I enjoyed this book it was a first in the horror genre and will be reading more from this author in the future.

4.25🌟🌟🌟🌟✨

This book feels like a brain-child of my obsession with Erin Craig spookiness and all the years I spent studying marine biology. I am not someone who craves spooky scary things, even though I watch a probably unhealthy amount of crime dramas. BUT THIS BOOK—it has just enough chilling whimsy that hooked me in to the story and dragged me into its creepy watery depths. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to solve all the mysteries and I made several accusations throughout my read trying to pinpoint exactly what was going to be unveiled. The underwater aspects of this book are INCREDIBLY DONE!!! As someone who has spent the last several years studying marine biology, it made me giddy to be reading scientifically accurate marine life and interactions. The amount of times I cheered out loud for accurate information!!! This beautiful depiction of the ocean woven together with an excellent and otherworldly thriller story made for a fantastic read!! I did feel as though there was a lot to be wrapped up in the last 15-20% of the book, but the ending was satisfying while still leaving enough intrigue to keep me thinking about it for days to come!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read anything by Rachel Reiss but after reading Out of Air I think I will read more.

This book was very good. Reiss has a knack for imagery. Every underwater scene it was like I was there. I could see the colors and the world Reiss described. This made the reading experience so much better.

I connected with the main character Pheobe, and I was fully invested in her story. From her deep love of a boy, she thought she couldn't have to her feeling left behind by her friends. I connected. I felt for her and in many ways, I understood her.

The story moved quickly, but not in a way that left you lost or confused. It is told in dual timelines which I don't mind. Most of those kinds of stories make the reading experience richer.

The ending started to get messy. There was a whole mystery the author could have explored, but instead of doing that she added more elements with the hunters and then rushed the mystery storyline. This, in my opinion, added way too many things into the story and the ending started to fall apart.

The ending is left slightly open, which I don't like. I don't have to have the ending of books wrapped with a bow, but I don't like those that leave too many questions, and this one did.

*thank you to NetGalley and the publishing team for providing free early access to this title in exchange for an honest review*

This book had me holding my breath like a deep sea diver. I gobbled this up like a 12ft long male tiger shark. It was incredibly atmospheric, suspenseful, and claustrophobic. Alleged buried treasure? Freaky underwater cave? Tension sowed within the group? The vibes were there.

Honestly, I have no notes or critiques. This book was fantastic.

I was so impressed with this debut. I'm not super into YA or new adult, but this one was so well written and had enough going on that I was consistently engaged as the reader. I'm going to be checking back in on this author when she adds more to her backlog.

I LOVED THIS.

I loved the concept and enjoy a good under the sea horror. Rachel Reiss writes with such descriptive and beautiful prose. Several of my favorite concept are present in this book including found family, horror, mystery and a wonderful plot twist. I felt like I could connect with the characters and experience everything with them as they felt it on the pages.

“It sounded almost like a code word, a promise written in invisible ink. Like he’s closing an invisible door, but keeping an underwater cave open…”


•••

This book was a wild ride from start to finish!

The story is about a group of friends who enjoy recreational diving, even at their own expense.

This book was tense and at times frightening! (I’m looking at you SEA WASPS!)

The greatest things about this book is that it was fast paced, and excellently plotted. I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen next or what twist was coming. I appreciate it that I could not anticipate what was going to happen before it. There was mystery throughout, but also answers throughout. The drama is rooted in reality and uses true horrors of the world to amplify the fear.

Relatable and interesting characters that you begin to truly care about!

I have learned facts about sharks and other ocean life that is woven perfectly into the narrative. The author also touches on the potential consequences regarding Internet privacy. The things we post and what people can see of them.

Highly recommend this book and a great big thank you to NetGalley for my first ever E-Arc! I had a marvellous time being chilled by this diving tale!

•••••

“It’s after midnight. A chill streaks through me. That’s exactly the reason why Lani’s insisting we go now, so no one will know where we are.”

First off, I’d like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for this ARC.

Out of Air follows the main character Phoebe’s point of view as her and her four friends go to a remote island for one last dive trip before they all go off to college. Except this trip didn’t go how they expected it to after they find a mysterious cave and Phoebe’s friend Gabe starts to act unlike himself.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this book. It captured the essence of being underwater perfectly which I’m sure was thanks to the author’s personal experience in diving. From the start it was easy to connect with the characters and I felt like I was able to understand the dynamic of their friend group pretty quickly. Each character in the group was well developed and had their own distinct personality and role within the friend group which I found very impressive.

The main plot doesn’t really kick in until about halfway through the story. The beginning of the book was a lot of background information and although it was interesting I kept wondering when things in the cave would really start to kick off. Otherwise this was such an atmospheric read and it felt like a nice break from what I normally read.

Oh, this was so unique and different which was just what I was looking for! It has such a good pace to it that it kept me hooked. But goodness, it was definitely eerie and a creepy at times! It gave me the heebie-jeebies at some of the things going on.

It's got a kind of paranormal twist going on that I didn't see coming. I'm not sure how I completely feel about it but I enjoyed the mystery. I also liked that it had a friend group and it wasn't a toxic friend group. Plus a slow burn, budding romance to root for!

The writing did a great job at making me feel like I was underwater with them diving. I like how atmospheric it was. The ending was different than I expected which isn't necessarily bad. Just not quite what I expected! Overall, this was such an enjoyable and different book that I enjoyed reading. Just be warned it may make you not wanna go into water for a while and I definitely won't be going scuba diving.

I spent a lot of time in the Florida Keys when I was a child and learned how to scuba dive in college. The author does an excellent job describing life in the Keys as well as what it feels like to dive. The story is exciting and fast-paced. I would definitely be interested in a sequel with Phibs and Gabe.

I recommend this book for readers of YA, New Adult, and Adult. I am a library associate and received an advance copy from NetGalley.

I am... conflicted. This book spooked me at times. It definitely grossed me out. I cared about the characters. Yet overall I am left with a feeling of yep, that was a book. I have clicked back and forth between 3 stars and 4 stars so many times. Let's get into it.

SUMMARY:
Graduation trip!!! To Australia!!! What could possibly go wrong in Australia???

Everything.

Phoebe Rays is a poor teenager growing up in the Florida Keys. Her grandmother is dying a slow and terrifying death of Alzheimer's. Things are Not Good. Things are made better by her group of rich friends, but Phoebe knows that is soon to end with the summer as they head off to college while she cares for Gram. The graduation trip is the last time she will see them for a while.

Spooky cave, bad air, mysteries, and teen drama follow.

MY THOUGHTS:
This feels wild to say, considering how I felt in the midst of reading this book. But like not much happens????

For example, I really liked the characters. Like halfway through the book, I actually wrote a note that I didn't want any of them to die. But looking back, you don't really know much about these characters? They don't have character arcs, you don't learn much about what they are like or anything. They only feel important to you because Phoebe thinks they are important.

Nobody in this book is ever particularly rational or reasonably motivated, tbh.

Why did we need the awful human antagonists????? What did they add? They showed up just to take up time and die, I guess.

I very much enjoyed Phoebe. She felt very relatable. She was a fun character to follow.

People have giant gashes all over them and the one person who says hey maybe we should go to a hospital is essentially laughed at.

The body horror was pretty great though. So was the fear of the ocean stuff. Going diving at night??? Horrific.

FINAL OPINION:
This book was pretty fun to read. It did feel a little long at times, and rushed at others. You can tell it is a debut novel. That being said, I can not wait to read more by Rachel Reiss. Her writing style is really nice, I loved the setting, the scariness was there. I think if she works on pacing and fleshing out her characters more, her next book will be outstanding.

I think I will rate it 4 stars. The feeling of reading it was fun; I don't want to take away from that by thinking about it too hard.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

So, I’m a wimp and thought giving a YA book with mild horror elements would be a good idea. It turns out, no. And not for the reasons you may think. Surprisingly, the body horror wasn’t much, so I was able to handle it, and the creepy elements are mild. Actually maybe too mild. There were a few excellent moments of claustrophobia, and the writing was good, but ultimately this is a book about teens and their behaviors and actions were selfish and arrogant and annoying. The romance aspect also did not feel impactful enough to take up so much time of the story. It felt out of place to me, but again, I think that lends itself to being YA. Which is absolutely a me problem as this is marketed as such. So, now that I feel super old, guess I’ll go find a sentient cave to crawl into 👍

Thank you NetGalley and to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books for the early opportunity to read and review this book!

You know I can't resist an ocean horror novel, so when I saw this absolutely gorgeous cover and read the synopsis, I knew I had to pick this little gem up.

Out of Air contains mysteries within mysteries. There's the current timeline where Phoebe (or "Phibs") and her friends (who call themselves the Salt Squad) have found a mysterious (cursed?) cave and now something *strange* is happening. Then there's an alternate plotline that's a 6 month jump to the past, involving Phibs finding some sunken treasure, and the night Lani lost 3 fingers on her hand. I found the time jumps a little frustrating, as I wanted to know what was happening in the main storyline and found the interruptions both annoying AND I wanted to know what the repeated allusions were about RIGHT NOW.

All in all, this was a pleasing sci-fi horror that is only lightly horrific. There are some body horror elements, but as this is a young adult horror novel there's nothing too gross or cringey (thank goodness, because I am squeamish and can NOT do body horror!) This is Rachel Reiss' debut novel, and I'll definitely be following to see what she comes up with next!

A thrilling read for anybody that dreamed of treasure hunting as a kid! Teeming with suspense and intrigue, Reiss has a real winner that's sure to be a hit.

Outer banks meets an under water world. Hi , yes sign me up! I love books about anything related to water. I live in Florida and it’s been abnormally cold here so I need to read about the water versus going to it. This book you can sink your teeth into! I absolutely loved it.

"Out of Air" is a captivating read for fans of Outer Banks. The story follows four friends on their final adventure together before heading off to college, as they seek to uncover the chilling secrets of a long-lost underwater cave.

Central to the narrative is Phoebe, whose determination to keep the Salt Squad united leads her to discover far more than she anticipated, resulting in dire consequences and unimaginable powers: at a price.
The plot unfolds across two timelines: the present and five months earlier, creating an engaging dual narrative. The Squad has been through a lot, and both narratives are filled with thrilling twists and turns that will leave you at the end grappling for more. This book is an easy page-turner filled with adventure and intrigue that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The writing is exceptional, vividly capturing the allure of the ocean and evoking a deep sense of nostalgia for teenage youth and freedom. It is clear that the author has experience in diving; and the descriptions and storyline flow seamlessly.

Readers will find themselves immersed in a world where friendship, mystery, and the thrill of exploration intertwine. Found family, romance, adventure can all be found in this thrilling novel. The atmospheric tension and well-crafted characters make "Out of Air" a true gem that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the call of the sea and the utmost desire to keep the things we hold dear.

Thank you St. Martin’s press for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you Wednesday Books and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. This book is definitely an adventure! Phoebe and her friends, the Salt Squad, love the water. They enjoy scuba diving and exploring under the sea. Since this is their last trip Phoebe’s determine that it will be a good one. The think they’ve done it when they find a secluded cave to explore. They’re about to get more then they bargained for when they start experiencing strange things. What’s happening to them? Can they figure it out before it’s too late? Rachel Reiss does a great job of creating tension and intrigue and making you feel like your exploring the deep with the characters! A mystery/thriller with some romance and plenty of secrets! Fast paced and will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Unfortunately this one just wasn't for me. It is definitely geared to teens, with romance and teenage feelings overflowing the pages (and I stopped at chapter 5). From what I read I was interested in the story, but kept getting distracted by all the dewy-eyed longings of the MC. I had a hard time picturing the characters as well, given the only concrete descriptors were "blonde hair with pink tips" (Isabel), "dark skin and amber eyes" (Gabe), and "curls" (Phoebe).
I think a teenager would like the pacing and the easy-to-read nature of this novel, it just wasn't for me.

This was not for me, but I had such high hopes!

I love an underwater thriller, the creep factor of the ocean always does it for me! The small percentage of that in this book was well done, I truly felt claustrophobic and had to remind myself that I had enough oxygen.

The rest was….not what I was hoping for. The idea that this was a tight-knit friend group just did not come across. I unfortunately didn’t like any of them and I don’t think they liked each other.

The chapters that jumped back in time felt unimportant and boring, I would have preferred much more present day action.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this!!

DNF at 40%

I don’t think I’m the audience for this book. I thought it would be more… underwater thriller? Like that one movie about the crew stuck in an underwater facility or something to that effect. But this read more like a contemporary book with some tiny little creepy moments. At least as far as I got.

The only reason I lasted so long is because this was like a car crash that I couldn’t look away from. I hated everything about this book: the FMC being an “oh so poor” girl who has super suuuuper rich friends that can pay for everything and she feels bad about taking their money. 🙄 These people don’t even FEEL like friends? They antagonize each other. They blame each other. They don’t tell each other things. They don’t communicate at ALL well. And I never felt like the side characters were anything more than stereotypes. I didn’t like any of them.

Back to the FMC: she couldn’t leave her grandma who had Alzheimer’s for a FULL RIDE scholarship to an IN STATE school…….. Come on. I hated that plot. I hated also that she felt bc she was poor and her crush was rich, they couldn’t be together. What…

The plot? What was the point of the past chapters??? Most of them felt superfluous. I finished one and would be like “what did I even learn in that chapter? Nothing.” Maybe it was trying to show us character development but honestly the characters felt so dry and boring.

I also did read a spoiler review and saw the ending. Upon seeing it, I went “thank god I’m going to DNF this.” 😂

Out of Air was a wonderful YA book. I loved the plot, the characters and the cover of the book. Overall, such a great book

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!