A DNF unfortunately, due to the choppy writing style, my inability to connect with the characters, and slow pacing. I do admire the creativity that went into this - the mixtape chapter titles and 90s highschool nostalgia with a dash of paranormal (it seemed like it was heading that direction anyway). I'm sure that there was going to be some deep and insightful message at the end of this, but ultimately I didn't want to continue nor did I have the patience for it.

This is an amazing and unexpected novel which I venture to say is my favorite read of the year so far! What begins as a coming of age quickly becomes a mesmerizing and insightful story which surpasses any expectations I had. The author allows us to accompany the characters on their journey to adulthood which is often misremembered or forgotten altogether. These relatable and well rounded characters, the interesting and intriguing plot, and the wonderful writing make this a definite must read of 2025.

Thank you to Netgalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Penguin Workshop for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy this book, even though I thought it was slow in spots. I did like the characters and the storyline. I would still recommend this book.

Aaron Starmer's SPONTANEOUS is one of the best teen novels I have ever read. It packs a powerful, often darkly hilarious punch that left me sobbing in its wake. NIGHT SWIMMING is just as
powerful but in a less explosive way. Pun intended. A lot of movies and books depict certain important teen nights as The Most Important of Their Lives (think Homecoming, Prom, Grad Night)and NIGHT
SWIMMING takes that idea a step further. What if one of those important nights never had to end and you were stuck with your favorite people? With neverending snacks? Eager for the so-called
freedoms of adulthood but terrified of what might happen or who you might never see again? If you
could just...stop time for a minute and hang with your buddies a little longer? NIGHT SWIMMING, full of 90s nostalgia and genuine heart, is a speculative love letter to those last days of adolescence when you would have given anything for another day in the sun, another hour in the pool.

At first the premise of this book was so fun. I loved the concept of pool hopping during your last summer before college. Two people, hanging out, seemingly falling in love. What’s not to like! But then things got weird. I should have been prepared but I wasn’t. It was interesting and intriguing but I just never “got it”. I finished the book so unsettled. I have to give it to the author, she made me feel things I don’t usually feel in books and I’ll definitely be thinking about this book in the days to come. I just didn’t enjoy the feelings I felt. A total trip to be honest.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

This book took a turn I did not expect. In the end, it left me feeling bittersweet and longing. The setting was very intriguing, and not getting full answers about the natural pool and the characters at the end made me like it more.

The 90s vibe and nostalgia were all there, the actual interest in the characters themselves feel a bit flat for me. The book itself is short, so it makes for a ok quick read.

This is a strange book that ended up being a bit disappointing. The synopsis was very intriguing, and I was excited to read it, but I wanted more from the story. This is a fairly short book, under 300 pages, but the pacing felt too slow. Most of the story takes place in a single location, and not much actually happens there. That said, I did like the ending.

The main theme of the story is the fear of growing up, leaving your friends behind, stepping into the unknown, and not being sure what the future holds. It’s a scary time, but also an exciting one.

I like the author’s writing style and I do want to read more by him, even though this book was not my favorite.

This book was a whirlwind in both a good and a bad way. It really started somewhere and when somewhere totally different, and I ended up enjoying the direction it when to less. I don’t enjoy languishing, and I feel like the characters in the situation were doing too much languishing and not enough problem solving. I felt stuck right along with them, which did not make for a very fun reading experience. I did end up really loving the end so much, and found myself wishing that more of the plot was dedicated to the experiences for the characters at the end. I understand that this book was trying to communicate a message, but I’m not entirely sure that I received it. It was definitely kooky and philosophical, so if that’s your thing this one may be for you!

Thank you to penguin teen and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved the authors writing style and how it switched back and forth giving little hints of what was to happen in the future (once I realized that’s what was going on). The plot of the story was intriguing and flowed very smoothly. I do feel though that some of the characters are lacking emotional wise. And I kind of don’t understand the dynamic between Sarah and Trevor.

I was really interested in the storyline and the time element to the story. However, I found it hard to connect with the characters due to the frequent use of strong language and the frequent focus on drinking and drug use. While that may appeal to some readers, it was a bit too much for me personally and took away from my enjoyment of the plot. That said, I think fans of grittier, edgier contemporary fiction might enjoy it more than I did.

The start of this story could be mistaken for a summer contemporary romance, but stick with it, because it gets weird. Set in 1994, Trevor and Sarah decide on a challenge - to visit every private pool in their town at night.

Told of a hidden pool in the woods, they decide to visit - and are gatecrashed by their friends. But this pool is different, and time starts to warp, hours seeming like moments and none of them feel the desire to leave.

I love books like this, where I'm guessing what will happen, if they'll ever get out of the situation they're in, and what waits for them on the other side. The ending got even weirder, and I'm still not sure what the outcome was, but I had a great time.

Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the ARC. This was such a great & shocking novel by the end. I definitely feel like this will be an equivalent to a M Night Shamalyan movie eventually with all twist & turns. All the 80s & mix tapes feel, I loved it. I loved the main characters, and the description and story setting!

I picked this for the 1990s vibes (that's when the book is set) but it turned out being not really for me.

For whatever reason, I struggled to connect with this book. The writing was third person with urgent, choppy style that could work well for many YA readers but prevented me from connecting.

I'm not really sure what genre to call this. It's marketed as a romance but it had paranormal-ish elements that I was not expecting. It did have a "quest" theme that I liked (main character Trevor and his girlfriend Sarah decide one summer to swim in every single pool in their town. That gave me some John Green vibes for sure...)

If you're looking for something different, this could be it?

"From the author of Spontaneous comes a '90s mixtape of a young adult novel that delivers a summer romance with an unearthly twist. Perfect for fans of The Gravity of Us.

One final swim of the summer. Let’s make it last all night...

Summer, 1994. Trevor can barely wrap his mind around the fact that he and his friends have graduated high school. And yet there's no rush to get to college. He's determined to live one night at a time. Riding shotgun from party to party, windows down, music up, his focus is entirely on his crush, the enigmatic girl in the driver's seat. Will things ever go anywhere with Sarah?

Maybe? Because Sarah has proposed a mission: They're going to swim all the pools in town. Before long, they’re sneaking into backyards every night, splashing, floating, and loving every minute of it. But it's still not enough for Trevor. He yearns for Sarah, despite her college boyfriend, despite her "not yet"s, despite the way she keeps pulling away the moment it starts to feel truly magical.

Things finally change when they learn about a natural pool hidden deep in the woods. It seems like just another spot to check off their summer bucket list. But once they get there, they realize that this place has a curious hold on them, and something very strange is happening..."

Ever since I watched The Resort I totally don't trust natural pools hidden deep in anywhere.

This took me straight back to the 90s where I cemented my love for reading. The plot was unique, very unlike anything I've read before except for some Adrienne Young books, it has a bit of magical realism, I think? That's the unique part, it felt very ambiguous and subjective. A 3.5 rounded to 4 purely for the dialed in nostalgia.

This book didn't feel very YA compared to YA from my youth, but would definitely recommend to avid readers that grew up reading in the 90s.

Writing a review for this book is difficult. It was an interesting book that definitely made me read the whole thing and be interested the whole time. But it felt very ambiguous. Giving lord of the flies vibes. Great gatsby vibes. Overall it was enjoyable!

Definitely an interesting book and very unlike something I’ve read before. I loved the 90s references and the feeling of nostalgia it gave me. Besides the main character though, I felt like the other characters weren’t fleshed out enough and the author did a lot of telling who they are as people instead of showing. Also didn’t love the ending but that’s on me! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read the ARC! I look forward to more from this author.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Night Swimming by Aaron Starmer is a first and third person dual-POV dual-timeline YA speculative set in 1994. Trevor and Sarah have been dancing around each other for a while, so when Sarah suggests that they swim in every single pool in town, Trevor follows along. During the last swim, they learn of another pool in the woods, but they’re in store for more than a quick dip.

Before or after every chapter is a short little first person interlude in the second timeline and you won’t learn who it is until much later. This added a sense of mystery while also enhancing what was happening in the woods with Trevor, Sarah, and their friends. There’s a sense of loss that comes through but also a sense of trying to get something back as the POV character moves about. I’d be curious to see what happens after the book ends for all the characters, but I also felt that everything tied up pretty well.

There are references to popular songs from the 90s and a full discussion around the power of mixtapes versus a studio album. You get a real sense of the 90s and I did get a lot of nostalgia from it, which makes me feel that the book is a perfect fit for Millennials and older Gen Z who still enjoy YA. It does retain the YA themes of growing up, high school relationships, going off to college, exploring first kisses, etc. and will be enjoyable for older teens who are starting to think about college but want something that is both hopeful and delves into the fears of the world moving on without you.

This is a bit on the darker side but never goes full-on horror. The sense of dread is fairly low and there is a bit of suspense, but the overall tone is that there is life after high school but plans don’t always work out how we think they will. I think whether or not it’s hopeful will depend on a lot of factors, but as someone who is not a teen, I did see both hope and fear because growing up is scary.

I would recommend this to fans of YA set in the 90s and readers looking for a bit of a shorter speculative book that explores the feelings of growing up in an honest way

right after high school graduation, you’re feeling that crazy mix of excitement and uncertainty about what’s next. Summer of 1994 with Trevor and his friends. What starts as a spontaneous plan to swim in every pool in town at night soon turns into something way deeper, especially when they stumble upon a hidden natural pool that pulls them in. One of the coolest things about this book is the vivid 90s vibes. It’s not just about the nostalgia ( given my age I really felt some throwbacks,lol) but it really nails the emotions of that time. You know that feeling of wanting to hold onto the present? It's a mix of excitement and fear about the future, and the book captures that perfectly. It makes you think: is nostalgia just about remembering, or is it tied to our current wishes to freeze certain moments?
I don’t know if this book is for everyone. I wouldn’t say there is much going on plot wise but sometimes we need that in a book; just seeing what they are going through and relating to them on a deeper level. There is a little twist which I enjoyed. I think it adds a sense of mystery and is a great element of a 90’s vibe. Wanting to hold on to special moments. Imagine if we could freeze a perfect moment in time; I’ve def wished that as a teen once or twice! It’s all about the emotional ride of facing change and the bittersweet wish to cling to fleeting moments. I am not sure if I’d pick this book up a second time but I def think it’s worth reading at least once!! Excited for this to come out!!!

Title: Night Swimming
Author: Aaron Starmer         
Genre: YA   
Rating: 3 out of 5

It was just one swim… How could they know it would never end?

It's the summer of 1994 and Trevor can barely wrap his mind around the fact that he and his friends have graduated high school. The future is a murky thing, filled with a college experience he feels neutral about at best, endless mixtape relistens, and the growing realization that his crush on the enigmatic Sarah isn't going anywhere.

That is, until Sarah approaches him with a mission: they're going to swim in all the pools in the neighborhood. Soon, their quest leads to them sneaking into backyard pools every night and continuing to get closer. But not close enough for Trevor, who yearns for Sarah despite her college boyfriend, despite her "not yet"s, despite the way she keeps pulling away the moment things feel real.

So when they learn about a natural pool hidden deep in the woods, it starts off as just another spot to check off their summer bucket list. But once they get there, they soon realize the natural pool has a curious hold on them, and something very strange is happening…

Okay, I’m not going to lie: this book seemed really pointless. The pacing was slow, and I felt like nothing happened. Nothing. The only reason I even finished it was because it was a quick read. The characters felt hazy and indistinct. There was basically no action. And I didn’t feel like the characters grew or changed.

Aaron Starmer was born in Northern California. Night Swimming is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Workshop in exchange for an honest review.)

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