After losing his scholarship, a college kid takes a job aboard a commercial fishing ship headed to the Bering Sea. Along with fishing, he learns life lessons from his fellow shipmates. I really
really wanted to like this one, but I could not connect with the characters. I think many will enjoy this one, it just wasn’t for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book!

This book might be my husbands wet dream. He watches all those icy fishing stuff and ice road trucking shit that I can't be bothered with.
I was so surprised that I actually liked this book. The main guy has gotten himself in a bit of trouble and lost his scholarship to a snooty college. He needs 26,000 bucks in a hurry so he can finish school.

Someone suggests commercial fishing.

I no longer really want to eat fish and I'm terrified of the ocean and the angry ocean is even worse.

Then the ending. Lort.

3.5 stars

Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.

So I learned some things from reading this book, mainly that I wouldn't want to be a fisherman for a living. The author does a great job at portraying just how difficult and dangerous that job is. It's a very well written book and an amazing feat for a debut author, I just didn't enjoy the subject matter. My thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The North Line by Matt Riordan is an adventure thriller following a commercial fishing crew at the Bering Sea in the early 1990's. It is highly recommended.

Due to a poor choice in his junior year at Danby, Adam has lost his lacrosse scholarship. College officials will allow him to return and finish his senior year, but he need $26,000 for tuition. A friend sets him up to join a commercial fishing crew at the Bering Sea. He has no previous experience, but very quickly learns what the brutal, dangerous job involves. Surprisingly, Adam finds an authenticity in the lifestyle, and even finds the relentless work and way of life invigorating. There are unforeseen challenges coming and an untrustworthy boss, both of which will force Adam to face who he really is.

The descriptions of life at sea and the work involved are extremely well done and will pull you right into the narrative. Once you start reading you will likely want to keep reading right to the end. This is truly a dirty job that people do for one reason: to earn a lot of money quickly. Reading what the job encompasses will make you question if it is worth it, but it clearly is for Adam. He needs money for college and this is his only hope. It begs the question: what would you do in the same situation?

Adam is a complex, fully realized character. The work aboard the ship and interaction with others help establish who he is and also the skills he has that others wouldn't realize. The action does slow a bit in the middle, but picks up the pace again to the dramatic ending. For Fans of "The Deadliest Catch" and novels pushing a man to his limit, this would be an excellent choice. Thanks to Hyperion Avenue for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.








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The North Line by Matt Riordan caught my eye with its unique setting aboard an Alaskan commercial fishing boat. Our protagonist, college junior Adam, is desperate to make a quick $26,000 over the summer to finance his final year of school, and although he knows nothing about the industry, he decides that being a deck hand on a Bering Sea fishing boat will be the answer to his financial woes. Unfortunately for Adam, the gig comes with great risk to his body and soul.

This is an impressive debut my Matt Riordan, and I assume he knows what he is talking about concerning the commercial fishing industry; I certainly don't;) The writing was strong and descriptive. I was enthralled to learn about this cutthroat industry, as the competition among fishing boats sounds fierce and the working conditions brutal. Adam, along with Nash and Cole, are pushed to their limits and then some. When many of the fishing crews prepare to strike for better prices, Adam's crew goes out to fish - not making any friends. The story was intense with graphic scenes of violence with fishing and crude banter among crewmates. This book is not for the faint of heart, and it may have ruined me for eating salmon.

Adam's character is complex and nuanced. I couldn't decide whether to cheer him or jeer him. The ending surprised me and I must admit, disappointed me. This was an excellent debut, and I can't wait to read the author's future work.

I will recommend this to readers who like intense fiction with a gritty plot.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“The North Line” by Matt Riordan was amazing, and hard to believe this was the author’s first book! The story is about a 3rd year college student on the Lacrosse team who losses his scholarship because of being caught selling drugs. In order raise the money for his final year he joins the crew of a fishing vessel in the Bering sea. The dangerous work and harsh life was not what he expected to say the least. I was reading this book and holding my breath the whole time. An amazing suspenseful read with an unexpected ending.

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Genre: Adventure/ Suspense
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Pub. Date: April 2, 2024

The book’s blurb compares Matt Riordan to Jack London. Indeed, there are similarities between “Call of the Wild” and “The North Line.” In the 1990s, Adam, a college student needing quick money, finds work on an Alaskan commercial fishing boat in the unforgiving Bering Sea, which sits at the edge of the world. The author will make you feel the strong winds, freezing temperatures, and icy waters. I learned that these combinations make for some of the most ferocious waves on the planet, where the water can rise and fall 30 feet on a typical day. The vivid authenticity of the writing is superb. I was surprised that this book is the author’s debut novel.

Although his thumbnail is ripped off on his first day, Adam finds that day’s adventure and labor exhilarating. He also enjoys crude comradery with his crewmembers, feeling they possess hard-earned knowledge. However, Adam is thrown into a despicable fight when a fisherman’s strike threatens the entire season. By the novel’s end, Adam will no longer have teeth and no longer resemble the college student he once was.

“Some lines should not be crossed, even at the ragged edge of civilization.” The surprise ending seems to say survival of the fittest is cruel. This novel is recommended (even if you know nothing about commercial fishing for a living, as I didn’t). It would be best to go in knowing you will be fascinated and repulsed simultaneously.

A gritty and immersive thriller with a stunning sense of place. Perfect for fans of The Deadliest Catch, S.A. Cosby, and Sebastian Junger.

OMG! What an awesome and exciting book! Don't hesitate to get this and start reading it. I want to read it again! What a debut to start your writing career with. How I loved the ending also! To start off with you may think it's slow but worth every minute to me as I learned a lot of how Ocean fishing works! Such a hard job and not only thrilling but very dangerous. The entire book pretty much keeps to the boat and ocean in the story and you may even get sea sick yourself! I am so happy I got to read it, thank you and highly recommend to all.

3.5 Stars, rounded up

Imagine you're facing your final year of college. You've lost your free-ride scholarship. What would you do?

Although Adam knows nothing about the fishing industry, he's desperate to earn the $26,000.00 he needs for his tuition. This leads to his decision to join an Alaskan fishing crew that promises quick money. Adam is shocked to find he find he likes the challenge of the dangerous work and harsh lifestyle. He's witnessing a whole new side of himself!

The North Line is a riveting and graphic look into the fishing industry. I found it to be a well-written book, although I may never eat fish again...

Many thanks to both #HyperionAvenue and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of The North Line The expected publication date is April 2, 2024.

College student Adam is in a bind and needs to get money together quick so he joins the crew of an Alaskan fishing boat in the unforgiving Bering Sea. There, the dangerous work and harsh lifestyle teaches him a lesson about his true self and he realizes he maybe isn’t the person that he thought he was living his life off at college.. He soon realizes that the hard work of catching fish excites him and has him second guessing where he thought his life was headed for him only to have it almost taken away from due to a strike that could shut down his whole first season and with that strike comes a whole other wave of danger and violence…

I really enjoyed this book.. I could honestly picture the characters and setting vividly due to the authors descriptions. I enjoyed the characters and the story line. It had me waiting for something big to happen…I felt like he did a good job of describing what it entails to be a deckhand and captain on a boat and what it takes to make a living as a fisherman. He didn’t sugar coat it and make it seem like it was an easy job that just anybody could go out and do it.

I did however find myself having to go back and read sections because I sometimes felt it jumped from one thing right to the next and I would feel like I missed something.. It did feel like it dragged on quite a bit to get to point. The ending was a surprise but kind of a let down.. I would have loved to been given a little more to see what came of what happens with not only of Adam but also Nash and Cole.It was however a great read and I look forward to reading more off Matt Riordan’s books.

In need of money, Adam books himself a flight out to the coast to join the crew of a fishing boat in the Bearing Sea. As Adam learns the ropes- literally and figuratively- a strike begins, and he starts to observe cutthroat dynamics amongst his crew and the others. To make the money he needs, Adam will have to navigate the sea and the business.

I really enjoyed the way this book jumped right into the action. I loved the way the author described the environment and the job in a way that makes you feel like you're there in the thick of it. It's a physically brutal job and the personal challenges on top of the work build a major challenge for a newcomer. I did find that the middle of the book dragged quite a bit. The idea of the strike is introduced very early, but push doesn't really come to shove until the last 1/4th of the book. Things to pick up and get going for that last 1/4th though, I couldn't put it down, and the very end escalated quickly and left me pretty surprised.

The only thing I noted was that the age and/or setting was a little confusing. I started reading the book as if it was set present-day, and nothing really betrayed that (no cell phones or recreational high-tech stuff on board anyway so I guess time doesn't come up a lot) and since Adam was a college kid I got a little confused when Adam says he was born in 1968. So I guess this book is actually set in the late 80's/early 90's? I don't think it had any impact on the plot I was just surprised.

Overall I enjoyed reading this book and thought it was especially amazing since it's a debut. I would definitely read more from this author!

Five star review!!
In "The North Line," Matt Riordan delivers a captivating tale set against the unforgiving backdrop of Alaska's Bering Sea. Through the eyes of protagonist Adam, readers are thrust into a world where survival depends on more than just physical endurance—it demands a reckoning with one's own identity.
As Adam joins a fishing crew in pursuit of quick money, he discovers that the harsh environment strips away all illusions, leaving only raw truth. Riordan's vivid prose vividly captures the brutal beauty of the Alaskan wilderness and the gritty existence of those who inhabit it.
But "The North Line" is more than a survival story; it's a profound exploration of human resilience and the quest for self-discovery. With richly drawn characters and powerful themes, Riordan crafts a gripping narrative that lingers in the mind long after the final page.
This a masterful novel that seamlessly blends adventure, introspection, and hope. Riordan's debut is not to be missed—a riveting journey into the heart of the wild, and the depths of the human spirit.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I am giving this four stars, but it's more like 3.5 rounded up. The book is an exciting adventure where, strangely enough, not much really happens in terms of plot. College student Adam must earn some quick money to return to school, so he ventures to Alaska to get on a fishing boat. The writing is beautiful (profanities aside), but maybe a little too dense with description and detail about the fishing industry and the rough characters who try to make money at it. Despite the fact that I found that aspect becoming more and more tedious with no end in sight, I did enjoy Adam and his cohorts. If high adventure on the cold Alaskan sea excites you, you will love this book and certainly learn a lot about boats in the process. Matt Riordan is on my radar. Recommended.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

At first I thought the book was a coming of age story set in an extremely difficult environment fishing for Herring and Salmon in the Bering Sea. All the main characters were extremely well drawn and believable.
The descriptions of Adam, Nash, and Cole and the villain owner of the boats- Kaid- as they broke with the strike were frightening.
As it turned out it was a thriller.. The last 20 pages were beyond what I saw coming and the ending lacked full closure with the main characters. I guess the reader can imagine various different endings depending on how one chooses to deal with the question of fairness in the world ….. particularly among this group of fisherman who have already compromised their morals.
I will remember this book for a long time and it would make a great movie.

Thank you to Hyperion Avenue publishing and NetGalley for this arc!
If you love the show Deadliest Catch then this is the novel for you!! Big open, deadly sea, rough men risking their lives to catch fish to make money just to survive. It was exciting and the depth of the characters were really well developed. While not everything in this book was suited for me, I still really enjoyed the adventure!

UNBELIEVABLE!
In this very manly novel you will be completely immersed in the world of cold, arctic fishing during and Alaskan summer. Maybe you too thought for a moment that working in Alaska would be an easy way to pay for college? I think people my age remember reading ads or hearing stories. Matt Riordan is here to tell the tale - it ain't easy.

Adam is a college student who has fallen from grace and needs to make up the difference of a lost scholarship. He follows up on a lead and a favor and finds himself in Alaska joining a summer fishing boat with little knowledge nor skill. He may not have realized that the fisherman have very little food, very little sleep and no showering during the season... but he will learn, and so will we.

Join Adam as he counts on his own gut and athleticism to power him through something that does not seem humanly possible. A nightmare that keeps going - work that is back breaking, literally bone break and never ending for a boss that he simply cannot trust. When he is pushed to his very limit he needs to make a choice - what would you do?

This novel is so good, I cannot believe it is a debut! I would love to know more, I would like to go back - mind you, I never EVER want to fish or live on a boat like that but I would like to read on as someone else pushes their limits. Simply Amazing!
#hyperion #thenorthline #mattriordan

I received this from Netgalley.com.

Good read. Adam's focus was "The money— that was his North Star." But there was so much more to fishing on the Bering Sea than just fishing.

3.75☆

“You know what I regret most in my whole life?”
“What’s that?”
“Everything I ever did for the money.”

I love books set in Alaska and I love supporting debut authors!

Adam can make you believe just about anything; he even lies to himself! It’s not until he’s forced to experience the danger and harsh reality of life on the unforgiving Bering Sea that Adam comes face to face with himself.

Adam got caught selling ecstasy pills at a Supertramp concert and lost his lacrosse scholarship. He discovered that with a drug conviction, he doesn’t qualify for financial aid. In a desperate attempt to raise $26,000 in three months to pay for his senior year, he’s forced to head to Alaska where he’s heard he can make this kind of money in a short time.

He’s a greenhorn.

Hired on the run-down Miami Vice herring trawler, Adam is quickly submerged in the life of a fisherman as Captain Nash and deckhand Cole take him under their wing. When the trawler catches fire and they are forced to sell their catch to ensure their safety, it’s just the beginning of the trials he experiences.

To say that this is not what Adam expected is putting it mildly. However, it’s just what he needs. Adam learns to endure hardships rather than run away from challenges. He also learns what it means to dig in and do what it takes to become who he wants to be. In short, Alaska makes him a man.

I was riveted. I should have been more prepared for the colourful language as it was a shock at first. I overlooked it as I was hooked in the story. I appreciated a chance to learn about something I knew very little about and came away with a fresh appreciation for all those who do this for a living.

I was gifted this copy by Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This well-written novel provides a vivid glimpse of a world I didn’t know that much about.

Adam lost his lacrosse scholarship at the end of his junior year after he’s busted for a side hustle that was less than legal—the scholarship pays tuition, but that’s not the only expense a college student has. Even though Adam isn’t super excited about some sort of office job awaiting him, if he doesn’t graduate, he’ll be back with all the other losers in his hometown he’s desperately trying to escape. He needs a lot of money to pay his own tuition, so when the opportunity to work on a commercial fishing boat arises, he seizes it. There is a very clear bad guy in this novel, and every other character is not exactly a villain or a victim, but as the story goes on, it gets more and more harrowing. The description of the physical and emotional cost of reeling fish in—you only have a limited window of opportunity—is gruesome. It’s suspenseful in a unique way from suspense novels.

NetGalley provided an advance copy of this book, which RELEAESES APRIL2, 2024.