Under the Surface By Diana Urban

In Diana Urban’s riveting survival-thriller, Under the Surface, four teens find themselves entangled in a heart-pounding adventure beneath the streets of Paris. Ruby, hesitant to reveal her feelings for Sean, is on the cusp of a transformative week during their senior class trip. Sean, eager to take their relationship to the next level, is patient, willing to wait for Ruby to be ready.

Their plans take a dark turn when Ruby’s best friend sneaks out on the first night to meet a mysterious French boy. Ruby, along with Sean and two other classmates, follows her friend into the catacombs—an expansive and eerie labyrinth beneath Paris, filled with the remains of six million former residents. The teens are lured by the promise of an exclusive party but never reach their destination.

Once underground, they quickly become disoriented and lost in the endless maze of bones. As they struggle to find their way out, they encounter sinister forces and uncover disturbing secrets about the catacombs—and each other. Their situation grows increasingly desperate as they confront both the dangers lurking in the darkness and the tension between them.

Above ground, Sean is frantic, leading a search effort and dealing with the media frenzy surrounding the disappearance of Ruby and her friends. Under the Surface is a taut, suspenseful narrative that explores themes of love, betrayal, and survival, as the teens fight to escape the shadows beneath the City of Light.