4.5 rounded up! I absolutely loved this thriller! It was below deck meets murder mystery and I had a fun time! I found it to be super layered because even though the story is “locked door” and only takes place on the yacht, there was a lot of background information that came to light regarding the previous charter and it enhanced our plot. I love an audiobook always, but I wish the narrator did a better job of distinguishing the different voices. Not only did everyone look alike, but I found that the characters sounded alike too and it made it confusing to follow who’s point of view we were listening too. Definitely will be recommending this to family friends and followers

This was a thoroughly enjoyable book full of twists and turns. The description of it being a below deck murder mystery was accurate. Within the story, no one is as they portray themselves to be, and everyone has ulterior motives, which keeps the listener guessing as to what will happen next.

I did find it difficult to distinguish between the characters as many of them were described as nearly identical. However, this did not detract much from my enjoyment of the book. I would definitely recommend this title to mystery fans.

Marketing this book as "below deck with a body count" is entirely spot on. I'm in the camp that I love an unlikeable character and lucky for me, this book is filled with them. While I did enjoy the story as a whole, I had major issues with the pacing. I felt like this could have been maybe 50 pages shorter? By the time we got to the twist, I had a hard time getting back into the story and really caring about who dun it.
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
I received a complimentary copy of this and thank you Netgally and HarperAudio for an advanced listening copy.

Seriously this one gave me vibes of The Woman in Cabin 10. Not just the water but the style and pacing.

I'm always a fan of locked room mysteries or the equivalent of them. One mystery happened on a previous trip, but after Sasha joins the crew, the intrigue multiplies.

There are plenty of POVs to help figure out what is happening and that means there are plenty of suspects. The rich behave badly and at times the crew isn't much better. I loved that the characters were unlikable and that made me wonder which one might bite the bullet next.

There is a full cast reading the audiobook. Fiona Hardingham, Imogen Church, Emma Fenney, Karen Cass, Sara Novak, and Jodie Harris all did a great job and I appreciated they sounded different. It made it easy to follow the story and the POV of that chapter. Imogen Church is one of my favorite British narrators so it was great to hear as part of the ensemble, but every time it came to be her turn again, I smiled.

This is an isolated mystery set on a mega yacht, featuring ample drama. I appreciated the writing style and audiobook. I also enjoyed the unique setting, which differed from other books I've read.

Thank you @williammorrowbooks for a #gifted copy!
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If Below Deck had a dark twin with a body count, it would be I Did Warn Her. This twisty thriller had me hooked from the moment Sasha stepped aboard The Ophelia, a billionaire’s floating palace with secrets as deep as the ocean it sails.
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This one had a model-perfect crew, shady billionaires, stolen jewels, and more than one dead body. The vibes? Luxury meets lethal. The crew may be gorgeous, but no one is innocent, and the tension ratchets up with every chapter. I was constantly wondering who’s hiding what and who’s next?
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The slow-burn paranoia creeps in as the champagne runs dry and alliances start to crack.
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If you love locked-room mysteries, rich people behaving badly, and Below Deck drama turned deadly, I Did Warn Her needs to be on your summer TBR.

Sian Gilbert sure knows how to write a mean girl and I am here for it.

The characters were awful self centered and cruel and then before I knew it they started to grow on me. I enjoyed her take on a trap room mystery and I thought she executed her twists pretty well.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and the characters. The narrators did a wonderful job of portraying the characters and bringing them to life. It was fun, thrilling and even emotional. I’d definitely recommend this one!

This was just a great, fun read. It follows the stewardesses of a super yacht, the Ophelia. Sasha joins the crew at the last minute. She is blonde and beautiful but soon realizes that she looks just like the other stewardesses on the yacht. What’s going on? Why are Jade, Imogen, Evie, and Lola being alternately nice and mean to her.? Sasha just knows that she needs to leave her old life behind and this is the first step to something better. Soon it becomes clear that things onboard are not as wonderful as they should be. Who was the stewardess who left the boat early? What is Drew hiding? Where is all the guests’ missing jewelry? When the yacht’s owner brings along two women, things get interesting. This is a fast-paced read and would be perfect for the beach. If you want to read this for book club, try to have meetings by the pool, drinking something cool and refreshing. Put it in your bag and thank me later!

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert.
This was a 3.5 star for me. I loved the setting and the plot twists but I found it difficult to keep up with all the different characters and narrators for a good chunk of the book. The pace of the narrators varied greatly and that was also frustrating to me.

A twisty story that will have you second guessing everyone. With multiple POVs and lies, this story will keep you glued to the page as rich people behave badly and a luxurious yacht trip turns deadly.

GUYS. THIS WAS AMAZING. I just listened to the audiobook and I'm still reeling from the plot twists. It's the perfect summer whodunnit - luxurious setting, complex characters, and a mystery that'll keep you guessing. I loved the full cast of characters in the audiobook, and I'm definitely going to be reading this author's other books.

"Well. We have our confirmation now, don't we? The bitch is definitely dead. I did warn her."!!

Where are ALL my Below The Deck fans ?? This is a read for you !!

This was a fun locked room thriller mystery set on the wild seas .

I listened to this on audiobook and what a hoot I had ! I love me some cringe reality TV and this was filled with SO much toxic drama . It was more than toxic than a group chat filled with your ex’s & enemies which made for an entertaining read!

Everyone had secrets , everyone had a motive and everyone looked identical. Tall, blonde , slim and perfect was the only exception to be a crew mate on this boat heading for disaster!

After listening to the opening line , I knew this was going to be enjoyable!

If you like locked room thrillers, lots of drama,, multiple POV’s with more of an YA feel and mystery then give this one a go !

I must share that the audiobook was challenging at times to navigate which character was narrating which made it difficult to follow .

Thank you NetGalley ,Harper Audio Adult & Sian Gilbert for this Audio Arc!!

The Ophelia is a lavish billionaire’s yacht, filled with beautiful stewardesses hired for high pay and a chance to escape their pasts—but beneath the luxury lies something far more sinister. Sasha, the newest crew member, joins a nearly identical group of blonde, model-gorgeous women for a weeklong Atlantic crossing, only to find herself surrounded by vanishing jewelry, shady guests, and a mystery tied to a former stewardess’s suspicious death. When another crew member turns up dead after a night of partying, everyone becomes a suspect, and secrets start to unravel fast. I thought this was a good book with a really fun premise! It had that locked-room whodunnit vibe, but on a yacht, which made it feel fresh and super tense. The twists kept me guessing, and I definitely enjoyed the high-glamour atmosphere.

5.5/10 i wanted this book to be sooooooo good. and it fell flat. i LOVE below deck and thought, what an awesome concept for the usual “enclosed space murder”.. especially knowing as much as i know about superyachts from BD.. but i just felt that there were too many storylines, too many people the author tried to write as relevant. i don’t know if it was an attempt for the reader to connect, or care about the characters outcomes, or simply just as part of the story from a different perspective.. but, it wasn’t executed well.

it would have been better if it just focused on 2-3 perspectives, or even 3rd person. but hearing snippets of life stories from nearly all the stewardesses / guests was just too much to follow.
it wasn’t nearly suspenseful enough, it felt like the murders had no build, and by the end i didn’t really care who did it because you really only care about jasmine getting justice/an explanation for her friend.
overall i just think the book tried to do too much.

"The bitch is dead. I did warn her."

That’s all it took to hook me into Sian Gilbert’s latest twisty thriller, this one on a luxury superyacht bound for NewYork. Locked room thrillers are my favorite trope, and how much more isolated can you get than being surrounded by hundreds of miles of open ocean? Even with a limited amount of potential suspects, I still waffled back and forth of the true identify of the murderer, before ultimately deciding I thought I knew. Of course I didn’t, thanks to some deviously plotted red herrings. After loving her previous book, She Started It, and now I Did Warn Her, Sian Gilbert is now one of my my must-read authors.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC in audiobook format.

I Did Warn Her by Sian Gilbert, narrated by Fiona Hardingham

Sian Gilbert’s I Did Warn Her is a locked-room mystery with a saltwater sting—claustrophobic, decadent, and deliciously deceptive. Set aboard the Ophelia, a billionaire’s superyacht slicing through the Atlantic, the story unfolds like a sun-drenched fever dream where every surface gleams and every character hides a secret. But it’s Fiona Hardingham’s narration that transforms this thriller into a full-blown auditory experience.

Sasha, the last-minute stewardess hire, is our entry point into this gilded world of curated beauty and curated lies. She joins a crew of nearly indistinguishable, model-gorgeous women, all of whom seem to be running from something. When one of them turns up dead after a night of champagne and secrets, the yacht becomes a floating crime scene—and no one can disembark.

Gilbert’s prose is razor-sharp, but it’s Hardingham’s performance that gives the story its pulse. She shifts seamlessly between accents and emotional registers, capturing Sasha’s guarded vulnerability, Jade’s brittle authority, and the simmering tension among the crew. Her pacing is masterful—never rushing the suspense, always letting it coil tighter.

What makes this audiobook stand out isn’t just the murder mystery (though it’s satisfyingly twisty), but the way it interrogates performance—of femininity, of wealth, of innocence. The Ophelia isn’t just a setting; it’s a stage, and every character is playing a role. Gilbert leans into the voyeurism of it all, and Hardingham makes us complicit.

For fans of Below Deck with a body count, or Agatha Christie reimagined for the Instagram age, I Did Warn Her is a binge-worthy voyage into the dark currents beneath luxury. Just don’t get too comfortable—someone’s always watching.

I have read this as an ebook but it is so much more intriguing as an audiobook. The narrator’s different accents help differentiate the many characters’ stories in the book. In classic thriller fashion, we find ourselves on a super yacht- a great place to relax, work but also to hide or alternatively uncover answers buried under the sea. This story doesn’t disappoint. My initial review of the ebook was 4 stars but the audio is 5 for sure.

"I Did Warn Her" is an entertaining and captivating locked-room mystery. As a huge fan of Sian Gilbert's debut novel and the reality TV show "Below Deck," I couldn't wait to get my hands on her newest novel. Unsurprisingly, I greatly enjoyed this book and devoured it in one day. The story is told from multiple POVs of the superyacht crew, which created a lot of suspense and kept me guessing. It takes a bit of getting used to all of the POVs, but just like on "Below Deck," I loved all of the drama and the chaotic, unlikeable characters. I thought the plot twists were surprising and fun, and I never saw the ending coming. Gilbert never fails to keep me entertained, and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio for the ALC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
4/5

This book was Below Deck on crack. I love the show and I loved the book. I listened to this one and it was a bit confusing remembering all the stewardesses names. Other than that, It was great.

This book kept me guessing until the very last sentence (mainly because I couldn’t recognize the voice of who was speaking) but it was still great!

Thank you NetGalley, HarperAudio Adult, and Sian Gilbert for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Murder on the high seas!! I DID WARN HER is a slick, sharp-edged thriller that grabs you by the throat and drags you through the fog of secrets, betrayal, and murder on a luxurious trans-oceanic yacht ride turned nightmare. From the jump, this story gives off serious nautical vibes—with a darker, more sinister twist.

The pacing is solid, and the structure—shifting between timelines and perspectives—keeps you constantly guessing. Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, the plot veers into dangerous new territory that leaves you questioning everyone’s motives.

The author does an awesome job of introducing a wide cast of characters without ever letting it feel overwhelming. Each one is distinct, memorable, and woven seamlessly into the storyline. You never lose track of who’s who, and as the layers peel back, it’s even more satisfying to see how their secrets connect. The fact that there are multiple murders only amps up the tension, making this a truly tangled web of lies and consequences. The author also did a great job with the nautical terminology—being a woman in the Navy, it felt realistic and well-researched.

Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers, morally grey characters, and stories where nothing—and no one—is what they seem. This can definitely become a movie!