Book Review

 Out of Air by Rachel Reiss

Published May 13, 2025 by Wednesday Books

The atmosphere, the eeriness, Reiss did a lovely job of describing underwater scenes, delivering the perfect amount of horror and a touch of romance. I've done a good deal of snorkeling and boating in the Keys where the five members of the Salt Squad reside, and the descriptions brought back all the beauty as well as some of the terrifying aspects of the ocean that I've experienced. I can tell Reiss is a writer who writes what she knows, and it comes through in her beautiful underwater depictions.

The Salt Squad is a tight knit group of five friends, fresh out of high school, who form a bond through their love of diving. When Phoebe finds a handful of gold coins on one of their dives, it launches them into social media fame. Before they go their separate ways, the friends decide to take one last journey together, and fly to an Australian island, where they unexpectedly find an underwater cave.

I had some desire to take up scuba diving before reading this book, but now not so much. I felt like I was right there with them exploring the massive underwater cave, the claustrophobia, sharks, deadly box jellyfish, running out of oxygen, but now I think I'll stick to the shallows, or better yet, my comfy book nook where I can safely read about underwater adventures.

Thank you to St. Martins Press, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of this book.

Rating: ★★★★★