Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Night Swim

Liked the idea of the book but it felt like the ending was a little too neat and tidy. Small towns don’t just change their minds. I thought that was well done throughout the book and then the end just sort of sputtered.

Content Warnings

daniellamariee's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

alicialoebl's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Keeps you building towards the end reveal, I really liked the shifting perspective and original concept

Content Warnings

carissa230's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

This is the story of 2 different teenage girls. One drowned as a teen and one was raped, years apart, but in the same small town.

The story is told in 2 different timelines. In one a girl is a victim of a rape, and the case is preparing for trial. The trial is the setting of the newest season of a hit podcast. Rachel is putting her fans in the jury box and letting them be there as the case unfolds.

The other timeline is Jenny drowned as a teenager. Her sister Hannah doesn't believe that Jenny drowned. Hannah is convinced that Rachel can help her solve the mystery of Jenny's death, if only she could get Rachel to listen.

Content Warnings

yunsq's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

a fictional novel that could have been anybody's true recount. this story reminds me of Know My Name by Chanel Miller. except for Miller, what happened to her was as real as it could've been.

i listened to the book as i read it and felt deeply connected with the story. especially in the various courtroom scenes where the author did a good job showing the two lawyers' subtle, but an intentional change in body language, mannerisms and tone. this is my first time listening/reading to a book that includes the premise of a podcast series, and i would definitely be looking out for more books in the future that centres around it, even better if they are also available as audiobooks! the narrator has a charismatic and charming voice perfect for a true-crime podcast. i'd read more megan goldin in the future for sure

would've been a 5 stars for me if there were more pages dedicated to character development and how rachel was feeling after each court session. there was a lot of telling us what she did, who she spoke to and why she had to, but i finished the book craving for more of her inner world. her reflections on being a true-crime podcaster. towards the end (someone) brought up the issues of the ethics of true-crime podcast - i'd have loved to learn more about what rachel thought about that

Content Warnings

ktdakotareads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

starletise's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have quite mixed feelings about this book. I struggled with the shifts between the story being told in the first and third person, along with chapters that were podcast dialogue. Because of those shifts, I also felt there was a lot of repetitiveness of information throughout. However, the story was incredibly powerful and highlights the ‘slut-shaming’ of women and discusses the trauma associated with rape trials. I appreciated that the book didn’t try to stay impartial and almost outright stated the injustices that exist in rape trials and the reliving of trauma that victims experience. There were definitely sections of the book that were incredibly difficult to read, but I felt the author treated both the characters and the subject matter compassionately. If you’re looking for a page turning thriller, this wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend. There are also several strong trigger warnings, some of which include sexual assault, domestic violence and death.

Content Warnings

shanslistofthrillers's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Content Warnings

More...