along lost in the vast labrynth for days. It was engaging and exciting from page one and held my attention. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun, fast-paced, engaging read! 

For those who read it, the water scene had me holding my breath and shedding some tears.

Under The Surface is out August 13th, 2024! Thank you to Diana Urban, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for an ARC copy of Under The Surface in exchange for my honest review!

Initially I had thought this was a horror novel about the Paris catacombs, possibly even paranormal horror, which had me excited. When I looked deeper after I got an arc, not gonna lie, I was a little disappointed when I found out it’s actually just a thriller. But a book doesn’t have to be supernatural to be gripping and scary and I do enjoy a good thriller, so I still had high hopes!

The synopsis is pretty to the point; a group of teens visiting Paris go into the catacombs for the promise of a secret party and end up getting lost. While trying to find their way out, they are being stalked by a group of people in masks, a possible underground cult. I was expecting something similar to The Descent or somewhere in that realm, and this actually was somewhat like that, but a YA version and much, much lighter. I think what kept this from being scarier was that the villains just weren’t convincing to me. The people in masks never feel very threatening because aside from the fact that there’s strangers wearing a mask that’s, they don’t say or do anything else. There was so much potential to make them scarier, even down to better describing scary features they have and what they wear. Aside from just, they’re wearing a skeleton mask and carry knives. There was so much potential to make these villains feel more scary and threatening but you aren’t told anything more about them. There was a chance to be more descriptive about them, what’s their expression like, their stance; there’s just ways to make them feel like more than a cartoon villain. Masked assailants on film may be enough to come off as scary but in book form, they have to have somewhat of more than a description of knife wielding mask assailant to be convincing. This just felt distant and cartoony. You learn more near the end but by then it’s too late to make it gripping if the villains feel cartoonish for all of it until the end.

I was expecting this to be a gripping and claustrophobic read, but I just found most of it felt anticlimactic. But, I really did enjoy the ending though, enough to consider giving this 4 stars! Mehhh first 80% percent but solid last 20%.

Thank you to Netgalley and GP Putnam for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year! A YA thriller set in the catacombs of Paris, this one is The Descent but make it French. I loved the claustrophobic, sinister vibes of the off-limits catacombs and our main character Ruby's introspection about death and what we leave behind. I wasn't a fan of all the boy drama and pitting the girls against each other (give me more creepy tunnels and less bad communication please) but it did feel realistic for the age range. Sean didn't have very much to do in this book, but it was interesting seeing what was going on aboveground while Ruby and co. were running amok underground. Some of the dialogue is a bit cringey (and the French has some mistakes, but I did read an ARC so this might be changed in the final copy) but all in all I couldn't put it down and I would probably reread it. A really fun and surprisingly emotional thriller that I would have loved as a teenager.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Awesome book for YA that explores the underground of Paris - the catacombs that you may have heard of but know little about.

In Under the Surface, Ruby is on her first international trip, to France! She isn't sure if it's a good idea to break some of the rules with her friends and before she knows it, she is underground. At Night. And lost

I didn't necessarily believe everything that lead up to the underground portion but I enjoyed reading that portion very much. If you are a YA fan, A France Fan, or an urban legend fan, this is a book for you! #penguin #underthesurface #dianaurban

If you’re craving another horror/thriller like As Above So Below, where the characters make actually competent decisions, boy oh boy do I have a book for you.

See: Under the Surface, in which a group of teenage girls on their school’s Paris trip get lost in the catacombs and can’t find their way out.

The premise honestly sells this book short in how fleshed out and well written it is. Not only does it keep you on your toes, but UNDER THE SURFACE does a spectacular job at examining friendships, complex female characters, and first loves.

There wasn’t one moment reading this where I felt bored or wanted to scream at the characters for making poor decisions. My biggest crux when it comes to the horror/thriller genre is when the police aren’t doing their jobs and/or when the characters lack critical thinking; both of which thankfully did NOT happen in the entirety of this book.

As an almost cherry on top, there were moments that reminded me of Bodies Bodies Bodies, but also an air of creepiness and mystery similar to the one found in Midsommar.

In short, this was basically a mish mash of all my favorite things ever.

My deepest thanks to NetGalley, Diana Urban, and Penguin/G. P. Putnam for providing a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thrilling. Exciting. Terrifying. I liked this book!
Ever since I saw one of the authors excellent teaser videos on insta a few months ago I have been thinking about this book. Every time she posts I get excited all over it again. Imagine my delight when I got approved for a netgalley of it a few months before I thought I would get to read it!!
It took me a few more chapters than it usually takes me to understand exactly who all the characters were (I kept confusing all the things Selena, Olivia, And Lav and were doing/ saying) but that might have been thanks to reading this after work, and with no coffee in hand!
Once I was fully acclimated to the story I was INVESTED. I was reading faster. I needed the next page. I needed my eyeballs to move faster. I love a good thriller like this where I go from anxious, to terrified, to laughing because the tension broke for just a second. But then I go right back to on the edge of my seat-about-to-hurl-my-kindle-at-the-wall because THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN (um. Spiders. Ew. amongst other things, like impeding doom in the form of a skeleton… and darkness.)
It wasn’t just a thriller though, there was processing past events, trauma, grief, rather annoying adults. Life felt represented in this book. Sprinkle in a cute little romance and call me a happy reader.