I loved the 90s vibe and the nostalgia of that summer between high school and college which, at this point, is hazy in my mind as best so it was nice to poke at those memories through this book. And a little magical realism never hurt anyone, I've not read a book like it. I wish more time was spent on the friend group dynamic. Definitely reads YA, as that's what it is. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Funky book. Funky concept. Funky group of friends.

I expected one thing of this book, and got something entirely different. That's not bad at all, just surprising.

This book makes you think, and then think again. When you think you're done thinking, you're really not.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Night Swimming was a great coming of age story with an interesting twist that I enjoyed very much.
I thought the character development was good and it kept me interested through the entire story! It is a Young Adult book but parents would be wise to read it first as there are some mature themes, it should be fine for older teens.
It could make for a good movie.

This felt remarkable to read, in so many ways.

NIGHT SWIMMING is that feeling of experiencing love, long summer nights, and the feeling of endless possibilities when you're a teenager. Aaron Starmer was able to capture that feeling that feels like a distance past for so many adults.

Sarah and Trevor were both fantastic characters. I found myself able to enjoy their relationship and personal growths. What I didn't expect was the story went in a different direction that I wasn't expecting, but I LOVED it! It was a fantastic little surprise in the middle of an already great story.

“Night Swimming” is a faced paced young adult novel exploring themes of summer teen romance and not wanting to grow up. The main character, Trevor, graduates high school in a few days and is trying to spend as much time with his crush Sarah before they both leave for college. What seems like unrequited love leads to the start of something when Sarah invites Trevor to join her in ‘pool-hopping’ all of the pools in backyards of their small town, Sutton, after she saw them from an aerial view on a plane. The two grow closer and closer until they hit their last pool, where an enigmatic woman in purple tells them of a pool in a local forest. The natural pool nestled in the woods carries secrets, but how long will it be until the duo finally figures them out? I received an advanced copy of this novel on NetGalley so thank you to Penguin Random House and the author for allowing me to read this. For readers who remember how their high school glory days were, and the fear of not wanting to grow up and go to college and lose that part of yourself, this is a wonderful book to read that cause you to create your own reflections of your time in high school.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

As a person who gre up in the 90s I had high expectations going in. Unfortunately i had time getting into this (I've made several attempts), and eventually dnf.

Trevor has just graduated high school. He has a crush on Sarah, who happens to be dating someone else. Thinking their lives are over when they head off to college, they decide to make the best of the summer. Trevor and Sarah have a secret plan -- swim in all the pools in their hometown. Trevor agrees so he can get closer to Sarah, but ends up telling the rest of the group about what they are doing. Even though Sarah isn't thrilled about that, she goes along, especially on their last "pool" that they didn't even know existed.

Here's where things get interesting and a little paranormal. I'm not going to elaborate, you should read it and find out for yourself. There's a nice level of anxious tension here as the group enjoys the pool in the woods, while lamenting the end of high school and fear their future.

I will admit there were elements of the ending that I didn't get. Things do wrap up quickly when they start moving. I wasn't always sure about the narrator of the bits between chapters, but that was all okay. This book has a definite feeling to it -- and I liked that very much. It left me thinking about high school and the promises of youth and the excitement of the future, and that was very satisfying about this book. I hadn't read this author before, so I'm always happy to find someone new. The concept of the pool was quite interesting and left me with lots to think about. The book was also the right size for the content to avoid repetition.

Overall, an interesting new adult story about friendship, moving forward, and realizing how what we think of one year is no where near where things really do end up. Enjoyed this.

Freshly graduated from high school, best friends Sarah and Trevor take on a challenge of trying to take a dip in every pool in their neighborhood. They are nearly finished with their quest when they are given advice of a natural pool that wasn’t on their list and upon entering are exposed to the magical realism plot of the story.

I generally enjoyed this reading experience. It’s set in the 90s and was very nostalgic, the feelings of a lot of these teens felt very relatable for me at one point or another in my teens, and the short chapters helped my fly through the book. However, I don’t think the first POV character in between the chapters made any sense to me til the end (which I get that’s the point but it felt like wasted words throughout), and I really just can’t wrap my head around the ending.

I'm a little torn about this book. On the plus side, it's infinitely readable. I got into the rhythm of the narrator's voice immediately and found the book hard to put down. The supernatural element came in a bit late for me--especially since we spend most of the remainder of the book there. I also wasn't terribly invested in the secondary characters, and then suddenly we're spending 2/3 of the book with them, witnessing as they figure themselves out. Ultimately, the pay off to the existential experience all the characters had fell flat for me, which was a bummer. I wanted to like this book more than I did. I'd for sure read another book by this author though, because, again, his voice is incredibly engaging.

4.5 stars

This book had all the nostalgia vibes; 90’s in between high school and college with your friend group one last time. It gets slightly weird, but I wish it sort of went there even more. This book had the unique ability to really make me feel back in time. Gorgeous cover, intriguing plot, and a bit magical.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy to form opinions from.

ARC Review: nostalgic young adult (fiction?) set in 1994 about just graduating high school and going pool hopping all summer long. It’s like a checklist that they developed, so they’re determined to complete it, but not quite ready for summer to end, thus “real life” to start. Do parallel universes exist? Does purgatory exist? Is it the best feeling in the world? Or is it all just a dream? This very fast-paced book took a sorta creepy turn that defies all logic, space, and time. Maybe we all need a reset like this…. A never-ending vacation. I loved the in-between chapters that read like prose, and definitely held a plot twist at the end of them. I almost wanted more character development, but I do actually appreciate the length of this book for the plot. This book will leave you thinking about life, time, first-loves, and regrets. Doesn’t night swimming make everyone feel new again?

Trevor has a crush on his best friend, Sarah, but Sarah is dating Mike. After graduation Sarah proposes that she and Trevor swim in all the pools in their small town. Sounds kind of fun but it was only mentioned that they did it and not what happened like the time they met a llama. At the end of the summer word leaks out to their friends who decide to join them. At the last house the owner comes out to swim with them and tells them about a spring fed pool in the woods so they all go there. After that I have no idea what I read. I'm not even going to try to explain. Perhaps because this was a teen story and I'm older but I had no idea what was going on or what the heck happened at the end. I was disappointed to not read about their escapades and of the eight kids none of their characters were really fleshed out.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group - Penguin Young Readers for providing me with a digital copy.

This was a creepy YA coming of age/summer story that sees two friends trying to sneak into every pool in their small town but when they learn of a secret one hidden in the woods they find themselves trapped there with weird things happening. This gave me Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore vibes mixed in with Stranger things. It was okay on audio but just wasn't my cup of tea. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I chose to read Night Swimming only at night, and I think it went a long way to keep me immersed in the yearning nostalgia that makes up the foundation of the story.

It was a clever choice to intersect the liminality of a life landmark most readers will relate to (that final summer of grade school before the next step of life begins) with the concept of a time-bending all-nighter.

Also, the pacing was such that I didn’t want to leave the characters but I couldn’t predict or shake the disquiet while reading. A slow burn, but a satisfying and unique title.

This book gave me major Lost vibes—in the best way. I went in expecting the story to follow a certain path, but once the hidden pool in the woods took center stage, things shifted in a totally unexpected (and kind of wild) direction. It had that same feeling where you think you know what’s happening, and then nope—it’s something entirely different and kind of surreal. There are a lot of characters, each with their own backstory and baggage, and at times it felt like maybe too much was going on. I found myself wanting a bit more focus on a few key people rather than trying to juggle everyone’s life story. But overall, I was hooked. The atmosphere was eerie and compelling, and I love when a book can keep me on my toes like this. Definitely worth the read if you like twisty, character-driven mysteries with a touch of the strange.

RATING: 3.5 stars rounded up

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for an opportunity to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've terribly missed reading YA contemporary fiction. Growing up, paranormal or contemporary YA was my go-to genre, so I was immediately interested in reading Night Swimming when the blurb seemed to blend the genres together.

The story follows a small group of teenagers in a small American town during 1994. Fresh high school graduate Trevor makes a pact with his close friend, Sarah, to spend their last summer before heading off to college swimming in all the pools they can find within their hometown. While on their quest, they discover a large pool tucked in a forest and, along with the rest of their friend group, discover that this pool isn't all that it seems.

I enjoyed all the intrigue that the plot had to offer. While the paranormal element of the story didn't occur right away, the setup of friendships and romance between Trevor and Sarah was much needed for the pool-in-the-words plot point to hit as well as it did. Once the group swam in that particular pool, it was nice to see the deeper conversations flowing between them. The nostalgic atmosphere was prevalent throughout the entire story, and I liked the inclusion of chapter titles being inspired by 1990s music.

However, I did want more out of the main characters and their relationship. It was difficult for me to connect with Trevor and Sarah's characterizations, and their romance, while sweet, could have used a few more chapters to develop their relationship (perhaps more chapters dedicated to the different pools they swam in could've fixed this issue). It was a case where I felt a bit more invested in the relationships they had with their friends over each other.

Nonetheless, this reminded me of what I love about YA and I definitely recommend picking this up if you'd like to have a nice, easy read!

If you love YA romance then this is your book. I liked the premise and I know many will adore it and will be recommending it.

This one took me a while. It reads like YA and all of the main characters are just finished with high school, but with its 90s setting and pervasive feeling of nostalgia, it feels like it was written for the millennials.

There was absolutely a plot, but I think Night Swimming is absolutely more about trying to capture a feeling. And to each, what that feeling is may differ.

There is a line about how things can be askew, and that doesn’t necessarily make them bad. I think that sums up my reading experience. I don’t know if I ever felt like I settled into the story, and I think that might have been the point.

No spoilers but I left this book both wistful and melancholy, and wondering if such a thing as halcyon days ever did or could exist.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. Definitely a palette-cleanser type with my typical epic fantasy and/or emotional reads since it's short.

I did struggle a bit at first with the character dump at the party. I kept on confusing everyone and had to frequently turn back to their introductions to understand who and who and what their relationship was with others. However, maybe around 40% in I understood the characters and what kind of bubble they fell into.

I didn't really care for Trevor and Sarah's relationship. Sarah kind of gave off manic pixie dream girl vibes but in a non-manic way.

The overall vibes of the enclosed pool setting were great! It truly felt otherworldly and I was intrigued by the whole "mystery" of why they were stuck. The ending definitely leaves room for questions and interpretation. Without giving away spoilers, it made me really think about what went on in that small pocket in the woods, and if the group's conversations about purgatory, inter-dimensional space travel, and death were alot more real than just the rambles of a teen going crazy by the unknown.