the setup…
Caroline (Caz) Ripley boards the RMS Atlantica, a luxury cruise liner, along with her boyfriend Pete Davenport, ready for the ultimate vacation. Their first night is a delightful exploration of the ship and connection to other passengers. When she wakes the next morning, Pete’s gone from their cabin. Caz walks out into the corridor, finds all the cabin doors open and soon discovers that the ship is completely empty of human life…no crew or passengers! And the ship is steadily moving on autopilot with no signs of stopping, nothing but the open seas ahead.
the heart of the story…
What in the world did I just read? It’s a tricky path to talk about it as it would be easy to divulge things spoilerish. It’s safe to say that Caz is truly in a nightmarish situation as she tries to navigate herself out of it and try to make sense of it all while keeping her wits about her. To say the story is twisty and unpredictable completely underwhelms the actual reading experience. I had no clue…zip, nada…as to what was going on or what were the truths and lies.
the narration…
Funnell delivered a wonderful performance, never giving anything away with her tone, pacing or emotions. That will make more sense after you finish the book as this is a difficult bit of storytelling.
the bottom line…
I had a lot of ups and downs throughout my listening journey as I was confounded by what was going on in that ship, whether Caz would prevail and get off this boat. There were times when I just wanted it to end and others where I was captivated and deep into the mystery. There’s a gobsmacking twist in the end that I’m still unsure of how I feel about it. That doesn’t matter though because it just added to the provocative nature of the entire story. Talk about a bumpy ride! I’ll never think of ocean liners the same way ever again. And, I encourage you to go the audio option if you can.
Book Info
- Release Date: August 8, 2023
- Narrator: Jenny Funnell
- Audio Length: 12 hours, 48 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Listen to a Sample!
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(Thanks to Simon & Schuster Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Blue Mood Café 
Sounds amazing Jo!
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Nicki, it was harrowing💜
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Wow! The premise for this book sounds like something out of a nightmare. An interesting and well-written review Jonetta!
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Thank you, Jodie💜It was definitely nightmarish.
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Great review Jo. I really enjoyed this one, although, like you, I was unsure about the very final twist at the end.
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Thank you, Jacob💜 I’m still pondering that!
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This one sounds like a mind twister. Is the ending clear cut? Then I’d be interested I think.
Anne – Books of My Heart
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It’s definitely a mind bender, Anne. And, no, that ending is not clear cut.
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This sounds great! Another one to add to the TBR 😊
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Get ready for a troubled cruise, Nicola💜
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I realised, after I’d commented, the author also wrote First Born, which I read after another recommendation from your blog 😁 He certainly has a twisty, tricksy way of writing!
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Exactly! And he has me hooked on his writing.
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I absolutely love books like this. I’ll have to put it on my wish list. Amazing review, Jo!
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Thanks, Tessa💜 I believe you’d enjoy this one.
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Fab review! I’m looking forward to finally read this one, although it won’t be until 2024… I tend to love his books, so I have high hopes for it.
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Thank you, Yvo💜 I don’t believe he’ll disappoint you with this one.
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