The mark of a good read is how many sittings it takes to read it, and it took me one night to finish The Yacht. I do love a locked room mystery, and The Yacht takes that out onto the open ocean.

Hannah is invited by her rich friends to join them on a yacht party, only to find in the morning that they are adrift, with no fuel or way of communicating with the shore. Even worse, her friends are both cruel and selfish, and things go from bad to worse when one disappears, and it becomes much more ominous.

I really liked Hannah's character, as much as I hated her obnoxious friends, so it was easy to root for her survival. The author created an incredibly tense atmosphere, and you could really feel the despair and desperation the characters experienced. This tension kept up right until the end (although I did feel that the reveal was something I had guessed earlier on).

A very enjoyable read, thanks to Avon Books Uk and Netgalley for the copy.

4 stars.

Mystery, thriller, adventure… this book has it all. I’ve enjoyed the author’s previous efforts and this one is entertaining and very addictive. Hannah is the poor friend of a group of millionaires, but she’s convinced that they like her. When they invite her to an exclusive New Year’s Eve party on a yacht, she makes a big effort and drives a long way to attend. Soon, it is obvious that she made a mistake, and she decides that she’ll move on in the morning but, when she wakes up, she discovers that they’ve been cut adrift, with no fuel and no way to return to land. It is often said how civilization is a few meals away from total chaos and Hannah discovers that it’s true. Then, one of them disappears and things spiral with breathtaking suspense. I hated all but one of Hannah’s friends, they are cruel and mean and selfish, but I was rooting for her and her only ally Harry. We all want to think how we’d know how to survive extreme circumstances, but they both learn the hard way how easy it is to make mistakes. I was under the impression that this was a whodunit, but it’s not really that. It is definitely a thriller with a solid plot. Enjoyable.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Avon Books UK.

A gripping thriller which i read in two sittings. The characters (which are 90% awful) are well written and really got my back up. I enjoyed trying to work out who was going to come unstuck next although the ending felt a little flat for me.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

A locked room mystery and a vaction-gone-wrong...my absolute favorite!

Hannah makes the mistake of attending a party with her old college friends. All of the friends are wildly successful which highlights Hannah's lack of a profession and steady paycheck all the more. The ultra rich couple throwing the party invite Hannah onto their yacht which will stay docked for the duration of the party weekend.
The night is fraught and Hannah isn't sure if she should stay. It's not until she hears some of the friends disparaging her, in another room that she decides to leave in the morning. When she wakes, however, she finds the the yacht is a sea and there are multiple obstacles to returning to lan d. Before long one of the friends disappear.

Suddenly Hannah can only count on herself and has to work against the clock to find a rescue plan and solve the mystery of the missing friend. Great fun! Recommended!
.#Avonbooksuk #theyacht #sarahgoodwin

The Yacht is a locked room mystery on the water. A group of old friends have an all night party, however when they wake up the yacht is no longer tied to the dock and is drifting in open water. The main character and narrator, Hannah, has been still working at a small job without much hope for advancement. The others are extremely successful and wealthy. The awful treatment of Hannah was very uncomfortable at first. However soon one friend disappears and we watch Hannah get stronger and try to get them all out alive. The characters are very well developed and layered, and the tension between them rises with each passing hour. It wasn’t difficult to anticipate the ending but it was captivating and hard to stop reading! Overall, I really enjoyed the ride. With thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

Hannah's group of friends have known each other since their university days, and among those gathered on a yacht in Italy to celebrate New Years Eve are Maggie, Harry, Libby, her husband Olly, and Maggie's fiance Leon.

While Hannah herself is quite a relatable character, the same cannot be said for most of the others, who are quite unlikeable. They have done well for themselves, and are less than kind in their assessment of Hannah's more modest circumstances.

But there is an unexpected leveller coming. After a wild night of partying in the marina, Hannah and her friends awaken to find themselves adrift in the ocean the next day, with no fuel and no shores in sight. Yet if that seems perilous enough, what comes next is far worse.

With the first person's death on the boat, it becomes clear that something quite serious is going on. Secrets, lies, and old rivalries rise to the surface, and will all play their parts in determining who sinks and who swims in these very unexpected circumstances.

While the story line is not entirely original, Goodwin's skillful handling of the plot shows what an experienced writer can do with a familiar trope. After reading her book Stranded, Goodwin has become a must-buy author for me This story is gripping, suspenseful, and all in all, worth reading. It gets 3.5 stars and would have got 4 had the other characters been less uniformly obnoxious.

Sarah Goodwin’s “Stranded” is one of my favorite books, so naturally had to read this one!

This was such a fast paced thriller. It leaves you on the edge of your seat almost from the first page. It seems Sarah knows how to write a good “survival” thriller, because this was great!

Hannah was a very likeable and relatable character. The rest however, weren’t even tolerable. It worked for the story, but they were so stuck up. They weren’t good friends to Hannah, so it was nice to see her seeing through their games and coming to reality with the situation.

This book was ALMOST at 5 stars. I’d say it was a 4.5 star book. The reason for not giving a 5 star rating would be because of the lack of twists. It was obvious who Libby was having an affair with, and other things in regard to her were left unsolved. The epilogue had me excited thinking “yes! There is going to be a crazy twist here at the end” only for it to fall a bit flat. Yes, there was a happy ending, but I was looking for a bit of a twist. Other than that, I LOVED this book. I couldn’t wait to read it and flew through the pages!

"The Yacht" by Sarah Goodwin revolves around a group of uni friends who find themselves stranded at sea. I am a sucker for locked-room mysteries and books that take place on a boat, so I grabbed the book once I read the blurb. And, boy, what a ride!

A group of friends from England, consisting of Maggie and her fiance Leon, Harry, and Hannah, come to celebrate New Year's Eve on Libby and her husband Olly's yacht, which is anchored at the Italian marina. All of them have made it big and are rich, except Hannah, who is stuck in a dead-end job and single due to unresolved issues. Maggie, Libby, and their partners look down on Hannah, the poor one in their midst.

At first, the party is going relatively well, aside from some snide comments toward Hannah. The atmosphere becomes tense the more they drink and do drugs, and masks are removed. The plot takes a turn the next morning when they find themselves stranded at sea with no Wi-Fi, no food, and no fuel. While they try to figure out what happened and what to do, tensions rise, and secrets are revealed, tearing them apart. As they lurch from one disaster to another, "Swim or sink" becomes their new reality.

I loved the book and couldn't stop reading. Sure, the premise isn't original; this trope has been done many times, but its execution makes it shine. The book is written in the first person from Hannah's perspective. She was a great character, one I could relate to and root for, which is more than I can say for the other characters. The other characters, with the exception of Harry, were insufferable and thought themselves superior to less fortunate people. I was glad when Hannah finally grew a backbone and didn't bow to her friends.

I appreciate the writing and the way the story unfolded before my very eyes. The author made the characters and scenes come to life. There were surprising developments and turns, and although there were some scenes that required a suspension of disbelief, I could live with it.

The setting was great, and I could feel the atmosphere as conditions deteriorated. The descriptions of the storm, the cold, and the despair were very realistic. The book explores various themes like bullying, toxic relationships, loss, and fear of getting close to someone and getting hurt in the process. The book is exceptionally well-crafted and compelling, and I found myself thoroughly caught up in the tale. Readers will be hooked until the very end, wondering where all of this is going. Full stars from me!

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

Hannah is invited to spend New Year's Eve on a yacht with her wealthy friends.
She overhears a conversation and finds out how much her so called friends look down on her. Harry, another guest without a partner, who has recently made a rags to riches fortune from his art, is her only ally on the yacht.
The yacht drifts away from the dock during the night, and without power, signal, or any other way of being rescued, Hannah and Harry are the only passengers that attempt to make an effort to be rescued. And then one of the guests disappear without a trace.


Oh, wow! A very well written thriller, if a bit long. The characters are well developed, and you can see how selfish and ugly natured the majority of them are.
Hannah seems to be down to earth, resourceful and forgives easily.
A really gripping novel that I read in two sittings.
I highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this book.

I read The Yacht over a couple of days and could not put it down. It’s New Year’s Eve and Hannah and her friends are on a luxurious yacht in an Italian marina. They party the night away then in the morning they’re shocked to find they’ve been cut adrift and are drifting in the middle of the ocean with no sight of land and no fuel. A gripping thriller that will keep you captivated to the end. Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and the author for the chance to review.

This wasn’t bad at all.

It’s VERY entertaining and I loved when the secrets started coming out. Our richie rich people were so horrible!

Our Main Character is largely likable – especially when she starts showing a spine.

I wasn’t terribly surprised by the *who* of everything, but I still enjoyed the very dangerous ride.

Enjoyed this one!

• ARC via Publisher

I do have a particular fascination with thrillers set on boats, the isolation, the uncertainty, the elements..... its everything you need to build some tension and excitement and omg, did this book do all that and more!

The writing flows so naturally and I flew through the Kames. The characters Wetwang original and unique. They had layers and depth and were very human in their behaviours and responses.

I loved the twists and the fact that little secrets are revealed through the whole book

I usually don't really rate books based around the premise of "old friends meeting up again after years and all of a sudden tragedy strikes" because its just been don't so so so many times but this was worlds apart from other books I've read and I was invested from the start.

Must read!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book is a locked room type mystery set on a yacht.
It started off fast paced and we soon learnt the dynamics of the characters who are well written and fleshed out.
I found the first half much stronger then the second but that didn't stop me reading it in two sittings. I did have some idea how it would conclude but that didn't take away from my overall enjoyment of the story. I would definitely read more from this author.

I enjoyed this book! The characters were well developed and the storyline was engaging. I recommend that others read this book as well, especially if they enjoy a good thriller.

Thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow, I just finished this and feel like I can let out the breath I’ve been holding the entire time. This was a locked door type mystery/thriller that seriously had me reading with one eye open, and shivers down my back, and I couldn’t put it down. I had a feeling about some of the shock that came at the end of the book, but it was still such a riveting read because it was so unlike anything else I’ve read in this genre.

Hannah heads to Italy to board a luxury yacht for the weekend for an all expenses paid New Years Eve celebration. Sure they’re her friends from childhood and college, and they’re now all wildly successful while she is still single and working a dead end job. But she looks forward to this weekend every year when she gets to catch up with them. Only this year it’s different because tensions are high, drugs and alcohol are running rampant through the party, and that’s when all the fighting begins. Hannah goes to bed with a plan in action, she will get off the boat first thing in the morning (because they’re just staying tied up at the dock) and never have to see these awful people again. Except when they wake up in their morning the Yacht is floating out in open water because someone untied it from the dock. One disaster after another starts to rock the boat and this friend group, until it’s only one man standing. Will they survive this or will they go down with the boat?

There were lots of twists and turns throughout and well developed characters. Would recommend

Thank you to Sarah Goodwin, NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the arc of this book.

With many thanks to Avon Books and Maddie Dunne Kirby for this early access arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily

What I love about Sarah Goodwin is not only her ability to draw the reader in but to keep drawing them in throughout the book. Set on a luxury yacht in a ‘locked room’ style mystery, which yes has been done before but this one has an unpredictable ending giving it a great edge to the story. As always with this author the descriptive narrative is sublime and the tension in the latter part is brilliantly executed. A very enjoyable page turner

A group of friends party the night away on a yaught, but the next day they find themselves drifting out to sea with no way back... Can they survive or will their secrets and dislike for each other tear them apart? A tense and chilling thriller that keeps you turning the pages. Great!

I've read a number of 'locked room' type thrillers recently - they seem to be growing exponentially! I was getting a bit bored of them however I was offered the chance to read this ARC and I never say no to an offer like that.

Overall, this was a good read. Six main characters, all with good depth and well developed, are stranded on the yacht. However, despite being long time friends, it is quickly evident there is a level of toxicity here which leads to a very fraught time at sea.

I don't want to say too much more for fear of spoilers however it was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review