Under the Surface by Diana Urban, 354 pages. G.P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Group), 2024. $18.
Language: R (144 swears, 10 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
APPEALS TO: SEVERAL
On the best senior trip ever to Paris, Ruby is determined to take advantage of the opportunity to film travel content videos—and to not get sent home on day one. But Val sneaks out, and Ruby has to get her back, which leads to an unplanned trip to the catacombs under the city. An unplanned trip that quickly takes a wrong turn.
Ruby’s story took some dark turns that I wasn’t expecting, ramping up from a curfew breaking adventure to a serious life-or-death situation. On the surface of this story are lessons about consequences, friendship, and learning to give voice to “I’m sorry” and “I love you;” but Urban also puts in a plug about awareness in our real world about the thousands of people who go missing every year.
Ruby, Sean, Val, and Olivia are White; Julien is French; and Selena is implied Hispanic. Also, Selena and Aliyah are part of the LGBT community. The mature content rating is for underage drinking, illegal activity, kissing, mentions of drugs and human trafficking, partial nudity, and scary elements. The violence rating is for knife and gun use, blood and gore, corpses, assault, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

What was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime becomes an utter nightmare in Diana Urban’s Under the Surface. Ruby was so excited for her school trip to Paris. Her dream is to travel and build her YouTube travel channel and this trip is her first chance to prove to herself and her dad she can do it. She also thinks there might be a chance for romance with her friend Sean. But you know what they say about the best laid plans. They’ve barely been there half a day when Ruby’s roommate sneaks off to go to a party with a French boy she’s only just met. Ruby, along with two others, end up going after her to bring her back, the possibility of exploring the Paris catacombs is too much to resist. Of course excitement turns to terror as they not only get lost underground in the catacombs but realize they are being hunted. This is a really fun thriller, and though there a romance angle, with Sean above ground trying to discover what has happened to his four classmates, it’s a subplot with the majority of the action taking place underground. I’d like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Under the Surface.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RS47NVY9GNUQA/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

This was so good!! I’ve loved all of Diana’s books so I’ve been looking forward to this one and it did not disappoint! I honestly don’t know anything about the Paris catacombs but now I want to learn everything about them. This was thrilling, emotional, terrifying, and really kept me at the edge of my seat! Also, can I just say that I do not understand why anyone would ever go anywhere with someone they don’t know but I really don’t understand why you would go somewhere underground AND in a foreign country with someone you don’t know… like you’re just asking to get murdered 🤷🏻‍♀️

My only thing was that I would’ve like a little more at the end but besides that this book was truly a wild ride and I really enjoyed it! Also, this is another one that I think would be great adapted for screen!

** Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review! These thoughts are entirely my own.**

This book was so good! I read about 80% of it in less than a day. The characters were super engaging and interesting to read about, and the plot and twists had my jaw dropped multiple times. It was a double-POV book (Ruby and Sean have POVs), which was really cool and well-done, but I do wish Sean had a little bit more. This book was also pretty clean, which was awesome! The writing style was really great, and this book had me hooked! I would definitely recommend reading it!

Okay new fear unlocked. I always thought the Paris catacombs would both be interesting and frightening to explore, and this one focuses on a group of teens who get lost in the inaccessible/illegal parts of the catacombs, and constantly have to escape death. They are led by a Parisian who initially was taking them to a party in the catacombs, but they got lost along the way, and encountered a possible cult. Also are the skulls coming to life? The skeletons? It could be just the darkness playing tricks…or maybe something more sinister.

I was really intrigued by the premise of this story and it didn’t disappoint! It’s definitely YA, but the suspense is just as good as adult. You do have to get through the teenage bickering though. It’s very high school and very fitting for the genre and age for the girls. I liked that there was an “above the surface” plot as well, with Sean, who loves Ruby, doing anything he can to find her and making sure that the police are doing their job when they keep brushing off the issue as them being runaways.

Thanks for the free audiobook @PRHAudio

This is a fun and quick YA thriller that you can totally binge in one sitting.

Ruby & Sean are high school seniors on a French class trip visiting the City of Light. After meeting a stranger who promises a fun party in the catacombs Ruby and her girl friends get lost underground. Sean tries to put together the clues to figure out where she is to save her and finally confess his long harbored feelings for her.

The tension builds nicely in the catacombs while the girls tackle trying to survive and dealing with past dramas and fights within their group. Secrets and betrayals come to light as the girls fight for their lives with the help of Julien who they're not sure if they can or cannot trust. This is very reminiscent of the horror movie The Descent but told in a YA format.

I loved how this author created a cast of characters who you were never sure if you could trust or not while putting these girls in an environment where they're forced to trust one another. It's an incredible way of telling a thriller/horror in a claustrophobic environment where these girls cannot hide from their problems both being lost underground and with each other.

Meanwhile Sean is working tirelessly aboveground to try to find the girl he loves while being met with adults who don't believe him and take his theories seriously.

This is a solid read and kept me entertained from start to finish. I appreciated how the author wasn't scared to lean into the horror genre and the horrors of the catacombs with the girls not coming back unscathed.

Highly recommend this book, perfect for the upcoming spooky season!

Thanks so much to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the ARC

This was my first Diana Urban book, but it definitely won't be my last! I was a big fan of her writing in Under the Surface.

The book was fast-paced and easy to follow. I finished the book in just a few sittings. The ending tied up the story pretty nicely in the last 50 pages or so, but did come off just a bit rushed. I wasn't a huge fan of the fade to black ending.

Overall, the book was an engaging read and was exactly what I expected out of a YA thriller, in the best possible way!

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this one! It was a lot of fun and such a nice break from the fantasy I'd been reading. I love a story you can get lost in and this is exactly what this did! Diana simply never misses.

Prepare to stay up all night - both because you must keep reading and because you’re afraid to go to sleep! This YA thriller / mystery was such a cool premise centering around teens lost in the Paris catacombs. There plenty of twists and turns, with some predictable and a few shocking. Very fun read, quick read!! Definitely made me want to learn more about the catacombs history and what’s really going on down there…

Teens on a class trip lost in the Paris Catacombs - talk about atmospheric! You'll feel like you are there. Count me way in! Adventure, horror, romance, and adventure! It pulls you on quickly, and I read it during the Olympics, which makes it extra special. Highly Recommended! Great characters, dual POV, YA Horror. It's got the goods!

2.5 stars

Nooo. I wanted so much more from this! The premise?! It promised so much and this gave so little...

How on earth could a book with the premise of a bunch of teenagers trapped and lost in the Paris catacombs while being hunted down by something sinister be so... boring?? I felt like I was trapped in this book. This moved so incredibly slow. And Sean's perspective? Completely unnecessary. The synopsis made it sound like Sean was going to be traversing the streets of Paris as he raced against the clock to save his friends but dude didn't even figure out they were in the catacombs until the end.

The reveal of the "sinister something" that is hunting the girls in the catacombs was so anticlimactic and annoying. Really? That's where the author wanted to go? I don't want to spoil anything but I will say if you are hoping for something supernatural/paranormal/creepy as hell... you aren't going to get it here. The sinister something is just regular old people doing regular old shitty people things. The biggest twist in this story was actually the fact that the author killed people off. I feel like in a lot of YA authors will stop short of killing people in these survival situations but Diana Urban was knocking 'em off left and right. So, good for her because those sections of the story were actually shocking and interesting.

My other pet peeve was all of the secrets and animosity this group of girls had. It just felt silly given the survival situation that they were in that they would be focusing on petty fights and toxic friendships. You all can fight it out on the surface when you get out of this hellscape you don't have to do it right now. In fact, the catty fighting is what serves as the catalyst for them getting "caught" in the catacombs because they're being loud and not paying attention and I hated that. But then everything wraps up so quickly and easily? There we are, in a high point of tension and action, and then boom!... now everyone is in the hospital and everything is solved and wrapped up in a cute little bow. Disappointing.

I do think that this would be great adapted onto the screen but it just felt meh as a book.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinYoungReadersGroup for the book #UnderTheSurface by #DianaUrban. A group of teens decide to attend a party in the underground catacombs on Paris. They never make the party as something evil is chasing them. Sean, another friend of the group, goes in search to find them. Will they be saved?

Claustrophobic. Terrified. Devastated. These are just a few things I felt while reading Under the Surface. We get to follow a small group of teens making decisions that only teens would think are wise. There is a great mix of character development and plot.

The inspiration for this story came from the author, Diana Urban, getting momentarily left behind and lost on a group tour in the catacombs. I believe this real-life experience added depth to the emotions conveyed by the characters throughout the story.

I've seen some complaints about some of the arguments and catty behavior that goes on after the main characters are lost in the catacombs. However, I found it authentic and believable, considering the genuine terrors they were facing, along with the stress of being lost for three days.

The use of dual narrators was nicely done. It brought in a sense of hope amid the dark and gloomy setting "under the surface."

Lastly, I have to mention the absolutely gorgeous cover art. It's the perfect glimpse into the plot, without giving anything specific away.

Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the opportunity to read. All opinions are my own.

This book was darker than I expected but I really liked it. Some things I was able to figure out but not fully and I enjoyed that. Ruby was a fun main character to follow. She was so smart but would do anything for her friends which made sense as to why she ended up lost in the Catacombs. There were some complicated characters in this book, one that I couldn’t help but root for and one that infuriated me. The alternating POV with Sean, Ruby’s friend and crush, made the story better. He is so loyal and so wonderful and I love that sweet boy! The ending was A LOT but it was really good in my opinion.

Are you a fan of:
🏃 Survival thrillers?
🇫🇷 Paris?
🔦 Exploring hidden or forbidden locations?
💀 Claustrophobic reads?
👯 Friendships put to the test?

If you answered yes to any of the above, I have the book for you!

Under the Surface is a fast-paced and intensely claustrophobic survival thriller set in the restricted parts of the Paris catacombs. Can you imagine being lost there? I absolutely would never get close to that possibility, but our main character Ruby has done just that with a group of friends and a guy they just met while on their trip for school. I know…cue the red flags! Thankfully for Ruby, she has someone searching for her on the outside and Sean is determined to use every means possible to find her.

If you want to be swept away to Paris for a much darker story to fill that Olympics shaped hole in your heart, this is the book to do that!

4 creepy stars! 💀⭐

Right from the start, Under the Surface had me under its thrall. With a pace much like dynamite that was married with many a poignant revelation, my fingers flew at speed as I inhaled page after page. One of the best pieces to the puzzle, however, was that this YA survival thriller had a locked room mystery at its core. I mustn’t forget, though, that adding to the fun was an epic game of cat-and-mouse, which was both claustrophobic and chilling as well as riddled with unending suspense.

As for the characters, they were dead on renditions of true-to-life, genuine teenagers. From their clique-ish behavior to invincibility complexes, they felt as real as could be from the first page until the last. Granted, the dialogue did get a bit sappy at times, but, if memory serves, I too thought that way as a teen. What really won me over by the end, though, was Ruby’s dynamic character arc. Perfectly delivered as well as an emotional hole in one, it just couldn’t have been better.

All said and done, with delicious cult vibes, mysterious subplots, and plenty of villains, heroes, and even a frenemy or two, I was easily swept up by Ms. Urban’s newest novel. It was so addictive, in fact, that I flew through the 350+ pages in under twenty-four hours. After all, from the immersive dual POVs and eerie setting that was written to perfection, there just wasn’t a thing missing. So even if you’re no longer a teen yourself, go out and grab this book today. A quick, easy read, you definitely won’t regret it. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Diana Urban, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

The moment I read the description for Under the Surface, I was hooked! What could be more thrilling than an adventure, mystery, and romance all mixed into one!? I thought it was great that there were alternating points of view to ensure the reader is like a fly on the wall from all sides of the unfolding adventure. From the first page of the book, action pulled me in and I liked the pace throughout the book. Some French words used in parts of the book were a nice touch to contribute to the feeling of being in France. Exploring the catacombs with the characters was very interesting and as the book progressed I was at the edge of my seat frantically reading to find out what happens next! Thank you to Diana Urban and NetGalley for an eARC of Under the Surface, I really enjoyed reading it!!!

Ruby’s French class is going to Paris! She is so excited She has a crush on Sean but is afraid to tell him how she feels about him. Sean has been waiting for Ruby to give him a clue that she is interested in him. Will she do it? Ruby is excited to be in Paris as she wants to find locations for her YouTube channel, “Ruby’s Hidden Gems.” When she is asked by her bestie, Val if she wants to go to the party Julian has invited Val to. Val is excited as the party is taking place in the Paris catacombs. Ruby says no and tells Val she shouldn’t go but Val says she is going. Ruby sees her goes off and grabs her former BFF Selena and Olivia to go after Val to stop her. They end up going into the catacombs and get lost. How could Julian get lost? He has been in the catacombs many times. As they try to find an exit out of the catacombs, they realize that they are running out of the meager snacks and bottles of water. They hear voices and realize they are being cased. Julian ends up being found out to be with these guys. They are a cult and initially had plans for Val. What were there plans? Will the girls escape? Meanwhile Sean is trying to help the French police but is told they don’t need his help. He will only get in the way.

The author has written a thrill ride through an eerily claustrophobic setting of the catacombs. The author’s writing was leading me to frightening at what was a very fast-paced scenes which I enjoyed reading. The novel is very exciting.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (3.5 stars rounded up)

Under the Surface offers a thrilling adventure set in the eerie Paris catacombs. Ruby, a travel YouTuber, and her friends end up lost underground after chasing her friend Val to a secret party. The catacombs' creepy setting adds to the suspense, and Sean's role above ground is a nice touch.

While the atmosphere is gripping, I felt the focus on character relationships overshadowed the survival thriller aspect I was hoping for. The setting could’ve been more vividly described. Overall, it's a fast-paced read with an intriguing premise and a stunning cover.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC!

Ummm, WOW. Diana Urban did such an amazing job with this book. Her writing made you feel like you were actually IN the story. Now I want to go to Paris and explore!