May 4, 2023 Abigail Singrey

Book Review: Lying in the Deep

This teen thriller simmers with jealousy and passion

About the Book

Lying in the Deep by Diana Urban

Genre: Young Adult Thriller

Book Review

Move over, Karen McManus. There’s a new queen of YA thrillers. I’ve been delighted to read all of Diana Urban’s thrillers, and she’s really perfected the art. This twisty, fast-paced thriller provides a unique twist on the locked-room trope.

Lainey always gets what she wants. And what she wants includes her best friend’s boyfriend.

Jade’s going on a semester abroad on a cruise ship to try to forget about her first love leaving her for her best friend, then blocking her number. But when she’s boarding the ship, she sees beautiful, wealthy, free-spirited Lainey boarding with Silas, the boy who’d been the love of Jade’s life. No matter where she goes, Jade keeps seeing them. Not even a hot, brooding boy named Felix can distract her forever. Then, after a boozy night of Monopoly that ends with Jade accidentally stabbing Silas with a letter opener, Lainey goes missing, and Jade’s the number one suspect.

Jade’s convinced she’s not the only person Lainey’s backstabbed, and the deeper she digs into her fellow shipmates’ lives, the more connections she finds. Jade convinces Felix to help her investigate, but their budding romance is complicated by signs that Silas might be having second thoughts about ending things with Jade. This teen thriller simmers with jealousy and passion as more teens meet unfortunate ends, ending in a startling but satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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Abigail Singrey

Abigail Singrey is a storyteller, brand strategist and confirmed bookworm. She's the kind of person who wants to stop and pick up every stray dog by the side of the road and buy every book in Barnes and Noble.