Lying in the Deep

LYING IN THE DEEP is a fun whodunnit YA thriller. Jade is still reeling from the loss of her boyfriend and BFF as she embarks on Campus on Board, a college semester spent on a cruise ship with classes as they travel to 11 countries. She had long been dreaming of this trip, and when she saw that her former BFF, Lainey, was not going, she was happy to continue on the way. However, as they are boarding, she sees not only Lainey boarding but also Silas, her ex-boyfriend who dumped her over text for Lainey.

The trip does not go quite as planned, with Jade trying to figure out why her boyfriend and BFF dumped her so suddenly, are calling her a stalker when she tries to get close, and finding a potential new crush along the way, Felix. Things get even more dangerous when it seems like someone is trying to get rid of Lainey, something that is confirmed after a night of drinking and trouble when they find Lainey's room covered in blood and Lainey missing, possibly having been tossed overboard. As the stakes increase with the body count increasing and with Jade seeming the most likely suspect, Jade begins to investigate to figure out what happened to Lainey - before she is next.

The story pulls the reader in right away with the mystery of why Jade's best friend and boyfriend dumped her so suddenly and thoroughly. As the story continues, it becomes more and more clear that there is something much larger beneath the surface. While that mystery heats up, so do the stakes as students are found murdered. The locked room sort of aspect of the cruise ship definitely ups the ante. While the ship is hurrying to their next port to investigate, everyone is stuck on the ship in the meantime - a great time to investigate. Jade really takes on the role of amateur detective, revealing new information and changing the landscape as she goes with plenty of red herrings.

Jade is not always a likable character, but she felt quite three-dimensional. She makes a lot of mistakes and is stuck in the past, even when she has new friends and a romantic interest who are waiting for her attention. This makes sense considering the finality and lack of closure she got from the ending of both her best friendship and long-term romantic relationship. Her intensity and passion carries through to her investigation and keeps her from giving up, even as it becomes more dangerous. Felix was another interesting character that we get to know best closer to the end. It would have been great to get to know him more earlier on and really build the relationship, but as we get the story from Jade's perspective, she does not delve too deeply due to her focus on Lainey and Silas.

Themes around family, abuse, friendship, lies, choice, and revenge add to the interest in the story. A background theme is around Lainey's father's company in pharmaceuticals and the ethics of their business decisions while supplying life-saving medications. Themes around family, the way your childhood shapes your emotions and desires, and the impacts of abuse were also really potent, impacting multiple characters.

The ending brought everything together well with a big reveal that put all the pieces together. While I had guessed the villain relatively early, I did not figure out all the details that led to it coming together, so it was definitely a bit surprising, which I always appreciate in a thriller.

Overall, LYING IN THE DEEP is an entertaining YA thriller/whodunnit that will keep readers on their toes.