2.75/5 Stars

During the summer of 1994, Trevor and Sarah make it their secret mission to swim in all the pools in town at night to celebrate their upcoming high school graduation. Trevor hopes this is the push he needs for Sarah to kiss him, but when Trevor tells some friends about their nightly escapades, they decide to join them for one last mission to a pool in the woods.

I don't really know how to feel about this book... I found this to be quite boring, and I didn't really care about what was happening. I felt that a lot of the characters were one-dimensional, which made it difficult to root for them. I was more intrigued by the secondary story told between chapters by a mystery person then I was in the actual story itself.

This wasnt exactly what I thought it would be. In fact, this is one of those stories where I can confidently say Ive never read anything like it before. It reads like a 90's rom com/coming of age meets sci-fi/fantasy trapped in time. 

The chapter titles being 90's song titles absolutly thrilled me. The characters were very relatable. All of the different settings were great. The plot was unexpected! The pacing got a little slow around the middle, but it picked back up again.

The vibes are nostagia, confusion and reflection.

Thank you Penguin Workshop and NetGalley for the DRC of Night Swimming! All opinions in this review are my own.

Much like the teenagers at the natural pool, I felt like I was stuck in this book. I couldn't put it down because I needed to find out what was going on! Although there is a magical element to it, Night Swimming captures those nights that seem neverending when you are a teenager and I like how the ending address how scary it can be heading into the unknown.

This was unlike anything I’ve read before! It’s the summer after high school in 1994 and Trevor is approached by his crush, Sarah, to see if he would like to pool hop around all of the pools in the neighborhood throughout the summer. They think they are close to being done when they find out about a secret natural pool in the woods and decide to go try it with their friends. But there is something very strange about this pool that has a hold on them, time warps, and they feel content where they are, as if they never want to leave…

I loved the 90’s vibes and references, this book felt like such a fun throwback to being a teenager! The first half of the book was fairly normal and I was definitely not prepared for the major twist and the ethereal magical realism (verging on horror) vibes of the natural pool. I was so intrigued by what would happen and flew through the second half! I believe there are multiple messages to be taken from this book and the ending. Each person may interpret it a bit differently but I think everyone can find a meaning that works for them. The ending is confusing and is left a bit open-ended with no full resolution, but also felt strangely satisfying in a way. This was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it to others! Thank you to NetGalley, Aaron Starmer, and Penguin Young Readers Group for the gifted ARC. This is a voluntary and honest review.

Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer will hit you right in the feels. Set in 1994, it follows Trevor and his crush Sarah as they make a pact to swim in every pool in their small town before college. What starts as a quirky, nostalgic adventure turns into something way stranger when they discover a hidden pool in the woods—a place where time bends, snacks never run out, and the outside world starts to feel like a distant memory. It’s part coming-of-age, part supernatural mystery, and all wrapped in the kind of dreamy, retro vibe that makes you want to blast a mixtape and stay up talking until sunrise.

Starmer writes like someone who remembers exactly what it’s like to be caught between childhood and adulthood, where every moment feels huge and every decision feels final. The book is structured like a mixtape, with each chapter named after a song that adds emotional depth to the story—think R.E.M., The Breeders, and Jimi Hendrix. It’s not just about swimming pools and summer crushes; it’s about memory, identity, and figuring out who you are when everything familiar starts to slip away. If you love stories that feel magical but real, nostalgic but fresh, Night Swimming is the kind of book you’ll want to read with your headphones on and your heart wide open.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Workshop for this ARC!

This book was a beautiful story of nostalgia, it honestly took me places and made me think about some changes I had to go through during high school, graduation and so on. I was not even born in the 90’s but I feel like placing that timeline it helped more with the ambiance of the story than having the teens in the present time (and also, most houses have cameras right now so it would of have been more tricky), every aspect of the story is amazing, making you think about life, time and how to just be in the moment.

I enjoyed Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer and the nostalgia from the 90’s. The chapter titles being named after songs from the 90’s brought back so many memories. This story is told from Trevor’s POV.

It’s 1994, Trevor and Sarah have graduated from high school and have made it their goal to swim in every pool their town of Sutton. Their friends find out what they are doing and join them. They go swimming in a pool that belongs to a girl who has purple hair. She tells them about a natural swimming hole in the woods. They all make the decision to go straight there. At this swimming hole is where things take an unexpected paranormal turn and weird things start to happen. The night never ends and the alcohol never runs out.
I enjoyed Starmer’s book and how unique it was. I enjoyed the storyline and characters. Starmer wrote a story that started out as an adventure but incorporated all the emotions we felt at that age, no longer being kids, fears of the unknown, and the struggles of becoming adults. It was different from anything I’ve read lately and I really liked that. Thank you to Penguin Group and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my very late honest thoughts and opinions.

This was a difficult book, at least for me. Your mileage may vary! If you like Young Adult fiction with some supernatural touches thrown in, it might be in your wheelhouse.

The story is about a group of new high school graduates who have that last long summer before them until their next phase of life. Trevor and Sarah are main characters, but there are multiple others in the group. Trevor and Sarah are crashing all the swimming pools in the neighborhood and having a good time getting to know more about each other. When Trevor shares the escapades with some other friends.

One night they find a pool in the woods, and they decide to stay until the sun comes up. That’s when the magic begins, and the writer does an excellent job of hooking us with each little detail. Trevor just wants to kiss Sarah, but there’s so much more to the story!

I would like to have known the characters better with more exploration into the group dynamics also.

I’m awarding three stars to this one!

I received a copy of the digital ARC via the publisher and NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

The 90s nostalgia felt real in this one. I truly was brought back to summers of my youth. The characters were believable, the writing was easy to follow and the story kept me entertained the whole way through. Would recommend.

This was a strange book, and I'm not quite sure if it was for me. What pulled me in was the description of nostalgia, but I did not feel this book pull at those heart strings for me, even though I have beloved memories of the 90s. I think at times this was confusing and that may have impacted my expereince with it.

3.5 ⭐

The summer after graduating high school and before college starts is this weird kind of limbo for teens in the transitional period on the brink of the next major stage in their lives. It's a time period where they're nervous to move forward into something entirely different than the lives they've lived so far, but at the same time it's filled with such promise. The narrative does an effective job at filling that uncertainty with just enough teenage recklessness as the summer slips by so quickly. When the end of summer inches closer the magical realism portion of the story becomes the central focus and it really leans into the idea of wanting your last summer as a kid to never end. A summer filled with pool hopping concluding in the ultimate pool is especially interesting when you intertwine it with the idea of water being cleansing. Easing their minds and escaping reality for awhile feels like the dream, until it's not anymore.

While the writing style took me some getting used to, the premise was intriguing enough to push through this book in one sitting, which is unheard of for me. I do wish that the relationships, both platonic and romantic, were developed more so that the emotional beats and stark gravity of their situation would've hit more. The interludes between chapters fascinated me the most, but I did also find them frustrating. It took me about halfway through the book to even understand what was going on in them and I didn't realize whose pov it was until the very end, prompting two rereads of them. The idea and themes of this novel are where it shines brightest, I just wish that the execution was more effective.

A philosophical story of two graduates thinking of the future , last summer fun. When they go to a pool in a forest their lives and being changes forever .

This book was very strange to me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters but I was drawn to the magical realism elements of the story. It was a quick read which was nice. It’s the perfect book to bring on a lake trip this summer.

There is something about the summer between high school and college, love how the book took me back. Not something I would have picked up but with only 240 pages I took a chance, glad I did. Nice surprise supernatural theme to it.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer.

Unfortunately, I made it about 50% until I finally put it down.

Others may enjoy it, the chapters are broken up with interesting poetic verses, kind of poetic. I just couldn't get around the fact that that the plot just doesn't move. I kept reading hoping that it would ramp up to something significant, but after enough time, I just stopped trying.

This felt so nostalgic, and I loved it. Full review to come! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this story in exchange for an honest review. I am currently working through my ARC backlog and will be posting full reviews momentarily for books that have been completed!

This was such a nostalgic, atmospheric read. While I really enjoyed the characters and the story as a whole, I felt like the delivery was just edging on something better? The ending I just felt wasn't as punchy as it could have been. But I overall adored this read!

Ah man, this one took me right back to reflecting on my experiences at this age, in the difficult and exciting transitions we encounter in life. Devoured it, and made me feel things like I love to!

Possibly the best book I've read so far this year. Starmer does such a fantastic job of capturing the feeling of the unavoidable transition between high school and what comes after in a way that's not apparent. I loved this feeling of something being off mixed with nostalgia and existential dread. 10/10

I absolutely devoured this book in a day. I loved the nostalgic feel of the summer after high school before everyone goes off to college. The feeling that our entire lives are ahead of us, but the fear of what we are leaving behind. Night Swimming follows a group of friends who decided to spend their last summer together by swimming in every pool in their town. They hear about a natural pool in a forest and decided to go check it out. What happens when that pool is magical? Gosh I loved this book, and even shed a few tears for my younger self. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick hit of 90's nostalgia. Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for this eARC.