Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The Night Swim

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

71 reviews

sarah2438's review against another edition

4.0

This is so hard to rate because it was not enjoyable. It was emotionally exhausting to listen to on so many levels as you listen to the trauma of these characters. For someone that's uncomfortable with r@pe/SA content, I really went big here.
Despite that, I have to admit that the atmosphere and pacing was well done. We could've gotten bogged down with boring trial details and that didn't happen. As someone that works in these settings, I appreciated the accuracy of the trial details. (I'll even forgive the author for not including a victim witness coordinator.) The novel contained important social critique and questions about how we treat victims, without ever placing that blame on prosecutors or law enforcement. Don't get me wrong, no one is perfect-- but far too often those two parties are taking the bulk of the blame.
The main critique I have is how underdeveloped Rachel was. She seemed to really only exist as a storytelling mechanism and didn't have any personality or motivations beyond what she said on her podcast. I also thought the big reveal of Jenny's offender was a bit of a disappointing and random choice. I think my guess was better...
Did I enjoy it? No. Do I recommend it? Yes, with a long list of conditions. But it's well written and makes you think.

Content Warnings

katyannreads's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Content Warnings

julienicole1106's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

amanda_reads13's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed reading this book! I did figure out a few things early on in the book, hence the 4 stars. I found it really interesting how the 2 seemingly unrelated storylines tied together and I enjoyed the jumping between Hannah, Rachel, and the podcast. I didn't want to put this book down!

***Please make sure to check the trigger warnings before reading!

Content Warnings