The Night Swim | A Review

I’ve heard many negative things about The Night Swim, but I decided to give it a go. This book was nothing like I would have expected. Podcasts, true crime, and murder mysteries are all things that I don’t really have a lot of knowledge about. Still, if I’m going, to be honest, I really enjoyed this book. I listened to the audiobook while following along in a physical book. I’m not sure if that made the book better than some of the reviews saying this book was a letdown. The Night Swim wasn’t exactly how I thought it would be to I was drawn into the book. I stayed up all night to finish this books and tried to figure out who did it in the past and present. 

Trigger Warning: This books follows two different rapes.

Summary:

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

Positives:

This book had me up all night! I was like a lifetime movie in my head! I needed all the answers, and I felt so bad for Hannah, but she also creeped me out. This book had a little bit of a slow start, but it kept me coming back for more. Once I got about half way, I couldn’t put it down! We followed three storylines, and all were captivating and tangled together. I appreciated that this book was real. What happened to Jenny and Kelly happens in real life, and the outcomes really happen. This book was a little triggering, but I love that this book can be honest without anything that is a little far fetched.

Check out my one of my favorite books, The Grace Year!

Negatives:

This book was a little slow. I think that if I had not listened to the audiobook as well, I might have put the book down. A lot of was hidden throughout the book to help preserve the mystery, but we went throughout the whole book, not knowing the name of three of the villains. They were spoken of throughout the entire book, and for some reason, not knowing their names just really bothered me. I personally was not a fan of the podcast chapters. I feel like they didn’t do too much for the storyline.

All in all, this was a good book, but I don’t think I would read it again. It is for a more mature audience, that is for sure. I can see why many people didn’t like this book, but I would suggest giving it a read if you like who did it books.