The Drowning Game by Dusti Bowling

 I received an advance copy of The Drowning Game which is due out on Oct. 26, 2026. It's a compelling thriller complete with action, suspense, and a tragic drowning (or was it murder?). The main character is 17-year-old Christian who is invited to go on a rafting trip in Arizona with his persuasive best friend, James. Christian travels from Minnesota to Arizona for the trip even though he is not a strong swimmer. James brings along two friends and his girlfriend Freya, and the teenagers have no lifejackets or helmets, and no adult supervision. The boys bring beer and are drinking and partying while Freya and Christian bond over their realization that James is really a terrible person and neither of them wants to go over the dangerous rapids. Tragedy strikes, leaving Christian angry, alone, and emotionally devastated. 

Flash forward one year and Christian is a college freshman in Arizona when he sees someone from that summer whom he believes should be dead. He becomes a stalker, obsessed with figuring out what really happened on that river and turning into a not-so-great person himself. But is James losing his mind? Or is there more to the story?   

This is Dusti Bowling's first book that is classified as Young Adult, and the reviews are saying it is best for grades 9-up. As a middle school librarian I am always looking for books that include adventure, suspense, and even murder, and I was eager to see if it might be appropriate for my 7th and 8th grade readers. As much as I plowed through this book quickly and enjoyed it immensely, I'm going to stick with the grades 9-up recommendation. I know there are 7th and 8th graders who will eat it up, but it does center around college students who are drinking, making out (nothing more than that), and dealing with the trauma of a drowning. Due to the age of the characters and these factors, I can't call it youngteenlit, but I absolutely recommend it for high school collections, and I probably will hand it to some 8th grade readers as well. I didn't mention that it's based on Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, which is bit of a spoiler, but that tells you the kind of twisty story it is. Recommended for adults as well as high schoolers.