Welcome to my tour stop! I'm sharing about this new YA thriller today. Read on below...
Seasick
By Kristin Cast and Pintip Dun
YA Contemporary Thriller
Hardcover, Audiobook & eBook, 336 Pages
June 11, 2024 by Delacorte Press
Summary
There’s a killer on board a luxury yacht, and two former friends must team up to figure out which of their privileged classmates has a penchant for murder before they become victims themselves. Don’t miss out on this gripping thriller from New York Times bestselling authors Kristin Cast and Pintip Dunn!
Ex–best friends Naya Morgan and Yana Bunpraserit have always felt like outsiders in their small Oklahoma town. But this year, everything changes when they’re inducted into an exclusive society of Yatesville High’s top recent graduates. Unimaginable opportunities await them, starting with a celebratory yacht trip to Bermuda. Despite the likely onslaught of microaggressions and backhanded compliments from their peers—in addition to their own rocky past—Yana and Naya are ready for an epic voyage.
Then one of their classmates is brutally murdered, leaving them stuck at sea with a killer. Yana and Naya may have avoided each other for years, yet as the body count rises, rekindling their friendship might be the only way they’ll both survive.
Content Warning: murder, death, microaggressions, racism, blood
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My Review
SEASICK is a mashup of Mean Girls and Scream where high school graduates get a super exclusive trip on a glamorous yacht to the Bermudas. What should be the best ever epic graduation party for this circle of popular and rich friends, turns into a nightmare when they start getting murdered. The friends try to figure out what is going on and who is after them while trying to stay alive in this harrowing thriller. A definite page-turner!
There are two main POVs in this story, both girls with multicultural backgrounds who didn't grow up in the rich, popular circles of their small town. They were best friends until one of them joined the circle in eighth grade while the other remained outside. Both get invited into this exclusive group of graduates who take a congratulatory trip on a yacht. Even though neither really needs to go, they both want to fit in and receive the advantages of the elite group and so they go. The story starts off between their two perspectives and gossip posts from one of the popular girls. Everything is pretty superficial with all the drama, manipulation, competition and bullying that readers would expect from this type of story and then turns into a bloody murderous rampage while the characters try to figure out who the villain is and how to save themselves.
I didn't love either main character. I think part of that was the type of story this is and that they didn't really ever feel genuine. They were always trying to fit in with this other group regardless if these other people deserved to be their friends or to have their opinions count. They didn't always choose to be kind or stand up against their friends who were being mean. It's all very materialist and caring a lot about what others think of them. Both POVs were also a bit similar to me in background, voice and choices so they blended together sometimes. I would have liked them to be more distinct and at least one of them to be more confident. They felt a bit lackluster for characters. Because of this, the beginning dragged a bit for me while the story was being set up and all the gossiping and backstabbing was going on. However, once the first murder happens, this story becomes much more intense. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen and who the murderer was, even through all their stupid, cliche choices that you would find in most teenage thrillers like this one (like not being alone when someone is trying to kill you!). The story does keep readers guessing a bit, which is always good, with a few twists. There is also a sweet ending, even though it's tied off a little too prettily.
In a nutshell:
Read if you like...
- Movies like Mean Girls and Scream
- Suspenseful mysteries in close proximity, think Death on the Nile
- Stories where you're not sure who to trust
- Suspense with a few twists
- Gossipy tidbits thrown in and secrets uncovered
- Multicultural characters
- Romance with a bit of heat
- Characters who aren't safe from being murdered
- More than a bit of bloody violence
- A super sweet, prettily tied up ending
Some things I didn't like...
- The characters were a bit flat and not overly likable
- The POV's voices felt and sounded very similar
- The characters and story were fairly superficial
- There was nothing that really made me think or challenged me
- There were a lot of blunt, descriptive, suggestive parts
- The ending was tied up too perfectly
In the end, was it what I wished for? This isn't my type of read, but it still held my interest once the mystery and murders got going. For those who enjoy these types of stories, this is definitely worth adding to your list.
Content: Swearing, innuendo, suggestive content, crude references, racist comments, some bloody violence.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through TBR and Beyond Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
About the Authors
She is neurodivergent (ASD + OCD), was born on an Air Force base in Japan, and grew up in Oklahoma where she explored everything from tattoo modeling to broadcast journalism. After battling addiction, Kristin made her way to the Pacific Northwest and landed in Portland. She rediscovered her passion for storytelling in the stacks at dusty bookstores and in rickety chairs in old coffeehouses.
For as long as she can remember, Kristin’s been telling stories. Thankfully, she’s been writing them down since 2005.
Her novel FORGET TOMORROW won the 2016 RWA RITA® for Best First Book, and SEIZE TODAY won the 2018 RITA for Best Young Adult Romance. Her books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix del’Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the TomeSociety It list; and the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award.
Her other titles include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, THE DARKEST LIE, GIRL ON THE VERGE, STAR-CROSSED, and MALICE.
Tour Schedule
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Are you a fan of either or both of these authors? Is this your type of story? Have you read any other mysteries or thrillers set on a boat?
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