A review by minimicropup
On the Surface by Rachel McGuire

dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Overall, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it either. It’s an okay read, but if you’re a regular thriller reader, the plot and writing style might feel boring and predictable. I mostly found myself waiting for it to wrap up.
 
Energy: Jaded. Indignant. Narcissistic. 
 
🐺 Growls The setting was forgettable unless I actively worked to visualize it. 
 
🐕 Howls The story focuses too much on the characters’ inner monologues and emotional tension at the expense of intrigue. The present-tense narration made everything seem overly dramatic, although it fit the vibe. The repetitive resentments and schemings of the main characters dragged the plot down. Inconsistency in accents with audio (the narrators voiced the characters so differently, it hard to keep track of who was speaking at times, especially early on when I mistook characters for new ones). 
 
🐩 Tail Wags The question of who’s reliable and what really happened the night Dani went missing.
 
Scene: 🇧🇸 Set in Bahamas where cruisers are docked.
Perspectives (5): A up-and-coming sailing influencer who just got monetized. The partner of the influencer. A friend of the influencer. Someone associated with the influencer. The detective investigating the missing person report. 
Timeline: Current (2020s-ish). ☀️ Summery
🔥 Fuel: Twists and reveals. Unreliable narrators. Relationship dynamics. Conflict, drama, tea. What happened to Dani? Who is telling the truth? Are we insider or outsiders as the reader?
📖 Cred: Over-the-Top
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
Cryptocurrency. Cruiser parties. Monetization. Butter sauce. Drab office. 
  • Domestic suspense
  • Sailing influencer behind-the-scenes
  • Present-tense dramatic writing style
  • Riches to rags
  • Make a prediction, who to believe moments
  • Deeply flawed unlikeable and narcissistic characters
  • Tagging along with the detective getting clues
  • Tanged webs, everyone behaving badly
  • Time jumping narratives
 
Content Heads-Up: Alcohol (parties, intoxication, blackouts). Missing person. Potential false accusation. Domestic abuse (discussion, accusation, evidence of). Sexual content (toys, foursomes, bondage gear, promiscuity; mention/discovery). Voyeurism (hidden cameras). Malingering, manipulation, lies. Personality disorder. Racism (discussion of media, coverage of missing persons).
 
Rep: American. Bahamian. Dominican. Cis. Bi. Gay. Hetero. Dark, pale, and ambiguous skin tones. 
 
📚 Format: Libro.fm
 
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