The blurb for this one highly intrigued me but unfortunately it just didn't work for me. Especially the supernatural aspects of it. I unfortunately had to DNF.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance audiobook copy of Out of Air by Rachel Reiss in exchange for an honest review. Wow, this book had me on the edge of my seat. I listened to it at night, finishing in the wee hours and I had to meditate after to be able to sleep. I love the story lines and the characters. I have never wanted to scuba dive, but I love seeing movies and reading books about it. This is definitely on my recommend list.

I listened to this one in just a couple sittings—it was so compelling. The narrator did a great job, and the story had that “can’t stop listening” vibe. Full of tension, but also really emotional.
Huge thanks to NetGalley for the chance to listen to this!

I'm not sure how I got so confused about what this book was but I definitely misunderstood. I figured this was going to be more like the movie 47 Metes Down and I have no idea where I got that. Because of that i was a little put off by this book at first. That being said once I realized what exactly this was I started to enjoy it. This felt a darker take on H20 or maybe Outer Banks. I did enjoy this after I realized this was more of a slow building dread. I will say this doesn't necessarily scream horror to me but more of a paranormal mystery. This was still a solid ya thriller.

This book gave me serious Outer Banks vibes in the best way. You’ve got the ocean, a tight-knit group of best friends, romance, mystery, diving, and secrets. It’s told across dual timelines, giving us glimpses of the past and present, which just adds to the story.
Phibs, the FMC, has this incredible knack for finding lost things. Which leads the group to a hidden treasure and a mysterious cave. There’s a touch of magical realism, and sea creatures woven into the story. The cave and the mystery surrounding it completely pulled me in.
It’s an atmospheric read and it made me feel like I was alongside the group. The narrator, Gail Shalan, absolutely nails it. Her narration brings Phibs and her crew to life with the perfect tone and inflection. She kept me hooked all the way to the end.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

Out of Air is an addictive, immersive, and haunting YA scuba thriller with a captivating cast of characters and a propulsive plot.

I had a blast with this one. The characters were intriguing and well-developed. Phoebe was a fantastic main character, and I loved her journey and personality. The romance subplot was sweet and entertaining, and the horror elements and incorporation of sea creatures and dark magical realism were incredible. Rachel’s prose was beautiful and atmospheric, presenting a fast-paced story with spectacular descriptions of the sea. The treasure-hunting aspect was terrific, and I enjoyed the action-packed ending and mystery elements. I adored the scuba diving descriptions and incorporation. I highly recommend this fantastic debut!

Gail Shalan narrated this one brilliantly. The emotion and depth she used were outstanding, and her accents and voice fit the story perfectly. I highly recommend the audiobook!

Thank you to the publisher for the free ALC!

This one definitely had moments that kept me on the edge of my seat – there were times I swear I forgot to breathe right along with the characters! 😮 The suspense is undeniably strong, and the audiobook is a solid way to experience it too, with the narrator really bringing that tension to life. 🎧

However, while the atmosphere was definitely there and had me feeling that breathless anxiety at times, I felt like the plot meandered a little in the middle. Some of the twists, while interesting, didn't quite land with the impact I was hoping for. 🤔
Overall, Out of Air is a decent read (or listen!). It definitely delivers on the suspense and that feeling of being trapped, but it didn't completely blow me away.

Writing a book about a topic you have lots of understanding and interest is the hardest job since your reader might not know how important some of the information is to the outcome of the story. This was some of my issue with the novel, written for teens, as it was dense in many areas that readers might otherwise have enjoyed the story without the details. An example was describing the water and what is being seen over several times and chapters in a way that didn't make me feel submerged in the water but really looking into the water. I did feel claustrophobic in some parts which was the emotion the story required. This was read while touring the second largest reef in the world, so felt like the right choice. I don't know that it will be on that is going to be read by as many unfortunately as it is a very specific activity that many might not have access to trying or having exposure to seeing. Thanks to NetGalley for the ALC of this one! All opinions are my own.

A little suspenseful, very intriguing, and a bit emotional too. This book kept me on my toes with what was going to happen. I could see how the story was going to play out by the end but nevertheless, I was still captivated by the mystery of the cave and what would happen to Phibs and Gabe.

The group of friends had such a strong bond but also a sense of mistrust amongst them, they would do anything for each other but so quickly turn on each other too. The dynamic of the group made for some interesting drama to add to the story. You could tell how much they were in over their heads, just teens that wanted some adventure and got more than they bargained for.

The descriptions of the ocean and the sea creatures were so detailed - you could really imagine how it was deep under water with them. It goes to show that we don’t really know what’s in the oceans. The way the narrator sounded so frightened at times when they were diving had me STRESSED!!

4.25 rounded up!
I have always been terrified to dive, and this book solidified it even more so for me. The feeling of absolute claustrophobia was so prominent in this read, especially as they ventured into the caves. Caves in the ocean??? PASS.
I loved how adventurous and care-free these kids were though. Their zest to really go for it and not look back was enduring. It kind of reminded me of how you think you'll always be best friends with your high school friends and how nothing will ever come between that. Their bonds are truly there and air tight.
I cruised through this in two days and loved every minute of it. I had water envy all throughout my listen and really enjoyed how this one wrapped up. Thank you for my ALC!

Suspenseful and emotion, "Out of Air" kept me interested all the way through. Audiobooks that jump between two timelines are always difficult to follow, so there was some confusion, but I was able to sort it out eventually. The horror element was scary enough but not go gory as to make me stop listening. The narrator did an excellent job keeping up the tension throughout the story.

Out of Air is a fast-paced supernatural thriller that had my heart racing from beginning to end. From the beginning, you are immediately thrown into the mystery of the underwater sea cave that Phibs and her best friend Gabe finds and the strange changes that start to occur when they return to the surface. As the group tries to figure out how to reverse the changes that are starting to take over, Phibs also deals with her friends growing distant after the events that lead their group to social media fame. The events are slowly told through dual timelines throughout the book. The ending took me by surprise and although the ending did not answer all of my questions I had throughout this book, the ending left several possibilities for our main characters that left me thinking about this book for several days afterwards. Overall, this was an atmospheric debut, and I am excited to see what is next for this author.

I would highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator does a fantastic job with the variety of characters. The description of the ocean, and their diving adventures was some of my favorite parts of this book. The author and narrator do a great job in immersing the reader with the atmosphere of the ocean and the mysterious creatures that live there.

Out of Air comes out May 13th.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the opportunity to review Out of Air. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

READ IT IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN OR LIKED- Outer Banks- Dual timelines- The Deep 1977- Into the Blue 2005- YA thriller- Speculative mystery- Deep sea exploration- Horror elements but thriller- Large dose of romance

BRIEF REVIEWI almost DNF'ed this because I didn't know about the romance going in. There's a super cheesy scene in the beginning but after that it had some interesting elements. I love that the author has experience scuba diving. It showed in the vivid descriptions of when they are in the water. The dual timelines didn't bother me because they were both interesting.

Great fast paced thriller that kept me on my toes! As a scuba diver myself it brought me back to how I feel every time I dive. Not predictable at all. 5/5 stars!

I enjoyed how immersive this book felt. It made me feel like I was in the ocean with them and I could easily picture the beauty of the ocean. Overall I did expect more from the book based on the blurb. I did not feel like we got to know her friends very well and the pacing of the story felt off at times. While it did take me awhile to get into it I enjoyed the ending with its twist. I also think that the cover is absolutely breathtaking.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC/ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to listen to in exchange for an honest review.

I must have misread the description for this one because I didn't realize it was a horror novel when I started it. It wasn't super scary from a horror perspective, but the diving and cave definitely provided a lot of suspense. Although it has been many years since I've been scuba diving, the author made me feel like I was actually diving with Phoebe. A great read - even if horror isn't your normal go to genre.

By far the best part of this audiobook was the narrator - holy smokes!! The suspense was ramped up through the audio and I would highly recommend this audiobook to anyone looking to immerse themselves into a dangerous situation. Incredible performance!

Something to know about me is that I'm not a big swimmer, and I am also not very confident in the water, so when it comes to reading stories about diving and swimming, I'm already a little scared even if they aren't a horror novel like this one.  So this premise already had me a little scared, but I'm not going to lie, I don't think that I actually read the blurb too closely so I didn't fully expect the supernatural elements of this one.

Phibs was a really interesting character.  Her trying to fit in with her friends was a really interesting premise to me.  I liked how diving had brought them together and given them an excuse to be friends when they might not have normally.  I also found her backstory interesting, and how she felt that she had to take care of her grandmother, who was quite ill, at the expense of her own future.  She seemed like she was a really good person, which I appreciated.

The writing style was engaging.  I liked the way we switched between the past and the present to understand further how the characters came to be in the situation they were.  There were a lot of good moments of tension that had nothing to do with the supernatural, and so I found that quite engaging.  The author did a great job at balancing those elements.

The supernatural elements were a little bit more hard to follow, but I did find them really intriguing nonetheless.  I liked the whole secret spot aspect.  It was interesting that things seemed to affect Gabe a fair bit faster than they affected Phibs.  I think I would have liked some more development of that part, but it was still a really interesting twist to the story.

On the whole, this was a really engaging story.  If you like horror stories with supernatural elements, you should definitely check this one out.

I'm not a diver (too claustrophobic), but I enjoy reading books about divers, so I knew when I saw this cover I'd be requesting this from NetGalley. Add in treasure and secret underwater caves? Yes, please.

The author states in her notes that she's an experienced diver, so I appreciated the details regarding equipment, diving rules, etc. interwoven into the story. It offers descriptions to readers unfamiliar with the sport and adds an element of reality. Those underwater scenes are exhilarating, occasionally dangerous, and had me holding my breath. I also learned about new sea creatures that made me think maybe having claustrophobia isn't such a bad thing if these are things I could meet up close and personal in the water.

If found family is your vibe, you'll find it with these five friends. Their bonds are strong, but Phibs dreads losing them when summer is over and they head off to various colleges. Phibs isn't in a financial position to afford college. When she's fortunate enough to be offered a full ride scholarship to a university, she defers it due to her grandmother's (her sole remaining family member) declining health and mental status.

I'd hoped for thrilling underwater sequences and interactions with the treasure hunters who accost these characters, but they're actually a very small percentage of the story that was resolved fairly quickly. The largest portion focuses on Phibs's backstory with her family and Gabe (best friend hoping to be more), and the drama between the friends. My favorite part was when she and Gabe discover the underwater cave then the unsettling body horror descriptions that follow and lead to an unexpected twist.

This is a standalone I'd recommend to fans of found family/friend dynamics, the friends to lovers trope, and underwater thrillers.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This was a great YA debut that kept me engaged from start to finish! The underwater setting was incredibly vivid, and the eerie, atmospheric tension built beautifully throughout the story. I loved the blend of mystery, friendship, and creeping horror—plus, the unique twist on transformation was a standout element. Phibs was a compelling main character, and the dynamics among the group felt authentic and emotional. The pacing was strong, and the story never lost momentum. A solid and suspenseful read for fans of dark YA thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley & Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Even though it is probably the last place you should read this, this book was a perfect beach read.

The Wilder Girls comp is PERFECT for this. This was a speculative body/ocean horror that has incredible vibes alongside a story I could not tear myself away from. Inhaled this like I was on the bottom of the ocean with an emptying tank, what can I say.

This was so unbelievably compelling though, which is why it felt like a really good read for a day at the beach. It's surprisingly short but keeps you riveted with every page. I loved the characters. With so many personalities in the Salt Squad, I was impressed by how easy they were to differentiate from each other. Phoebe is a great narrator, and her backstory made her the most interesting character. I do think some of the mystery elements came a little late in the book, especially considering how short this was, but it didn't make me love the book any less.

For some reason, I received an audio ARC, an e-ARC, and a paperback ARC from the publisher, and I must thank them profusely because if they were trying to tell me I needed this book in my life, they were very right. I continue to be terrified and fascinated by the ocean in equal measures.