The character development within this book was quite interesting. The characters were able to work off of each other and it sounded natural. If I was in that situation I could not handle more than five minutes. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrilling and interesting adventure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for providing me with an eARC of Under the Surface in exchange for my honest review!

This YA thriller aims for an eye-catching hook by drawing us into Parisian catacombs for subterranean suspense, and that ends up being a gripping time. A creepy and claustrophobic mood hangs over me, making me feel like I'm confined underground with these misfortunate teenagers, and it helps that I find them to be engaging characters to hang around with. Some conflicts emerge between them that, despite the familiar cliches that they rely on, add tension to the narrative and further compel me to keep following their dynamics. There's especially a point in the second half of the plot that escalates the suspense once we gain more knowledge of what's unfolding beneath Paris. I do think that when this takes our POV and moves it aboveground, I'm not as interested in the events and I'm left itching to return belowground. But I still enjoy what I get out of this solid thriller.

Overall, I'm officially rating Under the Surface 3.75 out of 5 stars, which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. The last time I read a Diana Urban book was All Your Twisted Secrets, which had riveted me even more than Under the Surface, so I'll continue to anticipate more of her writing.

As a person who loves Paris and horror movies I was intrigued by the premise's of Under the Surface. While reading I kept getting Lizzie McGuire movie vibes when she went to Rome, but instead Lizzie went to Paris and lived a horrible nightmare. Getting lost in the catacombs with a complete stranger and her girl friends.

While lost in the Paris Catacombs, Ruby and her friends are chased by masked people who are apart of a cult who prey on lost Cataphile. I will say I enjoyed Under the Surface because it was Duo POV and readers get to see what Ruby is going through in the Catacombs and how her friend/crush Sean figures out exactly where and what has happened to Ruby and his other classmates. I also enjoyed the eerie setting, descriptions and the pace of the book.

Thank you Penguin Teen and Netgalley.

This novel has one of the best spooky, atmospheric settings I’ve come across – you just can’t go wrong with the Paris catacombs. I felt the characters’ desperation and fear as they trudged through the winding tunnels with little food and no water left – while something is pursuing them. The setting adds to the story and ramps up the tension in a nice way.

Chapters rotate between Ruby and Sean’s perspectives, and I liked seeing what was going on above ground while Ruby and the others are missing. Shout out to Sean for all he does to help find Ruby – the teaches seem a little too laid back about losing a few students. One of the characters felt off to me early on, and my instincts were proven correct. A highly toxic relationship is revealed over the course of the story.

Ruby’s podcast has such a clever name – Ruby’s Hidden Gems. It’s perfect. I did have to suspend my disbelief over one aspect of the story. The characters are convinced they’ll die (some already have) while trapped in the catacombs, but there’s still teen drama involving a dispute over a boy. I think the story would have worked just as well without it. That being said, the teens are well-portrayed when it comes to not considering the tragic consequences of their actions and thinking they’re invincible.

Recommended for readers who enjoy claustrophobic thrillers, cult vibes, and creepy, confined settings.

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

After reading this book, I immediately wanted to go down a rabbit hole about the Paris Catacombs. I had a little bit of knowledge about the Catacombs, but Diana Urban wrote this book in a way that made me want to learn everything there is to know.

Under the Surface is a story about students who are on a class trip to Paris. When a group of girls get lost underneath Paris in the Catacombs, it turns into a race of how to get out alive. When they figure out that there’s something (or someone) else down there murdering people, it raises the stakes even higher. While all of this is going on, we get the point-of-view of the classmates above ground that are trying to force Paris police to find them. It’s a test against time, who will survive?

Diana Urban has a way with her words that keep you entranced until the very end. I was guessing until the last few chapters. The way that Under the Surace was written really kept up my anticipation and I couldn’t recommend this book more!

This is a compelling and riveting YA book! Perfect thriller! Exactly what I would have loved in high school, but still immensely enjoyable all grown up! I would HIGHLY recommend this book for any young readers wanting to read a thrilling story that will keep them on the edge of their seats!

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this.

I must say this, when I first saw this cover I knew I needed to read this. And oh man I am so happy to have been able to. Reading this YA thriller, in the catacombs of Paris, because come on that is such a perfect place for a story to take place. Ruby, being the age she is, preparing to go to college, you can see why things happened the way they did. Not using your head when going to a destination, following a cute person and going deep down and then getting lost. It is very interesting and I recommend giving it a shot!

This book was like an addiction because once I started it and got into it I was not able to put it down!
Ruby is very cautious around Sean because she doesn't want to give him the chance to break her heart.
Sean is very excited to spend time with Ruby in Paris but, if things don't spark between him and Ruby he is going to wait. They are on their Senior trip with their class. So, when Ruby's best friend sneaks out she goes after her with another friend because she wants to get the footage for her channel and not get sent home on the first day of the trip. However, while everything seems to be going well and they are sneaking into the catacombs the guy they are following one of the girls falls, and then when they try to find a way to get around to the friend. Then, they get lost in the catacombs and slowly they find someone or something chasing them and they are trapped in the Catacombs. Sean is on the outside and he tries to help solve where Ruby and her friends went, and time is ticking will he figure it out or will Ruby be able to get out of the Catacombs with all her friends still alive? Check out this book for an amazing adventure with the catacombs under Paris and for a chilling thriller read!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one!

Holy heck, this was a WILD RIDE. Urban did a phenomenal job creating tension and keeping you, as the reader, on the edge of your seat. A perfect YA horror for spooky season - go give it a read! Thank you Netgalley!

A creepy, atmospheric read set in the catacombs of France's underground. This book didn't read as YA, as they spoke like and loved like adults. Strong premise and surreal plot, but it was not quite as gripping, edge of your seat thriller I hoped.

Thank you, PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great read about a group of kids and their friends desire to explore the Catacombs beneath Paris for her social media. The author did a great job describing the settings/environments, helping you create a vision of what the characters were experiencing. Even though the story unfolded through two different characters points of view, the author did a seamless job of transitioning between the two with ease.

Overall this was a suspenseful and thrilling YA read that I would recommend.

This was a good story. A group of kids are on a trip to Paris and one girl wants to explore the catacombs for her YouTube page. Her friend sneaks out to meet a random guy and they get lost in the catacombs.
This was a really good novel.

Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for the gifted ARC to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Why did I put off reading this book for so long? I read this in one sitting and it’s now 2am and I’m trying to figure out all my thoughts. This one was so crazy intense and creepy and I couldn’t put it down at all. I barely noticed myself turning the pages, I just needed to keep reading. The writing style was easy to follow along with, and the characters were really good. I liked the dual POVs of Ruby and Sean so we could see what was happening below and above.

Ruby was a really good character. I liked her strength and the way that she was realistic. She was able to keep calm in some ways, but also panicked and freaked out in other situations. It definitely made the overall atmosphere more tense and creepy when the narrator was freaking out. I was glad to see her reconcile with her friend, and also to learn the truth about her other friend.

The setting of the Paris catacombs was so creepy and fantastic. There were so many moments where I gasped or physically reacted to the descriptions of the tight spaces, the dead bodies, and the conditions the characters were in. The author did a great job of setting the scenes and bringing the story to life. I really felt like I was beside the characters at times.

The twists in this one were so well done, and I really liked that everyone had their flaws. All the characters contributed to learning the truth in their exploration of the catacombs, and Julien was so mysterious and unsettling. I didn’t trust him at all, but I liked the way he pushed Ruby to stand up for herself and confront her companions.

This was an incredible read, and it was intense, creepy, fast-paced, and I would highly recommend it to readers looking for a good YA thriller with a unique setting.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

I want to start by saying I positively LOVED Diana Urban's other novel Lying in the Deep. That was phenomenal.

This was an okay novel, however, my biggest issue with the novel is it feels VERY much like I am reading To The Bone by J.R. Johansson that was published in 2019. There were some obvious difference and I do not want to state them to spoil the novel, it just felt very similar.

This novel wasn't bad as we go back and forth between Ruby's point of view, where we are mostly in the catacombs, and Sean's point of view with the rest of the class trip. There were so many ridiculous misunderstandings and just annoying relationships within this story, some were just down right cruel. This could have been shorter because I feel like even though the chapters were short, the story did not really move a long. I knew this one guy was super suspect from the beginning, it just took way too long for all that information to flesh out. And the ending, frankly, did not make sense entirely. Maybe I just missed something at the end because I was trying to finish the novel, I am just not clear how the ended up where they did at the very end. All and all this was just not very exciting to me and kind of a meh, well no kidding, sort of climactic reveal. I will still pick up her novels in the future, just disappointed with this one.

This was a really solid young adult thriller! The setting--the catacombs beneath Paris--was really eerie, and I thought Diana Urban did a great job bringing the setting to life (no pun intended). Although it was a little slow to start, I found Ruby and her friendships with Selena and Val to be a compelling element of the story. I was a little less interested in Sean's chapters, and it honestly didn't feel like much happened in those chapters. Still, I recognize that they were important in moving the plot along, as well as showing how much Sean cared about Ruby. I think young readers who love tense, dramatic mysteries will love this book!

Under the Surface is a thrilling YA survival adventure that lives up to the hype. In this novel, Ruby, Sean, and their classmates are on a senior trip to France. When one of Ruby's friends sneaks out to meet up with a guy for a party, Ruby and a few others follow, leading to a deadly mistake. They become lost in the vast tunnels of the Paris catacombs. While Ruby fights to survive underground, Sean tries to uncover the mystery of her disappearance.

While Ruby fights for survival underground, Sean is desperately trying to find her. This suspenseful read will keep you on the edge of your seat as you imagine the terrifying experience of being lost in the catacombs for days.

Note: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Under the Surface by Diana Urban is an action, adventure mystery story following teens who become lost in the Paris catacombs on a school trip. This story is clearly written by a a Paris history lover. This is my forth Diana urban book and she has become one of my favorite thriller authors,

Overall this was an enjoyable read but it did lack a little in suspense and was not as much of a romance as I was expecting.

This book kept my attention the entire time. From the very beginning, the pace had be enthralled. I couldn't put this book down.

Wowie. I’m baffled. Aghast. Shocked to my very core.

And mostly because the first few chapters of this book had me convinced it would be a nauseating ride. The infodumping was out of control and the language was unfathomably cringe. And I am not one to shy away from either infodumping OR cringe; I’m a pretty big fan of both, even. But I felt like I was being dunked into vat of melodrama too thick for even me to stomach. It certainly didn’t help that I felt like I was plunging headfirst into a romance when I was promised a thriller. I don’t do well with characters having strong romantic feelings for each other from the start.

But as a writer, I’ll say beginnings are hard, easily the hardest part for me to write. Getting stories started is simply hard.

So when the story got started, absolutely all was forgiven.

Reading this was frustrating, terrifying, had me looking over my shoulder in a dark room, had me saying “one more chapter” and then reading at least five more. Imagine me gasping out loud, imagine me saying “OH MY GOSH” to a dark empty bedroom, imagine the twists I didn’t see coming until they were right in front of my face, countless twists that truly added the suspense to this thriller. It also had a lot of horror elements, the difference being that thrillers cling to suspense (which this did) and horrors cling to gratification (which this did).

The cast of characters, the mind games even more twisted than the skeletal maze that is the Paris Catacombs? Oh man. I would 100% recommend this read.

I really loved the premise of this one so I was super excited that I had gotten an advance copy of it! Of course, I took longer to get to it than expected.

I really loved reading a horror novel on the premise of being stuck/lost in the catacombs of Paris. I knew it was YA going into it, but it felt a bit too heavy on the YA for me. I normally still love reading YA books too.

I still enjoyed it, though. I think it was just the bit of gossipy teen stuff that was a bit too much. I did love the side plot of the little romance with the characters.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘶𝘵𝘯𝘢𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.