Below Deck

by J.A. Andrews

Aboard a lavish cruise liner, some secrets never make it back to shore...

Reeling from a tragic car accident, social media darling Grace Thomas embarks on a two-week Mediterranean cruise. She hopes the azure-blue sea will bring her solace and a chance to start anew.

But serenity quickly gives way to mounting paranoia, as unsettling memories and shifting alliances among her fellow passengers begin to erode Grace's grip on reality. Is someone on board hiding a deadly secret? Or is Grace's mind playing tricks on her? With each glittering night at sea, the cruise becomes a trap from which there may be no escape.

Perfect for fans of psychological thrillers, confined-space suspense, and jaw-dropping twists. If you love the dark intrigue of Lisa Jewell, Ruth Ware, and Alice Feeney, set sail on this mind-bending voyage.

Genres: Audiobook, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

274 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2025

About the author

JA Andrews is the author of thriller novels and can be found on twitter: @JasonA1980 and on BlueSky as @jasona.co.uk

As well as writing fiction, JA Andrews enjoys reading a mix of genres, watching various reality TV and spending time with family and friends.

Reviews

[Brandi Johnson]

2 🌟 Completed book Below Deck by J.A. Andrews.
Half the book is a depressed women complaining the whole time,and I mean the whole time. The psychological thriller part wasn't even written interesting.
HOOPLA BONUS BORROW
Not worth the read

[Katrina (Catching up on Reviews)]

Oh man I loved the ending! However, the first half of the book was so boring to me!

[Trisha]

This book was definitely NOT for me, and there were a few times when I considered just abandoning it to the DNF shelf. I figured out the plot within the first few chapters, and the main character was so disjointed that it disrupted the entire flow of the story. The character was unpredictable and unreliable, but not in a good way. It just didn’t make any sense. It was convoluted and confusing, and quite often I didn’t really know what was going on. It started to drag after a while, and I just wanted to be finished with it.

[Dani Koriander]

Usually when a setting is in one place for majority of the book, I get bored easily, but this was well done.

If you love being inside the mind of someone who is clearly mentally unwell but they are not aware of it, this is a book for you. It was anxiety inducing because I knew the entire time her thought patterns were off.

[Miss-Gee]

Gave up on the audiobook in under 30 minutes. The narrator's voice is too harsh and sharp for my liking. Furthermore, the first chapter consists entirely of the highly strung main character's anxiety-riddled mind racing from one imagined worst-case scenario to the next. It quickly became so grating and exhausting that I had to abandon it.

[Alice Svedin]

antingen var hon helt psyk (she was) eller så blev jag det av boken🕺🏻

[Paige]

The main character ms are SOOO BITCHY. They complain about EVERYTHING. Narrator is also not good.

[Tamarra]

Nope... this book was more confusing than interesting for me with a predictable ending. I get that the set up was supposed to be a psychological thriller set in the ocean but it just missed the mark for me.

Grace is still recovering from a car accident. But she's decided that a cruise will be the perfect reset that she needs and a break from the family. However once on board things begin to happen, her luggage doesn't show up, did a passenger really just go over the deck? Grace begins to become paranoid. Then once she calls home to check on the family everything changes. What really happened to the passenger? Where is her luggage? Why is her husband angry with her? Will Grace be able to tell the difference between reality and paranoia?

[Erin R]

Thank god for hoopla y’all. Listened on audiobook and tbh I don’t regret listening to this because the VA was so good. Her voice reminded me of Florence Pugh and she truly is what made this experience bearable and somewhat enjoyable. I hope she does more audiobooks.

The writing didn’t grip me at all. I could’ve skipped about 50% of the book and not missed a thing. The twist did get me actually, and the reveal was the only time I was interested in the story. I thought I figured it out and turned out I hadn’t. Unfortunately the good twist was immediately watered down by more chapters of boredom.

I do want more cruise thrillers though.

[Veronica Reyes]

A woman goes through m a cruise organized by her husband but suddenly while on sea things become confusing. One friend commits suicide and her other friend acts like they don’t know each other. She calls her home and her son was told she was dead. She believes her husband is doing this to her but doesn’t understand why all their friends are helping him.

[Mackenzie Maczko]

I’m just going to leave it short and simple WTF DID I JUST READ AND I MEAN THIS IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE! I Binged and Devoured this like it was the very oxygen I needed to survive!

[Linda Faurer]

This book was something. Most of the time I was so confused about what was going on. The main character was appallingly self-centered. Story didn’t flow well. I’ll just leave it at that. No thanks.

[Rachel]

Terrible

[Tracy Dereszynski-Dow]

There is nothing tense or psychologically thrilling about this book. it was clear that there was going to be a twist, even that wasn't worth the time to keep slogging thru.
skip it!

[Jodi]

Get ready to set sail on a thrilling adventure with “Below Deck” by JA Andrews, a gripping British psychological thriller narrated by the incredibly talented Gabrielle Nellis-Pain. This dynamic duo brings to life a world of suspense, twists and turns that kept me enthralled throughout. Nellis-Pain's superb vocals and precise inflections bring this thriller to life, making it difficult to take a break. Andrews expertly crafts a confined-space suspenseful mystery that's both chilling and intriguing. Social media darling Grace Thomas thinks a Mediterranean cruise will bring her solace after a tragic car accident, but she’s in for a shock. As secrets and lies unravel, Grace’s grip on reality starts to slip. Is someone on board hiding a deadly secret, or has she become unhinged? Andrews crafts a confined-space thriller that's both chilling and captivating. The plot twist is devious in misdirection. I was thinking I had it all figured out, but Andrews and Nellis-Pain had other plans. That ending was a total curveball I didn't see coming. The way they pulled it off was pure genius. Definitely worth the ride. For those who appreciate dark intrigue, grab “Below Deck” now! With its jaw-dropping twists and turns, this devious masterpiece kept me guessing until the very end. Don't miss out on this riveting, twisty ride. I cannot stress it enough ~ highly recommended.

[Luna Fox]

I wanted to start spooky season with a thriller so I decided to listen to this book on hoopla. Unfortunately an hour in I found the story was extremely predictable. I finished it hoping it would at least be written well despite it. The main antagonist was extremely annoying to be within her head. The first part was extremely boring. Most of the inner dialogue is repetitive and annoying. Though it could be on purpose considering the “plot twist.” Mentally unwell woman falls for and stalks a totally innocent married man who constantly gives her pity and excuses while his own wife tries to warn him of the danger. Like it’s a bit ridiculous that the main women in this book are extremely petty, jealous and vicious while the man at the center is just so incredibly naive and willing to give this unwell woman the benefit of the doubt. If you seen psycho, then you’ll guess it as well. Also why even write the woman as a cleaning product influencer if it has no impact to the story at all? It just came off as misogynistic if I’m being honest

[Brecken]

This book left a lot to be desired, lots of loose ends.
I won't lie and say I saw the ending coming, because I actually envisioned a different ending on its way. That didn't make it a twisty, turn-y, unpredictable thriller; no, it made it a book with a bad ending. I feel like the author tried to double-down on the "crazy" as the book wrapped up. Yes, it was "shocking," but more in a "shocked she went the direction she did.

Honestly? I feel like this one missed the boat (pun very fully intended).

[Sam]

This book was really chaotic and disjointed but not in a fun way. An unreliable narrator is usually my favorite thing to navigate but this narrator was almost too difficult to follow that she made it feel like work, not fun. I do understand what was intended by the author... but I think maybe they leaned in too much to get us into the headspace of an unwell main character. I did still enjoy the premise and the book was worth reading but I probably won't recommend it.

[Meghan Sarate]

Figured out the twist before the book was halfway through but still enjoyed the plot. The main character's thoughts and demeanor are so off the whole time and her paranoia only worsens until the dramatic end!

[Kayla Hipp]

I listened to this book on audio and though I was often confused, I did enjoy it! I had to look up some notes on the book after I was finished to be sure I understood the whole storyline. It was a nice, quick read/listen and kept my day at work going!

[Lisa Baker-Elliott]

Below Deck
by J A Andrews
248 pages
9/27 - 9/28
Kindle/ audio immersive
3.75/5 ⭐️
0/5 🌶️
3/5 🤯

A 2 week cruise with friends...... an unreliable narrator, serious mental health issues, murder, lies..... this book is CRAZY!

[Rachel Falco]

Confusing to follow at times but it was interesting to the point that I listened to it in one day. The end reveals why it felt confusing so it was worth it to get through the whole story. It is not a “must read” but I liked it.

[Barbara]

-5. Book for a long car ride and still didn’t want to finish

[Renee Koeune]

it was ok. not my fave. good twist. kind of predictable

[Joy]

Just eh for me. While knowing something was off throughout the book, I honestly expected a different ending.

[Morgan Calhoun]

This book was very interesting in the first 25% and had a lot of potential, but it got confusing, and very all over the place way too fast! A little disappointing.

[Paula Schumm]

I listened to this thriller novel. A split personality on a cruise ship makes for murder and twisty turny suspense. Recommended.

[Kayla Cork]

WOW THE TWISTS

[Karla]

3.5 stars

[Nicola Priest]

3.5 🌟 An intriguing thriller with a plot twist, despite being a bit confusing at times!