Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own. 

 

Book: Girl Overboard 

 

Author: Sandra Block 

 

Book Series: Standalone 

 

Rating: 4.5/5 

 

Diversity: Queer side character 

 

Recommended For...: young adult readers, thriller, mystery, cruise ship, travel 

 

Publication Date: May 3, 2022 

 

Genre: YA Thriller Mystery 

 

Age Relevance: 16+ (suicide, underage alcohol consumption, language, sexting, drug use, poisoning, kidnapping, rape) 

 

Explanation of Above: Suicide is mentioned as a possibility a few times in the book. There is alcohol consumption by minors mentioned, not shown in the book. There is some slight sexting shown in the book and drug use is mentioned by adults. There is a poisoning scene shown and kidnapping is also shown. Rape is also mentioned. 

 

Publisher: Underlined 

 

Pages: 288 

 

Synopsis: Izzy is reaching peak boredom on a cruise with her parents until she meets daring new friend Jade, with whom Izzy can barely keep up. But a shock wave runs through the cruise ship when Jade goes missing in the middle of the night, leaving behind a cryptic note. 

 

Izzy digs deeper into Jade’s disappearance, but someone doesn’t want to find the truth. And if she’s not careful, Izzy might not get off this ship alive . . . 

 

Review: For the most part I thought the book was really good. I liked the mystery aspect of the book and I thought it was a well thought-out plot with a lot of good twists. The book had a great moment that showed the incompetence of cops, showing that a well known trope is not factual at all which is very important for teens to learn nowadays. I also liked how the book didn’t have the typical romance aspect and it really focused on the tight friendship the girls develop with each other in the span of a couple of days, also I love the girl helping girl message behind the book. The book had a great premise and the story kept me hooked until the end. The book had great character development and world building as well. 

 

However, the most random thing of the book is what keeps me from making this a 5/5. I thought it was so strange that the book had so many days at sea. Why are there so many days at sea in this book for it to be set in the Caribbean on a cruise ship? Like… I feel like I missed something but at the same time I don’t. There were only 2 days at port… for a cruise ship… in the Caribbean. I felt like the real mystery of this book is why the cruise ship captain keeps sailing around in what appears to be circles. Maybe that was a hint as to the twist at the end but it was very weird choice and makes me think that the book wasn’t as well developed as I thought. I also felt the book was super fast paced and while it was a great read, I thought it could have been slowed down for a bit. 

 

Verdict: It’s great!