Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book! I also listened to part of the book via an early audio copy, which was great!

3.5 stars rounded up

Out of Air is a perfect book for teen readers who enjoy Outer Banks and stories with a bit of an adventure element. This is the story of a friend group who loves to dive in the ocean and what happens when they stumble upon some treasure, and then stumble upon a mysterious underwater cave. It is part thriller, a teeny bit of romance, a lot of found family, and some body horror for fans of that. So, a little bit of everything! I really enjoyed the descriptive writing and the ocean setting, as well as the fast-paced storyline.

A taut and entertaining YA novel. Phibs and her pals are divers. They've explored underground caves, awakened something bad, and now, well, no spoilers from me. This is atmospheric (love the underwater sequences) and it mixes in a bit of horror/sci fi. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

ARC REVIEW (5/13/25): out of air by rachel reiss 🌊 a group of scuba diving friends stumbles across lost treasure, a legendary cave, and a new type of power… that comes at a price.

I was RIDDLED with anxiety while reading this. I didn’t know I had a fear of getting stuck underwater and running out of air until now. there were lots of elements to this story- friendship, family, love, thriller and horror- all centered around a creepy underwater cave. I think I would've liked to see more of the actual treasure hunting on page 🦈

🫧 given that this is a young adult novel, I found the way adults took advantage of 16 year olds (on multiple occasions) concerning. yes, the world is scary, but you shouldn't have to think EVERY adult is out to get you while navigating your teens- the portrayal was a bit off. I also didn't enjoy the light elders with alzheimer's/ dementia were shown. as someone who currently has grandparents going through this, it just rubbed me the wrong way.

thank you wednesday books for a physical copy/ earc!

are you ready to take the plunge? 🤿 3 stars!

🌊Thank you so much @wednesdaybooks for the copy of Out of Air!

This book was trippy and stinking addictive. I was hooked from chapter one!

If you liked the tv show Lost, then I think you’d enjoy this book. It has eery ocean cave, treasure, friendship, romance, scuba diving, haunting whispers, and something lurking under their skin transforming them from the inside out.

This is outside my normal genre and I just enjoyed the ride! And if you know me, I don’t do super creepy, so I felt like this was the perfect level of suspense for me.

★ ★ ★ ★/5
Steam: kissing

Why did I request this book? I read the premise and saw that it includes many things that make me super nervous and yet, I clicked. And then read. and enjoyed it. And was nervous. A good twisty read about diving and one that I will recommend to my students because I honestly haven't read anything else like this before or about this setting! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

My worst nightmare would be stuck under water and running out of air. The wonderfully descriptive writing had me vividly picturing the underwater scenes and feeling the panic. This was a haunting YA story with flashes to the past. There were lots of elements to this story- friendship, family, love, thriller, horror all based around a creepy underwater cave. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this advanced reader’s copy.

Out of Air is a YA horror mystery by author Rachel Reiss. Five friends who live for the ocean, diving connects and binds them. But with it being senior year and them all going off in different directions at the end of the summer cracks are forming in their friendships. Will this final dive be the one to break them or something else outside their control.

It took me a minute to get into this one but once all the eerie stuff started to happen I was on board. I enjoyed our main character Phoebe and her love interest Gabe and his brother. I never really connected to the other two female in the friend group but I didn't dislike them. I also felt like the whole : treasure hunter" danger was alright but not the main selling point for me. I was invested in the relationship between the friends and it's slow unravel.

Out of Air by Rachel Reiss is a YA horror mystery set in the ocean where anything could go wrong. It's filled with a group of 5 with friction among them, a mysterious and legendary cave, lost treasure, a sprinkle of romance, and a satisfying ending.

3.5 rounded to 4

"Out of Air" by Rachel Reiss follows a group of scuba diving friends who stumble across lost treasure, a legendary cave, and a new type of power that comes at a price. This chilling, gripping, intense, eerie, and thrilling page-turner had me hooked from the very beginning. I found myself unable to put the book down and was left feeling a sense of sadness when it came to an end. The story kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning each page to uncover the mysteries that lay within.

The description of this book begins as Wilder Girls meets Outer Banks. I’m going to add with a dash of the Pirates of the Caribbean, with the exception being this is a contemporary story, and the curse isn’t based in magic since it has a scientific reason behind it.

This was a wonderful mix of horror and mystery for me.
Scuba diving friends seeking treasure discover a curse that will change them forever.
Flashbacks help set up the friends' relationships both good and bad, and give us insight into another mystery that plagues our main character, Phoebe. All the while, she deals with the transformation she and her love interest undergo.
We get more answers when she is forced to go back to where it all began after she and her friends are kidnapped by other treasure seekers.
The ocean, with its natural dangers, definitely added to the horror aspect.
I found myself wanting more monster, which makes me wonder if there might be another book, but even if there isn’t, everything is wrapped up by the end of the book.
Fun read, highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books for this arc.

I found myself in the wonderful position of receiving both an advanced listening copy and an advanced ebook copy; going through both at the same time made me realize what I liked most about each format.

With the e-book, it was easy to get swept away and imagine the worlds that were described, and oh, did my imagination soar.

When I finished this audiobook I had a moment of what did I just listen to. I try and go into audiobooks without a lot of info, so a certain aspect of this story was a big surprise, and while I enjoyed it, I have so many questions.

Phoebe is one of those characters that has so many layers, a granddaughter, a friend, a person trying to survive... she has so many layers, and it's a joy listening to them all being uncovered.

I liked this story, don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed it, but I wanted more of the treasure hunting and less sliver goo (if you know, you know). After that last revelation, I'm wondering about another installment in this beautifully vivid world and maybe a reunion of sorts.

The visual storytelling in this one is fantastic. I could see the cave and the shark; all of it was beautifully described, and I give a lot of the credit for that to the narrator, Gail Shalan; the ranges from awe to terror to possibilities were phenomenal and she brought all of these characters to life.

I will say this one kept me guessing; I thought I knew how it was going to end, and I was wrong; am I mad about it? No, not one little bit.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing copies of the Audio and E-Books; I have read and listened to them, and I would say, given the chance, go for the audiobook. It's wonderful.

I have always been fascinated by the ocean and what lies beneath. And having watched multiple campy sci-fi horror movies (Leviathan, Deep Star Six), I think I would know better than to start poking around in "unchartered" areas of the deep sea. But others don't seem to share that idea, as is the basis for this story.

Told in two parts, we learn what brought the "Salt Squad" - Phoebe, Isabel, Will, Gabe, and Lani - together, and how their dreams of exploration have brought them some good fortune in the past, and how that same thirst for discovery may just be their downfall in the present. While the past highlights some of the group dynamics and some of their backstories, it is the present that provides the most interest in this story, as Phoebe discovers a special cave. The most unique part about it is an air pocket she and Gabe discover as they are running low on air.

Back on the surface, they expect to share praise at their discovery, but soon learn that some places are not meant to be explored. Lani, who is already upset that they nearly died, asks, "Tell me no one breathed the air in that cave." Like any normal person, Phoebe lies, *eyeroll* setting the course of what is to come. But I had to wonder, why did Lani ask that? What does she know about the cave? And why is she eager to go back? Is the cave dangerous or not?
Turns out greed may just outweigh the risks.

Some readers may not care of the sci-fi aspects of this story, which require an open-mind. But if you read my first paragraph, this was the part of the book that was most fascinating to me. It is over the top, yes, and Phoebe's handling of the situation, keeping everything a secret, was ridiculous. However, I loved the author's imagination and delved into the "what ifs".

Overall, although I expected a bigger climax at the end, this was a perfect read for me. If you like underwater sci-fi, this may be for you as well.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this title!

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read. I think it maybe needed a LITTLE more development plot-wise but for a fun, popcorn thriller that'll keep you on the edge of your seat? Definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an eARC of this title

This is probably closer to a 3.5. I really enjoyed this story. I felt like the middle portion dragged a bit, and I found myself losing interest at points. I loved the underwater setting though. I absolutely adore books that take place primarily in the ocean. I think it adds so much ominous atmosphere. I liked the idea of this cave that they found. I do think this could have been a little more effective as a short story or novella. I thought the ending was kind of perfect. Overall, I enjoyed my time with this story.

This was such a fun, unique and interesting debut novel from Reiss! I really have come to just love the genre of sea/water based mystery/horror novels. Although this wasn’t exactly down the lane of horror, there were supernatural elements of the story and some well written body horror parts. I enjoyed our MC a lot and really liked all the members of the “Salt Squad”. The author was very successful with the descriptions and setting of this book; I felt like I could vividly picture the scenes she was describing. The duel mystery plot was also very fun and I liked that the author included flashbacks to enrich the story and provide context to the dynamics that different group members had! I liked the ending but I would have liked the author to have leaned fully into the supernatural elements so for me this was close to a 5 star read but just fell a little short! Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed the story a lot and I would definitely recommend this one for how fun and unique it was!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. “Out of Air” will be published May 13, 2025.

I really enjoyed the horror elements of this book. The creepy transformation and the claustrophobic feeling in the underwater scenes are some of my favorite things in horror. I do wish there had been a bit more focus on Gabe and Phoebe's monstrous transformations and a little less on the treasure hunting drama, but it was still a fast paced read that kept me invested, and I liked the sort-of happy ending, sort-of-not happy ending.

Book: Out of Air
Author: Rachel Reiss
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC. I went back and forth on the rating for this one. I couldn’t decide between a three and four-star rating. This was a solid read, but I would not call it a new favourite. There were certain elements of the book that I really enjoyed and others not so much.

In this one, we follow a group of friends who are on their last dive before they all go their separate ways. Phoebe “Phibs” Ray has always felt most at home beneath the waves. Six months ago, a thrilling dive with her closest friends led to the discovery of ancient gold coins, which rocketed them into viral fame. As they prepare for their final summer together after high school, the group heads to a remote Australian island to dive one last time. During a dive on a local reef, Phibs uncovers an extraordinary underwater sea cave, rumoured to hold a lost treasure. However, when she and her best friend Gabe resurface, something is terribly wrong. Strange, unhealing wounds begin to form on their skin, and whispers—dark and unsettling—start echoing in their minds. They realise something has attached itself to them, something ancient and sinister, altering them from within. Soon, a group of treasure hunters arrives, desperate to uncover the cave's secrets and willing to hold Phibs and her friends ransom to get the location. As the tension builds, Phibs is pushed to extreme measures to protect her friends. Along the way, she uncovers a horrifying truth: the most terrifying creature in the ocean might just be her.

This one is a very tricky one to rate. I enjoyed the mix of horror, the unknown, and the friendships. I have read very few books centred around diving, so that was a nice change of pace. We have a group of friends who are on their last big dive before they all go their separate ways. It is the summer after senior year, and things are getting to change. The group decides to have one final adventure together. After all, it has to be better than what happened the summer before.

Phibs is not like the rest of her friends, who are super rich and have amazing lives. She has been abandoned by her parents, and the only person who ever cared about her, her grandma, is fading away. She needs this and needs it to go smoothly. I enjoyed this set-up. However, there are a lot of issues with this. We have super-rich teenagers who are out of touch with reality. While Phibs, who is telling the story, does not have money, there were times that I did find her to be a bit much. She worries about her grandma and has given up her university scholarship. However, she still goes on this trip. Yet, we are told time and time again that she is worrying about her grandma. I get that she wants to have fun, but it doesn’t fit with what we have been told about her character. Also, I felt like her friend group did not have enough time to develop their voices and stand out. They all blended into one. I wish the characters had been a bit more developed.

However, things have greatly changed since last summer. Last summer, the group found some treasure and has been put into the limelight. They have a large online following and have made a name for themselves. They decide to go to this remote island and have one final adventure. Of course, one of their parents will pay for everyone. Phibs knows it is because of her because she does not have the money to come. It’s supposed to be fun and exciting. That is, until they find the cave.

Now, this is where body horror comes into play. Strange things start to happen to a couple of the characters’ bodies. They are sick, and injuries are starting to appear on their skin. They don’t know why or how, but they were all okay until the cave came into the picture. One of the other girls asks them questions about the cave, and they don’t know why. It doesn’t help that she will not tell them everything that is going on.

This, once again, is a great set-up. We have a cave that we don’t know anything about it and strange things are happening. This could have driven the plot home, but it didn’t. Instead, it felt underdeveloped and lacking. Many other plot points like this could have taken the book to the next level, but instead, ended up being underdeveloped and underwritten. As a result, the complexity of this story was lost in the mix.

Overall, this is not a bad book. I did have fun with it, but it needed more development to drive the point home.

This book comes out on May 13, 2025.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/orxM6Fz-oeU

I really enjoyed this story! The novel is out of the genres that I usually read, but it sounds like an interesting premise and I decided to give it a try. By the third chapter I was hooked and super invested in the story! Interesting plotlines throughout and just the right mix of real diving-world info to feel like I was learning as I read.

Phoebe is a diver with an extraordinary ability to find things. A strange sense comes over her and when she follows it, she may find treasure or danger. When diving in Australia with her friends, Phoebe discovers a strange cave. When her friend Gabe follows her in, they have no idea what they’re about to uncover. As the group of friends deal with the strange effects from the cave, they will need to decide how much they trust each other.

Thank you to Rachel Reiss, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. I have mixed feelings about this book. It started out so good. It gripped me right from the start. However, the last few chapters just lost me.

The book is about a group of friends who love diving. The main focus is on Phoebe who lives with her grandma who has Alzheimer’s. Phoebe knows absolutely nothing about her parents or really her childhood. This particular fact is important to the plot. She suffers with strong separation anxiety and fears being abandoned. When visiting a dive shop for a job interview. She encounters Gabe the owners son. From there Phoebe and Gabe are great friends and form a close bond.. Not long after she meets the rest of Gabe’s friends and goes on different diving adventures with them. One day while diving in a cave. Phoebe discovers something will change her life forever. That’s not an exaggeration either. That’s all I can say without spoiling the plot.


This book had friendship, found family, adventure, creepy imagery, endless marine life facts, friends to lovers, romance, and interesting plot twists. One thing I will mention because I’ve never experienced this while reading. If you’re familiar with the show Monsters Inside Me. It gave off that vibe and made me physically shudder. Which I’ve read dark and scary stuff but that genuinely freaked me out. I would recommend this if you love the ocean and suspense. However, I found the ending rather rushed. Nothing really made sense in my opinion. While the end wasn’t my favorite I still enjoyed the story overall.

Phoebe is a diver with an extraordinary ability to find things. A strange sense comes over her and when she follows it, she may find treasure or danger. When diving in Australia with her friends, Phoebe discovers a strange cave. When her friend Gabe follows her in, they have no idea what they’re about to uncover. As the group of friends deal with the strange effects from the cave, they will need to decide how much they trust each other.

Out of Air is a fast-paced adventure below the waves. One of my favorite parts was the beautiful and deadly descriptions of the ocean life that lurks beneath the waves. The descriptions of Australia are stunning and provide an excellent setting for this ocean adventure. Readers should be aware there is a bit of body horror, as Phoebe and Gabe deal with the effects of the cave. This book definitely gave me chills (in a good way!) and made me feel like I’d taken a dive beneath the waves myself. Rachel Reiss is clearly a diver and has a deep love for the ocean. I’m looking forward to seeing what she writes next!

Thank you to Rachel Reiss, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.