I loved how this gripping story combined supernatural horror with messy emotional realism. The writing was atmospheric and tense! The vivid body horror was well done. The friend group drama felt raw and real. Locally as secrets started to surface and loyalty shifted. The love triangle felt familiar but it did an emotional tension without overpowering the story. Overall I enjoyed this one and was immersed the entire time.

Perfect beach read/paranormal thriller for summer. For a debut, this YA thriller was actually really entertaining. This was very fast paced with enough intensity to make you wanna keep reading until the last page. I enjoyed this and will be looking for more books by Rachel.

Oh, boy. This book is not for the faint of heart. As someone who's already terrified of the water (and scuba diving specifically), I was primed to feel the horror in Out of Air.

Reiss doesn't waste time in amping up the tension, and I appreciated how it never waned even as we criss-crossed between past and present. There were a couple of times that I felt the characters could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I also recognized that this wasn't that kind of book; this is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat book rather than a character study. And even so, there are some interesting explorations of not just the main character but her friends around her.

I won't spoil anything, but I also really loved the way Reiss handled the looming threat; it was creative and original.

I can't wait to see what Reiss puts out next!

I think this one ended up just trying to do too many things and the book ended up not knowing what it actually was. Was this a treasure hunting adventure book? A body horror book? A supernatural thriller? A lot of things that could have been scary ended up coming off as cheesy and then that was super weird when the next scene would be a grotesque body horror sequence. I think tonally, this was just so confused. I also didn't love that this was so focused on the teen angsty side of things. I really just wanted this to be a claustrophobic body horror diving story and not enough of the book focused on that.

Out of Air by Rachel Reiss combines the thrill of underwater adventure with a haunting supernatural twist. Phoebe “Phibs” Ray and her group of scuba-diving friends stumble upon a legendary underwater cave and ancient treasure, but soon face mysterious physical changes and eerie mental whispers that upend their final summer together.

Reiss crafts an atmospheric setting with vivid descriptions of the reef and the Australian island, and the blend of adventure and body horror keeps the story engaging. The friendships feel authentic, and the stakes rise steadily with the arrival of dangerous treasure hunters.

While the premise is intriguing and the tension builds well, the pacing occasionally drags, and some character motivations could be stronger. Fans of YA thrillers with a dark edge will find plenty to enjoy, though the story doesn’t fully break new ground.

This story was filled with so many intense moments. It is perfect for people who are into scuba diving and finding buried treasure that could potentially be cursed. I was worried that some of the characters would not be able to escape the situations they found themselves in at times.

Out of Air by Rachel Reiss is a gripping descent into deep-sea terror, seamlessly blending YA adventure with body horror and supernatural suspense. At the heart of the story is Phoebe “Phibs” Ray, a fiercely loyal and fearless diver whose passion for the ocean takes a horrifying turn when she discovers a mysterious underwater cave off a remote Australian island.

What begins as an exhilarating final summer with friends quickly devolves into a nightmare as Phibs and her best friend Gabe experience eerie transformations—oozing wounds, creeping voices, and a sinister connection to something ancient and alive. Reiss crafts an atmosphere of growing dread with razor-sharp tension and vivid, claustrophobic underwater scenes that leave you gasping for breath.

More than a chilling thriller, Out of Air explores the fragility of identity, friendship, and control when faced with forces far beyond human understanding. Dark, immersive, and unsettling, this is a must-read for fans of Into the Drowning Deep and The Thing. You’ll never look at the ocean the same way again.

My rating- 2.5/5

Out of Air ended up being a mixed bag of a read for me. There were certain elements that I really enjoyed, and saw serious potential within, and others that did not click with me at all. Overall I felt this book was fine, and is one I might recommend to a younger reader, or someone who wanted to dip their toes into horror for the first time.

Let's get into it!

Characters- I didn't feel that the characters were able to truly shine here, and that's a shame really. With a bit more individual attention on each member of the group, I think this story could have been much stronger, but as is, the characters represent a major weak point in this book. We follow a group of five young divers who are meant to be close friends on the cusp of making it big. But outside of Phoebe, and to some extent her love interest, Gabe, the author doesn't give us a lot of time to get to know these characters. The other two female characters are pretty much interchangeable in my mind, and they affect the plot very little. Gabe's brother serves as a bit of a suedo-villian in the story, and seems to exist mostly to cast doubt on the trust of the group, but because of this I had a difficult time in believing that this group of friends was ever as close as the author wants us to believe. He tends to be cruel in a way that does not suggest a close bond between these characters, and Phoebe's distrust of him from the beginning makes it difficult to accept this groups cohesiveness. This just goes on to damage the story as the author keeps trying to tell the reader that this group is tightly-knit but then continues to show them acting in ways that goes against this, both in the present and past timelines. 2/5 for the characters.

Premise- I think the main issue I had with this story is that there was entirely too much happening, and none of the different elements were able to shine. There was a treasure-hunt-type mystery, missing mother stuff, cursed cave horror, the mystery of who in the group was betraying the others, a budding romance, and a kidnapping by evil divers plotline. I think that if one or two of these were eliminated, then maybe the author would have had space to bake the other elements a little longer, giving them more of an impact. As is, the different storylines just gave me a bit of a headache to piece together, and none of them were particularly satisfying by the end. 3/5 here

Horror- Like I mentioned before, there was just too much happening in this book, and the author didn't seem to have a clear sense of direction for the story. The story struggled to decide if it wanted to lean into being horror, or if it would rather be a thriller. There were clear moments of body horror with the siren transformation stuff, and when the story was embracing that, it was good. But it was so busy with all of it's other elements that the horror seemed to take the backseat for most of the book, making me wish that the author had just gone in a thriller direction instead. YA horror can certainly be scary and effective while still remaining appropriate for its audience, but unfortunately the horror was buried here. 2/5

Ending- I did not feel that the numerous plotlines were able to come together in the end, and I felt the last 30 pages or so felt extremely rushed. Again, I think the lack of direction really took a toll here, as it didn't feel like the author even knew how she wanted this story to end. 2/5

Overall, this was not my favorite book, but I do hope that Rachel Reiss is able to hone her craft a bit, as I do think there is some solid storytelling underneath all of this. A bit more pruning would have served this story well.

I want to thank Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with a free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Who lets recent high school graduates traipse around the world to go diving? That honestly was the most unbelievable part of this whole book. It would’ve made much more sense to me if they were in their twenties, but then the whole “they’re all going their separate ways soon” trope wouldn’t work.
I am not well versed in the diving world, meaning I know absolutely nothing, but it just seems incredibly unrealistic that these teenagers go diving regularly enough for their parents to agree to an unsupervised diving trip in Australia.

Okay…moving onto the actual book.

The premise of the story was okay, but the writing seemed sloppy and unrefined. The story also just tried to be too many things and didn’t do anything well.
I found the dialogue rather flat and it didn’t really add anything. The romance was flat. The mystery was weak and the hints didn’t make me care enough to find out what was happening.

The chapters bouncing back and forth between the present and the past gave the reader some background information, but it didn’t feel super pertinent to the present storyline.

As for the present storyline, it just didn’t have much to keep me going. The characters were all very flat. And they are supposed to be best friends, but it seemed like they didn’t like each other.

The threat of the cave wasn’t really there, with more of any threats and tense situations coming from sea-life and the ocean itself.
As for the cave’s stories and lore, it was so ill explained that it failed to hook me. It was incredibly vague and it all hinged on some tall tales that one of the characters heard.

And the coincidences were unbelievable as the author tried to make there be connections. It just didn’t work for me.

In their last summer after high school, Phoebe “Phibs” Ray and her friends return to the ocean after it made them famous for finding ancient gold coins. Now, on a remote Australian island, Phibs discovers a hidden sea cave—but when she and her best friend Gabe surface, strange wounds and haunting whispers reveal something is changing them. As treasure hunters close in, Phibs must protect her friends and face the terrifying truth: the real monster may be what she’s becoming.

Another day, another thriller/mystery and I really enjoyed this one. The pacing and the plot is really good, and the book kept me on the edge of my seat most of the time. There was a lot of tension between the characters, and as the dual timelines progress, you learn more about why that tension is there, and why the characters are the way that they are.

I really enjoyed the unreliable narrator that was Phoebe and seeing everything through her eyes. Her connections to her loved ones progressed really well throughout the book and I feel like she had good character growth by the end. The twists were also really well done but I didn’t feel like they were unexpected. Overall, highly recommend this and will not be scuba diving in any sea caves anytime soon.

Thank you NetGalley, St Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books, and Rachel Reiss for this gifted eARC. All thoughts are my own.

OUT OF AIR – by Rachel Reiss

‘Phoebe “Phibs” Ray is never more at home than when she’s underwater. On a dive six months ago, she and her four closest friends discovered a handful of ancient gold coins, rocketing them into social media fame. Now, their final summer together after high school, they’re taking one last trip to a distant Australian island to do what they love most – scuba dive.’

‘“There are two kinds of people in this world . . . There are those who are tethered to deep roots to the earth. To the trees and the mountains. Then there are those like us. Drawn to the ocean. Pulled by an innate need to see the waves, to smell the sea air, to be caught in its grip. We don’t just need it. We can’t survive without it.”’

My Heart! Overall, a good read, though some of the characters seem oblivious—throughout the book— to visual and auditory changes going on around them.

Thank you, NetGalley and Wednesday Books, for providing me with an eBook of OUT OF AIR at the request of an honest review.

#ad much love for my finished copy @wednesdaybooks #partner
& @macmillan.audio + @netgalley #partner for the ALC

🅾🆄🆃 🅾🅵 🅰🅸🆁
ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ ɴᴏᴡ

A debut book that just blew right up out of the water - and I suspect - will make a huge splash! Ohhhhh this book was so good guys!! It’s tense, mysterious, and full of action. I finished in one sitting.

They call themselves the Salt Squad. A group of 5 friends. Twin brothers, Gabe and Will, Lani, Isobel, and Phoebe. But their friendships are tested when something goes horribly wrong after a dive.

They found THE cave and all agreed to never tell a sole. They’ve heard rumblings of rumors of terrible things happening to those who dare dive there. But it’s too late for that now. Because the cave where they found some treasure is cursed, and they’ve been marked.

Out of Air by Rachel Reiss is a fast-paced YA thriller that you won’t be able to put down. Alternating between the present and 5 months prior there’s never a dull moment. It’s so full of twist and turns that’ll it’ll give you whiplash.

This book delivered!!! Oof. The suspense and action in this book is something you can actually feel. I love diving/cave thrillers and I really loved this one so much; it’s right up there with The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling - which I also recommend.

The narrator did the most superb job narrating this story. During the high-tension moments she shift her voice at the most perfect places. She’s one of those narrators that make the story come alive. Just fantastic!

Cannot wait to see what this author creates next; because if it’s anything like this book I’m gonna be hooked! ALL THE STARS!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Rachel Reiss for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Out of Air coming out May 13, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I really enjoyed this book YA and the setting was really interesting. I thought the plot was pretty good. There were some things I didn’t care for. Overall, I enjoyed the book. I would check out more books by this author!

If you like scuba diving in caves, beware, this story might scare you off that hobby. This is a fast-paced, entertaining, and creepy paranormal thriller for fans of YA and treasure hunting. The audiobook narration by Gail Shalan added to the overall vibe.

This was a great début by Rachel Reiss. I was intrigued by the horror aspect (specifically body horror) that worked with the focus on diving. Overall I would classify this as a thriller/suspense. There's a little romance, no spice, and definite Outer Banks vibes. At times I wanted to eyeroll when Phoebe ("Phibs") jumped to conclusions/accusations, BUT I did dial it back remembering this is a YA book about high school graduates ;)

This book was quick to get into and read FAST...as in the writing style encouraged the reader to read fast. I enjoy a book so much more when my interest is captured right at the beginning and held all the way though. This page-turner definitely delivered on that front! I look forward to more works from Rachel Reiss!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A BOOK THAT I DON'T WANT TO PUT DOWN!
Everything was just to simply put it........ amazing!
The way the author wrote was just chef kiss. I was captured right from the beginning. I am someone who tries to imagine how the scene would look and I was able to do just that with this book.
A book with found family. some mystery. some romance. It has something we each would enjoy.

Thank You St. Martin Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of an eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this one but once I did, I was (fish)hooked!

Phibs and her four friends are a pretty close group of friends living their best life as teen scuba divers. Phibs, the only one out of the group to not benefit from wealthy parents has always felt an outcast but her friends have made up for it.

In the past, there was a fracture amongst the friends that got swept a bit under the rug yet wasn’t completely forgotten. Now, the friends are on their last trip before college, a remote area in Australia when two of them (Phibs and her romantic interest Gabe) experience a supernatural incidence in a cave of lore. This leads to a whole host of occurrences that lead to action, adventure, and most of all, change within their close knit group.

I enjoyed the supernatural aspect of this the most. The twists and the action on the island were exciting but the ending was superb! I would have liked to see how it played out with a certain relative but who knows? Maybe we’ll get a second story!

I really loved the concept of this story, and while I didn't really enjoy the characters, the concept is what kept me pushing through it. It was a fun story, and the treasure aspect was cool, so if you're looking for something fast and not overly time intensive then this will be a good read for you.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was an ok read. Found myself wanting to rush to finish to get to something else however.

Though the premise of Out of Air was extremely intriguing, the treasure finding, the mystery, the beautiful backdrop, it started off boring. Phoebe was an uninteresting character and I was not invested in her and her friend group. And parts of the story did not make sense to me. What kept me invested were the amazing descriptions of the ocean. Overall, it was an okay story but not as engaging as I would have liked it to be.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.